Theme: OVERJOYED!
Today's puzzle comes to us from Patti Varol, who is not only the editor of the Los Angeles Times Crossword, but whose puzzles have appeared in many other publications, and have been the challenges presented in many crossword tournaments.
Each of today's long entries begins with a synonym for "happy" -- a very nice way to start Monday morning.
20-Across. Carnival ride with seats shaped like animals: MERRY-GO-ROUND.
33-Across. Hard candies with blue raspberry and green apple flavors: JOLLY RANCHERS.
43-Across. Brand of heavy-duty trash bags: GLAD FORCEFLEX.
59-Across. Golfer played by Adam Sandler: HAPPY GILMORE.
I wanted to echo Patti's theme by using another familiar phrase that starts with a synonym for "happy" -- and does not re-use one of Patti's synonyms -- and I could not do it. The fact that Patti found these four phrases and fit them into symmetrical spots in the grid is impressive. The whole thing left me delighted, joyful, thrilled, and ecstatic.
Let's see what other cheerful things show up in the grid.
Across:1. Allure of a coffee shop: AROMA.
 |
| Sometimes the aroma is the best part. |
6. Private convos: DMS. Direct messages are private conversations, usually on social media sites.
9. Initial phase: ONSET. It has been over a year since the ONSET of my daughter's dog Charlie's crippling disability. Five veterinarians and thousands of dollars later, we may have a diagnosis.
 |
| Our dearly departed terriers at left; Charlie (a European village dog) on the right. |
14. Student: PUPIL.
15. Snakelike fish: EEL.
16. "And there you have it!": VOILÀ. "See there!" in French. Adopted into English to call attention to something, or to suggest an appearance as if by magic (like "ta-da").
17. Flower part: PETAL.
18. D-backs, on scoreboards: ARI. The Arizona Diamondbacks (or D-backs) are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona.
 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks logo |
19. ATM key: ENTER.
20. [Theme clue]
23. Strong urge: DESIRE.
26. Earsplitting: LOUD.
27. Pick up the tab: PAY.
28. Before, poetically: ERE.
Maid of Athens, ere we part,
Give, oh, give me back my heart!
Or, since that has left my breast,
Keep it now, and take the rest!
-- Lord Byron, 1810
29. Frustrated cry: GAH. An interjection used to express disappointment, frustration, or dismay.
 |
| Gah! |
31. Recipe amount: CUP.
33. [Theme clue]
38. Tibet's continent: ASIA.
39. Sign before Virgo: LEO.
40. Dinghy pair: OARS.
43. [Theme clue]
48. One who may have a platonic partner, for short: ARO. Aromantic -- a person who does not experience romantic attraction.
49. Flesh and blood: KIN.
50. Photo __: OPS. Photo opportunities. Occasions or settings that lend themselves to, or are deliberately arranged for, taking photographs, especially for favorable publicity of the subjects.
51. Delivery room docs: OBS. Obstetricians.
54. Backless shoe: MULE. Mules can be flat, or on wedges or block heels, or even high-heeled. Many slippers are mules. Toes can be open, as shown below, or closed.
 |
| Mule with block heel. |
57. "This sale ends soon!": ACT NOW. Pressure tactics sometimes lead to poor decisions.
59. [Theme clue]
62. "Rashomon" director Kurosawa: AKIRA. Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 30 feature films over six decades. Rashomon (1950) was the surprise winner of the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival, opening Western markets to Japanese films for the first time. You may remember Seven Samurai (1954).
 |
| Akira Kurosawa |
63. Actress Goth of Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein": MIA. Mia Goth is a British actress and model. She has a fitting surname for the genre.
 |
| She's too old for her mother to prevent her going out like this. |
64. "I'm the best!": YAY ME.
68. Intel job: RECON. Intel is intelligence, or information concerning a subject of interest, especially an enemy; recon is reconnaissance, or an exploratory military survey of enemy territory.
69. K-pop band who began their Arirang World Tour in 2026: BTS. BTS (which stands for the Korean words for "Bulletproof Boy Scouts"), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. In 2020, BTS became the fastest group since the Beatles to chart four US number-one albums in less than two years. They are the best-selling musical act in South Korean history.
70. __ to: before: PRIOR.
