Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Sala Wanetick & Dena R. Verkuil

 

Good Morning, Cruciverblists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of a puzzle co-authored by Sala Wanetick and Dena R. Verkuil.  I recently (May 27th of this year) blogged one of Sala's puzzles.  Dena made her L. A. Times crossword debut in September, 2025 and has also had puzzles published in the N.Y. Times.

Today, they team up in the hope that we will all have a blast working out the answers.  Let's start with the unifier:

64 Across:  Finish dramatically, or what the answers to the starred clues do: END WITH A BANG.

Each of the answers to the four starred clues are comprised of two words.  In each case, the second word is, more or less a description of, well, as the clue put it, something dramatic.  Some are more dramatic than others but we surely get the gist of it.

Here are the four starred clues and answers:

18 Across:  *Time of financial growth: ECONOMIC BOOM.  

26 Across:  *What may follow kids in a candy store?: SUGAR CRASH.  . . . after the sugar high.  This one might have been linked to 18 Across.

40 Across:  *Handshake alternative: FIST BUMP.

Nares Bump

54 Across: . *Stressful contest?: POETRY SLAM.  In this case, stress refers to how poets create meaningful experiences for readers.  A SLAM is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges.

This is how everything appears in the completed grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and their answers:

Across:

1. Getting off the fence: OPTING.  Someone who is undecided as to how to proceed is said to be sitting on the fence.

7. Indian state known for silk and tea: ASSAM.  A place frequently visited in our puzzles.  Five letters and four of those are A and S.

12. Nothing special: MEH.  We can take it or leave it.

15. Subdued: LOW KEY.

16. High wispy clouds: CIRRI.  Plural of CIRRUS

17. 'Twas the night before Christmas?: EVE.  Not sure about that question mark.  The preceding night really is the EVE.

20. Antidiscrimination HR initiative: DEI.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

21. Replace with a grawlix, say: CENSOR.  This solver had never come across the word grawlix although I was certainly familiar with the c0ncept.

22. Helping: AIDING.

24. Gush: SPEW.

29. Elixirs: TONICS.  What is a Genie's favorite drink?  A Djinn and TONIC.

32. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.

Paul Ehrlich

33. Past regulation, briefly: IN OT.  Regulation, in this case, refers to the normal length of a sporting contest (e.g. four quarters, three periods, sixty minutes).  It the score is tied at the end of regulation it goes INto OverTime.

34. Blooper reel bit: OUTTAKE.

36. Sounding shocked: AGASP.

39. TD's six: PTS.  A  football reference.  A TouchDown scores six PoinTS

42. Knight's title: SIR.

45. Italian scooter: VESPA.

46. Try to be like: EMULATE.

48. Eye ailment: STYE.

51. Puppy's bark: YIP.  Have you heard about the zoo where the only animal is a single dog?  It's a Shih Tzu.

53. Speechified: ORATED.

58. Antacid brand: TUMS.

 

59. "Let me check": I'LL SEE.

60. Someone who has a trying job?: TESTER.  One who tries things out.

63. Manicure choice: GEL.  More often clued with a reference to hair.

69. Andrea Gibson's "__ to the Public Panic Attack": ODE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.  If you wish to listen to this ODE, here it is:

70. Oktoberfest mug: STEIN.  What's the smallest amount of beer you can order at an Oktoberfest gathering?  Ein STEIN.

71. Soul legend Franklin: ARETHA.

72. Craggy hill: TOR.

73. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.  Supreme Court Justices often visit our puzzles.   We know many of them by their first names.  Samuel and Ruth and ELENA come to mind.

74. "Let's hear it!": DO TELL.  Gossip.

Down:

1. Fútbol chant: OLE.  Often heard at the FIFA World Cup games.

2. Abbr. that includes many racial identities: POC.  Person Of Color

3. Opinion: TWO CENTS.  There are several theories as to the origin of this expression.

4. "Didn't fool me!": I KNEW IT.   Yes, we did.

