Thursday May 21, 2026 Heather Stanger McIntire & Shannon Rapp

In March, Shannon Rapp co-wrote a puzzle published here. Now she's found another collaborator, Heather Stanger McIntire, who's making her first appearance here. Shannon must have a SECRET MENU of constructors to select from!

37. Unpublicized restaurant offering, or a feature of the answer to each starred clue: SECRET MENU. SECRET MENUs are mostly a fast-food thing, and most aren't all that secret. They're just off-menu offerings, but they help build brand loyalty because the customer feels like an insider when ordering one. 

In today's puzzle, the MENU offerings are not from restaurants, but seen on websites. Some of them may be hidden under a "hamburger menu" - three bars in the upper corner of the screen that sorta resemble a burger. When clicked, it opens to show more choices like those clued below.

18. *Brunch choice: FRENCH OMELET. HOME takes one back the the HOME page of a website. Clicking on the company's logo will often do the same thing.

24. *Apprenticeship in the ways of The Force: JEDI TRAINING. Pressing EDIT enters "EDIT mode," where one can make changes to content. 

54. *Negro Leagues player in the Baseball Hall of Fame: SATCHEL PAIGE. Clicking HELP often suggests things that are of no HELP.

61. *"I Just Called To Say I Love You" singer: STEVIE WONDER. VIEW buttons enable switching between layouts on a monitor, such as half or full screen.

At first, I thought the word "MENU" would be hidden or scrambled in the entries. Failing in that, I dug deeper. Because it's a proper Thursday, nothing was circled so I actually had to work for my "aha" moment. As usual when there are five long themers, we're left with a lot of abbrev. even with an extra-wide grid.

Let's see what else is on the menu:

Across:

1. Texting format initials: SMS. Short Message Service is the standard, text-only communication technology used by mobile phones.

4. Eel in maki sushi: UNAGI. There are many types of sushi. Maki sushi is the common variety made by rolling vinegared rice and other fillings in a sheet of nori seaweed. I prefer nigiri or sashimi.

9. Language of Sri Lanka: TAMIL. TAMIL is an ancient language with a documented history spanning over 2,000 years. It is spoken by approximately 80 to 90 million people worldwide, and serves as an official language in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.

14. "Long," in Hawaiian: LOA. LOA can also mean "tall" or "very/much" - all apt descriptions of Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano.

15. Sure to end badly: NO WIN.

16. __ Cortina 2026: MILANO. The sister cities that hosted this year's Winter Olympics in Italy.

17. Under the weather: ILL.

18. [theme]

20. Only major U.S. city founded by a woman: MIAMI. Julia Tuttle (1849–1898) was a savvy businesswoman who convinced tycoon Henry Flagler (John D. Rockefeller's partner) to extend his railroad to the area. Known as the "Mother of Miami," she used citrus blossoms from her property to prove the region was frost-free, securing the development. But let's not forget the "Other Mother of Miami," Mary Brickell (1836-1922), who donated significant parcels of her 2000 acres to make it happen. Tuttle, Brickell and Flagler are all immortalized by major namesake roads in South Florida.

22. Roadside org.: AAA. American Automobile Association. We used to visit their travel agency and get customized TripTiks (flip maps) before setting out on a long trip. Then the internet and GPS came along...

23. Draped silk dress: SARI.

24. [theme]

29. Digital exec: CTO. A Chief Technology Officer is the executive in charge of IT.

30. Purple bloom: IRIS. 

31. World Series mo.: OCT. OCTober is also a month when all four major US sports are playing at the same time. Sometimes, they all have games on the same day, known as a "Sports Equinox."

32. Comedy series featuring Lily Tomlin: LAUGH-IN. LAUGH-IN debuted in 1968 and quickly became the most popular show on television. "And that's the truth."

Lily Tomlin as Edith Ann

34. Grown boys: MEN.

35. Educational acronym: STEM. STEM is an interdisciplinary approach to learning that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, rather than teaching them as separate subjects. It focuses on hands-on, real-world applications to teach critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation, preparing students for technology-driven careers that hopefully are still needed in an Ai world.

36. Opera solos: ARIAS.

37. [theme]

41. Call dibs on: CLAIM.

44. Charger, e.g.: AUTO. The fastest I've ever been in an AUTO was in a friend's 1966 Dodge Charger on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. We hit 120 mph and it felt like the car was going to leave the ground. It probably did. He was nuts and it had me rethinking my life's choices.

