Thursday April 9, 2026 Rebecca Goldstein

 Rebecca Goldstein has been creating square grids for a very long time, but today she has us going around in circles. 

63A. Waste time and effort, in a way, or progress as this puzzle's circled letters do?: REINVENT THE WHEEL. Looks like we are going to build a WHEEL, one letter at a time.

:3D. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" novelist: L. FRANK BAUM. This gives us one letter of the word WHEEL.

6D. Smallest Central American country: EL SALVADOR. Now we have two letters, building a WHEEL from the bottom up.

9D. Durable material made from hagfish skin: EEL LEATHER. Three letters - we're halfway there!

Pacific hagfish are not eels, but they produce fine leather.

12D. Sideways jump flourishes: HEEL CLICKS. With the four letters, we've almost come full circle. 

I thought this worked out wheel well. The letters built up like stacking blocks, each themer adding one more as you worked across the puzzle. I also liked that each partial WHEEL was the stand alone first word of its answer: L., EL, EEL, and HEEL. The fact that all the themers were the same length did my OCD good, and justified the unique layout. 

Black hole department: I tried to discern some sort of image in all the black squares and large crosses, but they are simply part of the grid.

Mirror image department: Kudos to Rebecca for using the reflective symmetry to place INCAS opposite MAYAN, and the video game answers LUIGI and ATARI next to those.

All set? Let's roll!

Across:

1. Designation for some food carts: HALAL. HALAL is an Arabic term meaning "permissible" or "lawful" under Islamic law, governing all aspects of life including food.

6. Outer space?: EDGE.

10. Portal name with an exclamation point: YAHOO. YAHOO! was one of the Internet pioneers 32 years ago, but has lost relevance since. However, it's still worth $7.4 billion, so there's that.

15. Actress Woodard: ALFRE. I didn't know ALFRE, but she is very worthy. She has graced the stage and screen, winning four Emmy's, a Golden Globe, and three Screen Actors Guild awards. She's even been nominated for two Grammy's and and Oscar!

16. Tales as old as time: LORE.

17. Justice Kagan: ELENA. ELENA was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and is the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

18. Needing a nap: TIRED.

19. Pot filler: SOIL. Pot filler: ANTE.

20. Put in a seat, say: ELECT.

21. Travel approx.: ETA. Your Estimated Time of Arrival is an estimation and subject to change. I often drive to Miami, and the ETA is an hour. A half-hour later, I'm still an hour away as traffic builds up like I'm in a backwards time machine!

22. Crushes underfoot: TRAMPLES.

25. "__ Misérables": LES. "The Miserables" describes Russell Crowe's singing in the movie.

26. Orange variety: NAVEL. 

28. Work __: ETHIC.

30. Kinds: ILKS.

32. Online image: AVATAR. Mine is a sunburst Fender Stratocaster. I have two from the 60s.

35. Poetry event: SLAM. A poetry SLAM is a competitive event in which poets perform original spoken-word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges.

38. Much-used pencils: NUBS. My dad always said, "Beware of people with long pencils and short erasers."

39. One with good taste?: PALATE. 

40. Falafel bread: PITA. But it doesn't taste falafel.

41. Langley org.: CIA. I grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia and my dad worked at Langley AFB, so when I hear Langley, the Central Intelligence Agency is not the first thing that comes to mind.

42. "The lady __ protest too much, methinks": DOTH. One of hundreds of quotes attributed to Shakespeare. "Words without thoughts never to heaven go."

43. Small island: CAY. CAY is pronounced "key" as in Key West.

44. Orinoco flow: AGUA. The Orinoco River flows through Columbia and Venezuela, hence the Spanish word for water. The phrase "Orinoco Flow" was made popular by a song from new-age artist Enya. 

46. Having more wiggle room, say: LOOSER.

48. Gumbo vegetable: OKRA.

Oops! Wrong picture! This is an orca.

49. A lot alike: SIMILAR. I liked this a lot!

51. Arrives casually: ROLLS IN.

53. Free (of): RID.

54. Small tweak?: MOD. Just a little MODification.

55. Spots to let sleeping dogs lie: PET BEDS. This bed seemed so big when Buster was a pup. We adopted him during COVID, and he turns 6 today!

