Tuesday, July 28, 2026 Kevin Shustack

Spy vs. Spy.  During the Cold War, the concept of a saboteur changed from traditional physical destruction of factories and bridges to high-stakes espionage, covert operations, and behind-the-lines disruption carried out by elite military units and secret intelligence defectors.

19-Across. "Gravity's Rainbow" novelist: THOMAS PYNCHON.  Spy.  Gravity's Rainbow is a 1973 novel that takes place at the end of World War II.  It's a long and intimidating novel that I have never felt the desire to read.

24-Across. Art technique also known as French embossing: GLASS ETCHING.  Asset.  An asset is a person who provides secret information or help to an intelligence organization.  An asset is not a regular employee of the spy agency, but rather an outsider who is managed or paid to gather secrets.

45-Across. Act with chivalry: BE A GENTLEMAN.  Agent.

And the Unifier:

53-Across. Psychological cause of personal failure, or a feature of 19-, 24-, 38-, and 45-Across: INNER SABOTEUR

Here's the Grid:

What other assets are found in today's puzzle?

Across:

1. Ginger cookie: SNAP.  Yummers!  According to the Museum of the American Revolution, Gingersnaps were named from the German or Middle Dutch word snappen, meaning "to seize quickly."

5. Cyan shade: AQUA.  Hand up if you first tried Blue.

9. Oven setting: BAKE.

13. Document with an executor: WILL.

14. Coffee cups: MUGS.

15. Speaks foolishly: JIVES.

16. Drag Defense Fund org.: ACLU.  As in the American Civil Liberties Union.  It has been around for over 100 years.

17. Frying liquids: OILS.

18. Get down __ knee: ON ONE.

22. Tuned to, as a radio dial: SET AT.

23. Chapel Hill sch.: UNC.  As in the University of North Carolina.

32. On the house: FREE.

35. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion: LAHR.  Although it was in many movies, Bert Lahr (né Irving Lahrheim; Aug. 13, 1895 ~ Dec. 4, 1967) is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz.

36. Everglades wading bird: HERON.  Herons can be found all along the Gulf coast, not just the Florida Everglades.

37. Chuckle in a DM: LOL.  Textspeak for Laughing Out Loud.

38. "That's my intention": I PLAN TO.

40. Egg cells: OVA.  A crossword staple.

41. Photo book: ALBUM.

43. Et __: and others: ALIA.  Today's Latin lesson.  This phrase, which means And Others, is often abbreviated to Et Al. because the addition of the last 2 letters of alia is too much to write.

44. Med school subj.: ANAT.  As in Anatomy.

48. Energizer size: AAA.   A crossword staple.

49. Stuffed grape leaf: DOLMA.  Yummers!  Eastern Mediterranean food.

58. Pop icon Lauper: CYNDI.  Cyndi Lauper (née Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper; b. June 22, 1953) was big in the 1980s.  She is known for her flamboyant style, catchy songs, and four-octave vocal range!

Taylor and Cyndi

60. Irish currency: EURO.  The Irish Euro features the Celtic harp.

61. "Don't __ me, but ... ": HATE.

62. Diet food phrase: NO FAT.

63. MC or Visa alternative: AMEX.

64. Like the score at the start of overtime: EVEN.

65. Midday: NOON.

66. Little bouquet: POSY.

67. Take it easy: REST.

Down:

1. Slaps (at): SWATS.

2. Wall recess: NICHE.

3. Portion out: ALLOT.

4. Bird's feathers: PLUMAGE.

5. Singer-songwriter Tori: AMOS.  Tori Amos (née Myra Ellen Amos; b. Aug. 22, 1963) is a classically trained musician.  She was a child prodigy and entered the the Peabody Institute's preparatory division at five.

6. Witty remark: QUIP.

7. Not easy on the eyes: UGLY.  The Jamaican tangelo is probably better known as the Ugli fruit.

8. Org.: ASSN.  An Organization may also be an Association.

9. Juliette of "The English Patient": BINOCHE.  Juliette Binoche (b. Mar. 9, 1964) is a French actress who has starred in many films.  She was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing a nurse in 1996 film The English Patient. 

10. Cosmetics giant that started as the California Perfume Company: AVON.  Ding Dong!  The Avon Company got its start in 1886.

