Sunday January 18, 2026 Samuel A. Donaldson

 Theme: "THE ROAD TO SELF-DISCOVERY" - One letter is dropped from the first word of each theme entry, resulting in I in the end.

23. Part of an executive job offer: STARTING SALARY.

30. Game lost in the blink of an eye: STARING CONTEST. Losing T.

45. Chamber group: STRING QUARTET. Losing A. 

63. Undercover setups: STING OPERATIONS. Losing R.

76. Tell all to the police: SING LIKE A CANARY. Losing T.

94. Break divine law: SIN AGAINST GOD. Losing G.

107. Having celebrity status: IN THE PUBLIC EYE. Losing S.

120. Backstreet Boys hit: I WANT IT THAT WAY. Losing N.

I bet Sam thought of STARTLING REVELATION, but could not make a workable set. 

Great to see Sam back! He is a witty law professor and wrote some of the most incisive posts on Amy's blog.

Across:

1. Finishes: WRAPS UP.

8. Mercedes line: E CLASS.

14. One on girth control?: DIETER. I can picture smile on Sam's face when he thought of this clue. 

20. San Diego neighbor: TIJUANA.

21. Twain of note: SHANIA. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!"

22. Cheaper than usual: ON SALE.

25. One of the seven kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England: WESSEX. Learning moment for me.  Three Exes: Essex, Sussex and Wessex.

26. Rest __: AREA.

27. Worry: FRET.

28. Louvre Pyramid architect: PEI.

29. Campus org. for wannabe ensigns: NROTC. Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. Also 113. Employee rts. agency: NLRB. The National Labor Relations Board. 

34. List-ending abbr.: ETC.

36. Thai money: BAHT.

39. Negroni need: GIN.

40. Bucko: PAL.

41. Comparatively damp: SOGGIER.

43. Big whoop: ADO.

44. Resource in Minecraft and Catan: ORE.

48. Sets as a goal: ASPIRES TO.

51. Phillipa of "Hamilton": SOO. Her dad is Chinese American. 

52. LAX checkers: TSA.

53. Plié joint: KNEE.

54. Lummoxes: OAFS.

57. Sound of an air-kiss: MWAH.

59. Minor dustup: SPAT.

67. Wolfgang Puck's flagship eatery: SPAGO.

68. Teapot Dome commodity: OIL. Wikipedia says "Before the Watergate scandal, Teapot Dome was regarded as the "greatest and most sensational scandal in the history of American politics".  Happened during the Harding administration.

69. Opening number?: ONE. Not song.

70. Snag: NAB.

71. Sort of: ISH.

73. Was published: RAN.

74. Ghanaian with a Nobel Peace Prize: ANNAN. He graduated from Macalester College here in MN. 

82. "Not interested": PASS.

83. Audio giant: BOSE.

84. Sub text?: EDIT. OK, verb sub, substitute.

85. Classic Monopoly token: IRON.

86. To be, in Toledo: SER.

88. AC meas.: BTU.

90. Casually mentions a famous friend: NAME-DROPS. Confession time: Do any of you have a famous friend you've ever name-dropped?

100. Tennis center?: ENS. Tennis.

101. Marker: IOU.

102. Soft cloth: CHAMOIS. Traditionally made from sheepskin or lambskin.

103. Bruins great Bobby: ORR.

104. Three-pointer's path: ARC.

105. Holes: GAPS.

106. Over 100, say: HOT. Degree-wise. 

112. Co. that makes Secret and Scope: P AND G.

114. Former NPR host Shapiro: ARI.

115. Hebrides isle: IONA.

116. Grandson of Adam: ENOS.

119. "Daddy, Papa, and Me" writer Newman: LESLEA. She also wrote "Heather Has Two Mommies".

