Saturday, April 25, 2026, Greg Snitkin & Amie Walker

Saturday Themeless by Greg Snitkin & Amie Walker 

 

Here's a nice note from Greg: 

Bio: I am a dad with 3 small kids and am an Assistant Controller at a hedge fund in NYC.

Notes: I'm a big fan of Amie's puzzles, so when I found myself on a mission to make a 68-word themeless with clean fill, I approached Amie who graciously joined the cause. When she suggested this fun grid layout with diagonal symmetry I knew I asked the right person! Fun fact - back in 2012 I may have bought a bunch of TWINKIES when I heard Hostess was filing for bankruptcy.

Amie, who is an attorney in Chandler, AZ, added: It's always a delight making grids with Greg, one of the nicest folks in puzzles. I really enjoyed his wordplay clues in this one. Fun fact: I have never actually had a Twinkie!

Across:

1. Award for Attica Locke's "Bluebird, Bluebird": EDGAR - Attica Locke's "Bluebird, Bluebird" won the prestigious 2018 Edgar Award for Best Novel

6. Gala portion: APPLE CHIP  😀- APPLE computers contain many CHIPS but that was not relevant here

15. Duane __: NYC chain owned by Walgreens: READE.

16. Personal compass: MORAL CODE.

17. "Precision Crafted Performance" sloganeer: ACURA.

18. One who really gets people?: PRANKSTER - They might yell, Gotcha! 😀

19. Like a wise guy: SAGELY.

21. Draws: TIES - This game has ended in a draw or TIE because it is black's move and his King can not move into check

22. Apt name for a cinematographer: CAM 😀

23. Visual aids: EYEPIECES - Different EYEPIECES can give different telescope images

25. Soccer great called "O Rei": PELE - Any four-letter soccer player, hmmm...

26. Had the conn: STEERED - Captain Kirk leaves and turns STEERING over to Mr. Sulu. Derived from "conduire" (to conduct) or a "conning tower," the "conn" is not an abbreviation but a nautical term for the station controlling ship maneuvers, separate from commanding the entire vessel. You're welcome!

28. Gospel-singing sister of Aretha: ERMA - The Franklin sisters

ERMA             Aretha                  Carolyn

29. Degree of difficulty?: PHD - 😀 Yes, obtaining that degree is difficult. 

32. Couture letters: YSL.

33. "How fun!": OH NEAT.

35. Features of some cold cases?: EAR ACHES 😀

38. Mark up: NOTATE.

39. Fabric: CLOTH.

40. Part of a Cuban combo: BONGO.

42. Went first: LED.

43. The hills of Rome, e.g.: SEPTET.

45. Parents: FOLKS.

47. Hidden assets: SECRET WEAPONS.

52. Hostess treats: TWINKIES - If kept in their air tight wrapping, they will last 45 days, not forever. 

54. First name in country pop: SHANIA.

55. Voice-activated, say: HANDS FREE - I say, "Siri, call Joann" and she does!

57. Bucks: BREAD - BREAD as slang for money is a frequent Saturday visitor 

58. Chiwere speaker: OTOE.

59. Cheerful tune: LILT.

60. One bit: AT ALL.

61. __ Reader: UTNE. The Current edition

62. Serpentine fish: EELS.

63. Bounce back: RALLY - The Vikings were down by 33 points at halftime.

Down:

1. Wipe: ERASE.

2. Get on with one's half-life?: DECAY 😀  

3. Get a feel for: GAUGE.

4. Campaign managers?: AD REPS.

5. Wake-up calls: REALITY CHECKS.

6. Rock blaster: AMP - I abandoned TNT after some crossers appeared

7. Billy who wore a velvet tuxedo jacket and ball gown to the Oscars in 2019: 

 PORTER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8. Speak highly of: PRAISE.

9. Kent co-worker: LANE - In the English County of Kent, a co-worker might be a MATE, but Lois LANE worked in Metropolis with Clark Kent. Somehow Clark's (George Reeves') glasses hid his super identity from Lois Lane (Noel Neill).

10. __ Club: ELKS.

11. Loops into a chain: CCS - Much easier today rather than using Carbon CopieS

12. Breakfast option: HOT CEREAL - Mom always said they would "stick to my ribs".

13. The one, so to speak: IDEAL MATE - As we approach 60 years of marriage, I think we've got this covered.

14. Spread throughout: PERMEATED - Last year, wildfires in Canada PERMEATED the air in several states

20. "Big yikes": YEESH.

