Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Tennessee Grimes

Hit the Road, Jack!  Last Tuesday, we were on the Road.  This week we are still on the road, but obeying the signs along our travel.

20-Across. Plan for ending a relationship: EXIT STRATEGY.

28-Across. Have a meeting of the minds?: BUMP HEADS.

38-Across. "Can it!": STOP YOUR YAPPING.

46-Across. One who's not a fast-food fan?: SLOW EATER.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Nonverbal communication, or what can be found at the starts of 20-, 28-, 38-, and 46-Across: SIGN LANGUAGE.

Here's the grid with all the Signs.

This was a strange puzzle for me.  I found it both very challenging, and yet I also had more answers filled in by the perps without having read the clue.

Across:

1. Signs of healing on scrapes and cuts: SCABS.  I initially tried Scars because that word appears often in the puzzles.  Scabs aren't as drastic as scars, though.

6. Dedicated poems: ODEs.  A crossword staple.

10. "Omg same": IT ME.  Meh!

14. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.

15. Start of a Spanish cheer: VIVA.

16. Phobia: FEAR.

17. Like grapefruit juice: TANGY.

18. Sinister: EVIL.

19. Greek salad cheese: FETA.  Feta is a Greek white brined cheese made from sheep's milk or a blend of sheep and goat's milk.  The brine gives it the signature salty taste.

23. Boathouse blade: OAR.

24. World's second-tallest bird: EMU.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the difference between an Emu and an Ostrich.

25. Hooting bird of prey: OWL.

33. Major fad: MANIA.

35. Mil. mail drop: APO.  As in Army Post Office.  Your military mail guide.

36. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA.  The Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive Officer would likely hold a Master of Business Administration degree.

37. Feathery cleaner: DUSTER.

42. Protected place for boats: HARBOR.  Anyone else try Marina?  And:  30-Down. Secured in a 42-Across: MOORED.

43. Pirate's cry: YAR.

44. Fib: LIE.

45. Swedish home furnishing stores: IKEAs.  This company is becoming a crossword staple.  Did you know that Ikea has been around since the 1940s?  The company was started by a 17-year-old who began selling small office supplies.

49. Actor Beatty: NED.  Although Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) appeared in over 160 films, he his probably best remember for his role in Deliverance.

50. "Last Week Tonight" network: HBO.

52. Company abbr.: INC.

59. Pesky insect: GNAT.

62. From the top: ANEW.

63. Push: IMPEL.

64. Numerous: MANY.

65. __ Millions lottery: MEGA.

66. Republic in the Himalayas: NEPAL.  Since August, a series of flash floods destroyed many parts of Nepal and Tibet.  Hundreds of people died or are still missing.

67. Deep black: ONYX.

68. Crafty website: ETSY.

69. Diary passage: ENTRY.

Down:

1. Location: SITE.

2. Gently persuade: COAX.

3. Years in old Rome: ANNI.  Today's Latin lesson.

4. Circus tent: BIG TOP.

5. Opens up at a checkup: SAYS AH.

6. Eggs __ easy: OVER.

7. Aria singer, maybe: DIVA.

8. Paperless party announcements: EVITES.

9. Capital of Oregon: SALEM.  Ever wonder why Salem is the capital of Oregon?  It is far more interesting than one would suspect.

10. Questionable: IFFY.

11. Golf peg: TEE.

12. Gym cushion: MAT.

13. Noteworthy period: ERA.

21. Vibration: TREMOR.

22. Clog, informally: GUM UP.

25. Betting unwisely, in poker slang: ON TILT.  This term originated with the pinball machine.  If a player shoved or shook the machine too hard out of anger, a sensor would trigger a "TILT" warning and freeze the flippers as a penalty.  It was adopted by poker players who suffered big losses.

26. Frankfurter: WIENIE.

27. More roomy: LARGER.

28. Knock down violently, as a door: BASH IN.

29. Quick on the __: UPTAKE.

31. __ Dhabi: ABU.  Abu Dhabi is famous for being the ultra-wealthy political capital of the United Arab Emirates, combining massive oil reserves with world-class cultural and architectural landmarks.