124. Guru's residence: ASHRAM.

125. Musical liability: TIN EAR.

126. Term paper starting point: OUTLINE.

127. Not too difficult: DOABLE.

128. Cobbler's part: INSOLE.

129. Gives a new tournament ranking to: RE-SEEDS.

Down:

1. Lb. and oz.: WTS. Weights. 

2. Actress Hayworth: RITA.

3. Somewhat open: AJAR.  You know what she would say! 

4. Least contaminated: PUREST.

5. Pulled a chair up to: SAT AT.

6. Sea urchin, at a sushi bar: UNI. Salty, creamy roe. 

7. Cooks in a skillet: PAN FRIES.

8. German steel city: ESSEN.

9. OpenAI bot since 2022: CHATGPT.

10. Luka Doncic's team, on scoreboards: LAL. Los Angeles Lakers.

11. Brazilian city that sounds like Maryland's capital: ANAPOLIS. City of Ana.

12. Homer's rock singer: SIREN.

13. "Come on, tell us!": SAY IT.

14. Where snowbirds flock in winter: DOWN SOUTH. And 15. Xenon, e.g.: INERT GAS. Their symmetrical partners are 83. Activity that may improve problem-solving skills: BRAIN GAME. And 87. Best version of oneself, in psych-speak: EGO IDEAL. Four great fill. 

16. Brand on some Canadian pumps: ESSO.

17. "I think you'll find this yummy!": TASTE IT. I want that egg tart.

18. Winning candidate: ELECTEE.

19. Pet name fit for a king?: REX.

24. Expression that might be evil or silly: GRIN.

31. Mutually approve: AGREE ON.

32. Item on a Dollar menu?: CAR. Dollar Car Rental.

33. ABA member's title: ESQ.

35. Early PC monitor: CRT.

36. Whatever ewe say?: BAA. 

37. YouTube annoyances: ADS.

38. Oasts: HOP KILNS. 

42. Fully understand: GRASP.

44. The Beaver State: OREGON.

45. Skyrocket: SOAR.

46. Hideo who threw no-hitters in 1996 and 2001: NOMO. He opened for the door for Ichiro and Shohei Ohtani.

47. Ball purchase: GOWN. 50. Lowest digit: TOE. Liked both clues.

49. Bucolic lodging: INN.

55. Canine's canine: FANG.

56. Like a day-old bagel: STALE.

58. Home of Jordan and Georgia: ASIA.

60. Irrational fear of persecution: PARANOIA.

61. Vegan gelatin substitute: AGAR. Seaweed-based. Widely used in Japanese desserts.

62. Best Play, for one: TONY.

63. Daytime drama: SOAP.

64. Bassist Weymouth of Talking Heads: TINA.

65. Dinero unit: PESO.

66. Footnote space saver: IBID. Short for ibidem, meaning "in the same place".

67. Glass bits: SHARDS.

72. Bill Nye's field: SCIENCE.

75. State bordering Bhutan: ASSAM.

77. Publication ID: ISBN. Sigh, someone said my book was too easy. The title is Easy Mini Crosswords.

78. Clears after taxes: NETS.

79. Healthy Grains snackmaker: KIND.

80. GPS guess: ETA.

81. Neither partner: NOR.

89. Visionaries: UTOPIANS.

91. Early proponent of a flat Earth?: MERCATOR. Mercator is a conformal cylindrical map projection  originally created to display accurate compass bearings for sea travel. Presented by Gerardus Mercator in 1569. Learning moment for me. We also have 99. Revolutionary?: ORBITAL.Witty clues.

92. Dua Lipa genre: POP.

93. Questionable, in slang: SUS. Suspicious. 

94. NYU or MIT: SCH.

95. "Fingers crossed!": I HOPE SO.

96. Lyonne of "Poker Face": NATASHA.

97. Believer's ending: IST.

98. "Despicable Me" antihero: GRU.

104. "Say it __ so!": AIN'T.

105. Lenient: GENTLE.

108. Part of Hispaniola: HAITI.

109. Physicist Schrödinger: ERWIN. Schrödinger's cat. 

110. French wine region: LOIRE.

111. "Sailing to Byzantium" poet: YEATS.

117. Boo-boo: OWIE.

118. Unwanted beach souvenir, often: SAND.

119. Wee fella: LAD.

121. Red pill consumer of film: NEO.

122. Shade: HUE.

123. Triumphant shout: YES.

C.C.

