Saturday, February 7, 2026, Amie Walker

 Themeless Saturday by Amie Walker

Amie Walker is an attorney/current stay-at-home parent to three little girls in Chandler, Arizona. When she’s not thinking about puzzles, she loves spending time with her family and singing in her women’s choir. Here is a picture of Amie on Jeopardy on 3/28/22. 

The bottom of this puzzle was an 

tough sledding for me where gaming slang, three obscure names and my not remembering the spelling of CAESAREAN and its "AE" grouping. 😖 Sigh, I had one bad cell but let's move on and I'll give you my other 45. Ponder: MUS(E)ings.

Across:

1. Franciscan philosopher who inspired the main character in "The Name of the Rose": OCCAM -

William of Baskerville, the protagonist of Umberto Eco’s 1980 novel, The Name Of The Rose,

 is a fictionalized, homespun homage to the real-life 14th-century philosopher William of OCCAM. He embodies OCCAM's "razor" principle, using logic, empiricism, and skepticism to solve mysteries, reflecting the transition from medieval dogma to modern scientific thought. You're welcome!

6. Nap spot: SOFA.

10. Bands that stabilize knees, for short: ACLS - The natural bands and not these

14. "Care to explain?": WHAT IS THIS.

16. Grand: THOU - Slang for thousand

17. Squeals: NAMES NAMES - Our crossword regular Elia Kazan NAMED NAMES at the McCarthy HUAC committee and Hollywood remembered.

18. Stubbs of the Four Tops: LEVI - Second from right

19. Nurse: SIP.

20. Utter: TOTAL.

21. Pointer from a proofreader: CARET.

22. Possible start of a folktale: LEGEND HAS IT.

24. Volga __: Turkic people in western Russia: TATARS.

27. Body work?: TATTOOS.

29. Celebrity gossip show: E-NEWS.

30. High kicks: HEELS - Kicks is slang for shoes, so...

32. Howe'er: THO.

33. Director Coogler: RYAN. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

34. Ninny: GOOSE - I am prone to call our kitty a silly GOOSE

35. Jalopy: HEAP.

36. "Newhart" production co.: MTM and Rhoda, Lou Grant, WKRP, Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, among many others. 

37. Guy who made one helluva deal?: FAUST - My first thought was not of Goethe but of the musical Damn Yankees where Joe Hardy sold his soul to beat those Damn Yankees.

Devil     Joe Hardy                        Lola

 38. Western Australian port: PERTH.

39. Like things?: SIMILES - I was very happy to enter SIMILAR first.

41. Lofty nests: AERIES.

42. Get drinks on tap, say? MOBILE ORDER  More

45. Be worthy of: MERIT.

46. Swear off?: BLEEP - Theater critic Kenneth Tyan was on BBC and is given credit for the first person TV to get BLEEPED. He innocently used the word f*** as a synonym for intercourse.

47. Young dog: PUP.

50. Some, in Spanish: UNAS - Le regalaré UNAS rosas rojas para el Día de San Valentín. (I will give her red roses for St. Valentine's Day)

51. Challenges for some gamers: BOSS LEVELS.

53. Some flatfish: SOLE.

54. Takeout deliveries?: CAESAREANS - I am still upset with myself for not knowing the odd spelling of CAESAREAN. It would have unlocked the stack of these three female names below I did not know: 

41. Writer __ Rogers St. Johns: ADELA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

43. Actress Elizabeth: OLSEN - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ She was in six of these movies and said it ruined her chance at other roles

44. Journalist Maria who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021: RESSA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  She won for her efforts in the The Philippines

55. Meadow moms: EWES.

56. Volcano seen on "The White Lotus": ETNA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

57. Fender guitar, for short: STRAT - Their ranges from $15,000 to $80,000.

Down:

1. __ up to: OWNS.

