Friday, Apr 17th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

  VANNA B's

You would wannabe her if you got paid $10mil to turn letters

"G" ( gee ), I vonder vhere LA Times Crossvord editor Patti VVVarol got the idea for this theme . . . and a packed theme it is, too - six, count 'em, SIX, themers today, for a total of 66 squares, or 35% of the total puzzle - I have not tracked this info, but I am curious about it in future puzzles.  "V" replaces "W" in common phrases, a sort of German accent-type of sound which results in some humorous changes.  Standard 15x15 grid, the triple-sixes and double-eights in the corners giving us a whopping 28 3LWs, no circles, too many names, four( ish ) Twurds, two stray "V"s, but overall, a typical Friday-level solve.   The 6 themers; 

17. Encouragement to a writer who shows an early penchant for rhyme?:

"YOU COULD DO VERSE~!" - "You could do WORSE", an additional spelling change with the "O" going to "E"

24. Carefully evaluate pasta?: VET NOODLES - Wet Noodles

31. Gardener who only plants the most exquisite ivy?: VINE SNOB - Wine Snob -  too similar, less humorous

41. Anthem for a Colorado ski resort?: VAIL SONG - Whale Song; a bigger alteration, with the "H" dropped and the synonymous spelling 

47. Weapon wielded by a particularly dangerous snake?: VIPER BLADE - Wiper Blade

Far Side snakes at "Vail"

54. Safes made in the Volunteer State?: TENNESSEE VAULTS - the biggest spelling change, Tennessee WALTZ.  Learn more from this blue-highlighted web link and hear the song from another Patti, ( Page ) - lately, there seems to be some confusion from anon types in their comments indicating a lack of info regarding the clues & answers, and their connections - may I suggest checking the phrases and/or words highlighted in 🠆 blue 🠄 for web links to more; a ( PSA ) Public Service Announcement from your Friday fact-finding blogger 😁

But Vait, There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Unaccounted-for period: GAP

4. Six-time WNBA All-Star Thomas: ALYSSA - name #1

10. Textspeak qualifier: IMHO - Text-speak, In My Humble Opinion

14. Timetable abbr.: ARRival

15. Talked up: TOUTED - think sales/advertising

16. Lion's "I'm going to eat you!": ROAR - at least it wasn't "RAWR"

20. Singer Jason with the album "Love Is a Four Letter Word": MRAZ - name #2 - the Wiki

21. Core muscles: ABs

Medieval workouts

22. Ga. capital: ATLanta, Georgia

23. Shadow: TAIL - think spies, cops & P.I.s

28. Quartz suffix: ITE - quartzite - I bought grey Kraftmaid cabinets to upgrade the original 1955 kitchen in my home; now I am looking for a purple-toned countertop to compliment my dishes, pots, pans and utensils - I like the look of this, called "tempest"

29. Much sitar music: RAGAS

Spinal Tap - "you don't wanna go raga . . . "

30. Actress Russo: RENE - name #3

33. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE - I have heard of them; Zooey Deschanel is "she"

She played Trillian in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", too

35. Scale intervals: OCTAVES - stray "V" #1

36. Cry of frustration: "BLAST IT~!"

Biggs had a larger, but edited, role in the first Star Wars movie

40. Waze tech: GPS - Waze, the app for getting you there . . .

42. Taylor, to Swifties: IDOL - Taylor Swift's fanatics are called Swifties

45. Actor Vaughn: VINCE - stray "V" #2, name #4

46. Compass dir.: ESE - I had ENE, couldn't parse the crossing Down; Inniston~? see 38D.

50. Punxsutawney figure: PHIL - #5, our weather predictor - and his accuracy compared 

About as good as TV Weather reporters . . .

