Saturday, September 19, 2026, Kyle Dolan

 Saturday Themeless by Kyle Dolan

My 26th puzzle by Kyle was a shock to my eyes when I saw the clusters of the blocks on the edges. For those of you who know me, you can understand why CAPE CANAVERAL was a sitting duck for this NASA guy. The other long fills were very "gettable" and helpful but in his usual "not so fast" manner, he planted some twisted clues out in the middle!

I'll point out some of my issues below. 

Kyle was kind enough to write this:

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your note. Glad you enjoyed the puzzle and found that CAPE CANAVERAL resonated with you. I was motivated to see what I could do with a themeless grid of this type of pattern (which I think of as "S-shaped"). Curious to see what solvers think of it!

Best,

Kyle

Across

1. Amateurs who are known to make waves: HAM OPERATORS - In the opening scenes of Contact, young Ellie Arroway (played by Jena Malone) was a HAM OPERATOR. Jody Foster played Ellie as an adult.

13. Place where flights are astronomical: CAPE CANAVERAL - KSC and CAPE CANAVERAL sit adjacent to each other.

14. Meet-cute genre: ROMANTIC COMEDY - ROM COM leapt to my mind and then I saw I had to spell it out.

15. Piglike herbivores: TAPIRS - Mom and calf at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. Baby has jungle camouflage.

16. Female kangaroo: DOE.

17. Need for constructing some temporary buildings: PAIL. 😀

18. Great Lakes fish: SMELT.

19. Cause of a mass movement?: FORCE 😀 I taught this a few hundred times!

21. Handmade letters: DIY.

22. Sense of gloom: PALL  - Name that poem! (*Answer at the bottom)

 

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A PALL-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

23. Losses: DEFEATS.

25. Business with a relaxed dress code?: SPA 😀

26. Award-winning Netflix series about conflict: BEEF ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

27. Seehorn of "Pluribus": RHEA - In Better Call Saul, Rhea's character Kim stayed with Saul no matter what idiocy he pulled.

29. Pending: ON HOLD - The biggest VB crowd in Illinois history showed up to see #1 Huskers play in Wrigley Field. After 15 minutes of play, the coaches agreed the court was too slick to be safe and so the game was put ON HOLD for 45 minutes and eventually postponed. It may be the death knell for outdoor VB.

 

31. Antique counter: ABACUS 😀

33. Emigre from Kerala, say: DESI - In India and South Asia, desi (pronounced deh-see) means "local", "native" or "indigenous"

34. Bearing: MIEN.

35. Trunk stabilizer: RIB.

37. __ Medal: National Geographic Society honor: HUBBARD - Sir Edmund Hillary received one in 1954 from Dwight Eisenhower.

39. Word with tester or blocker: BETA - One for software testing and one for heart protection 

  
 

40. Jamaican style: SKA - This cwd solver has seen this word it many times but has never heard it played.

43. Classic Times Square lights: NEONS - A big tune for the Drifters, remember?

They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway

They say there's always magic in the air

But when you're walking down that street

And you ain't had enough to eat

The glitter rubs right off and you're nowhere

44. Two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant: KEVIN.

45. Student setting out for the bar?: ONE L.

47. Reward for a sacrifice, at times: RBI - Can be accomplished with a long fly ball or a short bunt

48. "Farewell": SO LONG.

49. Solar-powered lighting?: AURORA BOREALIS - When I was in Central Saskatchewan the northern lights were high in the sky and brilliant every night!

52. One whose digits are shielded: PRIVATE CALLER - If I see "Unknown Caller", ain't answerin'!

53. Guest spots?: SLEEPER SOFAS - My daughter had one in Lincoln I used during a Classe and don't remember a minute of rest.

Down:

1. Mark visible on many planets: HAMIL 😀 - Kyle!

2. To pieces: APART.

3. __ rea: MENS.

4. Fall Classic mo.: OCT - The World Series in OCT meant: 1) Day baseball games with long shadows, 2) Black and white TV. 3) Sneaking a transistor radio into class.

