Wednesday July 1, 2026, Emily Biegas

 Anagram Mountains...

19 Across. "Well, not quite ... ": THAT'S A STRETCH (an anagram of Shasta)

Mount Shasta.

28 Across. "The gall!": WHAT NERVE! (An anagram of Etna)

Mount Etna.

43 Across. Move to the country?: LINE DANCE. (Anagram of Denali)

Mount Denali.

This clue/answer is very clever, but may cause a double controversy. It seems this mountain keeps changing its name between Mt. Denali and Mt McKinley. Line dancing is associated with country and western culture, but it is not strictly country. I am sure Yellowrocks could enlighten us to the difference between square dancing and this recent upstart...

And our Theme Reveal:

52 Across. Go to great lengths, or what this puzzle's circled letters do?: MOVE MOUNTAINS. Mountain names can be found in the circles, "if you move the letters around..."

Onward:

Across:
1. "A Christmas Carol" scoff: BAH.

4. Insta posts: PICS.

8. Discomfit: ABASH. I got discombobulated by these words... I am familiar with discomfort: The absence of ease or the presence of mild physical or mental uneasiness. However, Discomfit is a verb that means to make someone feel confused, embarrassed, or uneasy.  It can also mean to thwart or frustrate someone's plans. (Like my solving of this puzzle...) And Abash is a verb that means to cause someone to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or self-conscious. It typically involves breaking someone's poise or self-confidence, often as a result of an unexpected comment, mistake, or realization of inadequacy.

13. County seat of Hawaii County: HILO. 

14. Home of the Mighty Five national parks: UTAH. Everything you ever wanted to know about a 465 mile scenic loop, that will take 7 to 10 days to complete...

15. Bundled software collection: SUITE. A highfalutin word (yes, highfalutin is a word...) for a bunch of old junk software that nobody wants, tied up with a ribbon, in the hopes they can still make money...

16. Disapproving sounds: TSKS. (Sound I make when I see someone trying to sell me the above...)

17. Plumbing part: PIPE. (Oy, so many parts to choose from...)

18. Play a banjo: STRUM. Hmm, maybe a guitar, but...

Banjos require pickin' and a grinnin'...

19. [Theme]

22. Well-mannered: POLITE.

23. IRS form expert: CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

24. Catchy part of a song: HOOK. I asked my Daughters, and Google, to identify an Earworm I could insert here, and they all referenced songs I never heard before... so, if you can name your own personal  earworm, mention it in the comments...

27. Book part: SPINE.

28. [Theme]

30. Persona non __: GRATA. "Persona non grata" is a Latin phrase that translates to "an unwelcome person".

32. Worked for: EARNED.

33. Compass rose dir.: SSW.

36. Portuguese greeting: OLA. 

                              Ola (Spanish & Hawaiian Words)

• Spanish: Ola means a wave in the sea or ocean. It is pronounced just like "Hola" (hello), but the "h" is silent and the meaning is completely different.
• Hawaiian: Ola means life, health, to live, or to thrive.

37. Sch. in the smallest U.S. state: URI. University of Rhode Island. Interesting that the clue uses Sch.=School. Which may make this clue/answer somewhat contentious, because according to Google A.I. The Block island School, located on Block Island in New Shoreham, Rhode Island, is the only K-12 public school serving the state's smallest municipality. It educates roughly 125 to 160 students, making it one of the smallest unified public schools in the state. So, could this answer have two valid answers if you include B.I.S?

38. Some SAT takers: SRS. Seniors. And according to Google AI, In U.S. college admissions, SAT is a standardized test created by the College Board. While it originally stood for Scholastic Aptitude Test and later Scholastic Assessment Test, the College Board officially states that the letters no longer stand for anything.

39. Excuses: ALIBIS.

41. Fashion: STYLE.

43. [Theme]

45. Scope: AMBIT. An ambit is the scope, boundary, or extent of something. It most commonly refers to a sphere of influence, action, or authority.

49. Small whirlpool: EDDY.

50. Murmur: COO.

51. Smooth and suave: URBANE.

52. [Theme Reveal]

55. Share one's thoughts: OPINE.

57. Financing figs.: APRS. Annual Percentage Rates.

58. Skirt feature: SLIT.

59. Sweet, in Italian: DOLCE.

60. "Bro!": DUDE.

61. Goes out with: SEES. (Dates wouldn't fit...)

62. Stella who founded an acting school in New York City: ADLER. Name #1

63. Short railroad branch: SPUR.

64. Fabric store meas.: YDS.

Down:
1. Diagonal mover in chess: BISHOP.

