Thursday July 16, 2026 Elizabeth Duker-Gold & Devon Moffat

 Elizabeth Duker-Gold premiered here just last month, and Devon Moffat joins her for his debut today. 

20. Herbal medicines?: THYME CAPSULES. TIME CAPSULES. The U.S. recently buried a massive 900-pound cylinder near Independence Hall in Philadelphia, packed with artifacts from all 50 states and territories to mark our 250th anniversary, and is scheduled to be opened in 2276. I can hardly wait to see what's inside!

30. Veggie dogs?: BEET BOXERS. BEATBOXERS. Beatboxing is the art of mimicking drum machines and other musical instruments using only the human mouth. It has evolved into a highly competitive art form.

40. Green new deal?: PEAS TREATY. A play on PEACE TREATY, but PEAS and PEACE aren't homophones. And I'm not sure why the deal is "new"? Because it's green? The New Deal was a series of economic programs and public works projects, not a treaty.

52. Unexceptional, or an apt description of 20-, 30-, and 40-Across?: GARDEN VARIETY. I hate to be contrary like Mary, but this theme didn't totally land for me. These are all plant varieties found in gardens, I suppose, but one is herbal and the other two are vegetables. One is pronounced differently than the veggie it's replacing. And they are mixed singular and plural. So, "unexceptional" is an apt description of this puzzle as well. 

On the plus side, I did like the puns in the clues. And I liked certain answer pairings such as "ITSY, bitsy, TEENY, weenie," like a yellow, polka dot bikini! Elizabeth and Devon are in the right field, and with a little nurturing, will grow into fine constructors.

Let's see what else we can reap from this.

Across:

1. Kiddie pool filler: HOSE. I wanted KIDS, but it was already part of the clue. Kidding!

5. Admin. aide: ASST. An administrative assistant.

9. General feelings: VIBES. I love the VIBES I get from listening to jazz:

Vibraphone master Lionel Hampton

14. The big screen?: IMAX. Watching movies specially formatted for huge IMAX screens can be very immersive...just don't arrive late and have to look straight up at a five-story screen from the front row. Don't ask me how I know.

15. Burrowing rodent: VOLE. I wrote MOLE, which made California's fruit hard to discern until I fixed it..

16. Vinegary sauce: ADOBO.

17. Southern region of South America: PATAGONIA. PATAGONIA is a vast geographic region shared by Argentina and Chile. It is renowned for its vast, windswept steppe, spectacular Andean glaciers, and rugged granite peaks that are very popular with trekkers.

19. Puts up for sale: LISTS.

20. [theme]

22. Crew blade: OAR. Kelsey Pfendler just made history by solo rowing 2,400 miles from California to Hawaii, breaking both men's and women's speed records. It took her 44 days!

Honolulu OAR bust!

23. Covers in goo: TARS. I don't think of TAR as goo, but I guess it is.

24. Obscure to protect privacy, perhaps: REDACT. As a bonus to all our loyal followers, I'm publishing the Crossword Corner's bank account #■■■■■■■■■■■■ so you may withdraw as much as you want!

27. Amer. capital: USD. Your bonus is in U.S. Dollars, of course. You're welcome.

28. Affectionate text: ILY. I Love You. Back in the days of beepers, we'd send 143 as an affectionate page. It represents the number of letters in each word.

29. Glasgow refusal: NAE. 

30. [theme]

35. Lost: GONE. Kinda sorta the same.

36. Chabert of the "Crossword Mysteries" series: LACEY. LACEY Chabert starred as crossword editor Tess Harper in five Crossword Mysteries that aired on the Hallmark Channel. 

What's a six letter word for "crime-solver"? *

37. Hosp. scan: MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a hospital.

38. Dancer and choreographer Ailey: ALVIN.

39. Olympic archer?: EROS. From Mount Olympus, not currently one of the participating nations.

40. [theme]

42. NLE rival of NYM: ATL. A National League East rival of the New York Mets is the Atlanta Braves.

43. Any of the Tetons: Abbr.: MTN. Short for Mountain. Tall for mountain is Everest. 

44. Arabic for "son of": IBN. A possible Natick where it's first letter crosses TISANES. 

45. The "T" of T.S. Eliot: THOMAS. THOMAS Sterns Eliot, Nobel Prize-winning poet, essayist, and playwright.

47. Not great: SO SO. Very great: ZOSO!

Led Zeppelin's untitled 4th album, nicknamed ZoSo 

49. System of connected PCs, for short: LAN. Personal Computers communicate via a Local Area Network.

52. [theme]

55. Energy-channeling healing technique: REIKI. REIKI is a Japanese energy healing therapy that involves a practitioner lightly placing their hands on or just above a person's body. It aims to channel universal life force energy to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and support the body's natural healing abilities. 