I know it's hard to completely stay away from politics and religion. I myself touch on them from time to time. But persistent comments in those areas, as well as personal attacks, can be upsetting. Let's stay focused on crosswords and keep the Corner welcoming and enjoyable for everyone. 

C.C. 

Tuesday October 28, 2025 ~ Samuel A. Donaldson

Ordinary Ordinals

It doesn't take a SIXTH SENSE to figure out this puzzle's theme.

Today, Samuel presents an ordered list of ordinal numbers.

If you're not familiar with number nomenclature, cardinal numbers, such as One, Two, Three, indicate quantity. Ordinals, used in this puzzle, indicate position or rank but not quantity. Numbers such as single, double, and triple are called multipliers. Nominal numbers are used as a name - e.g. Number 42 [Jackie Robinson].

Enough of that. Let's get on with it.

15. Spendy flying option: FIRST CLASS.

23. Dating option not recommended by Madonna in "Express Yourself": SECOND BEST.

In case you forgot the song.

33. Topic to avoid, metaphorically: THIRD RAIL. The third rail is the electrified middle track used in mass transit systems and, like a topic to avoid, you don't touch it.

49. Imaginary barrier that might be broken by a stage actor: FOURTH WALL. The fourth wall is an imaginary barrier between the performers and the audience. The audience sees through this wall to observe the play/movie/show but the performers presumably can't. Breaking the fourth wall is when a performer acknowledges the existence of the audience.

59. Double date tagalong: FIFTH WHEEL. When not speaking of RVs (or trailers in general) pulled by a hitch in the bed of a pickup, fifth wheel means useless or superfluous -- such as a fifth wheel on a wagon [Moby Dick, 1851 (cite)].

Having beat the theme into submission, let's explore how Samuel filled the rest of the grid.

Across:

1. "Later, gang!": SEE YA. Caio.

6. Winter ailment: FLU. I got my vaccine. You?

9. Chats online, briefly: IMS. Instant MessageS.

12. At a distance: APART.

13. Pull a pre-final all-nighter: CRAM.

14. Cabbage-based side: SLAW.

15. [See: Theme]

17. __ to self: NOTE.

18. Ga. airport code: ATL.

19. Arts and crafts, to a grammarian: NOUNS. Cute.

20. "Oppenheimer" or "Anora": MOVIE.

21. Corner chess piece: ROOK.

Chess Humor

23. [See: Theme]

25. "Sheesh, what a day!": I'M BEAT.

27. St. Francis of __: ASSISI. Patron saint of animals and founder of the Franciscan order.

Statue at Xavier University

28. Drips through slowly: SEEPS.

29. Picked up the tab: PAID.

32. Concert souvenir that may list tour stops: TEE.

33. [See: Theme]

37. LLC alternative: INC. Limited Liability Company / INCorporated.

40. Scrap: TOSS.

41. Peony part: PETAL.

45. Danish or Swedish: NORDIC.

48. Vietnamese sandwich: BANH MI.

There's no shortage of good Bahn Mi in Houston!

49. [See: Theme]

53. The "D" of NYPD, for short: DEPT.

54. Start: ONSET.

55. Celebrity's hotel check-in name, perhaps: ALIAS. Checking into hotels, Sir Paul famously used the alias Paul Ramone. The alias was used by the punk band The Ramones as an homage.

57. Sandwich with three key components: BLT. Bacon, Lettuce, & Tomato.

58. Moreno with an EGOT: RITA.

Rita's Wikipedia page.

59. [See: Theme]

61. Like many dorms: CO-ED.

62. Raison d'__: ETRE. French for "Reason to be."

63. Disparage: ABASE.

64. Finish: END.

65. Lingo suffix: ESE.

66. Some dessert wines: PORTS. Why is it called port? Here's what Quora says.

Down:

1. African expeditions: SAFARIS. On your Mac, take a virtual one with your Safari browser.

2. Textbook example: EPITOME.

3. Piercing place: EARLOBE.

4. Soph and jr.: YRS. SECOND and THIRD years of high school or college.

5. Memo header abbr.: ATTN.

6. Swiss currency: FRANC. Sweden has not adopted the euro.

7. Rodeo ring?: LASSO.

8. Gap-filling sounds: UMS.

9. "What a wonderful gift!": I LOVE IT.

