Monday, October 5, 2026, Amanda Cook

WINTER IS COMING!

Today's constructor, Amanda Cook, is Director of Web and Editorial Content for American Composers Forum, which supports creators of new music by connecting them to resources and opportunities. 🎵 Amanda also supports cruciverbalists with new puzzles; this appears to be her fourth in the LA Times.

Today's theme reminded me of the motto of House Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, better known by the title of the television adapation, Game of Thrones -- that motto being "Winter is Coming!"  With the temperature reaching 105°F in Los Angeles this past weekend, the promise that winter is coming seems less dreadful than in the books.

The theme clues and answers are:

16-Across. Playful back-and-forth: WITTY BANTER.  

26-Across. Workstation option since the 1980s: WINDOWS COMPUTER.

44-Across. Ticket pickup location: WILL CALL COUNTER.

59-Across. Time off that may coincide with a new calendar year, or what can be found in 16-, 26-, and 44-Across: WINTER BREAK.  Indeed, there is a BREAK in the word WINTER in the cited answers.  It was very kind of Amanda to put the letters spelling WINTER into circles to help us see the theme.

Across:

1. Tiny trims: SNIPS.

More than a few snips went into this tiny trim.

6. "Tár" Oscar nominee Blanchett: CATE.  In the 2022 film, Cate Blanchett plays a haughty orchestra conductor, whose professional misconduct leads to her downfall.  🎵

10. Jar topper: LID.

13. Art studio stand: EASEL.

14. Chocolate-flavored latte: MOCHA.  I love a little espresso in my hot chocolate.

15. Fuss: ADO.

16. [Theme clue]

18. Church seating: PEW.

19. Messy person: SLOB.

20. Word with ocean or eye: LINER.  Ocean liner and eyeliner -- interesting clue!

21. Skim through: SCAN.

22. Wear away: ERODE.  Late last month, the 550-year-old sea arch formed by lava flows in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park collapsed  -- the victim of erosion and a huge storm.

Hōlei Sea Arch in better times

24. Sprawling property: ESTATE.

26. [Theme clue]

30. Rainbow maker: PRISM.

31. Attempted: TRIED.

32. Bath rug: MAT.

33. Old hoops org.: ABA.  From 1967 to 1976, the American Basketball Association competed with the more established National Basketball Association.  

36. Genetic material: DNA.

37. Polo shirt, e.g.: TOP.

40. Power strip switch: ON OFF.

42. Not exactly, informally: KINDA.

44. [Theme clue]

49. Battery terminals: ANODES.  The anode undergoes oxidation (losing electrons) and sends electrons through an external wire to power a device. 

50. Punchiness: OOMPH.

51. See 58-Across: SHOE.

52. Crown for a prom queen: TIARA.

54. Wanes: EBBS.

58. With 51-Across, dance accessory for Fred Astaire: TAP.

Fred Astaire, dancer extraordinaire

59. [Theme clue]

61. Connecticut Ivy Leaguer: ELI.  A student at Yale University may be called an "Eli," referring to Elihu Yale, an early benefactor of the university.

62. Derive: INFER.

63. Possibly dangerous: RISKY.

64. Cozy burrow: DEN.

65. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR.  Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian composer and conductor.  🎵

66. River mammal: OTTER.  This blogger was absent for three weeks, visiting the UK and Ireland.  On the Isle of Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, DH and I encountered freshwater otters that make daily treks from the hills to the ocean, because food on that island is most plentiful at the shore.  I had never heard of such a thing!