11. "Jazz" documentarian Burns: KEN.  Jazz is a deep-dive documentary look into the origins of this music genre.  Ken Burns (né Kenneth Lauren Burns; b. July 29, 1953) has created numerous historical documentaries and television series that generally chronicle US history and culture.

12. WNW's opposite: ESE.

15. Sulu player in recent "Star Trek" films: JOHN CHO.  John Cho (né John Yo-han Cho; b. June 16, 1952) was born in Seoul, Korea.

20. Hartsfield-Jackson airport code: ATL.  This airport in Atlanta, Georgia is a hub for Delta.  It is one of the busiest airports in the world.  Whenever I fly, I usually end up going through Atlanta. 

21. Use scissors on: CUT.

25. Swiss peak: ALP.

26. Ritual prayer of Islam: SALAT.

27. "We __ Overcome": SHALL.

28. "Ghostbusters" actor Hudson: ERNIE.  Although he has been in a number of films, Ernie Hudson (né Earnest Lee Hudson; b. Dec. 17, 1945) is best known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters.

29. Word after curling or waffle: IRON.

30. __ Scotia, Canada: NOVA.  Nova Scotia is one of the maritime provinces.

31. Pest in a cloud: GNAT.

32. Extra fat: FLAB.

33. Actor's part to play: ROLE.

34. Actor Idris: ELBA.  It's Sir Elba to you.  Idris Elba (né Idrissa Akuna Elba; b. Sept. 6, 1972) played Stringer in the TV series The Wire.

38. "No fooling": I MEAN IT!

39. Scottish cap: TAM.

42. Kampala native: UGANDAN.

44. One more: ANOTHER.

46. "Sorry, laddie": NAE.  Today's Scottish lesson/

47. Stir: ADO.

50. Depart: LEAVE.

51. Silences, as on Zoom: MUTES.

52. "__ you clever!": AREN'T.

53. The 411: INFO.

54. Gather: REAP.

55. Japanese wrestling: SUMO.

56. Greek war god: ARES.

57. Like the Honda Element: BOXY.

58. "The Source With Kaitlan Collins" network: CNN.  Kaitlan Collins (b. Apr. 7, 1992) is an American journalist and news anchor.

59. "__-hoo! Over here!": YOO.

חתולה

This describes my stray cat.  He gets breakfast from the neighbor, then comes to me for more food.

Monday, July 27, 2026, Jay Silverman

Theme:  This puzzle PACKS a punch!

Jay Silverman handles acquisitions and development for media companies, with an emphasis on educational and children's programming.  He also writes crossword puzzles.  Those of you who hate foreign words in your puzzles got lucky today:  Jay studies five languages every day and holds the unofficial 7th place Duolingo streak record for almost 5,000 consecutive days of completing at least one language lesson per day.  Jay enjoys words!  More about Jay Silverman is at www.jay-silverman.com.

Some crossword solvers love a theme that is easily seen and helps with the solve.  Some solvers prefer a theme that is somewhat hidden and comes as a surprise.  Today's puzzle will delight the latter group.  The surprising reveal occurs way down here:

53-Across. Sets of sculpted abs, and what the ends of 19-, 23-, 24-, 36-, 46-, and 48-Across are altogether: SIX PACKS.  Let's look at the *ends* of the listed entries for those SIX PACKS.  Oh, but first, let's look at some SIX PACK abs -- for definition!

sculpted six pack

19-Across. Oktoberfest sausage, informally: BEER BRAT.  BRAT pack was a nickname for a group of young actors who often appeared together on screen in the 1980s:   Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Judd Nelson.

23-Across. Returned home: GOT BACK.  A BACK pack is a fabric bag carried on one's back with the support of two shoulder straps.  School children use back packs to carry books and supplies; hikers use them to carry tents and sleeping bags.

24-Across. Raise a false alarm: CRY WOLF.  A WOLF pack is a family unit of wolves who travel, hunt, and rear pups together.  

36-Across. Soft R&B ballad: SLOW JAM.  JAM pack is a transitive verb meaning to pack tightly or to excess.  If you jam pack your back pack, the zipper may break.

