Saturday, November 14, 2026, Kareem Ayas and Brian Callahan

Saturday Themeless by Kareem Ayas and Brian Callahan

 

Kareem and his Siberian
Husky Kane

Kareem and Brian provided a lovely 18-minute walk in the park for me. It seemed I was on their wavelength all through the puzzle. The entire east filled and then I started up the west coast where the stack of 9's gave way for a nicely earned "got 'er done". Pinwheel stacks of 9's and 10's are always impressive and provide great help even with clever cluing.

Brian

Across:

1. Imitation game?: SIMON SAYS - A professional game (5:37)

10. Razzie Award adjective: WORST.

15. The masses: HOI POLLOI - Hoi (the) POLLI (many)

16. Japanese breed: AKITA.

17. Mark's words: IT'S A SETUP - Mark is capitalized because it is the first word in the sentence but the word is really referring to a dupe or mark who is being cheated.

George is a 
natural mark

18. Doesn't go deep: WADES.

19. Touch lightly: PAT.

20. Surface Pro rival: I PAD - The Surface Pro is big on NFL sidelines

 

21. Watch in astonishment: GAPE AT.

22. Place for drawing lots?: ART ROOM - Also useful for lots of drawings 😀

24. Tropical spot: ISLE - The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert ISLE
With Gilligan, the Skipper too... C'mon you know the lyrics.

25. Queen of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy: PADME ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

28. Chinese coin: YUAN - In China, a Big Mac Combo Meal costs ¥35 CNY

30. Tarboosh, e.g.: HAT - More commonly known as a fez ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

31. Emerged: AROSE - From a poem that we will be hearing soon: Out on the lawn there AROSE such a clatter...

32. __ voce: SOTTO - I don't speak or sing softly

33. Make like: APE.

34. Part of many a Shaggy dog story, casually: SCOOB.

35. Calendar col.: TUE.

36. Hankook products: TIRES.

38. Sailor: TAR.

39. Eggy?: OVOID.

41. Do a virtual game night, say: E MEET - Anything electronic can use an "E" out front.

42. Big name in payroll processing: ADP.

43. Tab: BILL.

44. Whole to-dos?: TASKS.

45. Sniff out: SEEK.

47. Brimless topper: PILL BOX - Jackie's famous hat from that fateful day in 1963

The pink Chanel knock-off suit Jacqueline Kennedy wore on that historic day in Dallas in 1963 currently resides in an environmentally controlled storage facility in Maryland, complete with its blood stains. Banned from public display until 2103, the outfit is missing one important element - the matching pillbox hat. Mrs. Kennedy removed the hat at Parkland Hospital and it was last seen in the hands of Mary Gallagher, her personal secretary, but in the melee of the day, Gallagher nor anyone else recalls what happened to it after that.

50. Nods, maybe: AGREES.

52. __ ex machina: DEUS - A Latin phrase meaning "god from the machine: " referring to a plot device where an unsolvable storyline problem is abruptly solved by an unexpected, unlikely person, event, or object. 

53. Inflation no.: PSI - Tire pressure unit

56. Shone a light on?: LASED - The Moon gets LASED everyday from Earth. The beams bounce off reflectors left by Apollo astronauts and return to Earth. The round trip takes about 2.5 seconds and give the distance to the Moon down to a millimeter or about the thickness of a dime.

57. Screen name?: MOVIE STAR.

59. In the midst of: AMONG.

60. Cocktail party fare?: SMALL TALK.

61. Like osmium: DENSE.

 

62. Events such as crossword tournaments, endearingly: NERD FESTS - A lot of these participants are not even close to being NERDS

Down:

1. Root for romantically, in slang: SHIP - Another example of the modern convention of removing a syllable from a word: relationSHIP

2. Character in "Antigone"?: IOTA - There is no character named IOTA in the play but the word Antigone does have the letter/character IOTA in it.