71. Very skilled: ADEPT.
72. Dead __ Scrolls: SEA.
73. Categories: TYPES.
Down:
1. Program opened with a tap: APP. An app, which is short for "application," is a type of software that can be installed and run on a computer, tablet, smartphone or other electronic devices. Most apps have a specific and narrow function.
 |
| Apps on a smartphone. |
2. Truly regret: RUE.
3. Choose: OPT.
4. Metropolis east of the Everglades: MIAMI.
5. Hypersensitivity that may be diagnosed with a scratch test: ALLERGY.
6. Precious: DEAR.
7. Actress Streep: MERYL. Meryl Streep is an American actress who has had success with critically acclaimed dramas and mainstream silliness alike. Over her long career, she has earned three Academy Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Kramer vs Kramer (1979), and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Sophie's Choice (1982) and for The Iron Lady (2011). She is the most Academy Award-nominated performer in history.
 |
| Meryl Streep in 1977 |
8. Irish county next to Mayo: SLIGO. County Sligo is a county in the Northern and Western Region of Ireland. W. B. Yeats grew up there and its landscapes inspired his poetry. Obscure for a Monday puzzle.
 |
| The dark green area is County Sligo; the pink is Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. |
9. Like a library book one has to pay for: OVERDUE. My long career as a librarian was partly inspired by my childhood fascination with date due cards and the machine that captured an image of each card alongside my library card.
 |
| Alas, I never got to use the photocharger. I mostly worked in computerizing catalogs. |
10. Off-limits move: NO NO.
11. "Quit slouching!": SIT UP.
12. Supreme Court justice Kagan: ELENA. Elena Kagan is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed in 2010 by President Obama and is the fourth woman to serve on the Court. PRIOR to her service on the Supreme Court, she was a clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall; a lawyer in private practice; a professor at the University of Chicago Law School; a special counsel for the Senate Judiciary Commmittee; Associate White House Counsel for President Clinton; professor and then Dean of Harvard Law School; and then Solicitor General for President Obama.
 |
| The first four female U.S. Supreme Court justices: Sandra Day O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan. |
13. Not on time: TARDY.
21. Tail end: REAR.
22. Cry of pain: OUCH.
23. __ vu: familiar feeling: DÉJÀ. Déjà vu is French for "already seen." In English, it refers to the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time, that is, a feeling that one has seen or heard something before.
24. God with a bow and arrow: EROS.
25. Former baseball commissioner Bud: SELIG. "Bud" Selig is the commissioner emeritus of baseball. He was de facto acting commissioner beginning in 1992 in his capacity as chairman of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Executive Committee before being named the official commissioner in 1998. He served as the ninth commissioner of baseball from 1998 to 2015. He is credited with the financial turnaround of baseball, with a 400 percent increase in the revenue of MLB during his tenure.
25. Former baseball commissioner Bud: SELIG. "Bud" Selig is the commissioner emeritus of baseball. He was de facto acting commissioner beginning in 1992 in his capacity as chairman of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Executive Committee before being named the official commissioner in 1998. He served as the ninth commissioner of baseball from 1998 to 2015. He is credited with the financial turnaround of baseball, with a 400 percent increase in the revenue of MLB during his tenure.
 |
| Bud Selig |
30. Grapefruit serving, often: HALF.
32. Univ. teacher: PROF. A university teacher is often a professor.
34. Singsong syllables: LA LA.
35. Opposite of paleo-: NEO.
36. Wine stopper: CORK.
37. Cut-and-dry spot: SALON.
41. Seized auto: REPO. Repossessed (usually for failure to make payments).
42. Annual festival in Austin, TX: SXSW. South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of film, interactive media, and music festivals that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas.
44. Insect that forages in large raids: ARMY ANT.
45. Heisman winner Flutie: DOUG. Doug Flutie is a former professional football quarterback. In a 21-year career, Flutie played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), eight seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and one season in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1984.
46. Italian farewell: CIAO. Or, as DH likes to say: "Ciao for now!"
47. Put into code: ENCRYPT.
51. Catherine of "The Studio": O'HARA. Catherine O'Hara (1954-2026) was a Canadian-American actress and comedian. She began in improvisational and sketch comedy before expanding her career with dramatic roles. She has a long list of film credits, but may be best known for her roles in Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and Schitt's Creek.
 |
| Catherine O'Hara in 2005 |
52. Made cookies, say: BAKED.
53. Jazz (up): SPICE.
55. Arms and legs: LIMBS.
56. Crème de la crème: ELITE. More French! "Crème de la crème" is literally "cream of the cream" and is used to mean "best of the best."
58. In need of tissues: TEARY.
60. Actor's accessory: PROP.
61. Tortilla dough: MASA. Masa is dough made from ground corn that has been softened by soaking in alkali.
65. Shrill bark: YIP.
66. Fellow Stooge of Larry and Curly: MOE. We have a Chairman by that name in our Corner.
67. Hosp. triage areas: ERS. Hospital triage areas are Emergency Rooms.
Here's the grid:
Solvers, did you RUE attempting this puzzle, and cry "GAH" HALFway into it?
Or are you an ELITE solver, so ADEPT at crosswords that you yelled "YAY ME!"?
All TYPES of solvers are welcome in the Comments. We DESIRE your input.
-- NaomiZ