51. Individual: ONE

52. Small battery: AAA

53. Experts: PROS

60. Lake into which the Cuyahoga empties: ERIE - the most poular lake in crosswordom, geo name #6

61. "A Real Pain" Oscar winner Culkin: KIERAN - half a WAG on my part; name #7 - his Wiki

62. Mama deer: DOE

63. Heap affection (on): DOTE

64. Has disdain for: SCORNS - "feet hath no fury like a woman's corns" 😜

65. 1975 TV debut, familiarly: SNL - Saturday Night Live

Star Wars casting spoof

DOWN:

1. Writer/editor Roxane who co-owns the online literary magazine The Rumpus: GAY - name #8

2. Like basmati rice: AROMATIC - I have not had this rice, so I have not smelled it . . .

3. Appealing to one's baser nature: PRURIENT - $2 eight-letter fill

4. Encyclopedic in range: A TO Z - Amazon's logo, implied by the arrow

Everything from A to Z

5. Reed of the Velvet Underground: LOU - I knew who this was, name #9

Venus in Furs, a cover of the Velvet Underground by Monster Magnet

6. Actor Brynner: YUL - #10

7. Time zone wd.: STD - meh.  An abbr in an abbr clue/answer; from November 2nd (ish) through March 8th (ish), I live in EST, or "Eastern Standard Time"

8. Some cars: SEDANS

9. Vinegary marinade: ADOBO - Español for 'marinade' - more here

10. Choler: IRE

11. Spirits: MORALE - LIQUOR fit, too - so you know where my mind is . . .

12. Hurry: HASTEN

13. "... if you know what's good for you!": "OR ELSE~!"

18. Berkeley, familiarly: CAL - As I said @ 7D, I am an East coaster; I tried USC

19. Brandy letters: VSO - meh. Very Special/Superior Old ( Pale ) - I couldn't find a link to just V.S.O.

23. DVR option: TiVo

24. Wind instruments?: VANES - Now this is clever clue/answer

25. Big personalities: EGOS

26. Word often seen under a tilde?: TAB - TAB is beneath the keyboard [~ `] key 

27. __ code: DRESS - Dah~!  Not MORSE

29. Say "I'll be there," say: RSVP - meh - IMHO, you don't SAY an RSVP, you WRITE an RSVP

32. Old quarter back: EAGLE - I tried BISON

Old Quarterback

33. Cake serving: SLICE - I eat nothing less than a SLAB in my house

34. In fine fettle: HALE

36. Kansas or Alabama: BAND - name(s) #11; "band" was my first guess; I know KANSAS ( and HuskerG linked Dust in the Wind last Saturday ); I am not familiar with the music of Alabama - their website

37. Climbers' supports: TOEHOLDS

38. Demand: INSIST ON - Ah - not the town of Inniston, UK

39. Neutrogena shampoo: T-GEL - name(ish)

41. Passing through: VIA - meh.  "I got to my brother's house via I-495" does not mean I was 'passing through' the asphalt 😜

42. November sticker: I VOTED - Twurd; did you hear that Apple has come out with a new device for finding leprechauns~? It's called the "iRish"

Hi Irish Miss~!

43. Bread: DINERO - I figured this was slang for 'money', waited on perps; the Wiki for US words

44. "I can't wait to see what's inside!": "OPEN IT~!" - Twurd

45. Pickle brand: VLASIC

48. "Hair Love" voice actress Issa: RAE - name #12, a crossword staple

49. Soaks up the sun: BASKS - TANS was a bit "light"

50. Newark-based insurer, on stock tickers: PRU - I shoulda known this - the NJ Devils of the National Hockey League play at the "Prudential Center"

Their logo can almost be seen on the sign

53. Kitchen array: PANS

55. Once called: NÉE

56. Job listing letters: EEO - Equal Employment Opportunity - I always make the mistake of filling in EOE ( thinking employeR ), and mess up that section of the puzzle

57. Make a blunder: ERR

58. Many an airport shuttle: VAN

59. Salt, in French: SEL - and our last 3-Letter Word

Splynter

Grid Flow a Wery Low 18.4

Friday, Mar 6th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

 A BIGHT of WIGHT

And "a BITE of WHITE"

