Sunday Feburary 22, 2026 Doug Peterson

Theme: "SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED" -  Familiar phrases are re-imagined as literal office supply items in the specific setting described in each clue.

23. Writing tablet at a cleaning service?: SCOURING PAD.

29. Copier sheets at a French restaurant?: CREPE PAPER.

45. Writing implements at a biotech lab?: GENETIC MARKERS.

66. File holder at a music store?: ACCORDION FOLDER.

93. Metal fasteners at a culinary school?: KITCHEN STAPLES.

107. Adhesive roll at a watch factory?: TICKER TAPE.

117. Measuring device at a toy store?: PUPPET RULER.

Six entries follow a consistent pattern in which the final word is a common office supply item (PAD, PAPER, MARKERS, STAPLES, TAPE, RULER). ACCORDION FOLDER differs slightly in structure: instead of ending with the supply, the entire phrase is itself the office item. Does it also have a non-office meaning I'm not aware of?

   
Across:

1. Commotion: FUSS. And 25. Commotions: ADOS.

5. Hat for Carmen Sandiego: FEDORA.

11. "A Boy Named Sue" singer: CASH (Johnny)

15. Peppa and Petunia: PIGS.

19. Break __ song: INTO.

20. Resume business: RE-OPEN.

21. City northeast of Mauna Loa: HILO. 26. Coffee district west of 21-Across: KONA.

22. "I think I goofed": UH OH.

27. Castle tower: TURRET.

28. Highest part: TOP.

31. Foul territory?: STY. OK, disgusting "foul". 

32. Unspecified amount: SOME.

34. Self-satisfied: SMUG.

36. Spots for daith piercings: EARS. I didn't know the meaning of "daith": an ear piercing in the inner cartilage just above the earhole.

37. Antique photos: SEPIAS.

39. Research specialties: AREAS.

41. Catherine of "The Studio": O'HARA. A wonderful actress who passed away last month. 

49. Fight show for more than 30 years: WWE RAW.

50. Keep an eye on: OVERSEE.

51. New Mexico art hub: TAOS.

52. However, briefly: THO.

54. Succotash bean: LIMA. I grew some on our deck years ago. I had a small harvest.

55. Fishhook projection: BARB.

56. Buster: BUB.

57. Does in a forest: DEER.

58. Dragon's retreat: LAIR.

59. __ pale ale: INDIA.

61. "Grand Hotel" star Greta: GARBO.

63. Eurasian range: URALS.

65. Counterculture drug: LSD.

70. Bit of hair gel: DAB.

73. American Red Cross founder Barton: CLARA.

74. Old record players: HIFIS.

75. Blubbers: WEEPS.

79. "The Young and the Restless" actor Braeden: ERIC.

81. Beauty brand: OLAY.

82. "Don't lose any sleep over it," in a text: NBD. No Big Deal.

83. Colombian metropolis: CALI.

84. Overdo the praise: GUSH.

85. Sch. that retired Caleb Williams' No. 13: USC. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2022.

86. Fill completely: SATE.

88. Advil alternative: ASPIRIN.

91. "All __!": ABOARD.

96. Decaf brand: SANKA.

97. Part of an EGOT: OSCAR. 44. 97-Across, e.g.: AWARD.

98. Call it a day: RETIRE.

99. "Thunderstruck" band: AC/DC.

101. Nights of anticipation: EVES.

103. Have a chat: TALK.

104. "Groovy!": FAB.

111. French affirmation: OUI.

113. Gloomy Milne character: EEYORE.

115. Home of the NHL's Mammoth: UTAH. The Utah Mammoth and the Utah Jazz have the same owner.

116. Jedi who becomes a Force ghost in "Return of the Jedi": YODA.

119. Software test version: BETA.

120. __ fail: EPIC.

121. Chaperone: ESCORT.

122. "Mulan" voice actress __-Na Wen: MING. Mulan means "magnolia". 

123. "Praise be!": AMEN.

124. Place for curlers: RINK.

125. Texas congressman Joaquin: CASTRO.

126. Circus routines: ACTS.

Down:

1. Clenched hands: FISTS.

2. Not censored at all: UNCUT.

3. "Likely __!": STORY.

4. Whiskey cocktail: SOUR.

5. Chili-and-chips dish: FRITO PIE. 

6. Nightfall, poetically: EEN.

7. Iditarod crew: DOG TEAM.

8. Dirt on a campaign rival, briefly: OPPO. Opposition research.

9. Brings in: REAPS.

10. "... __ a bottle of rum": AND.