2. Masala __: CHAI.

3. Stay out for the night: CAMP.

4. Grabbed a bite: ATE.

5. Welcome patio features on a hot day: MISTERS - Awnings did fit but alas...

6. Washington, but not Jefferson: STATE - Forming a new state is largely a symbolic idea by people of northern California and southern Oregon who feel they are ignored by Sacramento and Salem.

7. "Sheesh!": OH MAN.

8. Real-world experiment: FIELD TEST - Farmers are constantly FIELD TESTING new methods in their, uh, fields.

9. Burro: ASS.

10. "Took you long enough": AT LAST - After waiting 86 years for Red Sox to win the World Series.

11. "SNL" alum who played a Spartan: CHERI OTERI.

12. Relish a paradoxical passion: LOVE TO HATE.

13. "__ yourself": SUIT.

15. Smooches in a lorry, say: SNOGS - or a quick kiss in a lift on the way up to a flat to watch the Beeb on the telly

21. Animals with righting reflexes: CATS.

22. Pink flamingo spot: LAWN.

23. "Veep" Emmy winner Tony: HALE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

24. Stretch-y things: TERMS - You can stretch these TERMS as long as you want as seen below. 

I also thought of our constructors stretching out TERMS for clever cluing 😀

25. "We don't have all day": ANY TIME NOW.

26. Magic spirit, say?: TEAM MORALE 😀 The NBA TEAM the Orlando Magic

28. Some on the JV squad: SOPHS.

30. Home on the water: HOUSE BOAT.

31. Lip balm brand: EOS.

34. "Coco" voice actor __ García Bernal: GAEL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

35. Title for Beethoven: HERR.

37. Move like a hummingbird: FLIT.

38. Eyes: PEEPERS - Jeepers, creepers...

40. Nile birds with curved bills: IBISES.

47. Cider choice: PEAR - This is also called Perry and is made from fermented pears

48. Radius neighbor: ULNA.

49. "C'mere!": PSST.

51. Dating letters: BCE.

52. Lab doc: VET. 😀

Saturday, January 31, 2026, Mark Axel

 Saturday Themeless by Mark Axel

My OCD refused to let me give in and I got a hard earned "got 'er done"! The colored grid here shows that Mark had a plethora of unique fill, two 10-letter horizontal stacks or three,  two vertical 9-letter stacks of three and two very unique grid spanners. The informal horizontal grid spanner was fun and the impossible vertical one revealed itself one letter at a time.

Across:

1. Orbit City mom: JANE JETSON.

11. Throw (together): SLAP.

15. Home page?: AMAZON ECHO - As an iPhone user, I would page SIRI but PC users page ECHO

16. Crop from which the word "luau" originates: TARO - Four-letter Hawaiian food, what else?

17. Budget rentals: MOVING VANS.

18. Vegas team: ACES - WNBA

19. Fiber source: BRAN.

20. Nautical adverb: ALEE - In sailing, "ALEE" (or "leeward") refers to the side of the boat sheltered from the wind.

21. Terrarium pet: NEWT.

22. Tennis great who won three consecutive French Opens in the 1990s: SELES - Her first was when she was 16.

24. Boyos: LADS.

26. Sedge-friendly habitat: FEN.

27. "Preach!": SING IT.

30. 2024 LPGA Tour Player of the Year Nelly: KORDA - seen here with another pretty good golfer

32. Donkey: ASS.

35. Casual Japanese expression of thanks: DOMO.

36. Take hold again: REROOT.

37. Start of some casual advice: YOU'RE GONNA WANNA.

40. Big name in boxed mac and cheese: ANNIE'S ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

41. Dish often prepared with Maui onions: POKE - Ahi Hawaiian POKE with Maui onions

42. No. on a store awning: TEL.

43. Profile detail: HOBBY.

44. "Les Misérables" role: JAVERT.