46-Across. Skating hazard: THIN ICE.  An ICE pack is what my 95-year-old mother puts on her knees when she's walked too much.  I thought it might also be an accumulation of ice that melts seasonally, like a snowpack, but apparently not.

48-Across. Market research company often cited in car ads: JD POWER.  A POWER pack is (1) a portable charger for electronic devices, or (2) an adapter that converts household current for lower voltage appliances, or (3) a generator that powers heavy tools, systems, or refrigerated containers.  Yours truly carries the first type on most trips, and adds the second type when traveling to other countries.  The third type is not among my supplies.

Across:

1. Sarcastic ET of 1980s TV: ALF.  Same era, and yet not a member of the BRAT pack.

Alien Life Form

4. School vehicles: BUSES.

9. "That really sticks in my __!": CRAW.  Many bird species have a crop or "craw" in the throat, which is a pouch where food can be temporarily stored for later digestion.  If something hard winds up there, it can be irritating.  When people say, "That really sticks in my craw," they mean something is irritating to them and they find it hard to accept.

13. Laugh syllable: HAR.

14. "Humble" home: ABODE.

15. "Quiet, you!": SHUSH.

16. Blackjack card: ACE.  The ace is powerful in blackjack because it can count as 1 or 11.  A player's goal is to be dealt cards totaling as close to the number 21 as possible without going over.  Since the 10 card and the three face cards all count as 10, if you have an ace in your hand, there are multiple ways to reach 21 with just two or three cards.

Aces, baby!

17. News outlets: MEDIA.

18. Florida city near St. Petersburg: TAMPA.

19. [Theme clue]

21. __ pentameter: IAMBIC.  The most common meter in English poetry, introduced by Chaucer, and cemented into the culture by Shakespeare.  An iambic foot is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.  A line of iambic pentameter is five iambic feet in a row:  da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM.  Or, Shakespeare:  "When I do count the clock that tells the time."

22. Soft murmur: COO.

23. [Theme clue]

24. [Theme clue]

28. Tennis legend Arthur: ASHE.

29. Chest muscles, for short: PECS.  Appearing immediately above the six pack abs pictured earlier.

30. Secondary Insta accounts: ALTS.  Secondary Instagram accounts, called "alts," let you separate your personal profile from a professional one, or use one account for a niche interest.

32. Dog park sounds: ARFS.

35. Feel crummy: AIL.

36. [Theme clue]

38. Deli bread: RYE.

40. Long part of a guitar or a giraffe: NECK.  Or both?

the elusive guitaffe

42. Causes of sorrow: WOES.

43. Solange, to Blue Ivy Carter: AUNT.  Solange Knowles is Beyoncé's younger sister.  Blue Ivy Carter is Beyoncé's daughter and oldest of her three children.  I did not know, did not care, and yet spent way too much time researching and illustrating these luminaries of contemporary pop culture.

Beyoncé and Blue Ivy                         Solange

44. Surrealist Magritte: RENÉ.  Belgian, 1898-1967.

"Attempting the Impossible" by Magritte, 1928

46. [Theme clue]

48. [Theme clue]

51. WSJ competitor: NYT.  Wall Street Journal vs New York Times.

52. Mended, as socks: DARNED.  Darning is a sewing technique used to repair holes in knit fabrics.

53. [Theme clue]

58. Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie __": AMOUR.  Blind since shortly after his birth in 1950, Stevland Judkins was a musical prodigy who signed with Motown records at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder.  At the height of his career in R&B, soul, and jazz, he used electronic synthesizers to be a one man band.  "My Cherie Amour" reached number 4 on the Billboard pop chart in 1969, and was Wonder's eighth top ten hit.

59. Former "Top Chef" host Lakshmi: PADMA.  Padma Lakshmi immigrated to the U.S. as a child, and worked as a model before hosting Top Chef on Bravo (2006-2023) and her own docuseries, Taste the Nation, on Hulu (2020- ).  She has been nominated for 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, and has written four books, two of which were best sellers.  Padma co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America and is a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador.

Padma Lakshmi

60. Santa __, California: ANA.

61. Promotes heavily: TOUTS.

62. Ink mishap: SMEAR.

63. Bar barrel: KEG.

64. Finishes: ENDS.

65. Leavening agent: YEAST.

66. Bighorn's mother: EWE.

I love ewe, mom!

