Friday, Jan 16th, 2026 ~ Alex Rohrer

 MANOR, CHATEAU, PALACE, [ CASTLE ]*

Gilette Castle, right here in my home state of Connecticut

This was a great crossword puzzle theme - a clever use of ordinal numbers and homonyms ( I also found the term "polysemy" - bank & run, e.g. ), words that sound and spell the same, but have two totally different definitions.  My research into constructor Alex Rohrer led me to some other pages of crosswords ( click the green "read" button ) but I cannot be sure who "they" are - if they be man or woman  - and I am not going to assume, as I made that 'foe pah' last year with "Dana" Edwards - sorry, man.  Anyway, this was Friday-level difficulty in a standard grid, no circles, just twelve 3LWs, but a tad too many names & abbrs ( at least in the clues; I'm looking at you 58D. ).  The themers;

17. [Math], science, gym, English: FIRST CLASS - the [ brackets ] are a hint as to the "position" required to finish the fill; here, "math" is the opening, or first, instance of four school "classes" listed - not the combination of the two words being 'posh section of an airplane'.  The "M" is capitalized just because it's the opening letter of the clue - which threw me at first.

30. Allegory, [fable], anecdote, parable: SECOND STORY - the word in brackets is now found in the 'second' place, one of four synonyms for "story" - not the 'level of a house'

46. Walkout, slowdown, [picketing], sit-in: THIRD STRIKE - the third word, in brackets, is a synonym for strike, in the 'union' sense, not the "yer out~!" of baseball, or say, convictions; ya know what they call manners in prison~?  Con etiquette, get it~?

62. Safari lodge, island property, destination spa, [all-inclusive beach hotel]: LAST RESORT - finally, we have four examples, or definitions, of places, as opposed to the ultimate act of extreme decisiveness, like nulcear war

* FOURTH ESTATE - known collectively as 'the press' - I did not know about the first three estates

Let's keep this theme going~!

sodium, carbon, lead, tin, [ iron ] - Fifth Element

Great movie, 1997 - about "love", not atomic structures on the periodic chart

But

Wait

There's

More

ACROSS:

1. Lemon piece: WEDGE - I do the Downs first, had SOAR at 1D., so I filled in SLICE;  Bzzzt~!

6. Shoe with a "Sport Mode": CROC - don't own, don't care

'dad mode', 'marriage material', uh, OK, kinda funny

10. Sunscreen ingredient: ZINC - I had - IN -, thought TINT at first 😜

14. Far from familiar: ALIEN - I knew this was the answer, but my NW corner was a jumbled mess

15. Off-white hue: ECRU - Ah. The Monday dupe.  On Tuesday.

16. "Pick me!": "OH, OH~!"

19. Simplicity: EASE

20. Start of a long drive, perhaps: TEE SHOT - the "H" my last letter to fill, highlighted red in the grid below; I was trying to parse this as TEES OFF, which the crossings denied

21. Available sans Rx: OTC - Over-The-Counter, Frawnche "without" prescription, but only avec argent

23. Craps cube: DIE

24. Journalist Katie: COURIC - name #1, knew this one

26. Formal expulsion: OUSTER

28. Well-suited: APT

32. Tasks: CHORES

34. Doja Cat's signature song: SAY SO - not my thing, but I listened and liked it - has a 70's disco vibe, and the video does, too; * warning *- the rap in the middle contains foul language, of course - name(ish)

35. Zipped, or ripped: TORE

36. "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" airer: Mtv - the channel ran its last actual music video in 2025, sorta

37. Kardashian matriarch: KRIS - name #2, no clue, tried "I-ris"

41. Sailor Moon headpiece: TIARA - Anime / Manga; it's her weapon - name(ish)

44. Benoit Blanc, e.g.: SLEUTH - name(ish)- more here; I have the DVD, haven't watched it yet . . . 

50. Pigpen: STY

51. Tried to improve one's score on, perhaps: RETOOK - think 'test'

52. Rat: SNITCH - I had PARIAH, as the "H" was in place

54. "__ longa, vita brevis": ARS - this helped me get a foothold in the SW; thanks to four years of Latin in high school~!