Freshwater otters at the seashore on the Isle of Mull

Down:

1. Does some alterations: SEWS.

2. Place for cuticle oil: NAIL.

3. Analogy words: IS TO.  A puppy is to a dog as a kitten is to a cat.

4. Spots where dogs may sit, lie down, and roll over: PET BEDS.

5. Clever: SLY.

6. Meet over coffee, perhaps: CONNECT.

7. Entr'__: ACTE.  The French word entr'acte is a contraction of the words entre acte ("between acts") and refers to a piece of music performed between two parts of a stage production, or simply an intermission.  🎵

8. Eerie electronic instrument: THEREMIN.  A musical instrument patented by Leon Theremin in 1928, the theremin is controlled without physical contact.  🎵

9. Musical proclivity: EAR.  🎵

10. Affectionate feline: LAP CAT.

11. Brainstorm: IDEATE.

12. Wet blanket: DOWNER.  A person who ruins the fun or enjoyment of others.

14. Some hotel employees: MAIDS.

17. Move like the wind: BLOW.

21. Small earring: STUD.

Hoop with dangle, regular hoop, and stud.

23. Fiction subgenre: ROMANCE.

25. "I didn't quite catch that": SPEAK UP.

26. Typing speed: Abbr.: WPM.  Words Per Minute.

27. 401(k) alternative: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

28. Minor quibble: NIT.

29. Chicago airport code: ORD.  Chicago's O'Hare International Airport uses the code ORD because the airfield was originally named Orchard Field (ORcharD).

34. Not-so-humble bragging: BOASTING.

35. Old gridiron org.: AFL.  From 1960 to 1970, the American Football League competed with the more established National Football League.  The crossing of the defunct ABA and AFL was a WAG (wild ass guess) for this blogger.

37. Feature of many a Wile E. Coyote trap, for short: TNT.  Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are fictional characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons produced by Warner Bros. from 1949 onward.  The hungry coyote tries to kill and eat the road runner through complex schemes and mail order explosives.

38. "__ to Joy": highlight of Beethoven's Ninth: ODE.  The fourth and final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is commonly called the Ode to Joy.  Here's an excerpt (3:41), performed by André Rieu & His Johann Strauss Orchestra:  🎵

39. Golf course standard: PAR.

40. Ye __ Shoppe: OLDE.

41. Pool raft, e.g.: FLOATER.

43. Receive, as a bequest: INHERIT.

44. Squandered: WASTED.

45. Take a deep breath: INHALE.

46. Copy on an email reply: LOOP IN.  When I want to be copied on a string of emails, I ask the recipients to "keep me in the loop."

47. Apple pie-making tool: CORER.

48. Minnesota representative Ilhan: OMAR.  Ilhan Omar has served as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019.

Ilhan Omar

53. Deets: INFO.  "Deets" is short for "details."  "Info" is short for "information."

55. Triumph over: BEST.  In this case, "best" is a verb.  "The experienced chess player hoped to best the young prodigy."

56. Make a cake, say: BAKE.

57. Icelandic dairy product similar to yogurt: SKYR.  Yummy.

59. Nintendo console released in 2006: WII.   The Wii introduced motion-tracking controls, and could recognize gestures, as opposed to just buttons on a controller.  The Wii was also Nintendo's first console with internet connectivity for online gaming.

60. Certain sib: BRO.  "Sib" is short for "sibling."  "Bro" is short for "brother."

Here's the grid:

Dear Solvers,

Huge thanks are due to CrossEyedDave and Anonymous T for blogging Mondays during my absence!

I missed the WITTY BANTER in the comments section, and can hardly wait to CONNECT with all of you again.  So SPEAK UP!

And of course, if you have a NIT to pick with the puzzle, we'll lend you an EAR.

I do want to thank Amanda Cook for all the musical entries 🎵, none of which required me to look up the deets of any pop stars du jour.

-- NaomiZ

Sunday, October 4th, 2026 ~ Zhouqin Burnikel

RANGE OF MOTION

Good morning Cornerites. You got the Big Dash T here coming to you on the Corner's frequency.
Do you copy? Over.

Now y'all respond with "That's a big 10-4 good buddy" and we'll kick off National CB Radio Day just right.

