Thursday June 18, 2026 Zachary David Levy

The prolific ZDL strikes again! This time, he's imparting some of his hard-won knowledge for our solving pleasure.

60A. "Say 'aye' forcefully and project confidence," e.g.: PRO TIPS. I didn't notice that this was the revealer at first. PRO TIPS are useful pieces of advice, supposedly from someone with experience in the matter. They are often called "life hacks" on the internet, so you know they must be true. 

Don't believe everything you read!

7D. "Hug the shore until you reach the ocean," e.g.: SOUND ADVICE. The clued directions tell how to go around an inlet, i.e. ADVICE to walk along a SOUND.

29D. "Pair it with thyme or rosemary," e.g.: SAGE WISDOM. Just add parsley to the mix and the SAGE WISDOM would be like Paul Simon's "Scarborough Fair."

31D. "The cinnamon version tastes better than the original," e.g.: LIFE LESSON. LIFE cereal comes in several varieties, but the LESSON I've learned is that the original always tastes best.

A TIP of the hat to Mr. Levy

I liked this puzzle. All three of the phrases work in place of PRO TIPS as they stand (vertically!). But their TIPS (the bottom ends: ADVICE, WISDOM and LESSON) are also synonyms of TIPS by themselves. A double dipper! That all the themers were puns was icing on the cake.

And that was just the TIP of the iceberg!

Across:

1. Completely smitten: GAGA. Just like Lady GAGA's fans - the Little Monsters.

5. Iraq port city: BASRA.

10. Policy chief: CZAR. Thought WONK, at first.

14. Like some history and hygiene: ORAL. Thought words that start with "H" ?

15. Cacophonous: AROAR. Thought NOISY, at first. I'm doing a lot a thinking on this puzzle...most of it wrong.

16. Sharpen: HONE.

17. Kiss, in Cancún: BESO. A Spanish kiss!

18. Piano composition: ETUDE. Not EBONY or IVORY which are the composition of the piano keys. An ETUDE is a short piece designed as a practice exercise.

19. Tiny amount: IOTA. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet is the smallest one to write, just one little stroke of a pen, thus it eventually came to reference tiny things.

20. Email option since 1997: YAHOO. Yeah, who?

22. Genetic messenger molecule: RNA. RiboNucleic Acid. 

23. Big name in the school supply aisle: ELMER. 

Oops! Wrong Elmer!

24. Exercise that may wind up in a playground: FIRE DRILL. When I saw "wind up," my first thought (oh boy, here we go again) was how I used to twist and spin on a swing.

27. Core muscles: ABS. Body anatomy, part 1.

30. Longtime Buick model: LE SABRE.

31. Acid rock's acid: LSD. It's how you get far out, man.

34. Neck wrap: BOA. He probably meant a feather BOA.

35. Share an office workstation: HOT DESK. I guess it's HOT because whoever arrives first gets to sit there in the accompanying HOT seat. Or is that in the boss's office?

36. Debt letters: IOU. This means I. O. U. which is shorthand for, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday..."

37. "Casablanca" star, affectionately: BOGIE. Humphrey Bogart was above par as an actor, but below par as a golfer. Just kidding. He was single-digit handicap player, and was considered one of the best golfers in Hollywood's Golden Age.

39. Egg cells: OVA.

40. Minor disagreements: TIFFS.

42. Realm: ARENA.

43. Cars singer Ocasek: RIC. RIC Ocasek, lead singer, songwriter and oldest member of the Cars was over 30 (ancient in pop music terms) when the band struck it big. He wore a wig to fit in.

44. "What's Your Country Song" singer Thomas: RHETT. Thomas Rhett is a Grammy-nominated country music singer and songwriter who blends contemporary country with rock & roll.

45. In need of a towel: WET.

46. Tourism prefix: ECO.

47. 20-Across alternative: AOL. I haven't used WAHOO or AOL this century. 

