Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Sala Wanetick & Dena R. Verkuil

 

Good Morning, Cruciverblists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of a puzzle co-authored by Sala Wanetick and Dena R. Verkuil.  I recently (May 27th of this year) blogged one of Sala's puzzles.  Dena made her L. A. Times crossword debut in September, 2025 and has also had puzzles published in the N.Y. Times.

Today, they team up in the hope that we will all have a blast working out the answers.  Let's start with the unifier:

64 Across:  Finish dramatically, or what the answers to the starred clues do: END WITH A BANG.

Each of the answers to the four starred clues are comprised of two words.  In each case, the second word is, more or less a description of, well, as the clue put it, something dramatic.  Some are more dramatic than others but we surely get the gist of it.

Here are the four starred clues and answers:

18 Across:  *Time of financial growth: ECONOMIC BOOM.  

26 Across:  *What may follow kids in a candy store?: SUGAR CRASH.  . . . after the sugar high.  This one might have been linked to 18 Across.

40 Across:  *Handshake alternative: FIST BUMP.

Nares Bump

54 Across: . *Stressful contest?: POETRY SLAM.  In this case, stress refers to how poets create meaningful experiences for readers.  A SLAM is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges.

This is how everything appears in the completed grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and their answers:

Across:

1. Getting off the fence: OPTING.  Someone who is undecided as to how to proceed is said to be sitting on the fence.

7. Indian state known for silk and tea: ASSAM.  A place frequently visited in our puzzles.  Five letters and four of those are A and S.

12. Nothing special: MEH.  We can take it or leave it.

15. Subdued: LOW KEY.

16. High wispy clouds: CIRRI.  Plural of CIRRUS

17. 'Twas the night before Christmas?: EVE.  Not sure about that question mark.  The preceding night really is the EVE.

20. Antidiscrimination HR initiative: DEI.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

21. Replace with a grawlix, say: CENSOR.  This solver had never come across the word grawlix although I was certainly familiar with the c0ncept.

22. Helping: AIDING.

24. Gush: SPEW.

29. Elixirs: TONICS.  What is a Genie's favorite drink?  A Djinn and TONIC.

32. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.

Paul Ehrlich

33. Past regulation, briefly: IN OT.  Regulation, in this case, refers to the normal length of a sporting contest (e.g. four quarters, three periods, sixty minutes).  It the score is tied at the end of regulation it goes INto OverTime.

34. Blooper reel bit: OUTTAKE.

36. Sounding shocked: AGASP.

39. TD's six: PTS.  A  football reference.  A TouchDown scores six PoinTS

42. Knight's title: SIR.

45. Italian scooter: VESPA.

46. Try to be like: EMULATE.

48. Eye ailment: STYE.

51. Puppy's bark: YIP.  Have you heard about the zoo where the only animal is a single dog?  It's a Shih Tzu.

53. Speechified: ORATED.

58. Antacid brand: TUMS.

 

59. "Let me check": I'LL SEE.

60. Someone who has a trying job?: TESTER.  One who tries things out.

63. Manicure choice: GEL.  More often clued with a reference to hair.

69. Andrea Gibson's "__ to the Public Panic Attack": ODE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.  If you wish to listen to this ODE, here it is:

70. Oktoberfest mug: STEIN.  What's the smallest amount of beer you can order at an Oktoberfest gathering?  Ein STEIN.

71. Soul legend Franklin: ARETHA.

72. Craggy hill: TOR.

73. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.  Supreme Court Justices often visit our puzzles.   We know many of them by their first names.  Samuel and Ruth and ELENA come to mind.

74. "Let's hear it!": DO TELL.  Gossip.

Down:

1. Fútbol chant: OLE.  Often heard at the FIFA World Cup games.

2. Abbr. that includes many racial identities: POC.  Person Of Color

3. Opinion: TWO CENTS.  There are several theories as to the origin of this expression.

4. "Didn't fool me!": I KNEW IT.   Yes, we did.

