Saturday, August 22, 2026, August Miller

Saturday Themeless by August Miller

August is a constructor we have seen very often here in the last 12 months and having a puzzle by August in August just seems right. I blogged his first LA Times themeless just last year and now this is the 8th one I've solved/blogged. He is a former physics Ph.D. candidate turned farmer who lives in Berkshire County, MA.

Here is part of a very nice interview with August:

Once upon a time I was going to be a physics PhD. I studied physics in undergrad and tried graduate school (twice), but ultimately that environment just didn’t work for me. And now I come home at night smelling of cows and hay, and it feels so much better.

As you can see by the grid below, August's puzzle is full of unique fill.

Across:

1. Camera setting with a moon icon: NIGHT MODE - Earlier this year, I used the NIGHT MODE on my iPhone which enabled me to photograph northern lights from our deck. They were not visible with the naked eye.

 

10. Makes a run for it: BOLTS.

15. Like rocks and minerals: INORGANIC.

16. "Farewell, mon amie": ADIEU.

17. Literary figure who rings a bell: QUASIMODO.

18. Remote spots?: SOFAS 😀 My remote always winds up down in the cushions. 

19. Finesse: ART.

20. Beach Soccer World Cup org.: FIFA.

 

21. Overly caffeinated: WIRED.

22. Nancy Drew chum: BESS - Bess Marvin is one of Nancy Drew's closest friends  and a core member of her sleuthing circle.

24. Lab infestation: FLEAS - A canine issue

26. "Foxy Brown" do: FRO.

28. Middle set: ABS 😀 Muscles of your midsection 

31. Cousin with floor-length hair: ITT.

32. Heads out: GOES.

33. "Ugh, I'm so sorry!": THAT'S THE WORST.

36. Some transformations: CHARACTER ARCS.

37. "I know, right?!": YOU'RE TELLIN' ME - An elided version of a familiar phrase

38. Mackey of "Ella McCay": EMMA.

Jamie Lee Curtis   Emma Mackey

39. "Ceci n'est pas __ pipe": UNE - Crosswords have taught me of Rene Magritte's This Is Not A Pipe but is just a picture of a pipe.

40. Confidentiality doc: NDA.

41. One bro to another?: SIB 😀

42. Takes to heart: HEEDS.

44. Some "Call the Midwife" figures: NUNS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

48. Exclaims: CRIES.

50. Crushed: ACED - I had finished my physics minor but had to take a class called Electricity For Industrial Arts Teachers to get my hours for my diploma. I ACED those tests.

53. Pause to catch up?: NAP.

54. Essential fatty __: ACIDS - Some of the sources

55. Avoid having to hoof it: SNAG A RIDE.

57. Things to avoid: NONOS.

58. Like some high-flying performers: ACROBATIC.

59. Point of view: ANGLE.

60. Jargon in a video game chat, maybe: LEET SPEAK - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Substituting numbers for similarly shaped numbers

Down:

1. Muslim face covering: NIQAB.

2. Harden: INURE.

3. Nannies and kids: GOATS 😀

4. Work wk. units: HRS - My teacher work was for a year but my summer jobs were by the hour

5. Work wk. conclusion: TGIF.

6. Term of affection para una chica: MAMI - Haría cualquier cosa POR UNA CHICA como tú (I'd do anything FOR A GIRL like you)

7. Switch positions: ON OFF.

8. Celebrated, perhaps: DID A LITTLE DANCE.

9. Italian scholar Umberto: ECO.

10. "On the __ of Sex": 2018 biopic: BASIS - A bio of RBG

11. Baking soda target: ODOR.

12. Chi: LIFE FORCE.

13. Cocktail party attire: TEA DRESS.

14. Kinda sketch: SUS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  "Kinda sus sketch" is a casual slang phrase meaning a person, place or situation feels slightly suspicious, shady or untrustworthy. It combines kinda sus (a bit suspicious) with sketch (short for sketchy), doubling down on the idea that something is off. 

