Saturday, February 14, 2026, Amanda Cook

Saturday Themeless by Amanda Cook 

 

Amanda is a music critic and digital editor who is a published crossword puzzle constructor that maintains a blog for refined sugar-free dessert recipes, and enjoys taking care of her growing collection of houseplants. Amanda lives in Minnesota with her husband Kenny, and together they enjoy hiking, playing board games, and cheering for the Cleveland Guardians. She added that she had certainly heard of C.C., had met her once and lives in a Minnesota city next to our lovely blogmistress.

Amanda had this to share with us after I asked her if SOCIAL BATTERY was a seed entry like BEIGE FLAG was for her last puzzle: 

Hi Gary! You’re correct about SOCIAL BATTERY! I’m very much an introvert, so I’m always conscious of mine when I’m out socializing. I also asked if my take on MINOR ROLE was right. She was shocked happy and replied, Yes!

 Across:

1. Grazing spots?: TAPAS BARS.

10. Classic Milwaukee brewer: PABST.

15. Holding back tears, perhaps: EMOTIONAL.

16. Cornmeal cake: AREPA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

17. Final act for a big star: SUPER NOVA 😀

18. Tiptoe: CREEP.

19. Phillies All-Star shortstop Turner: TREA - Here is TREA on the right with our cousin Alec Bohm from Omaha who plays third base next to him.

20. Salon sounds: SNIPS.

22. Squeaks (by): EKES.

23. Hermana de la madre: TIA - Mother's sister (Hermana de la madre) is my aunt (TIA).

25. Scoped out: CASED.

27. Resource that may be recharged with alone time: SOCIAL BATTERY - Amanda's seed entry is a metaphor for explaining how much energy a person has for socializing when recharging is necessary. What's your level today?

32. Alan Ladd Western: SHANE - In a 2005 poll, this was chosen as the 47th best movie line of all time.

34. Sphere: REALM - One sphere of influence has been decreased in size

35. Green shade: PEA.

36. 1990s fad item: POG - These were ubiquitous in my 90's classroom!

37. State gemstone of Minnesota: AGATE.

38. [Raises hand]: I AM.

39. Ferment, perhaps: AGE.

40. Cut back: PRUNE.

41. Alabama and Kansas: BANDS - One of them has a song whose music and lyrics are favs of mine:

43. Unapologetic self-promotion: SHAMELESS PLUG - Celebrities doing this are staples of the TV talk show business.

46. Infer: EDUCE.

47. "__ complicated": IT'S.

48. Big D cagers: MAVS.

49. David Oyelowo film set in Alabama: SELMA.

53. French head: TETE.

57. Covered in vines: IVIED.

59. Reason to cover a lot of ground quickly?: RAIN DELAY 😀

61. Come and go: RECUR.

62. Nonbillable work?: MINOR ROLE 😀 Harrison Ford's film debut was as a bellboy in Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round which was such a MINOR ROLE, his name did not appear on the bill.

           
 

63. Goomba, to Mario: ENEMY - An Italian word for friend came to become a derogatory for Italian-Americans.

64. Local cultural ecosystems: ART SCENES 😀

Down:

1. Exam: TEST.

2. River between Russia and China: AMUR.

3. Vatican City resident: POPE.

4. Carbo-loaded, say: ATE A TON.

5. Military address: SIR.

6. Art with a moyogi style: BONSAI - I thought it was Mr. Miyogi's BONSAI tree from Karate Kid but your humble blogger missed the fact that moyogi is not capitalized. It still would have worked. 🤔

7. Rando on a message board: ANON - Our ANONs on this site are not usually RANDOm

8. Sitarist Shankar: RAVI - He greatly influenced the Beatles, especially George Harrison, but did not play on any of their songs.

