Monday, June 29, 2026, Zachary Edward-Brown

 Theme: So many greens!

I sit beside the fire and think of how the world will be

When winter comes without a spring that I shall ever see.

For still there are so many things that I have never seen:

In every wood, in every spring, there is a different green.

-- Bilbo Baggins in Book II, Chapter 3 of The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Glacier National Park -- photo by NaomiZ

Zachary Edward-Brown is back and this time he's contemplating the many shades of green in the theme clues and answers, which are:

16-Across. *University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina: WAKE FOREST.

24-Across. *Hall of Fame wide receiver who was drafted by the Vikings in 1998: RANDY MOSS.

49-Across. *Person looking for employment: JOB HUNTER.

60-Across. *Major coin producer in Colorado: DENVER MINT.

And the big reveal, smack in the middle of the grid:

37-Across. Strive to reduce one's carbon footprint, or what the answers to the starred clues do?: GO GREEN.

Forest green, moss green, hunter green, mint green ... here are samples:

Hopefully these green hues put you in a relaxed mood to explore the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Tapioca pearls in some tea: BOBA.  Boba tea is a choking hazard!  Remove the tapioca pearls for young children and serve them in a bowl with a spoon.  You can remove mine, too!  Blech!

Boba tea

5. Trades jabs in the ring: SPARS.

10. WNBA stat: Abbr.: PTS.  NBA players also earn PTS.

13. Forget to mention: OMIT.

14. Cut equally: HALVE.

15. Spoiled kid: BRAT.  

16. [Theme clue]

18. Norse god of mischief: LOKI.  All I know about Loki, I learned from watching Vikings on the History Channel.

Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok in Vikings

19. "That's all __ wrote": SHE.  "That's All She Wrote" is a song written by Jerry Fuller, and recorded by various artists including Ernest Tubb, Johnny Mathis, and Ray Price.

Dearest baby may I thank you for being a friend of mine

And while you're reading these words I'll be gone like a bird in the winter time

And I'm taking with me the few sweet memories we made as my souvenirs

And it's a shame that the laughter couldn't outweigh all the tears

That's all she wrote

Everything that I own in a small envelope

Leaving me so alone that I wanted to die

The momеnt that I read her note

That's all shе wrote

20. Mountaintop: APEX.

21. Forty-__: NINER.  A prospector in the California gold rush of 1849, or a member of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, a professional football team.

22. Dry as a bone: ARID.

24. [Theme clue]

27. Name of 12 popes: PIUS.

29. Production amount: OUTPUT.

30. Nearly five billion people: ASIANS.

33. Rugged ride, briefly: ATV.  All-terrain vehicles have agricultural, military, and recreational uses.

ATVs

34. Stanley Cup org.: NHL.  The championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoff champion.

Evolution of the Stanley Cup

36. Yoga roll: MAT.

37. [Theme clue]

40. Corp. head: CEO.  Chief Executive Officer.

41. "Thx" counterpart: PLS.  "Thanks" and "please" in text-speak.

42. Cherry center: PIT.

43. Handouts at a spa: TOWELS.

45. Nonreflective finishes: MATTES.

48. "Hey, over here!": PSST.

49. [Theme clue]

51. "Othello" villain: IAGO.  In Shakespeare's play, Iago is a soldier under Othello's command, and is very much trusted by Othello.  Iago is jealous when he is passed over for promotion and manipulates Othello into killing Othello's wife and commiting suicide.  Nasty guy.

Othello and Iago

54. Like new candles: UNLIT.

55. Italy's capital: ROME.

57. Astonishment: AWE.

59. __ queen: DRAG.  A drag queen uses extravagant clothing, wigs, and makeup to celebrate and exaggerate female gender attributes.

A drag queen in and out of a green costume

60. [Theme clue]

63. Talk effusively: GUSH.

64. Fire sign of spring: ARIES.  As the first sign of the astrological year, Aries represents creative spark, passion and initiative.  Isn't fire more destructive than creative?  Anyway, astrology ...

Aries

65. Load to bear: ONUS.

66. Middle-earth's Treebeard, for one: ENT.  J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings again!  Ents are giants who resemble trees, and Treebeard is their leader.

Treebeard in the green woods

67. Put on clothes: DRESS.

68. Athletic award: ESPY.  Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards produced by ESPN.

Down:

1. Gift toppers: BOWS.

A green bow

2. Nebraska city: OMAHA.

3. Motorcyclist: BIKER.

4. Grabbed a bite: ATE.

5. Boutique: SHOP.

6. Small kitchen knives: PARERS.

The paring knife is the little one at bottom.