5. Gas in bright signs: NEON.

6. Fitness centers: GYMS.

7. Accumulate, as sick time: ACCRUE.

8. Sis or bro: SIB.  Abbreviations.  Sister.  Brother.  SIBlings.

9. "No seats" sign: SRO.  Standing Room Only

10. Like fans after great plays: AROAR.

11. Mirror: MIMIC.  Used as a verb.

12. Freeway divider: MEDIAN.

13. "And yet ... ": EVEN SO.

14. Progress that may be measured on a doorframe: HEIGHT.

19. Siri platform: IOS.  An Apple reference.

23. Coffee option: DRIP.   

24. "Quit it!": STOP.

25. Sulky look: POUT.  Y0u better watch out, you better not cry . . .

27. Snatch quickly: GRAB.  Trying to GRAB some toilet paper at Costco during the pandemic was quite traumatic.  I came away with TPSD.

28. Exchange words: ARGUE.

30. Bistro: CAFE.

31. Hits the slopes: SKIS.

35. Awards such as Best Play and Best Team: ESPYS.  The ESPY Awards (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, and often referred to as the ESPYs) is an annual American awards show produced by ESPN since 1993, recognizing individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given annual ceremony.

37. Paintballs, e.g.: AMMO.

38. Egg (on): SPUR.  The clue makes use of the idiom.

41. Long part of a comet: TAIL.

42. Drench: SATURATE.

43. Article: ITEM.

44. Cincinnati MLBers: REDS.

45. Doberman docs: VETS.  VETerinarianS

Not this Doberman

This Doberman

47. Dishonorable wager: LATE BET.  Considered to be dishonorable because the outcome may have been discernible before the wager was placed.

48. Faucet: SPIGOT.

49. Ohio city on Lake Erie: TOLEDO.

50. Loud person: YELLER.  Also the Labrador of movie renown.

52. Green film on copper: PATINA.

55. Actress Witherspoon: REESE.

56. Film starring Barbra Streisand as a woman who pretends to be a yeshiva boy: YENTL.

57. "Have we __?": MET.

61. Herring kin: SHAD.

62. Dim sum root vegetable: TARO.  If your book is made of root vegetables...You’re doing a taro reading!

65. Department head?: DEE.  The first letter of the word Department.

66. Finish first: WIN.

67. Org. emulated in "Heated Rivalry": NHL.  National Hockey League

68. Lass: GAL.  This one reminded yours truly of one of his favorite limericks:

There once was a GAL from Kilglass
Who had a magnificent ass
Not round and pink as you probably think
It was brown, had long ears and ate grass

On that note, it's probably time to haul outta here.  Everyone have a great rest of the week . . . and beyond.

___________________________________________________________

M M OUT
With A Bang

Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Sala Wanetick

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Wednesday puzzle by Sala Wanetick.  Here is a link to an article published about Sala when she had her NY Times Crossword debut in 2024:  Southfield Native Makes NYT Crossword Debut

For today's offering (and this is not her LAT debut) Sala shakes up seismic matters by turning faults into, well, faults.  Let us start with the reveal:

56 Across:  Fractured spots in the earth's crust, or what 17-, 23-, and 49-Across are: FAULT LINES.

As in earthquake faults.  However, in this case FAULT LINES become what one might say when they are at fault as in being guilty of a misdeed or a mistake.  All are self-explanatory.  The mea culpas (culpae ?) appear at these three places within the grid:

17 Across:  "I messed up": THAT'S MY BAD.  

23 Across:  First words in a confession booth, often: FORGIVE ME FATHER.

49 Across:  "I totally did that, yep": GUILTY AS CHARGED.

Here is the completed grid:

... and below are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Measuring device: GAUGE.  Apropos of 42 Across, what was Patrick Stewart's favorite scale of train?  N-gauge.

6. Shred the __: crush a black diamond run, say: GNAR.  Derived from "That's gnarly", dude."

10. Bikini tops: BRAS.  We'll skip fleshing this one out.

14. Stoneworker: MASON.  Apropos of nothing to do with stone work, Dave MASON left us last month.

15. Roof overhang: EAVE.  These hang out frequently in our puzzles.

16. Sound off: RANT.  After he went on a RANT about certain track and field events I asked my dad "Why don't you like the field events ?"  He replied, "I don't want to discus it."