24. People person?: CELEB - CELEBS do appear in People Magazine

25. Bottled (up): PENT.

27. Useful connections for networking?: DONGLES - For some reason, Apple did not put in any USB-A or HDMI ports in my current MacBook and so I had to buy (and learn the word) a DONGLE. They have since put them back. My current MacBook with only two USB-C ports is shown on the bottom below.

 

29. Chest day targets, for short: PECS.

30. Lucy of "Pretty Little Liars": HALE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I think Lucy is second from the left

31. Surprises with a call: DROPS IN ON - Nobody did it like Cosmo Kramer

34. Place to blow off smoke?: HOOKAH BAR - We love the Rick Steves Travelogues on PBS. While in Turkey he did visit a HOOKAH BAR but said he only "smoked" dried apples.

36. One who shows up: ATTENDEE.

37. Low-pressure approach: SOFT SELL - We've left dealerships when getting the hard sell

41. As we speak: NOW.

44. Layered dessert often topped with syllabub: TRIFLE - A TRIFLE is a classic English layered dessert typically composed of sponge cake shake in sherry, fruit, custard and topped with whipped cream, or, historically, a whipped cream, wine and lemon mixture know as a syllabub. You're welcome.

46. City-state documented by Herodotus: SPARTA.

48. Inducing the heebie-jeebies: EERIE - Our favorite cwd lake takes on another vowel

49. "Inside the NBA" analyst since 2011: O'NEAL - Shaq and his girlfriend at an NBA event

50. Horan of One Direction: NIALL - On the left 

51. "I hate to say it ... ": SADLY.

52. The old you?: THOU 😀 How Great THOU Art might be the greatest hymn of all time

53. Inventor who coined the term "horsepower": WATT - WATT, you want more?

56. "Arrival" arrivals, briefly: ETS - This interesting movie had the ETS arriving in an upright craft.

Notes from C.C.:

Here's a thoughtful initiative from the Minnesota-based constructors Will Eisenberg and Hannah Slovut-Einertson: Midis for Minnesota, a pack of 13 midi puzzles tied to donations supporting immigrant families in need. The puzzles are edited by Will. Contribute to a mutual aid organization, send in proof, and the puzzles are yours. I made the preview puzzle. Give it a solve. 

Tuesday March 17, 2026 Sala Wanetick and Amie Walker

Let's Talk:

19-Across. Emotional plea in "Top Gun" and "Top Gun: Maverick": TALK TO ME, GOOSE.

26-Across. "I didn't hear a 'Please'!": SAY THE MAGIC WORD.

43-Across. "Why this course of action?": EXPLAIN YOURSELF.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Requests to Siri and Alexa, or what 19-, 26-, and 43-Across literally are: VOICE COMMANDS.

Across:

1. Lobby group for seniors: AARP.  American Association of Retired Persons.

5. "__ knew?": WHO.

8. Red light therapy venues: SPAS.  Red Light Therapy uses low-level, 630–700 nm wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to boost cellular energy, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue repair.  Sessions last 5–20 minutes and are used to treat acne, wrinkles, hair loss, and chronic pain. While generally safe, it requires consistent use to see results and may carry risks of eye damage if not used properly.  I think I'll pass on this therapy.

12. Pink's counterpart in "Wicked": GREEN.

14. Stranger __ fiction: THAN.

15. Work for: EARN.

16. Italian liqueur such as Aperol or Campari: AMARO.  Amaro is a family of Italian herbal liqueurs, (amaro means bitter) that are made by infusing a base spirit (like wine or neutral grain spirit) with a blend of botanicals such as herbs, roots, flowers, and citrus peels, resulting in a bittersweet, complex flavor profile.

17. Blow off steam: VENT.

18. Cogito, __ sum: ERGO.  Today's Latin lesson ... or, as René Descartes (Mar. 31, 1596 ~ Feb. 11, 1650) so succinctly stated:  I think, therefore I am.

22. NYC summer hrs.: EDT.  As in Eastern Daylight Time.  We just "sprung" forward over the weekend.

23. Most consecutive Super Bowls won by the same team: TWO.  Eight NFL teams have won 2 consecutive Super Bowls:  Green Bay Packers (I-II), Miami Dolphins (VII-VIII), Pittsburgh Steelers (IX-X & XIII-XIV), San Francisco 49ers (XXIII-XXIV), Dallas Cowboys (XXVII-XXVIII), Denver Broncos (XXXII-XXXIII), New England Patriots (XXXVIII-XXXIX), and Kansas City Chiefs (LVII-LVIII).

24. Italian fashion house: PRADA.  Prada means Meadow in Italian.  The Italian fashion house, however, was founded by Mario Prada (1894 ~ 1958).

