Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Dylan Schiff

Life is Short.  Eat Dessert First.  The circles spell out order of courses in a meal, but spelled backwards, or in Reverse.  Technically, to be in reverse order, we would also start with Dessert and end with the Appetizers.

20-Across. Trousers with tool-carrying pockets and loops: CARPENTER PANTS.  STARTER, or as I would say, Appetizer.

30-Across. "So glad I don't have to deal with that": BETTER YOU THAN ME.  ENTRÉE.

38-Across. Goal of meditation, perhaps: STRESS REDUCTION.  DESSERT.

And the unifier:

51-Across. Backpedaled, or what's found in 20-, 30-, and 38-Across: REVERSED COURSE.

What other tasty morsels are in today's puzzle?

Across:

1. Facing attack from all sides: BESET.

6. Getup: GARB.

10. Target's target, for one: LOGO.

14. "Well done!": BRAVO.

15. Double-reed woodwind: OBOE.  Oboes appear often in the crossword puzzles.

16. Each, informally: A POP.

17. Uses as evidence in a research paper: CITES.

18. Run a rag over: WIPE.

19. Tuckered out: BEAT.

23. Elite squads: A-TEAMS.

24. Bubble source, maybe: GUM.

25. __ Lanka: SRI.  The formal name of Sri Lanka is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.  From 1948 to May 1972, the country was known as Ceylon.  The country is the tear-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

26. Give up, in an idiom: CUT BAIT.

35. Broke bread: ATE.

36. Amazement: AWE.

37. "By __ way ... ": THE.  I textspeak, this would be BTW.

45. Lifestyle brand with origins in surf culture: HANG TEN.

46. "Yeah, right!": HAH!

47. Liquor in a bee's knees cocktail: GIN.  The phrase "Bee's Knees" was slang in the 1920s, which means something was The Best!  The cocktail came about during the Prohibition-era cocktail.  It's a drink made with gin, lemon juice and honey.

48. Fitting measurement: INSEAM.

56. Desertlike: ARID.

57. Layered cookie: OREO.

58. Whirlpool subsidiary: AMANA.  Amana is the "budget-friendly" line of Whirlpool appliances.

60. __ de gallo: salsa choice: PICO.  Yummers!  Pico de Gallo is a chunky salsa made with tomatoes, onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime juice.

61. "Hot To Go!" singer Chappell: ROAN.  Chappell Roan's given name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (b. Feb. 19, 1998).  I am not familiar with her music.

62. Resonates, as a successful joke: LANDS.

63. Witnessed: SEEN.

64. IDs that never begin with 666: SSNs.  As in Social Security Numbers.

65. Punctuation in a web address: SLASH.

Down:

1. "EastEnders" airer: BBC.  EastEnders is a British soap opera that has been running on British television since 1985.

2. Oldest child on "The Goldbergs": ERICA.  The Goldbergs was a sitcom that ran for 10 years, from 2013 to 2023.

3. Occupied, as a diner booth: SAT AT.

Nighthawks, by Edward Hopper

4. "Into Thin Air" mountain peak: EVEREST.  Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer is the 1997 non-fiction book about fateful expedition climbing Mt. Everest in 1996.  During the climb, a storm arise, killing 8 hikers and stranding several more.  I highly recommend this book.

5. More than is needed: TO SPARE.

6. Bridal shop selections: GOWNS.

7. "You haven't changed __!": A BIT.

8. Tire swing line: ROPE.

9. Potbelly: BEER GUT.

10. Ritchie Valens hit: LA BAMBA.  Ritchie Valens (né Richard Steven Valenzuela; May 13, 1941 ~ Feb. 3, 1949) was only 17 years old when he was killed in a plane crash.  Although he had several hits, he is best known for La Bamba.

11. Doing business: OPEN.

12. Farm animal in some yoga classes: GOAT.  This is not a form I yoga that I want to try.  Where did this idea even come from?

