Monday, May 4, 2026, Janice Luttrell

Theme:  Fast and FURIOUS!

Did you move through this puzzle too quickly to become enraged, infuriated, indignant, or irritable?

I'm sure our experienced constructor, Janice Luttrell, didn't mean to make you angry, but she might have hoped you would notice the testy, ill-humored, and dyspeptic beginnings of the theme answers, which are:

17-Across. Cactus with showy flowers: PRICKLY PEAR.

28-Across. Like some Winter Olympics skiing: CROSS COUNTRY.

45-Across. Tummy trouble: UPSET STOMACH.

61-Across. Satirical periodical featuring Alfred E. Neuman: MAD MAGAZINE.

Don't be sullen if you missed it.  Yours truly had to look for it after solving.  I'm not bitter, but I'd better get on with the rest of it!

Across:

1. Airtight excuse for a defendant: ALIBI.

6. Pool floats: RAFTS.

11. Moroccan cap with a tassel: FEZ.

14. Add to the conversation: PUT IN.  We don't talk politics here, but I think we can PUT IN something about PUTIN.

15. Snowboarding jump: OLLIE.  The ollie is a skateboarding trick where the rider and board leap into the air without the use of the rider's hands.  It is a combination of stomping the tail of the skateboard off the ground to get the board mostly vertical, jumping, and sliding the front foot forward to level out the skateboard at the peak of the jump.  The ollie is a fundamental skill in skateboarding and has crossed over to snowboarding.

Skateboard ollie

Snowboard ollie

16. Big name in jarred tomato sauce: RAO.  

Rao's was purchased by Campbell Soup in 2024.

17. [Theme clue]

19. Self-serve coffee server: URN.

20. Sn, to a chemist: TIN.  Did you study chemistry?  If so, do you remember most of these?

21. "Do __ favor?": ME A.  PUT IN a good word for me, perhaps?

22. Extremely absurd: ASININE.

24. Fish-eating bird: SEA EAGLE.

27. Not at home: OUT.

28. [Theme clue]

33. Kindle download: EBOOK.  Electronic book.  Kindle is Amazon's eBook reading device.

36. Gramps: POPS.  We never called Grandpa "Pops," but his sons called him that.

Pops at work

37. "Christopher Robin" joey: ROO.  A "joey" is a young kangaroo or other marsupial.  In A.A. Milne's books about Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, the smallest character is Roo, the energetic son of kindhearted Kanga.

"Kanga and Roo were spending a quiet afternoon in a sandy part of the Forest. Baby Roo was practising very small jumps in the sand, and falling down mouse-holes and climbing out of them, and Kanga was fidgeting about and saying "Just one more jump, dear, and then we must go home." And at that moment who should come stumping up the hill but Pooh." -- Winnie-The-Pooh chapter VII

38. Dollywood's st.: TENN.  Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood, is in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

39. Studies all night: CRAMS.

41. Lettuce unit: HEAD.

42. Lipton product: TEA.

43. Stratford-upon-__: AVON.  Stratford-upon-Avon is famous as the birthplace of William Shakespeare. 

44. Tuscan cathedral city south of Florence: SIENA.

45. [Theme clue]

49. Body art, briefly: TAT.  Short for tattoo.

50. Playground structures that challenge balance and coordination: LOG ROLLS.  I have never encountered one of these in a playground, so I was a little surprised by the answer.

Log roll

54. OPEC units: BARRELS.

58. Fish eggs: ROE.

59. "You've got mail" ISP: AOL.  Dial-up Internet Service Provider America OnLine used to announce new email with a voice greeting, “You've got mail!”  The dial-up service and greeting were discontinued in September 2025, although AOL still provides email service.

60. Stack starter in solitaire: ACE.  Never learned to play.  You?

61. [Theme clue]

64. Lingerie top: BRA.  Baby boomers like myself learned from our mothers to keep our bras hidden, and never to mention them in mixed company.  But what was once hidden has gradually been revealed, and it's hard to say whether the change started as a popular movement or was dictated by designers.

Miu Miu Fall 2025

65. British baby buggies: PRAMS.

66. Free-for-all: MELEE.

67. Shrill shriek: EEK.

68. Grabs: TAKES.

69. Sarcastic commentary: SNARK.  DH says that snark is my most endearing quality.  That's good, as it seems to be here to stay.

