Thursday February 19, 2026 Alisya Reza and Shannon Rapp

Newcomer Alisya Reza and up-and-comer Shannon Rapp have teamed to create a puzzle featuring some fancy swordplay. Be careful! You might get a paper cut!

I found this puzzle to be much harder than last week's. You remember, the one everybody thought was too easy? Be careful what you wish for! I blanked on most of the names in the NW when just getting started. If it weren't for circles, this could be a Friday. The 16 x 15 grid is over-sided, with bilateral (left-right) symmetry that always reminds me of Space Invaders.

18. "Espresso" singer: SABRINA CARPENTER. SABER. In 2008, she was one of 7,000 to enter the online singing contest The Next Miley Cyrus Project. She placed third, which opened doors for her, but my favorite CARPENTER is Karen.

30. Taking time off from school?: CUTTING CLASS. CUTLASS. RightBrain will always make time for a Brad Pitt movie. She calls him "a man with a view!" (Should I be worried? Nah! He's got nuthin' on me, except for wealth and fame and...)  Here he is in his first major role circa 1989 when he was 25.

49. Pet adoption that wasn't planned: FOSTER FAIL. FOIL. Despite how it sounds, a FOSTER FAIL just means their temporary home became permanent - a good thing! We adopted FuzzyBrain during COVID. A FOSTER success! Here's the puppy we fell in love with.

65. Metaphor for something with positive and negative consequences, or what 18-, 30-, and 49-Across literally are?: DOUBLE EDGED SWORD. Each of the theme answers begin and end in letters that spell out types of swords. That is, both "edges" of the answers.

I thought the theme was fine, but got dragged down by too many names, only half of which I knew off the bat. A game show contestant?!

Let's see if the pen is mightier than the sword:

Across:

1. Wood used by luthiers: ALDER. I own a lot of guitars, but this one eluded me as I was thinking of traditional acoustic guitar woods, such as cedar and maple (which both fit), spruce, mahogany and rosewood. Lesser-known ALDER is used in making solid-body electric guitars, primarily those by Fender. Note the light grain of the ALDER Stratocaster body on the left vs. the pronounced grain of an ash body on the right. (Don't get me started talking about guitars!)

 6. High-five sound: SLAP.

10. One of many in Indonesia's Kepulauan Seribu: ISLET. Kepulauan Seribu means "Thousand Islands."

15. He-Man's twin: SHE-RA. I don't see the resemblance. I think they were switched at birth.

16. Area: ZONE.

17. "I have a good lawyer and I'm not afraid!": SUE ME. Unfortunately, in today's litigious society, we hear that more and more, instead of, "Let's work this out."

18. [theme]

21. 2024 Korean Air merger partner: ASIANA.

22. More haunted: EERIER.

23. "Jeopardy!" champion Amodio: MATT. MATT is a mathematician who won $1.5 million over 39 games, ranking him third in winnings. And who cares? 

24. Collectible card protector: SLEEVE.

29. Wee: ITTY. I had the "Y" of TERRY Gross, so wrote "TINY," then replaced that with "ITSY," before reaching the promised land.

30. [theme]

33. Flavor of fermented foods: UMAMI. The "fifth taste" wasn't known to me in the 20th century. Back in the olden days, we had to rely on MSG for our meat fix.

35. Secure, as a boat: MOOR.

36. Mississippi formation: DELTA.

39. Something to shoot for: PAR.

40. Start to fix?: PRE. PREfix, meaning before it's been fixed, i.e. still broken.

42. Tub with jets: SPA. Tug with jets: SPRAY

44. Product of a redox reaction: ION. Redox reactions frequently produce IONs through the transfer of electrons, where one species is oxidized (loses electrons to become a positive ion or higher oxidation state) and another is reduced (gains electrons to become a negative ION or lower oxidation state). Got it? Here, let me draw it out for you.

45. Tranquil: SEDATE. I entered "serene" first, which seems like a better answer.

47. "Make it __!": SNAPPY. And for you tap dance aficionados:

49. [theme]

54. Infield call: SAFE.

56. Taquería drink: AGUA. A taqueria is a Mexican restaurant specializing in tacos - and glasses of water, apparently.

57. European range: ALPS. "Beyond the Alps lies more Alps. And the Lord 'Alps those that 'Alps themselves." Groucho Marx in Horse Feathers, 1932. I watched all the Marx Brother's movies when I was in high school, hence what's wrong with me today.

