Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Joe Deeney

The Private Eye is on Your Trail.

17-Across. Pregame activity in a parking lot: TAILGATING.

25-Across. Cursor control on some older laptops: TRACKBALL.

36-Across. Like a place with free treats and a full water dish, presumably: DOG FRIENDLY.

50-Across. Wells Fargo rival: CHASE BANK.

And the unifier:

59-Across. Point to future plot developments, or a feature of 17-, 25-, 36-, and 50-Across: FORESHADOW.  The first word in each theme answer is another term for "shadowing" someone.  This theme caught me off guard at first.  The words Tail, Dog, and Chase, made we think we were looking at some type of animal, but how did Track fit into that?  Then it dawned on me, I was being Shadowed

Here's the Grid.

What else is in today's puzzle?

Across:

1. Snack (on): NOSH.  Today's Yiddish lesson.  To Nosh means to take a bite of food.

5. Muscle twitch: SPASM.

10. Endure: LAST.

14. Really feel yesterday's workout: ACHE.

15. Country singer Tucker: TANYA.  Tanya Denise Tucker (b. Oct. 10, 1958) was big in the country scene in the 1970s and 1980s.  She had her first big hit in 1972 at age 13 with her rendition of Delta Dawn.

16. Suspecting: ON TO.

19. Place in the overhead bin, say: STOW.

20. Disconnect from work, colloquially: UNPLUG.

21. "__ the season ... ": TIS.

23. "The Simpsons" bartender: MOE.

24. Silky semisynthetic fabric: RAYON.  A brief history of Rayon.

28. Oral health org.: ADA.  As in the American Dental Association.

29. Indigenous language with Dakota and Lakota dialects: SIOUX.

31. Charged particles: IONS.

32. Ulrich of Metallica: LARS.  Lars Ulrich (b. Dec. 26, 1963) is a Danish musician.  He is the drummer and a founding member of the heavy metal band Metallica.

34. Well-worn pencil: NUB.

35. London's __ Gardens: KEW.  Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London founded in 1759.  It claims to house the largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world. 

40. Language similar to Thai: LAO.  Thailand and Laos are neighboring countries.

41. Couple: TWO.

42. __-care: SELF.

45. Senior-year dance: PROM.

47. Hilarious folks: RIOTS.

49. "U slay me!": LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud, or as some people think, Lots Of Love.

52. "Deck the Halls" plant: HOLLY.  'Tis the Season ...

54. Use oars: ROW.

55. Daily grind: RUT.

56. "The Situation Room" co-host Brown: PAMELA.  Pamela Ashley Brown (b. Nov. 29, 1983) is currently CNN's chief investigative correspondent and anchor.  Since March 2025, she has served, together with Wolf Blitzer, as the co-host of The Situation Room.

57. "Waterloo" pop group: ABBA.  The Swedish band was formed in 1972.  It  took its name by using the first initial of each member:  Agnetha Fältskog (b. Apr. 5, 1950), Björn Ulvaeus (B. Apr. 25, 1945), Benny Andersson (b. Dec. 16, 1946) and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (b. Nov. 15, 1945).  Agnetha was married to Björn. and Benny was married to Anni-Frid.

62. Small glass container: VIAL.

A Vile Vial.

63. Energy sources: FUELS.

64. California wine region: NAPA.

65. __ Grey tea: EARL.  I am not keen on Earl Grey tea.  The addition of Bergamot oil gives this tea its distinctive flavor.  The tea is named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey (Mar. 13, 1764 ~ July 17, 1845),  He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from November 1830 to July 1834.

66. Clown's perch: STILT.

67. Tiny: ITSY.

Down:

1. One with innate talent: NATURAL.

2. Anthem played at Blue Jays home games: O CANADA.  A shout out to our very own CanadianEh!

3. Boat-building spot: SHIPYARD.

4. Word of welcome: HELLO.

5. Male deer: STAG.

6. Butter square: PAT.

7. Singer DiFranco: ANI.  Ani DiFranco (née Angela Maria DiFranco; b. Sept. 23, 1970) has released more than 20 albums.  

8. Grammar subject: SYNTAX.  Syntax is the set of rules that govern how words, phrases, and symbols are arranged to form well-structured sentences.

