Friday, Jan 30th, 2026 ~ Zachary David Levy

E

N

O

R

D

STRIKE

The previous LA Times "Z-D-L" puzzle was one I blogged on Wednesday back in November - the Monty Python and the Holy Grail "just a flesh wound" masterpiece - if you happen to be a fan . . . Today Mr. Levy's construction features four themers that have a synonym for "speak" going UP the Down fills, but defined as its homonym; I was perplexed as to why I could not get the answer for 9D to gibe with the crossings, until - the V-8 can.  Not too difficult for a Friday, IMO, but we get a bit bogged down with the names again; a standard 15 x 15 grid, more than double the number of four-letter words to 3LWs, no circles, and missing only the "Q" for a pangram *.  The themers and reveal; 

4. Fast service: SSERPXE MAIL - Express is spelled "up" in the grid

9. Seize-the-day type: OG GETTER - here's where I sussed the theme, as I knew it had to be "GO"

27. Many a land-grant university: ETATS SCHOOL - State, going "up"

40. Hogwash: RETTU ROT - Utter, going "up"

25. Comment to a low talker, or what is found in 4-, 9-, 27-, and 40-Down: SPEAK UP - here's the collection of scenes from the "low talker" episode of  Seinfeld

She appeared in court for the finale, too

         's
         e
     t   r  e
t    i   e  r
u   a  h  o
B W T M

ACROSS:

1. Sticks (out): JUTS - AND it's crossing - 1D. Talked and talked: JAWED ( and a theme Easter Egg )

Now there's a juts/jawed combo

5. Site of an 1836 siege: ALAMO - starting with a geo name, #1

10. Got 100% on: ACED

14. Latin 101 word: AMAS

15. Enter again, as data: RELOG - a bit meh

16. Opera star: DIVA

17. Rouse: WAKE

18. Greg Maddux's record 18: GOLD GLOVES - I know so little about baseball, I started with NO HITTERS, but it didn't fit - name #2

20. "Self-Reliance" essayist: EMERSON - ah - Ralph Waldo; learning moment; more here - name #3

22. __ urchin: SEA

23. Sorta: "ISH" - many crossword clues/answers of late have drifted too far towards "ish"

24. Challenges, as a credit card charge: DISPUTES

26. Neutrogena product: T-GEL

It "appears" you need glasses to use the product

28. Crosses (out): X'ES - to "E" or not to "E"; that is the question - "X's" looks correct to me; but then again, "X'ed" seems OK

29. Stone fruit center: PIT - I've never eaten a stone - are they any good~?  Sounds crunchy

31. Lean: TILT

34. Department with direct marketing campaigns: SALES

37. __ noire: BETE - Frawnche, literally "black beast"; i.e., one's bane or bugbear

38. Côte d'__: AZUR - plus Frawnche; "azure ( blue ) coast" = French Riviera

39. Teen dance: PROM

40. Put on again: RE-AIR - pump in again; re-air

Now how's she gonna pedal in those shoes~?

41. Actress Garr: TERI - I liked her in "Young Frankestein" - name #4

Now listen very carefully . . . 

42. "Casablanca" role: ILSA - name #5

43. Edmonton CFL team: ELKS - no clue; Canadian Football League - more here - geo name(ish)

44. London's neighboring county: ESSEX - geo name #6

45. Terse denial: "NOT I."

46. Letter after sigma: TAU

47. __ Technica: tech news website: ARS - filled via perps and a WAG

48. Stick together: CLOT

50. Conveyances also known as tricycle rickshaws: PEDICABS

The Deluxe Model

55. Energizer size: AAA - ooof; not AAs

57. Run smoothly: HUM

59. Magenta kin: FUCHSIA - spelling moment for me - I had FUSCHIA

60. Spaceflight company based in Kent, Washington: BLUE ORIGIN

Captain Kirk was on a flight - the story here

63. Stalwart trees: OAKS - I could argue that all trees are "stalwart", by definition

64. In case: LEST

I like this 

65. Eye-shaped windows: OCULI - most of what I find online is round, not "eye" shaped; the Wiki

When I hear 'oculus', I think of the Pantheon

66. Possessive pronoun: ONE'S - e.g. "gird one's loins"

67. Org chart topper: EXECutive

68. Fundamental principle: TENET

69. Countess's title: LADY - Here's Tom Jones, now 85yrs old, married for 59(~!) years until the passing of his wife and lifetime love Melinda in 2016; I grew up listening to his baritone voice, as my parents were born & raised in England - more on Tom from Wiki here