Down:

1. Daily planner entries: Abbr.: APPTS.  Appointments.

2. San Francisco mayor Daniel: LURIE.  Daniel Lurie was born and raised in San Francisco, where he serves as mayor.  He is an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune through his stepfather.  Mr. Lurie earned a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Berkeley, and prior to becoming mayor, organized private philanthropic organizations.  He takes only $1 per year in mayoral salary, and focuses his efforts on affordable housing, a larger and more responsive police force, clean streets, and government accountability.

Daniel Lurie

3. Singer Turner's rock memoir: I, TINA.  Published in 1986, I, Tina: My Life Story became a worldwide best-seller and led to the 1993 film adaptation What's Love Got to Do with It, starring Angela Bassett as Turner.

4. Clic Stic pen brand: BIC.

5. Result of a leaking 4-Down, perhaps: INK MARK.

Put a rag under the stain and spray or blot it with rubbing alcohol.
If it doesn't disappear, apply Amodex and launder as usual.

6. Kansas City baseball team: ROYALS.

7. Swiss peak: ALP.

8. Pest on a pet: FLEA.  Did you know that a flea circus was a circus sideshow in which fleas were attached to miniature carts and other items, and made to perform within a enclosure?

9. Aunts, in 26-Down: TIAS.

10. Humorless: SERIOUS.

11. Orchard growth: FRUIT TREE.

12. Be worthy of: EARN.

13. The "Z" of ZIP code: ZONE.  The United States Postal Service introduced the Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) code system in 1963.

18. Brick that's painful to step on: LEGO.

Notoriously painful experience.

23. Convent figure: NUN.

25. Supply-and-demand subj.: ECON.  Economics.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer.

26. Bad Bunny's native language, in his native language: ESPAÑOL.  Español is the Spanish word for Spanish, which is Bad Bunny's native language.

In case you couldn't follow his lyrics en Español,
Bad Bunny put a message in English on the board at the Super Bowl.

29. URL ending: COM.  A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a web address.  The letters after the final period are a "domain suffix," commonly .com for commercial websites, .org for organizations, and .edu for colleges or universities.

30. Photo __: some PR events: OPS.  Photo opportunities are often Public Relations events.

31. Reddish speckled horse: ROAN.

32. Green Jedi Master: YODA.

33. "__, Brute?": ET TU.  Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar depicts Caesar's last words as "Et tu, Brute?" which translates to "You too, Brutus?"  Today, a person might say "Et tu, Brute?" after realizing a close friend or ally has betrayed them.

Et tu, Brute?

34. Microwave sound: BEEP.

35. Racking up victories: ON A STREAK.

39. MinuteClinic drugstore chain: CVS.  CVS is the dominant drugstore chain in Los Angeles.

40. Biodegrade: ROT.

41. Kermit's greeting: HI HO.

43. Have a go at: ATTEMPT.

44. Hollers with fright or delight: SCREAMS.

46. AirPod holder: EAR.

47. Swampy area: MORASS.

48. Awestruck: AGOG.

51. Undefeated boxer Ali: LAILA.

Laila with her famous father, Muhammad Ali

52. Solitary sort: LONER.

53. Smooth and shiny: SLEEK.

54. Sweetie: BABE.

55. 43,560 square feet: ACRE.

56. "__ Croft: Tomb Raider": LARA.

57. Mt. Rushmore's st.: S. DAK.  Some folks defaced a mountain in South Dakota and got away with it.  Oh, wait.  They didn't DEface it.  There doesn't seem to be a verb for putting faces on it.

It looks dramatic in this photo, but quite silly from a distance.

62. Marseille Mrs.: MME.  Stands for "Madame."

63. School of Buddhism: ZEN.

Here's the grid:

Solvers, how was your first ATTEMPT at solving the LA Times crossword this week?

Think you're ON A STREAK for the week?  Or did you suffer an UPSET already?

Either way, don't be a LONER!  Join us in the comments and PUT IN your two cents!

-- NaomiZ

Sunday May 3, 2026 Ben Wildman-Tobriner & Shaun Phillips

 Theme: "PERIODIC UPDATES" - The chemical element in each common phrase is replaced by its periodic table symbol. 