9. Facetious response to "How did you do that?": MAGIC.

10. Part of LAX: LOS.  The Los Angeles airport code

11. Marvel superhero who shrinks to the size of a bug: ANTMAN.

12. Bar seats: STOOLS.

13. Spa handout: TOWEL.

18. Revs, as an engine: GUNS.

22. Hit the slopes: SKIED.

25. Guided visit: TOUR.

26. Add insult to injury: RUB IT IN.

27. Soup dishes: BOWLS.

30. Deets: INFO.  I need the Details!

33. Jam band highlights: SOLOS.

35. Pretzel shape: KNOT.

37. Fortnite enthusiast, e.g.: GAMER.

38. "Return of the Jedi" creature: EWOK.  Ewoks are the fictional species of small, furry, critters that are native to the forest moon of Endor in the Star Wars movies.

39. Gave quite an earful: YELLED AT.

43. Bounces clumsily: LOLLOPS.  Not to be confused with Lollipops.  According to Webster's Dictionary, "Lollop is an intransitive verb meaning to move or run in an awkward, unhurried, bounding, or rolling way."

44. Take off: FLYAWAY.

Flyaway hair

45. Extreme fear: PHOBIA.

46. Venue that sells shellfish: RAW BAR.

47. Squeal on: RAT OUT.

48. Iranian ruler until 1979: SHAH.  I just read Marjan Kamali's novel The Stationery Shop, which is about the 1953 uprising in Tehran.  The Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown in a coup d'état that strengthened the rule of the Shah.

50. Really yen for: CRAVE.

51. Enthusiasts: BUFFS.

53. Muscat resident: OMANI.

56. Hissed "Hey!": PSST.

58. __-purpose flour: ALL.  Who knew there were so many types of flour.

60. Big name in camping gear: REI.  This company makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  REI stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc.

61. Pipe bend: ELL.

חתולה

Monday, October 19, 2026, Jackson Musker

Theme:  ABCs of ambulation.

Jackson Musker

In the last two months, Jackson Musker has published crossword puzzles in the Wall Street Journal and Universal Crossword.  Today marks his debut in the Los Angeles Times.  Congratulations, Jackson!  You are on a roll!  If you, dear reader, listen to public radio in Los Angeles, you may remember Jackson as a reporter on KPCC's Off-Ramp, or perhaps you enjoyed The Dinner Party Download, which Jackson produced for American Public Media.  For updates on his audio career, see jacksonmusker.com.  For more about today's puzzle, keep reading!

The theme clues and answers are:

18-Across. Enjoy a prime position: SIT PRETTY.  The idiom "sitting pretty" means being in a favorable, comfortable, or financially secure position.

23-Across. Cramped areas under some houses: CRAWL SPACES.  A crawl space is an unfinished, narrow space between the earth and the bottom floor of a building, typically measuring about 1 to 4 feet in height.  Very common here in Los Angeles, where basements are rare.

36-Across. Ben E. King hit that begins "When the night has come / And the land is dark": STAND BY ME.  Released in 1961, this song became a hit again in 1986 when it was used in Rob Reiner's movie of the same name, based on a Stephen King novel called "The Body."

51-Across. Biopic about Johnny Cash and June Carter: WALK THE LINE.  The 2005 movie stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

57-Across. Slow-but-steady progress, or the progression found at the starts of 18-, 23-, 36-, and 51-Across: BABY STEPS.  Aha!  SIT, CRAWL, STAND, and WALK are stages in a baby's development.  Our one-year-old grandson has completed the first three steps, but does not yet walk unsupported.  That's okay.  Baby steps!

Across:

1. Weeper's output: TEARS.

6. Aid and __: help on a heist: ABET.

10. Miles away: AFAR.

14. Planetary path: ORBIT.

15. Puzzle cube creator Rubik: ERNŐ.  Ernő Rubik is a Hungarian architect known for creating the Rubik's Cube (1974).

Have you ever unscrambled one?