The Dodge Charger was introduced in 1966

45. Navigation tech: GPS. Global Positioning System - the modern day TripTik. Back in the last century, my service van was full of maps, but I learned my way around. Nowadays, people blindly follow directions from point A to B and never acquire navigational skills.

48. Tolkien characters who like to eat six meals a day: HOBBITS. Most sources list seven meals: Breakfast; Second Breakfast; Elevenses; Lunch; Afternoon Tea; Dinner; and Supper.

51. Locavore's org.: CSA. My first thought was that Locavore might be a Confederate general like Longstreet. Different CSA. A localvore is someone who tries to eat foods grown or produced locally and promotes Community Supported Agriculture. 

52. Small cut: SLIT.

53. Result of advancing in the field?: RBI. Runs Batted In, although it could have just been RUN.

54. [theme]

57. Key West, e.g.: ISLE. If you take U.S. 1 from Key West, you'll end up at the Canadian border in Maine 1,300 miles later - no map needed. 

Mile 0 in Key West

59. __ shu pork: MOO. MOO shu pork is a popular stir-fry dish featuring thinly sliced pork, scrambled eggs, and vegetables. I like to wrap them up like a Chinese fajita.

60. Oyster opener: OTTER.

61. [theme]

66. Sock part: TOE. Here's a windsock with an open TOE.

67. Barbershop parts: TENORS. Part of a barbershop quartet. I used to sing solo - so low that nobody heard me. 

68. Leg day exercise: LUNGE.

69. Music producer Brian: ENO.

70. Snacks stuffed with "stuf": OREOS. There are as many varieties of OREOS as ways to clue them.

71. Couple of bucks?: STAGS. Not just some doe.

72. Web feed initials: RSS. Really Simple Syndication is a technology that allows you to automatically receive updates from your favorite websites. Instead of manually checking multiple sites for new content, an RSS feed delivers the latest headlines and articles directly to you.

Down:

1. Jerky brand: SLIM JIM. I thought jerky was made from meat? LOL While SLIM JIM does make some jerky, they are famous for their "Smoked Snack Sticks" which are a highly processed food.

2. "Tartuffe" playwright: MOLIERE. MOLIÈRE was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world literature.

3. First sultan of Syria and Egypt: SALADIN. SALADIN was a 12th-century Kurdish military and political leader who founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He successfully unified the Muslim Near East to reclaim Jerusalem and repel the Third Crusade. I don't remember him for some reason.

4. Not well-matched: UNFIT.

5. Swe. neighbor: NOR. NORway and Sweden are neighbors who only feud during Eurovision.

6. Astonishment: AWE.

7. Martini liquor: GIN.

8. Like some ruins in Peru: INCAN. The most famous is Machu Picchu from the 15th century.

9. "Beetlejuice" director Burton: TIM. TIM is known for his distinctive style that blends dark fantasy and gothic horror with whimsical elements in movies such as Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

10. Bitter beers: ALES. Bitter tears: WAILS.

11. Last book of the Old Testament: MALACHI. This is the end of the work as we know it.

12. Laziness: INERTIA. INERTIA is the natural tendency for an object at rest to stay at rest. I think I'll mow the lawn tomorrow...

13. Skin soothers: LOTIONS. What!? Not ALOE?

16. Disney film set in Polynesia: MOANA. Set in ancient Polynesia, the film follows MOANA, the strong-willed daughter of a village chief, who is chosen by the ocean to restore a mystical relic.

19. Call, as a cab: HAIL. Ride, as in a cab: HELL.

21. Sue Grafton's "__ for Malice": M IS. Easy peasy. All of her 25 "alphabet novels" start with the same letter as the crime-related word in the title. Very ambitious, but she died in 2017 before writing Z is for Zero. Her daughter said, "As far as we in the family are concerned, the alphabet now ends at Y."

25. Campus mil. unit: ROTC. The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college program that trains students to become commissioned officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.

26. Laptop brand: ACER.

27. "I feel seen": IT ME. Another unknown bit of internet slang, typically used when you identify perfectly with a meme or a character. It is a shortened version of "that's me" or "this is me." It bad.

28. Fertilizer from bats: GUANO. Because of bats' specialized diet, their droppings are exceptionally rich in nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium—essential plant nutrients.