21. Hydrate right after planting, as seedlings: WATER IN.

23. Source of siroccos: SAHARA.

25. Journalist Payne known as the "First Lady of the Black Press": ETHEL.

27. German "east": OST.

29. Uncovered: BARE.

30. Hall of Fame figures: STATUES - Next year, Pete Rose will be eligible for the MLB Hall Of Fame (probably with an asterisk for his gambling). Until then, he has a very unique STATUE outside of the ballpark in Cincinnati.

32. First poet to perform at the Super Bowl: GORMAN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Here she is presenting it before Super Bowl LV (1:34).

33. Comparatively large band: THUMB RING 😀

34. Theater section: SCENE - Seems like it's more of a play section...

35. Mascara applicator: WAND.

36. Gathering that celebrates DC icons: COMIC CON - It took me a while to abandon our national capital for Detective Comics.

37. "Love that!": YES.

42. "Siddhartha" novelist: HESSE - Siddhartha is a Sanskrit name meaning "one who has attained his goals" or "he who has accomplished his aim"

“Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom." Herman Hesse, Siddhartha

43. "We __ because we care": Monsters, Inc. motto: SCARE.

45. Bring together: UNITE.

46. "Russian Doll" protagonist: NADIA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

47. Mote: SPECK.

49. Object of reverence: IDOL.

51. Spielberg quartet: EGOT.

52. Tends to a stain, maybe: DABS.

54. De Armas of "Ballerina": ANA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

55. Actor Mineo: SAL - His most famous role was as James Dean's best friend in Rebel Without A Cause.

     Sal                 James

56. Knock: RAP.

Friday, Aug 21st, 2026 ~ Megan Heneke

ANTHONY'S LATHE

Anthony's Law, but not Anon-T - and - OUCH~!!

I could not find any online links to our crossword constructor, Megan Heneke, so I do believe this is her debut puzzle - congratulations~!  While I enjoyed solving this one, I am still kinda stumped; did I miss a layer~?  Is there something about the theme that I am not seeing~?  I can see the correlation between the "scientist" ( or mathematician ) and the 'object' of the clue, but I'm baffled that both LATTE an LATKE were acceptable - but that's not on the author, that's shame on the editor for not sending it back for revision; YMMV.  I even tried a different parsing - as in LA WAND OR DER, since the themers all have their objects starting with "LA"; perhaps Ms. Heneke will pop by our Crossword Corner and give us some insight.  I would not rate this as Friday-level, though the prevalence of single-word cluing/answers does give it that feel.  Standard grid, no circles, a handful of names, a mere ten 3LWs, and no Twurds. The themers and the reveal;

21. "A bottle where the rapid decrease in pressure upon opening creates foam, please" request?: BOYLE'S LAGER - Robert Boyle is credited with discovering the inverse relationship between pressure & volume; the Wiki

26. "A light coffee, and do not drop it, please" request?: NEWTON'S LATTE - Sir Isaac Newton and his "discovery" of gravity - his Wiki

43. "I'll take my potato as a pancake (but you'll probably bring fries)" request?: MURPHY'S LATKE - Murphy's Law, which in general states that if something can go wrong, it will - I did not know he was a 'real' person - more here

50. Strict enforcement of the rules for a civil society, or how to process the requests in 21-, 26-, and 43-Across?: LAW AND ORDER - the "law" man and his "order" at a bar, restaurant, and diner/cafe

Quite possibly the best TV show theme song, IMHO

But Wait There's Moore's Law~!

ACROSS:

1. Graduate from a balance bike: PEDAL - T.I.L. that a balance bike lacks pedals, ergo one would have to learn the skill of pedalling to 'graduate' - and a Thursday dupe

6. "Zounds!": "EGAD~!"

10. "Not only that ... ": "PLUS . . ."

14. Sauce for chipotles: ADOBO - I always thought of adobo as a marinade or rub, not a 'sauce'

15. German automaker: AUDI

16. Nana's daughter: AUNT

17. Collar clip-on: ID TAG - Think "dog" - still no canine companion, Irish Miss, struggling with establishing a set schedule, but I am visiting Cooper for the extended Columbus Day weekend in October~!