5. Was worth it: PAID OFF.

6. Program extension: ENCORE.

7. Furniture for a kid who's growing up fast?: RACE CAR BED 😀

8. Versatile fruit, for short: AVO - AVOcado 

9. Coverage resource: TEMP - We substitute teachers are really admired because we take coverage responsibility away from regular teachers. 

10. Water : naiad :: mountain : __: OREAD ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Nymphs of the water and nymphs of the mountains

11. Spoke multiple times?: RADII 😀

12. In a foxy way: SLYLY.

13. Ballet dancer Misty: COPELAND - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I wonder if she's ever had a cheeseburger 

14. New York/New Jersey's __ Mountains: RAMAPO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  - 42 miles from "Where the neon lights are bright" 

15. Recipe amts.: TSPS.

19. Doomscroller's milieu: FEED - Once you get on a negative FEED, the sites will just keep coming for you.

20. "__ Frome": ETHAN - a 1911 novella by American author Edith Wharton. It details the story of a man who falls in love with his wife's cousin and the tragedies that result from the ensuing love triangle.

23. Do some peer review, legally?: DELIBERATE - Wow, Kyle! A jury of your peers must DELIBERATE in your legal matter 😀

24. Triple __: SEC - Triple sec is a clear, sweet, orange-flavored liqueur made by distilling neutral alcohol with dried sweet and bitter orange peels.

26. Mr. Smee in "Peter Pan," e.g.: BOSUN.

28. "Farewell": AU REVOIR.

30. Chuckle sound: HEH.

31. Publicizes: AIRS.

32. Counter protests?: SIT INS - It's hard to believe these needed to happen in my lifetime.

34. Plants whose roots are used to make tapioca: MANIOCS - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Into each puzzle a little learning must occur

36. Complete rapidly, with "out": BANG.

38. Fishing gadget: BOBBER.

39. __ lettres: literary genre: BELLES - Fine letters or beautiful writing. More

40. Daytime fare: SOAPS.

41. Metalworking ridge: KNURL

42. American Eagle Outfitters subsidiary: AERIE.

44. Animal that sleeps 18 to 22 hours a day: KOALA.

46. Robert Indiana sculpture: LOVE.

48. Ego: SELF.

50. Grammy category: RAP.

51. Big name in pasta sauce: RAO - I noticed it on the grocery shelf next to Prego after I saw it in a cwd.

*

Friday, Sep 18th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

 OBI-WANTON

"You don't need to see my Mulligan . . ."

LA Times editor Patti Varol is back again on Friday - this is her fourth that I have blogged in 2026.  Another tack-on theme, with two of the fills grid-spanners, this time adding '-TON' to some common things / phrases, resulting in some punniness, and a 'defining' reveal.  I breezed through today, just one sticky square, and I was on this Patti puzzle wavelength with most of the proper names being in my wheelhouse.  Standard grid, no outlier squares, no circles, thirteen 3LWs, and ten names.  The themers & reveal;

20. Box that's unexpectedly popular?: SLEEPER CARTON

24. Lazy way to soothe hurt feelings?: NO OFFENSE BUT...TON

43. Take tiny crustaceans out for a stroll?: WALK THE PLANKTON

49. Getting heavier, or an apt title for this puzzle: GAINING WEIGHT - in this case, the answers gain a "TON", or about 2000lbs - I, on the other hand, am losing weight.  I did a weigh-in with my trainer last Thursday - the same 190lbs, but down to 26.5% body fat, originally at 43% - Yikes~!  I keep pushing him to feature me in the Big Sky gym "spotlight" email, but everytime I ask, he tells me "when you get to X" - this time, I have to be down to 24% body fat . . . the carrot at the end of the stick . . . 😖

Button Waiton, There'ston Moreton~!