3. Output from some handheld fans: MIST.

4. Vater of Vater, informally: OPA - In German, the father (Vater) of your father (Vater) can be affectionately called your grandfather (OPA).

5. Folksy denial: NO SIREE BOB.

6. Enjoyed a night out?: SLEPT 😀

7. Rite place: ALTAR.

8. "Let's just not get in each other's way": YOU DO YOU I'LL DO ME.

9. Savor, say: SIP.

10. East Coast market chain: WAWA.

11. Endangered mammal in Congolese rainforests: OKAPI.

12. Pool parties?: RIDE SHARES - I have SHARED RIDES in several carpools 

13. Eye on the sly: STEAL A PEEK.

14. Trying times?: TASTE TESTS.

21. Exam for a future financier, for short: GMAT.

22. Indignant response: AM SO.

23. Unmasked: OUTED - Not a good thing when someone does not wish to be OUTED

25. Bow ties that are not out of place at a picnic: PASTA SALAD 😀 My DW makes a great SALAD using bow tie PASTA.

26. Asteroids, for one: ARCADE GAME - These games saw a lot of quarters in their day.

27. Entry level position?: DOOR PERSON 😀 - Jerry's real life friend Larry Miller played a DOORMAN who gets into a confrontation with Jerry in Seinfeld 

29. "Dear future me ... ": NOTE TO SELF.

32. Skyy alternative: STOLI - Among others

37. "Oppenheimer" format: IMAX.

40. Big deals: VIPS - Some "VIPS "are not as big of a deal as they think

46. Some rugged water shoes: KEENS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

48. "Trivial Pursuit" host Burton: LEVAR.

49. Play with Lincoln Logs, say: BUILD - As kids, we got these and Tinker Toys because we could not afford an Erector set.

51. Advantage: EDGE.

53. Fundraising gps.: PTAS.

54. Sailor: SALT.

55. Gets hot: IRKS.

57. Web portal with a butterfly logo: MSN.

58. Office building div.: STE.

Sunday December 14, 2025 Kareem Ayas & Brian Callahan

Theme: "EN MASSE" - ON is added to the end of each common phrase.

23. "Don't be afraid to embrace fan fiction!"?: KICK THE CANON. Kick the can.

30. Encouraging message to a sad nobleman?: CHINUP BARON. Chinup bar. Partial dupe with 77. Rec room amenity: WET BAR.

51. Garment that's entirely unsuitable for cooking?: ZERO PERCENT APRON. Zero percent APR.

68. Title for Elroy during his boot camp days?: PRIVATE JETSON. Private jet. 

90. Game that involves old-fashioned wine vessels?: CAPTURE THE FLAGON. Capture the flag.

108. Offering from an African republic?: GIFT OF GABON. Gift of gab. 

122. Feature of a "Twilight" relay race?: VAMPIRE BATON. Vampire bat.

Reveal:

133. Appended, or an alternate title for this puzzle: ADDED ON.

Classic LAT Sunday with a super consistent set. Each base phrase has the ON appended at the end.

This type of letter addition/deletion/insertion theme looks simple on the surface, they do take skills to clue well.  You want each new phrase to land whimsically and read naturally in its new context. I really like the images 30A & 122A conjure up.

This is Kareem's first Sunday LAT. Congrats, Kareem! Brian has been a regular LAT constructor for a few years.

Across:

1. "Look, I'm on TV!": THAT'S ME.

8. Promising spot?: ALTAR. I do.

13. Skewed views: BIASES.

19. Substance in an Erlenmeyer flask, maybe: CHEMICAL. A la Wikipedia: Erlenmeyer flask is a type of laboratory flask with a flat bottom, a conical body, and a cylindrical neck. It is named after the German chemist Emil Erlenmeyer (1825–1909), who invented it in 1860.