48. Gymnast's move: FLIP. They do this to see who goes first.

50. Current fashion: TREND.

52. Chest muscles: PECS. Body anatomy, part 2.

55. Exactly: JUST SO.

57. Winter fishing tool: ICE SAW. I saw you fishing on a frozen lake.

59. Anxiety-related med. condition: OCD. Amongst other letters, I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder tendencies. I used great restraint in not fixing this problem:

How could someone leave it this way?

60. [theme]

64. "Chandelier" singer: SIA. SIA is an Australian singer and songwriter known for her powerful voice...and bizarre wigs.

65. Ipanema's city: RIO. Ipanema is a neighborhood in RIO de Janeiro, Brazil.

66. Medicine derived from the bark of the willow tree: ASPIRIN.

67. Sphere: ORB.

68. Flow stopper: DAM.

69. A few: NOT MANY. I figure this is the number of you crossword solvers who also do Sudoku. 

70. Sudoku figs.: NOS. Figures are numbers. So, how many of you also solve the Sudoku?

Down:

1. Prefer to be called: GO BY. The great Asian desert prefers to be called Gobi.

2. Region: AREA.

3. Nasty wound: GASH.

4. Cool and distant: ALOOF.

5. Sweetie: BAE.

6. Professional who specializes in oil cleanups?: ART RESTORER. Winner: Best Clue.

7. [theme]

8. Blip producer: RADAR BEACON. The government recently declassified sealed UFO files, and now we can all see fuzzy pics of blurry objects. 

9. "__ you sure?": ARE.

10. Put on ice: CHILL.

11. Google Meet alternative: ZOOM.

12. Opening payment: ANTE.

13. Backup camera's view: REAR. 

21. Output of some furnaces: OIL HEAT. The output is just HEAT, regardless of the fuel source.

23. Marvel assassin played by Jennifer Garner: ELEKTRA. In spite of her 2005 movie getting a dismal 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, she reprised her role in other Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

25. __ Speedwagon: REO. The most popular classic band car in crosswords. It is an ancestor of the pickup truck.

This 1926 Model G is 100 years old!

26. E-file org.: IRS. Internal Revenue Service.

27. "Mamma Mia!" band: ABBA. ABBA is also common crossword fodder. "Here we go again..."

28. Obnoxious one: BOOR.

29. [theme]

31. [theme]

32. Out of shape, say: SOFT.

33. Sign of disuse: DUST.

38. Lacking skill: INEPT.

41. "Wouldn't that be nice!": I HOPE.

48. Scandinavian inlet: FJORD. Before I looked at this clue, I had FJ_R_ and my rusty brain immediately went to "F-JARS." Anyone got change for a $5?

49. Saint __: Lesser Antilles island: LUCIA.

50. Body part with 27- and 52-Across: TORSO. Body anatomy, part 3.

51. Use, as a ladle: DIP IN.

53. City southeast of Alexandria: CAIRO. It looks nearly due east to me.

Oh, that Alexandria.

54. Ear cleaners: SWABS. Ear cleaners: Q-TIPS.

56. Spread: SPAN.

58. "Teach Your Children" gp.: CSNY. In only their second live show ever, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young delivered a legendary performance at Woodstock in 1969. 

"This is the second time we've ever played in front of people, man. We're scared s—less!"

61. Choose: OPT.

62. Actor Meadows: TIM. TIM logged ten seasons at SNL before branching out into movies.

63. 401(k) kin: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

Be good. RB

Thursday June 11, 2026 Guilherme Gilioli

Guilherme Gilioli is a Brazilian constructor who mostly creates puzzles in Portuguese. I'm always impressed by people who can do this when English is not their mother tongue (hi CC!). As you know, crosswords involve many idioms and word-play, and that's hard enough to do even when being born here!

16A. *Wham! hit on "Make It Big": CARELESS WHISPER. Written by George Michael, this song sold more than eleven million copies so I've probably heard it.

