Tuesday, June 16, 2026, Daniel Hrynick

 WORDS THAT ARE REMOTELY FAMILIAR...

19 Across. Build a snow fort or catch frogs: PLAY OUTSIDE. (Play)

27 Across. What a deeply regretful person may wish to do: REWIND THE CLOCK. (Rewind)

44 Across. Stop mid-story to add suspense, say: PAUSE FOR EFFECT. (Pause)

55 Across. Convenient car feature on a cold winter morning, or a feature of 19-, 27-, and 44-Across?: REMOTE START.

And... We're off!

CrossEyedDave here, filling in again.  Starting out, this easy Tuesday puzzle seemed so straightforward, that I was beginning to think there was nothing to explain, or provide silly links for... but given enough time, there wasn't a remote chance I wouldn't come up with anything...

Across:
1. Pizza crust option: THIN.

5. 24 hours: DAY.

8. Some: A FEW.

12. Nevada gambling town: RENO.

13. Penalized for littering, say: FINED.

15. Tilt-A-Whirl, e.g.: RIDE.

16. Overnight __: breakfast dish: OATS.

17. Flatscreen, maybe: LED TV.

18. At no cost: FREE.

19. [Theme]

22. Conclude: END.

23. Startled cry: EEK.

24. Married name follower: NEE.

25. Put in the overhead bin: STOW.

27. [Theme]

33. Boiling: HOT.

34. Spoil: ROT.

35. Qatar's capital: DOHA.

36. Intel mission: RECON.

39. Wrinkly little dog: PUG.

40. Ran out of patience: HAD IT.

41. "Am __ late?": I TOO.

42. Mined-over matter?: ORE.😀

43. Insurance giant bailed out in 2008: AIG. American International Group

44. [Theme]

49. Food Network figure: CHEF.

50. __ Lanka: SRI. (Formally Ceylon)

51. "For __ a jolly good fellow ... ": HE'S.

53. Volcanic eruption residue: ASH.

55. [Theme Reveal]

59. Drops behind: LAGS.

61. Bright celestial events: NOVAS.

62. Creole vegetable: OKRA.

63. Important phases in history: ERAS.

64. __ Valley, California: DEATH.

65. Ancient city in modern Turkey: TROY.

66. __ of the times: SIGN.

67. Mets' div.: NLE. National League East.

68. Mr. Potato Head attachments: EARS. (I wanted eyes first, guess it could have been arms too...)

Hmm, legs, hat,, does every attachment have three letters? Complete? List here...

Down:
1. Familiar plot device: TROPE. Apparently, there are many types...

2. Medic in role-playing games: HEALER.

I wanted Doctor, but you need a good imagination for role playing games...

3. Amount of food consumed: INTAKE.

4. Likely to snoop: NOSY.

5. Tried to reduce one's 3-Down: DIETED.

6. "No ifs, __, or buts": ANDS.

7. Bigfoot cousin: YETI.

8. Dog kennel greeting: ARF.

9. Fuel that can be stacked: FIREWOOD.

10. Perfect place: EDEN.

11. Invasive plant: WEED.

13. Able to speak a language with ease: FLUENT.

14. Movie franchise package, perhaps: DVD SET.

20. Bagel flavor: ONION.

21. "And more of the same" abbr.: ETC.

26. Golden years: OLD AGE.

28. Blow (by): WHOOSH.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

29. More realistic: TRUER.

30. One who isn't good at sharing: HOG.

31. The Blackhawks, on scoreboards: CHI. Chicago.

32. Actress Dennings: KAT. 

Name #1

36. Unfortunate sound to hear while bending: RIP.

Not always unfortunate...

37. Landing hr. guess: ETA.

I wanted to post a different pic of this,

But the language didn't pass the breakfast crowd test...

38. Long-running joke in the opening credits of "The Simpsons": COUCH GAG. For some reason, my YouTube App is refusing to let me share videos. In the meantime, search YouTube for 30 best Simpson couch gags. Very funny...