55. Cat seat: LAP - Here's my buddy from LI, now living in CT as well, at home New Year's Day

Matt "The Hat" and cat

57. Some bagels: SESAMES - I like mine Everything Egg - which a friend suggested were the bagels that got dropped on the floor in the kitchen . . . 

60. Masjid prayer leader: IMAM

64. "Bob's Burgers" girl: TINA - Watched the show for a while; I like Louise more - name #3

65. Redhead of classic TV: OPIE - I had LUCY, of course, but how can you tell hair color in Black & White~?  Name #4

66. Features of some lobbies: ATRIA - I would fly into Singapore just to see this one

More here

67. "Quit it!": "STOP~!"

68. Rain delay sight: TARP - a C.C. baseball clue - what, two months to Spring Training~?

69. Small: TEENY

DOWN:

1. Travel by air: WAFT - Dah~! Not SOAR; think of aromas

2. Lebanese fashion designer Saab: ELIE - Friday-cluing for name #5 - not the usual culprit, Mr. Weisel

3. Chloé Zhao, for one: DIRECTOR - name #6 - her IMDb, as I do not know any of her movies

4. Bas-relief medium: GESSO - Argh~!  My first thought, hesitated; learned about gesso from Bob Ross

I love Bob - I bought his paints and did this

5. Gush: ENTHUSE - Ah; think emotionally

6. Boston player: CELTIC - All I could think of were Red Sox and Bruins - I am no basketball fan

7. TV producer: RCA - a company that produced the actual appliances; who else remembers the TV repair guy using a mirror to see the screen while he adjusted the settings~?

I do remember the hardboard back panel with the holes in it, too~!

8. Ish: OR SO

9. Guardianship: CUSTODY - I was on the wavelength with "parentage"

10. Elmo's orange friend: ZOE - name #7 - Never heard of her

11. "Couldn't resist!": "I HAD TO." - due to inflation and the rising cost of crossword fill, there will be an upcharge for "Thwurds"; we also have  - 43D. Have high expectations: ASK A LOT - AND - 48D. "I'll have to pass": "IT'S A NO."

12. More likely to pry: NOSIER

13. Chipper: CHEERY - alliteration

18. Targets of some workouts: CORES - my "core" has gone south on me; I slacked off during the holidays.  But I did some fasting, and gotta get to trying those new dishes~!

22. Swear: CUSS - Ah.  CURSE didn't fit, but I was "correct"

25. People who get half the credit: CO-STARS

27. Stir up: STOKE

28. Do one's part: ACT

29. Soup with rice noodles: PHO - I pondered NAM, like we had last Friday

31. Pt. of USNA: NAV - meh.  U. S. Naval Academy

33. In vogue again: RETRO - I'm "retro" simply because I'm old, and never changed . . . 

36. B.A. Baracus player: Mr. T - from "The A-Team", 80s TV; name #8

38. Mount with southeast-facing faces: RUSHMORE - name(ish), but a gimme

What's the price of admission to this park, CandianEh!~?

39. Addams cousin: ITT - name #9

40. Reserved: SHY

42. Object of admiration: IDOL

44. One with two poles: SKIER - and here I thought I was clever filling in "EARTH"

45. Cry of hunger?: "LET'S EAT~!"

46. Qualities: TRAITS

47. __ crab: HERMIT

49. Foot part: INSTEP

Foot parts ON steps

53. Isabel Wilkerson's "__: The Origins of Our Discontents": CASTE - more here, name(ish) 

56. Dada: PAPA - a bit meh for Friday, IMHO

58. Former "DWTS" co-host Andrews: ERIN - I had no idea what DWTS is - Dancing With The Stars.  She & partner came in third, then she was one of the 25D. until 2020; name #10

59. Hotel visit: STAY

61. World view?: MAP

63. "Aaron Burr, __": "Hamilton" song: SIR - name(ish), and not needed for this 3LW

Splynter

Grid Flow 32.2

Thursday January 15, 2026 Michael Hobin

Let's catch some Zs! 

