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

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