Friday, Aug 28th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

 -URN IN HELL

"sorry, we don't serve "iced coffee . . . "

Another construction from the LA Times crossword editor, Patti's last appearance was Monday, June 8th.  I blogged her last Friday puzzle on April 27th, when she changed "W" to "V".  Today she simply drops the letter "B" from common phrases - therefore, minus the "B" - to give us an alternative and perhaps funny new phrase - with no Stray "B"s in the crossword, either~!   Standard grid today, no 'outlier' letters, nine names, Twenty-Four 3LWs, and no Twurds.  The themers and the reveal; 

18. Be time-consuming?: EAT THE CLOCK - 'Beat The Clock' was (is) a TV Game Show

29. Instruction from a lazy track coach?: RACE YOURSELVES - Brace Yourselves~!

My first thought of lazy and races . . .

47. "42nd Street," e.g.?: ROADWAY MUSICAL - Broadway Musical - I get it, -ut a -it redundant

60. Create a state of anarchy?: END THE RULES - Bend the Rules~?  I think they're -roken now

69. So-so grade, or an apt title for this puzzle: B MINUS - Sometimes, when I am improvising on the guitar, I drift into the key of "B minus"

-ut Wait There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Thurman of "Red, White & Royal Blue": UMA - name #1, crossword staple

4. Most unexpected: ODDEST

10. Axe handle: HAFT - my INCITE at 11D. gave me HILT

14. Bath rug: MAT - not a name . . . 

15. Subtlety: NUANCE

16. Important stretches: ERAS - yet another way to clue this #1 crossword fill

17. Go where one shouldn't: PRY

20. AirDrop tablet: iPAD

22. Female pig: SOW

23. __ cuisine: HAUTE

24. Drummer in the Electric Mayhem: ANIMAL - Muppets musical interlude #1

and the "other" Philthy Animal of drummers

26. "Lessons in Chemistry" actress __ Naomi King: AJA - no clue, the IMD_, see also 64D., name #2

28. TV writers __ and Marty Krofft: SID - name #3, which I recalled from my childhood

The Land of the Lost - Saturday morning awesomeness,

with Sleestak and Cha-Ka

33. Russian news acronym until 2014: ITAR - I knew this, likely from doing crosswords; name(ish)

34. Minute: WEE - my-NOOT, not MIN-uht

35. Pseudonym letters: A.K.A. - Also Known As, Thursday dupe

36. Lunch spot: DELI

37. "A Complete Unknown" subject: DYLAN - and "a complete unknown" to me; -ob Dylan was -efore my time; didn't get my "ta-DA~!", knew I made my mistake here, -ut it took two MIN-uhts to scan the puzzle -efore the V-8 can came sailing at me, and the "Y" finally dawned on me.  The Wiki, and name #4

39. Video file format: MPEG

43. Corp. leader: CEO - C-suite

45. Feel icky: AIL

46. Washed-out: PALE - not the -LUE DOT from last Friday

51. Ceiling spinner: FAN

52. __ and outs: INs - musical interlude #2

Spy in the House of the Night, -lue Öyster Cult,

"ins and outs" lyric @ 0:30

53. Show of affection: CARESS

54. That is, in Latin: ID EST - literal Latin

56. Chance, quaintly: HAP - the def

59. Dissenting body: SECT

63. Lend a hand: AID

65. Toy brand with Creator 3-in-1 sets: LEGO

66. Title for Marie Curie: MADAME - name(ish)

67. Type of A/V connector: RCA

68. Put pen to paper: DREW - not clued as a name, thank you . . .

70. Data breach fig.: SSN - Social Security Number

DOWN:

1. Official who works close to home?: UMP - Har-har.  -aseball's home plate . . .

2. Stew: MARINATE

3. Unexpected: ATYPICAL

4. At some point: ONE DAY

5. "Dance the Night" singer Lipa: DUA - name #5, -ecoming a weekly crossword staple 

6. Who __: New Orleans Saints fans: DATS - name(ish), -ut I knew this; a shout-out to our Lousiana residents

7. Opposite of exo-: ENTO - Not enDo

8. Unstressed vowel sounds: SCHWAs - the "uh" sound

9. Top pick?: TEE - BRA could not work - it might not have a B-cup, but it has a "B"

10. Goddess of death played by Cate Blanchett: HELA - I don't care for the any of the "comic -ook universe" movies, name #6

11. Stimulate: AROUSE

12. "In all honesty ... ": "FACT IS . . . " - OK, twurd(ish)

13. Clucked in disapproval: TSKed

19. Hopscotch player's supply: CHALK

21. "Sweet land of liberty," in song: AMERICA - musical interlude #4

Let Freedom Ring

24. Very dry: ARID

25. Dirt: LOWDOWN - musical interlude #3

-oz Scaggs, and a prelude to 64D.

