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!

Monday August 18, 2025 Amanda Cook

  

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's puzzle comes to us from the marvelous mind of Amanda Cook. You may recall that Amanda constructed the EXCHANGE puzzle published the Sunday before yesterday. Today marks her 16th LAT publication. Sweet! 

Theme:  

We'll start with the four themers:

17 Across. Avant-garde: CUTTING EDGE.  

CUTTING BOARD

23 Across. Assets and liabilities statement: BALANCE SHEET.  

A BALANCE BOARD is a piece of fitness equipment.
How to Select the Best BALANCE BOARD for You

39 Across. Stylistic faux pas that puts an editor between a rock and a black sheep?: MIXING METAPHORS.  This clue provides an example of what MIXING METAPHORS is. It takes two metaphors, "between a rock and a hard place" and "black sheep" and combines them in a way that does not really fit.  

A MIXING BOARD combines audio recordings.
Perhaps you have seen one in a movie scene set in a recording studio.

51 Across. Illumination that sets a tone: MOOD LIGHTING.  

A MOOD BOARD is a collage of colors, fabric swatches, shapes, etc.
They can be helpful when organizing ideas for a decorating project.

63 Across. List of top-scoring players, and what the start of 17-, 23-, 39-, or 51-Across could be called?: LEADER BOARD.  

This is a LEADER BOARD from a golf tournament.

All four of the themed answers are two-word phrases. The first word can be put in front of (i.e., LEAD) the word BOARD to create something new. Not being familiar with a couple of the answers did not impede my solve. MIXING METAPHORS gets full points for not only working with the theme and spanning the grid, but it is also a fun answer for us word lovers.

Now let's close this door and start a new chapter:

Across:

1. Like some histories: ORAL.

5. Scents such as freshly baked bread and clean laundry: AROMAS.  Both are appealing smells.

11. Cave mammal: BAT.  This was my favorite clue today! At first I was trying to think of big, furry, hibernating mammals.  

a BAT in a cave

14. Zilch: NONE.

15. __ Creed: Mass recitation: NICENE.  It is recited as part of the Catholic Mass. You can read it here.

16. Flamenco cry: OLÉ.

19. Was victorious: WON.

20. Live and breathe: EXIST.  This was a fun use of a known expression!

21. Feel under the weather: AIL.

22. Cabin timber: PINE.

27. King Arthur's realm: CAMELOT.  

1470 reproduction of Évrard d'Espinques's illumination of the Prose Lancelot,
 showing King Arthur presiding at the Round Table with his knights,

30. Compete in a slalom: SKI.

31. Alias letters: AKA.  Also Known As  

32. Dozes (off): NODS.  Off inside the parenthesis means that it is combined with the answer to match dozes. In other words, the clue-writing convention is telling us that dozes means NODS off.

35. Archipelago unit: ISLET.

43. Take potshots (at): SNIPE.  

 I find it difficult to believe this beautiful SNIPE 
would take potshots at anyone. 

44. Repeated word in a Doris Day classic: SERA.  I have previously linked the Doris Day song a few times. Today I am presenting something different. In this song, the artist uses a MIXING BOARD to sample Doris Day. (Sample means to use a piece of a pre-existing work in a new piece.) It might not be your cup of tea but perhaps you will find it interesting. 

Wax Tailor     ~     Que Sera     ~    2020

45. Tear (apart): RIP.

46. Archer's asset: AIM.

48. Positives: UPSIDES.  

56. Storylines: ARCS.  Babylon 5 (1994) is usually credited as the first U.S. television series with a 5-year story ARC conceptualized prior to filming. I describe it as "United Nations in space". 

Bruce Boxleitner is front and center.

57. Salty expanse: SEA.     and     7-Down. Atlantic, for one: OCEAN.

58. Pirouetting, say: ON TOE.  Think "ballet".

62. Tabby: CAT.  

This is Coco, my SIL's new tabby CAT.

66. Feasted on: ATE.

67. Achieve fame: ARRIVE.  

68. Arancini ingredient: RICE.  These are new to me. They are Italian RICE balls.  

recipe

69. Sopping: WET.  

"WET dog" smell is up there with those in 5-Across.

70. Organized workflow: SYSTEM.

71. Flair: ELAN.

Down:

1. __ upon a time: ONCE.

2. Gumbo thickener: ROUX.  Def.: (noun) a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a thickening agent in a soup or a sauce.