My S-I-L had their patio enclosed - Cooper approves~!

18. Hard punch: SLUG

19. Big name in morning TV: RIPA - Kelly, name #1

20. Get the gray out, say: DYE - Since changing my diet, I have noticed my hair is "less grey" than it used to be . . . 

24. Caitlin Clark's home state: IOWA - Sheesh.  This WNBA Indiana Fever basketball player is so unknown to me, it's practically asking  me where does John Doe live~?  Filled via perps, name #2

25. Topical antiseptic: IODINE

31. Small flower?: CREEK - the "flow-er", 'long O' version we see towards the end of the week

My creek, shot in January 2023

32. Raw minerals: ORES

33. "Nature" airer: PBS

36. Biblical name of ancient Syria: ARAM - Geo name #3

37. Wolverines and Badgers: TEAMS - NOUNS would have worked, too - I looked at what is most likely the "relationhip" of wolverines to badgers, came across Michigan & Wisconsin, at the extreme opposite ends of - 26D. Bracket org.: NCAA - the National Collegiate Athletics Association - more basketball, which is not my thing, and yes, I live 5mins from UCONN and their famous B-ball teams . . .

39. Canada Goose garment: COAT - filled via perps; the website

40. Inquire: ASK

41. Head of a museum?: BUST - Har-har

The Bat Bust

42. Full of passion: FIERY

46. Future resident: INTERN - Think doctors, not neighbors -I caught my new neighbor stealing soil from my creek; I hope I put an end to that~!

49. Cringeworthy, in Gen Alpha slang: OHIO - Gen X here, so this one is new to me; I not only lived in Ohio, but it's where The Golem movie was shot - so I guess it really is "weird" in Ohio . . .

53. Greek T: TAU

56. Tofu nutrient: IRON

57. Drama honor: OBIE - the Off-Broadway Theatre Award

58. Feature of some accents: TWANG

60. Smoothie berry: ACAI

61. Merino, e.g.: WOOL

62. "Pale Blue Dot" subject: EARTH - Carl Sagan, who had a "law" of his own, ( a standard ); "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"

63. Top of many an indoor stadium: DOME

64. Trawling equipment: NETS

65. Clothe: DRESS 

DOWN:

1. Took care of, say: PAID - like "the bill"

2. Circular current: EDDY - NOT a name 

3. Shower with love, with "on": DOTE

4. Old hoops gp.: ABA - American Basketball Association; more basketball

5. Daily record: LOGBOOK - I have kept an 'electronic' journal since January 2005

6. Causes of some grade inflation: EASY As

7. Beach party?: GULL

The gulls in "Finding Nemo" were hysterical

8. For two voices, in music: ADUE - Dah~!  Not DUET

9. Archaeologists' workplaces: DIG SITES - Nailed it

10. Mardi Gras event: PARADE

11. Video game brother: LUIGI - MARIO fit, but wasn't playing nice with others; name #3

12. Let out, as pigs: UNPEN - I really hoped this was not going to be "UNSTY"

13. Try to decipher a stereogram, perhaps: STARE - try to find the objects in the 3D images here

22. Have: OWN

23. Auction units: LOTS - better than defined as "A TON" 

24. Bullet point: ITEM 

27. Messes up: ERRS

28. Ineffective: WEAK

29. Unwilling (to): LOATH

30. Branch: ARM - Trunk: Leg~?

Maybe not a tree pattern, but the tights are "dee-vine" 🙄

33. Ballad writer: POET

34. Oak exterior: BARK

35. Ocular woe: STYE - how does one get an eye "UNSTYED"~?

37. __ service: TURN-DOWN - A luxury hotel amenity, where you get the mint on the pillow

38. Medium ability: ESP

39. "Ta-ta!": CIAO

41. Cutting comeback: BURN - I tried BARB, 50% correct

42. Toyed (with): FLIRTED

43. "Stop being such a jerk!": "MEANIE~!" - my mother's old email was mrsmeanie

44. Singing in some Ricola ads: YODELS

Riiiii - co - laaaaa~!

