Sunday Feburary 1, 2026 Katie Hale

 Theme: "EXTRA PADDING" - P is added to each common phrase. 

23. Jaunty coast-to-coast race?: CROSS-COUNTRY SKIP. Cross-country ski. 

39. Arizona running back's evasive maneuver?: CARDINAL SPIN. Cardinal sin.

58. Incomprehensible peace treaty?: A HARD PACT TO FOLLOW. A hard act to follow. 

80. "Sesame Street: Sing the Alphabet," perhaps?: BEST-SPELLING ALBUM. Best-selling album.

99. Painters who specialize in portraits of imps?: SCAMP ARTISTS. Scam artist.

120. "Better not throw a changeup"?: SCRATCH THAT PITCH. Scratch that itch.

You need to read the title as P-ADDING. Very clever. When I first glanced at the title, I thought the letters EXTRA were orderly added to each common phrase. 

A nice variety where P is added to the start, the end and the middle. You can't get free letter fill-ins.

Katie, Patti's assistant, is also a terrific constructor. She's been generous with her time and guidance to all constructors. 

Across:

1. Noise that repeats nine minutes after snoozing: ALARM. The default snooze interval is 9 minutes.

6. Home of the NWSL's Royals: UTAH. The National Women's Soccer League.

10. La __: Italian opera venue: SCALA.

15. Good spot to check for loose change: SOFA.

19. Red __: playground game: ROVER.

20. Bond villain with an underwater lair: DR NO.

21. Islamic dietary standard: HALAL. Opposite of haram.

22. Video game franchise set on ring-shaped worlds: HALO.

26. Shiraz's land: IRAN.

27. Attached with thread: SEWED ON.

28. Cassowary relative: EMU.

29. Tried something new: HAD A TASTE. Have you had hōjicha tea before?

31. Tic-__-toe: TAC.

32. Scrapping: AXING.

34. Legitimate: LICIT.

35. Relax completely: BLISS OUT.

44. "Good to go!": A-OK.

45. American short story writer Bret: HARTE.

47. Padre's hermana: TIA. Father's sister.

48. Shot administrator: NURSE.

49. Hosted, for short: MCED.

51. Skewed view: BIAS.

53. "Licorice Pizza" setting: ENCINO. LA area. 

57. "Close this program" key: ESC.

62. __ it up: YUK.

63. Beijing money: YUAN. Here's one Yuan. My dad's salary was 49 Yuan ($8) per month for a long while. I learned to take care of my clothes at an earlier age, as we didn't get new clothes until the Chinese New Year.

64. "Oh boy": MAN.

65. Midflight info: ALT.

66. "What difference __ it make?": DOES.

67. Tidy up: CLEAN.

69. Turned off?: WENT BAD. And  72. Gets even?: IRONS. Fun clues.

74. "__ she blows!": THAR.

75. Arriving soon: DUE.

77. Vegan milk choice: OAT. Grew up drinking soy milk. 

78. Years, in Italian: ANNI.

79. Bowl edge: RIM.

87. "Midsommar" director Aster: ARI.

88. Photoshop tool: ERASER.

89. Absence: LACK.

90. Time long past: YORE.

91. Latest fad: MANIA.

93. Year divs.: MOS.

95. Maldon and Himalayan pink: SALTS. Never tried Himalayan pink salt.

98. In the past: AGO.

104. Beef stroganoff, e.g.: MEAT STEW.

106. Romantasy novelist __ J. Maas: SARAH. She wrote the "Throne of Glass" series.

107. "__ been warned": YOU'VE.

109. Co. founder's second title, often: CEO. Not co-founder. Company founder.

110. Literary 1-Down: PLOT LINES. 1. Characters' journeys: ARCS.

114. Cocktail shaker noisemaker: ICE.

115. Tubes: TEEVEES.

119. Actor Liu: SIMU.

123. Blueprint detail: SPEC. This P is the only non-theme P in the grid. 

124. Rock opera by The Who: TOMMY.

125. Chemist's building block: ATOM.

126. __ de tigre: ceviche marinade: LECHE. Tiger's milk.  Google result: "Leche de Tigre is usually made using lime juice, sliced onion, chillies, salt, pepper and of course the wonderful juices of the fish it helps to marinate. It's sometimes served with the ceviche and sometimes in a separate glass." No milk is involved.

127. Totally flop: TANK.

128. Got going: AROSE.

129. Looks at: SEES.

130. Shared values: ETHOS.

Down:

2. Ancient tales: LORE.

3. Swear: AVOW.

4. Unplugs and plugs back in, say: RESETS.

5. Low-sodium seasoning brand: MRS DASH. I have this bottle.

6. Japanese noodle: UDON.

7. "Ur correct": TRU. Too lazy to add an E.