BTW, the plural form is also ROUX.

3. Against: ANTI.

4. Doesn't disturb: LETS BE.  

This is a scene from one of my favorite movies, Yesterday (2019). The premise is that a struggling musician wakes up to an alternate reality where he is the only one on Earth who knows who the Beatles are or any of their songs. In this scene, he tries to play Let It Be for his parents. They are completely unaware of how amazing the song was in the previous reality. (3:29 min.)  

5. Rashida's "Parks and Recreation" role: ANN.  

Rashida Jones as the very likable ANN Perkins

6. Fix, as a fight: RIG.

8. Soldier trained in first aid: MEDIC.

9. "I teach geometry, so I know all the __": math professor's quip: ANGLES.  Groan!

10. Observe: SEE.

11. "Starman" singer David: BOWIE.  Me:  This clue is too hard because the only Starman song I know is by David Bowie...oh, wait...that fits. Never mind.  

Here is the 1972 song:

12. Unaccompanied: ALONE.

13. Core belief: TENET.

18. Lang. of Rome: ITAL.  language and Italian

22. Run an email scam: PHISH.  This term comes from the idea of fishing. Just as a fisherman dangles bait on a hook, internet scammers send out bait to computer users.

This is an early scene (not a spoiler) in the movie The Beekeeper (2024). Unfortunately it contains a lot of F-bombs but I encourage you to watch it because it portrays how bad people scam money from good people via the internet. This 4:28 min. scene might help you prevent your life savings from being stolen by nefarious hackers.  If you are ever in doubt, call your bank. Do not use the number 'conveniently' provided by the scammer. Do not click on their links!!!

24. __ division: LONG.  Yay, it's an excuse for me to insert another Old 97's song! This is Singular Girl from 1999.

Talking to you girl is like LONG division, yeah  🎵

25. Molecule makeup: ATOMS.

26. Pass over: SKIP.

27. Zoom devices, familiarly: CAMS.  cameras

28. Related (to): AKIN.

29. Ankle-length skirt: MAXI.

33. Hollywood ending?: DEE.  This is one of those meta clues. The last letter in Hollywood is the letter D.

34. Confident stride: STRUT.

36. "Bridgerton" title: LORD.  Bridgerton is a Netflix drama based on novels by Julia Quinn. It is set in the 19th century and follows eight siblings seeking relationships. It has been compared to a cross between Jane Austen and Scandal. LORD Anthony Bridgerton is one of the characters.

37. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.

38. Baking amts.: TSPS. amounts and teaspoons

40. Apple tablets: IPADS.

41. Singer Diamond: NEIL.  (b. Jan. 24, 1941). I'm a fan!  

Neil Diamond     ~     You Don't Bring Me Flowers     ~     1977

written by Neil Diamon with Alan and Marilyn Bergman

42. Heritage celebrated in May, for short: AAPI.  Asian American and Pacific Islander

I see that this answer appeared a year ago in a Universal crossword puzzle. It was also used twice in 2023 in USA Today puzzles.

47. Great suffering: MISERY.  This is THAT scene from the movie Misery (1990), based on Stephen King's psychological horror novel.  WARNING:  Do not watch this video if you have not already seen the movie!! It is absolute MISERY and it will haunt you.

49. Hoity-toity type: SNOB.

50. Send to voicemail, perhaps: IGNORE.  I'm happy to be guilty of this. I try to be present in whatever I'm doing. That means I do not let my phone interrupt me just because it dings or rings. The great thing about a cell phone is that it can accept messages which I can view later.

51. Colorful parrot: MACAW.  

Both males and females share this brilliant coloration.

52. Deliver a speech: ORATE.

53. Chamber music configuration: OCTET.

54. Bike parts: GEARS.  

55. "You've never __ so good": HAD IT.

59. Follow covertly: TAIL.  This is a 2:08 min. scene from The French Connection (1971). Gene Hackman is trying to TAIL Fernando Rey:  

60. Marine apex predator: ORCA.  

61. Idyllic place: EDEN.  

63. __ Vegas Aces: LAS.  This is a WNBA team.

64. Night before: EVE.  I wonder what EVE did the night before she was cast out of the Garden of EDEN.

65. "Shiny Happy People" band: REM.  Here is that 1991 song:  

The grid:  

See you later, crocodile!

(I wrote that before doing yesterday's puzzle.)