39. Seasoned vet: PRO.

40. Old audio systems: HI FI'S. hi Fidelity.

42. Cause resentment: OFFEND.

43. From the top: AFRESH.

45. Eternally, in poetry: E'ER. In poetry, e'er (pronounced "air") is a poetic and archaic contraction of the word ever. Poets use it to remove a syllable, making it easier to fit the rhythmic meter (such as iambic pentameter) of a line.

46. Sprawling property: ESTATE.

47. Yoga energy point: CHAKRA. Everything you ever wanted to be told by A.I. here:

48. Abject fear: TERROR.

52. Doesn't leave: STAYS.

53. Hoppy pintfuls: ALES.

54. Hindi cinema dress: SARI.

56. Faucet brand: MOEN.

57. Racket head shape: OVAL.

58. Reusable bag: TOTE.

60. Target of ID thieves: SSN. Social Security Number.

The Grid.

A puzzle with only one name? This is very remote!

Is there a remote chance something on this puzzle tripped you up? If so, please tell us in the comments... of not, come anyway! Maybe by then my YouTube share button problems will be fixed, and we can commiserate on sticky remote buttons that don't work. (Isopropyl Alcohol is a solution!) and there is a way to use tiny bits of aluminum foil for when they really go kerblooey...

CE:D out.

≽ܫ≼

Wednesday, Nov 26th, 2025 ~ Daniel Hrynick

 U HAUL

This is my third installment blogging an LA Times crossword from Daniel - the one I reviewed almost a year ago had a similar symmetry, being mirrored on the Y-axis.  I have a mixed opinion about this one; on the one hand, it's clever, with a meta-clue reveal, but then I seem to think that either the "shape" of the puzzle's symmetry needed to somehow 'reflect' the "U" shape as well - OR - perhaps more than just three "U" entries~?  It feels as though the answers to 22- and 42A., 9- & 11-letter fills, might have been part of the theme as well.  YMMV.  I count eight names, NINE abbrs, with twenty-three 3LWs but no circles in a standard-sized grid.  The themers and reveal; 

17. *Device whose poles are close together: HORSESHOE MAGNET

24. *Polish sausage: KIELBASA

28. *Commuter's cushion: NECK PILLOW

31. Ed Sheeran hit, and a phonetic hint to the answers to the starred clues: SHAPE OF YOU - Not my "thing" - all I know about this artist is that at one time he was the biggest name in music - here in the 21st century - with a #1 album and singles ( his Wiki ), but I can't listen to most of the material coming from "musicians" lately; it all sounds digitized and just lacking depth, IMHO.  Here's the video, which happens to mention "magnet";

the "attraction" @ 0:59

And Away U Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Deep purple berry: ACAI - Deep Purple "Blackmore" berry

Closer to my "thing"

5. Worker with lots to attend to?: VALET - parking lots, har-har

10. Actor Guinness: ALEC - name #1, but "U" know he portrayed "Obi Wan"

14. Primer, e.g.: COAT - paint, not reading

15. "Who gives a hoot?" response: "I CARE."

"What do U think of her~?" - Luke's respone to Princess Leia

16. "De __": "Gracias" response: NADA - Espaniol #1, translates to "Of Nothing" = U R Welcome

20. Rio Grande city: EL PASO - name #2

21. Fusses with feathers: PREENS

22. Find a valuable deposit underground: STRIKE OIL - Great fill, but how 'bout BIKE LOCKS~?

26. Rage: MANIA

29. Actress Long: NIA - name #3, this actress

30. Compact __: DISCS - CDs

34. "You said it!": "AMEN~!" - "U" said it~?

35. Once-__: quick studies: OVERS

37. Spiced tea: CHAI

38. Snap: PIC

39. Lattice for vines: TRELLIS

41. Starter course, informally: APPetizer - not going smart phone this week

42. Chess piece on f1 or f8: KING'S BISHOP - another great fill, just not what U'd expect

45. Home __: DEPOT - HD is like my second home . . . .

47. Khaki kin: TAN

48. The Most Stuf cookies: OREOS - and there U are, in a crossword again

51. Actor/director Ken: OLIN - name #4 

52. Misplaces: LOSES

54. NYSE listing: CORPoration

55. 128 oz.: GALLon - could have saved an abbr here and gone with

a GAL in turkey socks~!

