L.A.Times Crossword Corner

May 17, 2026

Sunday May 17, 2026 Matt Revis

Theme: "SEE ZEE SIGHTS!" - See/Zee sound is added to each common phrase, changing spelling as needed.

23. Place to learn about chili peppers?: SPICY MUSEUM. Spy museum.

32. Shearing event held under the big top?: FLEECY CIRCUS. Flea circus.

47. Root for a Calgary franchise?: FANCY THE FLAMES. Fan the flame.

63. Event for people who won't drink Coca-Cola?: PEPSI RALLY. Pep rally.

66. "Gangster Malone takes the bait!"?: BUGSY BITES. Bug bites.

83. Coffee table item in a dollhouse?: TEENSY MAGAZINE. Teen magazine.

95. Where it's hard to keep a secret?: NOSY MAN'S LAND. No man's Island.

109. "Yes, I'll invest in beachfront property in Arizona!"?: PATSY ANSWER. Pat answer.

I've mentioned before how much I admire this type of letter addition theme where spelling changes are involved. These are much harder to construct than straightforward insertions, It requires creativity.

There are also quite a bit of clue echos in this grid. I love these three:

5. "Don't sweat the small stuff": WHY WORRY. 44. "Don't sweat the small stuff": LET IT SLIDE. And 106. Sweat the small stuff, say: FRET. I love these clue echos.

Across:

1. Scattered: STREWN.

7. Georgetown athlete: HOYA.

11. Baking amts.: TSPS.

15. Labor agcy.: OSHA.

19. "Weekend Edition Sunday" host Rascoe: AYESHA. Here she's playing Ping Pong with the Puzzlemaster Will Shortz. We also have 29. "Weekend Edition Sunday" airer: NPR.

20. Smell: ODOR.

21. Neutral color lighter than greige: ECRU. Greige is a blend of gray & beige.

22. To-do: STIR.

25. Shimmery gem: MOONSTONE.

27. Egg maker: HEN. 35. Egg maker: FABERGE.

28. Telegrams: WIRES.

30. Lake near Syracuse, New York: ONEIDA. The largest lake entirely within New York State.

31. Salad bar accessory: TONGS.

38. Tara of "Sharknado": REID.

39. Earring option: HOOP.

40. "Unfortunately ... ": I FEAR.

41. Lucy Van __: "Peanuts" kid: PELT.

42. First number in many countdowns: TEN.

43. Envelope part: FLAP.

51. Unflinching: STEELY. 16. Unflappable: STOIC.

53. Part of a foot: INCH.

54. Countless lifetimes: EON.

55. "The Menu" star Taylor-Joy: ANYA. Super friendly letter combo.

56. More to the point: BLUNTER.

57. Colorful method of data visualization: HEAT MAP.

60. __ Kippur: YOM.

61. Rowing implement: OAR.

62. Secret suffix: IVE.

69. Above, poetically: O'ER.

70. Former U.N. head Hammarskjöld: DAG. Swedish diplomat who died in a plane crash.

71. Listening device?: EAR.

73. Small gears: PINIONS.

74. Assembled in advance: PRE-MADE.

76. Chicken cordon __: BLEU.

78. California wine grape, for short: ZIN. Zinfandel.

79. Bunches (of): A LOT.

82. Triple-A squad in Buffalo: BISONS. Buffalo Bisons are the Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays.

86. Folksy assent: YES M.

87. Square root of cuatro: DOS.

88. Dayton's state: OHIO.

89. Connection points: NODES.

90. Picture of health?: X-RAY.

92. Stefani of No Doubt: GWEN.

93. Most cruel: MEANEST.

100. Game similar to pétanque: BOCCE. Pétanque is a French lawn game. Learning moment for me.

101. "Cool beans!": OH NEAT.

102. Pointer: TIP.

103. "Love Will Find a Way" band __ Cruise: PABLO.

104. Letters on some makeup bottles: SPF.

107. Chaotic swirl: MAELSTROM. Dutch origin.

112. North __ Sea: Central Asian lake: ARAL.

113. Stuff of legend: LORE.

114. Tiff: SPAT.

115. Look for solutions: IDEATE.

116. __ Fifth Avenue: SAKS.