57. Cloudburst: RAINSTORM. Perfect for watering one's garden.

58. "WandaVision" star Elizabeth: OLSEN. This miniseries had a clever conceit - each episode was a decade newer than the last, starting in '50s black & white through modern color.

59. "Dibs!": MINE. 

60. Shorten, in a way: SNIP.

61. Our, in French: NOTRE. "Il faut cultiver NOTRE jardin". Coined by the philosopher Voltaire, it translates to "We must cultivate our garden." He means, "Mind you own business!"

62. Some cold brews: ALES.

63. "What is it?": YEAH. As in, "YEAH? Whaddaya want?" 

Down:

1. In on: HIP TO. Again, not quite the same. HIP TO means to be aware of, while "in on" means to be a participant to a secret or plan.

2. Nebraska home of the College World Series: OMAHA.

3. Forest figure of myth: SATYR.

4. Skills assessment: EXAM.

5. State fruit of California: AVOCADO. 

6. Ocean waves?: SONAR. Fun clue.

7. Ignores a "wet floor" sign, maybe: SLIPS. "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt...then it's hilarious!" (from a popular meme)

8. Steeped brews: TEAS. Or TISANES, per 41D. 

9. Silicon __: VALLEY.

10. "Could not stop laughing!": I DIED. This happens when a comedian slays his audience. 

11. Brazilian music genre: BOSSA NOVA.

Great VIBES from Lionel on this one as well!

12. SNAP system: EBT. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides food assistance benefits to low-income individuals and families via a reloadable Electronic Benefits Transfer card. 

13. "Mayday!" letters: SOS.

18. Manages: GETS BY.

21. Browser links: URLS. Universal Resource Locators are web addresses.

25. "Quiet, you": CAN IT. Wanted ZIP IT first.

26. Wee: TEENY. Clecho of  54D.

27. Four Corners Natives: UTES. Four wheel drives: UTES.

28. Colorful ring: IRIS.

30. Sheepish cry?: BLEAT.

31. Mars neighbor: EARTH. Except in the candy aisle...

32. Many a climate change expert: ECOLOGIST.

33. Wolverine's cohort: X-MEN. Is just one an X-MAN?

34. Historical period: ERA.

35. "Wichita Lineman" singer Campbell: GLEN. GLEN fell in love with a demo of this song, and rushed to record it despite the 3rd verse not being written yet. He filled in the part with an improvised melodic lead using a bass guitar instead, and the rest is history. 

38. Shady areas: ARBORS.

40. Condition that may be treated with SSRIs: PTSD. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are widely considered a first-line medication for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

41. Medicinal 8-Down: TISANES. TISANES (pronounced ti-zahn) are herbal infusions made from the leaves, roots, berries, and spices of plants other than tea leaves. New to me, and I stumbled at the I crossing IBN.

43. Of the sea: MARINE. Like SpongeBob.

46. Word with peace or pace: MAKER. If four letters, it would've been KEEP.

47. SpongeBob's pet, for one: SNAIL. 

SpongeBob with Gary the SNAIL

48. Just like ewe: OVINE. Ha ha!

49. Currency in West Africa: LEONE. The currency of Sierra LEONE.

50. Interior courtyards: ATRIA.

51. Forest figure of myth: NYMPH.

53. Humorist Bombeck: ERMA. She achieved great popularity for her newspaper column describing suburban home life, which she later turned into books. Her insights were always funny. 

54. Wee: ITSY. Clecho of  26D.

55. "This Is Us" Emmy winner __ Cephas Jones: RON. RON played Randall Pearson's real father, William Hill.

Actors Sterling K. Brown (L) and Ron Cephas Jones (R)

56. "Evil Woman" rock gp.: ELO. The Electric Light Orchestra. A "light orchestra" is an ensemble that has smaller string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections. Add electric guitar and voilà! ELO.