19. Writer Wiesel: ELIE.  Perhaps best known for the book Night, which was based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz and Buchenwald during the Holocaust.

20. Half-inning trio: OUTS.  A baseball reference.

21. Go by: ELAPSE.

28. Electric kettle part: SPOUT.

29. Oft-pickled taco topper: RADISH.  I had never come across this until about ten days ago when the accomplished-chef son of a friend served this at his mother's birthday dinner.

30. "Fiddler on the Roof" milkman: TEVYE.

31. Kylo of "Star Wars": REN.  This time, the clue let's us know up front that it's a Star Wars reference.

32. Flows back: EBBS.

36. Mined find: ORE.

37. Piper Cub, e.g.: PLANE.

39. Gloss target: LIP.

40. Pasta topper, for short: PARM.  Parmesan cheese.

Photo by MM

42. "Star Trek" captain Jean-__ Picard: LUC.

43. "Alfie" star Michael: CAINE.  What's it all about?

45. Poses such as happy baby and humble warrior: ASANAS.  Stances frequently assumed in our puzzles.

48. Hardware not found on a sliding door: HINGE.

53. Historic Harlem theater: APOLLO.

54. Put an end to: HALT.

55. Muscle quality: TONE.

62. Currently working the problem: ON IT.

63. Military flute: FIFE.

64. __-bouche: bite-size freebie: AMUSE.  A complimentary, bite-sized portion of food served before a meal or between courses in a restaurant

65. Critics' picks, informally: RECS.  RECommendationS

66. Meal for a pig: SLOP.

67. Consequently: HENCE.

Down:

1. Clock-setting std.: GMT.  Abbreviated clue (std for standard) . . . . abbreviated answer.   Greenwich Mean Time

2. Relaxing sound?: AAH.  "Why the question mark?", I hear you ask.   A sound you might make when relaxing as opposed to a sound that you find relaxing.

3. Olympic ice hockey gold medalists: Abbr.: USA.  1960, 1980 and 2026.  Here, because nothing in the clue is abbreviated Sala alerts us the the answer will be an abbreviation.

4. Right-hand man: GO TO GUY.

5. Like a Jack and Jill bathroom: EN SUITE.  An EN SUITE is a bathroom that can only be accessed from within the bedroom. A Jack and Jill bathroom is a bathroom with two doors, usually accessible from two bedrooms.  There is no door to the hallway.

6. Old Faithful, e.g.: GEYSER.

7. Scoop up: NAB.

8. Director DuVernay: AVA.  A frequent visitor.

9. Change the meaning of: REDEFINE.

10. Get some air?: BREATHE.  A clue to be taken literally (despite the ?)
"
11. Actor Fiennes: RALPH.   He is known for his roles in Schindler's List, The English Patient, Harry Potter, James Bond, and more.

12. Sambuca flavor: ANISE.  Sambuca is an ANISE-flavored liqueur.

13. Turn a corner, perhaps: STEER.

18. "RuPaul's Drag Race" network: MTV.

A Real Drag Racer

22. __ Vegas Aces: LAS.  A WNBA reference.

23. Camera setting that affects depth: F-STOP.  All you might wish to know:  F-STOP Explained

24. Rossini work: OPERA.

25. App that connects pet sitters and pet owners: ROVER.

26. Musical rattles: MARACAS.

27. Old Testament garden: EDEN.

33. Flashy accessories: BLING.

34. Watch episode after episode of: BINGE.

35. Floor it: SPEED.  A reference to pressing an automobile's gas pedal to the floor

37. Some postseason games: PLAYOFFS.

38. Moon goddess: LUNA.  In the future, will LUNA be clued with something along these lines:

41. Whac-a-Mole whackers: MALLETS.

43. Rosh Hashanah bread: CHALLAH.  It's not just for Rosh Hashanah.

44. Broadcast slot: AIRTIME.

46. Letters on a Cardinal: STL.  Not a religious prelate reference.  A baseball reference.

47. Inconvenient trip: SCHLEP.  Today's Yiddish lesson.  Used here as a noun although it is also employed as a verb.

49. Croc kin: GATOR.

50. Holding a small lead: UP ONE.  

51. Like some chemical bonds: IONIC.

52. Lid: HAT.  Slang.

57. Feel crummy: AIL.

58. Blurry craft in tabloid pics: UFO.  Now "re-branded" as UAP - Unidentified aerial Phenomena.

59. Religious sister: NUN.  A member of an order.  Not your sister, Hannah, who keeps kosher.

60. Corner PC key: ESC.

61. Match, in poker: SEE.  When a poker player says “I’ll SEE your bet”, they are choosing to match the current wager and stay in the hand rather than fold or raise.