16. Tiny, in tech: NANO.  A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.  Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension measuring between 1 to 100 nanometers.  There are 25,400,000 nanometers in 1 inch.

17. Long-lived desert plants: CACTI.

18. [Theme clue]

20. Ration out: ALLOT.

22. "America's Got Talent" judge Mandel: HOWIE.  Howie Mandel is a Canadian comedian, film and television actor, and producer. He voiced Gizmo in the Gremlins films; played an ER doctor on NBC's St. Elsewhere; is a judge on America's Got Talent; and hosts The Price is Right Tonight in Canada.

Howie Mandel through the ages

23. [Theme clue]

27. African antelope: GNU.

29. Turned down: DENIED.

30. Sci-fi blasters: RAY GUNS.

32. Grill briquettes: COALS.

33. Ukraine's capital: KYIV.

35. Be a bookworm: READ.

36. [Theme clue]

39. Danish shoe company: ECCO.  ECCO has been making shoes since 1963, and opened its first retail store in 1982.  The brand owns leather tanneries in the Netherlands, Thailand, Indonesia and China.  ECCO shoes are sold in 101 countries.  Their reputation is for comfort and durability.

ECCO Men's Nubuck Lace-Up Sneaker

42. Soft throw: TOSS.

43. Solemn promises: OATHS.

47. Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York: CORNELL.

49. Extremists: ULTRAS.

50. Classic Pontiac muscle car: GTO.  The Pontiac GTO started the trend for "muscle cars" in the 1960s.  Muscle cars are two-door, four passenger cars with powerful engines.

1966 Pontiac GTO

51. [Theme clue]

54. Many a middle schooler: TWEEN.  BeTWEEN childhood and the TEENage years are the TWEEN years -- roughly ages 9 to 12.

56. Actress Tyler who voices Lana Kane on "Archer": AISHA.  Aisha Tyler is an American actress, talk show host and director. She played Andrea Marino in the first season of Ghost Whisperer, Dr. Tara Lewis in Criminal Minds, Mother Nature in the final two The Santa Clause films, and voiced Lana Kane in Archer. She also had recurring roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Friends.

Aisha Tyler

57. [Theme clue]

59. Swedish stores with flatpack furniture: IKEAS.

63. Petri dish gelatin: AGAR.

64. Stratford's river: AVON.  William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, lived there with his wife and children, and is buried there in Holy Trinity Church.  

NaomiZ-upon-Avon last month

65. Release: LET GO.

66. "A __ formality": MERE.

67. Colorful amphibian: NEWT.

68. Future JDs' exams: LSATS.  Law School Admission Tests are required of those seeking Juris Doctor degrees.

Down:

1. List of chapters at the front of a book: Abbr.: TOC.  Table Of Contents.

2. Chapter in history: ERA.

3. Alphabet starter: ABC.

4. Actress and philanthropist who has co-produced films with Tom Hanks: RITA WILSON.  Margarita Wilson Hanks is an actress, singer, and producer with a long list of credits.  With her husband, actor Tom Hanks, she supports women's cancer research, among other charities.  They also support the Shakespeare Center of Los Angles.  Bet they've been to Stratford-upon-Avon!

Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks

5. Most calm: STILLEST.  WordHippo.com says that other words for STILLEST include peacefullest, tanquilest, placidest, and silentest.  None of these sound good to me.

6. Greek fable writer: AESOP.

7. Water filter brand: BRITA.  I gave up using Brita pitchers years ago because they developed molds that were impossible to remove, and had to be replaced regularly.  It turns out that a Brita pitcher filter does not remove most of what can make water unsafe, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, arsenic, nitrate, fluoride, and dissolved solids.  If you can afford to install a reverse osmosis system, it does a much better job.  Activated charcoal filters and water softeners are also superior to Brita.