Michael Hobin''s third LAT crossword uses an oversized 16x15 grid to accommodate four long themers plus a reveal.

39. "We're dressed the same!," or a phonetic feature of 18-, 25-, 51-, and 62-Across: TWINSIES. The homophone of the revealer is TWIN Zs, as in a pair of Zs, which all the themers have in common. Here's a pair of TWINSIES who also happen to be identical "cuzzins!"

18. Humvee or motor home, typically: GAS GUZZLER. Vehicles that get few miles-per-gallon, or even gallons-per-mile like this M1 Abrams tank driving through a neighborhood on its way to a gas station.

25. Cookies-and-cream Dairy Queen treats: OREO BLIZZARDS. Different sort of way to sneak our old fav OREO in to the puzzle, but I'll bet it tastes good!

51. Exciting points in time?: BUZZER BEATERS. These are successful last-second shots, usually in basketball, where the ball leaves the player's hands and time expires while it's traveling in the air.

62. Pi Day celebration, perhaps: PIZZA PARTY. Pi Day is March 14th, sometimes written 3.14, which happen to be the first three digits of the irrational number π. So, I guess PIZZA pies are in order (or on order!).

Pretty straightforward puzzle and all those Zs made for some interesting crosses without making me sleepy! Huzzah!

Across:

1. Pitiful cry: MEWL.

5. Treaty: PACT.

9. "__ the bag!": IT'S IN. Sometimes, these are "famous last words."

14. Many an April baby: ARIES. I'm an ARIES from late April in the cusp of Taurus, known as the Cusp of Power. I am all powerful! RightBrain says, "Great. Can you also unclog the sink?"

16. Dubliner's home: EIRE. EIRE is the Irish Gaelic name for Ireland.

17. Awaken: ROUSE. 

18. [theme]

20. Fruit in a fritter: APPLE. A fritter is a portion of meat, fruit or vegetables that have been battered and deep-fried. 

21. Caterer's heat source: STERNO.

22. Ace stat: ERA. An ace baseball pitcher has an Earned Run Average under 3.0. The league average is 4.50 based on the number of runs allowed during 9 innings, so the lower the better.

24. Listen to: HEED.

25. [theme]

29. Ski lodge drink: COCOA. Perfect for warming up après-ski.

32. Believes (in): HAS FAITH.

33. Golfer Jon who won the 2023 Masters Tournament: RAHM. Jon RAHM Rodríguez is a Spanish professional golfer who plays on the LIV Golf League. He also won the 2021 U.S. Open.

34. [Finger over lips]: SHH. 🤫

35. Capt. Kirk crewmate: LT. SULU. Captain is abbreviated, therefore Lieutenant is too. I just saw George Takei on the Star Trek float in the Rose Bowl Parade celebrating 60 years since the first voyage of the Starship Enterprise. It drizzled in Pasadena, so he deployed an old-fashioned force field to stay dry.

38. Sashimi choice: AHI. AHI tuna.

39. [theme]

42. Smith and Jones sci-fi film: MIB. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones play the main characters in the science fiction film Men In Black, Agent J and Agent K, respectively. They could've used the common aliases Smith and Jones instead. 

43. Ball State University city: MUNCIE.

45. NBC founder: RCA. The National Broadcasting Company established the Radio Corporation of America as a subsidiary in 1926.

46. Willing: GAME.

47. Huge storage unit: TERABYTE. I wonder how many TERABYTEs this huge storage unit could hold?

50. Patron: DONOR.

51. [theme]

54. Home to billions: ASIA. But New York City is home to the most billionaires.

55. Four-sided figs.: SQS. Squares are four sided figures.

56. Obviously a fan of needlework?: TATTED. Great misdirect meaning tattooed, playing on the use of needles in tatting, which is making lace.