117. Farm females: EWES.

118. Abbey recess: APSE.

119. Din: RACKET.

Down:

1. Window part: SASH.

2. Use keys to enter: TYPE. And 4. F1 neighbor: ESC.

3. Horse rider's strap: REIN.

6. __ rights: sponsorship option: NAMING.

7. Garden coils: HOSES.

8. Poems of 49-Down: ODES. 49. Tribute: HOMAGE.

9. "If I were __ ... ": YOU.

10. Triceps locale: ARM.

11. Home of Arizona State: TEMPE. They have a great swimming program.

12. Leaves char marks on: SCORCHES.

13. Maven: PRO.

14. "Performance is what we do" gas brand: SUNOCO. No Sunoco near me.

15. Air fryer brand: OSTER.

17. Dharma follower: HINDU.

18. Zones: AREAS.

24. Hankering: URGE.

26. Quick cut: SNIP.

29. Composer Rorem: NED.

31. Shows some class, maybe?: TEACHES. Great clue.

32. Mac: FELLA.

33. Resonant chant: LITANY.

34. That way, quaintly: YON.

35. Stereotypical name for a poodle: FIFI.

36. Secret admirer's sign-off: A FAN.

37. Weight training exercise: BENCH PRESS.

38. Slo-mo reviewer: REF.

41. Punishment-related: PENAL.

42. Work together: TEAM UP.

43. Bog: FEN.

45. Advil alternative: ALEVE.

46. Combustible heaps: PYRES.

48. Foursomes: TETRADS.

50. "Butt out!" initials: MYOB. Mind Your Own Business.

51. Bringing down the house: SLAYING.

52. Auto engine booster: TURBO.

56. Part of the former Yugoslavia: BOSNIA.

58. Quinn of "Practical Magic": AIDAN. He was in "Blink" also. Scary movie.

59. Academy newbies: PLEBES.

63. Stop in: POP BY.

64. Spooky: EERIE.

65. Connecticut Ivy: YALE.

67. Thingamajig: GIZMO.

68. Hyper-focused: IN A ZONE.

72. Fame: RENOWN.

75. May honoree: MOM.

77. Led into a theater, slangily: USHED.

80. Change machine inserts: ONES.

81. End-of-unit check: TEST.

83. Place that's all fun and games: TOY STORE.

84. __ and yang: YIN.

85. South American behemoth: ANACONDA.

87. Karate skill level: DAN. Literally "stage". We call it "Duan" in Chinese.

90. Dec. 25: XMAS.

91. Shake up: RATTLE.

92. Word with age or wage: GAP.

93. "__-Dick": MOBY.

94. Cream-filled choux pastry: ECLAIR.

95. "Uncle!," in Spanish: NO MAS.

96. Catherine of "Beetlejuice": O'HARA.

97. Act clandestinely: SNEAK.

98. Whoops: YELLS.

99. Guacamole ingredients: LIMES.

100. Verb in a roast recipe: BASTE.

103. School gps.: PTAS.

104. Letters on an envelope: SWAK. I''ve never actually received an envelope with SWAK written on it.

105. Tennis great Sampras: PETE.

108. Fracas: ROW.

109. Infotainment spot: PSA.

110. Tablet download: APP.

111. Brief moment?: SEC.

C.C.

May 16, 2026

Saturday, May 16, 2026, Karen Steinberg

Saturday Themeless by Karen Steinberg

Karen and David
Steinberg

Hi Gary,

I'm the mom of crossword constructor and editor David Steinberg; I'm also a writer and psychologist, even though in high school math was my favorite subject and an occupational interest test told me I should become a computer programmer (!). As a teenager I solved crosswords in magazines and logic puzzles in books but stopped when I got to college. I didn't start up again until more than 35 years later, when David began constructing.

As for this puzzle, ZILLENNIAL was the seed entry—as soon as I heard the term, I wanted to make a puzzle using it. I listen to many podcasts and watch many (too many!) reality TV shows, so I'm constantly hearing new words and expressions and writing them down. I was lucky that some other good long entries (especially ZETTABYTE and BELLY BUTTON RING) worked well with the grid. Despite all the great new words these days, though, I'm trying to focus more on themed puzzles now. I do have a couple of other themelesses I'm working on too, however, so we'll see which I end up finishing first!

