Saturday, October 3, 2026, Tom Pepper

 Themeless Saturday by Tom Pepper

Today, C.C.'s good friend and occasional co-constructor, Tom Pepper, has provided us with a very nice Saturday puzzle. Tom is the retired finance director for Eagan, MN. and spent time with C.C. and Boomer. He also was a great source of comfort for her after Boomer's passing.

In this picture you can see Tom's wife Terri, Boomer, Tom and C.C. C.C. told me that Tom could probably beat me at golf, which really wouldn't be all that hard. 😀

I am very grateful that Tom was nice enough to include a very informative note about his construction of this puzzle:

Hi Gary, 

  

Nice to hear from you again! 

  

I don't always start themeless puzzles with a specific grid pattern, but I did with this one. It was a grid shape that Rex Parker had said he liked in someone else's puzzle because it was conducive to that whoosh-whoosh feeling you get when a couple gettable long entries lead to gettable long crosses. So when I made this puzzle, I placed the four longest entries (13s and 14s) in first, and filled around them. From the start, I had hoped to get both GRAMMAR POLICE and ROOKIE MISTAKE into the puzzle, and it worked out. 

When the puzzle was accepted, the editors let me know they were going to make a couple small changes to improve the short fill in the middle section of the puzzle. They even wrote the new clues for me!

  

Take care, 

Tom

Across: 

1. Item dropped in the drink: STRAW 😀

6. Chiromancer's target: PALM - Yes, chiromancer is another name for a palm reader.

               

10. Overwhelm: SLAM - I once SLAMMED a cafe with two buses with 60 kids. We sponsors took orders, served the food, took the money and bussed the tables for them. It turned out great and they were so grateful. 

14. Hair extension: WEAVE.

15. Cookies and cream treat: OREO SHAKE.

17. Baseball's all-time RBI leader: AARON.

18. Rescuers on the run?: SKI PATROL 😀

19. Bases for busts: PLINTHS - A PLINTH is a stand or base that can hold a bust. You've got a few miles on your tires if you remember this bust of Voltaire in the office of 50's/60's Perry Mason TV show. You've got a heck of a memory if you remember his secretary Della Street played by the lovely Barbara Hale.

21. Not accidental: MEANT - The hear kids today use the phrase "on accident" instead of "by accident". Did that happen at the same time "could care less" replaced "couldn't care less"?

22. Oft-redacted fig.: SSN.

23. Many an adoptee: HOUSE PET - I can't go into an animal shelter. I'd want to take all of them home.

27. Ones correcting they're gaffes, perhaps?: GRAMMAR POLICE - My favorite clue/fill. This was so clever because the clue had the grammatical gaffe of they're instead of their. 

32. French "deadly": FATALE - Mata Hari is said to be the most famous Femme FATALE (deadly woman) of all time.

34. Christmas song: NOEL.

35. "Pass": NAH.

36. Tough to form a bond with: ALOOF - This science guy first thought of INERT

37. Media that led to record losses: CDS.

38. "What she said": DITTO.

40. WoW, for one: RPG - My last fill. This "R" was nearly a natick with FARR crossing RPG but Role Playing Game made sense to me and so I earned a "got 'er done".

41. Visit a souk: SHOP - Souks are common to North Africa. This is one is in Morocco. 

43. Steer clear of: ESCHEW.

44. Product of green energy?: ROOKIE MISTAKE 😀 - It can be said that a ROOKIE can be green and apt to make a MISTAKE. My first blogs had them but C.C. was encouraging. 

47. Relatively helpful business practice?: NEPOTISM 😀 If your relative is hiring, "it couldn't hurt!"

48. Hip-hop figures: MCS.

51. Groundwork: BASIS.

54. Neighborhood blot: EYESORE.

56. Open: ALL-COMERS - Technically anyone can try but...

60. "Enough's enough": OK NOW.

61. "Truth!": YOU KNOW IT.

62. "Gigi" composer: LOEWE - Can you find him on the poster?

63. Chocolate brand owned by Berkshire Hathaway: SEES - A favorite confection of Warren Buffet

64. Ginormous: MEGA.

65. Samsung appliance: DRYER - You'll have to look close to see the manufacturer 

Down:

1. Pulls a switch: SWAPS.

2. Birds for whom a color is named: TEALS.

3. More than ready: RARING TO GO.

4. Bath water: AVON - I learned AVON is a word meaning river in the U.K. Here is the city of Bath on AVON in England.

5. Split evenly, informally: WENT HALFSIES ON - WENT FIFTY FIFTY fit very nicely also

6. Play __: POSSUM.

7. Ararat lander: ARK - Could this shape on Mt. Ararat be the resting place of Noah's ARK?

8. Island ring: LEI.

9. Messy locks: MOP.

10. "Yentl" setting: SHTETL - A SHTETL is a Yiddish word meaning "little town" that refers to small market towns in pre–World War II Eastern Europe with a large, Yiddish-speaking Jewish population. 