"Never Had A Lady Before"

from "Rescue Me", his 1979 "disco" album; so many great songs

DOWN:

2. Savory quality: UMAMI

3. Views: TAKES - Friday cluing; as in "what's your ___ on this~?" but pluralized, meh

5. Jargons: ARGOTS - the "lingo" of a (usually secret) social group - the plural is again a bit 'meh'

6. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE - geo name #7

7. "__ set": ALL - vague; Friday

8. Online admins: MODS - moderators

10. Fuss: ADO

11. Makes more sophisticated: CIVILIZES - a weapon from a more "civilized age"

Your father's lightsaber

12. Festive nights: EVES - what are festive days~?  Adams~?

13. Run without saying goodbye, perhaps: DASH

19. Gamer's woe: LAG - think online gaming ( or someone taking too long to play a word in Scrabble )

21. Goes after, in a sense: SUES

30. Terse confirmation: "IT IS."

32. Entice: LURE

33. Cereal coveted by a silly rabbit: TRIX - name(ish) . . .

. . . are for kids~!

34. Whirl: SPIN

35. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO - name #8, crossword staple

36. Fruitless endeavor: LOST CAUSE - stone fruitless = LOST QUARTZ 😜

37. Dracula player Lugosi: BELA - Here's Bella - one of the other trainers at the gym, wearing the shirt I made for my trainer Brett - that's him on the shirt; he and some of the other members are always mocking me for calling the gym equipment "tools" - hey, I do "work"(out) with them . . . name #9

44. Writer/illustrator Carle: ERIC - Didn't recognize the name - #10 - filled via perps - but I do recognize his work; I see he passed in 2021 at age 91.  His website

47. Marketing space: AD UNIT - I tossed in AD PAGE

49. "What do we have here?": "O-HO~!"

51. IRS convenience: eFILE

52. Mat position: ASANA - yoga~! yoga~! yoga~!

Animal House announces toga party

53. Trained for part of a triathlon: BIKED - good WAG; running and swimming are the other two events

54. Not very respectful: SASSY

55. Up to the task: ABLE

56. Ken's "Jeopardy!" predecessor: ALEX - I watched Mr. Trebek growing up; have not watched any Jennings episodes - name #11

58. Maze runners: MICE - Dah~!  I put in RATS

61. Brief "Blah, blah, blah": etc.

62. Squirt __: GUN - I bought a pair that actually have a pretend, Glock-like "slide" 

You lock the slide back to expose the fill hole, thus "loading" it

Splynter

Grid Flow 43.2

* Which "Q" would you prefer~?

The "Q"s of James Bond, 007

Friday, January 23rd, 2026 ~ Jeff Stillman

RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT

or Vitamin "B" added

gloBe in the dark - showing light polution

This puzzle was right in my vein - literally; my Blood type is B+, er, B-plus, I mean, B "positive"~!  Jeff Stillman is a regular contriButor for the L.A. Times - this is his second in January of 2026 already, and typically offers two or three puzzles a year - needs only a Saturday puBlication for a"week steak".  A simple theme of adding the letter "B" to four in-language phrases to create a humorous change - and just three stray non-theme "B"s in the grid; pretty impressive.  A smooth solve for me - Better than yesterday's.  Single digits on the 3LWs ( nine~! ), no circles, a standard grid, But a few too many names again. The four themers, with no reveal;

20. Add to one's ear piercings?: HIT A NEW LOBE - Hit a new low - which was a clue we sorta saw yesterday; spelling change, same "oh" sound

I learned some new anatomy here

27. "There's nothing like the feeling of posting a vlog!"?: "I LOVE YouTube~!" I love you, too~!" - a different spelling change.  Below is my first "official" post to YT, the raw, unedited - boring - clip of my first time doing epoxy on the table for my brother; not much to see, but you can hear my furnace, Santa go by in the background, and a quote from Ghostbusters. 