32. Hannah of "Splash": DARYL.  Splash was released in 1984!  Can you believe it was that long ago?  

34. European viper: ASP.

37. Naturalist Charles with a theory of evolution: DARWIN.  Charles Robert Darwin (Feb. 12, 1809 ~ Apr. 19, 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology.  In 1925, John Scopes (Apr. 3, 1900 ~ October. 21, 1970), a teacher from Tennessee, was convicted for teaching the theory of evolution to his biology class.

39. Org. for tenpins players: PBA.  As in the Professional Bowlers Association.

40. Mario Kart and Mario Party dinosaur: YOSHI.

41. Basketball Hall of Famer Ming: YAO.  Yao Ming (Sept. 12, 1980) is a Chinese former professional player.  He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, and then spent his entire nine-year National Basketball Association career with the Houston Rockets.

46. 14-line poem: SONNET.

47. "Purring" car part: ENGINE.

48. Shrewdness: ACUMEN.

51. So-so effort: B-GAME.

53. Mythical river of the underworld: STYX.

54. Bench supports: LEGS.

55. Not home: AWAY.

56. Date with a doc: APPT.  As in an Appointment.

57. Clockwork part: GEAR.

58. Shortstop De La Cruz who led the majors in stolen bases in 2024: ELLY.  Elly Antonio De La Cruz (b. Jan. 11, 2002) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. 

59. Bioengineering letters: GMO.  As in Genetically Modified Organism.

60. Brit's grandma: NAN.

61. "__ volunteers?": ANY.

חתולה

Monday, October 5, 2026, Amanda Cook

WINTER IS COMING!

Today's constructor, Amanda Cook, is Director of Web and Editorial Content for American Composers Forum, which supports creators of new music by connecting them to resources and opportunities. 🎵 Amanda also supports cruciverbalists with new puzzles; this appears to be her fourth in the LA Times.

Today's theme reminded me of the motto of House Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, better known by the title of the television adapation, Game of Thrones -- that motto being "Winter is Coming!"  With the temperature reaching 105°F in Los Angeles this past weekend, the promise that winter is coming seems less dreadful than in the books.

The theme clues and answers are:

16-Across. Playful back-and-forth: WITTY BANTER.  

26-Across. Workstation option since the 1980s: WINDOWS COMPUTER.

44-Across. Ticket pickup location: WILL CALL COUNTER.

59-Across. Time off that may coincide with a new calendar year, or what can be found in 16-, 26-, and 44-Across: WINTER BREAK.  Indeed, there is a BREAK in the word WINTER in the cited answers.  It was very kind of Amanda to put the letters spelling WINTER into circles to help us see the theme.

Across:

1. Tiny trims: SNIPS.

More than a few snips went into this tiny trim.

6. "Tár" Oscar nominee Blanchett: CATE.  In the 2022 film, Cate Blanchett plays a haughty orchestra conductor, whose professional misconduct leads to her downfall.  🎵

10. Jar topper: LID.

13. Art studio stand: EASEL.

14. Chocolate-flavored latte: MOCHA.  I love a little espresso in my hot chocolate.

15. Fuss: ADO.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Church seating: PEW.

19. Messy person: SLOB.

20. Word with ocean or eye: LINER.  Ocean liner and eyeliner -- interesting clue!

21. Skim through: SCAN.

22. Wear away: ERODE.  Late last month, the 550-year-old sea arch formed by lava flows in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park collapsed  -- the victim of erosion and a huge storm.

Hōlei Sea Arch in better times

24. Sprawling property: ESTATE.

26. [Theme clue]

30. Rainbow maker: PRISM.

31. Attempted: TRIED.

32. Bath rug: MAT.

33. Old hoops org.: ABA.  From 1967 to 1976, the American Basketball Association competed with the more established National Basketball Association.  

36. Genetic material: DNA.

37. Polo shirt, e.g.: TOP.

40. Power strip switch: ON OFF.

42. Not exactly, informally: KINDA.

44. [Theme clue]

49. Battery terminals: ANODES.  The anode undergoes oxidation (losing electrons) and sends electrons through an external wire to power a device. 

50. Punchiness: OOMPH.

51. See 58-Across: SHOE.

52. Crown for a prom queen: TIARA.

54. Wanes: EBBS.

58. With 51-Across, dance accessory for Fred Astaire: TAP.

Fred Astaire, dancer extraordinaire

59. [Theme clue]

61. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer: ELI.  A student at Yale University may be called an "Eli," referring to Elihu Yale, an early benefactor of the university.