20. Pont Neuf river: SEINE.

21. Withstand: ENDURE.

22. Boxing judge locale: RINGSIDE.

25. Folklore beasts: OGRES.

26. Snacking syllable: NOM. 

28. More reserved: SHYER.

29. Waterfall spray: MIST. I was once as tall as the Minnehaha Falls.

34. Falafel holders: PITAS.

36. Was, in Spanish: ERA. Shi, in Chinese.

37. Bird in much Australian art: EMU.

38. "Let me give you some advice ... ": HERE'S A TIP.

42. Some BrickLink.com buys: LEGO SETS. BrickLink is owned by Lego.

47. Give a name to: DUB.

49. Kathmandu citizen: NEPALI.

50. __ smasher: ATOM.

56. __ mail: SNAIL.

58. Father: SIRE.

59. Extravagant: LUXE.

60. For fear that: LEST.

61. Body art: TATTOO.

63. Tear up: CRY.

65. "We made the right choice": IT'S BEST.

73. Tart citrus drink: LIMEADE.

76. Bud: PAL.

82. Trig ratio: SINE.

83. Goddess whose tears flood the Nile: ISIS. Such a powerful figure. She even resurrected her husband.

86. Some classic PCs: IBMS.

89. Tropical sorbet flavor: GUAVA.

95. Inconsequential moment: BLIP.

96. Discomfort: UNEASE.

97. Not 'neath: OER.

98. Some cards checked by the TSA: STATE IDS.

100. Part of a swing set?: DANCE STEP. Ah swing dance.

103. Gives the nod: OKS.

106. Arequipa auntie: TIA. Arequipa is second most populated city in Peru.

107. Sean of "Stranger Things": ASTIN.

114. At all: EVER.

117. "Rome wasn't built in a day," e.g.: ADAGE.

120. Fawn's mom: DOE.

121. Deli device: SCALE.

125. Venues such as Shakespeare's Globe: THEATRES.

128. Consumption: INTAKE.

129. Agile: LITHE.

130. Berated: RAILED AT.

131. Newman of kid-lit: LESLEA. She wrote "Heather Has Two Mommies".

132. Foe: ENEMY.

Down:

1. Chicken piece: THIGH.

2. "Bathers by a River" painter Matisse: HENRI.

3. Biotech giant: AMGEN. And 5. Bio, for one: SCI.

4. Allergy season needs: TISSUES.

6. Furious: MAD.

7. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.

8. Unsure parent's response: ASK MOM.

9. Flower ring: LEI.

10. Peculiar habits: TICS.

11. Egyptian symbol also called the "key of life": ANKH.

12. Input again: RETYPE.

13. Oktoberfest structure: BEER TENT. 41. 13-Down purchase, perhaps: PINT.

14. Fortune rival: INC.

15. Lump in one's throat?: ADAM'S APPLE. Great fill/clue combo.

16. Olympic gymnast Lee: SUNI. She grew up in St. Paul, MN.

17. Aphrodite's son: EROS.

18. Email status: SENT.

19. Footwear with Jibbitz charms: CROC.

24. __ apparent: HEIR.

27. Unrefined rock: ORE.

31. Abe, for one: PREZ.

32. Kathy of "Matlock": BATES.

33. On a streak?: NUDE. Ha.

35. On the briny: ASEA.

38. Alabama St., e.g.: HBCU. Historically Black College or University.

39. Container weight allowances: TARES.

40. "They beat me": I LOST.

42. Word with chance or dance: LAST.

43. Volcano featured in the second season of "The White Lotus": ETNA. Never watched the show.

44. Superlative acronym: GOAT.

45. Leave out: OMIT.

46. Title of respect: SRI.

48. Clickable link: URL.

52. Seal hunter: ORCA.

53. Sassy: PERT.

54. Cloverleaf component: EXIT.

55. Brooklyn NBA team: NETS.

57. Easy gait: LOPE.

62. "For You" singer Rita: ORA.

64. "Uh-huh": YEP.

