Thursday May 7, 2026 Zachary David Levy

Zachary David Levy is a man with a plan. We last saw him here a few months ago in January with "Speak Up," another synonym theme where words spelled upwards on the grid.

The master plan becomes clear with the revealer:

37. "Let's do this thing!," or what can be said about each set of circles in this puzzle: SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN. The circled letters create made-up sound-alikes for words that mean PLAN. They all can fill in the blank, "What is your ____?" 

17. Some tissue in the central nervous system: GRAY MATTER. AYM sounds like AIM.

23. Quantum mechanics phenomenon: SUPER POSITION. PERPOS sounds like PURPOSE. For those of you that aren't physicists, a SUPER POSITION is the principle that physical systems can exist in multiple states, locations, or configurations simultaneously. Got it?

47. Sweet and tart fruit drink: MANGO LEMONADE. GOL sounds like GOAL.

58. Therapeutic canopy for some respiratory ailments: OXYGEN TENT. ENTENT sounds like INTENT.

I don't mind circles, but I'm bad at anagrams. However, the first one was easy, only three letters - either MAY or YAM. Now I'm looking for months or tubers. When I couldn't unscramble PERPOS, I figured it must be some foreign name I'd never heard of. Fortunately, the revealer came up in the middle and saved me from tearing my hair out on the rest of them. No anagrams, just imaginary homophones for synonyms of "PLAN". And you have to use your imagination to see beyond their spelling to hopefully pronounce them correctly. So, this puzzle was OKAY, although like last Thursday, it seems a bit easy for this late in the week.

Let's see how his strategy plays out:

Across:

1. Hajj destination: MECCA.

6. Foxtrot follower: GOLF. Actually, after the Foxtrot came the Charleston. But in this case, the letters "F" and "G" are from the NATO alphabet. 

10. Took off: LEFT.

14. Brilliance: ECLAT. ÉCLAT (pronounced "ay-KLAH") is a French term meaning doing something with great style.

15. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA. I liked ANYA in The Queens' Gambit, then was disappointed in The Gorge. She and a single Russian counterpart are tasked with protecting all of mankind from unknown evils that reside in a gorge. With humanity at stake, wouldn't you assign more than two people to do this?

16. Land division: ACRE. Land division: GORGE. 

17. [theme]

19. Brit's trunk: BOOT. Britt's trunk: BOOTY.

Brittany Spears

20. Not to be trusted, in slang: SUS. I SUSpect this sounds SUSpicious.

21. Condo gp.: HOA. HomeOwners Association.

22. Elusive picture book character: WALDO. Hiding in plain sight was a skill he learned as a child when there were chores to do.

Waldo, please take out the trash. Waldo? Waldo!

23. [theme]

28. Frozen gutter problem: ICE DAM. Not a problem in Florida.

30. "Saturday Night Live" unit: SKIT. "Saturday Night Live" is abbreviated SNL. Oh wait, it's usually the other way around.

31. "Ditto": SO DO I.

32. Not great, say: OKAY.

34. Sanskrit title of respect: SRI.

37. [theme]

41. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP. Mont Blanc, e.g.: PEN.

42. Mystery writer Buchanan: EDNA. In addition to crime novelist, EDNA is a journalist who won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for General News Reporting "for her versatile and consistently excellent police beat reporting."

43. Lego unit: BRICK.

44. Yogurt bowl berry: ACAI.

46. Homes: ABODES.

47. [theme]

52. Not of this world: ALIEN.

53. Messy class, often: ART. I've noticed that many artistic people seem to thrive in organized mess.

54. Uno y uno: DOS. 1+1=2 lección de matemáticas (math lesson in Spanish). 

57. __ diagram: VENN.

58. [theme]

62. Board VIP: EXEC. An EXECutive is a Very Important Person, or so they think.

63. McEntire of country: REBA. REBA, also known as "The Queen of Country," has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. She's had over 100 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with 25 reaching number one. In spite of all that, she seems very down-to-earth.

She's a real VIP.

64. Italian bowling game: BOCCE. It's like curling without the ice!

65. __ a soul: NARY.

