L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Robbie Cottom

Showing posts with label Robbie Cottom. Show all posts

Nov 11, 2026

Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Robbie Cottom

Theme: Southbound.

The reveal:

11 Down. Following the path of a snowbird, perhaps, or what the answers to the starred clues are, in two ways: SOUTHBOUND.

Obligatory musical interlude...

CrossEyedDave here, I found the puzzle fairly simple, with one speed bump. (See 38 across). But having this visual impediment (I.E.: Mentally CrossEyed...) I find I have great difficulty in visualizing vertical crossword answers. So, when the reveal stated, Southbound "in two ways," I was very much relieved to think, "oh, that's easy! the theme answers are vertical, starting at the top, and heading South!" But when it came time to explain the second way they were Southbound, I was completely dumbfounded... yes I could see they all started with S, and ended with TH, but there wasn't a complete, or even repeating partial southbound anywhere... so eventually, I texted my family, thinking, one of the four must see what's going on here.

This was their response...

So in desperation, I texted CC for help. She responded with, "In the 4 Down slots, SOUTH bookends each theme entry. so they are bound by SOUTH. This is also a 16x15 grid, so it has 81 words."

Well, I would have seen the grid size eventually, and even the 17 three letter words. But I still think horizontally, and bookends surround books in a shelf, so I went looking in the wrong direction,

Text #2: um, I still don't get it..,

So here is the explanation, direct from C.C. herself:

"The middle one has 16 letters, that's why this grid is a 16x15 grid. Each theme entry has S*OUTH or SOU*TH pattern. So each theme entry is bound by SOUTH. And the theme entries are placed in the down slots for visual effects."

4 Down. *Manhattan Ingredient. SWEET VERMOUTH.

7 Down. *Personal asset during a crisis: SOURCE OF STRENGTH.

23 Down. *"Zip it!": SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

36 Down. *Recording studio space: SOUND BOOTH.

Personally, I think it was that there were no continuous or repeating SOUTHs that made it invisible to me. And I am hoping that I am not the only one that had so much trouble as I did in visualizing this.

So, to borrow from 56 down, and sum this up, SOUTH bounds (or bookends) each theme answer by (one) S*OUTH, or (two) SOU*TH.

But hey, wait a sec,, if you include my original guess being vertically read in its entirety from top to bottom as being read southbound, WOULDN'T THAT BE THREE WAYS???

Oh well, onward! (Or should I say Southbound....)

Across:
1. Draconian: HARSH. (Sorry, nothing funny about this...)

6. Yoga pose: ASANA.

11. With 73-Across, semiaquatic mammal that uses rocks as tools: SEA.

Who, me?

14. Gawking, perhaps: IN AWE.

12 minutes of this, but very funny Sulu bit near end.

15. Spy's assumed identity: COVER.

16. Bozo: OAF.

17. New York City's "Crossroads of the World": TIMES SQUARE.

Having lived in NYC, I would avoid this like the plague.

19. G7 member: USA.

20. "Gotcha": I SEE.

21. Belonging to us: OUR.

22. With less delay: FASTER. When one of my Daughters was in Grammer School, some one got the bright idea to put in speed bumps all through the pick up area. Well meaning, but not thought thru. They were 2 inch by 2 inch strips, hard plastic. So I told the Principal they were incredibly uncomfortable to crawl over, but no problem of you drive really fast... (they were gone the next day.) kind of redundant since the pick up area was a square of 90 degree turns.

24. Camping shelter: TENT.

25. "I like it!": NICE.

27. Sibilant "Zip it!": SHH.

28. Most expansive: VASTEST.

6 hours of aerial panoramas for your viewing pleasure.

31. Ultra-: UBER.Ubers who pimped their rides...

34. "Booped" body parts: NOSES. Normally, I would post a cute "Dog" video here. But things have a habit of winding up backwards... I am reminded of the (irreverent) movie Dogma, where God, (played by Alanis Morrisette) when asked "why are we here," simply "boops" the questioner on the nose.

It has an all star cast!

The entire movie is now available on YouTube, free with Ads.

Do not watch if you don't want to be "booped."

37. Not bad, not great: SO SO.

38. Zipped along: TORE. I automatically inked "sped" before erasing it for "tore." (My speed bump.) Crosswordese #3,141 - you will not trip me up again... (wait, is that Pi? Ack! It goes on forever!)