60. Pachakamaq worshippers: INCA. Pachacamaq was a major creator deity worshipped by pre-Inca coastal cultures as a powerful god of earthquakes and fertility.

61. Quick look: GLANCE.

63. Mammal with a saddle patch: ORCA. Mammal with a saddle bag: MULE

65. [theme]

68. Freelancer's targets: OUTLETS.

69. Gave meaning to: DEFINED.

70. Knight rider's companions?: STEEDS. This knight got his STEED in the mail.

71. "Nothing yet!": NO NEWS. 

Down:

1. Tea in masala chai, perhaps: ASSAM. Masala chai is a fragrant Indian tea made by brewing strong, robust black tea—typically ASSAM—with a mixture of aromatic spices, milk, and sweetener.

2. Tibet's capital: LHASA.

3. Payment method: DEBIT CARD.

4. Printing gaffe: ERRATUM. This is normally seen in plural: ERRATA.

5. Part of the water cycle: RAIN. Part of the water cycle: SNOW. With the Winter Olympics in progress, I've become an armchair judge of ice skating routines. But, as usual, I'll soon forget my expertise in Salchows and Lutz's for another four years. Go Team USA!

6. Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour co-headliner: SZA. I don't like when there are so many names and I have to find photos of all these people.

7. Follower of wisdom or love, in hairstyling: LOC. LOC as in lock of hair. It's usually just a single dreadlock, often placed in the back to signify spiritual, personal growth (wisdom) or to honor someone (love). Cool concept; I'll have to keep my eye out for it
.

8. Actress Gasteyer: ANA. Like many comedians, ANA Gasteyer got her start on SNL.

9. A pop: PER. A pop: PERE (in France, anyway).

10. "Got it": I SEE. Uh-huh.

11. Daily spectacle: SUNRISE. Here's a photo I took last year of the SUNRISE on Fort Lauderdale beach. I later found out that the sun comes up every day.

12. Accidentally reveal: LET IT SLIP.

13. Do a virtual interview, say: E-MEET. Turns out you can add an "E " to just about anything.

14. "Fresh Air" co-host Gross: TERRY. She's been at NPR (National Public Radio) since 1975 and has interviewed thousands of guests. 

19. Condé __: NAST.

20. Orange skin: PEEL. Lime skin: PEEL.

25. Citrus fruit: LIME. Citrus fruit: ORANGE.

26. Indigenous people of North Carolina: ENO. I don't know the ENO. 

27. Alter __: EGO. But I do know the EGO!

28. Devices for watching old home movies: VCRS. Video Cassette Recorders were once a household staple, but they made lousy clocks.

31. Sneak (around): TIPTOE. 

32. "Minor Detail" novelist Shibli: ADANIA. ADANIA Shibili is a Palestinian author and essayist. Her award-winning crime novel Minor Detail was controversial because of its portrayal of Israelis.

33. Shipper with brown trucks: UPS. Brown is the least used color for corporate identities, but I thought UPS used it because it looked like cardboard boxes. They say it imparts "reliability and stability." OK, if they say so...

34. Astronaut Jemison: MAE. MAE Jemison became the first African-American woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992. You go girl!

37. Be better than: TOP. Better than that: ZZ TOP!

38. Whichever: ANY.

41. In medias __: RES. Latin for "in the middle of things," it's a literary technique where a story begins in the midst of the action to immediately engage the reader, with backstory revealed later through dialogue or flashbacks. Its been hijacked by the film industry, where it seems every movie opens with an action scene known as a "cold open."

43. Educational ad: PSA. Public Service Announcement. 

46. Warm: AFFABLE.

48. Admit: ALLOW IN.

50. Lore: TALES. Lore: HEADS. "Lore heads" are passionate, dedicated fans who deeply analyze the backstories and universes of fictional worlds, primarily in gaming.

51. "Holy moly!": EGAD. 

52. Step on a ladder: RUNG. Step on a rake: RUNG (one's bell).

53. Stood up to, say: FACED.

54. Aardvark feature: SNOUT. Aardvark feature: CLOUT. It's the first animal alphabetically. Name your locksmith shop after it and everyone will call you first!