26A. *No Doubt hit on "Tragic Kingdom": DON'T SPEAK. This one was big in 1996 for the alternative/indie/punk rock band. It didn't sell as well as the Wham song, but at least I recognize the title. 

50A. *The Beatles hit on "Please Please Me": TWIST AND SHOUT. The only one of the three that I knew right off the bat. What I didn't know was that it originally was recorded by The Top Notes, and later covered by the Isley Brothers before the Fab Four got a hold of it. It's the only Top Ten Beatles song not written by them.

39D. NBC singing competition that completed its 29th season in 2026, or what appears to get louder at the ends of the answers to the starred clues?: THE VOICE. The theme answers all contain a tone of VOICE that build to a crescendo: WHISPER, SPEAK, then SHOUT. And since THE VOICE is a music competition, song titles are very appropriate.

It's interesting that Guilherme chose left-right symmetry with a downward reveal. And even if you didn't know the songs, this still was a pretty straightforward puzzle. BTW, I rarely include external links to  things like these songs because I feel they take you away from the core of what's happening here. I like to pick a fun fact or two, and if that piques your interest, then Google is just a click away.

Let's see what else he's talking about:

Across:

1. "Shoot!": ASK.

4. Greek vowel: ALPHA. Part of a complete breakfast!

 9. Watermelon keg need: TAP. I didn't know about watermelon kegs, but they are simply a hollowed out watermelon with the top sliced off to use as a dispenser. You can buy a special TAP made for these.

12. Wander: ROAM. Had to wait to see if it could be ROVE.

14. __ butter: COCOA.

15. Greek vowel: IOTA. They're in that cereal bowl somewhere.

16. [theme]

19. Hockey gear: SKATES.

20. Get testy with: SNAP AT.

21. Flute part: STEM. A little misdirect. Not the instrument but a tall, narrow champagne glass. 

22. Blue area on a map: SEA. The blue used to go right to the edge where you'd fall off.

25. Go the distance: LAST.

26. [theme]

29. "Shark Tank" airer: ABC. The American Broadcasting Company. Shark Tank is a reality TV series where panelists decide whether to invest in products being pitched by contestant entrepreneurs. It is the  American franchise for BBC's Dragons' Den, which itself is a remake of the Japanese television show The Tigers of Money. 

32. __ rhyme: NURSERY.

33. __ worker: GIG. Many in the labor force don't work full time, or augment their regular job with a GIG. A GIG economy is a labor market characterized by short-term contracts, freelance work, and independent contracting rather than permanent, traditional employment. Unfortunately, that also means no benefits.

36. Foot-to-thigh yoga pose: TREE. Occasionally, the arms are held upward like branches.

38. Angels and Devils: TEAMS. Baseball's Los Angeles Angels vs. hockey's New Jersey Devils would be an epic battle of biblical proportions!

39. Big addition to a to-be-read pile: TOME. Now that's heavy reading.

40. Food from heaven: MANNA.

42. Potato spot: EYE. 

43. Self-storage and self-moving company based in Phoenix, Arizona: UHAUL. I once helped a cousin move from Arkansas to Florida. Our old UHAUL van had an early version of cruise control - a brick on the accelerator. We rarely reached 55 mph. except downhill with a tail wind.

44. Thingamabob: GADGET. I had WIDGET at first, but that was NO HELP.

46. Totally useless: NO HELP. Like a WIDGET.

48. Countdown start: TEN. 

49. Spacious ride: SUV. I still prefer a station wagon over a Sport Utility Vehicle, but that class of vehicle has been virtually wiped out by families who also need to traverse a canyon on the way to soccer practice.

50. [theme]

57. Appear to be: SEEM.

58. Smiling face with heart-eyes, for one: EMOJI. This one expresses feelings of love.

59. Fruity frozen treats: ICES.

61. Iron-rich vegetable: KALE.

62. "Judy" star Zellweger: RENEE. She won the 2020 Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Judy Garland. RENEE also sang all the songs. Quite a talent!