5. Gas in bright signs: NEON.

6. Fitness centers: GYMS.

7. Accumulate, as sick time: ACCRUE.

8. Sis or bro: SIB.  Abbreviations.  Sister.  Brother.  SIBlings.

9. "No seats" sign: SRO.  Standing Room Only

10. Like fans after great plays: AROAR.

11. Mirror: MIMIC.  Used as a verb.

12. Freeway divider: MEDIAN.

13. "And yet ... ": EVEN SO.

14. Progress that may be measured on a doorframe: HEIGHT.

19. Siri platform: IOS.  An Apple reference.

23. Coffee option: DRIP.   

24. "Quit it!": STOP.

25. Sulky look: POUT.  Y0u better watch out, you better not cry . . .

27. Snatch quickly: GRAB.  Trying to GRAB some toilet paper at Costco during the pandemic was quite traumatic.  I came away with TPSD.

28. Exchange words: ARGUE.

30. Bistro: CAFE.

31. Hits the slopes: SKIS.

35. Awards such as Best Play and Best Team: ESPYS.  The ESPY Awards (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, and often referred to as the ESPYs) is an annual American awards show produced by ESPN since 1993, recognizing individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding a given annual ceremony.

37. Paintballs, e.g.: AMMO.

38. Egg (on): SPUR.  The clue makes use of the idiom.

41. Long part of a comet: TAIL.

42. Drench: SATURATE.

43. Article: ITEM.

44. Cincinnati MLBers: REDS.

45. Doberman docs: VETS.  VETerinarianS

Not this Doberman

This Doberman

47. Dishonorable wager: LATE BET.  Considered to be dishonorable because the outcome may have been discernible before the wager was placed.

48. Faucet: SPIGOT.

49. Ohio city on Lake Erie: TOLEDO.

50. Loud person: YELLER.  Also the Labrador of movie renown.

52. Green film on copper: PATINA.

55. Actress Witherspoon: REESE.

56. Film starring Barbra Streisand as a woman who pretends to be a yeshiva boy: YENTL.

57. "Have we __?": MET.

61. Herring kin: SHAD.

62. Dim sum root vegetable: TARO.  If your book is made of root vegetables...You’re doing a taro reading!

65. Department head?: DEE.  The first letter of the word Department.

66. Finish first: WIN.

67. Org. emulated in "Heated Rivalry": NHL.  National Hockey League

68. Lass: GAL.  This one reminded yours truly of one of his favorite limericks:

There once was a GAL from Kilglass
Who had a magnificent ass
Not round and pink as you probably think
It was brown, had long ears and ate grass

On that note, it's probably time to haul outta here.  Everyone have a great rest of the week . . . and beyond.

___________________________________________________________

M M OUT
With A Bang

Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Sala Wanetick

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Wednesday puzzle by Sala Wanetick.  Here is a link to an article published about Sala when she had her NY Times Crossword debut in 2024:  Southfield Native Makes NYT Crossword Debut

For today's offering (and this is not her LAT debut) Sala shakes up seismic matters by turning faults into, well, faults.  Let us start with the reveal:

56 Across:  Fractured spots in the earth's crust, or what 17-, 23-, and 49-Across are: FAULT LINES.

As in earthquake faults.  However, in this case FAULT LINES become what one might say when they are at fault as in being guilty of a misdeed or a mistake.  All are self-explanatory.  The mea culpas (culpae ?) appear at these three places within the grid:

17 Across:  "I messed up": THAT'S MY BAD.  

23 Across:  First words in a confession booth, often: FORGIVE ME FATHER.

49 Across:  "I totally did that, yep": GUILTY AS CHARGED.

Here is the completed grid:

... and below are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Measuring device: GAUGE.  Apropos of 42 Across, what was Patrick Stewart's favorite scale of train?  N-gauge.

6. Shred the __: crush a black diamond run, say: GNAR.  Derived from "That's gnarly", dude."

10. Bikini tops: BRAS.  We'll skip fleshing this one out.

14. Stoneworker: MASON.  Apropos of nothing to do with stone work, Dave MASON left us last month.

15. Roof overhang: EAVE.  These hang out frequently in our puzzles.

16. Sound off: RANT.  After he went on a RANT about certain track and field events I asked my dad "Why don't you like the field events ?"  He replied, "I don't want to discus it."