60. Many new drivers: TEENS. Like 28D: Jeremy in ZITS.

62. [theme]

65. Egypt's Mubarak: HOSNI. HOSNI Mubarak was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st prime minister from 1981 to 1982. 

66. Meeting proposal: IDEA.

67. Nobility: ELITE.

68. Execution key: ENTER. 

69. Half a salad grabber: TONG. I initially wanted a fork or spoon.

70. Oath of old: EGAD.

Down:

1. Periodicals, briefly: MAGS. Remember when all magazines were printed?

2. The "E" of QED: ERAT. From the Latin phrase Quod ERAT Demonstrandum meaning "that which was to be demonstrated" or proven.

3. Learned: WISE.

4. First-class feature: LEGROOM. I enjoy extra LEGROOM on planes, but seatbacks that reline into "my" space are a buzzkill.

5. Treat from a dispenser: PEZ. It is estimated that over 1500 unique designs were made. Collect them all! 

6. Feel unwell: AIL.

7. Angler baskets: CREELS. Wicker baskets for carrying fish.

8. "Totes fab!": TERRIF. One bad slang leads to another...

9. Tax efficient fund, for short: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

10. Headgear for Jiminy Cricket and Scrooge McDuck: TOP HATS. Jiminy Cricket and Scrooge McDuck famously interact in Disney's Mickey's Christmas Carol, where Jiminy plays the Ghost of Christmas Past.

11. All-powerful: SUPERHUMAN. Me, as a result of being born during the Cusp of Power! Muahaha!!

12. Marooned, perhaps: ISLED. I never used this as a verb, and neither did Gilligan.

13. "Who __ them?": NEEDS. I do!

15. The Arkestra jazz band leader: SUN RA. SUN RA was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy and prolific output.

19. "Lioness" actress Saldaña: ZOE. The constructor needed someone with pizazz.

23. "Fancy" artist Iggy: AZALEA. And someone with frizzy hair.

26. Surprised greeting: OH HI.

27. German route: BAHN. Their AutoBAHN is equivalent to our interstate system, except some sections have no speed limit.

28. Comic strip about a high schooler: ZITS. ZITS centers on teenager Jeremy Duncan as he endures the insecurities, hormones and hilarity of adolescence.

29. Study feverishly: CRAM.

30. Honolulu locale: OAHU.

31. Most tacky and cheap: CHINTZIEST. It's definitely not snazzy!

34. Takes an oath: SWEARS.

36. Prom rental: LIMO. Prom is short for promenade while limousine is long for LIMO.

37. Company that succeeds by driving its customers away: UBER. Good one!

39. Hankook product: TIRE. Hankook is a major South Korean TIRE manufacturer.

40. Sp. miss: SRTA. A senorita is a Spanish miss.

41. "The Coldest Rap" rapper: ICE T.

44. "The Card Players" painter: CEZANNE. "The Card Players" is a series of five oil paintings by the French artist, one of which sold in 2011 for $250 million. Got any 5s?

46. Age badly, in a way: GO STALE.

48. Grill master's spot: BBQ PIT. A place to sizzle!

49. "That's true about me": YES I DO. I wanted YES IT IS.

50. Hang over: DRAPE.

51. Get into hot water: BATHE. Fun clue.

52. Apply to: USE ON.

53. GPS calculation: ETA. The Global Positioning System can provide an Estimated Time of Arrival.

57. Subj. where teachers go off on tangents?: TRIG. In the subject of TRIGonometry, the tangent function relates the angles and sides of a right-triangle, as seen in this simple diagram:

58. Blues Hall of Famer James: ETTA. 

59. Like the Chicago River on March 17: DYED. That's St. Patty's Day so I wanted "green," but it didn't fit. 

61. Round Table title: SIR.

63. __ garden: ZEN. A little Z word.