ACROSS:

1. Band: STRAP

Ankle strap shoes

6. Primer lesson: ABCs

10. Printer refills: INKS

14. Provençal sauce: AIOLI - I do the Downs first, so this corner self-filled in the Across

15. Bread from a tandoor: NAAN - common crossword crust

16. Many a techie or Trekkie: GEEK - Dah~!  Not NERD

17. Fruit with a thick rind: MELON

18. Thing that has away with words?: DELETE KEY - I had "I gOt it" crossing, but once that changed, I saw the clever misdirection with 'away', and not "a way" in the clue

22. Raft: SEA - the "other" noun definition, #3 - a large collection or number

23. Fish that's a symbol of Children's Day in Japan: KOI

33. "Wow, nice!": "OH COOL~!" - Twurd(ish)

34. Approach: WAY

35. Rite answer: "I DO." - well, you'd better give the right answer, or . . . 

36. Constant critic: HATER

37. Like fresh nail polish: WET

38. Bridget's daughter in the "Bridget Jones" series: MABEL - never saw it, no clue, IMDb; name #1

40. "Big" and "Bang Bang" singer Rita: ORA - Crossword staple, just about every week now, along with Dua Lipa.  Name #2

41. "Happy now?": "SEE~?"

42. Old Spanish coin: PESETA

47. Scand. land: NORway - part of ScandINAVIA - Geo name #3

48. Routine: ACT

56. One who's in it for the money: MERCENARY

"I care . . ."

57. Nebraska rail hub: OMAHA - Friday cluing, still geo name #4

59. Fun run distance, for short: ONE K - my gym is hosting a 5K in October, or, you can just walk it 

You can sign up here

60. Foil kin: EPEE - Common crossword cutlass

61. Piercing site: NAVEL

62. Aloo mutter ingredients: PEAS

The Wiki

63. Playful growl: RAWR - 21st century crossword fill, meh.

64. __ City: Pittsburgh: STEEL - Football is back~!

22nd & final NFL season, will turn 43 in December

God bless that kind of passion~!

DOWN:

1. Waterston in the American Theater Hall of Fame: SAM - I know him as Executive Assistant DA Jack McCoy from Law & Order - name #5

2. Binds: TIES

3. Craps turn: ROLL - Crap time~?  Toilet roll . . . 🙄

4. Succulent with lace and tiger tooth varieties: ALOE

5. Misses terribly: PINES FOR - nailed it

6. Like llamas: ANDEAN - I tried HUMPED . . . 

The Dalai Lama can be found near 30D.

7. Boxer Max: BAER - Crossword friendly spelling, name #6

8. Course after trig: CALCulus - I did not "get it" in high school, so I "dropped it"

TBH, I finished the year with my worst math grade of "C" which,

ironically, was the part of  the equation I kept getting "wrong"

9. Slip past: SNEAK BY

10. "No need to explain": "I GET IT."

11. "Middle Cyclone" Grammy nominee Case: NEKO - the "K" was an educated guess from the crossing fill; her website - name #7

12. Acute: KEEN - like, say, ones's hearing 

13. Hit high in the air: SKY - think verb, not noun

19. Pants, slangily: TROUsers

21. Spa treatment: PEEL - Dah~!  Not PEDI

24. Emphatic refusal: NO HOW - I had NO WAY to start

25. Catherine of "The Studio": O'HARA - name #8

26. Eight-related: OCTAL

27. Rival: FOE

28. Clear the cobwebs, say: SWEEP

29. Down: EAT - SAD~? Nope.  OUT~? Nope.  Ah, that kind of down . . .

30. Bhutan neighbor: TIBET - or Nepal~?  I guessed wisely . . . Geo name #9

OK, they're not quite touching, but "neighbors" . . . 

31. Poetic opening: ODE TO

32. "The Odyssey" director: NOLAN - knew it, nailed it, still a name, #10

37. Tiny: WEE

38. Points out: MENTIONS

39. "Fire away": "ASK."

41. Masonic order member in a fez: SHRINER

Or maybe you prefer Steely Dan~?
( I did not realize they were hinting at slang for condom )

42. Fitness app stat: PACE - I am two minutes off from upping my PACE on the Stairmaster to level 6

44. 2026 NBA champions: KNICKS - New York - now if the Rangers could win the Stanely Cup . . .