 22. Upside found periodically in a bad situation?: AG LINING. Silver lining. 

29. Queen singer played periodically by Rami Malek?: FREDDIE HG. Freddie Mercury. 

46. Cary Grant film that airs periodically on classic movie channels?: AS AND OLD LACE. Arsenic and Old Lace

41. Baking ware that's only used periodically?: MUFFIN SN. Muffin tin. 

96. Dickens novel that's only read periodically?: DAVID CUFIELD. David Copperfield. 

100. Perfect stand-up material performed periodically?: COMEDY AU. Comedy gold. 

115. Hairstyling device applied periodically?: CURLING FE. Curling iron.

124. Periodically prone to breaking the speed limit?: PB-FOOTED. Lead-footed. 

Reveal:

 69. Advantage in some situations, or an alternate title for this puzzle: ELEMENT OF SURPRISE.

This is a very straightforward symbol substitution theme. The constructors probably spent more time on the theme cluing then finding the theme set. 

Constructor Ben Wildman-Tobriner is also an Olympic swimmer. See this Wikipedia page.  He won a gold medal as part of the world-record 4x100 freestyle relay, one of the most exciting relays ever.  In the heats, he swam alongside Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, and Matt Grevers. Adrian and Jones also swam in the final, along with Michael Phelps and Jason Lezak. 

Across:

1. Cheerful: GLAD.

5. Wrigley product: GUM.

8. Ocean liner?: COAST. Literally. 

13. Brazilian coins: REALS.

18. Govern: RULE.

19. Inspired by: A LA.

20. Per __: CAPITA.

21. Kaitlin of "High Potential": OLSON. She also voiced the whale shark Destiny in "Finding Dory".

24. On the wrong path: ASTRAY.

25. Shelter org.: ASPCA.

26. __ turtle: SEA.

27. Fills with love: ENAMORS.

31. "Come on now!": PSHAW.

33. In the past: EARLIER.

35. Takes a rideshare: UBERS.

36. MLB stat: RBI.

38. Flavor of many a bright green martini: SOUR APPLE.  Granny Smith is the only sour apple I can think of.

51. Due-in hr.: ETA.

52. Parroted: ECHOED.

54. Swimmer's wear: CAP.

55. Midsize car: SEDAN.

56. Word: TERM.

58. Clutched: HELD.

59. Must pay: OWES TO.

62. Pagoda instrument: GONG. You can visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, very close to my childhood home. 

63. Fancy tie: ASCOT.

65. Tyler of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?": AISHA.

67. Anise aperitif: OUZO.

75. Beauty aisle brand: OLAY. Been into CeraVe the past few years. 

76. Dorm digs: SUITE.

77. Coins of the realm?: PENCE.  Kingdom "realm".

80. Basketball stuff: DUNK.

83. Civil rights icon Mandela: NELSON.

86. Olaf's creator in "Frozen": ELSA.

89. Udder part: TEAT.

90. Physicist Newton: ISAAC.

92. __ Quixote: DON.

93. Bee keeper: APIARY.

95. "Rocky III" actor: MR T.

102. Portrayal: DEPICTION.

104. "What a treat!": YAY.

105. "All the Light We Cannot See" novelist Anthony: DOERR. He won a Pulitzer Prize for the book. 

108. Perseveres with: KEEPS AT.

111. Warms: HEATS.

118. Like tiramisu and cannoli: ITALIAN.

120. Letter before sigma: RHO.

121. Desert near the Sinai Peninsula: NEGEV. Abraham lived in and moved through the Negev.

122. Victory celebration: PARADE.

126. Elevator stop, in Paris: ETAGE. French for "floor".

127. Fit to be farmed: ARABLE.

128. Chart topper: HIT.

129. Rae who plays President Barbie in "Barbie": ISSA.

130. Broadway awards: TONYS.

131. Bristlelike grippers on gecko feet: SETAE. Learned from doing crosswords.

132. Batteries in some remotes: AAS.

133. Soapmaking supplies: LYES.

Down:

1. Clutch: GRASP.

2. Olympic sleds: LUGES.

3. God of Islam: ALLAH.

4. Agnus __: DEI. Lamb of God.

5. Choice when the Tide runs out?: GAIN. Detergent. 

6. Lower arm bones: ULNAE.

7. Pre-eruption lava: MAGMA.

8. Conspirator in "Julius Caesar": CASSIUS.  He was the brother-in-law of Brutus. There are total 60 conspirators. We also have 79. "Not you too!": ET TU.