55. Like some accents: ACUTE. In English, the mark over an é is called an ACUTE accent and changes the 'e' to an 'ay' sound, as in cliché and passé.

58. Given (to): PRONE.

59. Item in an Ikea kit: SCREW. This refers to what happens to you if don't follow their "simple" directions - you're SCREWed.

60. Wedding exchanges: I DOS. I DOS seem to be getting more popular than VOWS in xwords.

61. Understands: GETS. I see it now.

62. Starter home?: EDEN. Fun clue.

64. Puts together: ADDS. This one ADDS up.

66. Was in charge: LED. 

67. NorCal hub: SFO. SFO is the airport code for San Francisco International Airport in Northern California. The "O" is for Oakland.

Be good. RB

Thursday February 12, 2026 Joe Marquez

From the NYT: "Joe Marquez is a puzzle constructor. He likes words..." He deserves more than that; it sounds like my biography! But he's young, and we'll soon have pages about him. He co-authored one here back in May, and this is his (free) solo debut. I'm sure we'll see many more.

17. *Pointless task: FOOL'S ERRAND. A FOOL'S ERRAND is a pointless, futile, or impossible task that wastes time and effort. Like when RightBrain gives me a grocery list expecting all the right brands and sizes.

21. *Climb without ropes: FREE SOLO. A FREE SOLO is a form of rock climbing where the climber (free soloist) climbs without ropes or any form of protective equipment. One man's quest on El Capitan in Yosemite Park became an Oscar winning documentary film.

38. *Craftsman kit: TOOL SET. I've bought many Craftsman™ TOOL SETs from Sears over the years, one piece at a time. I used to be fascinated by their catalog pages showing massive sets, like a kid with a Wish Book. Their hand tools have a lifetime warranty - solid as Sears! Until a few years ago, anyway. 

55. *Squeaker: CLOSE ONE. An idiom describing a narrowly avoided loss in a tight competition. It is commonly used to express relief after an evenly matched game. That's a CLOSE ONE!

And what do all these answers have in common? Nothing, so it seems, until the revealer ties them together:

62. Collection found under sofa cushions, or what can be found in the answers to the starred clues?: LOOSE CHANGE. In addition to coins, one can find keys and hopefully, my lost remote control. Anyone seen it?

The letters that spell "LOOSE" are CHANGED (scrambled) as highlighted above. We've seen this before, but I thought finding phrases with five letters in a row was a neat trick. And because it's later in the week, no circles! The rest of the grid filled in rather easily for a Thursday, so smooth sailing. 

Let's tie up the rest of the LOOSE ends:

Across:

1. Winter X Games host city: ASPEN. Although the Winter Olympics are now in progress, here we have their wild little brother, the X Games. X for eXtreme.

6. "Hey, c'mere!": PSST.

10. Park place?: LOT. You can rent a space for $35, which seems like a LOT.

13. __ Doone cookies: LORNA. Introduced in 1912, these shortbread cookies were named after the titular character in a 1869 historical romance novel, but nobody knows why.

14. Navel type: OUTIE. Is this an innie or an OUTIE?

16. Janelle's "Abbott Elementary" role: AVA. Everyone said this is a great show, so I watched a few episodes. Unfortunately, I was annoyed by Janelle James' over-the-top portrayal of the principal. I guess I'm in the minority as she won an Emmy.
 

17. [theme]

19. Derisive cry: BAH. "BAH!" said no one ever (except Scrooge).

20. Chances to swing: AT BATS.

21. [theme]

23. Like the most yellow banana on the tree: RIPEST. When they get soft and brown, RightBrain freezes them to make banana bread. Now we can't fit anything else in the freezer and I'm still waiting! I jest, she's a great cook! (She made me say that.) Lately her passion has turned to making sourdough, which is quite a process but there's nothing like warm bread from the oven. 

25. Urgent care employee: NURSE.

26. Chemical synthesis need: REAGENT. After Sean Connery's stellar turn as James Bond, Roger Moore became REAGENT 007.

29. Not on solid ground: ASEA.

30. Desert refuges: OASES. 

31. Messy pile: HEAP. 

34. Goblet part: STEM.

37. Telethon VIPs: MCS. The Master of Ceremonies is a "Very Important Person" at many events. I'm not sure why they called out telethons in particular.

38. [theme]

41. Prospector's find: ORE. Where prospectors found it: ORE. The Oregon gold rush brought miners north just a few years after discovering it in California.