7. Apple : Siri :: Amazon : __: ALEXA.

8. Motor homes, for short: RVS.  Recreational vehicles.  Jinx, is your rig moving with you?

9. Tennis match part: SET.

10. Sound out, as a word: PRONOUNCE.

11. Admits defeat, informally: TAKES THE L.  "Take the L" means to accept a LOSS.  I'm glad I solved 34-Across. Stanley Cup org.: NHL, because I would have had to take the L on this answer otherwise.  "Cup" in the Across clue had me thinking about sailing competitions instead of hockey.  Nearly sunk me!

12. Keeps from sticking to the pot, perhaps: STIRS.

15. Goodyear airship: BLIMP.

I took this photo from my front garden!

17. Growing dim: FADING.

21. Empire St. paper: NYT.  New York Times.  Famous for challenging crossword puzzles.

23. Hoppy beer letters: IPA.  India Pale Ale.

25. Post-it __: NOTE.

26. Bed covers: DUVETS.  I grew up ignorant of duvets.  Now I spend a good part of my life underneath one.

This duvet is ready for its cover.

28. Last Grand Slam event of the year: US OPEN.  Tennis tournament.

30. Concert device: AMP.  Amplifier.  Rusty, show us yours!

31. Upstream migration that feeds grizzly bears: SALMON RUN.

Unlucky leap

32. "This party rocks!": IT'S A BLAST.

33. Museum display: ART.

35. __ Angeles: LOS.  I had the home team advantage on this one.

38. Main point: GIST.

39. More meddlesome: NOSIER.

44. Tour gp. for Coco Gauff: WTA.  Cori "Coco" Gauff is an American professional tennis player.  She made her Women's Tennis Association Tour debut in 2019.

Coco Gauff on a green court

46. Quadriceps locale: THIGH.

47. "Tsk!" kin: TUT. Clicking tongue sounds of reproof.

48. Shows beyond doubt: PROVES.

49. Courtroom decision-maker: JUDGE.

50. Orange Muppet who sings "When Bert's Not Here": ERNIE.

Bert and Ernie with a green background

52. Obtains: GAINS.

53. Admit (to): OWN UP.  Take the L, perhaps?

56. State of disarray: MESS.

58. Site with vintage items: ETSY.  Known for handmade items, you'll find some vintage things as well.

60. Stereotypical teller of terrible jokes: DAD.

61. Make a goof: ERR.

62. Barkeeper who is a frequent target of Bart's prank calls: MOE.

Bart Simpson loves to prank call Moe.

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Did you ERR anywhere?  Did you find yourself FADING?  Did you throw in the TOWEL?

Or would you say of this puzzle that IT'S A BLAST and your flawless grid PROVES it?

GUSH all about it in the comments!

-- NaomiZ

Monday, June 22, 2026, Robbie Cottom

Theme:  Avian journeys

We are just at the tail end of spring migration for birds.  How nice for constructor Robbie Cottom to remind us of it.  His birds, however, are rather down-to-earth.

16-Across. Flightless migration on a farm?: CHICKEN RUN.  A chicken run is an enclosed outdoor space where chickens can safely roam and forage.

Chicken run

35-Across. Flightless migration on a pond?: DUCK TOUR.  A duck tour uses amphibious buses to take visitors on land and sea.

It only *looks* like a disaster.

60-Across. Flightless migration on Thanksgiving?: TURKEY TROT.  A turkey trot is a short race held around Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

Macabre costumes optional

10-Down. Flightless migration in Toronto?: JAY WALK.  Jaywalking refers to a pedestrian crossing a street unlawfully.  Toronto because of the Toronto Blue Jays, a baseball team.  In Toronto, the most common jay bird is the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata).

Blue Jay

40-Down. Flightless migration in a cornfield?: CROW HOP.  A crow hop can be a short, quick jump -- or, if you are sports minded, it can be a footwork technique used by baseball outfielders.

Crow hop

WALK with me now -- or HOP, RUN, or TROT -- on a TOUR of the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Channel that brings tears to one's eyes?: DUCT.  There are two sets of tear ducts in each eye.  On the upper outer side of each eye is a lacrimal gland producing tears, which flow through ducts and over the eye.  Excess tears drain into lacrimal ducts in the inner corner of each eye, flowing thence into the nose.  That's why your nose runs when you cry.

Note the ducts at left and right.

5. Grow frantic: PANIC.

10. "__ my memory": "Remind me": JOG.

13. Worker protection org.: OSHA.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

14. Unavailable: IN USE.

Do not enter!

15. Serving success: ACE.  In tennis, an ace is a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, winning the point for the server.