11. Juice box?: CHARGER. Power "juice".

12. Assistant: AIDE.

13. Spots for sledding: SLOPES.

14. Book before Joel: HOSEA.

15. Beadlike piece on a Hawaiian necklace: PUKA SHELL. Puka is "hole" in Hawaiian. 

16. Denny's rival: IHOP.

17. Vanished: GONE.

18. __-pei: wrinkly dog from China: SHAR.

24. Moves back to zero: RESETS.

29. Preserves in salt: CURES.

30. Clipper's front: PROW. Opposite STERN. 

33. Attic pests: MICE.

35. Powerful shark: MAKO.

37. Novak Djokovic's nation: SERBIA.

38. Middle of some long weekends: SATURDAY.

40. Orbiter smaller than a planet: ASTEROID. Also 49. Planet: WORLD.

42. Common typeface: ARIAL.

43. Director Harold: RAMIS. He directed "Caddyshack".

45. Mongolian desert: GOBI. Across northern China also. Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region in China. 

46. "Dear __ Hansen": EVAN.

47. Socially awkward type: NERD.

48. Talmudic scholar: RABBI.

53. Gets all better: HEALS.

56. Quarters on a base: BARRACKS.

57. Brew served at Moe's Tavern: DUFF BEER.

60. Clemson's athletic gp.: ACC.

61. Hockey scores: GOALS.

62. "That's really impressive!": OOH.

64. Work on "Project Runway," say: SEW.

67. Bringer of rain: CLOUD.

68. Third of a third: NINTH.

69. Chef's road map: RECIPE.

70. "Dancer Adjusting Her Slipper" artist: DEGAS. 77. Ballet bend: PLIE.

71. Oranjestad's country: ARUBA.

72. Animal on old nickels: BISON. This eBay seller wants $65K for this coin. 

76. Rapper __ Sweatshirt: EARL.

78. Transgressions: SINS.

80. Singer with the 1984 hit "I Feel for You": CHAKA KHAN.

86. Barrel component: STAVE.

87. Unit of forestland: ACRE.

88. "The Thin Man" dog: ASTA.

89. Spiky heel: STILETTO.

90. "Spider-Man" surname: PARKER.

92. Talladega event: RACE. Talladega Superspeedway. 

94. Sprain soother: ICE PACK.

95. Nasal cavity cleansing vessel: NETI POT.

97. Tentacled mollusks: OCTOPI. With garlic sprouts.

100. Salon appliance: DRYER.

102. "The March King": SOUSA.

104. __ acid: FOLIC. I take this every day to reduce the side effects of methotrexate. 

105. Isn't for you?: AREN'T.

106. Icy obstacles: BERGS.

107. Polka band horn: TUBA.

108. Individual thing: ITEM.

109. Actress Blanchett: CATE.

110. Score after deuce, at times: AD IN.

112. Market IDs: UPCS.

114. Sonoran Desert city: YUMA.

117. Torso muscle, for short: PEC.

118. Go wrong: ERR.

C.C.

Saturday, February 21, 2026, Dr. Kyle Dolan

  Saturday Themeless by Dr. Kyle Dolan

This is the 22nd themeless Saturday puzzle by Dr. Dolan I have blogged. For this puzzle I sought out someplace where I could get multiple fills and work out from there. For this puzzle it was the SW corner where things filled in and ERIVO took care of itself greatly aided by my fortuitous guess at SCUBA DIVE. As you can see by the red square I did have one bad cell where I had to confess to my French major 

granddaughter that I guessed ENTRE VOUS and not NOUS. I made the connection to Egypt with Theban deity but AMENRA escaped me. 

Across:

1. "Hold my beer": WATCH THIS - Idiocy fueled by alcohol and testosterone.

             

10. __ forest: KELP.

14. "It's not up to me": IF YOU WANT.

15. Obsession: MANIA - Are you old enough to remember this MANIA?

 
 

16. "Ask away!": DON'T BE SHY.

17. Quirkily creative: ARTSY.

18. Leaves home?: TREE 😀 Leaves is a noun and is possessive. 

19. Put on board: LADE.

20. Board game: DARTS.

21. Pronoun option: HER.

22. Radiation that triggers vitamin D synthesis, for short: UVB.

23. Lineup of runners?: SLATE - This is the SLATE of runners you would have seen in 2024 in Nehawka, NE (pop. 167)

25. Used a prayer rug: KNELT.

27. Supreme Theban deity: AMENRA - AMEN-RA (alt. AMUN-RA) was the supreme state deity of New Kingdom Egypt (150-1100 BCE) merging the Theban creator god Amun ("The Hidden One") with the sun god Ra. Searching for his book was a plot arc of the 1999 movie The Mummy.

