Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Brian Callahan

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a melodious puzzle constructed by NYT, LAT and USA Today veteran constructor Brian Callahan.  At four places in the grid Brian has inserted the names of singer-song writers with each name consisting of two words.  The first words all begin with the letter P and the second names begin with the letter S.  The theme was inspired by the answer to the unifier which is found at:

59 Across:  Beatles hit on "Please Please Me," which could be dedicated to 16-, 24-, 35-, and 50-Across: PS I LOVE YOU.

Here are the four themed answers none of which require explanation beyond their clues:

16 Across:  "Because the Night" singer-songwriter: PATTI SMITH.

24 Across:  "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" singer-songwriter: PETE SEEGER.

35 Across:  "You Can Call Me Al" singer-songwriter: PAUL SIMON.

50 Across:  "Poetry Man" singer-songwriter: PHOEBE SNOW.

Thank you, Brian, for the opportunity to revisit all of those great songs.  Now, after all of that, if anyone still has the time and energy, here's how it all appears in the grid:

. . . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Campbell's container: CAN.

Andy Warhol's Take On The Subject

4. Sports complex: ARENA.  From the Latin harena meaning sandy place.

9. Air quality factor: SMOG.  A portmanteau of SMoke and fOG.

13. The Jazz, on scoreboards: UTA.

14. Cuddly pooch: LAP DOG.

15. University of New Mexico athlete: LOBO.

18. Siberian city: OMSK.

19. Twitter: CHIRP.  An avian reference - not a tech reference.

20. Grumpy person: CRAB.  CRABs (the animals) have a reputation for being feisty and unpleasant.

22. Fed. health law: ACA.

23. Dialect in some Black communities, for short: AAVE.  All you might want to know:

African American Vernacular English

27. Tear sheet?: KLEENEX.  Not tear as in to rip a piece of paper.  Tear as in crying.

29. Flair: TALENT.  A cake entered a TALENT contest.  The Judge asked, "What's your talent?"  "Icing", replied the entrant.

30. "Mars Attacks!" creatures, in brief: ETS.  ExtraTerrestrial BeingS

31. Celtic priest of old: DRUID.  Did this one stump you?

34. Son of Zeus: ARES.

 

38. Ralph Lauren brand: POLO

41. Buff: TONED.  Buff, here, was used not as a verb but as an adjective

42. Sked abbr.: TBD.  To Be Determined.  Sometimes it turns out to be TBArranged.

45. Device for smoking shisha: HOOKAH.  Shisha is  is a wet tobacco that is soaked in a combination of glycerin, molasses or honey, and flavoring.

48. On an elite level, informally: GOD TIER.  This expression is new to this solver.

53. Wine category: REDS.  As opposed to, for example, white wines or rose wines.

54. Jungfrau, for one: ALP.  elevation 13,642 feet

55. Balm-yielding succulent: ALOE.  ALOE, there.  Vera nice to meet you!

56. Small but powerful group: CADRE.  CADRE entered this solver's vocabulary during the Mao Tse Tung era.

57. History: PAST.  The PAST, the present, and the future walked into a bar . . . and things got a little tense.

62. Yale students: ELIS.  From the eponymous Mr. Elihu Yale.

63. "Praying" insect: MANTIS.

64. Dawn goddess: EOS.  A frequent visitor.

65. __ and file: RANK.  

66. Short-lived Ford model: EDSEL.  Often taken on road trips in our puzzles.

67. Private chats on soc. media: DMS.  Abbreviated clue . . .  Direct MessageS

Down:

1. Treat baked in a fluted liner: CUPCAKE.

2. No longer moving: AT A HALT.

3. Longtime residents: NATIVES.

4. Some Energizers: AAS.

5. Turntable meas.: RPM.  Abbreviated clue . . .   Revolutions Per Minute   Remember when we'd talk of tone arm counter weight, Sure vs Audio-Technica cartridges, and direct drive vs. belt drive?

6. Order: EDICT.  Not order as in what you do at a restaurant.  Not order as in an array.  Order as in some directive to be obeyed.

7. __-Dame de Paris: NOTRE.

An Unforgettable Moment

8. Shocked: AGHAST.  A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed losing its entire load.  Witnesses were stunned, startled, AGHAST, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.

9. __-mo replay: SLO.