Two weeks running now, we've had a construction from the LA Times crossword puzzle editor Patti - and a better submission, IMHO, than the one from last Thursday, which had the names Natick in the NE corner.  Today's theme is a clever play on "~IGHT -becomes- ~ITE" words; my only nit would be the use of two "R" words - yet they are different.  I was quite impressed, however, with the two 10-letter Down fills that each crossed different sets of three themers without being "meh".  A solid Friday offering - most of the terse clues were in my wheelhouse.  Standard grid, no circles, 3 times the number of 4LWs to both 3- & 5-LWs, two yogurts, and a dozen names.  The themers, and no reveal; 

20. Ceremony that adorns dollar bills?: RITE ON THE MONEY 

Han Solo's shot was "right on the money"

26. Try to find pen pals in monasteries?: WRITE BROTHERS - these guys . . .

- not these guys, Wilbur  & Orville Wright

44. Lo-cal beers from Canada?: NORTHERN LITES - these guys . . . 

not these guys

52. Terse review of a wonky web page?: NOT A PRETTY SITE - not this guy . . .

But Wait - There's More in SITE~!

ACROSS:

1. Goes through a lot of tissues: BAWLS - I do the Downs first, had B - W L - , which did not look promising, but "Lo~!" and "Behold~!"

6. Chi-town paper: TRIBune - abbr for Chicago, abbr for the newspaper

10. Tibetan priest: LAMA

14. "If you say so": "UH-HUH."

15. New York university named for a Scottish isle: IONA - geo name #1, knew it 'cos I grew up in NY

16. Tudyk of "Resident Alien": ALAN - name #2 - I recall the show, though I didn't watch

17. Condiment served with biryani: RAITA - yogurt #1 - filled via perps

18. Survivor's struggle, briefly: PTSD - breifly indicating we're looking for an abbreviation; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

19. Tie: BOND

23. Foundry delivery: ORE - a good change-up clue for this fill

24. Lav: LOO - British bathroom

25. Dove home: COTE - learned by doing crosswords

32. "I mentioned the bisque" "Seinfeld" character: ELAINE - Seinfeld aired before I was old enough to understand the show; I do like watching them now, but this scene I do not recall . . .name #3

Yada, yada, yada

34. Take from the top: RE-DO

35. Intl. broadcaster since 1942: VOA - filled via perps; Voice of America - more from Wiki

36. Quash: VETO

37. Butter square: PAT

38. Leaning: BIAS

39. Info requested by brewery websites: AGE - you'll need to enter your info at 32D.

40. Store securely: STOW

42. Old Testament collection: PSALMS - had most of this via perps

47. Ticket info: SEAT

48. Santa __, California: ANA - geo name #4

49. Little dog: PUP

56. [I like these scritches!]: PURR - the brackets are a "meta-clue" hint; again, most was perps

57. Sworn statement: OATH

58. Deserve: MERIT

59. Designer Schiaparelli: ELSA - I tried e l L a; thus began my search for the "wrong" name, #5

60. Sticking point: TINE - a "right-on-the-money" definition

Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie recipe

61. Nimble: AGILE

62. Tiny splash: PLOP

63. Michelin award: STAR - the guide IS related to the tire brand; I did not know this

Through the years, and the revolution - pun intended - of the tire

64. Hoped-for Match.com outings: DATES - I had tried Match for many years, and got all of ONE connection; I am now trying my luck with Facebook - and so far, all I've gotten are A I fakes 😜

DOWN:

1. Small donkey: BURRO - I did not make an "ASS" of myself to start . . . 🙄

2. Slimmest of margins: A HAIR - Sigh, a twurd

3. Kayaking challenge: WHITEWATER - one of the two solid 10-letter down fills

4. Instrument in a Vermeer painting: LUTE - good WAG on my part

Technically, this is a paiting of a woman with a guitar, but the story might interest you . . .