45. Shakira's "__ Wolf": SHE - More like "She-esh"; name(ish)

46. "Odyssey" prelude: ILIAD - It's all Greek to me . . . 🙄

47. Many a "Breaking Bad" figure: NARCO - I had NARCS

48. Clock-changing hr.: TWO AM - you have 71 days until Nov 1st, 2026

51. Cor anglais kin: OBOE - learned by doing crosswords, "English horn" orchestral instrument

52. Real hoot: RIOT - Not LULU

53. Scale button: TARE - I am officially 50lbs lighter than when I started at the gym in May last year

I was carrying around the equivalent of this whole shelf of sugar 😧

54. Tunneling pests: ANTS - they're a mild pest in my house, but they don't tunnel - the chipmunks do

55. Cries of disgust: UGHs

59. Tug-of-__: WAR

Splynter

Grid Flow the lowest I've recorded, just 12.1

Thursday August 20, 2026 Jeffrey Wechsler

Jeffrey Wechsler, my old friend, we meet again. His puzzles always land on Thursdays, once a month like clockwork. This is his fourth since April! I don't know why, but I suspect he likes my reviews. 😍

No reveal today, just a bunch of hard clues.

17. Hard stuff in rings: NATURAL DIAMONDS. Not just "hard stuff", but the hardest stuff!

26. Hard stuff in school: ROCKET SCIENCE. Just as hard as brain surgery, apparently.

40. Hard stuff in a bar: ALCOHOLIC DRINKS. Made from hard liquor.

60. Hard stuff for a sweet tooth: JAWBREAKER CANDY. They're hard as a rock. I haven't had one in years, but my jaw aches just thinking about them.

Jeffrey knows how to make a puzzle. He often creates unique grid designs, like this one, with mirror symmetry and multiple grid-spanners. And some of the best cluing this side of LA.

I hope the rest aren't as hard, but I doubt it.

Across:

1. Error: MISSTEP. I wrote MISTEAK, but that was a mistake.

8. Radio static sound: CRACKLE. Occasionally, you'll also hear a Snap or Pop.

Rice Krispies Treats radio!

15. Do the same as: IMITATE.

16. Peaceful getaway spot: RETREAT.

17. [theme]

19. "You said it!": AMEN.

20. Ignited: LIT.

21. Small floral bundle: POSY.

22. Robin Hood foe: SHERIFF. As a royal officer, the SHERIFF of Nottingham viewed Robin as a threat to his authority. Robin interfered with tax collection and outwitted his attempts to capture him.

26. [theme]

32. Gets even with: REPAYS. The SHERIFF of Nottingham was frequently embarrassed by Robin's exploits, so vowed to get even with him.

33. Relativity, for one: THEORY. That's one THEORY, anyway.

35. Bucks and does: DEER. 

36. Org. that oversees food recalls: FDA. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

39. Half a sextet: TRIO. 

40. [theme]

45. Utterly exhausted: BONE-TIRED. As if your fatigue has seeped deep into your skeleton, reaching your core.

46. "How amusing": HEH. A sarcastic response to something mildly interesting. Like my review.

49. __ culpa: MEA. MEA culpa is "my fault" in Latin. 

50. Marina __ Rey, California: DEL. As the name implies, much of this town near Los Angeles is a marina.

51. Proper: APT.

54. Fuming: IRATE.

56. Nocturnal flapper: BAT. Could've been an OWL.

58. Word with circle and tube: INNER. An INNER tube is the INNER circle of a tire.

60. [theme]

63. Doesn't just assume: ASKS.

64. Licoricelike herb: ANISE. It is used in cooking and in health remedies, and may be distilled with natural spirits and sugar to produce Anisette.