39. Unprincipled: AMORAL.

41. Sworn enemy: FOE.

42. Glamping shelter: YURT. I have followed Girl in the Woods for about ten years now. If you don't know what to cook in the woods, check out her month long cook in the woods challenge, where she went out every day in February, and showed how to cook a different meal every day! 28 days, 28 meals!

Of course, with age, sleeping in a makeshift wooden shelter with your dog can get a little tiresome...

43. "The Wizard of Oz" creator: BAUM. L. Frank Baum

44. Meditation sounds: OMS. Why Om, and not some other sound...

46. With less delay: SOONER.

48. Cry of dismay: OH NO.

49. Solemn vow: OATH.

51. Red in the face: RUDDY.

52. Singer Erykah known as the "Queen of Neo-Soul": BADU. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Follow this link for more info...

53. Seattle MLB player: MARINER. Major League Baseball.

55. "Mic Drop" K-pop band: BTS. Learning experience: What BTS stands for...

57. Ultra-: MEGA.

58. Office dispatch: MEMO.

62. Greeting between dudes: BRO HUG. Just be sure your Manssiers dont get in the way...

65. British medical sys.: NHS. National Health Service.

66. Patron saint of Norway: OLAV. Believe it or not, both Olaf, and Olav are acceptable spellings.

67. "The Bear" Emmy winner Edebiri: AYO.

You may know her as "this character..."

68. Engineer from a Cambridge sch., e.g.: MIT GRADUATE. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

71. Airport arrival: JET.

The First One?

72. Come together: UNITE.

73. See 11-Across: OTTER.

74. Barbecue residue: ASH.

75. Long and winding roads, e.g.: PATHS.

76. Trunk: CHEST.

Down:
1. "Let's rock!": HIT IT.

2. Carrot family plant: ANISE.

3. Instant noodles option: RAMEN.

4. [theme]

5. Chaps: HE'S.

6. Finds not guilty: ACQUITS.

7. [Theme.]

8. "Selma" director DuVernay: AVA. More info here...

9. Brand of spongy toys: NERF.

10. Spaces: AREAS. Meh?

11. [Theme Reveal]

12. Slide (into): EASE.

13. Way out there: AFAR.

18. Family boys: SONS.

23. [Theme]

26. Petro-Canada rival: ESSO.

29. Quick __ wink: AS A.

30. Small digits: TOES. (Not ones...)

32. Made a mistake: ERRED.

33. Second attempt: RETRY.

34. Big shot: NABOB. One definition:

Another definition...

35. Nebraska home of the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium: OMAHA.

36. [Theme]

40. Weaving machine: LOOM.

45. Title of respect: MA'AM. (If you want to use respect, you must include the apostrophe.)

47. Metal-bearing material: ORE.

50. Like some screens, for short: HIGH RES. (high Resolution.)

54. Mars rover org.: NASA.

56. Provide an overview: SUM UP.

59. Exhilarate: ELATE.

Elate = you missed your Zoom meeting...

60. Partners: MATES. (Unless you are Co-Owners in a business...)

61. For all to see: OVERT.

62. __ Fresh: Tex-Mex chain: BAJA.

63. Marbled loaves: RYES.

Catcher in the Rye?

64. Actress Lollobrigida: GINA. Images:

69. __ for tat: TIT.

70. "What's up, __?": DOC.

Bugs Bunny Southbound...

The 15x16 Grid

CE:D down and out...

Jun 22, 2026

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

Aug 5, 2025

Tuesday, August 5, 2025 Robbie Cottom

Years on End.

4-Down. * Grayish time at dusk or dawn: HALF LIGHT. Half Year // Light Year. Did you know there are three distinct types of Half Light? There is Civil Dusk/Dawn, Nautical Dusk/Dawn and Astronomical Dusk/Dawn. These stages are determined by the position of the sun below the horizon.

18-Down. * Removed from the docket, as a legal hearing: OFF CALENDAR. Off Year // Calendar Year

28-Down. * Penultimate: SECOND LAST. Second Year // Last Year

37-Down. * Nontraditional: NEW SCHOOL. New Year // School Year The school year begins here on Thursday, August 7.

