Saturday, April 11, 2026, Samuel A. Donaldson & Doug Peterson

Saturday Themeless by Doug Peterson and Samuel A. Donaldson

 

These two veteran constructors provided a lovely solving experience.

Sam Donaldson

Doug Peterson

Across:
1. Orange belts found in some flutes: MIMOSAS - It's fun to break through the clever cluing and get off to a good start. 

8. Occur to: DAWN ON - I was so pleased the the first two long grid-spanning fills below did DAWN ON me quickly

14. Song usually accompanied by pantomime: I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT short and stout..

17. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there": LET'S PLAY IT BY EAR.

18. Holds down the couch: LAZES.

19. Some fans of The Cure: GOTHS - Not familiar with any of their tunes

20. Pi follower: RHO.

21. Part of: IN ON.

22. Country named for Africa's second-highest peak: KENYA - Mt. KENYA is about 200 miles north of Africa's highest peak.

23. One-quarter of UTEP: PASO.

24. Some CGI creatures: ETS.

25. Animated sort: TOON.

26. Step on stage: TOE TAP 😀

28. "Your Friend & Jeweler" company: SHANE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

29. Ones in line: HEIRS 😀

30. Biles with five eponymous gymnastics skills: SIMONE.

32. Constant figure in quantum theory?: PLANCK - This physics guy knows both of these scientists

34. Ties: LACES - None for me any more.

35. "That really grinds my __": GEARS 😀

36. Egg foo young, e.g.: OMELET.

38. Davis canine: ODIE - Garfield's pal and foil

39. Dennings of "WandaVision": KAT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

42. Fling: CAST.

43. Picked one: OPTED.

45. Robe part: SASH.

46. Durham sch.: UNH - A little misdirection as more well-known Duke University is in Durham, N.C.

47. Portions (out): DOLES.

48. Folk legend Griffith: NANCI - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  This folk music lover is not familiar with her work

49. Yellowstone's less predictable attraction: STEAMBOAT GEYSER.

52. Black aces and black eights: THE DEAD MAN'S HAND - The poker hand that is said to be what Wild Bill Hickock was holding when Jack McCall shot him in Deadwood, S.D. in 1876.

53. Locking horns: AT ODDS - A common state in D.C.

54. Plucky Renaissance faire performers?: LUTISTS.

Down:

1. "Doctor Who" actress Gibson: MILLIE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

2. Rephrasing words: I MEANT.

3. Seder servings: MATZOS.

4. Elizabeth of "WandaVision": OLSEN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Another cast member of a show I was not aware of

5. Nurses: SIPS.

6. City with more than 70 sts. named Peachtree: ATL -  These variations include Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Battle Avenue, and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, among others, causing significant navigation challenges for visitors and locals alike in ATLANTA

7. Initial phase: STAGE ONE - The fuel in STAGE ONE of the Apollo Moon Rockets got the astronauts about 40 miles above Earth.

8. Temple dedicatee, often: DEITY.

9. To boot: AT THAT - "The meal wasn't very good and was pretty expensive AT THAT"

10. Fly catchers: WEBS 😀

11. Silly response to "Is that your horse?": NAY. 😀

12. Like many Bolshoi performances: OPERATIC - Bolshoi is Russian for big or grand.

13. Seafaring retreat for couples?: NOAH'S ARK 😀 - Two by two...

15. "Poker Face" star Natasha: LYONNE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

16. Scouting units: TROOPS.

22. Zen paradox: KOAN - KOH ahn. A paradoxical anecdote or riddle, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment. You're welcome.

23. Ends used for shaping: PEENS.

25. The ones over there: THOSE.

27. Midway alternative: O'HARE.

28. Extract metal using heat: SMELT.

30. "Sex and the City" role: SAMANTHA - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The lady in red

31. Arctic mass: ICE SHEET.

32. Setting for worship?: PEDESTAL - Works in our house even though this is not our Lily in the picture! 😊

33. Like bricks and eggs: LAID 😀 - I've done the first and have collected the latter

34. Plague pest: LOCUST.

35. Cry from the stands: GO TEAM.

37. "Well, boo-hoo!": TOO BAD.