45. Mood: TONE

46. One who's often going through the motions: LAWYER - I'm filing a motion to supress names in crosswords . . .

49. __ therapy: GENE

50. Sod layer's calculation: AREA - Don't forget, "green side UP."

51. County east of Sonoma: NAPA - Northern California - home to some of our Cornerites

52. Got taller: GREW

53. B-school entry req.: GMAT - B-school = business college, Gradute Management Admission Test

54. Give birth to: HAVE - ooof - I didn't even see this after it filled via perps - "Don't have a cow, man"

55. "Hot Girl Summer" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE - filled via perps, her website, name #11

56. Unruly head of hair: MOP 

Whenever I hear "mop top", I think "The Beatles"

58. 100%: ALL

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.5

Thursday September 17, 2026 Katy Steinmetz

Katy Steinmetz is a poet and she knows it. She should try her hand at songwriting!

(with apologies to Paul Simon)

All of the following themers rhyme a "newsworthy" object with a synonym for a reporter's point of view.

17. Reporter's approach to a story about a bracelet?: BANGLE ANGLE. But this could've been an entertainment reporter's review of a BANGLEs concert...

23. Reporter's approach to a story about a doppelgänger?: TWIN SPIN. ...or a Bee Gees concert.

TWINs born on December 22, 1949

35. Reporter's approach to a story about a male duck?: DRAKE TAKE. ...or a DRAKE concert.

50. Reporter's approach to a story about a picnic pest?: ANT SLANT. ...or an Adam ANT concert.

57. Reporter's approach to a story about a spring bloom?: CROCUS FOCUS. ...or even of FOCUS playing Hocus Pocus. (There also was a rock band in the '80s called KROCUS.) 
 

Well, this one from our bard wasn't hard. Once you gleaned the scheme of the theme (which was after the first one), knowing they all were rhymes made it easy peasy. And with five of them, the rest was pretty much run-of-the-mill fill.

Let's continue from different perspective:

Across:

1. Necklace clasp spot: NAPE.

5. Rather peculiar: SCREWY. I'm not SCREWY, although I may have one loose...

11. Implore: BEG.

14. Tandoor, for one: OVEN. In the '70s, we had a tan door OVEN.

It's called Espresso. Avocado and Harvest Gold were also popular.

15. Sub: HOAGIE. If they're out of HOAGIEs, you can always sub a grinder...but not one from Lowe's!

16. Credit card fig.: APR. Annual Percentage Rate.

17. [theme]

19. Game cube: DIE. Not to be confused with it's bigger sibling.

Nintendo GameCube

20. "Cheap Thrills" singer: SIA. I so wanted ZAPPA instead.

21. Lowe's purchase: TOOL. Try their grinders!

22. Lariat: ROPE. ROPE is in Lowe's aisle 23.

23. [theme]

26. Workers featured in the opening scenes of "Frozen": ICEMEN.

28. Greet someone from a distance: WAVE HI.

29. Gets a rise out of, in a way: LEAVENS. This year, RightBrain challenged herself to make sourdough bread. After several months of trial and error, she's nailed it. Her latest thing is mini-loaves.

Clockwise from top: cinnamon swirl; artisanal plain; everything bagel; strawberry with chocolate chips

30. Spanish "Listen!": OYE. 

31. Soy block: TOFU. A vegan in Maine loves TOFU, but the DMV made him surrender his license plate anyway.

34. Phoenix team: SUNS. The SUNS professional basketball team.

35. [theme]

38. Small jazz combo: TRIO.

40. Provide a fake alibi for, say: ABET.

41. Swelter: FRY.

44. Tap dancer Hines: GREGORY. He is celebrated for his intricate phrasing, cool style, and for reviving tap popularity in the late 20th century.

46. "You're right!": I AGREE.