31. "I __ a hunch!": HAD.

32. Insta upload: PIC.  As in Pictures.

33. Guitar Hero World Tour console: WII.

34. Helpful feedback: INPUT.

37. Fuel efficiency stat: MPG.  As in Miles Per Gallon (of gasoline).

38. Gives a hoot: MINDS.

40. Corp. leader: CEO.  As in Chief Executive Officer.

41. Wilmington's st.: DEL.  Wilmington is in Delaware.

42. __ rummy: GIN.  Gin Rummy is a card game.

50. Harbor Freight purchases: TOOLS.

51. "Hello, fellow sheep": BAA.

52. Stretch the truth: LIE.

57. Graduate of the CIA, perhaps: CHEF.  Not the Central Intelligence Agency, but the Culinary Institute of America.

59. Great Plains tribe: OTOE.

60. Corrosive compounds: ACIDS.

61. Subtle glow: AURA.

62. Numbered hwys.: RTES.  As in Routes.

63. "Girls5eva" co-star __ Elise Goldsberry: RENÉE.  I am not familiar with with either Renée Elise Goldsberry (b. Jan. 2, 1971) or Girls5eva.

64. Fishnet fabric: MESH.

65. Pops: DAD.

66. Covers with grass: SODS.

Down:

1. Rock shop options: AGATES.

2. Naval fleet: ARMADA.  The best known Armada is the infamous Spanish Armada, which set sail from Spain in 1588 in an effort to invade England.  It failed.

3. "Million Dollar Listing" field: REALTY.

4. Fringe benefit: PERK.

5. Cry of delight: WHEE.

6. Kick back (with): HANG.

7. Good place for a lecturer to stay?: ON TOPIC.

8. Teeter-totter: SEESAW.

9. Streamline, perhaps: PARE DOWN.

10. Iguazu Falls land: Abbr.: ARG.  Iguaza Falls is a spectacular waterfall system that consists of over 275 individual drops spanning nearly 2 along the Argentina-Brazil border. 

11. Cold-sounding commercial prefix: SNO.

13. "Anything else!": NOT THAT!  Not exactly sure how this answer fits.

14. Claire Dunphy, e.g.: TV MOM.  Claire Dunphy was the fictional mother on Modern Family.  She was programmed by Julie Bowen (née born Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer, b. March 3, 1970).

20. Carried a debt: OWED.

21. Goblinlike creature: ORC.  The Orc is a fictional creature from The Lord of the Rings.

25. Bone-dry: ARID.

27. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr.: THU.  Thanksgiving is a holiday that always falls on the third Thursday of November.

28. Put on, as nail polish: APPLY.

29. Job for a DJ: GIG.

30. Prefix with loyal and service: DIS.   As in Disloyal and Disservice.

34. The "I" of the RICE method: ICE.  Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate.

35. Dismissive call: NEXT.

36. Puffy pastries: POPOVERS.  Yummers!

37. Guys: MEN.

38. San Diego neighborhood whose name means "sea view": MIRAMAR.

39. __ and outs: INS.

41. Lack of harmony: DISCORD.

42. U.S. Pacific island: GUAM.  Guam appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.  [See clue 24-down.]  Since 1898, Guam has been a U.S. island territory.  It is the largest, most populous, and southernmost island in the Marianas archipelago and Micronesia.  Guam is known for its beautiful by tropical beaches, Chamorro villages and ancient latte-stone pillars.  Guam’s WWII significance is on view at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park, whose sites include Asan Beach, a former battlefield.

44. Bath scrubber: LOOFAH.

45. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Mahershala Ali (né Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, b. Feb. 15, 1974) is an American actor who has two Oscars: One for his portrayal of a drug dealer in Moonlight and one for his portrayal of Don Shirley in Green Book.

46. Thin woodwinds: OBOES.  These woodwinds make frequent appearances in the puzzles.

47. Pacific climate phenomenon: EL NIÑO.  Everything you ever wanted to know about El Niño.

48. Heavy-__: sleepy: LIDDED.

49. Admits, with "up": 'FESSES.

54. Jazz great James: ETTA.  Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) is a frequent guest in the puzzles.

55. Like many dorms: CO-ED.  Last Tuesday this was clued as Not Single-Sex.  [See 16-Across.]

56. Top poker cards: ACES.

57. Kiss __: PDA capturer at a stadium: CAM.  The infamous Kiss Cam from last summer's Coldplay concert.

58. Shade on a color wheel: HUE.

חתולה

Happy St. Patrick's Day