39. "Dust in the Wind" band: KANSAS - A song that where I might tell others in the car, "Please quiet down, I love his song!"

40. Uphill climb: ASCENT - 62% of deaths on Everest occur on the ASCENT and 38% on the descent. 

41. Helping for the hungry: THIRDS - Hey, if it's for tater tots...

44. Moves with effort: PLODS.

45. Wave, maybe: SAY HI.

47. Contacted on the 'gram: D-MED - Some FaceBook posts might ask to be D-MED (Direct MessagED) to discuss more privately. 

48. Location of a small kite: NEST.

50. Fuss of Shakespearean proportions?: ADO.

51. Shaggy grazer: GNU.

 

Friday, Apr 10th, 2026 ~ Lynn Lempel

  WRACK of LAMB

Ovine humor #1 - and a "rack" recipe 

Today makes three solid Friday frolics in a row - Lynn Lempel ( see below ), a seasoned constructor who started making crosswords in the 1970s, now has a total of 104 puzzles published, the EGOT of one for each day, and a whopping 74 of those grids on Monday alone - typically the hardest ones to make, as the clues & answers need to be uncomplicated early in the week.  Today we have the added, silent "W" to "R" words that completely change the definition of said words & phrases.  A very clever, tight group of in-language phrases, and none of the tripe I do not care for in crosswords - nary a Twurd to be found.  A standard 15 x 15 grid, no circles, a few more names than I would like, but most of them not so obscure, a 3LW count just two higher than the number of 5-letter words - and three ovine references.  The four, all 11-letter themers;

17. Get-together before the holidays?: WRAP SESSION - Rap session

Goes well with 56 Across

30. Bicycles and airplanes?: WRIGHT STUFF - ( The ) Right Stuff, a movie - I had another play on the word/name 'Wright' in this crossword 

45. Broken-down washing machine?: DEAD WRINGER - A washer's "rinse" cycle spins up to a speed high enough to "wring" out one's clothes.  Dead Ringer - two meanings; the truth one, and the false(th) one - and a movie ( pluralized ) as well

61. "Good job on that coup you pulled off"?: WELL WRESTED - Well-rested, a slight outlier with the hyphen

But Wait, Thewre's Mowre~!

ACROSS:

1. Homes in the sticks?: NESTS - Har-har~!  I reached out to sumdaze for an Eagle update; her words -

"As it turns out, the two chicks just hatched this [last] weekend so these are very exciting times on the nest! The parents are Shadow & Jackie. The two chick will not get names until they're much bigger."

6. Fabric for a fez: FELT - Alliteration

10. World Series org.: MLB - Major League Baseball - we're officially into the 2026 season

13. Puff piece?: ÈCLAIR

Nom-nom, yum-yum, win-win~!

15. Boba option: ALOE - filled via perps; #18 on the chart - see 44D. below

16. Wearable souvenir: TEE - T-shirt, like from a concert, and not "LEI" - TEE comes in at #43

19. By way of: VIA

20. Big band member?: TUBA - I think the "?" could have been left out on a Friday

21. Puss in Boots, for one: CAT - I am not having much success with finding a Schnauzer rescue, so now I am considering getting me a kitty-cat - I like the idea of a cat, and I have field mice that get into the basement on occasion ( though not this winter, and it was a cold winter ), but I need to "claw-proof" some things, and then I am going down to the shelter.

22. Like the members of BTS: KOREAN - These kids 

24. Turn: SOUR - think milk, or relationships . . .

26. Gives a hoot: CARES - Our constructor is old school, like me

Woodsy says, "Give a hoot, don't pollute"

27. __-Man: PAC

34. "Killers of the Flower Moon" people: OSAGE - I do the Downs first, so I was 60% filled VIA perps

36. One who might make a ewe turn?: RAM - Sheep humor #2

37. Like avocados: OVAL

38. Peru's "City of Kings": LIMA - geo name #1

39. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE - name(ish); my tractor is a Massey Ferguson, and I got a flat last year - need to address this problem soon

41. Irk: RILE

42. Genesis plot: EDEN - a garden plot of dirt, that is . . .

43. Before, in verse: ERE - #4 on the list

44. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE

49. Distress signal: SOS - #223

50. Word in some English place-names: SHIRE - The shire reeve came to be pronounced "sheriff"

No dagnubbit, the sheriff is a - . . .