9. Give a hand?: SLAP - Anyone else CLAP first?

10. Campaign gp.: PAC.

11. Mesmerize: ARREST.

12. Sting operation?: BEEKEEPING 😀 

13. Cram for book club: SPEED READ.

14. Dances like Savion Glover: TAPS - Saturday cluing for a common word

21. Magnitude: SCALE - The magnitude of the space shuttle and the crawler taking it out to the launch pad is easier to see when you look at the trucks on the crawler way next to them.

24. Water cooler: ICE. 😀

26. Texter's "Currently": ATM - Today, At The Moment replaces our cash dispenser 

27. Words from a seasoned pro: SAGE ADVICE.

28. Engage in forensics: ARGUE.

29. Tilts: LEANS.

30. "Matlock" star: BATES - Kathy BATES stars in a reboot of the TV series made famous by Andy Griffith

31. Staple of Nigerian cuisine: YAMS.

32. Beauty spots: SPAS.

33. State of bliss: HOG HEAVEN - Talk about being happy! Humans might seek other avenues for a state of bliss. 

37. "Les Alyscamps" city: ARLES - A Roman necropolis in southern France. 

40. Burpee target: PEC

41. Club kin: BLT - My two favs!

42. Puritanical: AUSTERE.

44. Institution that may have a repatriation policy: MUSEUM - This happened in 2019

45. Moving challenges: PIANOS - The most famous PIANO movers that I'll wager most of us have seen in our "yute".

48. Wetland: MIRE.

50. Gospel singer Franklin: ERMA - Not Etta or Ella

51. Burrow: LAIR - As a noun

52. Bread maker: MINT - So many euphemisms for money

54. North Carolina college town: ELON - What a great athletic nickname.

55. Epic: TALE.

56. Emoji reaction to a hot take: EYES. 😳

58. Word with rub or run: DRY - Barbecue seasoning and a test 

60. Kinshasa's country, briefly: DRC - Its Atlantic Ocean shoreline is a little over 20 miles long.

Saturday, January 10, 2026, Amanda Cook

 Saturday Themeless by Amanda Cook

Amanda is a music critic and digital editor who is a published crossword puzzle constructor that maintains a blog for refined sugar-free dessert recipes, and enjoys taking care of her growing collection of houseplants. Amanda lives in Minnesota with her husband Kenny, and together they enjoy hiking, playing board games, and cheering for the Cleveland Guardians. She added that she had certainly heard of C.C., had met her once and lives in a Minnesota city next to our lovely blogmistress.

Be sure to read the additional info about Amanda's constructing style at the bottom of this write-up.

Across:

1. Volunteer effort where word gets around?: BOOK DRIVE 😀

10. Wrapped in terry cloth: ROBED.

15. Let someone else do the cooking: ORDERED IN.

16. Make reparations: ATONE.

17. Romantic partner's quirky yet innocuous behavior: BEIGE FLAG 😀 One of Amanda's seed entries. I laughed out loud when the sense of the clue/fill hit me! Below is the first of many more BEIGE FLAGS at this site

1. Makes weird moaning sounds while they eat. 
2. Infinitely reuses the same tissue, stuffing it in their pocket each time.
3. Never puts lids back on stuff. 
4. Set a dozen alarms and ignore them all. 
5. Texts by sending a million short individual texts instead of typing it all out before sending. 
6. Wearing clothes that are all too big or too small. 
7. Has a repeated “catch phrase” that you can’t unhear once you notice it. 

18. Game with blocking fouls?: JENGA - Among other violations, you are forbidden to physically block your opponent's path to the tower.

19. Suffix in many Icelandic surnames: SON - Iceland's starting soccer team

20. Faced off, in a way: DUELED.

22. Soothe: LULL.

23. Like Parmesan cheese: AGED.

24. Sticks the landing: NAILS IT.

26. Part partner: PARCEL.

29. Professionals who have a real sense of style: EDITORS 😀

30. "Copy that": HEARD - "Houston we have a problem!"

31. Lock: TRESS.

32. "Now I get it!": OHH.

34. Cedar Point's lake: ERIE - Cedar Point bills itself as America's Roller Coaster and is located near Sandusky, Ohio. All that blue is Lake ERIE.

