Saturday, June 6, 2026, August Miller

Saturday June 6, 2066 by August Miller

August is a constructor we have seen very often here in the last 12 months. I blogged his first LA Times themeless just year and now this is the 6th one. He is a former physics Ph.D. candidate turned farmer who lives in Berkshire County, MA.

Here is part of a very nice interview with August:

Once upon a time I was going to be a physics PhD. I studied physics in undergrad and tried graduate school (twice), but ultimately that environment just didn’t work for me. And now I come home at night smelling of cows and hay, and it feels so much better.

I flew through the top half of August's puzzle but ran into too many options in the mideast, however, I eventually managed a hard-earned "got 'er done"! As you can see below, this puzzle had 9 unique long fills some of which took some effort. 

Across: 

1. App on the half shell: CLAMS CASINO - According to legend, the recipe for clams casino was originally developed in 1917 in the Little Casino in Narragansett, Rhode Island, by a maître d'hôtel for a woman of means wanting something special for her guests. 

12. Promos: ADS.

15. Online scale with a green splat icon: TOMATOMETER - The only movie I walked out on got  a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 5% and a green splatted tomato.

16. __ culpa: MEA - In current lexicon - "My Bad". All the big names in the movie above owed the public a MEA CULPA.

17. Number that should never be shared: ONE TIME CODE - A CODE that is usually sent to my iPhone to make sure it is a valid log on.

18. Chic bag monogram: YSL - $1,700 will get you this chic bag with the YSL monogram.

19. __ ed: SEX.

20. Bean in frijoles de la olla: PINTO - Beans from the pot. We see "ollas" for Spanish pots here in crosswords.

21. Calculator brand: CASIO - I remember being amazed by my first calculator. Now I have one on my watch, phone and laptop along with many other apps that dwarf the capabilities of our moon lander computers of the 1960's.

23. Shapes into a wreath, say: BENDS.

24. Luray feature: CAVERN - Luray, VA in the Shenandoah Valley is famous for its caverns. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

25. Trampoline sound: BOING.

27. Pride event: PARADE.

28. Maker of Sinatra Select whiskey: JACK DANIELS.

31. Galoot: APE.

33. After-lunch sandwich: OREO.

34. __ compression: information technology method: LOSSY - If you must know more

35. Door opening?: TRAP - Moviedom's best TRAP door scene (2:45)

36. Schedule abbr.: TBA.

37. Comedic interludes on some 47-Across albums: HIP-HOP SKITS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ They exist

39. Moonstruck: IN LOVE.

41. Wee bit: SKOSH.

42. Dress rack label: PETITE.

43. Cinq moins deux: TROIS - In Spanish,  5 - 2 = 3 

45. Amino __: ACIDS.

46. Models whose names typically started with 9: SAABS.

47. GloRilla genre: RAP -  Her lyrics are NSFW

50. Pea body?: POD.

51. Birth years for some of Gen Z: EARLY AUGHTS.

54. Equal: ARE.

55. Agreed-upon next steps: ACTION ITEMS.

56. Berlioz's "__ Troyens": LES - "The Trojans" is a five act opera based on The Aeneid 😳

57. Simple way to start the day: TEA AND TOAST.

Down:

1. R&D execs: CTOS - Chief Technology Officer

2. Unique: LONE.

3. Black Card co.: AMEX.

4. Welcome site?: MAT and 30. Somewhat: ISH.

5. Fixed allowance: STIPEND.

6. Really starting to shine: COMING ALIVE.

7. Revise: AMEND.

8. Splinter groups: SECTS.

9. "__, am America": Hughes: I TOO.

10. Kelly who narrates Peter Carey's "True History of the Kelly Gang": NED. I lost my own father at 12 yr. of age and know what it is to be raised on lies and silences my dear daughter you are presently too young to understand a word I write but this history is for you and will contain no single lie may I burn in Hell if I speak false.

11. Entities that carry rock and roll: ORE CARS - Fun cluing

12. Comedian who voices Princess Carolyn in "BoJack Horseman": AMY SEDARIS. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

13. Unplanned shortcut: DESIRE PATH.

14. Business where employees often get snippy?: SALON. 😀

22. Hannah's "Hacks" role: AVA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

23. Sweet rice cake from the Philippines: BIKO.¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

24. Group of Caribbean islands?: CALYPSO BAND -  😀 Oh, the group is not the islands not the islands but a group of performers on the islands! Doh!

25. Hot pink aesthetic: BARBIE CORE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Won't this become (or has become) "So last year?"

26. Changing sea levels?: OCEAN TIDES - This is the TIDE chart for Cocoa Beach, FL. for today. If I had teenagers there today around 6:30 pm, would they be finding lots of shells?

27. Mexican bar tender: PESO - Tender is another word for money

28. Wee bit: JOT.

29. "Nice try": NOPE - I'll bet you can do the imitation.

30. [See at 30 Down]

32. Some indie releases: EPS - Extended plays

35. MMA calls: TKOS - Images are pretty violent  

37. Place for grilling or roasting: HOT SEAT - Senator Kennedy brings the heat!

38. Resort wear: SKI SUIT.

40. Top: LID.

42. __ bull: PAPAL - A papal bull is a highly formal public decree or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It takes its name from the Latin word bulla, referring to the leaden seal traditionally attached to authenticate the document.

43. "Nonnas" actress Shire: TALIA - I'll bet you can pick out Rocky's Adrian from this cast picture from Nonnas

Okay, she's second from the left.

