Saturday, September 12, 2026, Doug Peterson

 Saturday Themeless by Doug Peterson

Doug's puzzle provided a real challenge and the NW corner was my "last stand". I crossed the finish line unscathed once I sussed JACKETS for Book keepers which unlocked that corner. 

Most of Doug's puzzles I have blogged have been collaborations but his solo job here provided me with a lot of, uh, fun. I'll tell you about my travails as we plow through the puzzle. 

Across:

1. Some park visitors: CAMPERS - These CAMPERS had a surprise visitor. 

8. Book keepers: JACKETS - Since the clue was two separate words, I knew it wasn't about accounting.

15. Concierge's handout: AREA MAP.

16. Tragic character in the title of a 2025 Taylor Swift chart-topper: OPHELIA - Jeffrey Wechsler would be so proud! Taylor sang of a Shakespearean woman who was undone by grief and betrayal. How Taylor's new husband rescued her from Ophelia's fate.

17. Act sassy: GET CUTE.

18. Item under a weizen glass: BEER MAT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  BEER MAT is another name for a coaster and a weiznen glass has a narrower base and curves upward.

Prost!

19. Lowood attendee of literature: EYRE.

20. Brand with a paw in its logo: IAMS.

22. Celtic __: CROSS.

23. Animated bouncer: ROO.

24. Celebrity chef Cat: CORA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - Cat is capitalized.

25. Jet setting: SKY. 😀

26. Building worker: SUPER - Pat Harrington Jr. played the building SUPER on TV's One Day At A Time

28. Bipedal cryptid: YETI.

30. Entree often garnished with lime: PHO.

33. Hall of Fame wrestler who was a commentator for the first eight Wrestlemanias: GORILLA MONSOON.

37. Western wear with a clasp: BOLO TIE.

38. California city where "American Graffiti" was set: MODESTO - Producer George Lucas wanted to use his hometown of MODESTO to film the movie but felt it had changed too much since he lived there. Most of the scenes were shot in Petaluma, CA.

39. Freebie with an airline snack box: MOIST TOWELETTE.

41. Collections of letters: Abbr.: WDS 😀

42. Itsy: EENY.

43. Con's decoy: SHILL - One SHILL could be a false bidder in the audience used to drive up the price

45. Students who may take 14-Down: SRS and 14. Pre-coll. exams: SATS.

46. Hose problem: LEAK.

49. Menu eponym: TSO.

50. Look a lot like: MIMIC.

53. Ground substance: MEAL - Corn grain in and corn MEAL out.

54. Nibble away: GNAW.

55. Song heard at Rogers Centre: O CANADA - I am blogging this as I am watching the KC Royals play Toronto in The Rogers Centre

 

57. Leave: TIME OFF - Noun not a verb

59. Lego line that includes a 587-piece Eevee set: POKEMON - This Lego's line of toys includes this

60. Soda alternative: ICED TEA.

61. Traps under a blanket?: SNOWS IN 😀

62. Least chill: TENSEST.

Down:

1. Hoopsters: CAGERS - NBAERS didn't make the cut

2. "Need anything?": ARE YOU GOOD?

3. Comic book city nicknamed "The Big Apricot": METROPOLIS - Since NYC was the Big Apple, DC Comics decided on this name for METROPOLIS

4. Show impatience: PACE.

5. Shaggy outback runner: EMU.

6. Secant, for one: RATIO - This math major nailed it 

7. Valkyrie's weapon: SPEAR.

8. Capers: JOBS - I wonder if Bonnie and Clyde ever used the word capers?

9. Dr. Zaius, for one: APE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  He even has his own doll

10. Conventioneer's first stop: CHECK-IN DESK.

11. Washington who played a Pope: KERRY - I watched KERRY Washington play the lead character Olivia Pope on this ABC series.

12. Red Halloween costume for toddlers: ELMO.

13. Rosario relations: TIAS - Rosario is in Argentina and is known as the birthplace of soccer great Lionel Messi. Sr. Messi might have some TIAS (aunts) in his hometown.

21. Rudolph of "Loot": MAYA - A very funny alum of SNL

24. Motion-activated trail monitors: CRITTER CAMS - Smile!

25. Counter position: STOOL - The counter and STOOLS at Lou's Cafe in Back To The Future 

27. Lovers' deity: EROS.

29. Supermodel born Melissa Miller: EMME - The first plus size super model

30. Tacky square: POST IT NOTE. 😀

31. Passport holders, perhaps: HOTEL SAFES.

32. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" vocalist: ONO.