33. Mentor of Minions: GRU. GRU is a grouchy, quick-witted, and cynical supervillain and the boss of the Minions. He is voiced by Steve Carell.

35. Big rigs: SEMIS. SEMI is shorthand for a semi-truck. SEMI refers to the trailer because it only has axles in the rear. The motorized cab part is the tractor, hence a tractor-trailer.

37. Sis, for one: SIB. A sister is a SIBling.

38. Speed reader?: TACH. A TACHometer measures engine speed, while RADAR is used to read the speed of SEMIS.

39. Inspiring figure: MUSE.

40. Footnote abbr.: ET AL. The abbreviation of et alia, meaning "and others."

41. Artist known for fabric-wrapped installations: CHRISTO. I enjoyed seeing his Surrounded Islands in Biscayne Bay by Miami in 1983. I remember hearing a parody of Prince's "Little Red Corvette" called "Little Pink Islands."

"Little pink islands, CHRISTO your art's a gas..." 

42. Maine course: LOBSTER. Fun clue. You can also dive for LOBSTER just 1,300 miles off course in Key West. 

43. Central Texas city: ABILENE.

45. Sparkly stuff: GLITTER.

46. City birds: PIGEONS.

47. Sound investments?: STEREOS. When I went to college, everyone brought STEREOS like they do computers today. I've upgraded through the years, and now have Legacy Focus speakers like these. They are big, but when your eyes are closed, singers sound like they are live, standing in the middle of the room! Ear buds just don't cut it.

49. Makes less wild: TAMES.

50. Put away: STOW.

52. Didn't play: SAT.

55. Loses steam?: COOLS. Just add more wood to the stove to keep your sauna steaming.

56. Sauna openings?: PORES. In a sauna, sweat pours out of PORES. This helps loosen dirt and oil trapped within the skin and improves circulation.

58. Kitchen initialism: EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 

62. Tax agcy.: IRS. The Infernal Internal Revenue Service.

63. Fan: NUT.

64. "The Code Breaker" subj.: DNA. Walter Isaacson's biography of Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her pivotal role in the development a revolutionary DNA-editing technology.

65. Pasta ingredient: EGG. Pasta is basically wheat flour and EGGS, with a little EVOO and salt added.

Be good. RB

Thursday March 19, 2026 Shannon Rapp & Will Eisenberg

Shannon Rapp has been a crossword constructor since 2021. She is also a co-director of the annual Midwest Crossword Tournament in Chicago. Will Eisenberg is a musician, music teacher, and puzzlemaker since 2019. Together, they're trying to bowl us over!

61. 1985 novelty hit for the Bears, with "The," or an apt title for this puzzle?: SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE. In 1985, the Chicago Bears were riding high when this song came out to benefit hungry families in the area. They went on to win the Super Bowl, having lost only one game* all season. For our purposes here, however, these BOWLs are the classic college football championship games - with their letters SHUFFLEd.

18. Ina Garten franchise: BAREFOOT CONTESSA. COTTON BOWL. Ina is famous for her dinner parties. Here she is preparing wine for the evening.

24. Video game series based on Dungeons & Dragons: BALDUR'S GATE. SUGAR BOWL. BALDUR'S GATE is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. I guess you've got to be into D&D to make sense of this.

38. Tomie dePaola book whose title evokes the Italian for "Grandma Witch": STREGA NONA. ORANGE BOWL. STREGA NONA is a 1976 Caldecott Honor-winning children's book about a kind "Grandma Witch" in a Calabrian town who uses a magical, ever-full pasta pot to help her community.

55. Cry after a triumphant return: WE ARE SO BACK. ROSE BOWL. WE ARE SO BACK is a popular phrase used to signal a comeback or relaunch.

Normally you  don't see circles this late in the week, but in this case they are needed. I'm not great at anagrams, and without the heads-up, I never would've found them, or even understood what the revealer was trying to say. Luckily, COTTON popped out at me early on, but then I started looking for textiles until I got down to the revealer.

Well, I was bowled over, all right. BALDUR"S GATE and STREGA NONA were either "know them or you don't." They mostly filled in by perps, but where they both crossed another name (ARIE) left me scratching my head for the intersecting letters. That's always the problem with too many names.

The rest of this was more up my alley.

