Saturday, July 11, 2026, Rafael Musa

 Saturday Themeless by Rafael Musa

Rafa, a software engineer for Airbnb in San Francisco. is a frequent constructor and collaborator. I started out looking for an on ramp and found several in the west columns and before I knew it, the entire west side was done. From ther, I was able to get up to speed and his lovely puzzle was done. I'll comment on some of Rafa's more clever entries as I blog. 

Across

1. Bernardine Evaristo's "Girl, Woman, __": OTHER - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Published in 2019, exploring identity, race, class, sexuality, and the history of modern Britain across multiple generations.

     

6. Selfish kinds: HOGS.

10. "Get lost!": SCAT.

14. "Fingers crossed!": I HOPE SO TOO.

16. Not one __: IOTA.

17. Where classes proceed on a case-by-case basis: LAW SCHOOLS 😀

18. "Oh, fudge": RATS.

19. Strong showing from 2012 to 2022, for short?: SNL - 😀 Capitalizing strong as the first word of the clue did not give away that it was a name.

Cicely Strong

20. Hole up: HIDEOUT.

22. Hissed admonishment: SHH.

23. Aired: RAN.

24. Southern brew: SWEET TEA.

26. Revenue metric: AD SALES - This ad, thought to be one of the best ever, announced the release of MacIntosh computers. It aired during the 1984 Super Bowl and generated huge initial sales. This entire 1984 ad

30. Matters of course?: MEALS 😀

31. Area most people can't stand to be in: CRAWL SPACE - Yeesh!

34. Handy accessory?: MITT 😀 - Early baseball players were considered to be "unmanly" if they wore a glove or mitt. Modern players now wear fielding, batting and sliding gloves.

36. Cares for: TENDS.

37. Foofaraw: ADO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

38. Island west of Maui: LANAI.

39. "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE.

40. Ding, maybe: E-MAIL ALERT 😀

42. Exams that begin with a Chemical and Physical Foundations section, for short: MCATS - My grandson passed his with flying colors but his roommate failed twice.

44. Ends up behind: LOSES TO.

45. Fried Mexican dishes: CHALUPAS.

48. "Yellowstone" star Bentley: WES ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

49. Todos __ días: every day, in Spanish: LOS - Hago el crucigrama todos LOS días. (I work the crossword everyday.)

50. Rep who is also the parent of a child star, perhaps: MOMAGER - Rosalind Russell played one of the first ones in this wonderful movie.

52. __ Fridays: TGI.

55. Lincoln, e.g.: AUTO - Here's the Lincoln Lawyer in one. One story arc concerned a dead body found in the trunk of that Lincoln.

57. Major annoyances: ROYAL PAINS.

59. Puerto Rico, por ejemplo: ISLA.

60. Defend aggressively: TRIPLE TEAM.

Steph Curry getting TRIPLE TEAMED

61. Convene: MEET.

62. Solidifies: SETS.

63. Creates a cozy home: NESTS.

Down:

1. Works in a museum: OILS - Our wonderful puzzle constructor Jeffrey Wechsler was an art curator who worked in a museum curating works therein. 

2. Comparison word: THAN - A beautiful Peruvian folk melody with lyrics by Paul Simon. Enjoy!

3. React to a riot, maybe: HOWL - A great comedian can make you do this

4. Short releases: EPS - Elvis made several with four songs on each.

5. Pool areas?: REC HALLS 😀

6. Under the __: HOOD.

7. Missouri River people: OTOES.

8. Play dirty: GO LOW - There are penalties in football for blocking below the waist 

9. "What are you gonna do about it?": SO SUE ME. 😀

10. Title for David Attenborough: SIR.

11. Areas affected by current events: COASTLINES.😀

12. Initially: AT THE START.

13. Gospel singer Cobbs: TASHA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

15. Lights up: SHINES.

21. Top choice: TEE - Many of my tops are TEE shirts with the NASA meatball on them

23. Short end of the stick: RAW DEAL.

25. Traditional Christmas fare for some Latinos: TAMALES.

26. Panto units: ACTS - Panto is short for pantomime 

27. Three-story abode in Barbie pink: DREAM HOUSE.

28. Structure affected by current events: SAND CASTLE 😀

29. Musubi meat: SPAM - A Hawaiian snack. It revealed itself.

32. Statute mandating curb cuts, for short: ADA.

33. Feature of type 4 hair: COIL - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

35. Bandleader Puente: TITO.

38. Pocket-size pointer: LASER PEN - I used mine a lot in my "lectures"

40. Field for a competitive Valorant player: E-SPORTS.

41. Former mill town in the Boston metro area: LOWELL.

43. Belly: TUM.

45. Progressive request: CLAIM 😀

46. Subject for Elena Ferrante: AMORE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A pseudonym for an Italian author who prefers anonymity

  

47. "Stop beating around the bush!": SAY IT.

51. Concerns for some orthodontists: GAPS.

52. Connections: TIES.

53. Minor annoyance: GNAT.

54. Belief systems: ISMS.

56. __ latte: OAT.