10. Certain representative for a child actor, casually: MOMAGER.  A portmanteau formed from, MOM and ManAGER.

11. More than indecent: OBSCENE.  We'll skip the graphics on this one.

12. Kids' racers: GO KARTS.

14. Sass: LIP.  See also The Sex Pistols "Don't Give Me No Lip, Child"

17. Cherry or lime: TREE.  Flavor, fruit and pie filling were all too long.  Soda would have fit.

21. Arthur in the Television Hall of Fame: BEA.  Best known for her role as Maude.

24. Lima's country: PERU.  A reference to either the country or to the beans which were grown in PERU even before corn was grown there.

25. Jump for joy: EXULT.  See also Van Halen "Jump"

26. Flair: ELAN.

28. Secret-protecting doc: NDA.  NonDisclosure Agreement

32. Late start?: ISO.  The beginning (start) of ISOlate.

33. Down Under canine: DINGO.

35. Jab: POKE.  Not in the "Lonesome Dove" sense.

36. __ Mix cat food: MEOW.

37. "That's strange": ODD.

38. Element of a basic reading test?: PH PAPER.  PH PAPER can be used to determine, or read, where something falls on the acidic, neutral, alkaline (base) scale.  Nice wordplay.

39. "How swanky!": OOH LA LA.

40. Keeps updated: LOOPS IN.

42. Like much Grateful Dead merch: TIE DYED.  Okay, so there's no TIE DYE in this video but the images are great (no pun intended) and how could we pass on the opportunity?

43. Double space?: BEDROOM.  A place for a double bed.

44. "The Lorax" creator: DR SEUSS.  Written in 1971, "The Lorax" was a relatively early piece of work focusing on environmental issues.

46. Legal org.: ABA.

47. "I could use a hand": HELP ME.  In keeping with today's theme (and I would guess that this was an intentional "move" by Brian).  Of course, we could also have gone with The Beach Boys.

49. Four-time NBA All-Star Young: TRAE.   In 2017–18, TRAE tied the then NCAA Division I single-game assists record with 22 and became the only player to ever lead the NCAA in both points and assists in a single season.

51. "Deeply unfortunate": SO SAD. . . . and the opposite from Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker (almost went with Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" but it is SO SAD that I could not bring myself to use it):

52. Düsseldorf denials: NEINS.  Today's German lesson.

56. Walgreens rival: CVS.  A drugstore reference.

58. Disappointed cluck: TSK.  We never know, at first, if it will be TSK or TUT but we can go ahead and fill in the T either way.

60. Cell service letters: LTE.  All you might wish to know:  Long Term Evolution

61. Part of EVOO: OIL.  I always thought that the concept was quantum but what do I know??

Well, that will wrap things up for this musical Wednesday.  Have a Grate(ful) Day, everyone!

_________________________________________________

MM Out

Sunday December 14, 2025 Kareem Ayas & Brian Callahan

Theme: "EN MASSE" - ON is added to the end of each common phrase.

23. "Don't be afraid to embrace fan fiction!"?: KICK THE CANON. Kick the can.

30. Encouraging message to a sad nobleman?: CHINUP BARON. Chinup bar. Partial dupe with 77. Rec room amenity: WET BAR.

51. Garment that's entirely unsuitable for cooking?: ZERO PERCENT APRON. Zero percent APR.

68. Title for Elroy during his boot camp days?: PRIVATE JETSON. Private jet. 

90. Game that involves old-fashioned wine vessels?: CAPTURE THE FLAGON. Capture the flag.

108. Offering from an African republic?: GIFT OF GABON. Gift of gab. 

122. Feature of a "Twilight" relay race?: VAMPIRE BATON. Vampire bat.

Reveal:

133. Appended, or an alternate title for this puzzle: ADDED ON.

Classic LAT Sunday with a super consistent set. Each base phrase has the ON appended at the end.

This type of letter addition/deletion/insertion theme looks simple on the surface, they do take skills to clue well.  You want each new phrase to land whimsically and read naturally in its new context. I really like the images 30A & 122A conjure up.

This is Kareem's first Sunday LAT. Congrats, Kareem! Brian has been a regular LAT constructor for a few years.

Across:

1. "Look, I'm on TV!": THAT'S ME.