Hi Y'all!
Today we get another beauty from our fearless hostess, C.C.. And this one's a doozy of a thinker - I'm not even sure how she came up with the concept. I'm going to start with the reveal just so the themers make a bit more sense:

106 Down. Wyoming range, or when read as three parts, how the answers to the starred clues were formed?: TETONS.

If you solved this puzzle with no idea of the goings on, consider parsing 106d as "TE" TO "NS" (TE -> NS).

It's really just a two letter substitution puzzle in common phrases turning them whimsical but, it's so cleverly done, I didn't notice until after a brief study post solve.

Let's review the themers:

22. *Motto of a calligraphy enthusiast?: FOR THE LOVE OF PENS. "[Oh,] For the love of PETE" is the common phrase.

34. *Transgressions included in textbooks?: HISTORIC SINS. Many texts omit the SINS of the winners 'cuz the winners write the history. Proper tellings include those SITEs' sins.

52. *Devoted followers of painter O'Keeffe?: GEORGIA STANS. Georgia STATE is a .edu but super-fans (STANS) of Georgia O'Keeffe enjoy her suggestive(?) flowers.
 

Flower Abstraction, 1924

71. *Timepiece worn by a "Star Wars" pilot?: HAN'S WATCH. A HATE WATCH is viewing a despised show or movie to mock it. I'm sure they made Harrison Ford remove his wristwatch after the test episode.
// j/k -- HAN was the Pilot of the Millennium Falcon

92. *Dropping hints about the release of a director's cut, perhaps?: TEMPTING FANS. Only true FANS TEMPT FATE & watch the director's cut. Oy! there's a reason those scenes are not in the movie.

107. *Blueprints for a new wardrobe?: FASHION PLANS. A FASHION PLATE is an illustration of a clothing style. I, of course, had to look that up.

123. *Like a sawmill without disposal facilities?: ALL BARK AND NO BINS. LOL! Once the logs are milled with the BITE of the saw, sans BINS, there's nowhere to put the leftover BARK. My fave of the themers. *chefs kiss*

Across:

1. Beauty entrepreneur Elizabeth: ARDEN.

Her WikiP

6. Resort near Snowbird: ALTA.

10. 28-Across flow: [28. Sicilian peak: ETNA] LAVA.

14. Captain with an ivory leg: AHAB. I didn't recall it was ivory.

18. Frisbee maker: WHAM-O.

19. Like samosas and wontons: FRIED.

20. Vein contents: ORES.

21. Spanish "nothing": NADA.

22. [See: Theme]

25. Turning point?: KNOB.

26. Mono- kin: UNI.

27. Brand of kitchen gadgets: OXO.

28. Sicilian peak: ETNA. 10a told us it flows LAVA.

29. Locale for clam diggers: SEASHORE. Beach was too short.

31. Weapon in Clue: LEAD PIPE.

Upper Left

34. [See: Theme]

36. Second chance for a student: RE-TEST. Did y'all ever get these? I had profs that would 2x test you and then give you average of grades but never a "try again, dummy." //oh, I take that back - one prof would give you a second chance but you'd get worst of the two grades - that's so you couldn't boost your score.

38. Canonized Mlle.: STE. A Holy Lady of France.

39. In the style of: ALA.

40. Like much music of the 1990s: ON CD. I was looking for Grunge (#Nirvana) but ON Compact Disc works.

43. Jaguar's roar: VROOM. Har, har.

45. Inexact no.: EST. Estimate

47. Birds similar to crows: ROOKS.

Rook v Crow v Raven

52. [See: Theme]

56. Dessert that may have a lattice crust: PEACH PIE.

Yum!

58. Alfa __: sports cars: ROMEOS.

Obligatory

59. Cause of a quick blessing: SNEEZE. Cute.

61. College official: REGENT. Dean was too short and NCAA Ref too long.

62. Chemical suffix: ENE.

63. Scratchy sound: RASP.

66. Most twisted: WRIEST.

68. Indoor rowers: ERGS.

69. Part of LGBTQ+: GAY. #2 in the list.

71. [See: Theme]

74. Actress Arthur: BEA.

She refused Comicus his Vnemployment Insvrance

75. Video file format: MPEG.

77. Country that borders 14 other countries: RUSSIA.

78. Jekyll's counterpart: HYDE. Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of those two.

80. __-pitch softball: SLO.