58. Put away: ATE.

Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to CanadianEh!, one of our longtime blog family members. She's been with us since 2012. I hope your day is filled with fun, laughter, and all your favorite things. Thank you for the kindness, insight, and thoughtful contributions you've shared with us over the years!

Saturday June 27, 2026 by Zhouqin Burnikel

 Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel

Solving C.C.'s clever puzzle had me following a familiar pattern. I searched for a solid foothold which came up at the grid-spanning PLEASE BE PATIENT/AND YET HERE WE ARE and everything grew out from there. I had a very pleasant 29-minute exercise where C.C.'s construction skills always made me feel I would never COME UP DRY. Another lovely feature was that she only used six 3-letter words.

Across:

1. Early revolutions: WARM UP LAPS 😀 Tradition at the Indy 500 has a pace car leading the cars around for the last WARM UP LAP.

1964 Indy 500

11. Exam with a max score of 180: LSAT.

15. Only shopped at farmers markets, perhaps: ATE ORGANIC.

16. Set in stone: ETCH.

17. Help in obtaining top-shelf products: STEP LADDER 😀

18. "Educated: A Memoir" writer Westover: TARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

19. Homes for some queens: HIVES. 😀

20. Instrument invented by Hermes: LYRE.

21. Bamia or sambar: STEW. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

22. Frosted: ICED.

23. "Fore!" site: TEE 😀

24. Bundles: WADS.

26. Earring parts: POSTS.

28. Ending of "Oedipus": SIGMA - Oedipus is spelled Οιδίπους in Greek. The last letter is the lower case Greek letter SIGMA

31. Put on a bashful front: ACT COY.

35. Overdrive: HIGH GEAR.

37. Line for waiters: PLEASE BE PATIENT - All these peeps are in line and waiting to get to the top of Mt. Everest

39. Cannes Film Festival prize: PALME D'OR - Golden Palm

40. Prankster with opposable thumbs: MONKEY.

41. Aisha of "Archer": TYLER.

42. Oman neighbor: YEMEN.

44. Go, to the dogs: MUSH - 😀 The comma in the clue made this my fav clue.

46. General concern: WAR.

47. Material for some biodegradable bags: HEMP.

51. Kitchen work: PREP.

53. St. __ Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub: IVES ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

55. "Brave" studio: PIXAR - It netted a $350 M profit at the box office

56. Zest source: RIND - I loved orange marmalade before I knew it was zest from the RIND that gave it such a distinctive flavor

57. "Great, now we're pouting": REAL MATURE.

59. Smell: ODOR.

60. Messages that something's gone wrong: ERROR CODES.

61. Word in skin care ads: DEWY.

62. One who has seen it all: EYEWITNESS.

Down:

1. Paper used in origami: WASHI ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

2. Unfinished story, perhaps: ATTIC 😀 Oh, the top story of a house

3. "Still Me" memoirist Christopher: REEVE - My favorite movie portrayer of Superman wrote this after his horse riding accident left him paralyzed.

4. Wore a long face: MOPED.

5. Addresses with dots: URLS. 😀

6. Org. with many excellent drivers: PGA - Fore!

7. Big scoops: LADLES.

8. "... somehow nothing has changed": AND YET HERE WE ARE.

9. Huntington Beach landmark: PIER.

10. Item that's often turned in: SCREW 😀

11. "Our food's getting cold!": LET'S DIG IN.

12. One who might crunch numbers for fun: STATS GEEK - Uh, I might be guilty 

13. Orchard unit: ACRE.

14. Spring break?: THAW.

23. Trifled (with): TOYED.

25. Running back Jeanty who was runner-up for the 2024 Heisman Trophy: ASHTON.

26. Tough puzzles: POSERS.

27. Nurse: SIP.

29. Thick hair: MANE.

30. Like some indie movies: ARTY.

31. Cal. entry: APPT.

32. Roland Garros surface: CLAY - The CLAY court in Paris is named for WWI air hero Roland Garros who died in combat in 1918 but never played tennis.

 

33. "I can't wait for an answer!": TELL ME NOW.

34. Left empty-handed, in a way: CAME UP DRY - In this state that depends heavily on irrigation this can be a big problem

36. Fortnite streamer, e.g.: GAMER ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  An online streaming game

38. Little dude: BOY.

43. Psychologist who created a notable hierarchy: MASLOW - I'm sure I memorized this list when I got my M.A. in Counseling.

45. New team member: HIREE.

47. Suddenly come up with: HIT ON - Dick Fosbury HIT ON the idea of high jumping with his face up and completely changed the sport.

48. Radiate: EXUDE.

49. Some stable parents: MARES 😀

50. Iron: PRESS.

51. Nudge: PROD.

52. Wheels: RIDE.

54. VIP member?: VERY 😀

55. Formal agreement: PACT.

58. Scan that may diagnose a torn ACL: MRI - “An MRI has confirmed that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sustained a torn ACL in his left knee in today’s game. Patrick and the club are currently exploring surgical options.”