11. Spencer of "Good Morning America": LARA.

12. "Don't Matter" singer: AKON ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

13. Move to another state?: MELT 😀 Very amusing for this physics teacher who is also a fan of classic movies.

16. "Nothing new under the sun": SAME OLD SAME OLD.

20. Heart's location?: HOME 😊

24. Long jumper's destination: SAND PIT - Bob Beamon shocked the world in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics by beating the old record by almost two feet!

25. Olympic archer?: EROS.

26. Safety gear for ER workers: PPE - We all got familiar with Personal Protection Equipment during covid 

28. "The White Tiger" actor Rajkummar: RAO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

29. On easy street: IN THE MONEY.

30. Sandra's "Ocean's 8" co-star: CATE.

31. DIY help site: EHOW.

32. "Fire Country" actress Diane: FARR ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

33. Chewy brand: ALPO - Our kitty Lily gets her food from Chewy.com 

37. Lombardy birthplace of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger: COMO - Looks like a nice place for the Pliny's

39. "Ugh!": ICK.

42. Not square: HEP.

43. Spot for unique gifts: ETSY.

45. Mike Brown's NBA team: KNICKS.

46. Afternoon outing?: SIESTA.

49. "Almost Famous" director: CROWE.

50. Underground government operation?: SEWER.

51. Reddish-brown horses: BAYS.

52. Toner additive: ALOE.

53. Turn on an axis: SLUE 😀

55. Toffee bar: SKOR.

57. Certain parent: MOM and 58. 57-Down in a meadow: EWE.

59. Semi: RIG.

Sunday, February 15, 2026, Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel

 Gift ideas

Here is a thoughtful gift from the Dream Team of Tom Pepper, and Zhouqin Burnikel. (Dynamic Duo was already taken.) For any newbies here, Zhouqin Burnikel is "CC," our "BFL" (Beloved Fearless Leader...) Of course, the dream team is incomplete without an Editor, but I am leaving her name out of this, because I am mad that she didn't publish this before Christmas, when I could have really used the Gift ideas...

22A. Shower gift?: RAIN JACKET.

24A. Money gift?: BREAD DOUGH.  Why do Bakers work so hard? Because the need the dough...

30A. Housewarming gift?: SPACE HEATER.

54A. Seasonal gift?: SPICE GRINDER. (Love this wordplay!)

68A. Thank-you gift?: GRATITUDE JOURNALS.

I really need one of these...

85A. Cheap gift?: PENNY LOAFERS. Sorry, the cheapest you can get these days are Nickel Loafers...

105A. Parting gift?: RAT-TAIL COMB.

Just one of many uses...

116A. Wedding gift?: RING BINDER. Yes, it's a thing! A.I. Overview

119A. Group gift?: BAND T SHIRT. 

I just listen to the music in my head...

Let's see how they fit "all' these theme answers into this grid!

Across:
1. Flyer with a stinger: WASP.

5. Punch sound: KAPOW.

It's louder in color...

10. Gather over time: AMASS.

15. __-mo: SLO.

18. Diez menos dos: OCHO. Spanish: ten minus two = eight

19. Red Velvet leader: IRENE. This was a tough one for anyone over 21.

Irene Bae Joon-Hyun 

Leader of the South Korean Girl Group

Red Velvet

(extra points if you can tell which one is Irene....)

20. Book with Judges: BIBLE. The Bible lists several leaders as judges of Israel, primarily the twelve mentioned in the Book of Judges...  hmm, no politics, no religion, trying to keep it lite here. For further information, consult your local Rabbi, (or spiritual leader of choice) for a pamphlet, on the Book of Judges, found within The Bible.

21. Shoe designer Jimmy: CHOO. (I wonder if his middle initial is "A.")

22. [Theme]

24. [Theme]

26. "Maybe a bit": KINDA. (Not sorta...)

27. Bone head?: OSTEO. Prefix from the Greek Osteon, meaning Bone. Follow link for examples...

29. Enjoys a trampoline: BOUNCES.

30. [Theme]

35. Head turners?: NECKS. This could have been clued differently, but still would have been a head turner...

36. ID sought by some hackers: SSN. Social Security Number.

39. "Origin" director DuVernay: AVA.