56. Wipe data from: ERASE - Are U sure~?

57. Medication-approving gp.: FDA - Food and Drug Administration

58. Exercise similar to yoga: PILATES

61. Floofy canine breed: SAMOYED - Not sure I would have understood "floofy", but I do the Down clues first, had most of the crossings, and the rest was easy to fill out on this one

I will be seeing my buddy Cooper tomorrow~!

Still no luck with a pet of my own, but I am not giving up

64. Battery terminals: ANODES

65. Spanish title: SENORA - Espaniol #2

66. Cry after a successful team effort: "WE WON~!" - there's no "U" in TEAM . . . 

67. Plain awful: LOUSY - probably how the other team feels . . . .

DOWN:

1. Tooth trouble: ACHE

2. "Sweet!": "COOL~!"

3. Lobby group for seniors: AARP - American Association of Retired Peoples - I qualified in February four years ago, at least in terms of age - but - I am a looooong way from being able to retire.

4. "What a terrible thing to do": IT'S A SIN - It's A Song - from Pet Shop Boys, classic 80s, which is more my "thing" - but even better, here's Ghost doing a metal-style cover

5. Helmet attachment: VISOR - I tried SPIKE - hey, it's attached, too...and it's called a pickelhaube

6. German cry of dismay: ACH - Ach~! I put my helmet on upside down~!

7. Southeast Asian language: LAO - spoken in, uh, Laos . . .name(ish)

8. Before, in ballads: ERE

9. Arrangement speed: TEMPO - not how fast U can deliver flowers . . . .

10. Remarkably well-behaved: ANGELIC - I do not recall being referred to as this when growing up

11. Bowling assignment: LANE

12. Garden that needs no improvement: EDEN - Perhaps the fruit should have been kept out of reach~?

13. Pets with toe beans: CATS - I tried DOGS

18. Spanish pronoun: ESTA - Espaniol #3

19. Very dry: ARID - like my humor

23. Wall Street figures: INVESTORS - I was thinking BROKERS

25. Tendency of an eager beaver, maybe: EARLINESS - I'll get up at 4am on Black Friday for these

26. Poster on a subway wall: MAP - my first thought was ADS

27. Friend who likely celebrates Bastille Day: AMI - that friend would be Frawnche

32. Topper in a Super Mario costume: CAP

33. Taste: SIP - don't overdo the spirits this weekend

35. Alternative to com: ORG - internet domains; COMpany and ORGanization

36. Member of the fam: SIS - based on its location in the grid, I figured it was SISter

39. Blast letters: TNT 

40. Cable TV abbr.: SHOwtime - abbr #10

43. Cyclotron particle: ION

44. Lumbering Tolkien creature: ORC - or ENT~? name(ish) #5

45. Apt tattoo for a lover of pooches: DOG PAW - I see so many twenty- and thirty-something girls at the gym, covered in tats - legs, arms, whole sleeves - looks "dirty" to me . . . . just my humble opinion

Subtle, and more appealing

46. "Seinfeld" role for Julia: ELAINE - yada yada yada name #6

49. Calls for takeout: ORDERS - I caved in and got General Tso's chicken last Friday

50. "Me time" outing: SPA DAY - I figure my gym trainer is gonna let me slide this weekend 😜

52. Winery discard: LEES

53. Sail the seven __: SEAS - Rhyming answers, LEES and SEAS

59. "Without further __ ... ": ADO - "Let us, tomato . . . . "

60. Decimal base: TEN

62. Voice artist Blanc: MEL - name #7 - Pork Pig's history

Well, not quite . . . . ono more clue

63. Singer Yoko: ONO - name #8

Splynter

Today's puzzle has a "Grid Flow" of 41.8 - by comparison, the Holy Grail puzzle two weeks ago was low - only 15.9 - basically, it's the crossings that give you connectivity to a section with more than a single letter . . . .

And the solution with low Flow:

Just a curiosity

HAPPY THANKSGIVING~!

Thursday, July 31, 2025, Daniel Hrynick

Theme:  Sticking to the recipe.