* SLEUTH (see pic at 36A)

Be good. RB

Friday, Juneteenth, 2026 ~ Elizabeth Duker-Gold

CARYATID

 Or, if you want to get in touch with the Dread Pirate Roberts: Elwes, CARY@ID.com

I did a cursory Google search for Elizabeth Duker-Gold, and found her on LinkedIn and Facebook, but with no clear indication that I had the correct person; I can tell it's her LA Times debut, and if this is her overall first publication, then double congrats~!  I loved the clever theme of this puzzle - varied common words/phrases with a & t, or "@", in the middle, restructured to resemble an email address, and nothing related to today's bank holiday.  Very cool, but some of the people may not be that common - I did know all five of them, partly from doing crosswords.  There was some Friday fill, to be expected, and a few that had alternate answers - see below - plus one or two "meh" ones, maybe~?  Standard grid, no circles, 19 3LWs, just 6 names - excluding the ones intended for the theme.  The five themer email "addresses", no reveal [ BTW, the text format of the crossword screwed up my blogging due to the use of < and >, which are html code separators ];

18. To: Comedian Michael, bedding salesman [.com] - CHE(AT)SHEETS - Michael Che @sheets.com, which I think is a valid website . . .  yup

24. To: Athlete Jackson, lawn products salesman [.com] - BO(AT)YARDS - Bo Jackson @yards.com - Bo of both major league baseball and football fame, and 'yards' would be a good website/email address for lawn products - it does come up as a website, but no content

36. To: Broadcast journalist Anderson, surgical supply salesman [.com] - COOPER(AT)ORS - Anderson Cooper @ors.com - "Operating RoomS" but not a real site - and not my buddy Cooper the Australian Shepherd - see 58D.   Here's Anderson being interviewed by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

I'd play the segment, but NSFW

50. To: Actor Cheadle, chemistry lab supply salesman [.com] - DON(AT)IONS - Don Cheadle @ions.com - I know Don from his role as "Basher" in the Ocean's Eleven, et. al. heist movies - and a valid website for the TV channel Ion

57. To: Singer Bruno, bulletin board salesman [.com] - MARS(AT)TACKS - my favorite break out ( if not my personal choice in music artists, but our host likes him 😁) - Bruno Mars @tacks.com - and this one led to a "non-secure" go back~! link ( I wrote this while still down on LI, so I was on my brother's network )

Hey Tom, it's "not unusual" to find Martians invading Earth . . . 

That's twice in a week for him~!

But W@ it theresmore~!.com

ACROSS:

1. Jaguar or Charger: CAR - I do the Downs first, had two wrong fills to start; I knew this was either NFL - two teams in the national football league - or two automobiles

Trevor Lawrence, and, uh, well, that's not Justin Herbert, and #19 ( on the helmet ) was retired

. . . thanks, A i ~!

4. Orchard basket: BUSHEL - so my "AMASS" at 7D was wrong . . .

10. Gillette brand: ATRA

14. Bullpen stat: ERA

15. "Reckon maybe, yeah": "I S'POSE..." - slang for "I suppose" - I am feeling ambivalent about this fill; it's valid, but is it a Twurd~? Is it 'meh'~?

16. Urge on: GOAD

17. Part of a journey: LEG

part of a "legs" journey

20. Jazz great James: ETTA - Crossword staple, name #1

22. Cropped up: AROSE

23. ThirdLove purchase: BRA - not that I "knew" this, but I had _R_, and it sounded like a lingerie website - so what are the first Two Loves~? I could take a guess . . . 

27. Like a best-case scenario: IDEAL

29. "Love it!": "SO GOOD~!"

30. Queerplatonic orientation, briefly: AROACE - short for aromantic asexual - the Wiki, if you care to know more - aah, Friday . . . 

31. Dirge: LAMENT - ELEGY did not fit

35. Bills replaced by coins in Canada and Australia: ONES - tell us more, CanadianEh!

39. Mil. no-show: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave - oh, SNAFU - now that's FUBAR . . . 

41. Haberdashery purchase: TIE PIN

42. People in the background of a selfie, perhaps: RANDOS - Ah.  Right.  "random person" in 21st century-speak; I had the last two letters, so I went with WALDOS - hey, I could see that working . . .

I found him~!