27. Patrick's "Star Trek: Picard" role: JEAN LUC - name #7, and a shout-out to our own PICARD

He meant "-arn owls"

30. Short turnaround?: UEY - A--reviation for U-turn, I had "Uie" to start, so I got in my own way

31. Pass along: RELAY

32. Many a "What We Do in the Shadows" character: VAMPIRE - no clue, filled via perps

38. Objective: AIM

40. Indy 500 leaders: PACE CARS - Ah, those leaders.  In the year I was -orn, it crashed . . . 

This photo's we-page story, and a YouTu-e link

41. Rubber bands: ELASTICS - nailed it

42. Salon array: GELS -Dah~!  I tried DYES

44. Novelist Wharton: EDITH - first female Pulitzer Prize winner, 1921 - name #8

47. "SNL" Emmy winner Gilda: RADNER - name #9

48. Jumpy: ON EDGE - see -elow

49. Meditation retreat: ASHRAM -  I am attending a 12-Step retreat next month

50. Mouths off to: SASSES - Not "on edge" - of the grid, that is; crossword friendly letters

51. Area of study: FIELD

55. Stash securely: STOW

57. Bavaria-based automaker: AUDI - here's their R8

A few of my favorite things

-avarian Castles, Cars, and Cuties

58. Map out: PLAN

61. Diplomatic HQ: EMBassy, the crossing ''B" and an a--reviated headquarters

62. Bird in the bush: EMU - Ah.  The Australian  -ush; G'day, mate

64. Karate level: DAN - musical interlude #5 - I could have gone with Steely Dan's "Aja", -ut that's already in the puzzle, so here's

Do It Again, in the key of G - minus . . . 🙄

Splynter

Grid Flow 34.9

Thursday August 27, 2026 Rebecca Goldstein & Matthew Stock

Rebecca Goldstein and Matthew Stock have gotten together and bought stakes in a new steakhouse! 

3. Card game that's really taking off?: STRIP POKER. STRIP POKER is a card game where players forfeit clothing instead of chips...unless you call their buff. 

8. Namesake of Converse's All Star sneaker: CHUCK TAYLOR. Charles Hollis "CHUCK" TAYLOR (1901–1969) was an American semi-professional basketball player and an all-star shoe salesman. 

15. Dance around what's really important: SKIRT THE ISSUE. To SKIRT THE ISSUE means to avoid talking about a complex or awkward topic. As in, "Does this skirt make me look fat?" Umm...

23. Links activity: ROUND OF GOLF. A standard ROUND OF GOLF consists of playing 18 holes in sequential order, though a shorter 9-hole round is also common. It's also a drink order at the 19th hole!

And what do these seemingly unrelated answers have in common? I needed the revealer for this one:

31. With a lot on the line, or a phonetic hint to 3-, 8-, 15-, and 23-Down: HIGH STAKES. Even with the revealer, it still took me a moment to figure out that STAKES becomes STEAKS. Each of the four vertical themers begin (in the HIGH position) with a different cut of steak: STRIP steak; CHUCK steak; SKIRT steak; and ROUND steak.

Our two chefs have cooked up a meaty one today. Vertical themes are rare, and always seem a little tougher, but the rest of the fill was easy to cut through. Over all, I think it was well done.

Let's see what sides they're serving with this:

Across:

1. "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" network: PBS. Fred Roger's show ran from 1968 to 2001 on the Public Broadcasting Service.

4. Collision sound: BAM. Also the sound when seasoning hits the steak!

7. Hill partner, in textbook publishing and country music: MCGRAW. Interesting parallel. Educational publisher MCGRAW Hill vis-à-vis Tim MCGRAW and his wife Faith Hill.

13. Big sellers: HOTCAKES. People scooped up pancakes quickly while they were still warm.

16. "That's old news": I HEARD. 

17. "Could there possibly be a good explanation for this?": DARE I ASK. 

