L.A.Times Crossword Corner

Sep 30, 2026

Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Lee Taylor

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists. Malodorous Manatee here (from Crested Butte, Colorado this fine fall day) with the recap of a puzzle by Lee Taylor.

Today, Lee does not give us a reveal / unifier. Instead he offers us clues in which portions of the answers are hidden in plain sight. Those clues provide us with the letters comprising both beginning and the end of the sought-after answer. In the clues, those pieces are combined into a single word. In the answers, those pieces are split apart and each part is a portion of one of the two words that form the answer. One way to approach answering the clues is to ignore the second part of each clue. Another approach is to use the second part of each clue as a source of the beginning and end of each answer. It's simpler than I have made it sound. Take a look at the four themers to see:

18 Across: Slasher flick actress on a split screen?: SCREAM QUEEN. SCREEN has been split.

25 Across: Merchant Ivory works featuring split peas?: PERIOD DRAMAS. Merchant Ivory is a film production company. PEAS has been split.

44 Across: Auras around people with split ends?: ENERGY FIELDS. ENDS has been split.

59 Across: Lack of recognition for working a split shift?: SHORT SHRIFT. SHIFT has been split.

This is how everything appears in the grid:

Other than the themed responses above, here are the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Place to retire: BED. Retire as in go to sleep not as in to stop working.

4. Let gravity do most of the work, perhaps: COAST. Sled prices are too damn high but you can find a good deal if you're willing toboggan.

9. Estrangements: RIFTS.

14. "Rules __ rules": ARE. The motto of my gym's Silver Sneakers instructors.

15. Infuriate: ANGER. ANGER as a verb.

16. Salon abrasive: EMERY.

17. Word often said while holding a treat: SIT.

20. Summer quaff: ICED TEA.

22. Links: COUPLES. Not links as in golf course. And not couples as in groups of two people. Used as a verb. To link, or COUPLE, things together. Think, for example, railroad cars.

23. Emmy and Grammy winner Burnett: CAROL. See also 65 Across.

24. Sandwich shop: DELI. I went to a deli and said, "I'd like to buy a bagel with cream cheese." The kid behind the counter replied, "Sorry we only take cash or credit cards."

32. Protective cover: TARP. A group of bedazzled TARPs and a bunch of poles walk into a restaurant and order some stakes....Things became pretty tents.

35. W.H. Auden's "__ to the Medieval Poets": ODE. Someone wrote a poem about the sounds made by dogs. It can only be read if you scan it first. It's a bark ODE.

36. Slowly wear down: ERODE. Slowly deconstruct.

37. Develops over time: EVOLVES. Slowly create. Nice juxtaposition.

39. Dish garnished with peanuts and lime: PAD THAI.

41. Marisa with a cameo in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day": TOMEI. Perhaps best known for her work in the movie "My Cousin Vinny".

42. Have a cold, say: AIL.

43. Schools of thought: ISMS. The suffix (pluralized).

48. Close by: NEAR. "Work until" wouldn't fit the allotted space.

49. Chemistry class models: ATOMS.

53. Willing to wait a long time: PATIENT.

57. Sure thing: SAFE BET.

61. Nest egg letters: IRA. Individual Retirement Account

62. Camp David Accords figure: SADAT.

Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter, Anwar Sadat

63. Eight-related: OCTAL.

64. Start of a pencil game: TIC.

65. Oscar and Grammy winner Burnett: T BONE. T BONE Burnett is a legendary music producer and musician. See also 23 Across. Nice touch. Among many other works, T BONE produced the sound track for the film "O Brother Where Art Thou".

66. Tabloid TV host Povich: MAURY.

67. Squalid space: STY.

Down:

1. No-frills: BASIC.

2. "I Luh God" singer Campbell: ERICA. New to this solver. Thanks, perps.

3. Prevent: DETER.

4. Neuschwanstein __: CASTLE. The model for Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

5. As soon as: ONCE.

6. City in India's Golden Triangle: AGRA. Often visited in our puzzles and often clued with reference to the Taj Mahal.

7. "What'd I tell you?": SEE. Get it?