66. Tree of Knowledge location: EDEN.

67. A bit off: ASKEW. Just look up "RustyBrain" in the dictionary.

Down:

1. Gig segments: MEGS. My first thought was SETS, as in a band playing music for the evening. But this is a computer reference to Gigabytes which are made up of 1000 Megabytes.

2. Earth tone: ECRU.

3. Brought elegance to: CLASSED UP. It's what happens when I walk into any joint. So I'm told.

4. Sandy island: CAY. Same as a key. 

5. Outer bank?: ATM. Nice clue. Automated Teller Machine.

6. "Later, __!": GATOR. In a while, crocodile!

7. Ready to go: ON TAP.

8. NaOH, more familiarly: LYE. RightBrain took a break from perfecting sourdough breads and decided to try her hand at Bavarian pretzels. The recipe called for soaking them in LYE (sodium hydroxide), just like bagels. It's highly caustic so she made a baking soda bath instead, but if used, the LYE will break down in the oven. 

The knots were hard to do...but they tasted great!

9. Not walkable, say: FAR.

10. Canadian brewery: LABATT. LABATT is now part of the Anheuser-Busch InBev family.

11. Cause of some food poisoning: E. COLI.

12. Baggins of the Shire: FRODO. This also could have been Bilbo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings. Frodo is Bilbo's second cousin, once removed, but Bilbo affectionately considers him a nephew.

13. "Grand" peak visible from eastern Idaho: TETON.

18. "Standing right here!": AHEM. "You know I can hear you, right?"

22. Mario Kart platform: WII. WII was a popular Nintendo gaming console discontinued in 2013. It lives on here because it has two "I"s. Like most of us.

24. Soba alternative: UDON. UDON and soba are staple Japanese noodles with distinct differences: Udon is thick, chewy, and white (wheat-based), while soba is thin, earthy, and brownish (buckwheat-based).

25. No longer in arrears: PAID.

26. Port city east of Kobe: OSAKA.

27. __ terrier: SKYE. SKYE Terriers were originally bred in the 1600s on Scotland's Isle of Skye to protect farms and livestock by hunting and killing predators, such as foxes and badgers. Their low-slung, sturdy bodies,, tough, long double coats, and fierce, intelligent nature allowed them to tackle prey and thrive in harsh, rocky Scottish weather.

28. Actress Rae: ISSA. ISSA Rae is an Emmy-nominated actress, writer, producer, director and entrepreneur. And she has lots of usable letters in her name.

29. Refrigerate: COOL.

32. Tune rarely played on Top 40 radio: OLDIE. Unfortunately, every song I used to listen to on Top 40 radio is now an oldie. I wonder what that says about me?

33. Family: KIN.

34. PowerPoint file, essentially: SLIDE DECK.  I wanted SLIDE SHOW.

35. Zoom: RACE.

36. Signs, as a contract: INKS.

38. Animal that goes with the floe?: SEAL. Winner: Best Clue.

39. "Fernando" band: ABBA. Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden, and 400 million albums later...

ABBA won singing "Waterloo"

40. Egg on: PROD.

44. Ability to shape one's own future: AGENCY.

45. Fleece: CON.

46. Poker stake: ANTE.

47. Whiz: MAVEN.

48. Wrestler Bliss known as "Five Feet of Fury": ALEXA. What made her furious was her Amazon Echo that answered every time someone called her.

49. West Coast NFLer: NINER. The San Franciso 49ers, named after the thousands of prospectors who flocked to Northern California in 1849 during the Gold Rush. "Dwelt a miner, forty-NINER..."

50. "It's always possible": MAYBE.

51. Church fixture: ORGAN. I love the massive sound of a pipe organ in a large church. And if one ever breaks, call 1-800-SPLYNTER.

55. __ in a while: ONCE.

56. Hearty bowlful: STEW.

58. Seam contents: ORE.

59. Crossed (out): XED. "X" is often used as shorthand for "cross," as in xwords.

60. Org. for Jazz quintets?: NBA. The Utah JAZZ from the National Basketball Association. Basketball is played with five players on each side.