13. Makes a choice: OPTS.

21. Dubai dignitary: EMIR.

22. "How Long" singer Charlie: PUTH.  I had never heard of Charlie Puth (né Charles Otto Puth, Jr.; b. dec. 2, 1991) before his appearance in this puzzle.  Strangely, however, while I was driving this week, his name popped up on my radio screen and one of his songs was playing.  Apparently, he got is name out there from posting his songs on YouTube.

26. Prompted on stage: CUED.

27. Against: ANTI.

28. "If u ask me ... ": IMHO.  Textspeak for In My Humble Opinion.

29. Many a promgoer: TEEN.

30. Big blast: BASH.

31. "At Last" singer James: ETTA.  It's nice to see our old friend Etta James (née Jamesetta Hawkins; Jan. 25, 1938 ~ Jan. 20, 2012) visits us again.

32. Arctic seabird: TERN.  Tern or Ern?  What's the difference?

Tern

Ern

  

33. Crochet need: YARN.

34. Be behind, in a way: OWE.

39. Spurred to action: EGGED ON.

40. Tend to risotto: STIR.  It takes a lot of stirring, but the end result is tasty.

41. Motion detectors for automatic doors: SENSORS.

42. "Yeah, try again": UH, NO!

43. Informal clothing: CASUALS.

44. Rising current of warm air: THERMAL.

48. Significant figures: ICONS.

49. Yoga pose: ASANA.  Yoga can be done without goats.

50. Fixes: MENDS.

51. Hard knocks?: RAPS.

52. Source of Buffalo's lake-effect snow: ERIE.  Buffalo, New York is one of the snowiest cities in the United States.

Snow in Buffalo, New York

53. Moral shortcoming: VICE.

54. Cupid's counterpart: EROS.  Eros is the Greek god of love and Cupid is the Roman god of love.

55. Academic administrator with a list: DEAN.

59. Barbecue residue: ASH.

That's this week's meal.

חתולה

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 Richard Liu and Katherine Xiong

The Hills Are Alive with a Solfège.  

17-Across. Actress who plays Honey Chandler on "Bosch" and "Bosch: Legacy": MIMI ROGERS.  Mi is the Third musical note on the scale.  Mimi Rogers (née Miriam Ann Spickler; b. Jan. 17, 1956) was Tom Cruise's first wife.  I am not familiar with the Bosch television series.

25-Across. Flightless species last seen in the 1660s: DODO BIRD.  Do is the first note of the musical scale.  A shout-out to our dear friend Dodo.  The dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to Mauritius, an island east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

56.-Across Musical film starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling: LA LA LAND.  La is the fourth musical note on the scale.  The movie, La La Land, was the center of a controversy at the 2017 Oscars when the presenters mistakenly announced it was the Best Picture winner, when in fact, the winner was Moonlight.

66-Across. Lukewarm critique: SO-SO REVIEW.  So, sometimes written as Sol, is the fifth note of the musical scale.

And the unifier:

38-Across. Type of exam that allows crib sheets, or a hint to 17-, 25-, 56-, and 66-Across: OPEN NOTES.  A Solfège is a system for teaching sight-singing by assigning syllables, such as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La Ti, Do, to musical notes.

Here's the Grid:

Today's puzzle had two other sound-alikes:  1-Across (SEW) and 28-Across (SOW).

Across:

1. Attaches patches, say: SEWS.  It also sounds like it should fit in with today's theme.

5. To be, en español: ESTAR.  Today's Spanish lesson.

10. Hop, skip, or jump: VERB.

14. State boldly: AVOW.

15. Two-time Nobel Prize winner Curie: MARIE.  Marie Curie (née Maria Salomea Skłodowska; Nov. 7, 1867 ~ July 4, 1934) has the distinction of being (1) the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize;  (2) the first person to be awarded two Nobel Prizes; (3), along with her husband, was part of the first married couple to be awarded the Prize; and (4) the first person to be awarded two Nobel Prizes in two different fields.  In 1903, she shared a Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband, Pierre Curie () and Henri Becquerel () for their joint work in radioactivity research.  She was awarded the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work in isolating radium and polonium. Interestingly, in 1935, her daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie (Sept. 12, 1897 ~ Mar. 17, 1856), and her husband, Jean Frédéric Joliot (Mar. 19, 1900 ~ Aug. 14, 1958)  ware also awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  They became the second married couple to be awarded the Prize.