65. Ore-rich vein: SEAM.

66. Appliance alert: BEEP.

67. Numbers for letters: RENTS. Great clue. Letters are renters, people who let an apartment.

68. Tollbooth pricing unit: AXLE. 

Down:

1. Sports analyst Kimes: MINA. MINA is an award-winning journalist, NFL analyst, and senior writer for ESPN.

2. Mosque leader: IMAM.

3. Place: SITE.

4. Leave speechless: STUN.

5. Fossil-preserving gunk: TAR. 

6. Unreliable stat from the fashionably late: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival. I've instructed RightBrain to wheel my coffin in a few minutes late at my funeral. Aside from that, I have no last wishes.

7. Bit of hamster food: PELLET.

8. One who always gives star treatment?: CRITIC. Another great clue.

9. Belfast-born actor Stephen: REA. The Irish Times ranked REA the 13th greatest Irish film actor of all time.

10. Bread machine: ATM. Fun clue for an Automated Teller machine...or a toaster.

11. Trim, as a photo: CROP.

12. Casino game: KENO.

13. Boyos: LADS. Oh, boyos. I take back what I said about great cluing.

14. Marketplace with personalized gifts: ETSY.

18. NNE, SSW, etc.: DIRS. This clue is asking for DIRections.

22. Contrail location: SKY. A contrail (short for condensation trail) is a line-shaped ice cloud that forms behind jet aircraft flying at high altitudes.

Busy day near an airport with planes flying in different DIRS.

23. Bucks, but not does: HES. A pseudo-clecho of 35A.

24. In shape: FIT.

25. Dismissive syllable: FEH. FEH is a Yiddish interjection used to express disgust, contempt, disapproval, or dismissive annoyance, similar to "yuck" or "bah", which is my reaction to this answer.

26. Bit of fishing gear: REEL.

27. Well-financed gp.?: OPEC. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is financed by oil wells.

28. Chocolate substitute: CAROB.

29. Online access username within universities, briefly: NETID. This shouldn't say "briefly." NetID is the full name of this service that provides a unique digital identity to students, faculty and staff for all their campus systems.

30. Grain ground to make masa: CORN. Since masa is a dough used in Latin America, I thought this should be MAÍZ, which is Spanish for CORN.

31. "The Devil in the White City" writer Larson: ERIK. Larson's book The Devil in the White City won the 2004 Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category, among other awards.

32. Nutritional amt.: RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance.

34. Casual hellos: YOS. If you meet two people, it's a YOYO.

36. Flowering plant once believed to repel pests: FLEABANE. FLEABANE is a large group of native wildflowers in the aster family. Turns out that contrary to folklore, it doesn't repel insects but actually attracts beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies. Be gentle when you break this news to your grandma.

37. E, in Morse code: DIT. The sound of a DOT. 

38. Rigorous evaluation: ACID TEST. Ken Kesey’s psychedelic bus, immortalized in The Electric Kool-Aid ACID TEST, was in the news recently. It will be on display for the first time since the '60s as part of a Grateful Dead show at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Furthur [sic] and the Merry Pranksters

41. Big hit at the ballpark: HOMER.

Homer Simpson

42. Unspecified person: ONE.

43. Hip-hop pioneer Dr. __: DRE. Andre Romell Young, known professionally as Dr. DRE, is a legendary producer, billionaire entrepreneur, and cultural force in hip-hop.

44. Thing of the past: RELIC.

46. Muslim headscarf: HIJAB.

47. Create a clean slate?: ERASE. Anyone remember clapping erasers after class?

48. Ethan of the "Before" trilogy: HAWKE. Ethan is an American actor, director, and writer who has worked across film, stage, and independent productions.

He's been at this for a looong time.

51. Secondary structure: ANNEX.

52. "Bike faster!": PEDAL. 

Are you pedaling back there?

53. Defiant response to a threat: TRY ME.

55. Ingredient meas.: TBSP. Tablespoon measure.

57. Similar (to): AKIN.

59. Mars rover org.: NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

61. "My conscience whispers in your __": "King John": EAR.

62. High or low follower, in graphics: RES.

Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?

Be good. RB