61. Talking-__: TOS. And in the "terrible twos," the tots talk back!

Be good. RB

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

Wednesday, Nov 12th, 2025 ~ Zachary David Levy

 "YOUR ARM'S OFF~!"

Including the majestik møøse

This crossword could only appear on a Splynter Wednesday - I am one of those few people who "get" the humor and cleverness of the 1975 ( 50years ~! ) Monty Python & the Holy Grail movie, and have linked its various scenes several times here at the Corner in the past.  For those who do NOT "get it", my apologies for the following "homage" write-up; but for those who do....This was a pleasant puzzle from Zachary, with no circles - though a lot of names - and a standard grid with an even distribution of 3- & 4LWs.  Four themers, two of them 15-letter spanners, and each depicting a "skin surface injury"; 

17. Beach Boys hit that imagines Santa Claus in a hot-rod sleigh: LITTLE SAINT NICK - "Ni~!"

We had them on Monday, too - before my time, not my thing - only 2m15s

24. Extract information online: DATA SCRAPE - more here

38. Like some baked goods: MADE FROM SCRATCH - I make pizza from scratch now, using ground chicken for the crust, mixed with some cauliflower, then add my own healthy-choice toppings, like chicken pepperoni and low-fat mozzarella cheese

52. Notch on an analog watch: MINUTE MARK

James Bond (Daniel Craig ) wears Omega

and the 15-letter spanning reveal:

63. Iconic line from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," or what can be said about the ends of 17-, 24-, 38-, and 52-Across?: "JUST A FLESH WOUND"

The entire Black Knight scene with the iconic line @ 2:08

And Away To Camelot~!

ACROSS:

1. Milestone foods for an infant: SOLIDS

7. Rotten: BAD

"I feel fine~!"

10. Model Delevingne: CARA - We've had this "new" CARA in crosswords before - here's a link to the British model's mansion in LA - name #1

What a set of legs - I'm talking about the ones on the piano. . . maybe the dog's, too
 

14. Commemorative tablet: PLAQUE - found on teeth, and in arteries, too, but not commemorative . . . 

15. __ out a living: EKE - in an anarcho-syndicalist commune - and maybe truth; more here

Bloody peasant~!

16. Prayer ending: AMEN

A møøse once bit my sister

20. Info from covert ops: INTEL - "...and then leap from the rabbit, and taking the Frawnche by surprise"

if we build a large wooden badger . . . 

21. Belly button type: OUTIE - the alternative is an INNIE - like mine - is that TMI~?

22. Lass: GAL - "A Witch~!"

I got better . . . 

23. Some pajama tops: TEES - with fleece bottoms, under an electric blanket - so, so warm & cozy on cold winter nights~!😊

26. New Mexico town north-northeast of Santa Fe: TAOS - geo name #1

28. Meeting, informally: SESH - 21st-century-speak for session

29. Can. neighbor: USA

32. Ballet garb: TUTU

34. On a grand scale: EPIC - It IS the rabbit~!  That's no ordinary rabbit~!

 "I warned you...just a harmless little bunny..."

43. Adapter letters: AC-DC - not the Australian band this time

44. Careless eater: SLOB - AND - a clever crossing with 40D. Drinks carelessly: SLURPS

45. Yes vote: AYE - "...by a two-thirds majority, in the case of more major issues." - Dennis, 37yrs old

46. Wine list heading: REDS - also 'heads' the Cincinnati baseball teams list - fills it, and ends it, too.

50. Exhort: URGE - "I order you to be quiet~!" "Help~! Help~! I'm being repressed~!"

56. Hamlet, for one: DANE - Shakespeare - I toyed with SCOT, but that's Macbeth 

60. "It's __-win situation": "A NO" - "Ni~!" The behind-the-scenes making of the movie

Or 20 weird facts you didn't know - link

61. Image Awards gp.: NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - today is the dealine for submissions for the Awards; more here

62. Jordan's capital: AMMAN - geo name #2

66. Cakesters cookie: OREO - sigh, crossword staple

67. Bracket shape: ELL - I am going to use "L" brackets to secure a set of shelves I am building to my office wall, then trim the top with crown - hopefully, it will be done by the time this publishes - I throw down this gauntlet ( at my own feet ) as a challenge~! - I'll post a pic in the comments - if I succeed

68. Tree-shaping art: BONSAI 

One that looks nice, and not too expensive

69. Breather: REST - my trainer Brett has moved me on to some bigger equipment, and the exercises are getting more difficult.  My weight has not changed, but I dropped another 1% of body fat.  I started at 43%; he wants me down to 18%, and this past Saturday it was 29%, so more than half-way there~!