8. Sinus MD: ENT.  ENT stands for ear, nose, and throat. It refers to a medical specialist who treats conditions in these areas

9. Likely to tip over: TOP HEAVY.

10. Over again: ANEW.

11. Exhaustion: FATIGUE.

12. Insect's feeler: ANTENNA.

13. "You Got It" singer Orbison: ROY.  Roy Orbison (1936-1988) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist known for his powerful voice and emotional ballads. He was popular in the early 1960s and again in the late 1980s when he performed as a member of the Traveling Wilburys:  Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty.  What a group they made!  Here's Roy Orbison, solo, performing "You Got It."

19. Pink, as cheeks: ROSY.

21. Psychedelics study subj.: LSD.  LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide), commonly known as acid, is a hallucinogenic drug derived from ergot, a type of fungus.  Psychedelics are powerful psychoactive substances that alter perception and mood and affect cognitive processes.  They are generally considered physiologically safe and do not lead to dependence or addiction.  They may lead to countercultural revolutions, though!

As a TWEEN in the 1960s, I was concerned that being a young adult
would involve dropping acid regularly and having sex with random people.

23. Public health agcy.: CDC.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

24. __ Speedwagon: REO.  REO Speedwagon -- named for a brand of truck -- was an American rock band formed in Illinois in 1967. The band had great success throughout the 1980s. Their best-selling album, Hi Infidelity (1980), contained four US Top 40 hits and sold more than 10 million copies.  Take a listen to "Can't Fight This Feeling."

25. "Knives Out" actress de Armas: ANA.  Ana de Armas grew up in Cuba, moved to Spain, and then moved to Los Angeles, playing leading film and TV roles along the way.  She was the holographic AI Joi in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), nurse Marta Cabrera in the mystery film Knives Out (2019), Paloma in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021) and Marilyn Monroe in Blonde (2022), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.  

Ana de Armas

26. Nursery beds: CRIBS.

28. Amer. currency: USD.  United States dollar.

31. North American quintet depicted on the Michigan quarter: GREAT LAKES.

This Michigan quarter was "colorized" by a private company
after issuance by the U.S. Mint. 

33. Grassy mound: KNOLL.

34. Gridiron figs.: YDS.  American football fields are called "gridirons" and are measured in YarDS.

37. Many a fan of the Hawks and the Dream: ATLANTAN.  The Atlanta Dream are a women's team in the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Hawks are a men's team in the National Basketball Association.  Makes sense that an Atlantan would cheer them on.

38. Bump that indicates a lawn infestation: MOLEHILL.  If your lawn is full of adorable furry mammals, can you really call it an infestation?

Cute!

39. Heartbeat check, for short: ECG.  Electrocardiogram.

40. Humble home: COTTAGE.

41. Prying tool: CROWBAR.

44. Uni- + bi-: TRI.

45. Chewie's co-pilot: HAN.  Chewbacca and Han Solo are characters in the Star Wars films.

Chewie and Han

46. NNW reversal: SSE.  Opposite points of a compass.

48. Meadow moms: EWES.  Mama sheep.

49. Syllables of uncertainty: UHS.  I tried UMS first.

52. Punch sound: KAPOW.

53. Naysayer's quaint contraction: 'TISN'T.  An old fashioned way of saying "it isn't."

55. Charlotte Brontë's "Jane __": EYRE.  Jane Eyre is the title of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel, and the name of its heroine.

57. Punch sound: BAM.

58. Night before: EVE.

60. Due-in hr.: ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.

61. Writer's rep: AGT.  A writer's representative is her agent.

62. Distress letters: SOS.  SOS is a Morse code distress signal ( ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ) designed for ease of use and recognition. SOS did not represent any words when first used.  Later, backronyms were created for it in popular usage, and SOS became associated with phrases such as "Save Our Souls" and "Save Our Ship." 

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Did any part of today's puzzle bring you to TEARS?  Were you DENIED the coveted FIR (Finished It Right)?

Or was it just BAM, KAPOW, done?

We always look forward to your comments.

-- NaomiZ