63. Pat-a-cake motion: CLAP.

64. Part of MMA: ARTS. Mixed Martial Arts is a fighting sport akin to boxing.

65. Glum: SAD.

66. "Child's play!": EASY. This puzzle was EASY peasy.

Down:

1. Story trajectories: ARCS.

2. Long baths: SOAKS.

3. Gold standard: KARAT. A KARAT is a unit used to measure the purity of gold. It is measured on a 24-part scale, meaning 1 karat represents 1/24 of pure gold in alloy. Thus 24 KARAT is 100% pure.

4. High cards in bridge: ACES.

5. __ Angeles Dodgers: LOS. As much as the LOS Angeles Angels love to fight the Devil, it's more likely they will face the Dodgers in a Freeway Series. 

6. Some HPs: PCS. Hewlett-Packard was founded in 1939 in a Palo Alto garage. They make Personal Computers, among many other electronics.

7. "By what means?": HOW. HOW did a multi-billion dollar corporation rise from this garage?

8. Satisfied sighs: AAHS.

9. Big name in trading cards: TOPPS.

10. Seriously annoyed: ATE AT. This one ATE AT me.

11. Divide: PART.

13. Dished (out): METED.

15. "Stuck in the Middle" actor Presley: ISAAK. He's no Elvis, apparently, just a Middle-of-the-road actor. If you're his agent, then I meant he's really great. Really.

17. Dish soap scent: LEMON. 

18. Dental filling: INLAY. It may be 16 KARAT gold (24 KARAT is too soft).

22. Wall in Manhattan, e.g.: STREET.

23. Writing assignment: ESSAY.

24. Primitive bipeds, informally: APEMEN. Unlike modern humans who are obligate (permanent) bipeds. That's why your mom told you to stand up straight.

27. Snack mix morsel: NUT.

28. Backpedaling sounds: ERS.

29. PIN point?: ATM. Winner: Best Clue. You may enter your Personal Identification Number at an Automate Teller Machine.

30. Toot one's own horn: BRAG.

31. John of "Peacemaker": CENA. I like John CENA because he isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, in spite of all his accomplishments in wrestling and movies. 

33. Striker's target: GOAL.

34. "My turn!": I'M UP. Last Thursday, this was the answer to, "Are you awake?" This clue fits better.

35. Product often used to create a wet look: GEL.

37. Meeting scheduler's concerns: END TIMES. In spite of this, meetings always run long.

39. [theme]

41. Matures, as whiskey: AGES.

43. "Forget about it": UH UH.

45. Host's invitation: ENTER. UH OH. This sounds rather ominous. 

You may ENTER...

47. Davis of "Grumpy Old Men": OSSIE. OSSIE Davis was an award-winning actor and activist. He appeared in over 50 movies, 50 TV shows and 30 plays. Quite the career.

50. Sign of sorrow: TEAR.

51. Paintball injury: WELT.

52. Home of Iowa State: AMES. A common crossword town populated with useful letters.

53. Deca- minus one: NONA. Greek numerical prefixes. Deca (10) -1 = NONA (9).

54. Worked a wedding reception, say: DJED. This abbreviation for Disc Jockeyed looks wrong somehow.

55. Campus near Sunset Blvd.: UCLA. The University of California at Los Angeles was originally called the Southern Branch. The first UC campus was in Oakland before moving to Berkeley.

56. Socials with cucumber sandwiches: TEAS.

57. Reggae kin: SKA.

60. Intelligence agent: SPY. 

Be good. RB

Thursday June 4, 2026 Kathy Lowden

Kathy Lowden is becoming a regular here, her last puzzle was just back in April. 

Ashes to ashes...