8. Additional wing: ANNEX.

9. Source of some political gaffes: HOT MIC.

10. A little short: SHY. And 11. Till filler: CASH.

12. Basic compound: ALKALI.

13. Stored up: LAID IN.

14. Fleecy camelid: ALPACA.

15. Acupressure massage: SHIATSU. Literally finger pressure. 

16. Couple of rowers: OARS.

17. London apartment: FLAT.

18. Primo: A ONE.

24. Brown shade: COCOA.

25. Cost: RUN AT.

30. Up to the moment: TIL NOW.

32. Story accessed by ladder, maybe: ATTIC.

33. Sorrow: GRIEF.

35. Iron Bowl team, familiarly: BAMA. Iron Bowl is the rivalry between Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers.

36. Highlands water: LOCH.

37. Malm bed seller: IKEA.

38. __ Outfitters: URBAN.

40. "Pantheon" voice actor Paul: DANO.

41. Target, as for a con: PREY ON.

42. Magazine productions: ISSUES.

43. Bottle parts: NECKS.

46. Words on a Wonderland cake: EAT ME.

50. Wash day appliance: DRYER.

52. Superfan: STAN.

54. Covered (in): CLAD.

55. Sick: ILL.

56. Paying careful attention to: NOTING.

59. With 111-Down, "Illusion" singer: DUA. 111. See 59-Down: LIPA.

60. Insincerely aim to please: PANDER.

61. Using pointe shoes: ON TOE.

66. Fancy mat: DOILY.

67. French president before Sarkozy: CHIRAC. Jacques Chirac (1995-2007). Nicolas Sarkozy (2007–2012). 
 
68. Thin coating: LAMINA.

69. Preps, as a Slip 'N Slide: WETS.

70. Marble, for one: BALL.

71. Mercator projection book: ATLAS.

73. Vaccine molecule: RNA.

74. Amusement park rides: TRAMS.

76. Winners of the first FIFA Women's World Cup: USA. 1991. USA defeated Norway 2-1 in the final in Guangzhou. 

78. Maxi skirt terminus: ANKLE.

80. "Little help here": BE A PAL.

81. Not entirely: SEMI.

82. Like tedious text: PROSY.

83. Start of a classic boast: I CAME. I saw. I conquered.

84. Craft sometimes shaped like a swan: BOAT.

85. Strong impulse: URGE.

86. Mouser's call: MEOW.

92. "Little help here": I'M STUCK.

94. Showing no feelings: STOIC.

96. "Don't play," in music: TACET. Related to tacit.

97. Church topper: STEEPLE.

100. Record label launched by Clive Davis: ARISTA.

101. Deep hatred: RANCOR.

102. Dynamics prefix: THERMO.

103. "An example being ...?": SUCH AS.

105. Part of USSR: SOVIET.

108. Chevy sports car, for short: VETTE.

110. "Hey, can you keep a secret?": PSST.

112. Sign from above: OMEN.

113. __ Club: SAM'S.

115. Scots' bonnets: TAMS.

116. Make a nameplate, perhaps: ETCH.

117. Sound in an empty room: ECHO.

118. Patrick Swayze's "__ Like the Wind": SHE'S.

121. Sheridan of "Mud": TYE. He also starred "Ready Player One"

122. Garden tool: HOE.

C.C. 

Saturday, January 31, 2026, Mark Axel

 Saturday Themeless by Mark Axel

My OCD refused to let me give in and I got a hard earned "got 'er done"! The colored grid here shows that Mark had a plethora of unique fill, two 10-letter horizontal stacks or three,  two vertical 9-letter stacks of three and two very unique grid spanners. The informal horizontal grid spanner was fun and the impossible vertical one revealed itself one letter at a time.

Across:

1. Orbit City mom: JANE JETSON.

11. Throw (together): SLAP.

15. Home page?: AMAZON ECHO - As an iPhone user, I would page SIRI but PC users page ECHO

16. Crop from which the word "luau" originates: TARO - Four-letter Hawaiian food, what else?

17. Budget rentals: MOVING VANS.

18. Vegas team: ACES - WNBA

19. Fiber source: BRAN.

20. Nautical adverb: ALEE - In sailing, "ALEE" (or "leeward") refers to the side of the boat sheltered from the wind.

21. Terrarium pet: NEWT.

22. Tennis great who won three consecutive French Opens in the 1990s: SELES - Her first was when she was 16.

24. Boyos: LADS.

26. Sedge-friendly habitat: FEN.

27. "Preach!": SING IT.