18. Skating jumps similar to toe loops: LUTZES. Rightbrain grew up in her uncle's roller rink. The first time I met her family was at the rink, and they suggested she take her fiancé for a spin. Being my first time on skates, I'm sure they weren't thinking LUTZES but KLUTZES. That was 45 years ago, and I still appreciate that they somehow kept a straight face.

19. Ruckus: STIR. 

20. Motorcycle attachments: SIDECARS. SIDECARS are also cocktails containing brandy, orange liqueur and lemon juice. But best not to mix the two.

22. Hair line?: PART. My favorite PART was when they sang the Hair line, "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius."

25. Dangers: RISKS.

26. Disconnect: GAP.

28. "Get __ town!": OUTTA. No way!

30. Ski area near Reno: TAHOE.

34. Gold at the Milano Cortina Olympics?: ORO. Italian for gold.

35. Second, but not first: UNIT. A second is a unit of time. 

36. Getting the check: PAYING. ON ME per 57D

37. __ choy: BOK. Florida is so flat, that various entrepreneurs have erected towers (there are three of them) in the middle of nowhere to attract tourists. The most famous is the 205' BOK Tower built in 1920's during the state's land boom. The National Historic Landmark features a 60-bell carillon that plays a concert twice daily to visitors of the surrounding 250-acre gardens.

38. Every evening: NIGHTLY.

40. Prefix with political: GEO. GEOpolitical relates to how a country's physical location, size, and resources affect its politics, power, and relationships with other nations.

41. Revises: AMENDS.

43. Assessment, briefly: EVAL. A quick EVALuation.

44. Boater or bowler: HAT. In my business, a wear a lot of HATs, but neither of these.

45. Greta of classic Hollywood: GARBO. The great Swedish/American actress often just went by GARBO. In 1954, she was awarded an Academy Honorary Award "for her luminous and unforgettable screen performances."

46. Hustle genre: DISCO. Did you do the Hustle?

47. Texting tech: SMS. Short Message Service.

48. Some natural hairstyles: AFROS.

50. Part of QED: ERAT. "Quod ERAT Demonstrandum," said Pliny the Elder in Latin class. "It is proven. Any questions?"

52. Trench coat, wig, and big sunglasses, maybe: DISGUISE. 

Yep, she'd blend in anywhere.

55. Sando spread: MAYO. A sando is a Japanese-style sandwich. The word comes from a shortened form of sandoitchi, the Japanese loanword for sandwich. 

58. Patchy-patterned horses: PINTOS. This patchy PINTO only had 54 horses. On a quiet night, you can hear it rusting.

59. Tacit: UNSPOKEN.

62. Certain spot: LOCALE. 

63. Application that combats dark circles: EYE CREAM. I scream, you scream, we all scream for EYE CREAM?

64. Gobbles (down): SNARFS.

65. Some GEs: ACS. General Electric Air Conditioners.

66. __/her/hers: SHE.

Down:

1. Degs. conferred after defenses: PHDS. Knowing me as you do, can you believe I have a brother with Doctor of Philosophy degree?

2. Large sushi order: BOAT. 

Yum! Hand me the chopsticks!

3. [theme]

4. "WonderWater" brand: BAI. So many brands to keep track of...

5. Alias letters: AKA. Also Known As.

6. "Cleanup on aisle five" impetus: MESS. It's always aisle five. If I ran a store, I'd skip 5 like they skip the 13th floor in tall buildings. 

7. Half marathon's 13.1: MILES. Athens to Marathon is 26.2 MILES.

8. [theme]

9. Participate in decision-making: GET A SAY.

10. Motorola phone: RAZR. Cell phones kept getting smaller, and my RAZR was the smallest one I owned. Then screen size became a thing and now they are bigger than ever.

11. Combative Olympian?: ARES.

12. Dict. entries: WDS. Dictionary entries are words.

14. Michael of "Juno": CERA. I think he'll still look like a young boy when he's an old man.

15. [theme]

21. Opposite of noite: DIA. It's the difference between night and day! In Portuguese, that is.

23. [theme]

24. North African capital: TUNIS. 

26. Emergency kit: GO BAG. It usually contains enough basic supplies to sustain you for three days after a disaster.

27. Sweet smell: AROMA.

29. Comedian Notaro: TIG. TIG Notaro is an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar-nominated comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. She's gotten the nod for 75% of an EGOT! 