16. Evil actions of a cartoon villain, e.g.: DASTARDLY DEEDS. Like those of Dick DASTARDLY, as he twirled his mustache.

23. Having no chance of success: DESTINED TO FAIL. Like the plots of Dick DASTARDLY.

35. Forty-second cousin: DISTANT RELATIVE. A 42nd cousin is commonly known as "no relation."

50. Alyosha Karamazov, for one: DOSTOEVSKY HERO. From his Russian novel, The Brothers Karamazov.

56. Final touch for some desserts: DUSTING OF SUGAR. It's the icing on the cake! Sorta.

And sometimes why? The vowels appearing in alphabetical order make sense, but I'm not sure why they're buried in D_ST- at the beginning of each phrase. I'm sure it was difficult to find four-letter starters that only varied by their vowel, but by themselves, only DUST- is a word. DAST-, DEST-, DIST- and DOST- seem kinda random. I would've preferred some phases that began with last, lest, list, lost and lust, for example.

The number of proper nouns today was kept to a minimum, so that helped make it a pleasant solve. Only half of them were peoples' names, and they all were very famous. Yay!

Across:

 1. Millennial follower, briefly: GEN Z. Generation Z, sometimes called Zoomers, followed GEN Y who didn't like that name so they changed it to Millennial. Sounds like something they'd do.

5. Grass unit: BLADE. Grass unit: OUNCE. I went to college in the 70's and was on double secret probation!

Prof. Jennings and Pinto in Animal House

10. Sobriquet letters: AKA. A sobriquet is Also Known As a nickname, such as Pinto. 

13. Plains people: OTOE.

14. Tulip : bulb :: oak : __: ACORN. Remember that the mighty oak was once a nut like you!

15. "__ betcha": YOU. Frances McDormand did a great job in Fargo.

16. [theme]

19. __ de cologne: EAU. EAU de cologne translates from French as "water from Cologne." Historically, it refers to a light, refreshing citrus fragrance created in Cologne, Germany, in 1709. 

20. Tune: AIR. An AIR (or ayre) is a song-like, melodic tune, typically for a solo instrument or voice. I learn something new everyday! It basically replaces what I forget everyday.

21. Prefix with -metric: ISO. ISOmetric.

23. [theme]

28. Greek letter that represents torque in equations: TAU. TAU is used for torque in physics and engineering. In mathematics, τ represents one full rotation around a circle.

29. Gold medalist at the 1936 Summer Olympics: OWENS. Jesse OWENS was an American track and field athlete who made history by winning four gold medals at the Berlin games, setting Olympic records in each event. 

30. Got on the nerves of: IRKED.

31. __ mater: ALMA.

33. Grain in many a Quaker product: OAT. This is the first of three cereal-related clues today, part of a "complete" breakfast. 

34. Card in an around-the-corner straight: ACE. AKA a wrap-around straight, it's a poker hand where the sequential card values "wrap around" the ACE, such as Q-K-A-2-3. It is not valid in most standard poker games.

35. [theme]

41. Little newt: EFT.

42. Feel icky: AIL.

43. One of a cereal trio: SNAP. SNAP, Crackle and Pop have been mascots for Rice Krispies for nearly 100 years!

44. Thrash about: FLAIL.

47. Cause of interrupted sleep, perhaps: APNEA. CPAP machines are a common method to treat APNEA, so common that there are occasional shortages of the distilled water they use. Don't ask me how I know.

49. Ávila aunt: TIA. Ávila, Spain is is famous for it's Walls of Ávila, built between the 11th and 14th centuries.

50. [theme]

53. OR workers: RNS. Registered Nurses may work in Operating Rooms.

54. Viking weapon: AXE.

55. D-backs, in box scores: ARI. The ARIzona Diamondbacks change their logos as often as Rice Krispies.

56. [theme]

63. Metallurgist's material: ORE.

64. Private pupil: TUTEE.

65. Ivory soap ad word: PURE. Ivory is 99.44% PURE soap, but it only stayed AFLOAT because Procter & Gamble used to whip air into it. The current bar doesn't float in your sink.