40. Bruins legend Bobby: ORR.

41. Commercial offer: REBATE.

43. Tailless primate: APE.

44. Trio of trios: NONET. A group of nine, like how many lives a cat has, or a musical group of 3 trios...

46. Knee-baring skirt: MINI. (They keep getting shorter, so MIDI might fit here now...)

47. Wrath: RAGE.

51. Park expanse: LAWN.

53. "How did they do that!?": WOW.

54. [Theme]

58. Risk getting bleeped: SWEAR.

60. "Sugar Walls" singer Sheena: EASTON.

Sheena Easton

62. Picking up on: SENSING.

63. Potts of "Young Sheldon": ANNIE.

The Best of MeeMaw.

64. Genre rooted in gospel: SOUL.

65. Pressurized garb: GSUIT. Yes, a G-suit is pressurized, but only when needed. It contains inflatable bladders that automatically fill with air, compressing the pilot's legs and abdomen during high-g maneuvers to prevent blood from pooling in the lower body, which keeps blood in the brain and prevents blackouts. 

67. Maker of POP kitchen storage containers: OXO. A brand name since 1990.

68. [Theme]

73. Focus of a skier's MRI, perhaps: ACL. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Anterior Cruciate Ligament connects the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). 

And, the reason an MRI might focus on one...

75. Solitary person: LONER.

76. Slugger Ty who holds the record for most career steals of home plate: COBB.

77. Critter in a eucalyptus forest: KOALA.

80. Paper alternative: PLASTIC.

82. Old __ die hard: HABITS.

84. Fudd who bugs Bugs: ELMER.

Can you tell which one is Bugs?

85. [Theme]

88. Soft toss: LOB.

90. Diet-friendly, in ads: LITE.

91. Pop in a glass: SODA.

92. Degs. for some composers: MFAS. Master of Fine Arts.

93. Italian city known for salami: GENOA.

95. Supermodel Carangi: GIA.

96. Cover image on an Amer. passport: U.S. SEAL.

99. __ Dhabi: ABU. Capital City of The United Arab Emirates.

101. Business letters: INC. (meaning Incorporated...)

102. Slip-__: comfy shoes: ONS.

103. Bamboozled: AT SEA.

105. [Theme]

109. Mrs. __ cow: O'LEARYS. Stop blaming the poor cow for the Chicago Fire. A.I. Overview

111. Egg-shaped: OVATE.

112. Adds slack, perhaps: EASES.

116. [Theme]

119.[Theme]

122. Oscar winner Blanchett: CATE. Incredibly prolific actress, you may know her as "Galadriel" from The Lord of the Rings. But she could be almost anyone... Her IMDB

In the Movie Hannah, she uses a body double to escape a teenaged assassin.

123. Intimidate: DAUNT.

124. Beauty mogul Elizabeth: ARDEN.

125. Solo with orchestral backing: ARIA.

126. Residue in an incense burner: ASH.

127. Columns with angles: OP EDS. 😀 An essay in a newspaper or magazine that gives the opinion of the writer and that is written by someone who is not employed by the newspaper or magazine.

128. Intel source: ASSET.

129. "That __ fair!": ISN'T.

Down:
1. Function: WORK. You have to scroll way down the list of definitions under the word "function" to find "work."  Perhaps it would be easier to look at it backwards, (or CrossEyed) and think of this as the definition for work. (=function)

2. Superfruit in a yogurt bowl: ACAI.

3. Leg part: SHIN. A favorite skier MRI focus as the ACL connects it to the thigh bone...

4. Lily pads' places: PONDS.

5. Carnival creator: KIA. Ever play the car name game on a long trip? Try to make it through the alphabet.  See an Audi or an Accura, and claim an A! A Honda for H, a Ford for F. If you can't find a Buick for B, a Bronco will suffice! A javelin may be hard to find, but I have been saved by a Jetta... (you may have to cheat if you make it to U, U-haul etc...)