35. Join: MARRY.

36. Primary instrument of English Renaissance composer John Dowland: LUTE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Saturday cluing for LUTE

37. Score 11 points in pickleball, perhaps: WIN - But you do have to win by two

38. Broncos and Mustangs: AUTOS - Fords, of course 

39. Group of experts: PANEL - Are they always experts? 🤔

40. International travel need, often: ADAPTER - Don't cross an ocean without one. I lost mine in Venice, Italy and the hotel had a box with at least 5o in it that had been left behind. 

42. Smashing pumpkins fan?: VANDAL - The word pumpkins is not capitalized and so it is just a run-of-the-mill idiot. 

43. Relief medium: PLASTER.

44. Kite, for one: BIRD - Oh, that kind of Kite.

45. Vent: RANT.

46. Oatmeal-based brews: STOUTS.

48. Fell: HEW - Fell is a verb here

51. "Blackfish" mammals: ORCAS - Of course they are more than black and are certainly not a fish but...

53. One of 17,974 in Passau's St. Stephen's Cathedral: ORGAN PIPE - I'm sure Splynter could give them a tune-up.

55. Cardiologist's insert: STENT.

56. Counted: TALLIED UP.

57. Rebecca Solnit piece: ESSAY ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

58. Accumulation for new parents: SLEEP DEBT - Oh, how I remember!

Down:

1. Blunt cuts: BOBS - "Bells on BOB tail ring"

2. Snack that had a Space Dunk version: OREO.

3. Ragnarok warrior: ODIN - ODIN is a character in this game

4. Saloon delivery: KEG.

5. Coated in flour before frying: DREDGED.

6. Make a pit stop: REFUEL or RECHARGE

7. Ran in place: IDLED.

8. Vaccine container: VIAL.

9. Gives rise to: ENGENDERS.

10. "The Big Bang Theory" role: RAJ.

11. Verdi opera with Desdemona: OTELLO.

12. Chance to add to one's score: BONUS ROUND.

13. Twinings product: ENGLISH TEA.

14. Passed out: DEALT.

21. Princess who first appeared in Super Mario Land: DAISY ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

23. Lot unit: ACRE.

25. "__ go time!": ITS - Lloyd Bridges calls out Jerry Seinfeld

26. "What a relief!": PHEW.

27. Silks and trapeze, e.g.: AERIAL ARTS - I knew trapeze. 

28. Hopi ceremonies: RAIN DANCES.

29. User __: ERROR.

31. Hot-dish topping: TATERTOTS - Very common in our part of the country

33. Land down under?: HELL 

35. Trumpet accessories: MUTES.

36. Resonate, as a joke: LAND.

38. Spot-on: APT.

39. Root vegetable: PARSNIP.

41. Kazakhstan capital: ASTANA - 1,700 miles ESE of Moscow

42. Sportscaster who coined "dipsy-doo dunkaroo": VITALE - I knew him but not the phrase 

43. Conventional writing: PROSE.

44. Military brass?: BUGLE - In From Here To Eternity, Montgomery Clift's character played taps on his bugle into a megaphone that he rotated.

47. Like most dissertation defenses: ORAL.

48. Mask: HIDE.

49. Kindle file format: EPUB.

50. Expressed relief, perhaps: WEPT.

52. Dirty digs: STY.

54. Disposable sock: PED.

More thoughts from Amanda

This is my first published themeless puzzle, and it was created around the seed entry BEIGE FLAG, which is making its debut in this grid! The team at the LA Times really helped me get going when I was a new constructor, and one thing they instilled in me early on was a high standard for clean fill. I'm really happy that I managed to find some fun options for the marquee entries in this grid without having to rely on too much "crossword glue." I also try not to have too many proper nouns in my grids because as a solver, I hate getting stuck on know-it-or-you-don't clues. In my fill, I love to include food, the arts and humanities, sports, references to life in the Midwest, and misdirection clues, and you'll find all of those in this puzzle!