10. French painter Henri: MATISSE.

11. Honey bunny: SWEETIE.

13. Board game with weapons, suspects, and rooms: CLUE.

14. Supercilious types: SNOBS.

16. Price to pay: COST.

20. GPs, e.g.: MDS. General Practitioners / Medical Doctors.

22. Retained: KEPT.

24. Zip: NADA.

26. Volcanic residue: ASH.

29. Whiz: PRO.

30. Streaming annoyances: ADS.

31. Org. featured in the book "Many Unhappy Returns": IRS. Internal Revenue Service. The subtitle of the book is "One Man's Quest to Turn Around The Most Unpopular Organization in America." Apparently, it's non-fiction by IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti.

34. Bug bite symptom: ITCH.

35. Craft beer letters: IPA.

36. Extend credit: LEND.

37. Legally effective: IN FORCE.

38. Request from a diner concerned about bad breath: NO ONION. Took a second for this not to parse as NOON ION.

39. Like many baked goods: CRUSTED.

42. Jeremy Allen White series featuring the oft-repeated line "Yes, chef!": THE BEAR.

I've not seen it but heard it was good.

43. Most bountiful: AMPLEST. Ooof. Any port in a storm, I guess.

44. Children, slangily: LITTLES. Ooof again? Anyone refer to kids that way, ever?

46. Feeling of foreboding: DREAD.

47. Cousin in "The Addams Family": ITT.

Cousin Itt

48. "Borrrring": BLAH.

50. Stays on hold: WAITS.

This American Life tracked down Cisco's hold music composer.

51. Emmy winner Woodard: ALFRE.

Alfre's Wikipedia page

52. Lo-cal label word: LITE.

56. Trade: SWAP.

59. Transaction charge: FEE.

60. "Euphoria" airer: HBO.

The Grid:

The Grid

WOs: Loan -> LEND; EPITOMy [sic]
ESPs: ALFRE
Fav: I'll go with SNOB for the clue - supercilious is just a fun word.

There you have it folks. Were you in SEVENTH HEAVEN after finishing the grid? Did you think Samuel's offering was the EIGHT WONDER?

Me? I thank Samuel for the enjoyable puzzle and I hope y'all enjoyed the NINTH INNING wrap-up.

It's now up to you to provide the TENTH AMENDMENT.

Cheers, -T

Saturday, August 31, 2024, Samuel A. Donaldson & Doug Peterson

 Saturday Themeless by Samuel A. Donaldson & Doug Peterson 

Wow! Quad stacks of 10's! That's 120 cells filled. Samuel and Doug used only 28 blocks and had 99 open squares. 

The Manga heroine (yeah, right!), the correct vowel for pasta and a pop singer gave me two bad cells but, in the words of Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive. 

Sam Donaldson

Doug Peterson

Across:

1. Opportunity for late-night stargazing: AFTER PARTY - I told Vanity Fair I just couldn't make it.

11. March 1 : lion :: March 31 : __: LAMB - In Nebraska, March 1st had a high of 50⁰F and March 31st had a high of 54⁰F, so...

15. Manga heroine romantically linked to Tuxedo Mask: SAILOR MOON - Okay...

16. "Queen Sugar" actor Dorsey: OMAR - Two in a row where I had no chance

17. Element of the Pythagorean theorem: HYPOTENUSE - A piece 'o cake for us math peeps! Bonus: Carpenters know, if you measure 3' on one side of a frame and 4' on the other side. If the HYPOTENUSE measures 5', you've got a right angle. 

18. Museum piece: VASE and 33. Museum piece: URN.

19. Triumphant shout: YES.

20. Actress Mireille: ENOS.

21. Gabor sister whose given name was Sári: ZSA ZSA - The Kardashians of many years ago. Between them they had 19 marriages. 

For no particular reason: In 1941, Gabor left Hungary for the United States. During a layover at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska en route to Hollywood, she made headlines by telling the Associated Press that she had danced with Adolf Hitler twice.

