Saturday, April 18, 2026, Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

 Themeless by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano

I’m a data scientist from Oakland, CA, with a background in computational linguistics. In this picture I am eating a Voodoo Donut in Portland, OR. 

I had a very pleasant solving experience and here is what Enrique was kind enough to share with us when I asked him about the genesis of this puzzle:

Hey Gary,

Sure thing! Here are the notes:

This puzzle was seeded with the pair DRAG QUEEN and SHORT KING to bookend the grid. I love going to see drag cabaret shows at the Oasis in San Francisco, and I’m right on the cusp of short king status at 5’8”! 

Across:

1. Performer often found with big wigs: DRAG QUEEN and 60. Cute nickname for a dachshund: SHORT KING - Enrique's two "royal" seed entries. (FWIW, my sister-in-law has had doxies for decades and has never hear that phrase). 

10. Golf kin: JETTA - The VW models came to my mind very quickly.

15. Soft rock duo from Australia: AIR SUPPLY - A wonderful song

16. Oohed and __: AAHED.

17. Like a watered-down event?: RAINED OUT 😀

18. Dough, or what dough becomes: BREAD 😀 and 44. Campus figure: BURSAR - Almost one year ago today, Enrique partnered with Erik Agard and came up with this clue/fill:

36. Brown bread specialist: BURSAR. 

Brown was a college and BREAD is slang for money. I might blame Erik for that one.

19. Wrap up: END.

20. Some ink vessels: SACS.

21. Trust subject: ESTATE.

22. In the tub: BATHING.

24. Minorly: A TAD.

25. Tone: SHADE.

27. Trips: VOYAGES.

29. Crepes eaten during Maslenitsa: BLINI - A thin, golden crusted pancake eaten during this Salvic festival

30. Linda Cohn's network: ESPN. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

31. Rec from GPS: RTE - If I want to visit C.C. in Minneapolis again, my GPS will give me a very nice RTE Rec(ommendation).

33. Lists on Poshmark, say: RESELLS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

36. Scannable pass: E-TICKET - All concessions are also digital at Husker events.

38. One curl, e.g.: REP.

39. Midsummer arrivals: LEOS.

41. "Schitt's Creek" character with an impressive wig collection: MOIRA.

42. Flatbread cooked on a tawa: PARATHA  - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Plain Tawa Paratha is a popular, flaky North Indian flatbread made from whole wheat flour (atta) cooked in ghee or oil on a hot skillet called a tawa. 

44. The Black Keys and the White Stripes: BANDS - BANDS made quick sense to me although I had no idea they were duos like Air Supply above at 15 Across.

              

45. Goose named for its call: NENE.

46. Total anarchy: MOB RULE.

48. Bird that weaves pouchlike hanging nests: ORIOLE - They are our favorite backyard visitors

50. Sound from a peat bog: BURP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

A "peat bog BURP" is a natural phenomenon where methane or other gases, trapped by decomposing organic matter, are released in a sudden, loud bubble

. 

51. Car sticker stat: MPG.

54. "From your lips to God's ears": I HOPE - An idiom saying you hope something comes true

Person A: "I hope the weather is good for the wedding." 

Person B: "From your lips to God's ears"

.

55. Blast that's often annoying: MASS E-MAIL - Every few days I get a message from my governor, senator or representative. 

57. Gets worked up: RILES.

58. "I can't take any credit": IT'S ALL YOU.

59. Members of the BTS ARMY, e.g.: STANS -  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  The dedicated fans of the Korean Group BTS are called STANS.

Down:

1. Find the courage: DARE.

2. "Wake Up Dead Man" filmmaker Johnson: RIAN ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

3. Saharan: ARID.

4. "The $100,000 Pyramid" airer: GSN.

5. Snack that may be made with Oaxaca cheese: QUESADILLA.

6. Keep current: UPDATE.

7. Geologic time: EPOCH.

8. Hard to pin down: ELUSIVE.

9. Crossplay owner, familiarly: NYT ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

10. Some low blows: JABS - Some can take place in a boxing ring and some in a political campaign 

11. Wildlife tracker: EAR TAG.

12. Minor character in a musical, say?: THEATER KID. - My first thought was of Ronnie Howard in The Music Man.

13. Experts who use cupping sets: TEA TASTERS.

 

14. Tacked on: ADDED.

21. Mo Salah's home country: EGYPT - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Soccer player

22. Curse: BANE.

23. Pore strip target: NOSE.

25. Box office surprise: SLEEPER HIT - One of the biggest of all time 

26. Most populous island in the West Indies: HISPANIOLA.

28. Hide outside: ANIMAL PELT 😀

29. Sound that may accompany goosebumps: BRR.

32. "What's the GPS telling you?": ETA.

34. Offer of assistance: LET ME.

35. Carnaby Street's neighborhood: SO HO - In NYC, SOHO means South of Houston St. but in London, it's named after an old hunting cry in the 17th century. 

37. Convalescent wear for some pets: CONE.

40. Day of rest: SABBATH.

43. Investigate anew: REOPEN.

44. [BURSAR - See explanation at 18 Across above]

45. "The Third Man" and others: NOIRS.