83. Off the mark: ASTRAY.

85. Sudden bursts: SALVOS.

88. 46-Down deliverer: [46. Public address: SPEECH] ORATOR.

90. Trial version of a puzzle app, e.g.: GAME DEMO.

92. [See: Theme]

95. Take the wheel: STEER.

Dare ya' to STEER this STEER

96. Hill worker?: ANT. Is a "?" needed?

98. User without an account: GUEST.

99. Small ensemble: TRIO.

100. Assn.: ORG.

102. Hard water?: ICE.

105. Backspace over: DELETE.

107. [See: Theme]

113. Nonconformist: MAVERICK.

James Garner as Maverick

117. Invisible ink?: UV TATTOO. A tat with specialized fluorescent inks that glow brightly under blacklight or UV. Huh, new to me.

118. "This instant!": STAT.

120. Accessory for a fish tank: NET.

121. Versailles monarch: ROI.

122. Rotary phone part: DIAL.

123. [See: Theme]

127. Walking pace: GAIT.

128. Piece in Azul or mahjong: TILE.

129. Patronage: AEGIS.

130. Spanish boys: NINOS.

131. Concludes: ENDS.

132. Sunrise locale: EAST.

133. "Hey, c'mere!": PSST.

134. Like a haunted house: SCARY.

Down:

1. Just terrible: AWFUL.

2. River past Arles: RHONE.

3. Classmate of Beavis: DARIA.

4. AED-trained pro: EMT.

5. Zero chance: NO HOPE.

6. __/ace: LGBTQ+ orientation: ARO.

7. In real time: LIVE.

8. Saw things?: TEETH.

9. Lover of Aphrodite: ADONIS. Greek mythology.

10. Chop (off): LOP.

11. Playground retort: ARE SO.

12. Put on a pedestal: VENERATE.

13. Criticize harshly: ASSAIL.

14. Symbols in Egyptian iconography: ANKHS.

Symbol of Life

15. Capital city that's home to Turtle Tower: HANOI.

It's Turtles All The Way Down

16. Embellish: ADORN.

17. Naive ones: BABES.

19. Series of setbacks, in slang: FLOPERA. A portmanteau of FLOP and OPERA #S***Show

23. Travel permit: EXIT VISA.

24. Like sprinters: FAST.

30. In short supply: SCARCE.

32. Hip-hop pioneer from Compton: DR DRE.

33. Those, in Tijuana: ESOS.

35. Support for a driver: TEE.

37. Little ones: TOTS.

40. Fantasy monster: OGRE.

41. Very bright: NEON.

42. "I need a ride home": COME GET ME.

44. "I'll be!": MAN.

46. Public address: SPEECH. An 88a, ORATOR, delivers these.

48. "I'll be!": OH GEE.

49. Marian Anderson, for one: OPERA STAR I doubt she was in any FLOPs.

Her WikiP

50. "It's Too Late" singer Carole: KING.

51. Scenographer's designs: SETS.

53. Like many horror films: GORY.

54. Genre for Talking Heads: NEW WAVE.

55. Repeated word in a Doris Day classic: SERA.

57. Works in a gallery: ART.

60. Concealer target: ZIT.

64. Moo __ shrimp: SHU.

65. Relay: PASSON.

67. Hesitant around strangers: SHY.

70. Reach consensus: AGREE.

72. Govt. intel org.: NSA. No Such Agency.

This sign made me giggle when I saw it in the 2000's

73. Bank deposit?: SILT.

74. North Atlantic hazard: BERG.

75. GQ and Cosmo: MAGS.

76. Exam for HS jrs.: PSAT.

77. Reuben bread: RYE.

Kenny & Ziggy's Rubin

79. "Stop right there": DONT EVEN.

