Saturday, August 1, 2026, Emily Biegas

 Saturday Themeless by Emily Biegas

In my last puzzle by Emily I came up a few cells short and today it was one cell with the coffee crossing modern "dish the dirt" show. I had a hard time starting this puzzle but had fun once I left the starting block and then had to finish  the NW. It was populated by clues and fills that were not in my vocab, so I had to get help on two cells to unlock that corner. I'll get over it. Does the picture suggest to you that Emily and I may have different life experiences? 😊

Across:

1. Many a Maximum Fun collaborator: PODCASTER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

10. Signal to change a battery: CHIRP - Smoke detectors leapt to my mind.  It would be a real chore to count all the batteries in this house and most just quit working when they need replacing. 

15. Espresso variety: AMERICANO - I was so sure of some variation of ARABICA for too long

16. Norse pantheon: AESIR ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

17. Makes: GENERATES.

18. Buttoned-up sort: PRUDE.

19. Fashion designer Saab: ELIE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Here he is with some of his creations. 

20. Noted law maker: NEWTON - I have taught NEWTON's Laws hundreds of times

22. "__ of Me": PJ Harvey album: RID ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  - No idea on the artist or the song. I looked up some of her lyrics and they match the tenor of her picture.

23. Impetus: REASON.

25. Poivre partner: SEL.

26. Ten ahead?: DECA 😀 DECADE

27. WashU's city: STL - A 12-minute drive from The Gateway Arch

28. House Stark patriarch: NED - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ From Game Of Thrones 

30. Fed action: RATE CUT.

32. Show stopper?: SERIES FINALE 😀 The most watched TV episode of all time - 106 million viewers.

34. "Measure twice, cut once," for one: MOTTO - Adage, Maxim

37. Sentimental one: SAP.

38. Golf course halves: NINES - The first NINE holes are called the front and the second NINE holes are called the back

39. Discount emporia: THRIFT STORES.

42. Look down upon: SCOFF AT.

43. Goss: TEA - Slang double header: Goss is short for gossip and "stir the TEA" means share the goss.

44. UFC style: MMA - Mixed Martial Arts. Not a fan.

47. Feature of an ungulate: HOOF.

48. Title choice on some forms: MRS - On the old What's My Line show, John Daly's first question of a female contestant was her marital status. Uh, that would not fly today.

50. Contests: ARGUES.

52. Fender Deluxe Reverb, e.g.: AMP - Fender says guitar and Reverb says AMP.

53. "Help me out, would ya?": BE A PAL.

55. WNBA positions: Abbr.: CTRS - The best of the new NBA CTRS is 7' 4" Frenchman Victor Wembanyama .

56. Take care of: SEE TO.

58. Joint tissue: CARTILAGE.

60. Shinto shrine entrance: TORII - The TORII Gate in Omaha's Lauritsen Gardens was a gift from Omaha's sister city Shizuoka, Japan.

61. Race unit: KILOMETER - My granddaughter regularly runs 5K and 10K races

62. First name in landscape photography: ANSEL.

63. Drag event?: SNOREFEST.

Down:

1. Motorola devices: PAGERS - Many hospitals still use them. They are great for professional purposes, almost never get spam calls and can get service where cell phones can be blocked.

2. Tamagoyaki, e.g.: OMELET ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

3. No answer?: DENIAL - No answer: "On advice of counsel..."

4. Grand Council of the __: political body in Canada: CREES 

5. Cause of inflation: AIR 😀

6. Security line machine: SCANNER.

7. The Village Voice critic Greg who was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize in 2024: TATE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   Uber obscure to this solver

8. TMZ alternative: E-NEWS.

9. Athletic position?: ROSTER SPOT - Here is a list of 87 players trying to make a ROSTER SPOT on the 2026 KC Chiefs 53-man squad.

10. Skipper, for short: CAP'N.

11. "That girl?": HER.

12. "Consider it done!": I SURE CAN - My reply when C.C. asked me if I could blog the Saturday puzzle about ten years ago.

13. Lampoon: RIDICULE.

14. Antecedes: PREDATES - Precedes was a decent first guess

21. "Frozen" character who sings "In Summer": OLAF - Naive OLAF sings this ironic song

24. Ad hoc: ONE OFF - Several TV characters were intended to be ONE-OFFs, only appear once and then leave the cast. Some made such a lasting impression they became regulars. Examples: Frasier Crane, Saul Goodman, Max Klinger, Gomer Pyle, et al. Others?

26. "Train Dreams" writer Johnson: DENIS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

29. Fighting words?: DISS TRACKS - DISS has become a familiar fill and here it serves to describe musical answers to artists who felt they were "disrespected'.

31. Lack of sensitivity: TIN EAR - Oho, that's not what you meant...

32. Shortchange: STIFF - I would never STIFF a server because of a bad meal

33. "I could __": EAT.

34. Stratovolcano in NorCal: MT SHASTA.

35. "Gimme a break": OH COME ON.

36. Highway enforcers: TROOPERS - A truly thankless job

40. Mild: TAME.

41. Many a "Selling Sunset" cast member: REALTOR. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

44. Re-strain?: MUTATE 😀 Kind of a stretch?

45. Picks a lane?: MERGES.

46. Declare: ASSERT.

49. Valencia's country: SPAIN.

51. Sign of treble?: G CLEF - Named for the second note on the staff. The stylized "G" wraps around that second line

53. Get hot: BOIL.

54. "Alligator Boy" in a 2021 Netflix animated film: ARLO. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

57. Runoff cause, perhaps: TIE - It wasn't an actual TIE but no one got more than 50% of the vote.

59. "__ Mine": George Harrison book: I ME - Song video and book cover:

  

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