2. High-pH substance: ALKALI.

3. In charge of Thanksgiving dinner, say: HOSTING.

4. Butterflies-to-be: PUPAE.

5. "Yep": IT IS. 

6. Bot blocker: CAPTCHA.

7. Tibetan people: SHERPA.

8. Exec's helper: ASST. Assistant. 

9. Mispronounce horrendously, as a name: BUTCHER.

10. Shock jock's sound effects: AIR HORNS. Technically Air Horn is two words, but is fast becoming simply "Airhorn" in the vernacular...

11. "The Simpsons" disco guy: STU. Fictional Name #2

12. Tailored edge: HEM.

13. Part of an encrypted URL: HTTPS. HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure.

20. Anti-inflammatory choice: STEROID.

21. Restaurant: EATERY.

25. Finito: OVER.

26. "Comfortable. Confident." shoe brand: KEDS.

28. Elena Rybakina's org.: WTA. World Tennis Association. Name #3 - either you know it or you don't...

29. Finger painting?: NAIL ART.

31. Cultural territory in France's Grand Est region: ALSACE. Looks like a nice place to visit...

33. Realtor's success: SALE.

34. Made it home quickly?: SLID. (Baseball reference)

35. Image on Dutch Bros coffee cups: WINDMILL.

37. Sporty truck, briefly: UTE. Short for utility vehicle.

40. "Cowboy Carter" icon: BEYONCE. All you need to know:

41. Grab before anyone else can: SCOOP UP.

42. Diplomatic mission: EMBASSY.

44. Migratory people: NOMADS.

46. Helped (out): BAILED.

47. Concave belly buttons: INNIES.

48. Tries, as patience: TESTS.

51. Auto racing family name: UNSER. Name #4

53. Swerve: VEER.

54. Rawalpindi language: URDU. Rawalpindi is a city in Pakistan, where the national language is Urdu.

55. "Ghost" psychic __ Mae Brown: ODA. 

Whoopi Goldberg portraying fictional name #5

56. Okra or orca unit: POD.

The Grid

Emily Biegas has become quite prolific, publishing quite a few LAT puzzles, in addition to NYT...

Emily is on the left.

Well, did you have to move mountains to finish this puzzle? Or did you just ski around the moguls...

Let us know in the comments how your solving experience went. 

CE:D out

₍^. .^₎⟆

Saturday, January, 17, 2026, Emily Biegas

 Saturday Themeless by Emily Biegas 

The top half went swimmingly, but then I had to take a big "didn't git 'er done" especially in the SE corner. SEA ROBIN, COPA and PALO SANTO coupled with some cute cluing 😀 did me in. The rest of the puzzle took persistence but fell into place except for some bad typing. Any delusions about 100% completions for 2026 were undone by a few bad cells but I'll get over it. After all, it's a game not a test!

Across:

1. Easily moved?: HOT HEADED 😀

10. Streetcars: TRAMS.

15. Minimum word count?: ONE OR MORE.😀

16. Swiss namesake of an international series of art fairs: BASEL - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Founded in BASEL, Switzerland in 1970, this one is in Miami

17. Scheduled delivery?: TAX RETURN - Some TAX RETURNS require filing many tax schedules, perhaps with a 46. 17-Across pro: CPA.

18. Editorialize: OPINE.

19. "__ Is Betta Than Evvah!": ETTA.

20. C-section docs: OBS.

21. Kept inside: UNSAID - Advice I should have taken many times in my life

22. Island chain: LEI.

23. Primary fig.: POL.

24. Hosp. gear: PPE.

25. Bit: GAG - A comedy bit can also be called a GAG

26. Actress Hayek Pinault: SALMA - Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault  is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. We have seen her name as only Salma Hayek in puzzles before.

28. Israeli airline: EL AL.

30. Only: SOLE.

31. "How could you be so insensitive!": READ THE ROOM.

34. Roadside snacks: STREET TACOS - How are they different? BTW, granola bars fit too.

36. Spoiler alerts?: SELL BY DATES 😀

38. Skirt in a Degas painting: TUTU - Duh, a TUTU can be called a skirt!

41. Fictions: LIES.

42. Percolate: LEACH.

44. Supplementary medical benefit: Abbr.: HSA - Health Savings Account

45. Perturb: VEX.

48. Big name in pasta sauce: RAO.

49. Melt down: RENDER - My DW's mother used to render animal byproducts on the farm into lard for cooking. That was the foundation for the  best apple pie ever made anywhere. 