34. Miller offerings: LITES.

35. Spanish city or province: LEON - If you look closely, you can see the city of LEON in the NW province of Castille-Leon

36. Brother of Cain: SETH - What ever happened to Cain's other brother?

37. Company with a museum in Munich: BMW.

40. "The Pitt" star: WYLE.

44. Cottage cheese option: LOW FAT.

45. Tendon: SINEW.

47. 1984 "Weird Al" Yankovic hit: EAT IT - A parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It

How come you're always such a fussy young man?

Don't want no Captain Crunch, don't want no Raisin Bran

Well, don't you know that other kids are starving in Japan?

So, eat it, just eat it

48. __ + Olivia: clothing brand: ALICE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

50. Unruly dos: MOPS.

51. Billboard __ Award: ICON - Neil Diamond was the initial recipient 

52. Chum of "Finding Nemo," for one: MAKO.

53. Grammy winner Aimee: MANN.

54. Pre-coll. exams: GEDS - Four years after getting their GED, 50% of recipients go to college.

56. "Heck yeah!": DOI.

58. Chaps: MEN.

Sunday August 2, 2026 Ralph Sharaga & Doug Peterson

Theme: "BOOK REPORTS" - Each theme entry is humorously reinterpreted as a rave review of a book associated with the profession in the clue. 

23. Praise for a Cy Young biography?: PITCH PERFECT.

33. Praise for a meditation guide?: BREATHTAKING.

53. Praise for a rock climber's diary?: GRIPPING STORY.

70. Praise for a mechanic's handbook?: FIRES ON ALL CYLINDERS.

89. Praise for a Hope Diamond history?: AN ABSOLUTE GEM.

102. Praise for a bartender's manual?: FULL OF TWISTS.

119. Praise for a scuba diver's memoir?: DEEPLY MOVING.

Congrats to Ralph Sharaga on his LAT debut. And a Sunday! You picked a great collaborator.  I enjoyed how each clue paints a vivid mental picture. Every theme answer sounds like the kind of glowing blurb you'd find on the back cover of a book.

This grid design is a model LAT Sunday: 144 words and 76 black squares. Very clean, with a stunning numbers of long fill. 

Across:

1. Fish-cleaning gadget: SCALER. Our local Asian market has live seafood tanks.  

7. Extra option: ADD ON.

12. Pricey German cars: BMWS.

16. Muscles worked by planks: ABS.

19. Elaborately showy: ORNATE.

20. Ungainly: GAWKY.

21. Honolulu Museum of Art's location: OAHU.

22. AAA job: TOW.

25. "Voyage to India" singer: ARIE. Her surname is Simpson. 

26. "The Mole" host Shapiro: ARI.

27. "How've you __?": BEEN.

28. After the bell: LATE.

29. "Over here": PSST.

30. Mineral in hemoglobin: IRON. 126. 30-Across deficiency: ANEMIA.

31. Slaw, e.g.: SIDE. Sometimes I buy bags of coleslaw, but I stir-fry it instead.

37. Lifesaving pro: EMT.

40. Underground explorer: CAVER.

43. Trade fair: EXPO.

44. Cell service initials: LTE. Long Term Evolution.

45. Baltic capital: RIGA.

47. Toy with a Botanicals line: LEGO.  Didn't know this. So pretty. 

48. Flyer: LEAFLET.

50. UV-filtering measurement: SPF.

56. By and large: AS A RULE.

58. "Priscilla" writer/director Coppola: SOFIA. Based on Priscilla Presley's book "Elvis and Me".

59. Branch of Islam: SHIA.

60. Can openers: TABS.

62. Showbiz grand slam: EGOT. 22 people have achieved this milestone.

63. Wrath: RAGE.

65. Water or elec.: UTIL.

67. Wild adventure: ESCAPADE.

74. Cross-examination follower: RE-DIRECT.

75. __ & Chandon Champagne: MOET.

76. French denials: NONS.

77. Funds for one's golden yrs.: IRAS.

78. Small recipe amts.: TSPS.

81. Like rams: MALE.

83. Drastic policy change: U-TURN.

86. __ 500: DAYTONA.

92. Raised trains: ELS.

93. Like part of a corkscrew: HELICAL.

95. Luxury shoe brand: TOD'S.

96. Copenhagen resident: DANE.

97. Galahad's title: SIR.

98. "You can leave now": OK GO.