81. "The Real" co-host Love: LONI.

82. Approximately: ORSO.

84. Deft: ADROIT.

86. "R u kidding!?": OMG.

87. Root veggie: SPUD.

89. Subsequently: AFTER.

91. Flower on Mississippi's state quarter: MAGNOLIA.

Yep, there it is.

93. Swarm (with): TEEM.

94. Christmas and Easter: ISLANDS. Nice misdirection.

97. "__ we meet again": TIL.

101. Take turns: ROTATE.

103. "Mi __ es su ... ": CASA.

104. Catch in a snare: ENTRAP.

106. [See: Theme]

107. Sundae topping: FUDGE.

108. Like swifts, but not Swifties: AVIAN. Cute clue.

109. Prim and proper: STAID.

110. Hits the brakes: HALTS.

111. Matters of opinion?: POLLS.  Nice.

112. Sushi bar bottles: SAKES.

114. Supermodel Shayk: IRINA.

115. "The Weir" playwright McPherson: CONOR.

116. __-face: smooching: KISSY.

119. Social media labels: TAGS.

124. Get in a pool: BET.

125. Trivial complaint: NIT.

126. Shaving brand: BIC.

The Grid:

Range of Motion

Y'all have a great Sunday!
Cheers, -T

Saturday, October 3, 2026, Tom Pepper

 Themeless Saturday by Tom Pepper

Today, C.C.'s good friend and occasional co-constructor, Tom Pepper, has provided us with a very nice Saturday puzzle. Tom is the retired finance director for Eagan, MN. and spent time with C.C. and Boomer. He also was a great source of comfort for her after Boomer's passing.

In this picture you can see Tom's wife Terri, Boomer, Tom and C.C. C.C. told me that Tom could probably beat me at golf, which really wouldn't be all that hard. 😀

I am very grateful that Tom was nice enough to include a very informative note about his construction of this puzzle:

Hi Gary, 

  

Nice to hear from you again! 

  

I don't always start themeless puzzles with a specific grid pattern, but I did with this one. It was a grid shape that Rex Parker had said he liked in someone else's puzzle because it was conducive to that whoosh-whoosh feeling you get when a couple gettable long entries lead to gettable long crosses. So when I made this puzzle, I placed the four longest entries (13s and 14s) in first, and filled around them. From the start, I had hoped to get both GRAMMAR POLICE and ROOKIE MISTAKE into the puzzle, and it worked out. 

When the puzzle was accepted, the editors let me know they were going to make a couple small changes to improve the short fill in the middle section of the puzzle. They even wrote the new clues for me!

  

Take care, 

Tom

Across: 

1. Item dropped in the drink: STRAW 😀

6. Chiromancer's target: PALM - Yes, chiromancer is another name for a palm reader.

               

10. Overwhelm: SLAM - I once SLAMMED a cafe with two buses with 60 kids. We sponsors took orders, served the food, took the money and bussed the tables for them. It turned out great and they were so grateful. 

14. Hair extension: WEAVE.

15. Cookies and cream treat: OREO SHAKE.

17. Baseball's all-time RBI leader: AARON.

18. Rescuers on the run?: SKI PATROL 😀

19. Bases for busts: PLINTHS - A PLINTH is a stand or base that can hold a bust. You've got a few miles on your tires if you remember this bust of Voltaire in the office of 50's/60's Perry Mason TV show. You've got a heck of a memory if you remember his secretary Della Street played by the lovely Barbara Hale.

21. Not accidental: MEANT - The hear kids today use the phrase "on accident" instead of "by accident". Did that happen at the same time "could care less" replaced "couldn't care less"?

22. Oft-redacted fig.: SSN.

23. Many an adoptee: HOUSE PET - I can't go into an animal shelter. I'd want to take all of them home.

27. Ones correcting they're gaffes, perhaps?: GRAMMAR POLICE - My favorite clue/fill. This was so clever because the clue had the grammatical gaffe of they're instead of their. 