66. Female hedgehog: SOW.

67. Uncommon blood type, for short: B NEG.

69. Romeo's final words: I DIE. Then he did.

70. Sleeveless garment: VEST.

71. Game square with bars: JAIL.

72. Actor Idris: ELBA.

73. Rainforest vine: LIANA.

74. How checks are written: IN PEN.

75. Like five bones in the hand: METACARPAL. New word for me.

78. Lip balm container: TUBE.

79. Island east of Java: BALI.

80. Eager: AVID.

81. Cardi B songs: RAPS.

82. Move fast, as clouds: SCUD.

84. Waffle House rival: IHOP.

85. Date: SEE.

87. Booker T.'s band: MGS.

88. __ voce: SOTTO.

91. Takes advantage of: USES.

92. Interstate feature: REST AREA.

93. Critter with webbed feet: FROG. Did you know that scuba divers all use frog kicks?

94. Greenhorn: NAIF.

99. Event after spring cleaning, maybe: TAG SALE.

101. Laundry brand: TIDE. 118. Laundry brand: GAIN.

102. Authorize: ENABLE.

104. Filtration organ: KIDNEY.

105. Hub served by BART: SFO.

109. Quad- kin: TETRA.

110. Made a scene?: ACTED.

111. Transitional state, in Buddhism: BARDO. Also a learning moment for me. Transitional state between death and rebirth. 

112. Western New York city: OLEAN. Wikipedia says the name is derived from the Latin word "oleum" due to the discovery of crude oil in nearby Ischua. 

113. Hawk's home: NEST.

114. Malicious: EVIL.

115. Wind indicator: VANE.

116. Some FD members: EMTS.

119. Kin of -ule: ETTE.

123. Half of a candy duo: IKE.

124. Resistance unit: OHM.

126. Gave birth to: HAD.

127. Holiday that begins with the first sighting of the crescent moon: EID. Ramadan itself also starts with the first crescent moon, while Eid marks its end.

C.C.

Thursday, April 3, 2025, Kareem Ayas

 Theme:  Join HandS!

Kareem Ayas authored a blockbuster themeless puzzle in the LA Times on Saturday, January 11, 2025.  He's back to challenge us again!  In this case, he has provided helpful circles in the grid so that we can see the theme in action.  Let's start with the reveal:

37-Across. Instruction before a group prayer, or, when parsed differently, an apt description of what 18-, 24-, 51-, and 59-Across do: JOIN HANDS.  Before a group prayer, your prayer leader may tell you to "join hands."  Parsed differently, you might JOIN H AND S.  In the other theme answers, the circled H and S get gradually closer together, until they JOIN in the last theme answer.  Once you see that each pair of circles contains H and S, it's helpful in filling some of the blank circles, and makes solving the puzzle easier.

The other theme clues and answers are:

18-Across. Upstanding citizen?: HOMO ERECTUS.  Homo erectus, literally "upright man," was a Pleistocene era human, the first to walk upright, to leave Africa and colonize Asia and Europe, and to use fire.  The first and last letters of the answer are circled, so that H and S are spaced well apart.

evolution from ape to homo computerus

24-Across. Window to a simulated world: VR HEADSET.  A virtual reality (VR) headset is a head-mounted device that uses stereoscopic displays, lenses, and sensors to create an immersive experience, allowing users to interact with computer-generated environments as if they were real. The H and S in HEADSET are circled, with only three letters between them.  They are getting closer together!

evolution from ape to homo imaginarius

51-Across. Pickle: TIGHT SPOT.  "In a pickle" is an idiomatic expression meaning "in a TIGHT SPOT" or a difficult situation.  The H of TIGHT and the S of SPOT have only one letter between them.  Closer!

We've all been there.

59-Across. Increase that might be documented on a door frame: GROWTH SPURT.  Did your parents mark your increasing height on a door frame or wall?  The H of GROWTH and the S of SPURT are circled, and they are right next to each other.  Joined, if you will.