And the unifier:

10-Down: Like some annual accounting comparisons, or what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: YEAR ON YEAR. The word Year can be added to each of the words in the theme answers to give us a new concept.

Across:

1. Cashew, e.g.: NUT.

4. __-hop music: HIP.

7. Director Reiner: ROB. Robert Norman Reiner (b. Mar. 6, 1947) is probably best known as his portrayal of Michael Stivic from All in the Family. One of the earliest films he directed is This is Spinal Tap. He also directed When Harry Met Sally ...

10. Tuber in West African cuisine: YAM.

13. Nonsense refrain syllables: SHA LA LA.

15. Laudatory poem: ODE. A crossword staple.

16. Big bird: EMU. Emus appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.

17. In full view: FOR ALL TO SEE.

19. Like Big Bird's name: APT.

20. Seaport's loading and unloading area: WHARF.

21. Opening of a never-give-up slogan: IF AT FIRST. This initially looked at this answer and saw I Fat First. What??!!

23. Unfriendly: ALOOF.

25. Editor's target: TYPO.

26. B'way musical set in Paris: LES MIS. Or more formally, Les Misérables. I see this shortened to Les Miz more often than Les Mis. The musical is based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo (1802 ~ 1885), which was about the June Rebellion of 1832 in Paris.

29. Spy org.: CIA. As in the Central Intelligence Agency.

31. Burden: ONUS.

34. Logger's tool: AXE.

Paul Bunyan with his Axe in Bangor, Maine.

35. Brag: GLOAT.

37. "Bye Bye Bye" boy band: *NSYNC. The boy band that was active in the late 1990, and helped to launch Justin Timberlake's career.

38. Open __ night: MIC.

39. 1-800-555-2368 for Ghostbusters, e.g.: HOT-LINE.

41. Pilot's update, briefly: ETA. As in Estimated Time of Arrival.

42. Up in the air: ALOFT.

44. Hem again: RESEW.

45. Broadcast: AIR.

46. Silver State city near Tahoe: RENO. Reno, Nevada is the home of the National Judicial College.

47. Junior: SON.

48. Fish-eating hawk: OSPREY.

50. Unit of medication: DOSE.

52. Prom, for one: DANCE.

54. Brand of flour since 1880: GOLD MEDAL. Everything you ever wanted to know about Gold Medal flower.

57. "By the power of Grayskull" cartoon hero: HE-MAN.

61. Pen name letters: AKA. Also Known As.

62. "Fingers crossed!": I SURE HOPE SO.

64. Tax org.: IRS. As the Internal Revenue Service.

65. Fella: LAD.

66. Cock-a-doodle-do-er: ROOSTER.

67. "Unforgettable" singer __ King Cole: NAT. Sadly, Nat King Cole (né Nathaniel Adams Coles; Mar. 18, 1919 ~ Feb. 15, 1965), died of lung cancer at only age 45.

68. Lamb's mother: EWE.

69. No. on a resume: TEL. As in a Telephone number.

70. "A Change Is Gonna Come" singer-songwriter Cooke: SAM. The death of Sam Cooke (né Samuel Cook; Jan. 22, 1931 ~ Dec. 11, 1964) remains mysterious many decades later.

Down:

1. "Click this link at your own risk" letters: NSFW. Not Suitable For Work.

2. "Crikey": UH, OH!

3. "The Big Lebowski" actress Reid: TARA. Tara Reid (née Tara Donna Reid; b. Nov. 8, 1975) portrayed Bunny Lebowski in the film.

5. __-at-ease: ILL.

6. Barbecue spot: PATIO.

7. Santa __, California: ROSA.

8. Folk singer known as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement": ODETTA. Odetta (née Odetta Holmes; b. Dec. 31, 1930 ~ Dec. 2, 2008) makes occasional appearances in the puzzles.

9. Muscular: BEEFY.

11. Concert blasters: AMPS.

12. Pup without a pedigree: MUTT.

14. SoCal NFLer: LA RAM.

22. Wall St. debuts: IPOs. As in Initial Public Offerings.

24. Capital city near the North Sea: OSLO. The capital of Norway.

26. Rapper Kendrick: LAMAR. Kendrick Lamar (né Kendrick Lamar Duckworth; b. June 17, 1987) is a Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, songwriter and record producer.