46. Trio trying to sneak past the guard at a sauna?: THREE IN A ROBE - Three in a row - same spelling change as the first themer

Does this count as three men in a ROBE~?

55. "Get your own die, pal!"?: "THAT'S MY CUBE~!" - "That's my cue~!" - NO spelling change

"I've wandered, and can't find my cube~!"

BuBt WaBit TheBre's MoBre

ACROSS:

1. Word on some birth announcements: GIRL - gonna be multiple choice, soon

5. Bowlers, e.g.: HATS

Pierce Brosnan from The Thomas Crown Affair - loved the movie

9. Storage box: CHEST - I am thinking about building an LP record chest for my bother to match the table I gave him for Christmas

14. French friend: AMIE - Frawnche lesson #1

15. Bread maker: OVEN - I made my best chicken crust pizza this past weekend; oh so good~!

16. Video counterpart: AUDIO - the "A" in A/V Club

17. Uneven do: SHAG

18. Mallet game: POLO - Ah.  I was stuck in croquet-mode

19. Rapinoe who won the Ballon d'Or Féminin in 2019: MEGAN - Frawnche lesson #2, "Women's Golden Ball" - the "N" was my last fill; this was more like a Saturday clue/answer, as I had no clue - or answer 😜 - name #1

23. Onetime owner of Virgin Records: EMI - Iron Maiden, one of my musical favorites, started out on EMI; their early management led them to fifty years of albums and touring.  There's also a girl who works at my BJs club named Emi; I wondered if it was short for Emilia, or something.  Name(ish)

24. Michael of Monty Python: PALIN - Glad I am a MP fan, otherwise, name #2

25. Seed cases: PODS

33. Brew made from petals: ROSE TEA 

More here

35. Kitchen gadget: PEELER - see 60D.

36. Gives a hand: AIDS

37. Body shop fig.: ESTimate - these days, the car is usually totaled

39. "The King and I" role: ANNA - name #3

40. Uses a Brillo pad on: SCOURS

43. Meditation spot: YOGA MAT

48. Location: SITE - think construction

49. Evasive maneuver: DODGE - I own a Dodge Grand Caravan; taking the ferry on Tuesday to Long Island to deliver and install a new trellis to replace the one that was run over at a friend's house last year - it was "totalled" 😝

52. Dejected: SAD - I am SAD; the Buffalo Bills are out again - as is their coach; I did call it on Jan 2nd

59. Words to live by: AXIOM - "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

61. Home overhaul, informally: RENO - renovation; I like HGTV's show "No Demo Reno"

My business name is "Re-Mölisher" - I try to reduce the demo/waste, too

62. Iranian money: RIAL - Learned by doing crosswords

63. Amazon assistant: ALEXA - I have Alexa, but I put her away to "renovate" my living room, and she's still in her box.  I still love this always funny SNL skit - name #4

Amazon Alexa Silver - uh-huh

64. Small fastener: BRAD - at least it wasn't clued as a name . . . 

65. Utah home of Sugarloaf Mountain: ALTA - Dah~!  I knew ASTA was wrong, however long the name has appeared in crosswords; he's the classic movie dog; geo name #5

66. Back, as a racehorse: BET ON - I read this as 'back OF a racehorse'

Hey, croup fit . . . .

67. "Holy moly!": "YIPE~!"

68. Existed: BEEN - WERE did not gibe; I had - - EN, so I went with THEN; BEEN was slow to come to me, as its pronunciation is more 'bihn', than 'bean', as it looks

DOWN:

1. Nasty cut: GASH - I start with the Down clues, and was on a roll . . .

2. "Ya dig?" reply: "I'M HIP." - but I had "Uh-Huh" here . . .