_________________________________

Well, that will wrap things up for today.  Any errors or omissions were definitely my fault.

MM OUT

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Yijing Chen

 

POLES APART

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here, with the recap of a polarizing puzzle by Yijing Chen who, apparently, had an L A Times crossword debut roughly one month ago.  Like it or not we may not reach agreement on this one.  In fact, we may end up POLES APART.  "What kind of poles?", I hear you ask.  Well, it could have been TOTEM POLES, or TEN-FOOT POLES, or fishing POLES, or Power POLES, or POLE Dancing or the POLE POSITION, or even someone from Warsaw.  However, our constructor elected to go in other directions.  Perhaps a POLL was taken.  Perhaps not.  In any event, let's start with the two-part reveal:

35 Across:  With 39-Across, diametrically opposed, or what this puzzle's sets of circled letters are: POLES.

39 Across:  See 35-Across: APART.

At four places in the grid our constructor has assembled types of POLES by combining letters that are APART in the answers to the themed-clues.  Those four places are:

20 Across:  Cinematic cultural phenomenon in the summer of 2023: BARBENHEIMER.  BARBER POLE.  The answer, here, refers to the phenomenon when two motion pictures, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer", were very popular simultaneously in 2023.

29 Across:  Abolitionist known for her "Ain't I a Woman" speech: SOJOURNER TRUTH.  SOUTH POLE.  All you might wish to know:  Sojourner Truth

44 Across:  Literary movement that included Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg: BEAT GENERATION.  BEAN POLE.  The answer, here, refers to two well-known poets of the 1950's.

54 Across:  Micronutrient such as zinc or iodine: TRACE ELEMENT.  TENT POLE.   Humans require just a little bit, or TRACE, of those elements in their diets.

This is how it all looks in the grid with those often-polarizing circles, no less:

.... and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Be starstruck: GAWK.

5. Oft-pickled pod: OKRA.  I have a friend always baits her hooks with OKRA when fly fishing...She's really into podcasting!

9. Check for freshness: SNIFF.  Does it pass the smell test?

14. Actor Clive: OWEN.

15. Eclipse body: MOON.  Earth's MOON is involved in both a solar and a lunar eclipse.

16. Voice above baritone: TENOR.

17. The Fates, e.g.: TRIO.  In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Moirai—often known in English as the Fates—were the personifications of destiny. In certain accounts, they were considered as three sisters: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, though their number and names varied over time. 

18. Game played "with my little eye": I SPY.  Usually played in a car on a road trip.

19. Hoarse: RASPY.

23. Since Jan. 1: YTD.  Year To Date

24. Misery: WOE.  Relationship WOEs...

I was dating a radiographer. She was a lovely girl, but we broke up recently. 

I was lying and she saw right through me.

Still, at least she knew my heart was in the right place.

25. Toward sunrise, on an equinox: DUE EAST.

32. Green-lights: OKS.  Okay?

33. Winery wood: OAK.  It turns out that the barrels that wines and spirits are aged in have a whole lot to do with the flavor of the finished product.

34. Narrow inlet: RIA.  A word more often used in crossword puzzles than IRL.

38. Cal. divisions: MOS.  CALendar / MOnthS

41. Purple yam: UBE.

42. Vehicle that can really move?: VAN.  Nice (not the city in France) wordplay.  A moving VAN.

43. Hurdle for M.A. hopefuls: GRE.  Graduate Record Examination

50. Some Middle Easterners: SYRIANS.  Several to choose from.

51. Yalie: ELI.  A frequent class of visitor.

52. Numeral associated with "The Force Awakens": VII.

This solver is looking forward to the Mel Brooks version:

May the Schwartz be with you.