16. "Your turn," on a walkie-talkie: OVER.

19. Give in: CAVE.

20. City near Dallas: PLANO.

21. Heritage gp. with roots in China, India, and Samoa: AAPI.  As in Asian American and Pacific Islander.  Who knew?

22. Far from shore: ASEA.

23. Running time: LENGTH.

27. Subj. for some immigrants: ESL.  English as a Second Language has become a crossword staple.

28. Scatter, as seeds: SOW.  Another answer that sounds like it could fit with today's musical theme.

30. Ctrl-Alt-__: PC reboot combo: DEL.

31. Tiebreakers, briefly: OTs.  As in OverTimes.

32. Eyelid malady: STYE.

34. Prefix with day or night: MID-.

36. Family rooms: DENS.

42. Not full-size: MINI.

44. Tailless primate: APE.

45. Buddies: PALS.

49. Ultrasound goop: GEL.

50. Summer zodiac sign: LEO.

53. Smidgen: TAD.

55. Casual shoe, casually: MOC.

59. Like some algebra: LINEAR.

Correct?  You be the judge.

61. X __ xylophone: AS IN.

62. Typical high schooler: TEEN.

64. Science fiction author Jules: VERNE.  Jules Gabriel Verne (Feb, 8, 1828 ~ Mar. 24, 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright.  Some of his work includes: Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. 

65. Channel: DUCT.

68. Southernmost Great Lake: ERIE.  And a shout out to our old friend Abejo.

69. Used a pen: INKED.

70. Light brown shade: ECRU.

71. Complete groups: SETS.  Beanie Babies were all the rage 30 years ago.

72. Inventor Nikola: TESLA.  Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 ~ Jan. 7, 1943) was an amazing inventor.  

73. Hoarse voice: RASP.

Down:

1. Grocery store freebies: SAMPLES.  Since Covid, we don't see these freebies as often.

2. Most wicked: EVILEST.  I am currently reading East of Eden, by John Steinbeck.  One of the characters, Cathy Ames, is the most wicket character in the novel.  She has no conscience and enjoys creating the destruction of those around her.

3. Feminine: WOMANLY.

4. Attempt to hit a baseball: SWING.

5. Punk subgenre: EMO.  A crossword staple.

6. Very long story: SAGA.

7. Tire pattern: TREAD.

8. Apple gadget in an ear: AIRPOD.

9. Live (in): RESIDE.

10. Words on flash cards, for short: VOCAB.

11. Tax crime: EVASION.  Tax evasion was the crime that tripped up Al Capone (Jan. 17, 1899 ~ Jan. 25, 1947).

12. Changes back (to): REVERTS.

13. Rye and sourdough: BREADS.

18. Decomposes: ROTS.

24. Base after third base: HOME.

26. Merrie __ England: OLDE.

29. Victory: WIN.

33. Long time: EON.

35. Genetic letters: DNA.

37. Mind reader's gift: ESP.

39. Medication form: PILL.

40. Choose (to): OPT.

41. Blue-green shade: TEAL.

42. Use a ruler: MEASURE.

43. Prohibited: ILLICIT.

46. Song that begins "My country, 'tis of thee": AMERICA.

47. Short-term offerings from an auto shop: LOANERS.

48. Make a mess of: SCREW UP.

49. Grassy forest clearings: GLADES.

51. Fails big-time: EATS IT.

52. Tied in a best-of-three series: ONE-ONE.  The double fits with today's theme, but it fails because it is not a musical note.

54. Go in headfirst: DIVE.

57. Buys into a poker game: ANTES.

58. Classroom array: DESKS.

60. "Not a chance!": NEVER.

63. Christmas: NOEL.  This is a December clue.

67. Vitamin fig.: RDA.  As in Recommended Daily Allowance.

That's all for this Tuesday.

חתולה