Monday, March 16, 2026, Erica Hsiung Wojcik

Theme:  It's a ME thing!

Erica Hsiung Wojcik has authored several puzzles in these pages before.  She's a psychology professor whose research focuses on language acquisition in young children.  Just because Erica combines interests in crossword puzzles and language development, doesn't mean she thinks you ought to do likewise.  As she might say, "It's a me thing."

The big reveal for today's theme appears here:

64-Across. "I'm quirky like that," or, when parsed differently, what can be said of 17-, 30-, and 48-Across: IT'S A ME THING.  "It's a me thing" is a way of explaining one's habits or quirks, without apologizing, and without suggesting that someone else is wrong for not doing likewise.  You will also find that 17-, 30-, and 48-Across each feature two words that begin with M and E ... a ME thing.

17-Across. Test whose results may be posted in MyChart: MEDICAL EXAM.  I'm familiar with MyChart because the health care systems my mom used in Arizona, and now in California, both post appointments, referrals, test results, and after-visit summaries in MyChart web portals.

30-Across. Current stretch of human history: MODERN ERA.  Isn't it great to be living in the modern era?  Do you think that 2026 will be considered "modern era" in 3026? 

48-Across. Boxing night highlight: MAIN EVENT.  A night of boxing matches typically involves several fights.  The one most advertised usually comes last and features the best known competitors.  That match is called the Main Event, regardless of the order.

It's time to move on to the rest of the clues and answers.  That's not just a me thing.  All of the bloggers in the L.A.Times Crossword Corner follow this format.

Across:

1. Artist's numbered work: OPUS.  Latin for "work," opus usually refers to a musical composition, or set of compositions numbered in the order of issue.  An example is Beethoven's first published work, Piano Trio in E Flat Major, Opus 1, Number 1."

5. Given as a gift: GRATIS.  Another Latin word, gratis means free, without charge.  Bet you weren't expecting a Latin test this morning.

11. Forearm-to-forehead dance move: DAB.  Dab, or dabbing, is a gesture in which a person leans forward into the bent crook of a slanted, upward angled arm, while raising the opposite arm out straight in a parallel direction.  It's been a popular dance move since 2010 or so, and is sometimes used as a gesture of triumph or playfulness.

Betty White was so cool.

14. Goose sound: HONK.

15. Heritage: LEGACY.

16. Parisian's "yes": OUI.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Banquet coffeepot: URN.

20. A __ throw away: STONE'S.

21. Do some evil: SIN.

22. Degs. for many execs: MBAS.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.  This one stands for Master of Business Administration degrees.

23. Moon landing org.: NASA.  Another abbreviation in the clue and answer.  This one, of course, stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

25. Online commerce: E-TAIL.  Short for electronic retail.

27. Times to blow out the candles, casually: B-DAYS.  Short for birthdays, and easier to jot on a pocket calendar.

30. [Theme clue]

34. Steal from: ROB.

35. Long tale that may involve a quest: EPIC.

37. Midsize stringed instruments: VIOLAS.

The middle child of the violin family, the viola rarely plays a starring role.

38. Small bills: ONES.

40. "Wild" actress Witherspoon: REESE.  Reese Witherspoon is an American actress and producer, and the recipient of an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards.  Her big breakthrough was her role as Elle Woods in the 2001 film Legally Blonde.  Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2015, and Forbes listed her among the world's 100 most powerful women in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes named her the world's highest-paid actress, and in 2023, she was named one of the wealthiest celebrities in the U.S. with an estimated net worth of $440 million.  Is it fair to be so adorable, so brilliant, and so successful?

Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde

42. Big __: semis: RIGS.  In North America, vehicles made up of a powered truck tractor and one or more semi-trailers are known as "semis," "semi-trailers," "tractor-trailers," "big rigs," "semi-trucks," or "eighteen-wheelers."  In the United Kingdom, a semi-trailer truck is known as an "articulated lorry" or "artic."  Quaint!

43. Punctual: ON TIME.

45. "If it __ broke ... ": AIN'T.  Bert Lance, Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter, is credited with popularizing the southern idiom, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

47. Service charge: FEE.

48. [Theme clue]

50. Awake: ALERT.

52. Home of the Ninja Turtles: SEWER.  The fictional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created when four baby turtles were exposed to radioactive ooze in a New York City sewer.  They continued to live in the sewer even after they became humanoid crime fighters.