66. Word in four state names: NEW. NEW Hampshire, NEW Jersey, NEW Mexico and NEW York.

67. Down-at-the-heels: SEEDY.

68. Elevated on the course: TEED. Also elevated is one's blood pressure when TEED off.

Down:

 1. Mars or Mercury: GOD. The Roman GODs of war and swiftness.

2. Pilot's approx.: ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival. 

3. Tiny biters: NO-SEE-UMS. One of our favorite getaways from the rat race in South Florida is Sanibel Island on the Gulf Coast, which sadly was heavily damaged in 2022 by Hurricane Ian. We used to rent a little cottage (now destroyed) and stroll along the beach. At certain times of day, our legs would itch from nearly invisible pests, the infamous NO-SEE-UMS.

4. Followers of epsilons: ZETAS.

5. Where to find a priest, a minister, and a rabbi?: BAR. Is this some kind of joke? Ha ha!

6. "American Dream" band __ Soundsystem: LCD. An odd band name (aren't they all?) that originated as Liquid Christmas Display after performing at a holiday party.

7. Early ISP: AOL. You've got mail! America OnLine used to be an Internet Service Provider. Now it's just a brand name bandied about by various corporations. 

8. Forest nymphs: DRYADS. Almost wrote DRUIDS.

9. Break off a romance: END IT.

10. Vote in favor: AYE.

11. Frazer Lake bear: KODIAK. Frazer Lake is on KODIAK Island in Alaska.

12. One who may say "G'day": AUSSIE. Australian greeting.

17. Motor vehicle: AUTO. Nowadays, some vehicles drive on AUTO.

18. Beethoven's Third: EROICA. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55, pushed the boundaries of harmony, motivic development, and expression. AKA the EROICA (Italian for "Heroic") it was dedicated to Napoleon. 

22. Vintage: OLD. I collect vintage guitars; RightBrain calls them OLD. They probably fall somewhere in between.

23. "Meditative Rose" artist: DALI. Salvador DALI was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.

Dali's striking and bizarre visage

24. Terse refusal: I WONT.

25. Clutter-free: NEAT. Some people like their whiskey clutter-free.

26. Sets up: ENTRAPS.

27. Guitar bars: FRETS. The frets on the necks of my vintage guitars.

28. Tiny bit: TAD.

32. Wiped out: ATE IT.

34. Strike zone?: ALLEY. A bowling ALLEY.

36. Not having that sinking feeling?: AFLOAT. Unlike modern Ivory soap bars.

37. Kindle display: E-INK. Just add an E to anything!

38. Secret plans: INTRIGUE.

39. Japanese laptop maker: VAIO.

40. Safe Drinking Water Act org.: EPA. The Environmental Protection Agency.

44. New Deal pres.: FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the U.S. The New Deal was a series of economic, social, and political reforms in response to the Great Depression.

45. "Sweeney Todd" setting: LONDON. Also where Tina FEY appeared recently. "Live from LONDON, it's Saturday Night!"

46. Make certain: ASSURE.

47. City grid feature: AVENUE. Here's another city grid:

48. "Eureka!" cries: AHAS. 

51. Goes out: EXITS.

52. Go off: ERUPT.

57. Hem, but not haw: SEW. SEW what?

58. Former telecom co.: GTE. General Telephone & Electronics Corp. was the largest independent phone company in the U.S. In 2000, it merged with Bell Atlantic and became Verizon.

59. 20-volume ref. work: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

60. First host of "Saturday Night Live UK": FEY. Tina FEY led the charge across the pond to appear on the telly.

61. "__ you decent?": ARE. "Yes, but I'm not wearing any clothes." 

62. Color of Lucky Charms balloons: RED. There have been over 30 marshmallow shapes over the years, each with a special "power." The RED balloons give the power to float - or stay AFLOAT in a bowl of OAT cereal with a DUSTING OF SUGAR.

Be good. RB