51. College World Series org.: NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Assoc. - the Wiki

53. Hummus ingredient: TAHINI - I wanted CHICK PEA to fit, but I had two extra "beans"

55. Tower of note: AAA - Tow - er, like Flow-er = 'river'; the author got me this time - Triple A being this organization since 1902 - I did not know it was THAT old . . . 

56. Ductwork sealer: TAPE - actually, it's the one thing Duct Tape is not good for - foil tape is better

60. __ Bravo: RIO - geo name #2, and slides into the top 100 at #99

64. Blow it: ERR - just misses the Top Ten at #12

65. Some long-term investments, briefly: IRAs - #27 in the singular

66. Considered: DEEMED

67. Hook's partner: EYE - in the plural, it's #439

68. Fish sought by Marlin and Dory: NEMO - name #3

69. Like voices after a loud concert: RASPY

DOWN:

1. Terrarium critter: NEWT - "I got better . . ."

2. Beige shade: ECRU

3. Chunk: SLAB

4. Spanish apps: TAPAS - Dah~!  I had taCOs to start - the appetizers, that is 

5. Girl of the fam: SIS - abbrs

6. Observe Ramadan, say: FAST

7. "ManningCast" co-host: ELI - name #4, one of three Manning brothers - fill #5 on the Top Ten

8. Attention hog's cry: "LOOK AT ME~!" - first 8-letter Down

9. Choral section: TENORS

10. Pompeii destroyer, for short: Mt. VESUVIUS - Dah~!  Got caught up thinking "ETNA"

11. Skywalker twin: LEIA - Star Wars name #5; LUKE fit, too

12. Three __ salad: BEAN

14. Happen again: RECUR

18. Wrapped silk dress: SARI - I would have reworked the dupe "wrap" out of the clue

23. Be short with, perhaps: RETORT - and . . . 

25. Be short with?: OWE - in at #354, tied with ESC, IGOR, NNE & ODD 

26. Scorch: CHAR

27. Propelled, as a punt: POLED - I had OARED, so, close, but no gondola gold

28. Parenthetical remark: ASIDE - [ I told them we already got one~! ]

The Frawnche taunting the silly English Kuh-nig-its

29. Returned to dry land: CAME ASHORE - the second 10-letter Down

31. Earth-friendly: GREEN - ah.  I was thinking ECO, but what~?

32. Three-time Masters winner who was knighted in 2009: FALDO - golfer Nick, name #6

33. Skedaddles: FLEES - nailed it

35. Figure on some rupees: GANDHI - name #7

39. Behind: DERRIERE - the other 8-letter Down

My thanks to the author~! ( and I just saw the Sunday SO, CE:D )

40. Sandusky's lake: ERIE - geo name #8, but I knew it 'cuz lived in Cincinnati Ohio - and a Wed dupe

44. Historic time span: ERA - Crossword's #1 Top Twenty ( of a list of 500 ) fill word

46. Beneficial to both sides: WIN-WIN

47. Chew (on): GNAW - another dupe from Wednesday

48. BlueMountain.com product: eCARD - I thought this was a pet supplies company - Bzzzzt~! 

52. Adrift: AT SEA - this fill makes the list at #439

53. Dendrologist's concern: TREE -  I thought "dendr-" was nerves ( and I am not wrong ), so I tried AXON

54. Unsubstantial: AIRY

55. Furthermore: ALSO - comes in at #239 - ALTO is higher . . . #116

57. Bodega fixtures: ATMs - I was kinda surprised to find this ( non-plural word ) did NOT make the Top Ten - in fact, it's WAY down at 186 . . . 

