Tuesday October 13, 2026 Shannon Rapp and Zachary Edward-Brown

You Think You're Feta Than Me?  We are in dairy country today where the first word of each theme answer is a type of cheese.

17-Across. Seth MacFarlane cartoon series: AMERICAN DAD.  American cheese was invented in the 1910s by James L. Kraft (né James Lewis Kraft; Dec. 11, 1874 ~ Feb. 16, 1953), the founder of Kraft Foods Inc.  He patented his manufacturing process in 1916.

26-Across. Conversation that might involve Jordan and LeBron: GOAT DEBATE.  Both Michael Jordan (b. Feb. 17, 1963) and LeBron James (b. Dec. 30, 1984) may be considered the Greatest Of All Time basketball players.  A brief history of Goat Cheese.

38-Across. Big lottery win: JACKPOT.  Jack cheese, also known as Monterey Jack, is a mild, semi-hard white cheese made from cow's milk.  What is the true origin of Jack Cheese?

52-Across. "Room" Best Actress Oscar winner: BRIE LARSON.  Everything you ever wanted to know about Brie Cheese, but were afraid to inquire.

60-Across. Green Bay Packers fans, or what 17-, 26-, 38-, and 52-Across have: CHEESE HEADS.  Note that the first part (or Head) of each phrase is a type of Cheese.

Here's the Grid:

I found this to be another challenging Tuesday puzzle.

Across:

1. Make red-faced: ABASH.

6. Feature of some Southern accents: TWANG.

A Twang so southern it is from New Zealand.

11. Bread with caraway seeds: RYE.  Yummers!  Rye bread with caraway seeds is a hearty, dense loaf featuring an earthy rye flavor paired with the distinct citrusy, peppery, and anise-like taste of caraway.

14. Like unhelpful hints: VAGUE.

15. Civic-minded brand?: HONDA.  Cute clue.

16. Snakelike fish: EEL.

19. Language in which "Baw pen nyang" means "It's nothing": LAO.  The language of Laos.

20. Ballpark snack: FRANK.

21. Hotel customer: GUEST.

23. Lane of "Superman": LOIS.

29. Promises: ASSURES.

31. Solemn acts: RITES.

32. Letter before lambda: KAPPA.  It's Greek to me.

33. Moral wrong: SIN.

34. Get a better loan rate, for short: RE-FI.  As in ReFinance.

37. __ out a living: EKE.

42. __ sum: bite-sized Chinese fare: DIM.  We went to a traditional Dim Sum at Maxim's Palace the last time we were in Hong Kong.  There were so many tempting dishes to select from.

43. Truly engrossed: RAPT.

45. Quaker possessive: THY.

46. Running track shapes, often: OVALS.

48. Seven, in Spanish: SIETE.  Today's Spanish math lesson.

50. Sea cow: MANATEE.  A shout out to our very own Manatee.

55. Take a day off, say: REST.

56. Baggy: LOOSE.

57. __-frutti: TUTTI.  Today's Italian lesson.  Tutti frutti roughly translates from Italian as all fruits.  It's also a Little Richard song.

59. Wine cask wood: OAK.

66. Carry-on screeners: Abbr.: TSA.  As in Transportation Security Administration.

67. Bridgestone products: TIRES.

68. Bright courtyards: ATRIA.  Today's Latin lesson.  The word atria is the Latin plural of atrium, meaning the central room or entrance hall of an ancient Roman house.

69. "Charlotte's Web" enclosure: STY.  The the backstory of Charlotte's Web.

70. Bowling score indicated by a slash: SPARE.

71. Used a keyboard: TYPED.

Down:

1. "Hacks" comedy writer Daniels: AVA.  Ava Daniels is the fictional character in the sit-com Hacks.  She was portrayed by Hannah Einbinder (b. May 21, 1995), who is the daughter of Laraine Newman (b. Mar. 2, 1952) of Saturday Night Live fame.

Laraine Newman with her daughter, Hannah

2. Impact sound: BAM.

3. The "A" of A/S/L: AGE.  Apparently this means Age, Sex, Location and was used in chat rooms.

4. "Let's catch some waves!": SURF'S UP.