Masked Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles emerge from the sewer.

53. "Yeah, I guess": SURE.

55. Crab's grabber: CLAW.

57. Short snooze: NAP.

59. "Hear! Hear!": SO TRUE.

63. Airport with many connecting flights: HUB.

64. [Theme clue}

66. Stump splitter: AXE.

67. Apple pie prep tool: PEELER.

68. See 58-Down: ALTO.  Together with the answer to 58-Down, this Silicon Valley city is PALO ALTO, which means "tall stick" in Spanish.  The city was named for a 110 foot tall redwood tree which is currently about 1100 years old.  It was 162 feet tall in the 19th century -- it has suffered some setbacks -- and it is not so old, as other coast redwoods can approach 2500 years of age.

El Palo Alto when it had two trunks.  It lost one sometime before 1883.

69. Furry friend: PET.

70. Upgrades that may cost extra: ADD ONS.

71. Some summer babies, astrologically: LEOS.

Down:

1. Electrical units: OHMS.  The ohm is defined as an electrical resistance between two points of a conductor when a constant potential difference of one volt, applied to these points, produces in the conductor a current of one ampere, the conductor not being the seat of any electromotive force.

A laboratory one-ohm standard resistor, circa 1917

2. Pulitzer winner Jericho Brown, for one: POET.  Jericho Brown has published three books of poetry, and many other poems in distinguished journals.  His 2019 collection of poems titled The Tradition won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.  Here is Jericho Brown reading the title poem:

3. Ctrl+Z action: UNDO.  Computer keyboard shortcut.

4. __ jeans: tight fashion choice: SKINNY.  I like skinny jeans, but I've had some that were so tight, I couldn't bend my knees to put my dog in her harness.  Those were great jeans!

My daughter draped her motorcycle jacket over my shoulders to keep me warm in SF.
Check those skinny jeans!  2012.

5. Windowpane material: GLASS.

6. Theologian's subj.: REL.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.  A theologian's subject is religion.

7. Grows older: AGES.  Not me!  Nope!  Still wearing skinny jeans!  

8. Rolled up to the jetway: TAXIED.

9. "Feeling overwhelmed here": I CAN'T EVEN.  Said by a person who is so shocked, angry, happy, or disappointed about a situation that they can't put it into words or can't deal with it.  Positive example:  "This is just so ridiculously cute. I can't even."  Negative example:  "How could they do this to me?  I can't even."

10. Orchestral performance: Abbr.: SYM.  Symphony or Symphonic.

11. Burden of a secret agent, perhaps: DOUBLE LIFE.

12. Vibe: AURA.

13. Recycling receptacles: BINS.

18. __ and desist: CEASE.

22. Insignificant: MINOR.

24. French friend: AMIE.  Amie is French for a female friend.

26. Nev. neighbor: ARI.  Nevada shares a bit of border with Arizona.

27. Sweeping tool: BROOM.

28. Fashion designer Karan: DONNA.  You may be familiar with her brand labels Donna Karan New York and DKNY.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has a significant collection of her designs, which influenced women's fashion in the 1980s and 1990s.

Donna Karan ensemble at the Met

29. "Pay up! No excuses!": A BET IS A BET.

31. Salty expanse: OCEAN.

32. Wild party: RAGER.

33. Positive attribute: ASSET.

36. Stopped from happening: PREVENTED.

39. Tendon: SINEW.  A tendon is a fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone, enabling muscle contraction to pull on the skeleton.  We usually use sinew to refer to tendon that is cooked, dried, or used as a material.  But not always!  How about this excerpt from The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

 Under a spreading chestnut-tree

    ⁠The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

    With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms

    Are strong as iron bands.

41. Grabs a chair: SITS.

44. Tiny cat noise: MEW.

46. Divination deck: TAROT.  Divination is fortune-telling using omens or supernatural powers.

49. Wiped out?: ERASED.

51. "__ Weapon": buddy cop film franchise: LETHAL.  The franchise consists of a series of four films released between 1987 and 1998 and a television series which aired from 2016 to 2019. 