3. Rodeo rope: RIATA - and LASSO, so the NW was a mess

4. Motivation for seeking counsel: LEGAL ISSUES - great fill, but waited on perps

5. "Heaven forbid!": "HOPE NOT~!" - waited on perps

6. Assert: AVOW - Filled in the A & V, waited on perps - could always be avER

7. Disclose: TELL

8. Comics canine: SNOOPY - name #6

9. Required remittance: CAME DUE - pondered "WAS OWED" - Twurd

10. Peach or plum: HUE - I was not fooled.  Yes, they happen to be fruits as well . . .

Plus burgundy, coffee, ivory....

11. Border: EDGE - good WAG; could have been the verb ABUT

12. "The King and I" setting: SIAM - learned by doing crosswords

13. "Knives Out" actress Collette: TONI - name #7 - no clue, more here

21. The Aswan High Dam's river: NILE - geo name #8 - found this video with the unfinished obelisk featured as well

22. Snout-touching sound: BOOP - toyed with OINK

26. Seafood dish that turns from blue to orange during preparation: STEAMED CRAB

 

They're not blue anymore - a blog here

28. Two-finger sign: VEE

29. Gut course: EASY A - I am not aligned with "easy" meaning "gut" in this instance

30. Arm bone: ULNA

31. Out of shape: BENT - FAT was, ironically, not big enough . . . 

32. Timeline stretch: ERA - Dah~! not EON

33. Sumptuous: RICH - POSH, LUSH~? - ah, my actual name - but did not need to be clued as such

34. Fragrance: ODOR - I associate "fragrance" as positive, say "aroma" - "odor" with "stink", funk", etc.

36. Winter hrs. in Halifax: AST - Atlantic Standard Time

Circled in green, bottom right

38. Craggy hill: TOR - Learned by doing crosswords

41. Surname of two directors in the "Ghostbusters" franchise: REITMAN - Ivan did the always quotable original, and the less entertaining "II"; his son Jason did "Afterlife", which I have, embarrassingly, never heard about . . . now I gotta see it -  name #9

And I see there was a "sequel" in 2024 as well

42. Enemy of the Jedi: SITH - from the ubiquitous Star Wars - name(ish)

44. Period of invincibility in video games: GOD MODE - I like playing Sim City, and I can literally play "God" by turning on - or off - the natural disasters.

45. "About __": Hugh Grant film based on a Nick Hornby novel: "A BOY" - the IMDb

47. Within earshot: NEARBY

50. Skillful deceit: GUILE - My one unspottable error; GUI S E was good enough, and crossing a name, AL(S)TA, I was not going to notice I was wrong 😜

51. Online cash-back offer: eBATE

52. Automaker that declared bankruptcy in 2011: SAAB - The Monday dupe - now on Wednesday~!  I once owned a 1983 900 - buy now, SAAB later - name #10

53. Wagon part: AXLE

54. Lose on purpose?: DIET - the verb; I am back on track - down now at 207lbs, and still "losing"

56. Actress Hatcher: TERI - 'Bond girl' Paris Carver from Tommorow Never Dies, name #11

Pierce again - yet not my favorite Bond, by far

57. Pic: SNAP

58. Joie de vivre: ELAN - Frawnche #3, "Joy of Living"

60. Ergonomic brand: OXO - another Thursday dupe; 'kitchen gadgets', but that phrase was already in the crossword today as a clue, @ 35A.

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.8

Notes from C.C.:

Agnes sent me this precious photo she recently came across. She said "'It's about 30 years old and there are only 4 of us left out of the 9. Brings back many happy memories."