8. Promising spot?: ALTAR. I do.

13. Skewed views: BIASES.

19. Substance in an Erlenmeyer flask, maybe: CHEMICAL. A la Wikipedia: Erlenmeyer flask is a type of laboratory flask with a flat bottom, a conical body, and a cylindrical neck. It is named after the German chemist Emil Erlenmeyer (1825–1909), who invented it in 1860.

20. Pont Neuf river: SEINE.

21. Withstand: ENDURE.

22. Boxing judge locale: RINGSIDE.

25. Folklore beasts: OGRES.

26. Snacking syllable: NOM. 

28. More reserved: SHYER.

29. Waterfall spray: MIST. I was once as tall as the Minnehaha Falls.

34. Falafel holders: PITAS.

36. Was, in Spanish: ERA. Shi, in Chinese.

37. Bird in much Australian art: EMU.

38. "Let me give you some advice ... ": HERE'S A TIP.

42. Some BrickLink.com buys: LEGO SETS. BrickLink is owned by Lego.

47. Give a name to: DUB.

49. Kathmandu citizen: NEPALI.

50. __ smasher: ATOM.

56. __ mail: SNAIL.

58. Father: SIRE.

59. Extravagant: LUXE.

60. For fear that: LEST.

61. Body art: TATTOO.

63. Tear up: CRY.

65. "We made the right choice": IT'S BEST.

73. Tart citrus drink: LIMEADE.

76. Bud: PAL.

82. Trig ratio: SINE.

83. Goddess whose tears flood the Nile: ISIS. Such a powerful figure. She even resurrected her husband.

86. Some classic PCs: IBMS.

89. Tropical sorbet flavor: GUAVA.

95. Inconsequential moment: BLIP.

96. Discomfort: UNEASE.

97. Not 'neath: OER.

98. Some cards checked by the TSA: STATE IDS.

100. Part of a swing set?: DANCE STEP. Ah swing dance.

103. Gives the nod: OKS.

106. Arequipa auntie: TIA. Arequipa is second most populated city in Peru.

107. Sean of "Stranger Things": ASTIN.

114. At all: EVER.

117. "Rome wasn't built in a day," e.g.: ADAGE.

120. Fawn's mom: DOE.

121. Deli device: SCALE.

125. Venues such as Shakespeare's Globe: THEATRES.

128. Consumption: INTAKE.

129. Agile: LITHE.

130. Berated: RAILED AT.

131. Newman of kid-lit: LESLEA. She wrote "Heather Has Two Mommies".

132. Foe: ENEMY.

Down:

1. Chicken piece: THIGH.

2. "Bathers by a River" painter Matisse: HENRI.

3. Biotech giant: AMGEN. And 5. Bio, for one: SCI.

4. Allergy season needs: TISSUES.

6. Furious: MAD.

7. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.

8. Unsure parent's response: ASK MOM.

9. Flower ring: LEI.

10. Peculiar habits: TICS.

11. Egyptian symbol also called the "key of life": ANKH.

12. Input again: RETYPE.

13. Oktoberfest structure: BEER TENT. 41. 13-Down purchase, perhaps: PINT.

14. Fortune rival: INC.

15. Lump in one's throat?: ADAM'S APPLE. Great fill/clue combo.

16. Olympic gymnast Lee: SUNI. She grew up in St. Paul, MN.

17. Aphrodite's son: EROS.

18. Email status: SENT.

19. Footwear with Jibbitz charms: CROC.

24. __ apparent: HEIR.

27. Unrefined rock: ORE.

31. Abe, for one: PREZ.

32. Kathy of "Matlock": BATES.

33. On a streak?: NUDE. Ha.

35. On the briny: ASEA.

38. Alabama St., e.g.: HBCU. Historically Black College or University.

39. Container weight allowances: TARES.

40. "They beat me": I LOST.

42. Word with chance or dance: LAST.

43. Volcano featured in the second season of "The White Lotus": ETNA. Never watched the show.

44. Superlative acronym: GOAT.

45. Leave out: OMIT.

46. Title of respect: SRI.

48. Clickable link: URL.

52. Seal hunter: ORCA.

53. Sassy: PERT.

54. Cloverleaf component: EXIT.

55. Brooklyn NBA team: NETS.

57. Easy gait: LOPE.

62. "For You" singer Rita: ORA.

64. "Uh-huh": YEP.