8. Copied, in a way: TRACED. Copied exactly. Handy for forgery.

9. Not elective: REQUIRED. Ah, college days !

10. "My turn!": I'M UP.

11. Have a hunch: FEEL.

12. Sequoia, e.g.: TREE. Also the name of a Toyota SUV.

13. Thesaurus entries: Abbr.: SYNS. SYNOMYMS

19. Blue part of blue cheese: MOLD.

21. __ radar: DOPPLER. All You Might Want To Know

24. A deer, a female deer: DOE.

26. School of tomorrow?: ROE. As in a school of fish - with ROE being fish eggs.

27. Puts a name to: IDS. IDentifieS

28. Skilled performer: ARTISTE. An "Artist" creates art, encompassing painters, sculptors, and more. An "ARTISTE" typically refers to a skilled performer, like a singer or dancer.

29. Mineralogist with a hardness scale: MOHS. Not to be confused with Moe's Hardness Scale.

30. Scott of "Severance": ADAM. ADAM also played Ben Wyatt in "Parks and Recreation".

31. Cuatro y dos: SEIS. Lección de español y matemáticas de hoy.

32. Spot for un chapeau: TETE. Leçon de français du jour.

33. Mary Kay rival: AVON.

34. City on the Tiber: ROME.

38. Brief scene: VIGNETTE.

39. Dessert for Little Jack Horner: PIE.

40. ATV component: ALL. Not a component of an actual All Terrain Vehicle. A component of the name ALL Terrain Vehicle.

42. Atmosphere: AIR.

45. Hankerings: YENS. URGES was too long.

46. Fully grasp: FATHOM. FATHOM has several meanings. In this case, to understand.

47. In a senseless way: DAFTLY. Not to be confused with DEFTLY.

50. Memorial bios: OBITS. OBITUARIES

51. Warrant: MERIT. Not a search or arrest warrant. Earned.

52. London of "What Not To Wear": STACY. NIMW. Thanks, perps.

53. Discreet summons: PSST. A sound often heard in our puzzles.

54. Ishmael's captain: AHAB. A monomaniacal sea captain who often visits our puzzles.

55. Brouhaha: TO DO.

56. Setting of the graphic novel "Persepolis": IRAN.

57. In __: as found: SITU. In situ is a Latin phrase meaning 'in the place' or 'on site'. The term refers to studying or working with something in its natural or original location rather than moving it elsewhere.

58. Over yonder: AFAR. Not in the Dickensian sense.

60. Color TV pioneer: RCA.

Well, I guess that it is time to split. Have a great Wednesday.

__________________________________

M.M. Out

Sep 29, 2026

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 Kelly Morenus

Rollin' Down the Highway. The last word of each theme answer is another name for a Street.

18-Across. "Show us how it's done": PAVE THE WAY.

24-Across. "Quit interfering": STAY IN YOUR LANE.

40-Across. "Don't stoop to their level": TAKE THE HIGH ROAD.

52-Across. "Perfect for me": RIGHT UP MY ALLEY.

And the unifier:

62-Across. Informal language, or what 18-, 24-, 40-, and 52-Across are examples of?: STREET TALK.

Here's the grid:

Across:

1. Liquefy: MELT.

5. Lima's country: PERU. Peru is a South American country that bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. It's home to a section of Amazon rainforest. Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan city, is located high in the Peruvian Andes mountains.

9. Pokes (around): NOSES.

14. Fruit with wrinkled skin: UGLI. Ugli fruit is a Jamaican tangelo. It is a natural citrus hybrid created from a cross between a grapefruit (or pomelo), an orange, and a tangerine. It is larger than a grapefruit with a thick peel that fits loosely around the pulpy orange flesh inside. Green patches on the skin do not mean it is unripe. Did you know that it is also the registered trademark for a brand of Jamaican tangelo?

15. Greek Cupid: EROS.

16. Disconnected: APART.

17. Mouse catcher: TRAP.

20. Some office subs: TEMPS.

22. Wedding declaration: I DO.

23. Ascend: RISE.

28. Britches, informally: TROU. The last time I heard this word was back in college when the frat boys would joke about dropping trou.