54. Manual readers: USERS.

55. Fellow: CHAP.

56. Extremely opulent: LUXE.

58. With 68-Across, Silicon Valley city: PALO.

60. Irritate but good: RILE.  Rile means to annoy or irritate.  The clue is slangy, and just means to do a good job of irritating.  

61. "Do __ others ... ": UNTO.  Rabbi Hillel (who died in the year 10 CE) said the whole of the Bible came down to this rule:  "That which is hateful to you, do not do to another."  The positive formulation "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is attributed to Jesus in the New Testament.  Other traditions from around the world have similar formulations, some older than these examples.

62. Self-images: EGOS.

64. Craft beer letters: IPA.  India Pale Ale is a beer style known for its strong hop flavor and high alcohol content.  It was first created in 18th-century England to survive the long voyage to India.  Hops acted as a natural preservative.  Home brewers (and small craft breweries) value the variety of flavors and aromas from a range of hops, and the short brewing time.

Enjoying a warm one with the fellows.

65. Fellows: MEN.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did it take AGES to complete this puzzle?  Was there something that PREVENTED you from finishing?

Or did you finish ON TIME with an EPIC win?

You know I want to know.  It's a me thing.  Comments welcome!

-- NaomiZ

Monday, March 9, 2026, Zhouqin Burnikel

Theme:  Lace up!

Today's puzzle comes to us from prolific constructor and generous host in this blog space, Zhouqin Burnikel, known here as C.C.

The theme is somewhat hidden until the big reveal:

50-Across. Prepare to skate, or what can be found in 3-, 8-, 10-, and 33-Down?: LACE UP.  Indeed, upon examination, we find the word LACE going UPwards in four vertical entries.  If you didn't see the laces, check the image of the grid at the end of this blog post!

3-Down. Business meetings over the phone: CONFERENCE CALLS.  

8-Down. Stillness before a storm: EERIE CALM.

10-Down. Zodiac cycle in which the Rabbit follows the Tiger: CHINESE CALENDAR.

33-Down. Baby humpback: WHALE CALF.

Things are definitely looking up in this puzzle, but it's time for us to look across and down.

Across:

1. Treaty between nations: PACT.

5. Diamond corner: BASE.  Baseball diamond.

9. Highest point: ACME.  Will it be ACME or APEX?  Only the perpendicular entries know for sure.

13. Aroma: ODOR.

14. Soak in the tub: BATHE.

15. Guacamole scoop: CHIP.

16. Last stretch before graduation: SENIOR YEAR.

18. Increase in altitude: RISE.

19. North Pole helper: ELF.

20. __ Angeles Sparks: LOS.  The Los Angeles Sparks are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association.

21. "Stop talking!": SILENCE.

23. Playground board with two seats: SEE SAW.  A SEE SAW (or teeter-totter) is a long, narrow board, balanced in the center on a single pivot point.  One person sits on each end of the board, and they take turns pushing their feet against the ground to raise their side.  If one person jumps off when their side is low, the other may fall and be injured.  For this reason, see saws have been removed from most playgrounds in the United States.  Today's blogger was fortunate to grow up in the days when children were largely unsupervised.  My siblings and I spent several summers in and around Salida, Colorado, and spent hours on see saws in the shady city park.

Children on a see saw

25. "Relax, soldier": AT EASE.

26. Beam of light: RAY.

27. Make into law: ENACT.

28. U.S. ID issuer: SSA.  Social Security Administration.

31. Broken mirror, to some: OMEN.  A bad omen, at that.

33. Get hitched: WED.

34. White-barked trees: ASPENS.  Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides AKA "trembling poplar") are not individual trees but rather part of a shared root system. A grove of aspens shares the same genetics, with new trunks sprouting from the roots. 

Aspen grove

36. Go on a tirade: RANT.

37. Red Monopoly piece: HOTEL.

39. Palm with berries: ACAI.

40. Noisy summer insect: CICADA.

42. Meat in a croque monsieur: HAM.  A Croque Monsieur is a French hot sandwich made with ham, cheese, and béchamel sauce.

Croque monsieur

43. California wine valley: NAPA.

44. Pint night purchase: ALE.

45. Respected villager: ELDER.

47. Zilch: NIL.

48. "Door's open": COME IN.

50. [Theme clue]

53. Bold alternative?: ITALICS.  Font options!

55. Fragrant evergreen: FIR.

56. Org. whose seal depicts an eagle atop a key: NSA.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

57. "You got a deal!": SOLD.