66. Female hedgehog: SOW.

67. Uncommon blood type, for short: B NEG.

69. Romeo's final words: I DIE. Then he did.

70. Sleeveless garment: VEST.

71. Game square with bars: JAIL.

72. Actor Idris: ELBA.

73. Rainforest vine: LIANA.

74. How checks are written: IN PEN.

75. Like five bones in the hand: METACARPAL. New word for me.

78. Lip balm container: TUBE.

79. Island east of Java: BALI.

80. Eager: AVID.

81. Cardi B songs: RAPS.

82. Move fast, as clouds: SCUD.

84. Waffle House rival: IHOP.

85. Date: SEE.

87. Booker T.'s band: MGS.

88. __ voce: SOTTO.

91. Takes advantage of: USES.

92. Interstate feature: REST AREA.

93. Critter with webbed feet: FROG. Did you know that scuba divers all use frog kicks?

94. Greenhorn: NAIF.

99. Event after spring cleaning, maybe: TAG SALE.

101. Laundry brand: TIDE. 118. Laundry brand: GAIN.

102. Authorize: ENABLE.

104. Filtration organ: KIDNEY.

105. Hub served by BART: SFO.

109. Quad- kin: TETRA.

110. Made a scene?: ACTED.

111. Transitional state, in Buddhism: BARDO. Also a learning moment for me. Transitional state between death and rebirth. 

112. Western New York city: OLEAN. Wikipedia says the name is derived from the Latin word "oleum" due to the discovery of crude oil in nearby Ischua. 

113. Hawk's home: NEST.

114. Malicious: EVIL.

115. Wind indicator: VANE.

116. Some FD members: EMTS.

119. Kin of -ule: ETTE.

123. Half of a candy duo: IKE.

124. Resistance unit: OHM.

126. Gave birth to: HAD.

127. Holiday that begins with the first sighting of the crescent moon: EID. Ramadan itself also starts with the first crescent moon, while Eid marks its end.

C.C.

Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Kieran Boyd and Brian Callahan

Baby Animals.

18-Across. Animated Disney film set in an arcade: WRECK IT RALPH.  A KIT is the term used for a baby Fox.  Babies of rabbits, raccoons, minks and groundhogs are also referred to as KITs.

25-Across. Hole in an argument: LOGICAL FALLACY.  Baby animals that can be called a CALF include cattle, elephants, giraffes, whales, bison, moose, and hippopotamuses.

40-Across. Rock group with flashy outfits: GLAM BAND.  A LAMB refers to baby sheep.

53-Across. "Consider this ... ": NOW LET'S SUPPOSE.  An OWLET refers to a baby owl.

And the unifier:

64-Across. Feeling like age is just a number, and an apt description of 18-, 25-, 40-, and 53-Across: YOUNG AT HEART.  The circles spell out the names of a baby animal which is in the "heart" of the answer.

Across:

1. Asian country that dominates badminton in the Olympics: CHINA.

6. Expert who works with both feet and meters?: POET.  Everything you ever wanted to know about poetic feet and meters.

10. Cape __, Massachusetts: COD.  Cape Cod is a hook-shaped peninsula in Massachusetts formed by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last ice age. Extending 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape's geography includes diverse features like salt marshes, freshwater ponds, sand dunes, and beaches, all subject to constant change from ocean currents and storms.  The Cape has a very interesting cultural history.

13. Clumsy: OAFISH.

15. Sandwich cookies: OREOS.  A crossword staple.  We learned last Wednesday that the Oreo was preserved in a vault as part of a 2020 publicity stunt.

17. São Paulo salutation: OLÁ.  São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil.  The city was founded in 1554 by Jesuit priests.  It is the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world.

20. Brief "I don't need the details!": TMI.  Textspeak for Too Much Information.

21. "Peter Pan" pirate: SMEE.  This pirate makes frequent guest appearances in the crossword puzzles.

22. In really good condition: FIT.

23. Turkey-roasting aid: BASTER.

29. __ fide: BONA.  Today's Latin lesson.  The term means In Good Faith and is used to describe something as real, sincere and real.

30. Replacement car: LOANER.

31. In really good condition: LIKE NEW.

34. Letter between zeta and theta: ETA.  It's Greek to me.

35. Pass over: SKIP.

39. Notable time: ERA.

43. Boise's st.: IDA.  Boise is the capital of Idaho.

44. Ice cream brand: EDY'S.  This ice cream brand along with the OREO are frequently the desserts of choice in the puzzles.