Jean Valjean                       JAVERT

46. Tony winner Hagen: UTA.

47. Nobel Prize subj.: ECON.

49. Satirist Baron Cohen: SACHA.

53. Makes moves: ACTS.

55. Fundamentals: ABC'S.

57. Spiced tea: CHAI  - 

Chai tea, more accurately referred to as 

masala chai ("mixed-spice tea"), is a traditional South Asian beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture or aromatic spices, milk and sweetener. While "chai" simply means tea in Hindi, in the West, it has come to represent this specific, spiced, and often creamy drink. You're welcome.

58. Home of NYC's Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art: SOHO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  It mainly collects, preserves and exhibits visual arts created by LGBTQ artists or art about LGBTQ+ themes, issues, and people.

59. "Forgive the imposition ... ": I HATE TO ASK.

62. Like many intramural leagues: COED.

63. Streaming accessory with a purple tag: ROKU REMOTE - I was stumped until I looked down in my hand.

64. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA - One episode of M*A*S*H featured three ALDA's: Alan, his half-brother Antony and his dad Robert

65. Period of unchecked criticism: OPEN SEASON.


Down:

1. Vertical supports: JAMBS - The meaning of “door jamb” literally comes from the French word jambe, which means “leg” - a fitting name, since the jambs support the door like legs.

2. Italian endearment: AMORE - Cue Dean Martin...

3. Part of NCIS: NAVAL - NAVAL Criminal Investigative Service was a star vehicle for Mark Harmon and has engendered many spinoffs 

From Season One 2003

4. Some mags: EZINES.

5. "Garfield Minus Garfield" character: JON - JON Arbuckle

6. Lang. of Sierra Leone: ENG - The “official” language of Sierra Leone is English, but most of the population here can’t speak it. This is a nice allegory displaying how disconnected the government’s policies are from how people live here. Speaking English is a sign of wealth and aristocracy, and the locals will speak (usually poor) English to display their high level of education. You're welcome.

7. Maker of Tirra Sport hiking sandals: TEVA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

8. Pajeon or cong you bing: SCALLION PANCAKE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Pajeon (Korean) and Cong You Bing (Chinese) are both savory scallion pancakes. Pancake filled in and then I got SCALLION letter by letter.

9. "Look at that!": OH NEAT - OH SNAP was my first choice.

10. Edged (out): NOSED.

11. Fervent supporter, informally: STAN - Fervent supporters can be undesirable. STAN is a portmanteau for STalker and fAN. Yikes!

12. Like some natural wigs: LACE FRONT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  It had to fill itself in 

13. "Anything else?": ARE WE DONE.

14. After birth: POST NATAL.

23. Subtle disapproval: SIDE EYE.

25. Kebab need: SKEWERS.

28. Eggy quaffs: NOGS.

29. Del Monte's Pinkglow pineapple, e.g., for short: GMO.

31. __ pro nobis: ORA - Pray for us

32. Brew in some healing ceremonies: AYAHUASCA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  From the Amazon region

33. Totally uncalled-for: SO NOT COOL.

34. Went for the bronze: SUNBATHED 😀

36. Part of a fall clearance event: RAKE 😀 A fun clue/fill

38. Rack unit: RIB 😀

39. Native American Heritage Mo.: NOV.

44. Change positions often: JOB HOP - A former relative has been dismissed by every architect firm in Lincoln 

45. Toyota pickup: TACOMA - The TAC in Seattle's SEATAC airport

48. Capital north of Memphis: CAIRO - Uh, that's not Tennessee 

50. "We adore __ because we love to produce order": M.C. Escher: CHAOS - This picture hung in the front of my room for years.

51. Can't refuse: HAS TO - Steve Martin in the wonderful movie Parenthood

52. Singer whose fans are called Claymates: AIKEN.

54. __ bread: SODA - Uses baking SODA instead of yeast

56. Floor: STUN.

60. Backpedaling sounds: ERS - ER, what I meant to say was...

61. "Fore!" site: TEE - Still at least two months away. My former partner has about given up the game and so I get to play league with a new person.