49. Make changes to: REVISE.

50. [theme]

52. Prayer ender: AMEN. 

53. Lamb wrap with tzatziki: GYRO. A GYRO is usually wrapped in a PITA.

55. Charged particle: ION.

56. Tennessee athlete, for short: VOL. The University of Tennessee Volunteers.

57. [theme]

61. Before, in old poetry: ERE.

62. Compilation: DIGEST. Such as Reader's DIGEST. I haven't seen one in years, but print subscriptions are still available.

63. Subway Series squad: METS. The local rivalry of the New York METS vs. the New York Yankees.

64. Acid letters: LSD. I was given a hit of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in college, but I dropped it.

65. __-sense: SPIDEY. SPIDEY-sense refers to an early warning of immediate danger before it happens, as evidenced by Peter Parker aka Spiderman.

66. River through Flanders: YSER. YSER flows in French Flanders, the north of France.

Down:

1. San Francisco's __ Hill: NOB. NOB Hill is a posh historic neighborhood overlooking San Francisco.

I don't mean to brag, but I live near Nob Hill (Road).

2. Janelle's "Abbott Elementary" role: AVA. Janelle James plays principal AVA Coleman.

3. Deep in thought: PENSIVE.

4. Tuneup target: ENGINE. I wanted GUITAR, of course. 😉 I never had a Ric 12-string, but while it's an engineering marvel, it looks daunting to tune up.

Rickenbacker 360/12 headstock

5. "__ sells seashells ... ": SHE. "I have the world's largest collection of sea shells. I keep it scattered on beaches all over the world. Maybe you've seen it." Steven Wright

6. Tropical ring-tailed mammal: COATI. A COATI is a member of the raccoon family and is native to South America.

7. Built one's campaign around: RAN ON.

8. Breakfast brand: EGGO. Crossword constructors will never leggo EGGO because its contains such common letters.

9. Country great Nelson: WILLIE. We should all chip in and buy him a new guitar.

WILLIE Nelson and "Trigger"

10. "__-haw!": YEE. I wanted HEE-Haw because of another country great, Roy Clark.

Roy's playing a Gibson Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty"

11. Sign of trouble: BAD OMEN.

12. Camp nurse's supply: EPIPENS.

13. Salad leaves: GREENS.

18. Mascara target: LASH.

22. Variety show: REVUE.

23. Wee hour: TWO. As we learned a week ago, TWO may also be the wee-wee hour.

24. Modus operandi: WAY. Per the Mandalorian, "This is the WAY."

25. 53-Across bread: PITA. Although a GYRO may be served on a platter.

27. Champagne barrel: CASK.

29. Mandolin kin: LUTE. For comparison to Roy's, here's a pic of my blonde Les Paul Custom, a distant cousin of a LUTE.

20th Anniversary model from 1974 aka "the Fretless Wonder"

32. "... Fine.": OKAY.

33. Shortest mo.: FEB. My oldest son was born on February 28th of a leap year, just hours before not having a birthday very often. 

35. "Dinner is served!": DIG IN.

36. Some big hoppers: ROOS. ROOS is short for kangaroos, even if they're tall. 

37. Fighting: AT IT.

38. Small quakes: TREMORS.

39. Took deep pleasure (in): REVELED.

41. Three-time Best Actress Oscar winner McDormand: FRANCES. She also won a fourth Oscar for Best Picture as producer of Nomadland.

42. Driver's "Star Wars" role: REN. Adam Driver plays Kylo REN in the Star Wars franchise, but he never met a Mandalorian. 

43. Up to today: YET.

44. Rough road surface: GRAVEL.

45. Fix, as a tennis racket or golf club: REGRIP.

47. "Yeah, right!": AS IF.

48. Down in the dumps: GLOOMY.

50. Like an eyebrow: ARCED. I'd rather have ARCHED.

51. Pointless: NO USE.

54. Asana expert: YOGI. If you do it right, you won't have boo-boos. 

57. LP successors: CDS. Kids ask me, "What's an LP?" I tell them they came before CDs. "What's a CD?"

58. Farm pen: STY. 

59. Great Basin native: UTE. 

60. Georgia, once: Abbr.: SSR. This Soviet Socialist Republic was part of the Soviet Union from 1921 to 1991.

Be good. RB