46. Night before: EVE.

47. Knocked to the ground: LAID LOW.

49. Rise: ASCENT.

52. Boring: DULL.

58. Pencil end: ERASER.

59. "Oh wow!": GEE.

60. "__ bien!": TRÉS.  Very Good!  This is today's French Lesson.

63. With 31-Down, "Life of Pi" director: ANG.  //  31-Down: See 63-Across: LEE.  Lee Ann (b. Oct. 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker and he will celebrate his 71st birthday on Thursday.

68. Rob __ cocktail: ROY.  A Rob Roy is a classic cocktail made with Scotch whisky, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters, garnished with a maraschino cherry or lemon peel. 

69. Writer Proulx: ANNIE.  Annie Proulx (née Edna Ann Proulx; b. Aug. 22, 1935) is an American novelist and journalist.  She has written many books, but the only one I have ever read is The Shipping News, which takes place in Newfoundland, Canada.

70. Belgrade's country: SERBIA.  The Danube River runs through Belgrade.

71. Early Beatle Sutcliffe: STU.  Stu Sutcliffe (né Stuart Fergusson Victor Sutcliffe; June 23, 1940 ~ Apr. 10, 1962) was the original bass guitarist with the Beatles.  In addition to playing guitar, he was a painter, which was one reason he left the band.  He began studying art in West Germany.  Sadly, he died at age 21 of a brain hemorrhage.

72. Auction cry: SOLD.

73. County of southeast England: ESSEX.

Down:

1. Ranch ruminants: COWS.  The baby is a CALF.

2. "No __, no foul": HARM.

3. "Doing all right": I FEEL OKAY.  I feel better than just Okay.

4. "Good job!": NICE ONE!

5. Request: ASK.

6. Door: PORTAL.

7. Pop singer Rita: ORA.  Rita Ora (née Rita Sahatçiu; b. Nov. 26, 1990 ) makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.  She was born in Kosovo.

8. Snakelike fish: EEL.

9. Big enchilada: TOP BANANA.

10. Terra-__ tiles: COTTA.  Today's Italian lesson.  Terra-Cotta is an Italian phrase that means Baked Earth.

Terra-cotta warriors in Xi'an.

11. Native of Veracruz: OLMEC.  Technically the OLMEC were an ancient civilization in Mesoamerica, flourishing from approximately 1500 to 300 BCE along the Gulf Coast of Mexico.

12. No-no for a vegan: DAIRY.

14. Classic LP player: HI-FI.  Short for High Fidelity sound on a record player.

16. Sedimentary rock: SHALE.

19. __-tac-toe: TIC.

24. Some camera shop buys, for short: SLRs.  As in Single Lens Reflex camera.

26. Crew: GANG.

27. "Stay" singer Lisa: LOEB.  Lisa Anne Loeb (b. Mar. 11, 1968) first made the music scene with her hit Stay.

28. Like some programming errors: FATAL.

29. Feathered friend: BIRD.

32. Subatomic particles with a negative charge: ELECTRONS.

33. "... amber __ of grain": WAVES.  America the Beautiful

36. Core muscles to die for: KILLER ABS.

37. Venerated object: IDOL.

38. Furry foot: PAW.

41. Department store section: MEN'S.

42. First queen of Carthage: DIDO.

45. "Do the Right Thing" pizza place: SAL'S.  Do the Right Thing was a 1989 Spike Lee film that addressed racism in Brooklyn.  Sal Fragione was the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. Non-Italinan  neighbors became upset when they saw that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors.

48. Fluffy cleaners: DUSTERS.

51. Yanked: TUGGED.

53. Approaches: NEARS.

54. "... up to you, though": OR NOT.

55. Japanese cattle breed: WAGYU.  Their babies are referred to as 子牛 or Koushi.

56. Word after "chick" or before "hen": PEA.  A Chickpea is a legume, also known as a garbanzo bean.  A Peahen usually refers to a female peacock.

57. Feathered or furry friends: PETS.

61. Cleveland's lake: ERIE.  Whenever I see Erie in the puzzle, I think of our friend Abejo.

62. Lay's chips in a tube: STAX.

65. __, due, tre: UNO.  Today's Spanish math.

66. Soccer zero: NIL.

67. Tee-__: HEE.

50-Down. "Toodles!": SEE YA.  I will be out next week, but I am confident that you will have a fantastic substitute.

חתולה