5. Temple where Chan Buddhism began: SHAOLIN - no clue, perps and WAGs; but some might have recalled this fill from the story of a TV monk, and the real place where he trained.  Name (ish)

6. Tread carefully: TIP-TOE - almost alliteration

7. "Divergent" trilogy novelist Veronica: ROTH - name #7, but I knew her because I see the name on Kindle; could have been clued as a non-name, tho

8. On the sly: IN SECRET

9. Foul temper: BAD MOOD

10. Middle Eastern dairy product: LABNEH - yogurt #2 - good perps & WAGs - phew

It's Greek yogurt, strained; I'ma tryin' it - more here

11. Cream ingredient: ALOE - Ah; not "milk".  That cream

12. More than a few: MANY - at least it wasn't "A LOT", "A TON", A twurd

13. Furthermore: AND...

21. Post-it scribble: NOTE

22. Miranda of "Homeland": OTTO - name #8 - I read the books, saw the movies, don't recall her

27. Carnival city: RIO - D'Oh~!  I read this as "cry", not c-i-t-y - geo name #9

28. Muscle: BRAWN - Ha~! Nailed it.

29. Possessive type?: EVIL SPIRIT - the other great 10-letter fill

30. Travel aimlessly: ROAM - or ROVE~?  I chose . . . wisely

31. Cheek: SASS - I've learned over the years that whenever a clue implying "tart" language, and situated on the right edge of the grid, the answer is typically crossword-friendly "SASS"

32. __ Williams bourbon: EVAN - never heard of this liquor - name #10

The website, age resticted, of course

33. Toy company that acquired the online marketplace BrickLink: LEGO - Yada yada yada toys + bricks~? = Lego - but - I was surprised Lego didn't start this company - the history here

37. Printing choice: PORTRAIT - the alternative is LANDSCAPE - which is too wide 🙄

38. Main squeeze: BAE - Cringe.  I just don't like this word; are we really too lazy to finish the faint "b" sound at the end of babe~?

40. Former home of the Mets: SHEA - I grew up on Long Island, and my first 'live' baseball game was the Mets at Shea in the Keith Hernandez days - speaking of Keith and Seinfeld . . . 

"That - is one magic loogie."

41. Cozy spots: TEAPOTS - Ah.  A tea "cozy" could be found on a tea POT

Aww - you can buy them on Etsy here

42. Blood drive unit: PINT

43. Nurse a grudge: STAY MAD - first time appearing in a crossword = unique, like this fill

45. Feature of some sandals: T-STRAP

BTW, her name is Cecilia, JC

46. Suds: LATHER - bars, not beers

50. Serving a purpose: UTILE

51. "Oh, for __ sake!": "PETE'S" - oh for heaven's sake, name #11 - blasphemy LITE

52. __ and void: NULL

53. "In that neighborhood": "OR SO" - "ish"

54. Mediterranean volcano: ETNA - geo-name #10, yada yada yada 4-letter volcano = 😜

55. Game company with a hedgehog mascot: SEGA - name (ish)

56. Energy: PEP

Splynter

Grid flow a medium 40.1 - the 10-letter Downs helped

Thursday February 26, 2026 Patti Varol

As you know, Patti Varol is not only the LAT crossword editor, she is also an accomplished constructor. Today, she has delivered our paper by HAND with a well-themed crossword on the puzzle page, so let's start with the revealer:

33. Walk with one's sweetie, and what 16-, 23-, 49-, and 58-Across do?: HOLD HANDS. Each of the themed answers actually HOLD HANDS of one type or another. Very nice and straightforward.