58. Fruity fall beverage: APPLE CIDER.

61. "Riverdale" actress Reinhart: LILI.  Lili Reinhart gained recognition for playing Betty Cooper on the CW teen drama series Riverdale (2017-2023). She also starred in the crime drama film Hustlers (2019) and the romantic drama film Chemical Hearts (2020).  

62. Strung along: LED ON.

63. Title for New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko: DAME.  Dame Lydia Ko (born April 24, 1997) is a New Zealand professional golfer, member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, and the reigning Olympic champion. She first reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings in 2015 at 17 years, 9 months and 9 days of age, making her the youngest player of either gender to be ranked No. 1 in professional golf.  Ko was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2025, for services to golf. She is believed to be the youngest dame or knight of the modern era.

Lydia Ko

64. "If all __ fails ... ": ELSE.  If you don't know Lili or Lydia, try to fill in the perps (perpendicular entries), and if that doesn't complete the names, take a WAG (wild ass guess).  

65. Defect: FLAW.

66. Unrefined minerals: ORES.

Down:

1. Prepares for a photograph: POSES.

2. One-named "Hello" singer: ADELE.  Adele is an English singer, songwriter, and actress, known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting.  Her accolades include 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards (including three for British Album of the Year), an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

Adele

3. [Theme clue]

4. The first "T" of TNT: TRI.  Trinitrotoluene, commonly known as TNT, is a chemical compound best known as an explosive material with convenient handling properties. Wile E. Coyote certainly finds it convenient.

5. Howls at the moon: BAYS.

6. Enjoyed some tteokbokki, say: ATE.  Tteokbokki is a Korean food made from small, cylindrical rice cakes, simmered in chili paste.  It is often paired with fish cakes, boiled eggs, and scallions.  This was a good spot for a WAG.  After all, what's a three letter word for "enjoyed"?

Tteokbokki

7. Peak in the Cascade Range: SHASTA.  Mount Shasta is a volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet, it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth-highest in the state.  The last significant eruption was about 200 years ago, but it is still a high threat and is monitored by the United States Geological Survey.

Would you live this close to an active volcano?
This is the city of Mount Shasta.

8. [Theme clue]

9. Units of land area: ACRES.

10. [Theme clue]

11. Catchall category: Abbr.: MISC.

12. Heaviest fencing sword: ÉPÉE.

14. Body part that can be furrowed: BROW.

17. CeraVe rival: OLAY.  Brands of skin care products.

DH uses this cleanser as recommended by his dermatologist.

22. Muscles near delts: LATS.  Delts (deltoids) and lats (latissimus dorsi) are crucial upper-body muscles that define shoulder width, posture, and pulling/pushing strength.

24. North Pole VIP: SANTA.

25. "What happened next?": AND THEN?

27. Fair-hiring initials: EEO.  Equal Employment Opportunity is a legal principle meant to ensure that all employees and applicants receive fair treatment by prohibiting discrimination in hiring, promotion, and firing based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40+), disability, or genetic information. 

29. "Just like that" sound: SNAP.

30. Iran's continent: ASIA.

31. Dolphin with eye patches: ORCA.  Have you heard about the orcas in the Pacific Northwest who engaged in a trend of wearing dead salmon on their heads like hats?  This fad spread through various pods in the late 1980s, and is experiencing a retro revival.  Who can keep up?

Orca rocking a salmon hat.

32. Postal delivery: MAIL.

33. [Theme clue]

35. Become frantic: PANIC.

38. Serving of corn: EAR.

41. "The Substance" Oscar nominee Moore: DEMI.  For her role in The Substance (2024), Moore won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress, and an Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.  She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance.

46. Quash, as a rumor: DISPEL.

47. DEA agent: NARC.  An agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration may be a narcotics officer.

49. Song from a bygone era: OLDIE.

50. Property claim: LIEN.

51. "I'm at your service": USE ME.

52. Trims (down): PARES.

53. Part of an archipelago: ISLE.

54. Work hard: TOIL.

55. __ state: focused mindset: FLOW.  Flow state, or being "in the zone," is a state of total immersion in an activity, characterized by intense concentration, deep enjoyment, and high productivity.