19. Writer Wiesel: ELIE.  Perhaps best known for the book Night, which was based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz and Buchenwald during the Holocaust.

20. Half-inning trio: OUTS.  A baseball reference.

21. Go by: ELAPSE.

28. Electric kettle part: SPOUT.

29. Oft-pickled taco topper: RADISH.  I had never come across this until about ten days ago when the accomplished-chef son of a friend served this at his mother's birthday dinner.

30. "Fiddler on the Roof" milkman: TEVYE.

31. Kylo of "Star Wars": REN.  This time, the clue let's us know up front that it's a Star Wars reference.

32. Flows back: EBBS.

36. Mined find: ORE.

37. Piper Cub, e.g.: PLANE.

39. Gloss target: LIP.

40. Pasta topper, for short: PARM.  Parmesan cheese.

Photo by MM

42. "Star Trek" captain Jean-__ Picard: LUC.

43. "Alfie" star Michael: CAINE.  What's it all about?

45. Poses such as happy baby and humble warrior: ASANAS.  Stances frequently assumed in our puzzles.

48. Hardware not found on a sliding door: HINGE.

53. Historic Harlem theater: APOLLO.

54. Put an end to: HALT.

55. Muscle quality: TONE.

62. Currently working the problem: ON IT.

63. Military flute: FIFE.

64. __-bouche: bite-size freebie: AMUSE.  A complimentary, bite-sized portion of food served before a meal or between courses in a restaurant

65. Critics' picks, informally: RECS.  RECommendationS

66. Meal for a pig: SLOP.

67. Consequently: HENCE.

Down:

1. Clock-setting std.: GMT.  Abbreviated clue (std for standard) . . . . abbreviated answer.   Greenwich Mean Time

2. Relaxing sound?: AAH.  "Why the question mark?", I hear you ask.   A sound you might make when relaxing as opposed to a sound that you find relaxing.

3. Olympic ice hockey gold medalists: Abbr.: USA.  1960, 1980 and 2026.  Here, because nothing in the clue is abbreviated Sala alerts us the the answer will be an abbreviation.

4. Right-hand man: GO TO GUY.

5. Like a Jack and Jill bathroom: EN SUITE.  An EN SUITE is a bathroom that can only be accessed from within the bedroom. A Jack and Jill bathroom is a bathroom with two doors, usually accessible from two bedrooms.  There is no door to the hallway.

6. Old Faithful, e.g.: GEYSER.

7. Scoop up: NAB.

8. Director DuVernay: AVA.  A frequent visitor.

9. Change the meaning of: REDEFINE.

10. Get some air?: BREATHE.  A clue to be taken literally (despite the ?)
"
11. Actor Fiennes: RALPH.   He is known for his roles in Schindler's List, The English Patient, Harry Potter, James Bond, and more.

12. Sambuca flavor: ANISE.  Sambuca is an ANISE-flavored liqueur.

13. Turn a corner, perhaps: STEER.

18. "RuPaul's Drag Race" network: MTV.

A Real Drag Racer

22. __ Vegas Aces: LAS.  A WNBA reference.