Best,

Karen

On a sadder note, Karen told me that her husband Paul passed away in 2023. Losing someone like Paul is heavy, but there’s something genuinely powerful in what Karen said—“the puzzles go on.” It speaks to continuity, legacy, and probably something they shared deeply as a family.

Karen, Paul and son David had the first
"Family Puzzle" in the NYT on 5/22/22

Across:

1. Studies: GAZES AT

8. Google Play download: APP GAME - Subway Surfers is said to be the most downloaded APP GAME numbering over 3 billion.

15. Woodcutter in a tale told by Scheherazade: ALI BABA.

16. Went by yacht: CRUISED.

17. Navel brass?: BELLY BUTTON RING - Karen supplied a very gettable grid spanner.

19. Patisserie treat: ECLAIR.

20. Cocktail whose color comes from grenadine: PINK LADY.

21. Winter hrs. for most of western Indiana: EST.

22. Relieve (of): DIVEST.

23. "Milk" director Gus Van __: SANT - You may have to blow up the image to see Gus's name below the title.

25. Sector: ZONE.

26. Not discourteous: CIVIL - CIVIL discourse is as desirable as it is rare in some venues

30. The CW predecessor: UPN - United Paramount Network. CW stands for the parent networks CBS and Warner brothers.

31. "Ooh, burn!": ZING - I stuck with DING too long

32. "The Tale of __ Puddle-Duck": JEMIMA - You can get this 1908 first edition for $650.00

33. Winless racehorses: MAIDENS.

35. Apple cultivar that dates to American colonial times: WINESAP - Some say WINESAP apples came to America as seeds from Europe and some say they are native to our country.

36. Euchre kin: ECARTE - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Here it is as an APP GAME

37. Oscilloscope display: WAVE - This Heathkit oscilloscope is the same model I used in my physics classroom for years.

38. Sch. in Athens: UGA - The University of Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, GA have had 11 bulldogs name UGA for their mascot. Here is number 10.

39. Sparked again: RELIT - Grilling in a wind might require this action

40. Connection point: NODE.

41. Barbaro's role in "A Complete Unknown": BAEZ - Monica Barbaro played Joan BAEZ in this biopic about Bob Dylan.

Joan Baez. Monica Barbaro

42. Pyle player: NABORS - Jim NABORS was supposed to be a "one off" character in The Andy Griffith Show but was an immediate hit, became a regular and eventually got his own spinoff series

44. Berkeley, familiarly: CAL.

45. Kodai Senga's signature pitch: FORK BALL - The pitch is thrown with fingers forming a fork around the ball

48. Yoga pose that alternates between arching and rounding the spine: CAT COW.

51. Beyoncé challenge in the song "Energy": EVERYBODY ON MUTE. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

53. Shows some major respect?: SALUTES.

54. Mythical hunter transformed into a stag: ACTAEON ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Google this gruesome story if you must.

55. Cunning: SLYNESS.

56. Lunar event: MOONSET - Today the Moon will rise at about 6:00 am and set at about 7:30 pm. The Moon is in the Waning Crescent phase and will be so close to the Sun that it will be invisible for all practical purposes. My students were always amazed that the Moon is not visible every night.

Down:

1. Kapler who was NL Manager of the Year in 2021: GABE.

2. Obi-Wan player: ALEC - Sir ALEC Guiness played the role in the 1977 Star Wars but said this about it

3. Microgeneration of the 1990s: ZILLENNIAL - The group that spans the gap between Millenials and Gen Z's and a seed entry for Karen.

4. Marketing method: EBLAST - An EBLAST (email blast) is a one-time mass email sent to a large group of recipients simultaneously, often to promote, announce or inform

5. "Just tell me!": SAY IT.

6. Dict. tag: ABBR.

7. __ cross: TAU.

8. On the move: ACTIVE.

9. Tending (to): PRONE.

10. Anticonformist subculture: PUNK SCENE.

11. Some brunch dates: GIRL TIME 😀

12. China setting: ASIA.

13. Make better: MEND.

14. Anxious: EDGY.

18. Halloween prank: T-PING - A leaf blower and toilet paper is a great demo of Bernoulli's Principle

22. Puts on: DONS.

23. Ancient region between the Tigris and Euphrates: SUMER.

24. Quickly: APACE.

25. Niche mag: ZINE - A magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter”.