59. Kissing on the kiss cam, say: PDA.  Public Display of Affection.

Too much?

60. Swear words?: I DO.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did you achieve a FLOW state while solving?  

Or did you PANIC?  AND THEN?

Let us know in the comments section!

-- NaomiZ

Monday, March 2, 2026, Renee Thomason

Theme:  The Giving Tree.

Today's puzzle comes to us from none other than Renee Thomason, AKA sumdaze, our long-time Monday blogger.  And sumdaze is a giver!

The big reveal occurs at 66- and 67-Across:

66-Across. With 67-Across, repay a community's generous support, or a feature of the answer to each starred clue: GIVE.

67-Across. See 66-Across: BACK.

When you've benefitted from the support of your community, you may feel inspired to GIVE BACK.  And when you look closely at the answers to the starred clues, you may find that the BACK end of each -- that is, the last word -- is a word for GIVE.

21-Across. *Official currency of a nation, e.g.: LEGAL TENDER.  "Legal tender" is government-issued currency that must be accepted if offered in payment of a debt.  TENDER, as a verb, means to make a formal offer.  A person can TENDER cash or goods to settle a debt -- that is, GIVE something.

26-Across. *Gently sidestep an awkward question: SKIRT THE ISSUE.  "Skirt the issue" means to avoid an uncomfortable topic.  ISSUE, as a verb, means to release, distribute, or supply something.  Your employer might ISSUE raises or new equipment -- that is, GIVE something.

44-Across. *18th president of the United States: ULYSSES S GRANT.  Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War, and later served as the 18th president of the United States.  GRANT, as a verb, means to formally bestow, confer, or transfer something.  Your supervisor might GRANT permission for you to leave early -- another way of saying GIVE.

52-Across. *Japanese sedan that's been a top seller in the U.S. since 1989: HONDA ACCORD.  The top selling sedans in the USA are Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and Nissan Sentra, in that order -- but pickup trucks and SUVs outsell sedans.  ACCORD, as a verb, means to grant something that is due or appropriate.  You'll want to ACCORD equal respect to all who attempt today's puzzle -- another way of saying GIVE.

TENDER, ISSUE, GRANT, and ACCORD are all more formal words than GIVE, and used in more limited contexts.  If these didn't leap out at you as synonyms, GIVE yourself some slack.

It's time for me to GIVE you some insight into the rest of the clues and answers.

Across:

1. Engrave a name on a trophy, say: ETCH.

5. Barrels into: RAMS.

9. Thumbs-up answers: YESES.  Dictionaries disagree on YESES versus YESSES.

14. Gift tag word: FROM.  "To" was too short.

15. "Peacemaker" actor Steve: AGEE.  Steve Agee is a comedian, actor, writer, and musician, known for roles on The Sarah Silverman Program, The Suicide Squad, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, the HBO series Peacemaker, and Creature Commandos.  I needed perpendicular entries to solve this one.  Sorry, Mr. Agee.

Steve Agee

16. Mexican street corn: ELOTE.  This is an answer I can sink my teeth into.

Elote

17. Huggies rival: LUVS.  Disposable diaper brands.

18. Old Roman garment: TOGA.

19. Island country between Sicily and North Africa: MALTA.

20. Enjoyed a meal: ATE.

21. [Theme clue]

23. Sewing kit spool: THREAD.  What's in your sewing kit?

spool of thread

25. Finish: END.

26. [Theme clue]

33. Sooner or __: LATER.

35. Long-term goals: AIMS.

36. Tax return pro: CPA.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.  A tax return professional is a Certified Public Accountant.

37. Bygone Apple music players: IPODS.

38. Corp. VIP: CEO.  Another abbreviated clue with an abbreviated answer.  A corporate Very Important Person is the Chief Executive Officer.

39. Sloughs off: SHEDS.

41. Hearing organ: EAR.

42. Lady Gaga's "__ This Way": BORN.  Here's a spectacle for you:

43. Paddled boat: CANOE.

44. [Theme clue]

48. Fitting: APT.

49. Like Greg, among the Brady kids: ELDEST.  The Brady Bunch was a sitcom that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974, featuring a blended family with six children, of whom "Greg" was the eldest.

The Brady Bunch

52. [Theme clue]

58. Play-__: Fun Factory clay: DOH.  I played with Play-Doh.  My kids had the Play-Doh Fun Factory.  I guess the newest grandchild will have AI robots to shape the stuff.