31. [theme]

32. Wee hour: ONE AM. Two am is the wee wee hour. 

33. Showbiz quartets: EGOTS. The grand slam of winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.

36. Come in second: PLACE. Win, PLACE, and Show are bets in horse racing. A Win bet wins only if your selection finishes 1st. A Place bet wins if it finishes 1st or 2nd (so not just "come in second"). A Show bet wins if it finishes 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. 

39. Sports bar sets: TVS. You can sometimes watch horse racing on sports bar Televisions.

42. Supreme court presence?: NBA STAR. Fun clue...and holding court on TVS in another sports bar.

46. Eager agreement: DO I.

49. Tricks: RUSES.

51. "Te quiero, __ mio": AMOR. "I love you, my love," in español. Sounds a bit redundant.

52. Singer Celine: DION. Her heart will go on and on and....

53. Empire also known as the "Realm of the Four Parts": INCA. The INCA Empire was a vast pre-Columbian state in South America divided into four administrative regions.

54. New Age singer who speaks Irish: ENYA. Everyone's favorite New Ager in crosswords.

56. "Totes": YEAH. "Totes" is slang for "totally", so YEAH seems like a weak equivalent.

57. "I'll get the check": ON ME. PAYING like 36A.

58. [Praying emoji]: PLS. Please! 🙏🏻Some people use this as a "high five" emoji...don't get me started! 😂

60. Org. with LSU Tigers, Auburn Tigers, and Missouri Tigers: SEC. All these college teams are copy cats, and are members of the the Southeastern Conference of the NCAA.

61. WFH devices: PCS. People who Work From Home often use Personal Computers.

Okay, I'm done grilling these guys.

Be good. RB

 

Notes from C.C.

Happy Birthday to Lemonade, our Friday sherpa for a long long time. Hope all is well with you and Oo!

Wednesday, August 26, 2026, Zachary Gallardo

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Wednesday puzzle constructed by Zachary Gallardo.  Zachary recently had another LAT puzzle recapped here (on 24 May 20226).  

In today's puzzle, Zachary stacks the names of bands on top of types of seagoing ships.  In each case, the name of the band stands alone while the letters forming the type of vessel are consecutive parts of longer answers.  The reveal is both clever and playful:

59 Across:  "Everyone in the water!," or when parsed differently, what can be found in each set of circled words: ABANDON SHIP.  Or, in this instance, A BAND ON SHIP.  To help us recognize what the constructor and editor are up to, the grid contains those ever-polarizing circles.

It is also worth noting that the reveal does double duty as part of one of the four themed (pairs of) answers.

Here are the four places where the gimmick is employed:

15 Across:  Camel's watering hole: OASIS (a British rock band) and 17 Across:  Programming problem: ENDLESS LOOP.    SLOOP (A sloop is a single-masted sailing vessel typically rigged with a fore-and-aft configuration)

25 Across:  Enclosed rhyme scheme in Petrarchan sonnets: ABBA  (the Swedish pop quartet) and 30 Across:  Clinton secretary of state: ALBRIGHT.  BRIG (a ship with two square-rigged masts)

Madeline Albright

41 Across:  "Exactly right!": YES, (an English band perhaps best known for the song "Owner of A Lonely Heart) and 45 Across:  Bible Belt state: ARKANSAS.  ARK  Ahoy, Noah!

54 Across:  Yellow brick road terrier: TOTO (formed in Los Angeles in 1977) and 59 Across:  "Everyone in the water!," or when parsed differently, what can be found in each set of circled words: ABANDON SHIP.  SHIP (in this case, generic)

The completed grid looks like this:

Here are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Emerged: AROSE.  Emerged not from an eggshell or from hiding.  More like an issue that came up.

6. Korean-American grocery store: H MART.  Per Wikipedia, the chain was founded in 1982 and there are now 98 locations.

11. Dim sum brew: CHA.  IIRC, Dim Sum being Chinese dumplings and CHA being tea.       

14. Little solo break: ME DAY.  Hand up for first trying to think of something music-related.

16. "That'll leave a mark!": OOF.  Meh.

19. Scand. country: NOR.  Abbreviated.  Had to be NOR, DEN, SWE, or FIN.

20. Proboscis: NOSE.  By definition.

21. Feature of Canada's flag: LEAF.

22. Nove minus uno: OTTO.  Lezione di italiano di oggi.

23. Suspicious: SHADY.  Suspicious is used, here, as an adjective.

27. Turkish peak: ARARAT.  Often visited in our puzzles . . . and where the ARK came to rest.

34. Olympic gymnast with five moves named for her: BILES.

Simone Biles

35. 2025 Best Picture Oscar winner: ANORA.

