Saturday, July 25, 2026, Mike Graczyk

 Saturday Themeless by Mike Graczyk

A fun solve on what appears to be Mike's initial LA Times puzzle. My trek started in the NE with my Greek wife's least favorite salad and expanding out from there.

Across:

1. "Who's interested?": ANY TAKERS - Knowing the real issues for this trip, this NASA guy knows all the perils and is a hard no! 

NOT ME!

10. Saw: ADAGE.

15. "Do I know you?": HAVE WE MET.

16. Historic site in Jordan known as the Rose City: PETRA - One of the new seven wonders of the world

17. Eggs-cellent breakfast spot: 😀 OMELET BAR.

18. "Door's open!": ENTER.

19. "You bet!": YES.

20. Pinch-hit: STEP IN - What we subs do during the school year

22. Next: THEN.

23. Hardly pusillanimous: BOLD.

24. Bears named for an Alaskan archipelago: KODIAKS.

26. Call it a day: GO HOME.

29. People who pay flat rates?: TENANTS - I think we all know what an apartment is called in the UK

30. Wistful words: I HOPE.

31. Went to court?: WOOED - 😀 Court is a verb here.

32. One who loves ewe very much: RAM.

34. Migrators in the Maasai Mara's Great Migration: GNUS.

35. Brook swimmer: TROUT.

36. Brand of shapewear: BALI.

37. Brief alarm: SOS.

38. Essence: POINT.

39. Test versions: BETAS.

40. Takes back: RECANTS.

42. "You bet!": SURE DO.

43. Ouster: DEPOSAL - Ouster : Oust :: Deposal : Depose 

44. One thing after another: LIST.

45. Campus building: HALL - My home for two years

46. Connecticut governor Ned: LAMONT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

48. Rugby ball prop: TEE.

51. Taco truck option: ASADA.

53. Places to break some records?: RAGE ROOMS - or break most anything else

55. Hammer and anvil, for two: BONES.

56. "I wish wearing flat-irons on our heads would keep us from __": "Little Women": GROWING UP.

57. IV part: INTRA.

58. "No prob": EASY PEASY.

Down:

1. "Hello, sailor!": AHOY.

2. Appellation: NAME - For wine: An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated,

3. __ Rocher cosmetics: YVES ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

4. Office no.: TEL.

5. "Way cool!": AWESOME - In my opinion, this is the most overused adjective used today

6. Boiling point?: KETTLE 😀

7. War zone journalist: EMBED.

8. Bring in: REAP.

9. Go down swinging, perhaps: STRIKE OUT.

10. Mimic: APE.

11. Tooth component: DENTIN.

12. "If we stayed on such a road ... ": AT THAT RATE - Ten minutes/hole. AT THAT RATE we should be done in three hours.

13. Dish with feta and Kalamatas: GREEK SALAD.

14. Brings in: EARNS.

21. Largish combo: NONET - Nine, count 'em, nine

23. Catchy tunes, informally: BOPS.

25. Pops: DAD.

26. Some play dates?: GIGS - My grandson will be taking his years of experience, his Master's Degree and connections to NYC to play some GIGS.

27. "Just wondering": OH NO REASON - Yeah, right...

28. Leaves for one's residence?: HOUSE PLANT.

29. Pluto and others: TOONS.

31. Plain to see: WRITLARGE.

33. Soup often served with gyoza: MISO.

35. Like some languages: TONAL.

36. Muppet who loves pigeons: BERT.

38. Faux finish?: PAS - I have made many a faux PAS in my life.

39. Way to travel with class?: BUS TRIP - I travelled the 1,400 miles to KSC with 23 classes with airplanes but never on a BUS. 😳

41. "You're even farther now ... ": COLDER - The opposite...

42. Muscular: SINEWY.

43. Abu __: DHABI - The silent "H" threw me for a while 

44. Screen icons: LOGOS.

47. "Matilda" star Wilson: MARA.

48. Caesar wrap?: TOGA. 😀

49. Cassowary kin: EMUS.

50. Award for top plays?: ESPY - ESPN's yearly awards for top sports plays 

52. Butterfield of "Sex Education": ASA.

54. Number worn by Oscar Robertson: ONE.

Saturday, July 18, 2026, Ricky Sirois

 Saturday Themeless by Ricky Sirois

Ricky provided me with a very pleasant 29-minute solve that evolved from the bottom up with long fills emerging and becoming the seeds from which the rest of the fill emerged.

When this picture was taken in 2022, Ricky was the Assistant Director of the Concord, MA Public Library and a participant in The National Scrabble Players Championships.