Earlier this year -- on Valentine's Day -- I wrote the blog post for another Daniel Hrynick crossword puzzle, which also had a food theme.  How nice to be able to come back for seconds!

In today's puzzle, circles help us locate four food items that may be grilled when pierced with sticks or metal rods.  Let's look at the reveal, and then at the answers where the food items appear.

14-Down. Stick on a grill, or what passes through this puzzle's circled words?: BARBECUE SKEWER.  A barbecue skewer can be pushed through the food items in the theme answers.

16-Across. Rating scale on a film review site: THE TOMATO METER.  The circled word is TOMATO, but the reference here is to https://www.rottentomatoes.com/ where movies are rated based on the percentage of positive reviews received from critics.

27-Across. Drink with zero calories and a blend of 23 flavors: DIET DR PEPPER.  The circled word is PEPPER, but the clue refers to a soft drink.  Diet Dr Pepper and regular Dr Pepper have the same 23 flavors, none of which are discernable to me.

50-Across. Wedding reception activity with flapping and clapping: CHICKEN DANCE.  The circled word is CHICKEN, but the clue refers to a dance that became popular at American Oktoberfest events in the 1980s, and at weddings where polka music is played.  

I was blissfully unaware of this activity until just now.

63-Across. Devices that test internet security: WIFI PINEAPPLES. A WiFi Pineapple is a small, black device with several spikes, developed by Hak5.  Positioned between your computer and router, it can inspect all the data moving from one to the other.  On the downside, a hacker might use one to see the data moving from a server to a private device.

WiFi Pineapple -- who knew?

Well, that was a tasty start to the puzzle, and I hope Misty thinks so, too!

Let's see what else is on the menu ...

Across:

1. Pub delivery: ALE KEG.

7. Festoons: ADORNS.

13. Hailed lift: TAXI CAB.

15. Deeply religious: DEVOUT.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Biceps locale: ARM.

19. __ on the side of caution: ERR.  Better safe than sorry!

20. Roam: ROVE.

21. Battleship piece: PEG.  The game was originally played on paper grids, but Milton Bradley introduced a version with plastic boards and pegs in 1967.  A player cannot see his opponent's fleet, but takes turns calling shots by grid location, with the objective of destroying the opposing player's ships.

24. Setting: BACKDROP.

27. [Theme clue]

31. Rest stop in a high-fantasy game: INN.  I was thinking of Dungeons & Dragons, with various inns where characters meet, rest, and recover, but it turns out there are also fantasy games focused on running an inn, where a player can manage staff, upgrade the facility, and improve the menu.  

Now I have to work in my fantasies, too.

32. Seven-layer dip layer, for short: GUAC.  Guacamole.  This sort of thing used to be popular at potlucks.

33. Darth Vader's first name: ANAKIN.

37. Like a bubble bath: SUDSY.

39. Tease (out): SUSS.  To inspect or investigate so as to gain more knowledge; figure out.

41. Burkina __: West African country: FASO.

42. Harvested plants: CROP.

43. "The Last of Us" protagonist: JOEL.

Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller

44. Certain Fender, casually: STRAT.  The Fender Stratocaster is a model of electric guitar manufactured by The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation since 1954.  The shape and the modular components of the guitar were revolutionary at the time.

45. Iroquois nation: SENECA.

47. Decidedly meh: SO-SO.  Neither very good nor very bad.

49. Pink Mr. Potato Head piece: EAR.

50. [Theme clue]

53. Steel on library racks: DANIELLE.  Any Danielle Steel readers here?  I haven't read her novels, but I found someone who did, and who summarized each one in 140 characters or less:

56. Young fellow: LAD.

57. Former NHL goalie Kölzig: OLAF.  Currently coaching for the Washington Capitals.

Olaf Kölzig

58. Shoemaker's tool: AWL.

60. Genetic testing material: DNA.

63. [Theme clue]

68. Goes in: ENTERS.

69. Skynet in "The Terminator," e.g.: ROGUE AI.  When Artificial Intelligence goes awry.

70. Rental agreements: LEASES.

71. George's "Gravity" co-star: SANDRA.  George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.

Down:

1. Chapati flour: ATTA.  Atta girl (or boy) if you remember this word from previous puzzles.

2. Bert of "The Wizard of Oz": LAHR.

Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.