L to R, Seated: Joe, Agnes,  Eileen, Anne
L to R, Standing: Bill, Peggy, Jack, Bud, Mary

  

Friday, Jan 16th, 2026 ~ Alex Rohrer

 MANOR, CHATEAU, PALACE, [ CASTLE ]*

Gilette Castle, right here in my home state of Connecticut

This was a great crossword puzzle theme - a clever use of ordinal numbers and homonyms ( I also found the term "polysemy" - bank & run, e.g. ), words that sound and spell the same, but have two totally different definitions.  My research into constructor Alex Rohrer led me to some other pages of crosswords ( click the green "read" button ) but I cannot be sure who "they" are - if they be man or woman  - and I am not going to assume, as I made that 'foe pah' last year with "Dana" Edwards - sorry, man.  Anyway, this was Friday-level difficulty in a standard grid, no circles, just twelve 3LWs, but a tad too many names & abbrs ( at least in the clues; I'm looking at you 58D. ).  The themers;

17. [Math], science, gym, English: FIRST CLASS - the [ brackets ] are a hint as to the "position" required to finish the fill; here, "math" is the opening, or first, instance of four school "classes" listed - not the combination of the two words being 'posh section of an airplane'.  The "M" is capitalized just because it's the opening letter of the clue - which threw me at first.

30. Allegory, [fable], anecdote, parable: SECOND STORY - the word in brackets is now found in the 'second' place, one of four synonyms for "story" - not the 'level of a house'

46. Walkout, slowdown, [picketing], sit-in: THIRD STRIKE - the third word, in brackets, is a synonym for strike, in the 'union' sense, not the "yer out~!" of baseball, or say, convictions; ya know what they call manners in prison~?  Con etiquette, get it~?

62. Safari lodge, island property, destination spa, [all-inclusive beach hotel]: LAST RESORT - finally, we have four examples, or definitions, of places, as opposed to the ultimate act of extreme decisiveness, like nulcear war

* FOURTH ESTATE - known collectively as 'the press' - I did not know about the first three estates

Let's keep this theme going~!

sodium, carbon, lead, tin, [ iron ] - Fifth Element

Great movie, 1997 - about "love", not atomic structures on the periodic chart

But

Wait

There's

More

ACROSS:

1. Lemon piece: WEDGE - I do the Downs first, had SOAR at 1D., so I filled in SLICE;  Bzzzt~!

6. Shoe with a "Sport Mode": CROC - don't own, don't care

'dad mode', 'marriage material', uh, OK, kinda funny

10. Sunscreen ingredient: ZINC - I had - IN -, thought TINT at first 😜

14. Far from familiar: ALIEN - I knew this was the answer, but my NW corner was a jumbled mess

15. Off-white hue: ECRU - Ah. The Monday dupe.  On Tuesday.

16. "Pick me!": "OH, OH~!"

19. Simplicity: EASE

20. Start of a long drive, perhaps: TEE SHOT - the "H" my last letter to fill, highlighted red in the grid below; I was trying to parse this as TEES OFF, which the crossings denied

21. Available sans Rx: OTC - Over-The-Counter, Frawnche "without" prescription, but only avec argent

23. Craps cube: DIE

24. Journalist Katie: COURIC - name #1, knew this one

26. Formal expulsion: OUSTER

28. Well-suited: APT

32. Tasks: CHORES

34. Doja Cat's signature song: SAY SO - not my thing, but I listened and liked it - has a 70's disco vibe, and the video does, too; * warning *- the rap in the middle contains foul language, of course - name(ish)

35. Zipped, or ripped: TORE

36. "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" airer: Mtv - the channel ran its last actual music video in 2025, sorta

37. Kardashian matriarch: KRIS - name #2, no clue, tried "I-ris"

41. Sailor Moon headpiece: TIARA - Anime / Manga; it's her weapon - name(ish)

44. Benoit Blanc, e.g.: SLEUTH - name(ish)- more here; I have the DVD, haven't watched it yet . . . 

50. Pigpen: STY

51. Tried to improve one's score on, perhaps: RETOOK - think 'test'

52. Rat: SNITCH - I had PARIAH, as the "H" was in place

54. "__ longa, vita brevis": ARS - this helped me get a foothold in the SW; thanks to four years of Latin in high school~!

55. Cat seat: LAP - Here's my buddy from LI, now living in CT as well, at home New Year's Day

Matt "The Hat" and cat

57. Some bagels: SESAMES - I like mine Everything Egg - which a friend suggested were the bagels that got dropped on the floor in the kitchen . . . 