16. [Theme clue]

18. "Despite that ... ": YET.  I took you on that fabulous bus tour of the pond, and yet ...

19. Tempts: ENTICES.

20. Nobel Peace Prize winner Sadat: ANWAR.  Anwar Sadat (1918-1981) was an Egyptian military officer who served as the third president of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in 1981.  In 1978, Sadat and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, signed a peace treaty in cooperation with U.S. President Jimmy Carter, for which they were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Anwar Sadat

22. "Who even __ you?": ARE.

23. "Where babies come from" class, briefly: SEX ED.

25. The __ of one's existence: BANE.  A source of misery; a curse.

26. On a smaller scale: LESS SO.  I thought this was going to be LESSer, and was excited to tell you about one of my backyard birds.  But it was LESS SO ...

Lesser Goldfinch in my garden

28. Sicilia's country: ITALIA.  This is how Italians say Sicily and Italy.  Isn't it funny how they don't know the real names?

30. Thought: IDEA.

31. Animal life of a region: FAUNA.  Birds are fauna, too.  Even TURKEYs.

34. Penn of "Harold & Kumar" films: KAL.  Kalpen Modi, known professionally as Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, and former White House staff member in the Obama administration.  He is known for his portrayals of Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar film series, Lawrence Kutner on the television program House, White House staffer Seth Wright on Designated Survivor, and Kevin, a psychologist and boyfriend to Robin in How I Met Your Mother.

Kal Penn

35. [Theme clue]

38. __ and cheese: MAC.

41. Tempos: PACES.

42. Letters not found on a 24-hour clock: AM PM.

46. Under threat: AT RISK.

48. Also: AS WELL.

50. Clump of earth: CLOD.

51. "Your food is getting cold!": EAT UP.

54. Puffin kin: AUK.

55. Maya of "Stranger Things": HAWKE.  The daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, Maya Hawke made her screen debut as Jo March in the 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women. She starred as Robin Buckley in the Netflix series Stranger Things (2019–2025).  She has also recorded three musical albums.

Maya Hawke

57. Bugs Bunny fare: CARROTS.

59. "Kinda like that": ISH.

60. [Theme clue]

63. "New" prefix: NEO.

64. Nordic noir novelist Larsson: STIEG.  Karl Stig-Erland "Stieg" Larsson (1954-2004) was a Swedish writer, best known for The Girl with the Dragon Tatooo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, all of which were published posthumously, starting in 2005, after he died of a heart attack.  

Stieg Larsson

65. Some poke fish: TUNA.  Poke (POH-kay) is a dish of raw fish cubes tossed with soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions.

Tuna poke

66. Telepathy, e.g.: ESP.  Extrasensory Perception.

67. "Got it?," slangily: YA DIG?

68. Do as one's told: OBEY.

Down:

1. Rx writer: DOC.

2. Guided (in): USHERED.  Better than the "ushed" we sometimes see in these pages.

3. Like dim sum and bao buns: CHINESE.  Perhaps nostalgic items for our blogmistress.

4. Diplomatic skill: TACT.

5. "Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!": PIECE OF CAKE.

6. Granny flat, maybe: ANNEX.

7. Breastfeed: NURSE.

8. The Cyclones of the NCAA: ISU.  The Iowa State Cyclones are the NCAA Division I collegiate athletic teams representing Iowa State University.

And YET Iowa's state bird is not the Northern Cardinal (depicted)
but the American Goldfinch.

9. Wrestler/actor John: CENA.  John Cena was a professional wrestler with the WWE for 24 years, and a 17-time world champion, before becoming an actor.  Cena is also known for his charity work, granting more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the most in the organization's history.

10. [Theme clue]

11. Australasia's region: OCEANIA.  Oceania inlcudes Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

12. "Be reasonable": GET REAL.

17. O : hug :: X : __: KISS.  XOXO means hugs and kisses -- even though the X for kisses comes first.

21. Org. with Cavs and Mavs: NBA.  The Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks are teams in the professional National Basketball Association.

22. Boxer Muhammad: ALI.  

Muhammad Ali

24. Paleontologist's prize find: DINOSAUR EGG.

The small feathered dinosaurs with beaks designed to crack seeds
survived the famine when an asteroid collision killed most plant life on Earth
and gave rise to today's birds.