51. Comic Margaret: CHO.

52. Prefix with -core for a style inspired by hiking: GORP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

53. Optional feature: ADD ON.

54. Spot where sharks gather: POOL TABLE 😀 Bonus points - Name this classic movie about pool sharks. *answer below.

56. Vessel implant: STENT.

57. "My regrets": APOLOGIES.

58. Redfin listings: HOMES.

59. Smudging ceremony tool: PALO SANTO - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can see PALO as wood (Palo Alto/high stick) and SANTO as holy. Smudging is simply the practice of lighting these wood pieces on fire and letting smoke and fume cleanse an area.

Down:

1. Lodging options: HOTELS.

2. Going nonstop: ON A TEAR.

3. Leather and lace, e.g.: TEXTILES.

4. "Hava Nagila" dance: HORA.

5. Poetic preposition: ERE.

6. Playground retort: AM TOO or in a TV sitcom

7. Natural structure?: DOUBLE HELIX.

8. Isn't perfect: ERRS.

9. Sofa bed spot: DEN.

10. Chophouse order: T-BONE.

11. Knocks: RAPS.

12. Bagel option: ASIAGO.

13. Low-level: MENIAL.

14. "When a Man Loves a Woman" singer: SLEDGE - Emily throws us boomers a musical bone with the fabulous Percy SLEDGE

21. Transfer, in a way: UPLOAD.

23. "Slam Diego" player: PADRE - This is new to me but was coined when the Padres hit grand slams four days in a row

24. Dubious label from The Princeton Review until 2022: PARTY SCHOOL - 

The "dubious label" from The Princeton Review referring to a "Party School" until around 2022. It was a controversial ranking based on student surveys about alcohol/drug use, criticized by groups like the 

AMA for potentially encouraging risky drinking.

27. __ Islands: archipelago in the East China Sea: MATSU - I remember when these two islands were in the news when I was in junior high.

29. Didn't bother: LET BE.

30. Didst wallop: SMOTE.

32. "Fool Us" co-host: TELLER - A prize is awarded to magicians who can fool these masters.

33. One of three national forests in Florida: OCALA.

35. Bottom-feeding fish also called a gurnard: SEA ROBIN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

37. Shameful tone?: SCARLET - Clever cluing for the SCARLET letter

38. Type of metal: THRASH.

39. No longer troubled by: USED TO.

40. Single file: TANDEM - My first thought

43. "With any luck": HOPE SO.

45. Air returns: VENTS.

47. 34-Across option: POLLO - Yes, you might have chicken in a street taco. I remember the word from Gus Fring's operation in Better Call Saul.

50. Wrapped: DONE.

51. Fútbol prize: COPA - COPA is Spanish for cup or trophy

52. Pop star Lady __: GAGA.

54. Baby food: PAP.

55. Lean-__: TOS.

* That of course is Jackie Gleason and Paul Newman in a scene from 1961 b/w classic The Hustler

Tuesday December 16, 2025 Emily Biegas and Sala Wanetick

Hear, Hear!  All ears are not used for hearing.

17-Across. Dog ears?: BOOKMARKS.

26-Across. Bunny ears?: SHOELACE KNOT.

42-Across. Elephant ears?: CARNIVAL FOOD.

56-Across. Mouse ears?: MICKEY HAT.

Across:

1. Sound of an eye-opening moment: AHA!

4. Unlikely to break the ice: TIMID.

9. Objects of worship: IDOLS.

14. Most populous city in Can.: TOR.  Toronto.  Hi, Canadian, Eh!

15. Pointlessly silly: INANE.

16. Inter Miami captain Lionel: MESSI.  Lionel Andrés Messi (b. June 24, 1987) is an Argentine professional soccer player.  He has been with Miami since 2023.

19. Windshield sticker: DECAL.

20. Smoothie bowl berry: AÇAI.  This berry is a small, dark purple fruit that grows in the Amazon.  And you can purchase them from the other Amazon.

21. Start for giving and taking: MIS.  As in Misgiving and Mistaking.

22. Beefsteak, for one: TOMATO.  A beefsteak tomato is a large, meaty and juicy variety of tomato.  It is most common on burgers, sandwiches and salads.  Yummers!

23. Quickly don: THROW ON.

25. Regal home: MANOR.

30. Like walruses and wild boars: TUSKED.

33. Mo. with a spooky finale: OCT.  October has a spooky Halloween finale.

34. Gold, in Spanish: ORO.  Today's Spanish lesson.

35. Got up: AROSE.

36. Sailor's yes: AYE.

37. New York mascot with a baseball for a head: MR. MET.  Apparently there is a Ms. Met, too.

39. "Geaux Tigers!" sch.: LSU.  As in Louisiana State University.  If you watch college football, you know that LSU has been in the news a lot recently, and not for having a winning team.