23. Camera setting that affects depth: F-STOP.  All you might wish to know:  F-STOP Explained

24. Rossini work: OPERA.

25. App that connects pet sitters and pet owners: ROVER.

26. Musical rattles: MARACAS.

27. Old Testament garden: EDEN.

33. Flashy accessories: BLING.

34. Watch episode after episode of: BINGE.

35. Floor it: SPEED.  A reference to pressing an automobile's gas pedal to the floor

37. Some postseason games: PLAYOFFS.

38. Moon goddess: LUNA.  In the future, will LUNA be clued with something along these lines:

41. Whac-a-Mole whackers: MALLETS.

43. Rosh Hashanah bread: CHALLAH.  It's not just for Rosh Hashanah.

44. Broadcast slot: AIRTIME.

46. Letters on a Cardinal: STL.  Not a religious prelate reference.  A baseball reference.

47. Inconvenient trip: SCHLEP.  Today's Yiddish lesson.  Used here as a noun although it is also employed as a verb.

49. Croc kin: GATOR.

50. Holding a small lead: UP ONE.  

51. Like some chemical bonds: IONIC.

52. Lid: HAT.  Slang.

57. Feel crummy: AIL.

58. Blurry craft in tabloid pics: UFO.  Now "re-branded" as UAP - Unidentified aerial Phenomena.

59. Religious sister: NUN.  A member of an order.  Not your sister, Hannah, who keeps kosher.

60. Corner PC key: ESC.

61. Match, in poker: SEE.  When a poker player says “I’ll SEE your bet”, they are choosing to match the current wager and stay in the hand rather than fold or raise.

_________________________________

Well, that will wrap things up for today.  Any errors or omissions were definitely my fault.

MM OUT

Tuesday March 17, 2026 Sala Wanetick and Amie Walker

Let's Talk:

19-Across. Emotional plea in "Top Gun" and "Top Gun: Maverick": TALK TO ME, GOOSE.

26-Across. "I didn't hear a 'Please'!": SAY THE MAGIC WORD.

43-Across. "Why this course of action?": EXPLAIN YOURSELF.

And the unifier:

53-Across. Requests to Siri and Alexa, or what 19-, 26-, and 43-Across literally are: VOICE COMMANDS.

Across:

1. Lobby group for seniors: AARP.  American Association of Retired Persons.

5. "__ knew?": WHO.

8. Red light therapy venues: SPAS.  Red Light Therapy uses low-level, 630–700 nm wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to boost cellular energy, reduce inflammation, and promote tissue repair.  Sessions last 5–20 minutes and are used to treat acne, wrinkles, hair loss, and chronic pain. While generally safe, it requires consistent use to see results and may carry risks of eye damage if not used properly.  I think I'll pass on this therapy.

12. Pink's counterpart in "Wicked": GREEN.

14. Stranger __ fiction: THAN.

15. Work for: EARN.

16. Italian liqueur such as Aperol or Campari: AMARO.  Amaro is a family of Italian herbal liqueurs, (amaro means bitter) that are made by infusing a base spirit (like wine or neutral grain spirit) with a blend of botanicals such as herbs, roots, flowers, and citrus peels, resulting in a bittersweet, complex flavor profile.

17. Blow off steam: VENT.

18. Cogito, __ sum: ERGO.  Today's Latin lesson ... or, as René Descartes (Mar. 31, 1596 ~ Feb. 11, 1650) so succinctly stated:  I think, therefore I am.

22. NYC summer hrs.: EDT.  As in Eastern Daylight Time.  We just "sprung" forward over the weekend.

23. Most consecutive Super Bowls won by the same team: TWO.  Eight NFL teams have won 2 consecutive Super Bowls:  Green Bay Packers (I-II), Miami Dolphins (VII-VIII), Pittsburgh Steelers (IX-X & XIII-XIV), San Francisco 49ers (XXIII-XXIV), Dallas Cowboys (XXVII-XXVIII), Denver Broncos (XXXII-XXXIII), New England Patriots (XXXVIII-XXXIX), and Kansas City Chiefs (LVII-LVIII).

24. Italian fashion house: PRADA.  Prada means Meadow in Italian.  The Italian fashion house, however, was founded by Mario Prada (1894 ~ 1958).

31. "I __ a hunch!": HAD.

32. Insta upload: PIC.  As in Pictures.

33. Guitar Hero World Tour console: WII.

34. Helpful feedback: INPUT.

37. Fuel efficiency stat: MPG.  As in Miles Per Gallon (of gasoline).

38. Gives a hoot: MINDS.

40. Corp. leader: CEO.  As in Chief Executive Officer.

41. Wilmington's st.: DEL.  Wilmington is in Delaware.

42. __ rummy: GIN.  Gin Rummy is a card game.

50. Harbor Freight purchases: TOOLS.

51. "Hello, fellow sheep": BAA.