57. __ powder: CHILI.

60. Hot rod's rod: AXLE.  A double automotive reference.

61. Geometric calculation: AREA.

62. Bamboozles: DUPES.  Used, here, as a verb.

63. Academic reviewer, often: PEER.  Not used, here, as a verb.

64. Vermeer's "__ With a Pearl Earring": GIRL.

1665

65. Runaway hit: SMASH.

66. Small vortex: EDDY.

67. Site for artisans: ETSY.  A web site frequently visited in our puzzles.

Down:

1. Eked out a living: GOT BY.  A nice role reversal.  Often we get EKED as an answer clued in various ways.

2. "Fiddlesticks!": AW RATS.  So many possible combinations involving AW, oh, ah, darn, dang, RATS . . . among several others.  Thanks, perps.

3. Odd duck: WEIRDO.  Speaking of ducks and WEIRD . . .

4. Radio dial: KNOB.

5. Portending danger: OMINOUS.  What do you call a guy doing ominous Latin chanting?  Greg or Ian.

6. Acceptable, casually: KOSHER.

7. Line that might get tied up: ROPE.  Not a telephone reference.  A clue meant to be taken quite literally.

8. "What do you think?": ANY IDEAS.

9. F1 circuit type: STREET.  An automobile racing reference.

10. More warm, in a way: NEARER.  Idiomatic.  As in "You're getting warmer."

11. Useful connections: INS.

12. Dandy: FOP.

13. Cook, as pot stickers: FRY.  

21. Endor inhabitants: EWOKS.   Do EWOKS defecate in the woods?  No, they have Endor plumbing.

22. Gloom: MURK.

26. Spiritual glow: AURA.  All of the psychics got this one.

27. Hullabaloo: STIR.  Not a reference to the old TV show.

28. "Fine, be like __!": THAT.

30. Average __: JOE.  Sometimes clued with a coffee reference.

31. Who lives in a ghost town?: NO ONE.

35. Trivia night spots: PUBS.

36. Heed: OBEY.

37. "O, that way madness lies" king: LEAR.

38. Use Beard Club products, perhaps: MANSCAPE.  MANSCAPE 

refers to the trimming or shaving of a man's body hair to enhance his appearance. It typically involves grooming areas such as the chest, back, and groin for a neat and polished look.

39. "Glee" teen played by Kevin McHale: ARTIE.  A reference to the TV show.

40. Smallest Canadian prov.: PEI.  Prince Edward Island

Eastern Canadian Provinces

42. __ cava: VENA.  The VENA CAVA is one of two venae cavae.  They are two large veins that return deoxygenated blood to the heart from the human body.

43. Drawing room?: GALLERY.  Another clue meant to be taken literally.  A place where one would find drawings.

45. Mr. and Mrs.: TITLES.  From the specific to the general.  The clue could have been a couple of hundreds of things.

46. Like some Christmas sweaters: GARISH.   Excessively bright or showy.  Ugly was too short. 

47. Had trouble moving steadily: REELED.

48. Ready to move on: OVER IT.  As in "I am so OVER IT !"

49. SF NFLers: NINERS.

53. 2026 Olympics host: ITALY.  This type of clue is easier to figure out now that the summer and winter games are not held in the same year.

55. Crossed (out): EXED.

56. Final Fantasy spellcaster: MAGE.  Final Fantasy was an unknown reference to this solver but various mystical-related stuff was not and MAGE is often found in other contexts.

From Wikipedia, "Final Fantasy is mostly an anthology series with primary installments being standalone role-playing games, each with different settings, plots and main characters, but the franchise is linked by several recurring elements, including game mechanics and recurring character names."

57. Jewel case items: CDS.  Those clear, square cases that the Compact DiscS are stored in are often referenced in our puzzles.  A bit of misdirection if a solver first thinks of forms of jewelry.

58. Sound of a running fridge: HUM.

59. Hoppy brew, for short: IPA.  India Pale Ale originated in the 18th century when British Brewers created a hoppy ale that could survive the long sea voyage to India.

Well, that will wrap things up for today.  If there was any snow left, this marine mammal would grab his favorite type of POLES.  

M M Out