Mike the Tiger, the mascot of LSU.

40. Four-time WNBA MVP Wilson: A'JA.  A'ja Riyadh Wilson (b. August 8, 1996) is an American professional basketball player.  She plays for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association.  Aja is also the name of a Steely Dan album.

41. Creamy chocolate dessert: MOUSSE.  Yummers!

46. Software-creating professional: CODER.

47. Riled up: ANGERED.

51. "Not all __ wear capes": HEROES.

53. French sailor's yes: OUI.  Today's French lesson.

54. Actress Headey: LENA.  I never watched Game of Thrones, was not familiar with this actress.  Apparently, Lena Kathren Headey (b. Oct. 3, 1973) portrayed Cersei Lannister on that show.

55. Greek alphabet ender: OMEGA.  It's all Greek to me.

58. Inbox message: E-MAIL.

59. Hightails it: FLEES.

60. Royal flush card: ACE.

61. Knighted women: DAMES.  That's Dame Helen Mirren (née Ilyena Lydia Mironoff; b. July 26, 1945) to you.  She was made a Dame in 2003.

62. "The Jetsons" dog: ASTRO.  A reference to the cartoon from the 1960s.

63. "Dynamite" K-pop group: BTS.

Down:

1. Chance for a hit: AT BAT.

2. Moonshine: HOOCH.

3. Thundering, as a crowd: AROAR.  Mike the Tiger and the Crowd Roar.

4. Minnesota governor Walz: TIM.  Timothy James Walz (b. April. 6, 1964) is the 41th governor on Minnesota.  He has been in office since since January 2019.

5. Irritable: IN A MOOD.

6. "Semper fi" shouter: MARINE.

7. Signs, as a contract: INKS.

8. Jardin __ Tuileries: public space near the Louvre: DES.  More of today's French lesson.  The Tuileries Garden is a public garden between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.  Queen Catherine de' Medici had the garden made as part of the Tuileries Palace in 1564.  After the French Revolution, it became a public park.

9. "That's all for me": I'M DONE.

10. View as appropriate: DEEM OK.

11. Formal nods from the Academy, informally: OSCAR NOMS.  As in a nomination.

12. Future esq.'s exam: LSAT.  As in Law School Admission Test.  This appeared in Friday's puzzle, so I'll steal MM's accompanying image.

13. Rural storage tower: SILO.

18. Mall stalls: KIOSKS.

22. Diplomacy: TACT.

24. "This ride is fun!": WHEE!

25. Spice in pumpkin spice, often: MACE.  Mace is a spice from the nutmeg tree.  It is also a weapon.

27. Like a ride-or-die friend: LOYAL.

28. Metal-yielding rocks: ORES.  A crossword staple.

29. Checkout lane bag: TOTE.

30. Anticaking agent in table salt: TALC.  I was not aware that Talc was used in food products.  Apparently, the FDA has approved it in foods at a concentration of less than 2%.

31. Latin for "bear" in constellation names: URSA.  Also known as the Big and Little Dipper.

32. Common substitute for Greek yogurt: SOUR CREAM.

36. Slightly open: AJAR.  Not to be confused with 40-Across.

37. Electronic music pioneer Robert: MOOG.  The use of the Moog synthesizer was first used in the mid-1960s.  Robert Arthur Moog (May 23, 1934 ~ Aug. 21, 2005) was an American engineer and pioneer in electronic music.

38. Without manners: RUDELY.

40. St. crossers: AVES.  Streets and Avenues.  Sounds like a game of Chutes and Ladders.

41. Nickname: MONIKER.

43. Painful head rub: NOOGIE.

44. Lofty standards: IDEALS.

45. Sink fixture: FAUCET.

48. Home update, familiarly: REHAB.

49. Put into law: ENACT.

50. Candlelit dinners for two, e.g.: DATES.

51. Cleared weeds in the garden, say: HOED.

52. Jane Austen novel that inspired the movie "Clueless": EMMA.

53. Frying liquids: OILS.

56. Iowa Writers' Workshop deg.: MFA.  As in a Master of Fine Arts.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

57. That, in Tijuana: ESO.

Here's the Grid:

חתולה

I'll be out next week, but I know you will be in good hands.  Wishing you a very Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.

Happy Chanukah to those who are celebrating.  May the memory of those who perished in Sydney be a blessing.