27. Unhappy: SAD.

29. Greek "T": TAU.

32. Org. that oversees NYC's Museum of the Dog: AKC.  American Kennel Club.

33. Sport-__: auto for rugged terrain: UTE.

36. Delivery company with brown trucks: UPS.

37. Like some poke fish: RAW.  See 65-Across.

38. The "M" of ATM: MACHINE.  Automated Teller Machine.

39. Geography texts: ATLASES.

40. [Theme entry]

43. Barbecue chef's coat?: MEAT RUB.  The coat goes on the meat, not the chef.

44. Wedding guest's date: PLUS ONE.

45. Civil rights leader honored in Jan.: MLK.  Martin Luther King.

47. Brief "No clue": IDK.  I don't know.  Here in the Crossword Corner, we often write "DNK" for "did not know."

49. Light on one's feet: SPRY.

52. Bitter-smelling: ACRID.

53. "Star Trek" legend George: TAKEI.

George Takei as Sulu on Star Trek

56. "Keep commerce human" website: ETSY.

58. Director Preminger: OTTO.  Otto Preminger (1905-1986) was an Austrian-American film and theatre director, producer and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films, and was one of the most influential directors in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s.

Otto Preminger

61. The Jazz, on scoreboards: UTA.  The Utah Jazz compete in the NBA.

62. Swift, to Swifties, when doubled: TAY.  Taylor Swift fans ("Swifties") call her Tay Tay.

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Did you need perps (perpendicular entries) to JOG your memory regarding the celebrities named in this puzzle?  Did you PANIC at any point?

Or was the whole thing a PIECE OF CAKE?

We want to hear from you in the comments.  YA DIG?

-- NaomiZ

Monday, June 15, 2026, Janice Luttrell

Theme:  Garden variety.

Our marvelous Monday maven, Janice Luttrell, has constructed a puzzle that is quite ordinary -- just your normal, basic, garden variety Monday grid.  I kid, of course.  Her theme entries end with words that are run-of-the-mill.

20-Across. Central green in a small town: VILLAGE COMMON.

27-Across. Plateau in England that's home to Stonehenge: SALISBURY PLAIN.

49-Across. Comedian's performance: STAND-UP ROUTINE.

The big reveal occurs here:

56-Across. Tom Jones hit, and what can be said about the end of 20-, 27-, or 49-Across: IT'S NOT UNUSUAL.

Our blogmistress, C.C., has explained that it's easier to write a difficult puzzle than an easy one.  If today's puzzle seems simple, that's the result of exacting effort.  Let's waltz through the rest!

Across:

1. Actors in a sitcom: CAST.

5. Super Bowl org.: NFL.  National Football League.  An abbreviation in the clue suggests that there will be an abbreviation in the answer.

8. Combo pattern for mil. garb: CAMO.  "Camo" is short for "camouflage," a pattern featuring a combination of shapes and colors, often used for military garments.

Camo patterns vary to match the environment.
Here, an Australian soldier blends into the bush.

12. "Stuff and nonsense!": PSHAW.  A scoffing sound, pronounced puh-shaw or pshh.

14. Soothing lotion ingredient: ALOE.

16. Country singer Jackson: ALAN.  Alan Jackson sings traditional country songs as well as many he's written himself.  He has earned Grammy Awards, CMA Awards, and ACM Awards, and is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time.  Because he suffers from an inherited degenerative disease, he has scheduled a final concert on June 27, 2026.  Here he is performing his original song, Five O'Clock Somewhere, with special guest Jimmy Buffet appearing near the end.

17. Hawaiian greeting: ALOHA.

18. Slips into, as clothes: DONS.

19. Fishhook attachment: LURE.

20. [Theme clue]

23. Summer beverage: ICE TEA.

25. __ Vegas Aces: LAS.  A team in the Women's National Basketball Association.

26. Silent assent: NOD.

27. [Theme clue]

31. Bio information: AGE.  "Bio" is not an abbreviation, but just a shortened version of "biography."  Therefore, the answer is not an abbreviation.

32. Italian sparkling wine: ASTI.  The Piedmont region of Italy produces Asti Spumante and Moscato d'Asti.  Asti Spumante is more bubbly; Moscato d'Asti is less bubbly, sweeter, and lower in alcohol.

33. Many, many moons: EON.

34. Says "I do" to: WEDS.

36. Brief albums, briefly: EPS.  Extended Play records are longer than a single, but not as long as a full length album.

38. Cash dispensers: ATMS.

42. Luau bowlful: POI.  Steamed and pounded taro root, mixed with water.

Poi

45. Beauty store chain: ULTA.

48. Kendrick Lamar genre: RAP.

49. [Theme clue]

53. Ewe said it: BAA.

54. Little tyke: TOT.

55. Stray hair: STRAND.

56. [Theme clue]

60. Windy day toy: KITE.

61. Minerals in mines: ORES.

62. Fast-food pork sandwich: MCRIB.  McDonald's offers the McRib sandwich sporadically, for limited time periods.  It features a minced pork patty shaped like a rack of ribs, covered in barbecue sauce.  Availability corresponds to periods of low prices on bulk pork.  Travel to Germany if you simply must have one; it's a permanent menu item at McDonald's there.