59. Newspaper opinion pieces: OP EDS.  On the page opposite the editiorial page in a newspaper, outside contributors may author short prose pieces expressing opinions on topics of current interest.

60. "That can't be": OH NO.

61. Volcano on Sicily: ETNA.  See map at 19-Across.  Sicily is the large island north of Malta.

62. Royal domain: REALM.

63. D.C. MLB team: NATS.  Washington D.C. is home to the Washington Nationals, a team that competes in Major League Baseball.

64. "__ Green": Kermit's song: BEIN'.  "Bein' Green" is a song written by Joe Raposo, originally performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog on both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. It was later covered by Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, and other performers. "Bein' Green" is Kermit's  signature song.

65. Land divisions: ACRES.

66. [Theme clue]

67. [Theme clue]

Down:

1. Note in the C minor scale: E FLAT.  The C natural minor scale consists of the notes C, D, E flat, F, G, A flat, and B flat.

2. Objective fact: TRUTH.

3. Featured article of a magazine: COVER STORY.

4. Letters on some British ships: HMS.  HMS stands for His (or Her) Majesty's Ship -- depending on the gender of the reigning monarch in England.

5. Like most gory movies: RATED R.  Gory films involve violence and bloodshed, and are RATED "R" for "restricted."  Viewers under age 17 must be accompanied by an adult parent or guardian.

6. Eagerly expectant: AGOG.  Eager or curious to hear or see something.  "I'm all agog to see London."

7. Bigger than big: MEGA.  Costco is a mega store.  You don't have to be mega rich to shop there.  

8. __ of approval: SEAL.

9. Sanaa resident: YEMENI.  Sanaa is the capital and largest city of Yemen.  Sanaa is currently under Houthi control, and suffers from shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.  The economy has collapsed, jobs are scarce, and prices are rising.  Saudi Arabia has been fighting the Houthis since 2015, and renewed conflict is a constant concern for Yemenis.

10. Spiral-horned African antelopes: ELANDS.  I searched for images of ELANDS and found a bunch of despicable people. 

11. Realtor's sign of success?: SOLD.

12. Kin of -kin: ETTE.  The suffix -kin denotes smallness.  A lambkin is a little lamb.  The suffix -ette is much the same.  A kitchenette is a small kitchen.

13. Verb in many a grilling recipe: SEAR.  To scorch the surface with sudden, intense heat.

21. Hideaways: LAIRS.

22. Souvenir shirts: TEES.

24. Squeaked (by): EKED.

27. Food truck snacks: TACOS.

28. Layers of tall cakes: TIERS.

29. Southeast Asian ethnic group: HMONG.  The Hmong are a distinct ethnic group originating from southern China and Southeast Asia.  There are diaspora communities in the United States, Australia, France, and South America.

Hmong women in Vietnam

30. Fragrant herbal brew: SCENTED TEA.  Dry tea leaves and fresh flower buds can been combined in piles overnight.  As the flower buds bloom, the tea absorbs their released fragrance.  In the morning, the flowers are removed, but the aroma remains in the tea.  That's how traditional jasmine tea is created.

31. Ballerina's bun, for one: UPDO.  An updo is a hairstyle that lifts long hair up and off the neck.

32. Effortlessness: EASE.

33. In __ of: replacing: LIEU.

34. "Come on, be __!": A PAL.

39. Burn with hot water: SCALD.

40. Round of applause: HAND.

42. Greek letter after alpha: BETA.

45. Jockey's seat: SADDLE.

46. Twitches: SPASMS.

47. Stood up again: REROSE.  Past tense of rerise -- a verb I've never encountered before.  

50. __ boom: noise made by a fast jet: SONIC.

51. TGIF part: THANK.  Thank God It's Friday.

52. Jewish wedding dance: HORA.

The hora is easy to learn and fun to do.

53. Oil cartel letters: OPEC.  Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

54. Within reach: NEAR.

55. Capitol Hill gp.: CONG.  A Capitol Hill group is Congress.

56. __ latte: spiced drink: CHAI.  NaomiZ's morning beverage, made with oat milk and spiced tea.

57. Like a sitcom star: ON TV.

61. __ and flow: EBB.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, did you GIVE up?