6. Parenthesis shape: ARC.

7. Tea grade: PEKOE.

8. Happening a single time: ONE SHOT. (Never happens in bars...)

9. Holding more water: WETTER.

See 8 down above

10. Big brother?: ABBOT.😀

11. Orbiter until 2001: MIR.

12. Honest pres.: ABE.

13. Concrete section: SLAB.

14. Arizona city known for sandstone formations: SEDONA.

15. Prepare, as oysters: SHUCK.

16. Pricey theater boxes: LOGES.

17. Sounds of wonder: OOHS.

21. Worries: CONCERNS.

23. Only Asian member of the G7: JAPAN.

25. Piece for two: DUET.

28. Sweet corn serving: EAR.

31. Profess: AVOW.

32. Tippy transport: CANOE.🙃

33. NFL Hall of Famer Dickerson: ERIC.

34. Philosopher Descartes: RENE "I think, therefore I am." (Cogito, ergo sum)

36. Taco topping: SALSA.

37. Produce young: SPAWN.

38. Clam chowder style: NEW ENGLAND. (Manhattan wouldn't fit.)

42. Scenic region between Carmel and San Simeon: BIG SUR.

45. Discarded PCs, printers, etc.: E WASTE.

46. Hour pt.: MIN. (Or sec, or...)

Decisecond: One-tenth of a second (

$0.1$

 s).

Centisecond: One-hundredth of a second (

$0.01$

 s).

Millisecond (ms): One-thousandth of a second (

$0.001$

 s).

Microsecond (

$\mu$

s): One-millionth of a second (

$0.000001$

 s).

Nanosecond (ns): One-billionth of a second (

${10}^{-9}$

 s).

Shake: 10 nanoseconds (

${10}^{-8}$

 s).

Picosecond (ps): One-trillionth of a second (

${10}^{-12}$

 s).

Femtosecond (fs): One-quadrillionth of a second (

${10}^{-15}$

 s).

Attosecond (as): One-quintillionth of a second (

${10}^{-18}$

 s).

Zeptosecond (zs): One-sextillionth of a second (

${10}^{-21}$

 s).

Planck time: Approximately 

$5.39\times {10}^{-44}$

 seconds. 

48. "Later, gator!": ADIOS AMIGO. Could also be clued: Hasta LaVista! Or, Vaya Con Dios...

49. Group before millennials: GEN X.

50. "By that logic ... ": ERGO.

52. Depilatory brand: NAIR.

54. __ muffin: STUD.

Now Ladies, remember your diet...

55. Racer with an edge: POLE CAR.

Normally the car in 1st starting position,

but there have been accidents...

56. Bridle strap: REIN.

57. Output opposite: INTAKE.

59. Business with lots to offer: REALTY.😆

61. Like kimchi and umeboshi: SOUR.

65. Silk Road desert: GOBI.

66. Nuanced: SUBTLE.

69. "Double, double __ and trouble": TOIL.

70. Revenue: INCOME.

71. Positions: JOBS.

72. Emulate a couch potato: LOLL.

73. Snapchat and ChatGPT: APPS.

74. Egyptian queen, familiarly: CLEO.

What the real Cleopatra is believed to look like.

78. Grant admission to: LET IN.

79. Some geometry calculations: AREAS.

81. Dog treat portmanteau: SNAUSAGE. Supposedly Snack and Sausage...

82. Cock and bull: HE'S. (A likely story...)

83. __ boom: SONIC.

86. "... we traverse __": AFAR.

87. FDR pet honored with a statue in D.C.: FALA.

FDR and Fala remembered.

89. Pro __: gratis: BONO. 

(from 

pro bono publico, "for the public good") refers to free, voluntary legal services, whereas gratis means without charge;free.

93. Rock instruments: GUITARS.

94. High points: ACMES.

97. Belgrade native: SERB.

98. Get hitched: SAY I DO. Before adding the spaces, Sayido sounded like a thing. So I tried to look it up

99. Off-rd. rig: ATV. All Terrain Vehicle

100. [We're sheep!]: BAA BAA.

What they're really saying...

103. Misleading handle: ALIAS.😗

104. Final bowling frame: TENTH.

106. Legal wrongs: TORTS.

107. Gives temporarily: LENDS.

108. Faith founded in Persia: BAHA'I.

109. Black-and-white predator: ORCA.

110. Rice Krispies mascot in a chef's hat: SNAP. Pop quiz! What kind of hat did Pop wear? (Or Crackle for that matter...)

113. Gentlemen: SIRS.

114. "__ Brockovich": ERIN. A famous environmental activist.

115. "On the double!": STAT.

117. __ date: DUE.

118. Baseball : inning :: curling : __: END. Yes End,,, Here's the A.I. Overview

120. Barely passing grade: DEE.

121. Big bang abbr.: TNT. Also, Raj was short for Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali.

Here's the grid:

CE:D out.