Sunday June 21, 2026 Jeffrey Diton & Katie Hale

 Theme: "M&M'S" - Every theme entry is a well-known person whose initials are M.M.

22. The Duchess of Sussex: MEGHAN MARKLE.

41. Rebecca Pearson player on "This Is Us": MANDY MOORE.

43. Comedian whose podcast's final episode featured Barack Obama: MARC MARON.

64. Anthropologist who theorized that children learn by watching adults: MARGARET MEAD.

73. Oscar winner who gave her acceptance speech in ASL: MARLEE MATLIN.

95. Austin Powers portrayer: MIKE MYERS.

97. Actress who won a Tony and an Emmy for playing Peter Pan: MARY MARTIN.

118. Hall of Famer who holds the record for most World Series home runs: MICKEY MANTLE.

 

This is a very straightforward theme. Meghan Markle's debut in a major newspaper crossword. I was especially happy to see Marc Maron, whose long-running podcast often closed with the phrase "Boomer lives!"

 

This is also Jeffrey's first Sunday for the LAT. Congrats!

Across:

1. Record player?: DEEJAY. Great clue to start.

7. __ accompli: FAIT.

11. Swimwear top: BRA. We all wear swimsuits at our pool. The lady in front is Jan, who was a lifeguard for many years.

14. Secrecy doc: NDA. Non-Disclosure Agreement.

17. Wrap: ENROBE.

18. British unit of mass: TONNE. 21. British unit of length: METRE.

19. Singer Rawls: LOU.

20. Like a good handshake: FIRM.

24. Dines after 10, say: EATS LATE.

26. Go to press?: IRON.

27. B'way passes: TIX.

28. Stops talking about: LETS DROP. The topic.

30. Comedy routine: BIT.

31. Gradually stop nursing: WEAN.

33. Fix, as a pool cue: RE-TIP.

34. Shop online, say: ETAILER. Noun "shop".

36. Bolt down the track?: USAIN. His nickname is "Lightning Bolt". Beautiful family.

39. Numbered work: OPUS.

45. Griffith Observatory style: DECO.  The observatory opened in 1935, right in the heyday of Art Deco architecture.

46. Review that might go viral: PAN.

47. Strike: PICKET.

48. Typesetting unit: PICA.

50. Lucy's sitcom chum: ETHEL.Ethel Mertz.

52. "Fire away": ASK.

55. __-mo: SLO.

56. Valvoline rival: STP.

58. Establishment with teas and tabbies: CAT CAFE. The first cat cafés appeared in Asia before spreading around the world. 

60. Sunset dirección: OESTE. West in Spanish.

62. Fan sound: WHIRR.

66. __ latte: CHAI. Do you cold brew tea in the summer?

69. Pee Wee of baseball: REESE.

71. Quintet that occasionally becomes a sextet: AEIOU.

72. Milky Way maker: MARS. Not the planet but the confectionery giant.

76. Eleanor in a Beatles hit: RIGBY.

78. "You know the __": DRILL.

79. Hair band: ELASTIC.

81. Pic of Pinocchio: CEL. Traditional animated films were created by painting characters onto transparent cels.

82. One of Tarzan's adopted family: APE.

85. Irish actor Stephen: REA. "The Crying Game"

86. Academy student: CADET.

88. James of "Misery": CAAN.

90. Malia and Sasha, to Craig Robinson: NIECES. Brother of Michelle Obama. 

92. __ phrik: Thai chili sauce: NAM. Made from pounded chilies, garlic, shallots, and lime juice, and shrimp paste or fish sauce. Odd but very tasty dip for green mango slices.

93. Casual get-together: SESH.

101. Dog biscuit shape: BONE.

102. Green pasta sauce: PESTO.

103. Detail, as a bill: ITEMIZE.

104. South Asian pancakes: DOSAS.  Rice-and-lentil pancakes.

106. Not more: LESS.

108. Reply to a meme, perhaps: LOL.

109. "I'll just leave a message": NO ANSWER.

111. "I'm __ yours!": ALL.

112. "My bad!": OOPS.