Some people cut the door frame and take this memento when they move!

Let's put our HandS together and applaud the very useful circles!

That's right -- oh BOY, circles!

And now, we move on to the other clues and answers.

Across:

1. Drill sound: HUP.  Oh, *that* kind of drill!  One meaning of drill is military exercise.  "Hup, two, three, four" is a rhythmic cadence used to lead groups, especially soldiers, in marching. 

4. Basics: ABCs.

8. Look up to: ADMIRE.

14. Polish name?: OPI.  We see often see this brand of nail polish in the grid.

15. Shut with attitude: SLAM.

16. West African country: GUINEA.

17. "Mulan" voice actress Ming-Na __: WEN.  Ming-Na Wen is an American actress. She was honored as a Disney Legend in 2019 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.

Ming-Na Wen

18. [Theme clue]

20. A pop: EACH.  Latex balloons cost about ten cents a pop.

22. Unremarkable, in a way: NORMAL.

23. Doc with an otoscope: ENT.  An otoscope is a medical device used to examine the ear canal.  The "doc" who uses one is an "Ear, Nose, and Throat" doctor.  "Doc" is short for doctor, as ENT is short for "Ear, Nose, and Throat."

24. [Theme clue]

26. Muppet with a beloved rubber duckie: ERNIE.

Ernie and his rubber duckie

28. Hunter who goes after Bugs: ELMER.

Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

29. Motion picture pioneer: EDISON.  Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.

30. White alternative: RYE.  Bread choices!  White, whole wheat, rye, or sourdough?

31. Small cave: GROTTO.

36. Make concessions: BEND.

37. [Theme clue]

39. Trilling solo: ARIA.  To trill is to produce a quavering or warbling sound.  An aria is an elaborate melody sung (as in an opera) by a single voice.

Gosh, that aria was trilling!

42. Appear to be: SEEM SO.

43. "Get a room!" elicitor, for short: PDA.  Public Display of Affection.  If you're climbing all over each other in public, and sucking face, someone may tell you to get a room!

46. "For your viewing pleasure" brand: VISINE.  I was not aware that this brand of eyedrops had this slogan, but it wasn't hard to guess.

48. How fries are fried: IN OIL.

50. French school: ECOLE.  École being French for school.

51. [Theme answer]

55. Power __: NAP.  I can't take a nap.  If I actually succeed in sleeping, I won't sleep at night.  You?

56. Play a flute: TOOTLE.  Casually make a series of sounds on a horn, trumpet, or similar instrument.

58. Nestlé bar with a bubbly texture: AERO.  Aero is an aerated chocolate bar originally produced by Rowntree's, and introduced in 1935 in England as the "new chocolate."  By 1936, sales of the chocolate had reached the US, and later spread to many other countries. Aero has been manufactured by Nestlé since 1988.  Totally unknown to this chocoholic.

Seems to be largely a British thing.

59. [Theme clue]

62. __-been: HAS.  A has-been is a person or thing considered to be outmoded or no longer of any significance.

63. Water whirls: EDDIES.

64. Country star McEntire: REBA.

65. Reddit Q&A: AMA.  A Reddit AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) is a Q&A designed to bring an authority on a subject to a community of interested people. 

66. Square dance call: DO-SI-DO.  The term is a corruption of the original French term dos-à-dos for the dance move, which means "back to back," as opposed to "vis-à-vis" which means "face to face."

67. __ buco: OSSO. Osso buco or ossobuco is a northern Italian dish of braised veal shanks.  Veal is the meat of calves, which are baby cattle.  Shanks are legs.  Male calves are butchered for their meat, as they cannot grow up to give milk.

veal calf

68. Receipt line: TAX.

Aye, there's the rub.

Down:

1. Transition word: HOWEVER.

2. Ready to greet the sun, perhaps: UP EARLY.

3. "Am I dreaming?": PINCH ME.