Down:

1. "Moby-Dick" captain: AHAB.

2. Ruth Bader Ginsburg's collar fabric: LACE.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) was a lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020.  Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court, she argued before the court as an advocate for gender equality and women's rights, and was general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.  

The Notorious RBG, 2016

3. Give away instead of throw away: FREECYCLE.

4. Panda's diet: BAMBOO.

5. Ridesharing rival of Lyft: UBER.

6. __ fountain: SODA.  In my mother's youth, there were dining establishments called soda fountains.  Today, a soda fountain is the machine that dispenses carbonated soft drinks in fast food places.

        old soda fountain                                                       new soda fountain

7. Amend text: EDIT.

8. Salty body of water: SEA.

9. Room: CHAMBER.

10. Ballroom dance from Cuba: RUMBA.

11. Gelatinous dish: ASPIC.  Aspic is a clear, savory gelatin made from meat, poultry, or fish stock.

aspic

12. Wallop: WHACK.

15. Jason of "Hobbs & Shaw": STATHAM.  Jason Statham is an English actor who plays tough or violent characters in action films.  Although he seems to be wildly popular and a bankable star, yours truly has managed to miss all his movies, including the whole Fast & Furious franchise, and the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw.  However, we will credit him with fitting a mini-theme today:

Jason Statham has six pack abs.

20. Competes on the crew team: ROWS.

21. Apple platform: IOS.  Apple’s iOS is the iPhone operating system.

23. Bunsen burner nozzle: GAS JET.  We used a Bunsen burner for something-or-other in high school Biology.  Typical uses are heating, sterilization, and combustion.  I think I would remember combustion.

Bunsen burner

24. Pro who's a master of deduction?: CPA.

25. Harness strap: REIN.

26. Kareem's former team, on scoreboards: LAL.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:  Los Angeles Lakers.  Kareem's former name, on birth certificates:  Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.

27. Bloom: FLOWER.

31. Number of players in checkers: TWO.

33. Rich dessert with a long shelf life: FRUITCAKE.  Fruitcake is made with candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices, and usually soaked in liqueurs or brandy, which helps prevent mold.

Two years old and still ... good?

34. Lip-__: mouth the words: SYNC.

36. Barbecue rods: SKEWERS.

37. Campfire residue: ASH.

39. French summer: ÉTÉ.

41. Pastry hybrids: CRONUTS.

43. Actress Taylor-Joy: ANYA.  Just heard Anya being interviewed by crossword favorite Ayesha Rascoe on NPR about her new Apple TV series, Lucky.  If you ever get a chance to see Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, it's worthwhile.  This one?  We'll see.

45. "Toy Story 3" voice actor Beatty: NED.  Ned Beatty (1937-2021) was an actor (in movies even yours truly has seen!) and voiced Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear in the 2010 Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 3.

Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear and Ned Beatty

47. To some extent: IN PART.

48. Matchmaking platform available in Hebrew: JDATE.  How to meet other members of the tribe when Jews are only 2% of the U.S. population, and 0.2% worldwide?  Meet Jdate, the app for singles seeking long-term, values-based commitments.

49. Comedian Wayans: DAMON.  Damon Wayans performed on Saturday Night Live in the 1980s, on In Living Color (1990-92), and then a series of other TV shows, including the Fox television series Lethal Weapon (2016-2019).  His son Damon Wayans Jr. is following in his footsteps.

The Damon Wayanses

50. Self-satisfied: PROUD.

53. "We're on the __ page": SAME.

54. Bit of inspiration: IDEA.

55. Short holiday?: XMAS.

56. Was sure about: KNEW.

57. Fragrant herb: SAGE.

59. College maj. for an aspiring therapist: PSY.  An abbreviation in the clue calls for an abbreviation in the answer:  that college major is psychology.

Here's the grid:

Solvers,

Did any part of this puzzle stick in your CRAW?  Or cause you WOES?  Or make you PACK it in?

Perhaps, instead, you KNEW all the answers, felt wise and SAGE, and PROUD of your performance!

We are all UBER interested!  Please share your IDEAs in the comments below.

-- NaomiZ