59. Small spot: SPECKLE. Small spot filler: SPACKLE

63. [theme]

66. Part of UAE: ARAB. United ARAB Emirates. The UAE has ARABs in it.

67. Not as grim: ROSIER. As in the Grim Reaper's kid sister, ROSIER Reaper.

68. Large vases: URNS.

69. Green carpet: MOSS.

70. Boggy places: SWAMPS. This one mired me down.

71. Teeny bit: MITE.

Down:

1. Abhor: HATE. This clue is detestable.

2. Settled: ALIT. 

3. [theme]

4. "All bets __ off": ARE.

5. Streaming device, maybe: LED TV. This one seemed off, so I turned it on.

6. [theme]

7. Tragic fate: DOOM. 

8. Strong hold: GRIP.

9. [theme]

10. "Oof": YEESH.

11. Every last one: ALL. ALL at ONCE.

12. [theme]

13. A single time: ONCE. ONCE and for ALL.

14. Quaker grains: OATS.

23. Sow's counterpart: REAP. Ah, the verb, not the noun. I wanted "boar."

24. To be, in Paris: ETRE. 

Vous êtes ici.

27. Donkey: ASS.

29. Co. for surfers: ISP. An Internet Service Provider is a company that connects individuals and businesses to the internet.

30. Natives of pre-Columbian Peru: INCAS.

31. Super Mario brother: LUIGI. 

33. Potatoes, in Urdu: ALOO.

34. Body art: TATS. People get TATS (tattoos) of the weirdest things...

36. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.

37. Like the ruins in Tulum: MAYAN.

45. Some short-term rentals: AIRBNBS. A very good friend lives just blocks from the Atlantic. Three houses surrounding him have become AIRBNBS, turning his quiet neighborhood into a party zone. Residential zoning laws need to be updated to prevent this.

46. Corporate structures: LADDERS.

47. Tots' playwear: ROMPERS. Tots' quandary - where should we wear our ROMPERS?

48. Buddy from way back when: OLD CHUM. OLD CHUM is also useful for luring orcas.

50. Actor Schreiber: LIEV. LIEV Schreiber is an acclaimed American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He's known for his roles as "Wolverine" in the X-Men series and the titular Ray Donovan in the TV series.

52. Theater eponym: LOEW.

55. Brit's stroller: PRAM.

56. Wireless router brand named for a Finnish architect: EERO. EERO Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer, famous for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the TWA Terminal at JFK in NYC. He also designed iconic furniture. I guess if he were around today, he'd have come up with a router casing?

1956 Tulip Chairs and Pedestal Table

57. Spanish aunts: TIAS.

58. Winter coat?: SNOW.

59. Herding dog name: SHEP. Here's the most faithful border collie, SHEP. After watching his master's coffin leave on a train in Montana in 1936, he waited in vain for years at the station.

Now Buster wants a bronze statue!

60. Russell of "The Diplomat": KERI.

61. Mardi Gras follower: LENT. LENT follower: EASTERTIDE, the 50 days following Easter, culminating in Pentecost.

62. "How __ can I say it ... ": ELSE.

64. Org. that operates AIT scanners: TSA. The Transportation Security Administration primarily monitors aviation, but also does rail and mass transit. And until recently, the organization worked without pay as they were used as pawns by Congress.

Advanced Imaging Technology

65. Actor/comedian Meadows: TIM. Another SNL alum. 

 

Rebecca spoke and now I'm tired. Wheel see you 'round!

Be good. RB

Thursday April 2, 2026 Kiran Pandey

Kiran Pandey has been constructing puzzles for a few years now, but this is his LAT debut. Congrats!
This grid features a less common mirror image symmetry, and that's a reflection of its creator. 

55A. Some lead roles, or features of 3-, 7-, and 11-Down?: TITLE CHARACTERS. Each film TITLE has special CHARACTERS (like in a good password) that have been used to create a phrase found in movie reviews. Note that none of these movies actually fit the answer in the traditional sense, it's just the punctuation we're looking at.