30. 2024 LPGA Tour Player of the Year Nelly: KORDA - seen here with another pretty good golfer

32. Donkey: ASS.

35. Casual Japanese expression of thanks: DOMO.

36. Take hold again: REROOT.

37. Start of some casual advice: YOU'RE GONNA WANNA.

40. Big name in boxed mac and cheese: ANNIE'S ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

41. Dish often prepared with Maui onions: POKE - Ahi Hawaiian POKE with Maui onions

42. No. on a store awning: TEL.

43. Profile detail: HOBBY.

44. "Les Misérables" role: JAVERT.

Jean Valjean                       JAVERT

46. Tony winner Hagen: UTA.

47. Nobel Prize subj.: ECON.

49. Satirist Baron Cohen: SACHA.

53. Makes moves: ACTS.

55. Fundamentals: ABC'S.

57. Spiced tea: CHAI  - 

Chai tea, more accurately referred to as 

masala chai ("mixed-spice tea"), is a traditional South Asian beverage made by brewing black tea with a mixture or aromatic spices, milk and sweetener. While "chai" simply means tea in Hindi, in the West, it has come to represent this specific, spiced, and often creamy drink. You're welcome.

58. Home of NYC's Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art: SOHO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  It mainly collects, preserves and exhibits visual arts created by LGBTQ artists or art about LGBTQ+ themes, issues, and people.

59. "Forgive the imposition ... ": I HATE TO ASK.

62. Like many intramural leagues: COED.

63. Streaming accessory with a purple tag: ROKU REMOTE - I was stumped until I looked down in my hand.

64. "M*A*S*H" star: ALDA - One episode of M*A*S*H featured three ALDA's: Alan, his half-brother Antony and his dad Robert

65. Period of unchecked criticism: OPEN SEASON.


Down:

1. Vertical supports: JAMBS - The meaning of “door jamb” literally comes from the French word jambe, which means “leg” - a fitting name, since the jambs support the door like legs.

2. Italian endearment: AMORE - Cue Dean Martin...

3. Part of NCIS: NAVAL - NAVAL Criminal Investigative Service was a star vehicle for Mark Harmon and has engendered many spinoffs 

From Season One 2003

4. Some mags: EZINES.

5. "Garfield Minus Garfield" character: JON - JON Arbuckle

6. Lang. of Sierra Leone: ENG - The “official” language of Sierra Leone is English, but most of the population here can’t speak it. This is a nice allegory displaying how disconnected the government’s policies are from how people live here. Speaking English is a sign of wealth and aristocracy, and the locals will speak (usually poor) English to display their high level of education. You're welcome.

7. Maker of Tirra Sport hiking sandals: TEVA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

8. Pajeon or cong you bing: SCALLION PANCAKE ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Pajeon (Korean) and Cong You Bing (Chinese) are both savory scallion pancakes. Pancake filled in and then I got SCALLION letter by letter.

9. "Look at that!": OH NEAT - OH SNAP was my first choice.

10. Edged (out): NOSED.

11. Fervent supporter, informally: STAN - Fervent supporters can be undesirable. STAN is a portmanteau for STalker and fAN. Yikes!

12. Like some natural wigs: LACE FRONT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  It had to fill itself in 

13. "Anything else?": ARE WE DONE.

14. After birth: POST NATAL.

23. Subtle disapproval: SIDE EYE.

25. Kebab need: SKEWERS.

28. Eggy quaffs: NOGS.

29. Del Monte's Pinkglow pineapple, e.g., for short: GMO.

31. __ pro nobis: ORA - Pray for us

32. Brew in some healing ceremonies: AYAHUASCA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  From the Amazon region

33. Totally uncalled-for: SO NOT COOL.

34. Went for the bronze: SUNBATHED 😀

36. Part of a fall clearance event: RAKE 😀 A fun clue/fill

38. Rack unit: RIB 😀

39. Native American Heritage Mo.: NOV.

44. Change positions often: JOB HOP - A former relative has been dismissed by every architect firm in Lincoln 

45. Toyota pickup: TACOMA - The TAC in Seattle's SEATAC airport

48. Capital north of Memphis: CAIRO - Uh, that's not Tennessee 

50. "We adore __ because we love to produce order": M.C. Escher: CHAOS - This picture hung in the front of my room for years.

51. Can't refuse: HAS TO - Steve Martin in the wonderful movie Parenthood

52. Singer whose fans are called Claymates: AIKEN.

54. __ bread: SODA - Uses baking SODA instead of yeast

56. Floor: STUN.

60. Backpedaling sounds: ERS - ER, what I meant to say was...

61. "Fore!" site: TEE - Still at least two months away. My former partner has about given up the game and so I get to play league with a new person.