5. Whodunit suspect: HEIR.

6. Marvel villain played by Josh Brolin: THANOS.  I am not up on my Marvel villains.  

7. Fictional chocolatier: WONKA.  As in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  It as an adaptation of the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl (Sept. 13, 1916 ~ Nov. 23, 1990).

8. "On top of that ... ": AND.

9. Secrecy doc: NDA.  As in a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

10. Gizmo: GADGET.

11. Information on a movie poster: RELEASE DATE.

12. Baker's supply: YEAST.

13. Mexican corn dish: ELOTE.  Yummers!

18. Bird house?: CAGE.

22. App with a Women Drivers option: UBER.

23. L.A. NBAer: LAKER.

24. Honshu port city: OSAKA.  Honshu is the largest of the four main islands of Japan.  Osaka is the second largest city in Japan.

25. Server's query after a drink order, perhaps: IS PEPSI OKAY?  No, Pepsi is NOT okay.

27. Journey: TRIP.

28. T. rex, for one: DINO.

30. TV friend of Sheldon and Howard: RAJ.  A reference to The Big Bang Theory.  I never saw the attraction of this show, but it was very popular.

33. Cloud location: SKY.

35. Computer folder contents: FILES.

36. "Nothing for me, thanks!": I'M SET.

39. Flour for chapati and roti: ATTA.  This wheat has been making frequent appearances in the puzzles.

40. "Believe" diva: CHER.  It's hard to believe that Cher (née Cheryl Sarkisian; b. May 20, 1946) it 80 years old.

41. Heavy load: TON.

44. Formal neckwear: TIES.

47. Assortment: VARIETY.

49. Puts in office: ELECTS.  Election day is coming up.  I'll be glad when it's over.

50. Styling foam: MOUSSE.

51. Poker stake: ANTE.

52. Rorschach test shapes: BLOTS.

53. Cook in an oven: ROAST.

54. Pilot: STEER.

58. The one there: THAT.

61. __-hop music: HIP.

62. Slice of history: ERA.

63. Dada artist Jean: ARP.  Jean Arp (né Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp; Sept. 16, 1886 ~ June 7, 1966) used to make frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.

64. Monopoly cube: DIE.

65. Melancholy: SAD.

Don't be Sad the puzzle is completely.  Just provide us with your comments.

חתולה

Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Tennessee Grimes

Hit the Road, Jack!  Last Tuesday, we were on the Road.  This week we are still on the road, but obeying the signs along our travel.

20-Across. Plan for ending a relationship: EXIT STRATEGY.

28-Across. Have a meeting of the minds?: BUMP HEADS.

38-Across. "Can it!": STOP YOUR YAPPING.

46-Across. One who's not a fast-food fan?: SLOW EATER.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Nonverbal communication, or what can be found at the starts of 20-, 28-, 38-, and 46-Across: SIGN LANGUAGE.

Here's the grid with all the Signs.

This was a strange puzzle for me.  I found it both very challenging, and yet I also had more answers filled in by the perps without having read the clue.

Across:

1. Signs of healing on scrapes and cuts: SCABS.  I initially tried Scars because that word appears often in the puzzles.  Scabs aren't as drastic as scars, though.

6. Dedicated poems: ODEs.  A crossword staple.

10. "Omg same": IT ME.  Meh!

14. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.

15. Start of a Spanish cheer: VIVA.

16. Phobia: FEAR.

17. Like grapefruit juice: TANGY.

18. Sinister: EVIL.

19. Greek salad cheese: FETA.  Feta is a Greek white brined cheese made from sheep's milk or a blend of sheep and goat's milk.  The brine gives it the signature salty taste.

23. Boathouse blade: OAR.

24. World's second-tallest bird: EMU.  Everything you ever wanted to know about the difference between an Emu and an Ostrich.

25. Hooting bird of prey: OWL.

33. Major fad: MANIA.

35. Mil. mail drop: APO.  As in Army Post Office.  Your military mail guide.

36. Deg. for a CFO or a CEO: MBA.  The Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive Officer would likely hold a Master of Business Administration degree.