4. Light hair color: ASH.

5. Light hair color: BLOND.

6. Prints such as U.S. Woodland, familiarly: CAMOS.  "U.S. Woodland" seemed to me like the title of a Currier & Ives lithograph.  It took me a while to realize it must be a CAMOuflage pattern.

US Woodland camo

7. Campfire treat: S'MORE.

Everyone wants s'more of this treat.

8. Uttar Pradesh tourist site: AGRA.  With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the fourth-most populous city in Uttar Pradesh and twenty-third most populous city in India.

But folks go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.

9. Faced off with swords: DUELED.

10. Hot __: MIC.  An informal term for a microphone that's on, especially when it captures a conversation unintentionally.

11. Hot: INTENSE.

12. Nostalgic get-together: REUNION.

13. London setting of "Call the Midwife": EAST END.  This PBS series has broadcast 14 seasons!

19. CPR giver, often: EMT.

21. Giggle syllable: HEE.

25. Ship of Greek myth: ARGO.  I was fond of Greek myths as a child, but the story of Jason and the Argonauts was special because of the 1963 film.  I must have been 8 years old when my 10 year old brother was allowed to be my chaperone at the movie theater.

A scene from "Jason and the Argonauts"

27. Kids: RIBS.  Jokes, teases, japes, jests, joshes, razzes.

29. Ages and ages: EONS.

32. Swell: RISE.

33. See 34-Down: ONE.  Let's see, that's the very next clue ...

34. With 33-Down, soulmate: THE.  THE ONE.  DH is THE ONE.

35. Highland cap: TAM.  A tam o' shanter is a traditional Scottish hat. The name derives from Tam o' Shanter, the eponymous hero of a 1790 Robert Burns poem.

Man in a tam.

37. "Just Visiting" Monopoly square: JAIL.

38. "Proceed": DO IT.

39. Settled, as a score: AVENGED.

40. "I Love Lucy" surname: RICARDO.  Desi Arnaz played Ricky Ricardo in "I Love Lucy."

41. Tiny crustaceans: ISOPODS.  Isopoda is an order of crustaceans. Members of this group are called isopods and include both aquatic species and terrestrial species such as woodlice.  And roly polys!

Did you know the little roly poly is in the same order as crabs and lobsters?
I did not!

43. Mitre, informally: POPE HAT.

Not everyone can pull off this look.

44. Historical miniature: DIORAMA.

45. Jazz combo instrument: ALTO SAX.

47. Made: NETTED.

49. Government org. that employs many mathematicians: NSA.  The National Security Agency is one of the largest employers of mathematicians in the United States. Lots of data analysis!

51. Lean-__: TOs.  Simple structures, usually with a sloping roof, and open on one side.

52. Genius at the Apple Store, e.g.: IT PRO.  Information Technology Professional.  Shout out to  Waseeley, whose long career as an IT PRO was capped by his role as a blogger here!

53. Sticks: GLUES.

54. Thyme and basil: HERBS.

57. Very, very: OH SO.

60. Mario Kart platform: WII.  The Wii is a home video game console introduced by Nintendo in 2006. It was Nintendo's first home console to directly support Internet connectivity, and the remote control can recognize motions and gestures.

A family enjoying Nintendo's Wii.

61. Benjamin Hoff's "The __ of Pooh": TAO.  The Tao of Pooh is a 1982 book written by Benjamin Hoff. The book is intended as an introduction to the Eastern belief system of Taoism for Westerners.

Here's the grid:

This is the first Thursday in a long time that we are without the expert and kindly guidance of Bill "Waseeley."  I owe Bill a special debt of gratitude, because when I jumped in as an occasional substitute for the regular writers of this wonderful blog, Bill provided me with the technical tools I needed.  Now I find myself taking Bill's place while he shines his light on his DW Teri, his children, and grandchildren.  Our loss is their gain.  I will try to be worthy of Bill's legacy!

NaomiZ