42. Sigh of relief: PHEW. That was a CLOSE ONE!

44. "You sure of that?": IS IT. 

45. Pieces of the heart: ATRIA. 

47. Noble title: EARL. The most famous EARL is noted for his sandwich. Genius! Before him, people just stacked stuff on top of bread. Animals!

49. Had a great time at: ENJOYED.

51. Quickly get through a season: BINGE. We cut the cord years ago, and now have enough subscriptions that we're paying about the same as cable! However, we often wait until an entire season has dropped before we BINGE watch it. No more forgetting about what happened last week as networks dribble out a show. And if your brain is as rusty as mine, that's a plus!

53. Gets out of Dodge: SCRAMS. Gets out of a Dodge: AMBLES

55. [theme]

57. Swashbuckler's sword: RAPIER. Named after my wit! RightBrain says that's half right.

61. Downside: CON.

62. [theme]

64. N.J. winter hrs.: EST. New Jersey uses Eastern Standard Time during winter hours. 

65. Bunch of flowers: SPRAY. 

66. Gas in some colorful signs: ARGON. Here's a colorful ARGON sign:

67. Software engineer, for short: DEV. They called me a DEVELOPER for short, but not for long!

68. Exceedingly dry: SERE. 

69. __ of all: LEAST.

Down:

1. A in communications?: ALFA. Beginning of the NATO alphabet. It is intentionally spelled with an "f"' rather than "ph" to ensure consistent pronunciation across different languages, as non-English speakers might not intuitively know to pronounce "ph" as "f."

2. Chimney buildup: SOOT.

3. "Not my __": PROB. "Not my PROBLEM." When people say this, it PROBably is.

4. Blow up: ENLARGE.

5. Most unpleasant: NASTIEST. 

6. "¿__ qué?": POR. "Why" is this in Spanish?

7. Sees the sites: SURFS. I wanted TOURS at first.

8. Kick off: START. I STARTED when they asked me for a ticket I didn't have, and then was kicked off the train.

9. Prong: TINE. 

10. Place for experiments: LABORATORY.

11. Shapes formed by spotlights: OVALS. Of course, more interesting shapes are possible.

12. Lake in the Sierra Nevada: TAHOE.

15. Utopias: EDENS.

18. "30 for 30" network: ESPN. "30 for 30" refers to Entertainment and Sports Programming Network's documentary series celebrating its 30th anniversary with 30 films on sports history.

22. Takes to court: SUES.

24. Shared belief system: ETHOS.

26. Easy win: ROMP. Not a CLOSE ONE!

27. Per person: EACH. A pop.

28. Product line?: AS SEEN ON TV. Winner - best clue. And you know if you saw it on TV, it has to be crappy.

29. Primatology subject: APE.

32. Pharmaceutical giant __ Lilly: ELI. 

33. Daisy kin: ASTER. Daisy kin: ABNER.

35. Maumee River endpoint: ERIE. A new way to clue an old fav. 

36. Honey brew: MEAD.

39. Canola __: OIL.

40. Mausoleum on the Yamuna River: TAJ MAHAL. A new way to clue an old fav, but it's also like 35A. So, a new old way?

43. Happy dog's movements: WAGS. Who's a good boy? FuzzyBrain (aka Buster)!

46. In reserve: TO SPARE.

48. Film rolls: REELS.

50. Drug cop: NARC. NARCOTICS agent.

51. Secretly looped in: BCCED. Blind Carbon Copied. A feature that lets you send an email to multiple recipients without revealing their addresses to each other, protecting privacy.

52. "No prize for me this time": I LOSE. Well, maybe a booby prize...

53. Nap noisily: SNORE. 

54. Labor leader Chavez: CESAR.

56. Unwelcome sound from a barber: OOPS. 

58. Actress Swenson: INGA. Although her name sounds Scandinavian, she from Omaha.

59. Impediments to effective teamwork: EGOS. It's tough to l'eggo one's EGOS.

60. Monopoly payment: RENT. RENT to own! Now you can be a homeowner for the low, low price of $200! First four callers get a free hotel stay. Call now!!

63. Needle part: EYE. I like Ken Follett, and Eye of the Needle was his first breakthrough book, earning him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America.

Go ahead and let LOOSE in the comments.
Be good. RB