37. Feathery cleaner: DUSTER.

42. Protected place for boats: HARBOR.  Anyone else try Marina?  And:  30-Down. Secured in a 42-Across: MOORED.

43. Pirate's cry: YAR.

44. Fib: LIE.

45. Swedish home furnishing stores: IKEAs.  This company is becoming a crossword staple.  Did you know that Ikea has been around since the 1940s?  The company was started by a 17-year-old who began selling small office supplies.

49. Actor Beatty: NED.  Although Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 ~ June 13, 2021) appeared in over 160 films, he his probably best remember for his role in Deliverance.

50. "Last Week Tonight" network: HBO.

52. Company abbr.: INC.

59. Pesky insect: GNAT.

62. From the top: ANEW.

63. Push: IMPEL.

64. Numerous: MANY.

65. __ Millions lottery: MEGA.

66. Republic in the Himalayas: NEPAL.  Since August, a series of flash floods destroyed many parts of Nepal and Tibet.  Hundreds of people died or are still missing.

67. Deep black: ONYX.

68. Crafty website: ETSY.

69. Diary passage: ENTRY.

Down:

1. Location: SITE.

2. Gently persuade: COAX.

3. Years in old Rome: ANNI.  Today's Latin lesson.

4. Circus tent: BIG TOP.

5. Opens up at a checkup: SAYS AH.

6. Eggs __ easy: OVER.

7. Aria singer, maybe: DIVA.

8. Paperless party announcements: EVITES.

9. Capital of Oregon: SALEM.  Ever wonder why Salem is the capital of Oregon?  It is far more interesting than one would suspect.

10. Questionable: IFFY.

11. Golf peg: TEE.

12. Gym cushion: MAT.

13. Noteworthy period: ERA.

21. Vibration: TREMOR.

22. Clog, informally: GUM UP.

25. Betting unwisely, in poker slang: ON TILT.  This term originated with the pinball machine.  If a player shoved or shook the machine too hard out of anger, a sensor would trigger a "TILT" warning and freeze the flippers as a penalty.  It was adopted by poker players who suffered big losses.

26. Frankfurter: WIENIE.

27. More roomy: LARGER.

28. Knock down violently, as a door: BASH IN.

29. Quick on the __: UPTAKE.

31. __ Dhabi: ABU.  Abu Dhabi is famous for being the ultra-wealthy political capital of the United Arab Emirates, combining massive oil reserves with world-class cultural and architectural landmarks.

32. Hannah of "Splash": DARYL.  Splash was released in 1984!  Can you believe it was that long ago?  

34. European viper: ASP.

37. Naturalist Charles with a theory of evolution: DARWIN.  Charles Robert Darwin (Feb. 12, 1809 ~ Apr. 19, 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology.  In 1925, John Scopes (Apr. 3, 1900 ~ October. 21, 1970), a teacher from Tennessee, was convicted for teaching the theory of evolution to his biology class.

39. Org. for tenpins players: PBA.  As in the Professional Bowlers Association.

40. Mario Kart and Mario Party dinosaur: YOSHI.

41. Basketball Hall of Famer Ming: YAO.  Yao Ming (Sept. 12, 1980) is a Chinese former professional player.  He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, and then spent his entire nine-year National Basketball Association career with the Houston Rockets.

46. 14-line poem: SONNET.

47. "Purring" car part: ENGINE.

48. Shrewdness: ACUMEN.

51. So-so effort: B-GAME.

53. Mythical river of the underworld: STYX.

54. Bench supports: LEGS.

55. Not home: AWAY.

56. Date with a doc: APPT.  As in an Appointment.

57. Clockwork part: GEAR.

58. Shortstop De La Cruz who led the majors in stolen bases in 2024: ELLY.  Elly Antonio De La Cruz (b. Jan. 11, 2002) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds. 

59. Bioengineering letters: GMO.  As in Genetically Modified Organism.

60. Brit's grandma: NAN.

61. "__ volunteers?": ANY.

חתולה