99. Treadmill setting: SPEED.

101. Tyrannosaurus __: REX.

107. Nutrition figs.: RDAS. RDA stands for Recommended Dietary Allowance.

109. Grayish: ASHY.

110. "Muy __": BIEN. Very good.

111. Belfry sound: PEAL.

114. Burkina Faso neighbor: MALI.

117. "Houdini" singer Lipa: DUA.

118. Six-time Emmy winner Tyne: DALY.

123. Hectic hosp. areas: ERS.

124. Designer Gucci: ALDO.

125. Snoring cause: APNEA.

127. Place to get much-kneaded therapy?: SPA. Ha, kneaded.

128. Fromage hue: BLEU. 

129. Party spreads: PATES.

130. Zeroes out: RESETS.

Down:

1. Drench: SOP.

2. Baby bed: CRIB.

3. Cost of hand delivery?: ANTE. Poker hand.

4. Shoestrings: LACES.

5. Sharing a common culture: ETHNIC. I belong to the Han ethnic group, the largest in the world,

6. Gym unit: REP.

7. Uttar Pradesh tourist city: AGRA.

8. __ Punk: "Get Lucky" duo: DAFT.

9. Nerdy type: DWEEB.

10. The NBA's Thunder, on scoreboards: OKC. The Oklahoma City Thunder.

11. "The Daily" podcast producer, briefly: NYT.

12. Brag about: BOAST OF. This is super impressive, Splynter! 

13. Heron habitat: MARSH.

14. Shaves (down): WHITTLES.

15. Go after, in a way: SUE.

16. Centipede maker: ATARI.

17. Fifth element on the periodic table: BORON.

18. Batting practice concern: SWING.

24. Natural rolls, in craps: ELEVENS.

29. Tropical fruit: PAPAYA. I like mild green papaya salad. This looks too hot.

30. 1950s prez: IKE.

32. Big name in surrealism: DALI. 38. Big name in surrealism: MIRO.

34. Move, informally: RELO.

35. Bring to bear: EXERT.

36. Flour for some flatbread: ATTA.

37. Crew team's workout machines: ERGS.

39. Chili's rival: TGI FRIDAYS. And 41. Springtime lawn parties: EGG HUNTS. 50. No. 1 hit from the album "Everything's Archie": SUGAR SUGAR. 61. Waistband feature: BELT LOOP. 88. Toy for indoor games: NERF BALL. Love those entries. 

42. Bilingual "Sesame Street" Muppet: ROSITA.

46. Beekeeper: APIARIST.

49. Cold yogurt drink: LASSI. Mango lassi.

51. Walks heavily: PLODS.

52. Swanky shindig: FETE.

54. "Your table's ready" device: PAGER.

55. Kite extension: TAIL.

57. Felt contrite: REPENTED.

64. Language suffix: ESE.

66. A.I. tool that generates text: LLM. Large Language Model.

68. MS NOW rival: CNN.

69. Score after deuce: AD OUT.

70. Not domesticated: FERAL.

71. In base eight: OCTAL.

72. Tool with teeth: COMB. I've been using the same comb I bought at Watsons decades ago. Watsons is basically the Walgreens of Guangzhou/Hong Kong.

73. Ingredients for brewers and bakers: YEASTS.

74. Go by train: RIDE.

79. Cram: PACK IN.

80. Hitches: SNAGS.

82. Advanced in years: ELDERLY.

84. Actress Russo: RENE.

85. Ariz. neighbor: NMEX. And  87. Indiana neighbor: OHIO.

90. Oodles: A LOT.

91. No longer mint: USED.

94. "Next one's on me": I OWE YOU.

97. Wily: SLY.

100. Big band singer Vic: DAMONE.

102. Loses color: FADES.

103. Seize illegally: USURP.

104. Sacred city of Tibet: LHASA. Meaning "Place of the Gods" in Tibetan.

105. Spanish diacritic: TILDE.

106. Went on a shopping spree: SPENT.

108. Goalie's stat: SAVES.

112. Fencing blade: EPEE.

113. "Sad to say ... ": ALAS.

115. Soil acidity reducer: LIME.

116. "My heart's just not __": IN IT.

118. Bit of makeup: DAB.

119. Fist bump: DAP.

120. Clean air org.: EPA.

121. Scuff up: MAR.

122. Highway sign: GAS.

Happy 72nd Birthday of Subgenius (Darryl). Wishing you a wonderful birthday filled with happiness, good health, and all the little things that make you smile. Have a beautiful day, Darryl!

I made today's puzzle for the Atlantic. Click here to solve. It's edited by Kelsey Dixon. 

C.C.