62. Derive: INFER.

63. Possibly dangerous: RISKY.

64. Cozy burrow: DEN.

65. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.  Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian composer and conductor.  🎵

66. River mammal: OTTER.  This blogger was absent for three weeks, visiting the UK and Ireland.  On the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, DH and I encountered freshwater otters that make daily treks from the hills to the ocean, because food on that island is most plentiful at the shore.  I had never heard of such a thing!

Freshwater otters at the seashore on the Isle of Mull

Down:

1. Does some alterations: SEWS.

2. Place for cuticle oil: NAIL.

3. Analogy words: IS TO.  A puppy is to a dog as a kitten is to a cat.

4. Spots where dogs may sit, lie down, and roll over: PET BEDS.

5. Clever: SLY.

6. Meet over coffee, perhaps: CONNECT.

7. Entr'__: ACTE.  The French word entr'acte is a contraction of the words entre acte ("between acts") and refers to a piece of music performed between two parts of a stage production, or simply an intermission.  🎵

8. Eerie electronic instrument: THEREMIN.  A musical instrument patented by Leon Theremin in 1928, the theremin is controlled without physical contact.  🎵

9. Musical proclivity: EAR.  🎵

10. Affectionate feline: LAP CAT.

11. Brainstorm: IDEATE.

12. Wet blanket: DOWNER.  A person who ruins the fun or enjoyment of others.

14. Some hotel employees: MAIDS.

17. Move like the wind: BLOW.

21. Small earring: STUD.

Hoop with dangle, regular hoop, and stud.

23. Fiction subgenre: ROMANCE.

25. "I didn't quite catch that": SPEAK UP.

26. Typing speed: Abbr.: WPM.  Words Per Minute.

27. 401(k) alternative: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

28. Minor quibble: NIT.

29. Chicago airport code: ORD.  Chicago's O'Hare International Airport uses the code ORD because the airfield was originally named Orchard Field (ORcharD).

34. Not-so-humble bragging: BOASTING.

35. Old gridiron org.: AFL.  From 1960 to 1970, the American Football League competed with the more established National Football League.  The crossing of the defunct ABA and AFL was a WAG (wild ass guess) for this blogger.

37. Feature of many a Wile E. Coyote trap, for short: TNT.  Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are fictional characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons produced by Warner Bros. from 1949 onward.  The hungry coyote tries to kill and eat the road runner through complex schemes and mail order explosives.

38. "__ to Joy": highlight of Beethoven's Ninth: ODE.  The fourth and final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is commonly called the Ode to Joy.  Here's an excerpt (3:41), performed by André Rieu & His Johann Strauss Orchestra:  🎵

39. Golf course standard: PAR.

40. Ye __ Shoppe: OLDE.

41. Pool raft, e.g.: FLOATER.

43. Receive, as a bequest: INHERIT.

44. Squandered: WASTED.

45. Take a deep breath: INHALE.

46. Copy on an email reply: LOOP IN.  When I want to be copied on a string of emails, I ask the recipients to "keep me in the loop."

47. Apple pie-making tool: CORER.

48. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Ilhan Omar has served as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019.

Ilhan Omar

53. Deets: INFO.  "Deets" is short for "details."  "Info" is short for "information."

55. Triumph over: BEST.  In this case, "best" is a verb.  "The experienced chess player hoped to best the young prodigy."

56. Make a cake, say: BAKE.

57. Icelandic dairy product similar to yogurt: SKYR.  Yummy.

59. Nintendo console released in 2006: WII.   The Wii introduced motion-tracking controls, and could recognize gestures, as opposed to just buttons on a controller.  The Wii was also Nintendo's first console with internet connectivity for online gaming.

60. Certain sib: BRO.  "Sib" is short for "sibling."  "Bro" is short for "brother."

Here's the grid:

Dear Solvers,

Huge thanks are due to CrossEyedDave and Anonymous T for blogging Mondays during my absence!

I missed the WITTY BANTER in the comments section, and can hardly wait to CONNECT with all of you again.  So SPEAK UP!

And of course, if you have a NIT to pick with the puzzle, we'll lend you an EAR.

I do want to thank Amanda Cook for all the musical entries 🎵, none of which required me to look up the deets of any pop stars du jour.

-- NaomiZ