9. Go (for): OPT.

10. Carrier whose primary hub is Charles de Gaulle: AIR FRANCE.

11. Headliner: STAR.

12. Diggs of "All American": TAYE. He was married to our crossword regular Idina Menzel for many years. 

13. Surfaces that hold tracks and ties: ROADBEDS.

14. Borden mascot: ELSIE.

15. In accordance with: AS PER.

16. Scottish waters: LOCHS.

17. Hiccup: SNAG.

20. Bunch of clowns, maybe: CARLOAD. I like the visual image in this clue.

23. Greenhorn: NEWBIE.

28. RN workplaces: ORS.

30. Boring: DULL.

32. Shelter sound: ARF.

34. Significant stretch: ERA.

37. Inseam unit: INCH.

39. BlackBerrys, e.g.: Abbr.: PDAS.

40. Can opener: POP TOP.

41. Like a movie making fun of its own plot holes: META.

42. Great Basin people: UTES.

43. Mockery: FARCE.

44. __ shed: SHE.

45. Sports podcaster Katie: NOLAN. Wikipedia says she won a Sports Emmy Award in 2016 for her podcast Garbage Time with Katie Nolan.

47. The 587-piece Pok mon Eevee, e.g.: LEGO SET.

48. Big fuss: ADO.

49. "You __ do it!": CAN.

50. Cornwall lang.: ENG.

53. Exchange words?: EDIT.

57. Fifth-largest Hawaiian island: MOLOKAI.

59. "What a treat!": OH FUN.

60. "Now, where __?": WAS I.

61. Team's adjective: OUR.

64. Business card no.: TEL.

66. Only OK: SO SO.

68. Oomph: ZIP.

70. Fellow: MAN.

71. Got the measure of: EYED UP.

72. The Miners of the NCAA: UTEP.

73. Museum piece: RELIC.

74. Syndrome in "The Incredibles," e.g.: ENEMY. He's the archenemy of Mr. Incredible. Learning moment for me.

78. Model Delevingne: CARA.

80. Pulled off: DID.

81. Mex. neighbor: USA.

82. Pt. of USNA: NAV.

84. Lacking sharp sound quality, briefly: LO-FI.

85. Ridicule: SNICKER AT.

87. __ Paulo, Brazil: SAO.

88. Military force: ARMY.

91. Features of PC towers, once: CD DRIVES.

93. Rescue dog, e.g.: ADOPTEE.

94. "Hard pass": YEAH NO.

97. Home of the Large Hadron Collider: CERN. The European Organization for Nuclear Research. Based in Geneva.

98. Summer in la cit : ETE.

99. Go unused: LIE IDLE.

101. Give some shade?: DYE. Ha. I just pluck the white hair if I see one. Often I pluck the wrong strand.  

103. Intel org.: NSA.

105. As a result of: DUE TO.

106. Church instrument: ORGAN.

107. John Milton's "Lycidas," for one: ELEGY.

109. Letter before beta: ALPHA.

110. Lower leg bone: TIBIA.

112. Like many indie films: ARTSY.

113. "If __ walls could talk ... ": THESE.

114. Bar mixers: SODAS.

115. Tech news site: CNET.

116. College figs.: GPAS.

117. Grub: FARE.

119. Times before eves, in classified ads: AFTS. Afternoons.

123. Legal org.: ABA.

125. Snake __: OIL.

C.C.

Saturday, May 2, 2026, Zhouqin Burnikel

Saturday Themeless by Zhouqin Burnikel

The coded grid shows that C.C. had a lot of fresh fill that included delicious looking Asian cuisine. She also seems to have a Kentucky Derby mini-theme on this first Saturday in May. As usual her cluing was amusing without being "too far out there".

                 

Here's what she had to say when I asked her about a mini-theme and American, where she excels, and Chinese slang.

Hi Gary,

Yes, there's a mini theme on the Saturday grid. 

Chinese works quite differently. Much of its richness comes from characters and tonal nuances rather than the kind of wordplay we often use in English puzzles. Mandarin has four tones, while Cantonese has nine, which adds another layer to how meaning is conveyed.

C.C.