52. Stretch the truth: LIE.

57. Graduate of the CIA, perhaps: CHEF.  Not the Central Intelligence Agency, but the Culinary Institute of America.

59. Great Plains tribe: OTOE.

60. Corrosive compounds: ACIDS.

61. Subtle glow: AURA.

62. Numbered hwys.: RTES.  As in Routes.

63. "Girls5eva" co-star __ Elise Goldsberry: RENÉE.  I am not familiar with with either Renée Elise Goldsberry (b. Jan. 2, 1971) or Girls5eva.

64. Fishnet fabric: MESH.

65. Pops: DAD.

66. Covers with grass: SODS.

Down:

1. Rock shop options: AGATES.

2. Naval fleet: ARMADA.  The best known Armada is the infamous Spanish Armada, which set sail from Spain in 1588 in an effort to invade England.  It failed.

3. "Million Dollar Listing" field: REALTY.

4. Fringe benefit: PERK.

5. Cry of delight: WHEE.

6. Kick back (with): HANG.

7. Good place for a lecturer to stay?: ON TOPIC.

8. Teeter-totter: SEESAW.

9. Streamline, perhaps: PARE DOWN.

10. Iguazu Falls land: Abbr.: ARG.  Iguaza Falls is a spectacular waterfall system that consists of over 275 individual drops spanning nearly 2 along the Argentina-Brazil border. 

11. Cold-sounding commercial prefix: SNO.

13. "Anything else!": NOT THAT!  Not exactly sure how this answer fits.

14. Claire Dunphy, e.g.: TV MOM.  Claire Dunphy was the fictional mother on Modern Family.  She was programmed by Julie Bowen (née born Julie Bowen Luetkemeyer, b. March 3, 1970).

20. Carried a debt: OWED.

21. Goblinlike creature: ORC.  The Orc is a fictional creature from The Lord of the Rings.

25. Bone-dry: ARID.

27. Thanksgiving, e.g.: Abbr.: THU.  Thanksgiving is a holiday that always falls on the third Thursday of November.

28. Put on, as nail polish: APPLY.

29. Job for a DJ: GIG.

30. Prefix with loyal and service: DIS.   As in Disloyal and Disservice.

34. The "I" of the RICE method: ICE.  Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate.

35. Dismissive call: NEXT.

36. Puffy pastries: POPOVERS.  Yummers!

37. Guys: MEN.

38. San Diego neighborhood whose name means "sea view": MIRAMAR.

39. __ and outs: INS.

41. Lack of harmony: DISCORD.

42. U.S. Pacific island: GUAM.  Guam appeared in last Tuesday's puzzle.  [See clue 24-down.]  Since 1898, Guam has been a U.S. island territory.  It is the largest, most populous, and southernmost island in the Marianas archipelago and Micronesia.  Guam is known for its beautiful by tropical beaches, Chamorro villages and ancient latte-stone pillars.  Guam’s WWII significance is on view at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park, whose sites include Asan Beach, a former battlefield.

44. Bath scrubber: LOOFAH.

45. Oscar winner Mahershala: ALI.  Mahershala Ali (né Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, b. Feb. 15, 1974) is an American actor who has two Oscars: One for his portrayal of a drug dealer in Moonlight and one for his portrayal of Don Shirley in Green Book.

46. Thin woodwinds: OBOES.  These woodwinds make frequent appearances in the puzzles.

47. Pacific climate phenomenon: EL NIÑO.  Everything you ever wanted to know about El Niño.

48. Heavy-__: sleepy: LIDDED.

49. Admits, with "up": 'FESSES.

54. Jazz great James: ETTA.  Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) is a frequent guest in the puzzles.

55. Like many dorms: CO-ED.  Last Tuesday this was clued as Not Single-Sex.  [See 16-Across.]

56. Top poker cards: ACES.

57. Kiss __: PDA capturer at a stadium: CAM.  The infamous Kiss Cam from last summer's Coldplay concert.

58. Shade on a color wheel: HUE.

חתולה

Happy St. Patrick's Day