3. Spared (from): EXEMPT.

4. First-aid __: KIT.

5. Good for the planet, for short: ECO.

6. Risk or Trouble: GAME.  When you're tired of playing Battleship, take a Risk on Trouble.

7. Big fuss: ADO.

8. JFK's party: DEM.  John F. Kennedy was a Democrat.

9. Account action that may result in a fee: OVERDRAFT.

10. Drone part: ROTOR.

Drone with six rotors.

11. New, in Mexico: NUEVO.

12. __ throat: STREP.

14. [Theme clue]

17. Atlanta hip-hop genre: TRAP.  Trap is a subgenre of hip-hop music that gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house," a house used exclusively to sell drugs.  Nice.

22. Boundary-pushing: EDGY.

23. "Despicable Me" role for Steve Carell: GRU.  Another cultural touchstone I've missed.  But I like Steve Carell, best known for his role as Michael Scott on the NBC sitcom The Office from 2005–2011.

25. IRS form experts: CPAs.

26. Jeong of "Community": KEN.  Ken Jeong is an American stand-up comedian and actor who rose to prominence for his roles in The Hangover film series (2009-2013) and in the NBC sitcom Community (2009-2015).  He's been in a bunch of other films, too.  Did you see Crazy Rich Asians (2018)?

Ken Jeong

27. Burned items: DISCS.  "Burning a disc" refers to the process of writing data onto a recordable or rewritable disc, such as a CD or DVD, using a laser. The process is called "burning" because it uses a laser to physically alter the surface of the disc, creating a pattern of marks that represent the data. 

28. Accustom: INURE.

29. Finish with: END ON.

30. El __, Texas: PASO.

34. Actress Gillan: KAREN.  Karen Gillan is a Scottish actress and filmmaker, who gained recognition for roles in the Doctor Who series, and eventually Hollywood films including some Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Jumanji, and others.  

Karen Gillan

35. Novelist Asimov: ISAAC.

36. "The Hunchback of __-Dame": NOTRE.

38. Indicates precisely: SPECIFIES.

40. Gin infusion fruit: SLOE.

43. Monopoly corner: JAIL.  More fun and games!

44. Pop: SODA.  Dr Pepper, anyone?  23 flavors!  Where else are you going to get that many?

46. "Weekend Update" co-host: CHE.  Michael Che is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian. He's best known for his work on Saturday Night Live as co-anchor of "Weekend Update" with Colin Jost since 2014. From 2017–2022, the two were also co-head writers for the show.

Colin Jost and Michael Che

48. "Weekend Update" program: SNL.  See the previous entry -- Saturday Night Live.

51. Group with a tartan: CLAN.

52. Confused: ADDLED.

53. Wooden pin: DOWEL.

54. Flared skirt style: A-LINE.  A skirt with a silhouette that is narrower at the top and gradually widens towards the hem, resembling the shape of a capital letter "A."

55. International pact until 2020: NAFTA.

59. China neighbor: LAOS.

61. Just around the corner: NEAR.

62. 59-Down's continent: ASIA.  Laos's continent.  China's, too.

64. Start to fix?: PRE.  A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to produce a related word.  

65. Research facility in orbit: Abbr.: ISS.  The International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth at an altitude of approximately 250 miles (400 kilometers). It travels at a speed of about 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour), completing one orbit every 90 minutes. This means the ISS circles the Earth about 16 times a day. 

66. Links gp.: PGA.  A links golf course is built on sandy coastal land that offers a firmer playing surface than inland courses.  PGA is the Professional Golfers' Association of America.

67. Many a one-liner: PUN.  When this blog post is published, I'll be getting ready for our youngest daughter's wedding weekend.  Everyone will be so emotional, even the cake will be in tiers.

Here's the grid:

Did you enjoy today's GAMEs and snacks?

Or did the experience END ON a sour note for you?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