70. Cryptography org.: NSA - National S--- Agency; if I tell you, "...then. you. shall. die. - Right~!"

71. Most senior: OLDEST

DOWN:

1. Bowler's challenge: SPLIT - Run Away~!

oh, not that kind of split . . .

2. Group of NFL blockers, in brief: O-LINE - the Offensive Line

3. Foamy coffee drink: LATTE

4. Measure of sharpness: IQ TEST - what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow~?

I don't know that - aaaaaaaaah~!

5. Not sharp: DULL - clever clue adjacency

6. Understand: SEE 

7. Real humdinger: BEAUT - he's already got one, you see~?

( I told them we already got one~!)

8. Japanese dogs: AKITAS

9. Richards of "The Bold and the Beautiful": DENISE - name #2

10. Is able to: CAN

11. Latina friend: AMIGA - Espaniol feminine lesson

12. Go over again: RECAP - "Listen, in order to maintain air-speed velocity, a swallow needs to beat its wings forty-three times every second, right~?"

It could grip it by the husk . . . 

13. Joint above a foot: ANKLE

18. In order that: SO AS TO - a bit clunky, but it works

19. Private eyes, in pulp slang: TECS - deTECtives

24. Sullen: DOUR

25. "Cheers" star Perlman: RHEA - name #3

27. DOJ agency: ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms + Explosives, now - "Three sir~!"

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch

29. "Dexter: Resurrection" actress Thurman: UMA - yada yada 3LW Thurman = Ektorp name #4

30. Anatomical pouch: SAC

31. __ fuel to the fire: ADD

33. Hesitant syllables: UMs - could've been ERs, but a good WAG on my part

35. Fundraising org.: PTA

36. Showing no warmth: ICY - I'd rather just . . . sing~!

You're not going into a song while I'm 'ere~!

37. Nickname for Ernesto Guevara: CHE - Name #5

39. Beige hue: ECRU

41. Wine stopper: CORK - so UNcork is the starter~?

42. SCOTUS initials from 1993 to 2020: RBG - The Notorious RBG - SCOTUS = Supreme Court of the US, and one of its members, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, until 2020 - name #6

47. Sicilian volcano: ETNA - Crossword staple, geo name #3

48. Overpower with noise: DEAFEN - how I like my rock concerts

49. Biggie __: 1990s rap moniker: SMALLS - filled via perps, but I remembered him - better known as The Notorious B.I.G., and the inspiration for 42D above - name #7

51. Astronomer Halley with an eponymous comet: EDMOND - If I make it to its next pass through the inner solar system, I will be 90yrs old - name #8

52. Groundbreaking: MAJOR - Spamalot, the Broadway adaptation of MP and the Holy Grail, co-written by Python member Eric Idle, won Best Musical and more in 2005

53. Toughen: INURE

54. Schnozzes: NOSES

55. Amtrak option: ACELA - name(ish)

57. Entertain: AMUSE - "...and there was much rejoicing . . . yay."

"silly English kuh-nig-its"

58. Some maternal babysitters: NANAS

59. Call the whole thing off: END IT - I had ABORT; this is a breakup, not a mission

62. AFB no-show: AWOL - Air Force Base and Absent WithOut Leave

64. Tater __: TOT

65. "Task" network: HBO - Never seen the show, as I don't have Home Box Office streaming - I used to enjoy going to my aunt's duplex in the Bronx on Thanksgiving - they had cable HBO~!

Splynter

And now for something completely different . . . .