116. 87-Down predator: ANACONDA. 87. Area with the world's largest rainforest: AMAZONIA. Fortunately, Minnesota's lakes are free of anacondas.

121. 32-country org.: NATO.

122. Apple platform: IOS.

123. With 89-Down, "Delta of Venus" writer: ANAIS. 89. See 123-Across: NIN.

124. Polynesian language: SAMOAN.

125. Relay part: LEG.

126. TV journalist Cabrera: ANA.

127. Geek (out): NERD.

128. Famous last words?: THE END. Aptly placed as the last entry.

Down:

1. Prefix with -tasse: DEMI.

2. Cabinet dept. with a sun on its seal: ENER.

3. Therefore: ERGO.

4. Film assassin played by Keanu Reeves: JOHN WICK.

5. Legal org.: ABA.

6. Busybody: YENTA.

7. Not against: FOR.

8. Spots for some bracelets: ANKLES.

9. Cove: INLET.

10. Start of a round: TEE TIME. Golf round.

11. Wasn't colorfast: BLED.

12. Laughed loudly: ROARED.

13. Option in some password managers: AUTO-TYPE.

14. Org. with Cowboys and Chiefs: NFL.

15. Devil, in Spanish: DIABLO. The author of "Juno" is Diablo Cody.

16. More stylized: ARTIER.

18. Burden: TAX.

23. Key word?: MINOR.

25. Musical based on "Monty Python and the Holy Grail": SPAMALOT.

29. Modernistic: SPACE AGE.

32. Tangle up: ENMESH.

33. Like an ancient alphabet: RUNIC.

35. Charged particle: ION.

36. Strike callers: UMPS.

37. Cruise (by): SAIL.

38. Not pizzicato: ARCO. With the bow.  In string music, pizzicato instructs players to pluck the strings with their fingers, while arco tells them to return to using the bow.

40. Dad: POP.

42. "The injustice!": NOT FAIR.

44. Wardrobe: ATTIRE.

45. Mining target: DATA. Data mining.

49. Bedouin mounts: CAMELS.

51. Like Superman: HEROIC.

52. Far from land: ASEA.

53. Take the lead: STAR.

54. Shoe brand founded by U.S. Rubber: KEDS. Didn't know this.

57. Program for some psych majors: PRE-MED.

59. Skulls: CRANIA.

61. "The Pitt" award: EMMY. Medical drama set in Pennsylvania.

62. Last words, often: WILL.

63. Most genuine: REALEST.

65. University of Oregon city: EUGENE.

66. Nav. officer: CMDR.

67. Fabulous loser?: HARE. Another fun clue.

68. Diva's big moment: ARIA.

70. Driver's licenses, e.g.: STATE IDS.

74. Chevy coupe with a cargo bed: EL CAMINO. 

75. Hankering: ITCH.

77. Goodyear fleet: BLIMPS.

80. Stealthy patterns, for short: CAMOS.

82. Fab: ACES.

83. Saucy: PERT.

84. Canadian gas brand: ESSO. The name comes from pronouncing the initials "S.O." for Standard Oil.

91. "Class, pay attention!": EYES ON ME.

92. MLB team in blue and orange: NYM. New York Mets.

94. Olaf, for one: SNOWMAN.

96. __ green: KELLY.

97. La Scala locale: MILAN.

98. Like music that's hard to sing along to: ATONAL.

99. Connect: RELATE.

100. Continue enjoying a book: READ ON.

101. Train lounge: BAR CAR.

105. Rive Gauche waters: SEINE. Left Bank. 

107. Horror film loc.: ELM ST.

110. Artemis II org.: NASA.

111. Two-time loser to DDE: AES. Adlai Stevenson lost presidential races to Dwight D. Eisenhower in both 1952 and 1956.

113. Great Plains tribe: OTOE.

114. Think ahead: PLAN.

115. Email action: SEND.

117. Gear tooth: COG.

119. Josh: KID.

120. Pleased sigh: AAH.

C.C.

Friday, December 3, 2021, Jeffrey Diton

 Title: A timely tribute to Broadway.