Across:

1. Doctrines: DOGMATA - Dogma leapt to my mind and so its plural filled the bill.

8. Incomplete Wikipedia article: STUB - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ A stub is an article that is deemed too short and incomplete to provide in-depth encyclopedic coverage of a subject.

12. 1990s sketch comedy show: IN LIVING COLOR - This show ran on the then-new Fox Network and launched some very famous careers such as Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez.

15. PBS series hosted by librarian Mychal Threets: READING RAINBOW - I fondly remember when this show first appeared in 1983 with LeVar Burton as the host.

LeVar                         Mychal

17. Lemon juice?: GAS 😀

 

18. Javelin: SPEAR.

19. Strong suit: ASSET.

21. Conditional word: ELSE - If you issue a threat that ends in "OR ELSE", you'd better have an idea what that ELSE might be.

23. Senior: OLDER.

25. Mother of Apollo and Artemis: LETO.

26. Shaping tool: LATHE.

28. Tillamook's state: OREGON - Where you can find the home of great cheese and ice cream 

30. Blast: BALL.

32. "Am I free to go?": ARE WE DONE - AREWE _ O _ _ first gave me ARE WE GOOD?

34. Complex trap: WEB.

35. Nail salon brand: OPI - A frequent cwd polish brand

37. Gen __: XER - We two Boomers raised two Gen-XERS, born 1967 and 1971

38. __ États-Unis: LES - lez-ay-taz-yoo-nee

39. Recklessly: HEAD FIRST.

42. Has a summer job?: ADDS - 😀 We crossword peeps always suspect that a flower might be a river and a summer might be someone finds sums by adding. 

44. Recently: OF LATE.

45. Birds paraded on Saint Stephen's Day in Ireland: WRENS - No, they don't get those little birds to line up 😀 More

47. Pressing need: IRON.

48. Hardship: TRIAL - PP&M sing that TRIALS don't last forever.

50. Grow friendlier: THAW.

54. Squeals: SINGS - Or rats or tells or narcs 

56. __ nerve: OPTIC.

58. Like: ALA.

59. "Regardless of what you think ... ": BELIEVE IT OR NOT - A vintage 1930 version. Wow, power steering forecast almost 100 years ago!

62. "I deserved that": SERVES ME RIGHT.

63. "Do-Re-Mi" figure: DEER a female deer...

64. Spanish wives: ESPOSAS - Hmmm...

Down:

1. Expression of grief: DIRGE.

2. Youngest Oscar winner: O'NEAL.

1974 Candidates

3. Part of a frame job?: GLASS 😀 - Could be used for art 

4. Just OK: MID.😐 Meh...

5. Dollar alternative: AVIS.

6. Second-rate: TINPOT - This TINPOT leaped to my mind

7. Capellini: ANGEL HAIR.

8. Alarm: SCARE.

9. French pronoun: TOI.

10. Pinkie-side bone: ULNA.

11. Gravity-powered racer: BOBSLED - SOAPBOX fit so nicely but...

13. Equipment that may level the playing field: GRADER.

14. Copper alloy popularized by its use in Fabergé eggs: ROSE GOLD.

 

16. Wipes brand: WET ONES.

20. Vocal qualities: TONES.

22. Lens opening?: ELL - A meta clue we see often here

24. Sports reporter Holly: ROWE - Holly is a proud cancer survivor and sometimes works with no or very little hair.

27. Up in the air: ALOFT.

29. Played over: RERAN.

30. Barbecue option: BEEF RIB.

31. Snacks for sea otters: ABALONES.

33. Leeway for a test-taker: EXTRA TIME - Standardized tests forbid this

34. Start of some "Jeopardy!" responses: WHO IS - The correct question is at the bottom of this write-up. 

36. Neoplasticism pioneer Mondrian: PIET  - Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue' (1939-41). Experts say the original would sell for $20M or more today.

40. Offered as an inducement: DANGLED.

41. App gestures: SWIPES.

43. Setting not observed by most of Arizona: Abbr.: DST.

46. Ruling classes: ELITES.

49. Opportunity on Mars, e.g.: ROVER 😀

51. Chills: HANGS - Derived from "hang out"

52. Word in many Polynesian languages: ALOHA.

53. Los Angeles neighborhood where many Walter Mosley novels are set: WATTS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

55. Royal address: SIRE.

57. Business org.: CORP.

60. Anticipatory period: EVE.

61. Duran Duran album with the hit "Hungry Like the Wolf": RIO - Some serious Saturday cluing for RIO

Correct Jeopardy question is: WHO IS Celine Dion?