3D. "M*A*S*H," in a way?: STAR VEHICLE. A STAR VEHICLE is a film specifically designed to showcase the talents of a well-known performer. The "stars" in this one are actually asterisks, but I still rate it 3★'s.

7D. "E.T.," in a way?: PERIOD PIECE. A PERIOD PIECE is a movie set in a specific, earlier historical era, often characterized by lavish production design, costumes, and settings that evoke that time. Period.

11D. "Face/Off," in a way?: SLASHER FILM. A SLASHER FILM is a sub-genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, often by use of blades or sharp tools. Lovely. I like horror films but not slashers with their gratuitous violence.

Fun theme. Kiran is new so he doesn't know that themers are supposed to go horizontally...kidding! I liked the mix of downward themers and discovering the revealer across near the end. He also includes several other nice long vertical fills, which add sparkle, but also leaves us will a lot of 3LW & 4LW. Overall, a good Thursday effort.

M0▽!N9 ()n:

Across:

1. Rae of "Barbie": ISSA. ISSA Rae is a popular American actress, writer, and producer. She is a living doll!

5. Baseball card giant owned by Fanatics: TOPPS.

10. Covert summons: PSST.

14. Court dividers: NETS. Court dividers: BARS.

15. Fast train in the Northeast: ACELA.

16. Hoppy drafts: ALES. The perfect brew for Easter week!

17. Insta post: SNAP. Instagram is a social media network featuring SNAPshots and short videos.

18. Untamed: FERAL. 

19. Namesake of a speed ratio: MACH. Ernst MACH defined velocities compared to the speed of sound, commonly used as unit of air speed where MACH 1 is 761mph (the speed of sound at sea level).

When I'm in a hurry, I shave at 2,283 mph.

20. Cause of inflation: AIR.

21. Spotty?: STAINED.

23. __ Lanka: SRI.

24. Celestial explosions: NOVAE. Had to wait for perps for the final letter to determine if we were using the Latin or English plural.

26. "__ a chance": NOT. 

27. Bygone anesthetic: ETHER. 

29. Standing straight: ERECT.

30. Church headquartered in SLC: LDS. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

31. "Shrinking" actor/co-creator Goldstein: BRETT. BRETT Goldstein is an English actor, comedian, podcaster, producer, and writer who is perhaps best known for his role as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso. I saw him in a stand-up special on HBO and he was surprisingly good.

32. The Phanatic's team, on scoreboards: PHI. The Phillie Phanatic is the mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. He is one of the highest paid mascots in MLB, earning $200K per year! I'm green with envy.

33. Basket made on a rebound: TIP-IN. Part of the madness that is March. My alma mater, UVa, runs hot or cold. They once lost in the 1st round, then won it all the following year. This time they didn't make it past the 2nd round. Oh well, there's always next year...

35. Form 1099 agcy.: IRS. The Internal Revenue Service is the agency that is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes.

36. Dry as a desert: ARID. I guess we are going through my whole medicine cabinet today.

37. Soul singer Baker: ANITA. ANITA Baker is an American jazz and soul singer known for her sophisticated, romantic ballads.

38. Creative degs.: MFAS. Masters of Fine Arts are graduate degrees in visual arts, creative writing, film, or performing arts. 

40. Campaign-funding gps.: PACS. Political Action Committees are groups that pool campaign contributions from donors to support or oppose political candidates, legislation, or ballot initiatives.

41. "The Hunger Games" ally of Katniss: PEETA. Katniss Everdeen and PEETA Mellark, the "star-crossed lovers" from District 12, evolve from reluctant allies in the 74th Hunger Games into a deeply bonded couple.

42. Trig ratio: SINE. Trigonometric should not be abbreviated because SINE is the full name of the function. Its abbreviation is SIN.

43. Weekly skit show, familiarly: SNL. Ye olde Saturday Night Live.

44. Symbol produced by pressing shift+5: PERCENT. % - hey, it works!

46. Cell service letters: LTE. Long-Term Evolution is a 4G wireless broadband technology that provides high-speed data for mobile devices.