44. Dillydally: LINGER

49. Juvenile eel: ELVER - Learning moment for me; more here

53. Pub pour: ALE

54. Beloved, in Bordeaux: CHERI - Frawnche

56. Set that might have an OLED screen: HDTV - Organic Light-Emitting Diode,  and High Definition; 'Set' threw me at first - a TeleVision set, which, now that I think of it, is kinda weird . . . it's a set of electronic tubes, circuits~?  And I did not know what the "O" stood for, even knowing what an LED was

61. Taste: SIP

62. Show opener: ACT I - Ha~!  Had this last Friday, too

63. Leash: TETHER

64. Part of a rock band?: ORE - Clever -  new way to clue the old fill - a 'band', or stratum in geology

65. Smart home system by Google: NEST - I bought a "smart" thermostat for my house, but the furnace uses just two wire leads - so it's useless; the furnace tech I needed to call two weeks ago told me not to bother with a smart device - he is if the mindset that the most efficient way to heat/cool one's house is to "set it and forget it" - thanks Ron Popeil~!

66. Grooms, as feathers: PREENS

67. Homer's neighbor: NED - Pffft - Ned . . .  Name #2

DOWN:

1. Red carpet VIPs: CELEBS - Dah~!  Not A LISTS

2. Defiant reply: "ARE TOO~!" - Dah~!!  Not I AM NOT

3. Motley: RAGTAG - I toyed with CALICO, which we had last Saturday

Definitely "ragtag" - Mötley Crüe

4. Pen name: BIC - another clever clue - literally, the 'name' of a pen maker, ergo, name #3

5. See to a seat, casually: USH - more 21st century-speak for "ushering"

6. Pickle serving: SPEAR - I guess in the 21st century, it's 'one syllable easier' than to ask for a pick-le

7. Stockpile: HOARD - Dah~!!! Not AMASS

8. These, in Spanish: ESTOS - and yet I nailed the Español word . . .

9. "__ is more": LESS - well, more or less, I guess . . . 🙄

10. Number that's always positive: AGE - Ah.  True.  Mine is getting further along on the spinny-wheel thing on websites these days

11. Cutesy name for paw pads: TOE BEANS

12. Unpleasant routine: RAT RACE

13. Media revenue source: AD SALES

19. Trust-worthy figure?: HEIR

21. From __ Z: A TO - three out of four two-word answers in a row

25. Texter's encouragement to try something new: YOLO - You Only Live Once - but maybe in multiple universes~? - ooooh . . . trippy

26. Assimilates: ADAPTS - I wanted adOpts

28. Portal: DOOR - into another plane of the multi-verse . . .

30. __ the Hun: ATTILA - he lived an "active, outdoor lifestyle", per George Carlin; name #4

32. __ fun: noodle dish: MEI - never heard of this - the "E" came from knowing the themer that crossed

33. Bard's before: ERE - poetic

34. Suede quality: NAP - Sleep quality; NAP time

36. New fans: CONVERTS - CON-verts, the noun, not the verb

37. Like a quaint shoppe: OLDE - ye olde quaynte shoppe

38. "I got this!": "ON IT~! - Dah~!  I had ON ME, like the check/tab

39. Local guy in The Onion headlines: AREA  MAN - this was a total unknown for me - an example

40. "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" poet Stevens: WALLACE - name #5, no clue - the poem, sort of a Zen-like "what is the sound of one hand clapping" mental exercise

43. Antarctic predator: ORCA

SE(ri)AL killer

45. Research org. with facilities in Bethesda: NIH - National Institutes of Health - filled via perps on my second pass - the website, if you care

46. Jake Gyllenhaal, to Jamie Lee Curtis: GODSON - huh.  I tried COUSIN, which sort of helped, as the "O", "S" and the "N" actually worked; name(ish)

47. Complete: ENTIRE

48. Answered, in a way: RSVP'ed - I like it, but YMMV

50. Put off: DETER - Not DELAY, and not DEFER, so I didn't understand the crossing themer at first

51. Provide an address: ORATE - the "speechify" version of address, like Lincoln's Gettysburg

52. Not wide-ranging: NICHE - ah.  Good one.  I knew what we were looking for, but needed perps

55. URL intro: HTTP - the "other" kind of address; http//www.crosswordcorner.blogspot.com

58. Gather dust: SIT - gather pet fur; dog-sit - Cooper is so bad in the summer, my clothes were covered

we stopped to "smell the flowers"

59. "KPop Demon Hunters" voice actor Jeong: KEN - no clue, name #6 - his Wiki

60. Former jrs.: SRs - school classes

Splynter

Grid Flow a low 25.8