64. Take a turn?: ZAG. And a final Z.

The quizzing has ended. Were you dazzled, or did this fizzle? 

Be good. RB 

Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Jeff Stillman

 Films on the right...

 I wouldn't be CrossEyedDave if I didn't offer you my interpretation of the theme:

Nah, just kidding...

This pleasant 15x15 by Veteran Constructor Jeff Stillman has film titles on the right side of the starred clues as follows:

17. Across *Part of the bus that makes the wheels go round and round, round and round: DRIVESHAFT

You have all seen this thingie under a truck.

But have you seen this film?

(The first of five...)

26. Across *Part of the Blessed Trinity: HOLY GHOST

Image subject to interpretation.

Film also subject to interpretation.

36. Across *Folded flyer: PAPER AIRPLANE.

I flew the above style for several miles by throwing off the Eiffel Tower.

(Hmm, i guess i have also littered in France...)

This film has enjoyably littered movie screens across the world...

49. Across *Command aboard the USS Enterprise: WARP SPEED.

Faster then light travel

Faster than a bomb travel...

And the Reveal:

59. Across, Permission to adapt a novel, say, or what the answers to the starred clues all have: FILM RIGHTS.

14 three letter words (4 of which were names...) I also counted 14 names, but there are more depending on your interpretation.

Across:

1. In the thick of: AMID.

Not A-mud...

5. School attendee: PUPIL. (Are they called this because you have to keep your eye on them?)

10. Muscles above abs: PECS. Pectoral muscles.

14. Junction point: NODE.

One interpretation.

15. Father of Kartikeya and Ganesha, in Hindu traditions: SHIVA.

16. Feedback for a prof: EVAL. Short for evaluation.

17. [theme]

19. Frost: RIME. AI Overview

Rime ice forms from freezing fog (liquid droplets freezing on contact), creating dense, feathery, wind-swept ice, while hoar frost forms on clear, calm nights from water vapor directly turning to ice crystals (sublimation), resulting in delicate, needle-like, easily dislodged formations. The key difference is the moisture source: liquid fog droplets for rime versus invisible water vapor for hoar frost, and wind conditions: rime needs wind/fog, hoar needs calm, clear air

20. "Groovy!": RAD. 

• adjective. very good. synonyms: bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, great, keen, neat, nifty, not bad, peachy, slap-up, smashing, swell. good. having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified.

21. Leave slack-jawed: STUN.

22. Extend beyond: OUTLIE. (Or possibly out of bounds in Golf...)

24. Mass-mailing tool: ELIST. I presume this to be one word, like Email.

26. [theme]

28. Barbecue wipe: WET-NAP. The official copyrighted name has a dash, so it is not one word. This clue gave me pause, because I would have clued it "Lobster wipe." But i am not opposed to surf and turf.

30. Punster: WAG.

31. One of the Three Stooges: MOE. (There is only one Chairman Moe...)

32. At the original rate, in sheet music: A TEMPO. I was surprised to discover that this is two words.

35. Canasta combination: MELD.

Sets of 3 or more cards of the same rank.

(Learning moment)

36. [theme]

40. Ordinances: LAWS. The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread," was said by French writer Anatole France (1844-1924)      Also, 

The sentiment that 

"the more laws the more criminals" is commonly attributed to the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi (Lao Tzu). 

41. Kolkata resident: INDIAN. I would post a map, but India is a big place, and you would still get lost...

42. Simile center: AS A. 

"Simile center" most often refers to 

an educational activity or station for teaching similes(comparisons using "like" or "as") in literacy, but it can also be a crossword puzzle clue, where the answer is often ASA, meaning "as". In education, it's a classroom setup with tasks like matching similes to their meanings or writing original ones, while the crossword answer highlights the key word in the comparison, as noted by sources like WordTips and USA Today. 