We all know (or should know) that puzzles are scheduled long before publication. However with the recent death of Broadway ICON Steven Sondheim, it seems some outside influence created this time slot for our entertainment and reflection. And dramatically none of the eight (8) huge hits were created by Sondheim. I am however, foreshadowing the write-up, so it is time to get to work.

My internet sleuthing located Jeffrey Diton both at the Crossword Collaboration Directory* and on Facebook.  It seems he is "retired and living the dream in Cary, North Carolina" though I know not his vocation.  This is his world wide debut puzzle so let's give him a round of applause. (too much foreshadowing)? Not unexpectedly this puzzle does not check all the usual Friday difficulty boxes - too many words, word lengths too short - but he does bring some pizzaz.  PET MD, ICEMAN,  KRAUSS, LOW-RES, MIDORI , YASGUR, ALL YEAR,  MISTRIAL and SLEEPERS are all solid fill. The ones in red are new. If you did not trek to Western NY on August 19, 1969, you probably don't know Max Yasgur and his farm in Bethel. N. Y. but those are stories for a different day. What he does do is include in each theme answer 2 one-word Broadway musicals. I find no commonality within the selection that determines which he chose, I hope he comes by and explains. 

16A. Nightclub for seasonal workers?: ELF CABARET (10). Malls hire elves to accompany Santa and we all enjoy a night out at a cabaret, old chum. LINK 1 and LINK 2

22A. Reaction to opening a can of Whiskas?: CATS APPLAUSE 

(12). I do not know any kitties who applaud but maybe you all have videos. LINK 1 and LINK 2

47. Like the Charles River in February, to a local?: WICKED FROZEN (12). You need to know the Charles flows through Boston where wicked is a catch all adjective and its does get f.... I mean wicked cold. Watching WICKED  on Broadway starring Idina Menzel with my two sons is a great memory for me. This group also is the only one of the themers I know of in which a star (IM, not ours) stars in both. I have not seen the  FROZEN musical.

56A. Styling gel for a '50's teenager?: HAIR GREASE (10). HAIR with it's nudity was very bold for Broadway and GREASE  a wonderful tribute to WEST SIDE STORY a Stephen Sondheim musical.

And the unusual Friday reveal:

34. Hit shows, and a hint to four puzzle answers: BROADWAY SMASHES. I am not sure if this was Jeffrey's intention, but I parse the clue for the show with individual names as Broadway Smashes, but for the entire answer Broadway's Mashes. YMMV.

Across:

1. Some model home residents: DOLLS. A very cute beginning.

6. Wrinkle, as one's brow: KNIT. HISTORY.

10. Rocky greetings: YOS. From the movie, not a bad romance. 

13. '40s-'50s "Giant Brain": ENIAC. This is the 48th appearance of this fill in the LAT.

14. Streaming biggie: ROKU.  Read all about IT.

15. Gas station convenience: MART. This one was slow in coming for me. 

18. Capital on a fjord: OSLO. Norway here we come.

19. Easter supply: DYE. Of course EGG fits also.

20. Watson portrayer opposite Jonny Lee Miller's Holmes: LIU.

21. California athlete: ANGEL. Baseball in Anaheim.

26. Hardly well: RARE. Very nice Friday deception, not ill but not cooked much.

29. Surprise hits: SLEEPERS. This sense of the word may have originated in the world of gambling in the nineteenth century. When a card player unexpectedly drew a winning card, the card was called "a sleeper."

30. Pontificates: OPINES. C.C. has mostly eliminated that from this blog's posts.

33. Narrow strip of wood: LATH. The name derived from the spreading action, which is like pulling an accordion open. wiki

40. Top-notch: A-ONE. From astronauts HG? I know they own A-OK.

41. Note in the key of B major: D-SHARP. I know nothing but B major (or the key of B) is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, and A♯ are all part of the B major scale. more wiki

42. Hung jury result: MISTRIAL. A victory for a criminal defendant.

46. Pop of pop music: IGGY. An 80's phenomenon.
                             

50. Nice thoughts?: IDEES. The French Connection.

51. What "W" may mean: WIN. L loss.

52. Pilot or Explorer: SUV. The world has been overrun by this vehicle choice. The fact that they now can get 30 to 50 mpg or are electric has helped.