Across:

1. Mensa stats: IQS. Intelligence QuotientS are used in Mensa statistics. I don't mean to brag, but I'm a perfect 10...is that good?

4. Deprive (of): STRIP. I once went to a poor joint where the women were deprived of clothes. I left them a few dollars so they could buy some.

9. T's, in Morse code: DASHES. "T" in Morse code is simply ( – ) because it represents one of the most frequently used letters in the English language. You guessed it, "E" is just ( • ).

15. "Is the Pope Catholic?": DUH. A classic rhetorical question.

16. Hawaiian letter that resembles an apostrophe: OKINA. The ʻOKINA ( ʻ ) is a consonant letter in the Hawaiian language representing a glottal stop, similar to the pause between the sounds in "oh-oh". It is distinct from an apostrophe or reversed comma.

17. "In my view ... ": I THINK.

18. [theme]

21. Director Kurosawa: AKIRA. AKIRA Kurosawa was a Japanese writer-director and filmmaker known for his innovative storytelling and cinematic techniques.

22. Species known as the Evolution Pokémon: EEVEE. EEVEE evolves into eight distinct forms ("Eeveelutions") based on stones, friendship, time of day, or location. Crazy!

23. Sanskrit for "goddess": DEVI. DEVI is the term for "divine female," representing the supreme feminine energy in Hinduism.

24. [theme]

30. Receptionist, often: GREETER.

32. Reasons: MOTIVES. Why do you ask?

33. YMCA class: ESL. English as a Second Language class at a Young Men's Christian Association facility.

34. Sam of "Peaky Blinders": NEILL. Sir Nigel John Dermot “Sam” NEILL is an actor with dual New Zealand and British citizenship. He is also well know for his role in the Jurassic Park movies.

37. On deck: NEXT. 

On deck at the DMV.

38. [theme]

42. "Not cool!": DUDE. Not, "That's not cool, DUDE," but "DUDE! That's not cool!"

45. Investment: STAKE. Investment: STEAK. Kobe Beef is the most expensive meat in the world due to its extremely high marbling and limited availability.

46. So-so, slangily: MID. Why not? We used to call this MOR, an abbreviation of Middle-Of-the-Road.

49. Cut without permission?: FAN EDIT. They tried to fool us with TRUANCY, but FAN EDITs are essentially unauthorized alternative versions of films made by fans.They may remove, reorder or add material in order to create a new interpretation of the source material.

53. Composer parodied in "Rabbit of Seville": ROSSINI. Gioachino Antonio ROSSINI not only composed the Barber of Seville opera, he was a friend and supporter of many of the greatest French chefs of his time, inspiring many dishes in his name. He was also believed to be an incredible cook and possess exquisite taste. Just like me! Not.

Beef Rossini - investment grade

55. [theme]

58. Burnt __: ENDS. Now, this is more my style!

Burnt Ends - ingestion grade

59. Comedy legend Burnett: CAROL. CAROL made a guest appearance a few years ago in Better Call Saul, and suddenly she's in demand again. She's presently starring in the Apple series Palm Royale, a period piece about the haves and have-nots in 1969 Palm Beach high society.

60. Toyota hybrid: PRIUS.

61. [theme]

67. Main dish: ENTREE. Like Beef ROSSINI or Burnt ENDS.

68. App for foodies: EATER. This puzzle is making me hungry! 

69. Game review site: IGN. "In-Game Name" describes a player's identity in virtual worlds. IGN is a leading online destination for video game and entertainment news, reviews, and guides. 

70. Untrustworthy sort: WEASEL. 

71. Run for fun, say: RHYME. This one took a moment to jog my memory.

72. Receive: GET.

Down:

1. Workplace accessibility issue?: ID BADGE. IDentification BADGE. In the abbreviation, I stands for I, and D stands for -dentification. Doesn't seem fair.

2. Society of Friends: QUAKERS. The Religious Society of Friends, or QUAKERS, is a 17th-century English-originated tradition focusing on direct, personal experience of God (the "Light Within") rather than rigid doctrines. They believe everyone has capacity for divine access. Core beliefs include spiritual equality, peace (pacifism), simple living, and social justice. These seem like tenets that more of us should espouse, even if we don't eat oatmeal. 

3. Dry (up): SHRIVEL.

4. Porch party fixture: SOFA. I guess porch parties are a thing now, building community support and generating momentum about local causes. Part of it is providing comfortable outdoor seating for potential prospects and donors, hence a SOFA.