30. Mexico City's __ de la Reforma: PASEO - Walkway Of The Reform. A nine-mile diagonal street modeled on the Champs-Élysée in Paris.

33. "Truce?": ARE WE COOL.

35. As soon as: ONCE - ONCE you get some time 

36. Natl. Merit Scholarship qualifying exams: PSATS.

37. Dance with a kahiko style: HULA - Includes chanting

38. Small beard: SOUL PATCH.

40. Amounts on some bottles: DOSES.

41. Sportscaster Dick with the catchphrase "Touch 'em all!": ENBERG - Said after a home run

42. Tilt: TIP UP - Getting the stones to Stonehenge was one thing and then they had to TIP them UP

44. "Fare thee well": ADIEU.

46. Top suit: CEO 😀 A suit is one of the executives of a company and so the top one would be the CEO

47. Toe bean spot: PAW - Lily did not like that channel!

50. Shots after whiffs, say: REDOS or after a really bad bunker shot

52. Polish place: NAIL 😀

54. [Not again!]: SIGH.

55. "Wicked" star: ERIVO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

56. "Count me in!": I'M SO THERE.

58. Assumption: GIVEN.

59. Suit perfectly: FIT TO A TEE.

60. Forward thinker?: SEER.

61. "Why not both": YES AND YES - Do you love me and will you marry me?

Down:

1. Mover's concern: WIDTH - Oops!

2. "Loch Lomond" preposition: AFORE.

3. Pianist McCoy who played with the John Coltrane Quartet: TYNER- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

4. Home on an apartment building's roof, maybe: COTE - Brando shows Eva Marie Saint a pigeon egg from his rooftop COTE in On The Waterfront.

5. Carrier base: HUB.

6. Not quite a teen: TWELVE - Pat Boone sang Twixt TWELVE And Twenty

7. Lives it up: HAS A BLAST.

8. Clear for all to see, so to speak: IN HD - Fill words can be complicated when abbreviations have become "words" on their own.

9. Lid blemishes: STYES.

10. Handy maneuver?: KARATE CHOP 😀

11. "Confidentially ... ": ENTRE NOUS - Just between you and me. Entre vous means between us as a group.

12. Lay out: LIST - My projects are much more successful when I lay out what I need to do in a LIST.

13. Foots: PAYS - We used to "foot the bill" when we took our girls out but now they have families and we go dutch. 

15. Nice thing to call someone?: MADAME - I suppose MADAME would be a nice thing to call someone in Nice, France. 😊

22. Shedding card game: UNO.

24. Code components: LAWS - One of the first compilatons

25. Succumbed to gravity: KEELED OVER.

26. Leaflet: TRACT - A famous one.

28. Part of a play list?: ROLE 😀 - A person, who later became very famous, was listed here as a minor character for her first ROLE. She played a lesbian lover for Joan Molinsky (later Joan Rivers)

 

29. "Woe is me!": ALAS.

30. False front: POSE.

Give it up, poser!

31. Mystery author, briefly: ANON - Here the identity of the author is the mystery not the work itself 😀

32. Get tanked on a tropical vacation?: SCUBA DIVE - A confident fill when I only had the "S" showing. Yay me!

34. People with concerns about trolleys?: ETHICISTS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Happy to learn.

36. Resident of D.C.'s Daniel Webster Hall: PAGE - A former funeral home that was refurbished in 1995 to house Senate PAGES.

39. "Orange Is the New Black" setting: PRISON - A binge watch for me.

40. Couple: DUO.

43. Cesta-slung sphere: PELOTA - Here a jai alai player is slinging a PELOTA (sphere) with his cesta (basket)

45. Bring together: UNIFY.

47. Reverence: PIETY.

48. Concur: AGREE.

49. Carnival cries: WHEES - Kevin Hart seems to be making a cry of terror while Jimmy Fallon is doing more of a WHEE.

50. Policies, for short: REGS.

51. Put-in-Bay's lake: ERIE - The village of Put-In-Bay is located in our favorite crossword lake

53. Femme friend: AMIE - A French friend who is female

54. Roe source: SHAD.

57. 100 runs, for a cricketer: TON ¯\_(ツ)_/¯