43. Long stretch: EON.

45. Lawn care task: EDGING. And seeding, and mowing, and thatching, and...

49. [theme]

53. Sing in a high range?: YODEL. (Very cute, I just groked this reading it now...)

54. Most peculiar: ODDEST. (Because i am the 53A comment)

55. Glorify: LAUD. (I am The Oddest!)

57. Farm-to-table program, briefly: CSA. (Community Supported Agriculture) is a farm-to-table model where consumers buy shares of a farm's harvest upfront, then receive weekly boxes of fresh, local produce throughout the season, directly supporting local farmers, reducing food miles, and getting peak-season food with fewer middlemen.

58. Golda of Israel: MEIR.

59. [Theme Reveal]

62. Novelist Tyler: ANNE.

63. Rubber-stamping: OKING. (Does it take a King to OK the dang thing?) Interesting that Google prefers Okaying, and thinks OKing is a popular South Korean YouTuber and Streamer...) 

64. Gets even with: TIES. (Ya cant get even with em unless ya beat em!)

65. Badgers: NAGS. (Like 64A vexes me...)

66. Witherspoon of "The Morning Show": REESE.

67. Agile: SPRY.

Down:

1. "Christina's World" painter Wyeth: ANDREW.

See Wiki for complete info

2. Booster target, perhaps: MORALE.

3. Victorious cry: I DID IT.

4. Actor Patel: DEV. (This clue/answer seems devious to me, thank goodness for perps.)

5. Sibilant summons: PSST.

6. Slangy affirmative: UH HUH.

7. Grand instrument: PIANO. (There is also a Baby Grand if space doesn't permit.)

8. Assisted reproductive option: Abbr.: IVF. In Vitro Fertilazation

9. Singer Jackson: LATOYA.

10. Capital of Western Australia: PERTH.

11. Really bad sign: EVIL OMEN.

12. Top with spaghetti straps: CAMISOLE.

Makes for an interesting outfit.

(Oh, straps, not scraps.)

13. Came down hard?: SLEETED. 

Strange name for a bird...

18. Grand property: ESTATE. Tried Manor first, wasn't grand enough...

23. Brand of fleecy slippers: UGG. Overgrown Fuzzy Slippers

25. Onesie closers: SNAPS.

27. Euphemistic expression of affection: L WORD. I just assumed this had something to do with "Love." However Google is less than romantic, and shows it by saying this is a TV show...

29. Each: PER.

33. Quebec neighbor: MAINE. I could say volumes about this clue/answer, but in our current political climate, it would get too political...

34. Brooch: PIN.

35. National fruit of the Philippines: MANGO.

36. Caltech locale: PASADENA. You would known this if you watched The Big Bang Theory.

37. Handing an Emmy to, e.g.: AWARDING.

38. __ chart: PIE.

39. Royal bride of 1981: LADY DI.

40. Doors album whose last track is "Riders on the Storm": L.A. WOMAN.

43. Pothook shape: ESS.

44. Select: OPT FOR.

46. Pet-locating device: ID CHIP.

47. Mama bird, for one: NESTER.

48. Like some stares: GLASSY.

50. French fathers: PERES. 

51. "Love Me Like You Do" singer Goulding: ELLIE.

52. Sends to eternal punishment: DAMNS.

56. Craving: URGE.

60. Actor Barinholtz: IKE.

61. Classic sports cars: GTS. I wanted MGs.

And here's the grid:

Jeff Stillman, name sounded familiar. So i Googled him and only found his NewYork Times puzzles, which led me to This Site which had an interesting compilation of his first time used words in NYT. Click on "Naples Florida" to see how easy you got off with this Wednesday puzzle. Scroll to the bottom for the matching Clue offered. Even more embarrassing than thinking this might be a LAT debut, was that not only was his LAT debut in 2014, I had actually used his LA Times puzzles from November to practice writing this Blog...

Well, before i forget, 

CE:D out...