60. Masjid prayer leader: IMAM

64. "Bob's Burgers" girl: TINA - Watched the show for a while; I like Louise more - name #3

65. Redhead of classic TV: OPIE - I had LUCY, of course, but how can you tell hair color in Black & White~?  Name #4

66. Features of some lobbies: ATRIA - I would fly into Singapore just to see this one

More here

67. "Quit it!": "STOP~!"

68. Rain delay sight: TARP - a C.C. baseball clue - what, two months to Spring Training~?

69. Small: TEENY

DOWN:

1. Travel by air: WAFT - Dah~! Not SOAR; think of aromas

2. Lebanese fashion designer Saab: ELIE - Friday-cluing for name #5 - not the usual culprit, Mr. Weisel

3. Chloé Zhao, for one: DIRECTOR - name #6 - her IMDb, as I do not know any of her movies

4. Bas-relief medium: GESSO - Argh~!  My first thought, hesitated; learned about gesso from Bob Ross

I love Bob - I bought his paints and did this

5. Gush: ENTHUSE - Ah; think emotionally

6. Boston player: CELTIC - All I could think of were Red Sox and Bruins - I am no basketball fan

7. TV producer: RCA - a company that produced the actual appliances; who else remembers the TV repair guy using a mirror to see the screen while he adjusted the settings~?

I do remember the hardboard back panel with the holes in it, too~!

8. Ish: OR SO

9. Guardianship: CUSTODY - I was on the wavelength with "parentage"

10. Elmo's orange friend: ZOE - name #7 - Never heard of her

11. "Couldn't resist!": "I HAD TO." - due to inflation and the rising cost of crossword fill, there will be an upcharge for "Thwurds"; we also have  - 43D. Have high expectations: ASK A LOT - AND - 48D. "I'll have to pass": "IT'S A NO."

12. More likely to pry: NOSIER

13. Chipper: CHEERY - alliteration

18. Targets of some workouts: CORES - my "core" has gone south on me; I slacked off during the holidays.  But I did some fasting, and gotta get to trying those new dishes~!

22. Swear: CUSS - Ah.  CURSE didn't fit, but I was "correct"

25. People who get half the credit: CO-STARS

27. Stir up: STOKE

28. Do one's part: ACT

29. Soup with rice noodles: PHO - I pondered NAM, like we had last Friday

31. Pt. of USNA: NAV - meh.  U. S. Naval Academy

33. In vogue again: RETRO - I'm "retro" simply because I'm old, and never changed . . . 

36. B.A. Baracus player: Mr. T - from "The A-Team", 80s TV; name #8

38. Mount with southeast-facing faces: RUSHMORE - name(ish), but a gimme

What's the price of admission to this park, CandianEh!~?

39. Addams cousin: ITT - name #9

40. Reserved: SHY

42. Object of admiration: IDOL

44. One with two poles: SKIER - and here I thought I was clever filling in "EARTH"

45. Cry of hunger?: "LET'S EAT~!"

46. Qualities: TRAITS

47. __ crab: HERMIT

49. Foot part: INSTEP

Foot parts ON steps

53. Isabel Wilkerson's "__: The Origins of Our Discontents": CASTE - more here, name(ish) 

56. Dada: PAPA - a bit meh for Friday, IMHO

58. Former "DWTS" co-host Andrews: ERIN - I had no idea what DWTS is - Dancing With The Stars.  She & partner came in third, then she was one of the 25D. until 2020; name #10

59. Hotel visit: STAY

61. World view?: MAP

63. "Aaron Burr, __": "Hamilton" song: SIR - name(ish), and not needed for this 3LW

Splynter

Grid Flow 32.2

Friday, Jan 9th, 2026 ~ Rebecca Goldstein & Rachel Fabi

 EARLY ONSET CROSSWORDESE

( I fudged it; the cartoon actually said "the NYT...Sunday" )

Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi have paired up once more - I have blogged one other construction from the duo, back here - and now they only need a Thursday publishing to hit the "EGOT" ( or Grand Slam ) for all seven days with an LA Times crossword.  ALAS & SADLY, I seem to have the same snags whenever I solve one of their puzzles.  Today we have yet another non-standard, 15 x 16 grid, with prefix~? 'kickoff' clues and their 'dawning' definitions.  No circles, a few names and abbrs, a balance of 20 3LWs and 5-letter ones, but a lot of meh fill, IMHO - your mood may vary.  The themers, with no reveal; 

17. Pseudo?: FALSE FRONT - e.g. a pseudonym, such as Theodore Geisel *

25. Neo?: NEW BEGINNING - No, not Keanu

"Neo", from The Matrix

38. Mono?: SINGLE ORIGIN - Learning moment for me

54. Mega?: GRAND OPENING - I goofed; my original fill in the grid was "GREAT", and while 60% correct, still wrong.  I let the computer find my error(s), the black triangles in the solution below

64. Anti?: NONSTARTER - the only outlier, as this is not a two-word phrase

Ah -  I found sumdaze's first ruler of the colony, "Ant I" - get it~?

But Wait - There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Framing pieces:  JAMBS - I do the Downs first, had J - - B -, and this is true from a carpentry point of view; windows and doors are, technically, framed with jambs

6. Layer under a tee: CAMI - T-shirt abbr, camisole abbr

10. Basketball commentator Rebecca: LOBO - filled via perps; name #1, and a self-shoutout for RG~?

14. Swings and misses three times, say: IS OUT - A poor at-bat in baseball - so many clunky two-term phrases in this crossword - and yet, none unique; I'm naming this type of fill "Twurds", #1

15. Nudge: PROD

16. Leaving less of a bad taste, maybe: RIPER - mmmmaybe~?

19. Annual EDM festival in 22-Down: ULTRA - no clue.  I actually like Electronic Dance Music - yet I recognize no one from the lineup at this "concert", held in 22D. -  I am surprised there was no circumreferential cluing here, being that it's Friday

Daft Punk was one of the artists I liked

20. Fashionably nostalgic: RETRO - I'm "retro" simply because I'm old, and never changed . . . 

21. __ the consequences: DAMN - Oooo, swear word

23. Evil act: SIN - Oooo, more badness

24. Lab coat?: FUR - Labrador, that is.  I have not given up on getting a dog - but I need a little more financial stability in the new year

Cooper tore up the pink octopus - but I had gotten him new chew toys for Christmas~!

29. Word of woe: ALAS - alas, I did not care for some of the fill . . . .

31. Biological pouch: SAC

32. Maxims: SAYINGS

33. Portions (out): METES

35. Covered in crystals?: ICY

37. Stalter of "Hacks": MEG - name #2, my total WAG crossing 28D; Sigh. Meg RYAN was Monday

42. Also: TOO - one too

43. Pair: DUO - "two twos, too" - not tu-tu; too many 'to's

44. Spot targeted by butterfly stretches: GROIN

47. Takes up a lot of space: SPRAWLS - I had SPREADS, which is 5/7ths correct, 71.42%

51. "__ been a minute": IT'S - a minute is an endless amount of time in our instant gratification world

53. Ibiza, por ejemplo: ISLA - Español lesson

57. Shade tree: ELM - crossword staple

58. Tax counterpart: TIP - think dining, not death 😜

59. Missing GI: AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave

60. Concession speech?: "I LOST." - "Twurd" #2 

62. Down in the dumps: MOPEY

68. Location, location, location: AREAS - Now this is a clever clue/answer - I'd like to see more of this, and less "Twurds". 

69. Transcript figs.: GPAs - Grade Point Averages

70. Racing shell: SCULL - oaring - not roaring - like, say, F1

71. Leave in the lurch in the church: JILT - even the word sounds unpleasant - is that a variation on onomatopoeia~?

72. "Abominable" character named Everest: YETI - Abominable 4-letter . . . yada, yadi, yati - YETI~!