German McRib -- all year round

65. You are, in Spanish: ERES.  Eres un gran traductor!  (You are a great translator!)  One of the problems I have with Google translate is that it provides only familiar speech in Spanish.  That might work in Spain, but in Mexico, it's important to use formal pronouns and verbs with people who are not your family or inferiors.  "Usted es un gran traductor!" is more polite in most situations.

66. "Drinks are __!": ON ME.

67. Brain prefix: NEURO.  Neuro- is from the Greek for "nerve," and is used to refer to nerves, the brain, or the nervous system as a whole.

68. Put one's feet up: REST.

69. Patch of lawn: SOD.

70. Hitch: SNAG.

Down:

1. Tax prep expert: CPA.  Certified Public Accountant, of course.

2. Silent communication syst.: ASL.  American Sign Language.

3. Did a snow day chore: SHOVELED.

4. Most populous island in French Polynesia: TAHITI.  Most populous?  Still seems like a dream destination.

This is Tahiti.
  The blue lagoon and white sand beaches that show up in searches for Tahiti are really the nearby island of Bora Bora.

5. Zilch: NADA.

6. Promote aggressively: FLOG.  I'm familiar with flog meaning to beat or whip someone severely, but Google tells me it also means to sell something quickly or aggressively.

7. Needing a companion: LONELY.

8. Tranquil: CALM.  Bora Bora, anyone?

Bora Bora.
I like the idea of a lazy vacation, but in truth, I cannot sit still.
Kayaking, though ... !

9. Reunion attendees: ALUMNI.

10. Dark red: MAROON.

11. Continuously: ON END.  "It rained for days ON END."  "The power was out for weeks ON END."

13. Polish Solidarity leader Lech: WALESA.  Lech Wałęsa was president of Poland from 1990 to 1995. The first democratically elected president of Poland since 1926, he was also the first-ever Polish president elected by popular vote.  An electrician, Wałęsa led the opposition Solidarity movement which ended Communist rule in Poland in 1989.

Lech Wałęsa

15. Break free: ESCAPE.

21. Chem class rooms: LABS.

22. Scandinavian capital near the North Sea: OSLO.

23. "You don't have to tell me!": I SAW.

24. Pet canary's home: CAGE.

28. Sport-__: off-road auto: UTE.

29. Tear to pieces: RIP UP.

30. Actress de Armas: ANA.  Ana de Armas grew up in Cuba, moved to Spain, and then moved to Los Angeles, playing leading film and TV roles along the way.  She was the holographic AI Joi in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Paloma in the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021) and Marilyn Monroe in Blonde (2022), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Ana de Armas

35. Health resort: SPA.

37. Camera option, initially: SLR.  Per Wikipedia, "a single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a type of camera that uses a mirror and prism system to allow photographers to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. ... When the shutter button is pressed on most SLRs, the mirror flips out of the light path and allows light to pass through to the light receptor and the image to be captured."    

39. Dress rehearsal: TRIAL RUN.

40. "Save Me" singer Aimee: MANN.  You may remember Aimee Mann from her 1980s band "Til Tuesday."  She wrote their top-ten single Voices Carry.  She's been solo since 1990, and has also acted on TV and in films.  She wrote "Save Me" for the 1999 film Magnolia; the song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Aimee Mann -- now and then

41. Floored it: SPED.

43. Not duped by: ONTO.  As in, "I'm onto you, buster!"

44. "Same for me!": I DO TOO.

46. Soft throw: TOSS.

47. Leaf-peeping season: AUTUMN.  DH and I visited New England in October 2019.  It was spectacular.

"Height of Land" in Maine -- my photo

49. Much political humor: SATIRE.

50. Tries a bite of: TASTES.

51. About-faces on the road: U-TURNS.

52. Tiny amounts: TRACES.

53. Harley-Davidson customer: BIKER.

57. Wild canary's home: NEST.  As opposed to 24-Down. Pet canary's home: CAGE.

58. Pixar clownfish: NEMO.

59. Preowned: USED.

63. Savings plan letters: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

64. Cranberry-growing area: BOG.

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Which of you SPED through this puzzle?

Did it BOG you down anywhere?  Did it take hours ON END?

IT'S NOT UNUSUAL to hit a SNAG.  Hope you didn't RIP UP the puzzle!

Tell us all about it in the comments.

-- NaomiZ