47. Just make do: EKE BY. I'm not sure this is proper English. “To eke” can be used by itself meaning to stretch a limited resource. “She eked the meager budget to cover expenses.” Or, more commonly, it is used with “out” as in, “He managed to eke out a living.” Seems like he was going for "squeak by."

49. Spanish infinitive: SER. SER means "to be." An infinitive is the base form of a verb, often preceded by "to" (e.g., to walk), that functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb within a sentence.

50. "Darn it!": AW MAN. 

52. Add up to: ARE.

54. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer: ELI. A student from Yale in Saybrook, Connecticut.

55. [theme]

64. Hat part: BRIM.

65. Indulge: HUMOR.

66. Group of three: TRIO. Now you're checking out my vitamins?

67. Turn down: DENY.

68. "But of course!": OH YES. 

69. Goes on and on: YAPS. FuzzyBrain YAPS when we get a delivery. Better than a doorbell!

Buster guarding the house.

Down:

1. Absurd, as a scheme: INSANE. That's crazy!

2. Shenanigans of the upper class?: SENIOR PRANK. This is a trick! "Shenanigans" is almost always plural, but seems odd with a singular answer. 

3. [theme]

4. Nile viper: ASP.

5. 27th U.S. president: TAFT. As you can see, William Howard TAFT had a sweet tooth. They even named Salt Water Tafty after him.

6. Passenger ships: OCEAN LINERS.

7. [theme]

8. Temporary water provider: PLANT SITTER. A PLANT SITTER comes to your house while you are away. They typically charge $20/hr for just watering, but it can be more if they keep them company.

9. Red tag event: SALE.

10. Cooking spray brand: PAM. 

11. [theme]

12. December tradition in some offices: SECRET SANTA.This is a tradition in which staff members are randomly assigned a coworker to whom they give a gift, often with a price limit. 

13. Gym top: T-SHIRT. While gym is short for gymnasium, T-SHIRT isn't short for anything. It's just shaped like a T. The only way to shorten a T-SHIRT is to make it a crop top.

21. Ready: SET. In America, we say, "On your mark, get SET, go!" In Britain, it's often, "Ready, steady, go!"

Thank goodness we don't use starting pistols anymore.

22. Former Interior Secretary Haaland: DEB. DEB Haaland was the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary. She is currently running for governor of New Mexico.

25. Litmus reddeners: ACIDS. This is a test.

28. Takes a little off the top, say: TRIMS.

33. Cassette: TAPE. A 90-minute cassette has about 440' of tape inside - that's 1-1/2 football fields long all over the seats of my car! Don't ask me how I know.

34. Bread baked in a tandoor: NAAN.

36. Church recess: APSE. 

39. Observed: SEEN.

44. Combustible pile: PYRE.

45. Soft mineral: TALC. Can't stay out of my medicine cabinet, can you?

48. Pleasant, as a summer night: BALMY.

51. Good at banter, say: WITTY. Better than corny!

53. Parrot: ECHO.

54. "I'm all __!": EARS. ...said the field in Iowa. OK, that was corny.

55. Up in the air, briefly: TBD. To Be Determined.

56. Great vexation: IRE. I'm Really Enraged. Wait, that wasn't an abbreviation.

57. Soft metal: TIN. Like my old Band-Aid box, but stop snooping around my bathroom!

58. "You don't see that every day!": HUH.

59. Poehler who co-founded the Upright Citizens Brigade: AMY. From SNL to Parks & Rec, AMY has always been a dependable comedienne. 

60. Fish-to-be: ROE. 

61. Bullpen stat: ERA. Another baseball clue, this is the Earned Run Average - the average number of earned runs a pitcher allows every nine innings, with lower numbers indicating better performance.

62. Fabric tear: RIP.

63. Request for a tropical getaway, perhaps?: SOS. Fun clue. SOS is not an abbreviation of anything, it's just the letters corresponding to a Morse code distress signal that are easy to remember and type.

Godspeed, Artemis!

Be good. RB