32. French "deadly": FATALE - Mata Hari is said to be the most famous Femme FATALE (deadly woman) of all time.

34. Christmas song: NOEL.

35. "Pass": NAH.

36. Tough to form a bond with: ALOOF - This science guy first thought of INERT

37. Media that led to record losses: CDS.

38. "What she said": DITTO.

40. WoW, for one: RPG - My last fill. This "R" was nearly a natick with FARR crossing RPG but Role Playing Game made sense to me and so I earned a "got 'er done".

41. Visit a souk: SHOP - Souks are common to North Africa. This is one is in Morocco. 

43. Steer clear of: ESCHEW.

44. Product of green energy?: ROOKIE MISTAKE 😀 - It can be said that a ROOKIE can be green and apt to make a MISTAKE. My first blogs had them but C.C. was encouraging. 

47. Relatively helpful business practice?: NEPOTISM 😀 If your relative is hiring, "it couldn't hurt!"

48. Hip-hop figures: MCS.

51. Groundwork: BASIS.

54. Neighborhood blot: EYESORE.

56. Open: ALL-COMERS - Technically anyone can try but...

60. "Enough's enough": OK NOW.

61. "Truth!": YOU KNOW IT.

62. "Gigi" composer: LOEWE - Can you find him on the poster?

63. Chocolate brand owned by Berkshire Hathaway: SEES - A favorite confection of Warren Buffet

64. Ginormous: MEGA.

65. Samsung appliance: DRYER - You'll have to look close to see the manufacturer 

Down:

1. Pulls a switch: SWAPS.

2. Birds for whom a color is named: TEALS.

3. More than ready: RARING TO GO.

4. Bath water: AVON - I learned AVON is a word meaning river in the U.K. Here is the city of Bath on AVON in England.

5. Split evenly, informally: WENT HALFSIES ON - WENT FIFTY FIFTY fit very nicely also

6. Play __: POSSUM.

7. Ararat lander: ARK - Could this shape on Mt. Ararat be the resting place of Noah's ARK?

8. Island ring: LEI.

9. Messy locks: MOP.

10. "Yentl" setting: SHTETL - A SHTETL is a Yiddish word meaning "little town" that refers to small market towns in pre–World War II Eastern Europe with a large, Yiddish-speaking Jewish population. 

11. Spencer of "Good Morning America": LARA.

12. "Don't Matter" singer: AKON ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

13. Move to another state?: MELT 😀 Very amusing for this physics teacher who is also a fan of classic movies.

16. "Nothing new under the sun": SAME OLD SAME OLD.

20. Heart's location?: HOME 😊

24. Long jumper's destination: SAND PIT - Bob Beamon shocked the world in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics by beating the old record by almost two feet!

25. Olympic archer?: EROS.

26. Safety gear for ER workers: PPE - We all got familiar with Personal Protection Equipment during covid 

28. "The White Tiger" actor Rajkummar: RAO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

29. On easy street: IN THE MONEY.

30. Sandra's "Ocean's 8" co-star: CATE.

31. DIY help site: EHOW.

32. "Fire Country" actress Diane: FARR ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

33. Chewy brand: ALPO - Our kitty Lily gets her food from Chewy.com 

37. Lombardy birthplace of Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger: COMO - Looks like a nice place for the Pliny's

39. "Ugh!": ICK.

42. Not square: HEP.

43. Spot for unique gifts: ETSY.

45. Mike Brown's NBA team: KNICKS.

46. Afternoon outing?: SIESTA.

49. "Almost Famous" director: CROWE.

50. Underground government operation?: SEWER.

51. Reddish-brown horses: BAYS.

52. Toner additive: ALOE.

53. Turn on an axis: SLUE 😀

55. Toffee bar: SKOR.

57. Certain parent: MOM and 58. 57-Down in a meadow: EWE.

59. Semi: RIG.