58. Chirp: PEEP - Peeps are SO last weekend . . . 

59. Swirling current: EDDY

62. On the __: LAM - Sheep humor #3

"I'm on the Lam(b), But I Ain't No Sheep" - 

from Blue Öyster Cult's debut album, 1972

63. Suffix with puppet: EER - and this one comes in at #325

Splynter

Grid Flow a low 22.2

Thursday April 9, 2026 Rebecca Goldstein

 Rebecca Goldstein has been creating square grids for a very long time, but today she has us going around in circles. 

63A. Waste time and effort, in a way, or progress as this puzzle's circled letters do?: REINVENT THE WHEEL. Looks like we are going to build a WHEEL, one letter at a time.

:3D. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" novelist: L. FRANK BAUM. This gives us one letter of the word WHEEL.

6D. Smallest Central American country: EL SALVADOR. Now we have two letters, building a WHEEL from the bottom up.

9D. Durable material made from hagfish skin: EEL LEATHER. Three letters - we're halfway there!

Pacific hagfish are not eels, but they produce fine leather.

12D. Sideways jump flourishes: HEEL CLICKS. With the four letters, we've almost come full circle. 

I thought this worked out wheel well. The letters built up like stacking blocks, each themer adding one more as you worked across the puzzle. I also liked that each partial WHEEL was the stand alone first word of its answer: L., EL, EEL, and HEEL. The fact that all the themers were the same length did my OCD good, and justified the unique layout. 

Black hole department: I tried to discern some sort of image in all the black squares and large crosses, but they are simply part of the grid.

Mirror image department: Kudos to Rebecca for using the reflective symmetry to place INCAS opposite MAYAN, and the video game answers LUIGI and ATARI next to those.

All set? Let's roll!

Across:

1. Designation for some food carts: HALAL. HALAL is an Arabic term meaning "permissible" or "lawful" under Islamic law, governing all aspects of life including food.

6. Outer space?: EDGE.

10. Portal name with an exclamation point: YAHOO. YAHOO! was one of the Internet pioneers 32 years ago, but has lost relevance since. However, it's still worth $7.4 billion, so there's that.

15. Actress Woodard: ALFRE. I didn't know ALFRE, but she is very worthy. She has graced the stage and screen, winning four Emmy's, a Golden Globe, and three Screen Actors Guild awards. She's even been nominated for two Grammy's and and Oscar!

16. Tales as old as time: LORE.

17. Justice Kagan: ELENA. ELENA was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and is the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

18. Needing a nap: TIRED.

19. Pot filler: SOIL. Pot filler: ANTE.

20. Put in a seat, say: ELECT.

21. Travel approx.: ETA. Your Estimated Time of Arrival is an estimation and subject to change. I often drive to Miami, and the ETA is an hour. A half-hour later, I'm still an hour away as traffic builds up like I'm in a backwards time machine!

22. Crushes underfoot: TRAMPLES.

25. "__ Misérables": LES. "The Miserables" describes Russell Crowe's singing in the movie.

26. Orange variety: NAVEL. 

28. Work __: ETHIC.

30. Kinds: ILKS.

32. Online image: AVATAR. Mine is a sunburst Fender Stratocaster. I have two from the 60s.

35. Poetry event: SLAM. A poetry SLAM is a competitive event in which poets perform original spoken-word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges.

38. Much-used pencils: NUBS. My dad always said, "Beware of people with long pencils and short erasers."

39. One with good taste?: PALATE. 

40. Falafel bread: PITA. But it doesn't taste falafel.

41. Langley org.: CIA. I grew up in the Tidewater area of Virginia and my dad worked at Langley AFB, so when I hear Langley, the Central Intelligence Agency is not the first thing that comes to mind.

42. "The lady __ protest too much, methinks": DOTH. One of hundreds of quotes attributed to Shakespeare. "Words without thoughts never to heaven go."

43. Small island: CAY. CAY is pronounced "key" as in Key West.

44. Orinoco flow: AGUA. The Orinoco River flows through Columbia and Venezuela, hence the Spanish word for water. The phrase "Orinoco Flow" was made popular by a song from new-age artist Enya. 