16. See 33-Across: CLOCK FACES. When the big hand is on the 2, it means you're late for work.

23. See 33-Across: CARD PLAYERS. Got any 2s?

49. See 33-Across: RANCH HOUSES. Actually, bunkhouses hold the ranch hands, but close enough. 

58. See 33-Across: WOOL GLOVES. These were made for ewe.

I loved this theme, very well executed. At first I was bothered by the "See 33-Across" clues. Like many of you, I usually start at the top. This one required jumping down to discover the revealer first. Once the center was done, the rest of the themers fell into place. For most of them, I had the second word then asked myself, "How would these HOLD HANDS?" Each became a little AHA moment. Lots of fun! But what wasn't so fun was all the people's names - about a dozen of them, not counting a half-dozen other proper names. DIOS MIA!

Names of rivers or schools seem fair; a plethora of people do not. The NE corner was particularly troublesome with 2 short names crossing GIRARDI (assuming you don't know this off the top of your head, like me). Ida, Ila, Ima, Ina, Ira, Iva - nope, not one of those. Then Tala, Tama, Tana, Taya. None of those either. I eventually settled on an "M" at the intersection of TARA. Close, but no cigar.

Let's HOLD HANDS as we traverse the grid together.

Across:

1. Former "Top Chef" host Lakshmi: PADMA. Padma Lakshmi is an Emmy-nominated producer, television host, author, and activist. Oh, and she began her career as a supermodel. 

6. Imperfection: FLAW.

10. Tennis champion Swiatek: IGA. IGA Świątek was born in Warsaw, Poland, and has won the French Open four times, and the U.S. Open and Wimbledon once each. Her primary weapon is a powerful extreme-topspin forehand that is very difficult to return.

13. Second calling?: ALIAS. Good clue.

14. Untimely?: LATE. Another good clue.

15. Carpentry wedge: SHIM.

16. [theme]

18. "Educated" memoirist Westover: TARA. TARA s an American essayist and historian. Here she is receiving the National Humanities Award in 2023. 

19. Creative inspiration: MUSE.

20. "In __ of gifts ... ": LIEU. In LIEU of gifts...No! You may send me gifts!

21. Coffees, casually: JAVAS. "I'll have a cup of JAVA, please," said no one, ever (at least in this century).

22. Branch: ARM.

23. [theme]

25. Marcus partner: NEIMAN. I misread this as Marcus painter. I briefly wondered, "What famous painting is called Marcus?" Note to self: Buy new reading glasses.

Marcus Aurelius

27. __ baseball: esoteric knowledge: INSIDE. Knowing how to spell GIRARDI was INSIDE baseball to me.

28. Dove bar: SOAP. When my mom got mad and wanted to wash my mouth out with soap, I suggested this. It didn't help.

29. Pacific resort, casually: CABO. CABO San Lucas is at the southern tip of Baja California. You can get there via Tijuana Taxi or CABO.

32. "__ but a scratch": TIS. Here is King Arthur fighting the Black Knight who says "Ni" in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

"We'll call it a draw."

33. [theme]

37. General on a takeout menu: TSO. He's only outranked by King Pao Chicken.

40. Financial services co. for mil. families: USAA. Originally called the United Services Automobile Association, it provides insurance, banking, and investment products exclusively to military members, veterans, and their families.

41. Checkout device: IPAD. Checkout device: BINOS.

44. Down counterpart: ACROSS. This could've had a meta clue, such as "This clue." But it plays nicely into the the next one...

47. Margaret who was the first editor of the New York Times crossword: FARRAR. Her stint ran from 1942 through 1969, and she created many regulations that have become standards, such as limiting the number of black squares in the grid, creating a minimum word-length of three letters, requiring grids to be symmetric and forbidding unchecked squares. Great shout-out to a fellow editor from Patti.

49. [theme]

53. Molecule in some vaccines: RNA. RibiNucleic Acid.

54. "No fooling!": TRUTH. Believe it or not!

55. Mousetrap brand: D-CON.

56. Supermodel Hadid: GIGI. Supermodel? Yes. An Emmy-nominated producer, television host, author, and activist? No.

57. Land measure: ACRE.

58. [theme]

60. Take five: REST.

61. Ponte Vecchio river: ARNO. Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone arch bridge over the ARNO in Florence, Italy.