Zsa Zsa, Eva and Magda Gabor

23. Wheat protein: GLUTEN.

25. Objects: ITEMS.

26. Utterly unavailing: NO HELP.

29. Performer in a cloud swing: ACROBAT - Our constructor/circus trainer friend Carly Schuna did not have a picture of her in this device but she prevailed on her friend Karen Nellessen to send me one. Thanks Carly and Karen!

Karen Nellessen

 
31. Comforting words: I CARE.

32. Small pile of leaves: QUIRE - Oh, those leaves!

34. Wall St. whiz: ARB.

35. Give up: CEDE.

36. Like a road with many blind spots: CURVY - Twisty had too many letters.

37. Northern Nevada county: ELKO and city that is the county seat

Elko, Nevada

38. Ryssdal who hosts NPR's "Marketplace": KAI.

39. Clan title: THANE.

40. "The Bear" Emmy winner Jeremy __ White: ALLEN - These strangers-to-me continue to populate the puzzle.

41. Being heard: ON TRIAL.

43. Most dot matrix printers and flip phones, now: E-WASTE.

44. Handout: FLIER.

45. Emmy-winning show about Clio-winning execs: MADMEN.

48. Strands in the winter?: TINSEL - Nothing says traditional like these

50. Runs away in haste: LAMS.

51. In: HIP.

54. Deets: INFO - Really good INFOrmation needs deets (details)

55. Big fan: AFICIONADO.

58. Dull roar?: MEOW.

59. Bob Seger hit about "trying to lose the awkward teenage blues": NIGHT MOVES - An ear worm song with lyrics shown in a very unique way.

60. Misses the mark: ERRS.

61. Booker prize?: SENATE SEAT.

Down:

1. Like terrain downwind of an erupting volcano: ASHY - The eruption of Mt. St Helens in 1980

2. "Atlanta Millionaires Club" singer Webster: FAYE.

3. Word in Box 1 of a Form W-2: TIPS - Wages, TIPS and other compensation 

4. Jeff Lynne's gp.: ELO.

5. Pasta similar to fiori: ROTELLE.

6. Union contract: PRENUP - Michael Jordan's new wife Yvette Prieto signed a PRE-NUP giving her $1M/year if they stay married up to ten years and $5M/year beyond that.

7. Terse denial: AM NOT.

8. Prod: ROUSE - Sergeant Hulka's method in Stripes

9. Game breaks, for short: TO'S - Time Outs

10. California's Santa __ Valley: YNEZ.

11. "Sorry Not Sorry" singer: LOVATO 

12. "Epic!": AMAZEBALLS - I think you can translate this:

13. Publishing option: MASS MARKET.

14. Body part that includes the xiphoid process: BREAST BONE.

22. Father: SIRE.

23. Two-time Roberts co-star: GERE - A pretty easy translation 

24. Credulous: NAIVE.

26. Last-second: NICK OF TIME.

27. Vacation venue with cabins: OCEAN LINER - The Titanic compared to a modern cruise ship

28. Plotted against: HAD IT IN FOR.

30. Tear up: CRY.

32. Reservation: QUALM.

36. "__-ching!": CHA.

37. Flair: ELAN.

39. Semi circle?: TIRE - 😀 This semi has 18 TIRE semi circles.

40. "Epic!": AWESOME - A very overused word!

42. Makes seedier?: RESOWS 😀 

43. Cowboy legend Smith: EMMITT.

 

46. Join forces (with): ALIGN.

47. Georgia retreat: DACHA - When I saw Warm Springs would not fit, I figured I should be thinking Russia

49. Brief hookups at the office?: LANS - Uh, not what you might think...

51. Host: HAVE - LA does HAVE the 2028 Olympics

52. Hunch: IDEA.

53. Denver daily: POST - Do you notice any pattern in my posts? 😀 🚀

56. "King Lear" curse: FIE.

Lear: FIE, FIE, FIE, pah, pah!—Give me an ounce of civet, good apothecary, to sweeten my imagination. There’s money for thee.

Translation: Shame, shame, shame, ah, ah! Give me a strong perfume to sweeten my imagination, good pharmacist. There's some money for you.

57. Sudoku figs.: NOS.