46. Having more wiggle room, say: LOOSER.

48. Gumbo vegetable: OKRA.

Oops! Wrong picture! This is an orca.

49. A lot alike: SIMILAR. I liked this a lot!

51. Arrives casually: ROLLS IN.

53. Free (of): RID.

54. Small tweak?: MOD. Just a little MODification.

55. Spots to let sleeping dogs lie: PET BEDS. This bed seemed so big when Buster was a pup. We adopted him during COVID, and he turns 6 today!

59. Small spot: SPECKLE. Small spot filler: SPACKLE

63. [theme]

66. Part of UAE: ARAB. United ARAB Emirates. The UAE has ARABs in it.

67. Not as grim: ROSIER. As in the Grim Reaper's kid sister, ROSIER Reaper.

68. Large vases: URNS.

69. Green carpet: MOSS.

70. Boggy places: SWAMPS. This one mired me down.

71. Teeny bit: MITE.

Down:

1. Abhor: HATE. This clue is detestable.

2. Settled: ALIT. 

3. [theme]

4. "All bets __ off": ARE.

5. Streaming device, maybe: LED TV. This one seemed off, so I turned it on.

6. [theme]

7. Tragic fate: DOOM. 

8. Strong hold: GRIP.

9. [theme]

10. "Oof": YEESH.

11. Every last one: ALL. ALL at ONCE.

12. [theme]

13. A single time: ONCE. ONCE and for ALL.

14. Quaker grains: OATS.

23. Sow's counterpart: REAP. Ah, the verb, not the noun. I wanted "boar."

24. To be, in Paris: ETRE. 

Vous êtes ici.

27. Donkey: ASS.

29. Co. for surfers: ISP. An Internet Service Provider is a company that connects individuals and businesses to the internet.

30. Natives of pre-Columbian Peru: INCAS.

31. Super Mario brother: LUIGI. 

33. Potatoes, in Urdu: ALOO.

34. Body art: TATS. People get TATS (tattoos) of the weirdest things...

36. Arcade pioneer: ATARI.

37. Like the ruins in Tulum: MAYAN.

45. Some short-term rentals: AIRBNBS. A very good friend lives just blocks from the Atlantic. Three houses surrounding him have become AIRBNBS, turning his quiet neighborhood into a party zone. Residential zoning laws need to be updated to prevent this.

46. Corporate structures: LADDERS.

47. Tots' playwear: ROMPERS. Tots' quandary - where should we wear our ROMPERS?

48. Buddy from way back when: OLD CHUM. OLD CHUM is also useful for luring orcas.

50. Actor Schreiber: LIEV. LIEV Schreiber is an acclaimed American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He's known for his roles as Sabertooth, Wolverine's brother, in the X-Men series and the titular Ray Donovan in the TV series.

52. Theater eponym: LOEW.

55. Brit's stroller: PRAM.

56. Wireless router brand named for a Finnish architect: EERO. EERO Saarinen was a Finnish-American architect and industrial designer, famous for the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the TWA Terminal at JFK in NYC. He also designed iconic furniture. I guess if he were around today, he'd have come up with a router casing?

1956 Tulip Chairs and Pedestal Table

57. Spanish aunts: TIAS.

58. Winter coat?: SNOW.

59. Herding dog name: SHEP. Here's the most faithful border collie, SHEP. After watching his master's coffin leave on a train in Montana in 1936, he waited in vain for years at the station.

Now Buster wants a bronze statue!

60. Russell of "The Diplomat": KERI.

61. Mardi Gras follower: LENT. LENT follower: EASTERTIDE, the 50 days following Easter, culminating in Pentecost.

62. "How __ can I say it ... ": ELSE.

64. Org. that operates AIT scanners: TSA. The Transportation Security Administration primarily monitors aviation, but also does rail and mass transit. And until recently, the organization worked without pay as they were used as pawns by Congress.

Advanced Imaging Technology

65. Actor/comedian Meadows: TIM. Another SNL alum. 

 

Rebecca spoke and now I'm tired. Wheel see you 'round!

Be good. RB