36. Letters of liability?: IOU.  Liability as in a debt to repay.

37. Dongle, e.g.: ADAPTER.  A computer hardware reference.

39. Synagogue singers: CANTORS.  CANTORS lead the congregation in singing.

42. __ Sports Bureau: stats giant: ELIAS.  IIRC, I learned about this one from Vin Scully

44. "Punch-__ Love": Paul Thomas Anderson film: DRUNK.

47. Shelters: HOUSES.  From the general to the more specific.

48. Altar site: APSE.

49. Change: COINS.  Used as a noun.  Not as in the verb "to alter".  Loose, or spare change.

51. Prometheus's gift: FIRE.

53. "See ... ": WELL.  Something someone might say . . . and mean.

58. Aussie hopper: ROO.

62. Nocturnal bird of prey: OWL.

63. __ Gras: MARDI. 

64. Unlike the rest: OTHER.  With your kind indulgence, I will pass on a Kendrick Lamar video at this point.

65. Young lady: GAL.

66. Clique: POSSE.  POSSE has expanded from its context in old westerns to now indicate with whom one hangs out.

67. Vociferous: NOISY.  Due to noise complaints, they passed a law in Hawaii that you are no longer allowed to laugh above a certain decibel.  Now you can only use a low hah.

Down:

1. "Exactly right!": AMEN.  Why do they say AMEN instead of awomen in church?  Because they sing hymns instead of hers.

2. City north of Carson City: RENO.

3. Probabilities: ODDS.

4. Service promoter: SALES REP.

5. Cyclone center: EYE.

6. Swindled: HOSED.  Either way we've been had.

7. __ bear: Southeast Asian forest dweller: MALAYAN.

Photo by MM

8. Since: AS OF.  A time reference.  Not "because".

9. Animated film about Spix's macaws: RIO.

10. Baker's shortening?: TSP.  Shortened as in TSP for teaspoon.

11. Like laughter, sometimes: CONTAGIOUS.

12. 62-Across call: HOOT.

  Me: I don't wanna alarm anyone, but I think someone in this room might be an owl.

  Grandkid: Who? WHO?

  Me: gasp Oh no, it's worse than I thought!

13. Curly hairstyle: AFRO.

18. Bed frame board: SLAT.

22. Japanese sash: OBI.  Frequently worn in our puzzles.

24. Picks up the pace: HASTENS.

25. Pokémon that ultimately evolves into Alakazam: ABRA.

26. Jason's "Beverly Hills, 90210" role: BRANDON.

27. Modest Muslim robe: ABAYA.

28. Bus passenger: RIDER.

29. Sushi bite topped with salmon: ALASKA ROLL.

31. Hairstyle that may begin with comb coils: LOCS.  New to this solver.  Thanks, perps.  Seems to be a form of the word Dreadlocks.

32. "Stormy Weather" singer Lena: HORNE.

1943

33. Elephant pair: TUSKS.

35. Operatic solo: ARIA.

38. If-then-__ statement: ELSE.

40. Leaves in the care of: TRUSTS TO.  Often, ENTRUSTS

43. Climbs: ASCENDS.  What was it called when all the good dinosaurs ASCENDED to Heaven before the meteor struck.  The veloci-rapture

46. Big galoot: APE.

47. Big Island county seat: HILO.  A bit of Hawaiian geography.

50. Throwback hit: OLDIE.

51. Amphibious hopper: FROG.

52. Corn Belt state: IOWA.

53. Major conflicts: WARS.

55. "Didn't see you there!": OH HI.

56. Knots: TIES.  Which country is known for manufacturing TIES?  Tieland.

57. The Grand Ole __: OPRY.

59. Metal box?: AMP.  A reference to "Heavy Metal" music.

60. Dim sum bun: BAO.  See also 11 Across.

61. Persona __ grata: NON.

Well, perhaps, this reviewer has overstayed his welcome and become a Persona Non Grata (unwelcome).  So, this Manatee will now abandon ship.  One parting comment, however:  It was interesting to travel the world (sail the seven seas?) with this puzzle's references to Sweden, Arkansas, Korea, Africa, Norway, China, Japan, Canada, Turkiye, Australia, New Orleans, Malaysia, Reno, Hawaii, Alaska, and other places.

_____________________________________

MM Out