The horses are in the chute and ready to run, so let's go!

Across:

1. Branch of Islam that includes Zaydism: SHIA - I only know SHIA and SUNNI so...

5. KJ of "Riverdale": APA - I recognized Riverdale as being the high school from Archie comics which I read in my misspent yute. KJ plays Archie in a CW series.

8. Growing concern?: FARM.

12. Brand with TV ads featuring Garfield: IAMS.

13. Half of all integers: EVENS - This got a chuckle from this math teacher

15. "2 funny": LMAO.

16. Galileo Galilei Airport city: PISA.

17. Place for fans to show support: MERCH BOOTH - Taylor Swift MERCH booths usually set up days before her concerts. It is estimated that her MERCH sales were over $400 M while tickets generated over a billion dollars.

19. Kentucky Derby moniker: RUN FOR THE ROSES and 50. Racetrack with twin spires: CHURCHILL DOWNS This is always decided today, the first Saturday in May

21. Narrow passages: STRAITS - One particular one has been in the news a lot lately 

22. Feature of thioacetone: ODOR.

Yikes!

23. Do groundbreaking work?: HOE.

24. Intake plans: DIETS.

26. "He has my whole heart": I'M HIS - The Spanish version: 62. Part of a basic Spanish conjugation: ERES - ERES el amor de mi vida. (You are the love of my life.) 

30. Brian who scored "The Lovely Bones": ENO.

31. Crumb: IOTA.

32. Patronizing person: CLIENT.

33. APR reducer: REFI.

35. Heading up?: NORTH - On most maps

37. Pop singer Alessia: CARA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

38. Figures in quotes: PRICES.

40. Corner: TRAP.

42. "Corduroy" writer/illustrator Freeman: DON ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

43. Bloom in a fall bouquet: ASTER.

44. Anne who had a recurring role on "The King of Queens": MEARA - Anne is shown after being reunited with her longtime husband and comedy partner, Jerry Stiller.

45. Post __: HOC - A clever example (1:27)

46. Grammy winner Winans: CECE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

48. "My guess is ... ": I ASSUME.

54. Make it big: RISE TO FAME.

55. GPS listings: ETAS.

57. Bean sprout?: IDEA.

58. Stalking cats: PUMAS.

59. Skillful: DEFT.

60. Stretch in office: TERM.

61. Go out for a bit?: NAP 😀

Down:

1. Bit of suction: SIP.

2. Treatments for locks: HAIR TONERS.

3. Positive thinker's comment?: I'M SURE OF IT - A famous example: QB Joe Namath guaranteed his underdog NY Jets would win Super Bowl III over the heavily favored Colts and everyone thought he was crazy. Check out the score.

4. Happy baby, for one: ASANA.

5. Not a fan of: AVERSE TO.

6. Smart-alecky: PERT.

7. Pozole peppers: ANCHOS.

8. Amplifier for tap dancers, perhaps: FLOOR MIC.

9. "Spark" singer Tori: AMOS.

10. Put on a scale, say: RATE - example 11. Scale name: MOHS - A mineral hardness scale seen here often.

13. Pride and joy: EMOTIONS.

14. Storage unit: SHED.

18. Use a salamander: BROIL ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

20. Wall Street's nabe: FIDI.

21. Himalayan ethnic group: SHERPA.

25. __ Tatin: TARTE.

27. Specialist in executive orders?: HEAD HUNTER - If an executive orders you to find a certain employee, "Who Ya Gonna Call?"

28. Temporary repository: IN ROOM SAFE.

29. Position: STANCE.

32. Guessing game: CHARADES - You've got to have some miles on your tires to remember this 50's TV show.

                     

34. Frappe ingredient: ICECREAM.

36. National Park Service handout: TRAIL MAP.

39. Standing upright: ERECT.

41. __ Robles, California: PASO - A GPS can tell the correct RTE to PASO Robles using the right 56. GPS listings: STS. and even your ETA.

44. Rice vermicelli: MEI FUN.

47. Do some kitchen prep: CHOP.

49. Nobel, for one: SWEDE - His final home

50. Brief review: CRITique or CRITIcism

51. "Take cover!": HIDE - We lived pretty close to SAC Air Base and so we did this drill in the 1950's

52. __ error: USER.

53. Priest in "Lost Horizon": LAMA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