44. Lustrous synthetic: RAYON.

46. Chica's title: Abbr.: SRTA - Chica is most commonly used for the Spanish word for girl

47. Cassowary kin: RHEA.

48. Spots for checks and balances?: ATMS 😀

49. Whisper before "Pass it on!": PSST.

52. Serena slam?: ACE.

53. Classic Pontiac: GTO.

Lest we forget the June 6 of 82 years ago:

 

Saturday, December 27, 2025, August Miller

 Saturday Themeless by August Miller

This is my fifth Saturday themeless blog this year for August Miller. He is a former physics Ph.D. candidate turned farmer who lives in Berkshire County, MA.

Here is part of a very nice interview with August: Once upon a time I was going to be a physics PhD. I studied physics in undergrad and tried graduate school (twice), but ultimately that environment just didn’t work for me. And now I come home at night smelling of cows and hay, and it feels so much better.

I was able to make good headway through August's puzzle and enjoyed the trip. Unlike Stella's 12/13/25 puzzle, the long fills were familiar and helpful. My last fill was a stab in the dark at "K" at TAI_A/S_A.

Across:

1. Squirrel away: STOW and 1. Squirrel away: STASH - It was fun to have the same clue in the far NW corner.

5. Barely usable pencils: NUBS.

9. "Kapow!": WHAM.

13. Snaps: TAKES A PIC - What we all can do now on a whim. Now when I was a kid...

15. Banchero who was the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year: PAOLO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  I will have taken more time on this comment than I will watching any NBA games this season.

16. Manipulator of one of the four elements, in a classic animated series: AIR BENDER - This guy is in orange below. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

17. Natural styles: AFROS.

18. __ punk: "Tragic Kingdom" genre: SKA and 2. Waititi of "Our Flag Means Death": TAIKA - I knew SKA was some form of music that was foreign to me and I took a flyer on a "K" where it crossed equally unknown TAIKA. Tada!

19. "All My Children" actress Kathleen: NOONE - She was there from 1977 - 1989

 

To the far left

20. "Failing that ... ": IF NOT.

21. Must: HAS TO.

23. Like some waiters: EARLY 😀 - You really want an iPhone 16 so bad you're willing to wait in line.

25. Hesitant sounds: ERS.

27. Mikey Day's show, for short: SNL - If you really care, you'll pick him out, if you don't care, just move on. 😗

28. Guests' guesses: ETAS - You can tell peeps when to arrive but...

31. Some boxing losses: SPLIT DECISIONS - Gane won this match because two judges gave him more points and one did not.

35. "And??": CARE TO ELABORATE.

36. "Who Shot Mr. Burns?," for one: TWO PART EPISODE - Remind you of anything? 😀

37. Glom __: ONTO.

38. Some humanities degs.: MAS.

39. Confession confession: SIN.

40. "The best in pests" company: ORKIN.

42. Attracted to more than one gender, informally: MSPEC - Multisexual Spectrum

46. Peak reward: VISTA - The VISTA from the peak of Everest

48. Stay at a 57-Across, perhaps: GLAMP - Today's portmanteau: GLAMcamPing at Indian Lake, NY which is a 57. Sustainable place to unwind: ECO RESORT.

52. "Hadestown" Tony nominee Noblezada: EVA - I'm guessing August has never heard of the Little EVA song Locomotion.

53. Big name in chips: INTEL - Would you like an Apple with your chips? 

54. Hot bodies?: LAVA LAKES - This one is near the South Pole

56. Close call: SCARE.

58. Good listeners?: EARS - My 79-yr-old models need electronic assistance 

59. __-eyed: DEWY.

60. Code breakers: KEYS.

Down:

3. Mallow family plants with edible seed pods: OKRAS.

                

Okra

 

4. Intricate trap: WEB.

5. Tech startup?: NANO.

6. Top knot, e.g.: UPDO.

7. "Très __!": BIEN and a 14. Miss living in Mexico, say: SENORITA could say Muy BIEN.

8. Safari snap: SCREEN CAP - I made a SCREEN CAPture of the image below on my Safari Browser using this key combination

9. Array at a hotel breakfast bar: WAFFLE IRONS 😀

10. Lizard with defensive spines: HORNY TOAD - A variation of the name HORNED TOAD

11. __ gobi: ALOO - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - Aloo gobi, literally "potato cauliflower" in Hindi. 

12. More than some: MOST.

15. Duo: PAIR.

22. Forms of rapid transit: TELEPORTERS - Hallmark makes an ornament of one used on Star Trek.

24. Crime stories?: ALIBIS.

26. Kylie's daughter: STORMI - An addition to the Kardashian clan

27. Tennis great Monica: SELES.

29. Up the __: ANTE.

30. Compass pt.: SSE.

31. Like cut lumber: SAWN.

32. One just starting to shine: PROTOSTAR.

33. Forced a comb through, say: DETANGLED.

34. "Easy-peasy!": SO SIMPLE.

35. Exec who might oversee R&D: CTO - Chief Technology Officer

41. Superfood whose "special power is tasting bad," per Jim Gaffigan: KALE 😀

43. Tea type: PEKOE.

44. Not just some: EVERY.

45. Gives a role: CASTS - This character from Breakfast At Tiffany's may be the worst CASTING decision in movie history. The Boston Globe called the Mr. Yunioshi "an irascible bucktoothed nerd and an offensive ethnic caricature"

46. Bench clamp: VISE.

47. Worshipper of the goddess Pachamama: INCA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

49. Peignoir trim: LACE.

50. Declare: AVOW.

51. Writer Shelley: MARY.

55. "Why do you __?": ASK.