5. Match stopper, briefly: TKO. Technical KnockOut.

6. Former Portuguese Royal Court city: RIO. From 1808 to 1821, RIO de Janeiro served as the capital of Brazil.

The Royal Palace in Rio de Janeiro today

7. Dirt from a bug, perhaps: INTEL. Basic spycraft.

8. Walked the floor: PACED. Worked the floor: MIXED, and mingled.

9. Mexican cheddar?: DINERO. "We're having queso (cheese) for DINERO (dinner)." Wait! That's not right. DINERO means money in $panish, as you remember from watching Westerns over the years. 

10. Swear (to): ATTEST. Yes, I can ATTEST that DINERO means money.

11. __/her pronouns: SHE.

12. Casual hellos: HIS. Not him/HIS.

13. Outskirts of New Haven?: ENS. A letteral clue. New Haven starts and ends with ENS.

14. Reggae kin: SKA.

19. Canal that runs 351 miles: ERIE. That's scary long.

20. Egg cell: OVUM.

24. Taproom pour: BEER. Taproom poor: BROKE.

"Maybe you should get the next round."

25. "Acoustic Soul" singer India.__: ARIE. India ARIE is an American singer and songwriter.

26. "Jane the Virgin" star Rodriguez: GINA. GINA Rodriguez is an American actress and producer.

27. "__ Maria": AVE. It's just down the road from Hallelujah Court.

28. __-Mex cuisine: TEX. 

29. Contractor's no.: EST. An ESTimate is a price quoted for a job. If it's too high, the contractor gets a "No."

31. Explosive stuff: TNT. We've blown this up many times before, so I won't spell it out.

35. Some kitchen appliances: LGS. LG uses the tagline, "Life's Good," but the Korean company's name is actually Lucky-Goldstar. Good marketing because otherwise it sounds like a Chinese restaurant.

36. Long. counterpart: LAT. Longitude and LATitude. My geography teacher helped us keep them straight by saying that LONGitudes are the LONG ones that go from pole to pole.

38. Oracle: SEER. I divined this answer.

39. Rat (on): NARC.

40. "Enough, I get it": OK OK.

41. Old console letters: NES. The Nintendo Entertainment System has a library of 1370 officially licensed games. I think I played Super Mario Bros. once.

42. Texas airport letters: DFW. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the 2nd busiest in the U.S. behind Hartsfield–Jackson in Atlanta.

43. Abu Dhabi's fed.: UAE. Abu Dhabi's federation is the United Arab Emirates.

44. Tiny twisted molecule: DNA. Though this clue is twisted, the answer is straightforward.

46. Lego character, informally: MINIFIG. Short for a MINIFIGure, it's a little plastic figurine that snaps onto Lego bricks. These guys look familiar, but I can't quite place them.

47. Humor: INDULGE.

48. Voice opposition: DISSENT.

50. Proclamation: DECREE.

51. "Violeta" novelist Allende: ISABEL. 

Violeta

(2022) is a sweeping historical novel by Chilean author ISABEL Allende.

52. Fatty tuna: TORO. TORO doesn't refer to the fish itself – just the fatty meat from the belly prized in sushi and sashimi for its buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich marbling. To me, TORO tuna sounds like a surf & turf entree - investment grade!

54. Vassal: SERF.

56. Shady garden spot: BOWER. New to me. Unlike a long, arched arbor, it's more akin to a covered garden seat.

57. God of Islam: ALLAH.

60. Unadulterated: PURE.

61. Use a Singer: SEW. Or HEM.

62. French article: UNE.

63. Book fair gp.: PTA. A Parent Teacher Association is a group that may run a book fair as a fundraiser. Maybe they should try a Porch Party!

64. Hesitant sounds: ERS.

65. Pigpen: STY.

66. Make shorter, maybe: HEM. Or SEW.

* The Bears only loss in 1985 was to Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins in an epic Monday Night Football showdown. I was there in the old ORANGE Bowl and was so hoarse from shouting that I could barely talk the next day. The thunderous noise from the fans created unheard of game stoppages when Chicago had the ball. The more the refs tried to quiet the crowd, the louder we got (with our players encouragement) and helped preserve the 1972 Dolphin's perfect season - a feat no other major American league team in any sport has equaled.

Be good. RB