73. Word of woe: SADLY - sadly, some of this puzzle's clue/answers . . . 

DOWN:

1. Peter Pan rival: JIF - semi-deceptive - peanut butter, not Disney & the original play - name(ish)

2. In general: AS A RULE - "I make a rule, not get involved with possessed people..."

"...Actually, it's more of a guideline"

3. "Naked" rodents: MOLERATS - "He's an ugly little spud, isn't he - I think he can hear you, Ray."  Stantz & Venkman, also Ghostbusters.  Interesting fact  about - and almost cute image of - this animal

4. Get three eights in blackjack, say: BUST - Another good clue/answer; the best hand is "21"; anything over ( in this case, 24 ), and ...

Bugs Bunny had a one-card win, remember~?

5. Unsmiling: STERN

6. Procedure practiced on mannequins: Abbr.: CPR -  Ah.  Not sword testing, Forged in Fire style

"It will kill" - Yeah, OK, it's a ballistic dummy, I know

7. Preferring platonic relationships, informally: ARO - Aromantic, a very common fill lately

8. Café du __: New Orleans shop known for beignets: MONDE - Nailed it.  It's a frequent location in the "Dave Robicheaux" books from James Lee Burke; name #3

9. Collar danglers: ID TAGS - Cooper only wears his when we go for a walk

10. Rapper __ Mama: LIL - name #4, her IMDb

11. Elects to participate: OPTS IN - "Twurd" #3

12. Strait off the coast of Siberia: BERING - geo name, #5.  A bridge~? More here

13. Indonesian apes: ORANGS - good guess on my part;  BONOBOS are "too big"

16. Over-easy serving: RUNNY EGG - strangely, this is a unique fill; I can only do scrambled eggs - otherwise, my tummy grumbles

18. Nemeses: FOES

22. Biscayne Bay city: MIAMI - Didn't know this - I once lived in Jacksonville, Florida; geo name #6

24. Sibs and 'rents: FAMily - Pa -rents

26. Make like a banshee: WAIL - Ah.  I tried YELL first; only 25% correct

27. Covertly included: BCC'ed

28. Sushi bite sometimes served on a model boat: NIGIRI - I have actually seen this in a crossword before - here - and I hit on the last letter "G" for the WAG; but then we have . . . .

30. Vegan protein option: SEITAN - Although I am not thrilled to see this in a crossword, I realize it's Friday.  I am intrigued to try using this as a pizza crust - which I currently make using ground chicken - more Seitan here

I will be happy again if it's yummy in my tummy ~!

34. Winter break?: SNOW DAYS - yeah, not so much as an adult, as CT DOT stays on top of clearing roads, so it's off to work I go 😕

36. "We doing this?": "YOU IN~?" - "Twurd" #4 - now it's getting absurd

39. Decline to take the high road: GO LOW - "Twurd" #5

40. Naan relative: ROTI - Asian "flatbreads" - the differences

41. Small bit of facial jewelry: NOSE STUD - of course I went with RING

45. "You won't get away with this!": "I'LL TELL~!" - "Twurd" #6

46. __ khao: Laotian crispy rice salad: NAM - Friday cluing for this 3LW;  my only resolution for 2026 is to completely shift my diet to healthy foods, and today's puzzle is full of some good choices

A recipe - looks good - I'ma gonna try it

47. High-ranking noncom: SGT. MAJ.

48. A __: literally, "from what is earlier": PRIORI - I have heard of this term

49. Climber's descent: RAPPEL - My first thought, but hesitated

50. Absorbent: SPONGY - also my first thought, also hesitated

52. Foul mood: SNIT

55. Have no reception, say: ELOPE - Hey - you weren't JILTed

56. Corning Museum material: GLASS - I knew of this place, in upstate NY, but I went with "PYREX"

61. Killer whale: ORCA

63. Have a snack: EAT

65. "Etc.," in Pittsburghese: N'AT - WAY too localized, IMO, even for Friday; I see no Cornerites other than 'oc4beach' in PA on HuskerG's map

The rest of the "dictionary" here

66. Fed. stipend for some people with disabilities: SSI - Supplemental Security Income; the website

67. "Srsly?": RLY - Seriously~?  Really~?  Textspeak, unique, and meh.  

* - Dr. Seuss

Splynter

Grid Flow was a high 47.8