Or did you finish with EASE?

Let us know in the comments.

-- NaomiZ 

Monday, February 23, 2026, Robert E.L. Morris

Theme: Chicken Parts

Robert E.L. Morris serves up a fast-food Monday, with a gruesome goal.  

59-Across. Wishes of a lifetime, or what the starts of the answers to the starred clues form at a chicken restaurant?: BUCKET LIST.  A BUCKET LIST usually refers to a list of experiences that a person hopes to achieve before they die (or "kick the bucket") ... such as visit another country, learn a new language, pay off one's debts, go snorkeling.  But the starts of the answers to the starred clues are something else entirely.

16-Across. *Woolen garments for ballet dancers: LEG WARMERS.  Leg warmers are great gear for ballet classes, and were a fashion craze in the 1980s.  Innocent enough!  But the operative word here -- the start of the starred answer -- is LEG.

10-Down. *Defensive armor that covers the chest: BREASTPLATE.  A breastplate is a piece of armor worn to protect the torso from injury.  A good idea for knights and military men of centuries past.  But the word we're looking for at the start of this answer is BREAST.

24-Down. *Fitness gadget promoted by Suzanne Somers: THIGHMASTER. American actress Suzanne Somers (1946-2023) famously promoted the ThighMaster, an exercise device.  We're not going to get fit by thinking about the ThighMaster, but we are focused on the THIGH.

26-Down. *Supporting pilot in a "Top Gun" formation: WINGMAN.  A wingman is a military pilot who flies behind and to the side of a leading aircraft to guard their back.  By extension, a wingman is a person who supports you in your efforts.  But today, the parts are greater than the whole.  We're just looking for the starting word, WING.

Looking again at 59-Across, which reveals the theme for today's puzzle, at a restaurant that serves cooked chickens, a BUCKET LIST could be a list of the body parts included in a bucket:  LEG, BREAST, THIGH, and WING.

Let's move on through the less troubling clues.

Across:

1. Rains cats and dogs: POURS.  The origin of the phrase "raining cats and dogs" is unknown, but we do know that it had its start in 17th century England.  One theory is that a heavy rain would cause the corpses of stray cats and dogs to float down the filthy streets of London.  OK, still gruesome.

6. Inflatable float: RAFT.  Yes, a raft is usually a casually assembled structure of materials used as a floating platform -- but it can also mean a large amount of something, like a raft of animal corpses in the streets of London.  Just trying to keep with the theme, here!

10. Film school deg.: BFA.  Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees are also given in areas such as acting, ceramics, graphic design, sculpture, and music.  I entered MFA first.  My brother has one of those -- in glass blowing!

13. Greenish pond growth: ALGAE.

14. After-sun gel ingredient: ALOE.

15. Small appliance that removes wrinkles: IRON.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Floating ice chunk: BERG.

19. Dull and dreary: DRAB.

20. Halloween goodies: TREATS.

22. Hotel room price: RATE.

25. Right this moment: NOW.

27. Constricting undergarment: CORSET.

28. Shocked: AGHAST.

30. Pretty soon: IN A BIT.

32. Magician's revealing cry: VOILÀ.  There it is -- in French!

33. Grandson of Adam: ENOS.

34. "Planet of the __": APES.  The first Planet of the Apes movie, which came out in 1968, was based on French author Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel La Planète des singes.  Charlton Heston starred as an astronaut who crash lands on a desolate planet in the distant future, where apes are the dominant species, and humans are primitive, mute beings.  But wait ... there's more!  

Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes

37. Indoor rower, for short: ERG.

A favorite crossword exercise machine.

38. Used some Listerine, say: GARGLED.

41. Sass: LIP.

42. Arlene of classic cinema: DAHL.  Arlene Dahl (1925-2021) was an American actress in films of the late 1940s.  She founded frangrance and telephone companies, wrote a syndicated astrology column, and married six times.  The eldest of her three children is actor Lorenzo Lamas.

Arlene Dahl, 1953

44. Fairy tale bear: MAMA.

This intruder got off easy.