62. "25" and "30" singer: ADELE. She names her albums after her age at the time of recording. I hope Van Halen doesn't do the same thing. I mean they're old, but not that old.

63. Afore: ERE.

64. 403(b) IDs: SSNS. Social Security Numbers.

65. Early PC platform: MSDOS. The MicroSoft Disc Operating System.

Down:

1. Arcade classic with ghosts: PAC-MAN. The "Ghost Gang" of Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde chased after PAC-MAN, and made my wrist sore in the process. 

2. Draws: ALLURES.

3. "¡Ay, caramba!": DIOS MIO. "Oh my gosh!": MY GOD! Spanish exclamations.

4. Spice cookie spice: MACE. MACE is an aromatic spice derived from the covering of the nutmeg seed, offering a warm, delicate, and slightly sharper flavor. 

5. "Thought you'd never __": ASK.

6. 14-time WWE Women's Champion Charlotte: FLAIR. Charlotte is the daughter of popular wrestler Ric FLAIR. She is part of World Wrestling Entertainment.

7. Like most sneakers: LACED. These shoes are LACED with alcohol:

8. Devoured: ATE UP.

9. Bentley of "Yellowstone": WES. He's not just another pretty face! Well, okay, he's just another pretty face.

10. "Found a solution!": I HAVE IT. I'd prefer, "I've got it!" but you gotta fit what fits.

11. Yankees manager after Torre: GIRARDI. Joe GIRARDI managed the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, and winning the 2009 World Series. He was born in Peoria, that's why he played.

12. Racks up: AMASSES.

15. Hotel bookings: STAYS.

17. Custard dessert similar to crème caramel: FLAN. My daughter-in-law is of Cuban descent. She says FLAN is popular there because it can be made without baking when power is out, which is often.

21. First mo.: JAN. JANUARY is the first month.

23. Guitar accessory: CAPO. Yay! A guitar-related clue! A CAPO can be clamped onto the neck of a guitar, effectively shortening the strings and raising its pitch. 

24. Animal in the Premier League logo: LION. The Premier League is England's highest level of professional association football (aka soccer).

26. __-jongg: MAH. MAH-jongg looks like fun. I'll have to learn how to play it.

29. Pre-iTunes stack: CDS. Pre-CDs stack: LPs - although I cringe when I see records stacked this way. Years ago, my cousin ran a load of them through the dishwasher after a party! I'm still in therapy.

30. Cry with a finger snap: AHA. Vastly better than an "oho" moment.

31. Response to Bo Peep: BAA. That is, if she can find her sheep.

34. Rich: LUSH.

35. Semana parts: DIAS. Parts of weeks are days, en español.

36. Beautiful time of yr. at a botanical garden: SPR. It's almost SPRING! I'm sure those of you up north can hardly wait.

37. Raw preparation: TARTARE.

38. Harder to find: SCARCER.

39. Hosp. caregiver during surgery: OR NURSE. The Operating Room NURSE in a hospital.

42. Got somewhere: ARRIVED.

43. Beverly of the "Vacation" films: D'ANGELO. She was perfect playing the wife of the "expert in exterior illumination," Chevy Chase, in one of my favorite Christmas movies.

45. Largish jazz combo: OCTET.

46. "Quiet, you!": SHH.

47. __ shui: FENG.

48. Hikes: RAISES.

50. Baking soda targets: ODORS.

51. NCAA school with the most first-round WNBA draft picks: UCONN. The women's team at the University of Connecticut is perennially top-ranked, leading many players into the professional Women's National Basketball Association.

52. Pilots' milestones: SOLOS. To get your pilot's license, you must fly so high and SOLO.

56. Mercury and Neptune: GODS. Roman gods and their namesake roamin' planets. "Planets" (from Greek planētēs) means "wanderers," a term used by ancient astronomers for five bright, naked-eye objects (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) that roam across the fixed starry background.

58. Once cost: WAS.

59. Go on the __: LAM.

Be good. RB