55. Gold rush town where Wyatt Earp ran the Dexter Saloon: 

NOME.  LINK.

60. "Dagnabbit!": DRAT.

61. Wind from the French for "high wood": OBOE. The name oboe was originally hautbois, or "high, loud wood" in French, also sometimes spelled hoboy in English. The Italians transliterated the French name to oboè, and the English followed around 1770 with oboe. Oo has friends called Bo which leads me to many bad musical puns.

62. Baseball VIP: OWNER.

63. Half of a Chinese pair: YIN. I wouldn't YANG your chain about that.

64. Conference giveaways: PENS. I have so many free pens in my house but they do not last long as they are very...

65. Demanding attention: NEEDY.

Down:

1. Act: DEED. Do a good one. It...

2. Just: ONLY. Takes a moment and can improve someone's

3. Long sentence: LIFE. A strained bit of incarceration humor.

4. Lakers rivals, on NBA scoreboards: LAC. The Clippers

5. Milan's La __: SCALA. Charlotte has her Ballet debut this coming Sunday.

6. Alison of bluegrass: KRAUSS. An intersting Duet.
                                        
7. Scand. land: NORway. It's back.

8. Prez after Harry: IKE. Nicknames not initials.

9. Tsk relative: TUT. King?

10. Max who owned the Woodstock farmland: YASGUR. An interesting HISTORY.

11. Discount phrase: OR LESS. Is it ever less?

12. Pinched: STOLE. This is a fun word which has so many meanings including stealing and being arrested; rather a broad spectrum. See 26D. Hold up: ROB. Not Reiner.

15. "Hidden Figures" actress Janelle __: MONAE. This MOVIE

17. Tiny amount: BIT.

21. Top dogs: ALPHAS. They no longer are just males.

22. Wrestler-turned-actor John: CENA. Thank you all for last week, as I was unsure if "S" or "C."

23. Not seasonal: ALL YEAR. As a condo dweller this is a very familiar concept.

24. Pod residents?: PEAS. But do they pay rent or taxes?

25. Website for animal owners: PETMD. This is an awesome tool for anyone who has and/or loves animals. LINK.

27. Fig. in lending: APR. All you never asked about but should know about the difference between APR and INTEREST RATE.

28. 2016 Olympics city: RIO. Too soon to forget.

31. Tinder outings: E-DATES. Never tried it. Are they E-xciting?

32. There's a point to it: SWORD. Very fun, unless it is being stuck into you.

35. "It's not __, it's a when": AN IF. An old fahioned threat!

36. __ guard: SHIN. Football (soccer) players unite.

37. Crone: HAG.

38. Unit of energy: ERG.

39. Bond, for one: SPY. Excited about the new movie or the Rock wanting to be the new Bond?

42. Olympic skater Ito: MIDORI. Which came first, the skater or the

DRINK.

43. Certain clutch player, in sports parlance: ICEMAN. I think of
                        
44. Shooting competition: SKEET. Good for hand to eye coordination and to keep the skeet population under control.

45. A bit fuzzy, as an image: LOW RES. Not Hi-res.

47. Blowing a lot: WINDY. Chicago, chicago, my kind of town.

48. Evasive maneuver: ZIG. Or do you need to zag also?

49. 2001 scandal subject: ENRON. Greed games.
                

52. Sound: SANE. Which they were not as they decided  to go after the new ones not the...

53. Secondhand: USED. In the land of Rolls Royces, designer dresses and Rolexes used stuff is very popular for the almost and the wannabe.

54. To a high degree: VERY. There is little chance I will dance this dance.

56. Bunny __: HOP.             

57. White House nickname: ABE. He has been linked to the Civil War.

58. Charged particle: ION. Why don't they just pay cash?

59. Farm mom: EWE. Not me !

Gee, I am worn out and it is only 7:00PM. I was fascinated by MalMan's write-up today going back to the old minimalist ways of the early blogs, but I also really enjoy all that Hahtoolah, Waseely, Chairman Moe and the rest find and link. Ah, decisions. Welcome Jeffrey D. come see us and thank you and the readers and posters

First the grid:

Next,

Four ballerinas in rehearsal:

I am out