45. Water bill statistic: USAGE.

47. Actress Tomei: MARISA.  Marisa Tomei is an American actress who gained prominence for her performance in My Cousin Vinny (1992), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny

49. Really, really hate: LOATHE.

50. Primary hub of Alaska Airlines, familiarly: SEATAC.  Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.

52. Hoops org.: NBA.

54. Collecting Soc. Sec., maybe: RET'D.  A person collecting Social Security may be RETIRED.

55. Lipton rival: NESTEA.

56. With 48-Down, "Insecure" creator/star: ISSA.  ISSA RAE is an American actress from my neighborhood of Los Angeles, and popular here in the crossword.

Issa Rae in Insecure

58. "Laugh-In" comedian Johnson: ARTE.  Are you old enough to remember Arte Johnson (1929-2019), an American comedian best known for his work on the NBC sketch comedy series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967-1971)?

Goldie Hawn and Arte Johnson on Laugh-In

59. [Theme clue]

65. Santa Monica landmark: PIER.

66. The Daily Planet reporter Lois: LANE.

67. Eaglet nest: AERIE.

68. Msg. from a pulpit: SER.  OK, a message from a pulpit is a sermon, and we have to abbreviate it because the clue is abbreviated, but the only abbreviation Google showed me for sermon is serm.  And if we're going that far, is the on too much to add?

69. Strong urges: YENS.

70. Make fun of: TEASE.

Down:

1. Chum: PAL.

2. Nashville's Grand __ Opry: OLE.

3. Fleecy boot brand: UGG.

4. Shoddy treatment: RAW DEAL.

5. Cook fast, as tuna: SEAR.

6. Stallone's "First Blood" role: RAMBO.  First Blood is a 1982 film starring Sylvester Stallone as Rambo, a Vietnam War veteran who runs afoul of local law enforcement and uses his Special Forces experience to elude capture.

Sylvester Stallone in First Blood

7. The "A" of IPA: ALE.  India Pale Ale.

8. In favor of: FOR.

9. Court decision that sets a precedent: TEST CASE.

10. [Theme clue]

11. Strong suit: FORTE.

12. Anxious feeling: ANGST.

15. Spain and Portugal's peninsula: IBERIA.  The Jewish people who lived in this area from before the arrival of the ancient Romans until the expulsion in 1492 called this land Sepharad.  Those who survived in other lands following the expulsion are still called Sephardic Jews.

Iberia, AKA the Iberian Peninsula

17. Speak wildly: RANT.

21. Actor Lowe: ROB.  Rob Lowe is an American actor who was a teen idol in the early 1980s, was sidelined by a sex tape scandal in 1988, and found redemption starting in the late 1990s, especially with a regular role on The West Wing.

After complaining about the body parts theme, I realized I had a different sort of body parts theme going with Charlton Heston and Sylvester Stallone.  I was forced to complete the theme with this image of Rob Lowe.

22. Spoke wildly: RAVED.

23. Ancient Greek marketplace: AGORA.

24. [Theme clue]

26. [Theme clue]

29. Droop: SAG.

31. Mardi Gras city, familiarly: NOLA.  Short for New Orleans, LA (Louisiana).

33. Presidential spans: ERAS.

35. Elite __: March Madness round: EIGHT.  Basketball!  The 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight (regional finals) will take place on March 28-29, 2026.

36. Put the pedal to the metal: SPEED.

39. In an agreeable manner: AMICABLY.  I wanted to put "amiably" here, but it wasn't long enough.  I had AMI_ABLY, and needed SEATAC to provide the C.

40. Dynamic __: DUO.

43. Former's counterpart: LATTER.

46. Big name in frozen desserts: SARA LEE.

48. See 56-Across: RAE.

49. Cut with a beam: LASE.

50. Breaks sharply: SNAPS.

51. Otherworldly: EERIE.

53. Two-wheelers: BIKES.

57. "Pronto!": STAT.

60. Dubai's fed.: UAE.  Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, and is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, which is one of seven emirates making up the federation called the UAE.

61. "The Situation Room" channel: CNN.

62. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA.  Ira Gershwin (1896-1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create more than a dozen Broadway shows.

63. Female sib: SIS.  Your female sibling is your sister.

64. Workout top: TEE.

Here's the grid:

Et VOILÀ!  We have completed another puzzle.

Did our constructor hand you a RAW DEAL at any point?  Did you LOATHE it?

Or was the puzzle full of TREATS that allowed you to complete it at great SPEED?

Please share your experience in the comments!

-- NaomiZ