Saturday, January, 17, 2026, Emily Biegas

 Saturday Themeless by Emily Biegas 

The top half went swimmingly, but then I had to take a big "didn't git 'er done" especially in the SE corner. SEA ROBIN, COPA and PALO SANTO coupled with some cute cluing 😀 did me in. The rest of the puzzle took persistence but fell into place except for some bad typing. Any delusions about 100% completions for 2026 were undone by a few bad cells but I'll get over it. After all, it's a game not a test!

Across:

1. Easily moved?: HOT HEADED 😀

10. Streetcars: TRAMS.

15. Minimum word count?: ONE OR MORE.😀

16. Swiss namesake of an international series of art fairs: BASEL - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Founded in BASEL, Switzerland in 1970, this one is in Miami

17. Scheduled delivery?: TAX RETURN - Some TAX RETURNS require filing many tax schedules, perhaps with a 46. 17-Across pro: CPA.

18. Editorialize: OPINE.

19. "__ Is Betta Than Evvah!": ETTA.

20. C-section docs: OBS.

21. Kept inside: UNSAID - Advice I should have taken many times in my life

22. Island chain: LEI.

23. Primary fig.: POL.

24. Hosp. gear: PPE.

25. Bit: GAG - A comedy bit can also be called a GAG

26. Actress Hayek Pinault: SALMA - Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault  is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. We have seen her name as only Salma Hayek in puzzles before.

28. Israeli airline: EL AL.

30. Only: SOLE.

31. "How could you be so insensitive!": READ THE ROOM.

34. Roadside snacks: STREET TACOS - How are they different? BTW, granola bars fit too.

36. Spoiler alerts?: SELL BY DATES 😀

38. Skirt in a Degas painting: TUTU - Duh, a TUTU can be called a skirt!

41. Fictions: LIES.

42. Percolate: LEACH.

44. Supplementary medical benefit: Abbr.: HSA - Health Savings Account

45. Perturb: VEX.

48. Big name in pasta sauce: RAO.

49. Melt down: RENDER - My DW's mother used to render animal byproducts on the farm into lard for cooking. That was the foundation for the  best apple pie ever made anywhere. 

51. Comic Margaret: CHO.

52. Prefix with -core for a style inspired by hiking: GORP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

53. Optional feature: ADD ON.

54. Spot where sharks gather: POOL TABLE 😀 Bonus points - Name this classic movie about pool sharks. *answer below.

56. Vessel implant: STENT.

57. "My regrets": APOLOGIES.

58. Redfin listings: HOMES.

59. Smudging ceremony tool: PALO SANTO - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can see PALO as wood (Palo Alto/high stick) and SANTO as holy. Smudging is simply the practice of lighting these wood pieces on fire and letting smoke and fume cleanse an area.

Down:

1. Lodging options: HOTELS.

2. Going nonstop: ON A TEAR.

3. Leather and lace, e.g.: TEXTILES.

4. "Hava Nagila" dance: HORA.

5. Poetic preposition: ERE.

6. Playground retort: AM TOO or in a TV sitcom

7. Natural structure?: DOUBLE HELIX.

8. Isn't perfect: ERRS.

9. Sofa bed spot: DEN.

10. Chophouse order: T-BONE.

11. Knocks: RAPS.

12. Bagel option: ASIAGO.

13. Low-level: MENIAL.

14. "When a Man Loves a Woman" singer: SLEDGE - Emily throws us boomers a musical bone with the fabulous Percy SLEDGE

21. Transfer, in a way: UPLOAD.

23. "Slam Diego" player: PADRE - This is new to me but was coined when the Padres hit grand slams four days in a row

24. Dubious label from The Princeton Review until 2022: PARTY SCHOOL - 

The "dubious label" from The Princeton Review referring to a "Party School" until around 2022. It was a controversial ranking based on student surveys about alcohol/drug use, criticized by groups like the 

AMA for potentially encouraging risky drinking.

27. __ Islands: archipelago in the East China Sea: MATSU - I remember when these two islands were in the news when I was in junior high.

29. Didn't bother: LET BE.

30. Didst wallop: SMOTE.

32. "Fool Us" co-host: TELLER - A prize is awarded to magicians who can fool these masters.

33. One of three national forests in Florida: OCALA.

35. Bottom-feeding fish also called a gurnard: SEA ROBIN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

37. Shameful tone?: SCARLET - Clever cluing for the SCARLET letter

38. Type of metal: THRASH.

39. No longer troubled by: USED TO.

40. Single file: TANDEM - My first thought

43. "With any luck": HOPE SO.

45. Air returns: VENTS.

47. 34-Across option: POLLO - Yes, you might have chicken in a street taco. I remember the word from Gus Fring's operation in Better Call Saul.

50. Wrapped: DONE.

51. Fútbol prize: COPA - COPA is Spanish for cup or trophy

52. Pop star Lady __: GAGA.

54. Baby food: PAP.

55. Lean-__: TOS.

* That of course is Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman in a scene from 1961 b/w classic The Hustler