29. Pod filler: PEA.

30. Part in four-part harmony: ALTO.

33. __ carte menu: À LA. A crossword staple.

35. Car in the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun": T-BIRD.

44. Large deer: MOOSE. I never thought of a moose as a deer, but apparently they ar the largest living species in the deer family, known scientifically as Cervidae.

45. Contraction that's typically followed by "be": IT'D. Followed by another contraction: 46-Across. Fails to be: ISN'T.

47. Corp. VIP: CEO. As in Chief Executive Officer.

50. House of Lords title: EARL.

59. Junior staffer: AIDE.

60. Charcoal grill residue: ASH.

61. City with the Heat and the Hurricanes: MIAMI. A sports reference: Basketball and Football.

66. Out of control: AMOK.

67. "Money __": Netflix crime series: HEIST. In this series, a criminal mastermind (The Professor) developed a plan to pull off the biggest heist in recorded history ~ to print billions of euros in the Royal Mint of Spain. To help him carry out the plan, he recruited eight people with certain abilities and who have nothing to lose. The group of thieves took hostages to aid in their negotiations with the authorities.

68. Actor Morales: ESAI. Esai Morales (né Esai Manuel Morales Jr.; b. Oct. 1, 1962) used to make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles. He will be celebrating his 64th birthday on Thursday.

69. "Great" detective of kid-lit: NATE. Nate the Great is a children's chapter book series featuring a young boy detective and his dog, Sludge. There are 31 books in the series, which was initially created in 1972.

70. Donkeys: ASSES.

71. Credit report category: DEBT.

72. Uno y dos: TRES. Spanish math.

Down:

1. Mixed-breed dogs: MUTTS.

2. Everglades wader: EGRET. Egrets aren't limited to the Florida Everglades. There are many egrets that hang out near my house.

3. Woolly pack animal of 5-Across: LLAMA.

My encounter with a Llama in Peru.

4. What a child might stand on to watch a parade: TIPPY-TOES.

5. Get-up-and-go: PEP.

6. Chapter of history: ERA.

7. Finnish game developer that created Angry Birds: ROVIO.

8. Depleted: USED UP.

9. Casual refusal: NAH.

10. "Tosca," for one: OPERA. Tosca is an opera by Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858 ~ Nov. 29, 1924). It is sometimes billed as a political thriller that takes place in Rome during the Napoleonic Wars.

11. Welcomed at the door: SAW IN.

12. Delete: ERASE.

13. Eyelid irritation: STYE.

19. Dashed: TORE.

21. Title for Paul McCartney: SIR. Paul McCartney (b. June 18, 1942) was knighted in 1997. He was the first Beatle to be awarded this honor.

25. "Hurt Somebody" singer-songwriter Kahan: NOAH. I am not familiar with this singer-songwriter.

26. Christmas season: YULE.

27. Lattice strip: LATH.

30. Convenience in many cash-only establishments: ATM. This used to be a crossword staple.

31. Thai neighbor: LAO.

32. Boxing ref's ruling, for short: TKO. As in Technical Knock-Out.

34. Tropical tuna: AHI. Yummers!

36. Sparkling: BRILLIANT.

37. iPhone platform: iOS. As in iPhone Operating System.

38. Tried to get elected: RAN.

39. Pesticide in Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," for short: DDT. Silent Spring was first published in 1962. The book exposed the hazards of indiscriminate pesticide use, particularly DDT, and launched the modern environmental movement. Rachel Carson (May 27, 1907 ~ April 14, 1964) named the book Silent Spring because it envisioned a future spring morning where no birds sang due to the devastation of wildlife from chemical pesticides.

41. __ support: TECH.

42. Thing: ITEM.

43. Aussie greeting: G'DAY.

48. Coup d'__: ÉTAT. Today's French lesson. A coup d'état is a sudden, illegal overthrow of an existing government by a small group, usually backed by the military or internal state forces.

49. Removed from power: OUSTED. Probably ousted due to a coup d'état.

51. Smash (into): RAM.