47. Shared surname in Marvel films: RUSSO ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Directors and brothers Joe and Anthony Russo

49. What's more?: LESS.

51. Offer of assistance: MAY I - True or sexist?

52. Subatomic particle: PION - If you'd like to get into the physics weeds

53. Pouring sound: GLUG 😀

55. Start to trial or fire: MIS.

56. Jan. honoree: MLK.

Friday, Apr 17th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

  VANNA B's

You would wannabe her if you got paid $10mil to turn letters

"G" ( gee ), I vonder vhere LA Times Crossvord editor Patti VVVarol got the idea for this theme . . . and a packed theme it is, too - six, count 'em, SIX, themers today, for a total of 66 squares, or 35% of the total puzzle - I have not tracked this info, but I am curious about it in future puzzles.  "V" replaces "W" in common phrases, a sort of German accent-type of sound which results in some humorous changes.  Standard 15x15 grid, the triple-sixes and double-eights in the corners giving us a whopping 28 3LWs, no circles, too many names, four( ish ) Twurds, two stray "V"s, but overall, a typical Friday-level solve.   The 6 themers; 

17. Encouragement to a writer who shows an early penchant for rhyme?:

"YOU COULD DO VERSE~!" - "You could do WORSE", an additional spelling change with the "O" going to "E"

24. Carefully evaluate pasta?: VET NOODLES - Wet Noodles

31. Gardener who only plants the most exquisite ivy?: VINE SNOB - Wine Snob -  too similar, less humorous

41. Anthem for a Colorado ski resort?: VAIL SONG - Whale Song; a bigger alteration, with the "H" dropped and the synonymous spelling 

47. Weapon wielded by a particularly dangerous snake?: VIPER BLADE - Wiper Blade

Far Side snakes at "Vail"

54. Safes made in the Volunteer State?: TENNESSEE VAULTS - the biggest spelling change, Tennessee WALTZ.  Learn more from this blue-highlighted web link and hear the song from another Patti, ( Page ) - lately, there seems to be some confusion from anon types in their comments indicating a lack of info regarding the clues & answers, and their connections - may I suggest checking the phrases and/or words highlighted in 🠆 blue 🠄 for web links to more; a ( PSA ) Public Service Announcement from your Friday fact-finding blogger 😁

But Vait, There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Unaccounted-for period: GAP

4. Six-time WNBA All-Star Thomas: ALYSSA - name #1

10. Textspeak qualifier: IMHO - Text-speak, In My Humble Opinion

14. Timetable abbr.: ARRival

15. Talked up: TOUTED - think sales/advertising

16. Lion's "I'm going to eat you!": ROAR - at least it wasn't "RAWR"

20. Singer Jason with the album "Love Is a Four Letter Word": MRAZ - name #2 - the Wiki

21. Core muscles: ABs

Medieval workouts

22. Ga. capital: ATLanta, Georgia

23. Shadow: TAIL - think spies, cops & P.I.s

28. Quartz suffix: ITE - quartzite - I bought grey Kraftmaid cabinets to upgrade the original 1955 kitchen in my home; now I am looking for a purple-toned countertop to compliment my dishes, pots, pans and utensils - I like the look of this, called "tempest"

29. Much sitar music: RAGAS

Spinal Tap - "you don't wanna go raga . . . "

30. Actress Russo: RENE - name #3

33. Pop duo __ & Him: SHE - I have heard of them; Zooey Deschanel is "she"

She played Trillian in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", too

35. Scale intervals: OCTAVES - stray "V" #1

36. Cry of frustration: "BLAST IT~!"

Biggs had a larger, but edited, role in the first Star Wars movie

40. Waze tech: GPS - Waze, the app for getting you there . . .

42. Taylor, to Swifties: IDOL - Taylor Swift's fanatics are called Swifties

45. Actor Vaughn: VINCE - stray "V" #2, name #4

46. Compass dir.: ESE - I had ENE, couldn't parse the crossing Down; Inniston~? see 38D.

50. Punxsutawney figure: PHIL - #5, our weather predictor - and his accuracy compared 

About as good as TV Weather reporters . . .

51. Individual: ONE

52. Small battery: AAA

53. Experts: PROS

60. Lake into which the Cuyahoga empties: ERIE - the most poular lake in crosswordom, geo name #6

61. "A Real Pain" Oscar winner Culkin: KIERAN - half a WAG on my part; name #7 - his Wiki

62. Mama deer: DOE

63. Heap affection (on): DOTE

64. Has disdain for: SCORNS - "feet hath no fury like a woman's corns" 😜

65. 1975 TV debut, familiarly: SNL - Saturday Night Live

Star Wars casting spoof

DOWN:

1. Writer/editor Roxane who co-owns the online literary magazine The Rumpus: GAY - name #8

2. Like basmati rice: AROMATIC - I have not had this rice, so I have not smelled it . . .

3. Appealing to one's baser nature: PRURIENT - $2 eight-letter fill

4. Encyclopedic in range: A TO Z - Amazon's logo, implied by the arrow

Everything from A to Z

5. Reed of the Velvet Underground: LOU - I knew who this was, name #9

Venus in Furs, a cover of the Velvet Underground by Monster Magnet

6. Actor Brynner: YUL - #10

7. Time zone wd.: STD - meh.  An abbr in an abbr clue/answer; from November 2nd (ish) through March 8th (ish), I live in EST, or "Eastern Standard Time"

8. Some cars: SEDANS

9. Vinegary marinade: ADOBO - Español for 'marinade' - more here

10. Choler: IRE

11. Spirits: MORALE - LIQUOR fit, too - so you know where my mind is . . .

12. Hurry: HASTEN

13. "... if you know what's good for you!": "OR ELSE~!"

18. Berkeley, familiarly: CAL - As I said @ 7D, I am an East coaster; I tried USC

19. Brandy letters: VSO - meh. Very Special/Superior Old ( Pale ) - I couldn't find a link to just V.S.O.

23. DVR option: TiVo

24. Wind instruments?: VANES - Now this is clever clue/answer

25. Big personalities: EGOS

26. Word often seen under a tilde?: TAB - TAB is beneath the keyboard [~ `] key 

27. __ code: DRESS - Dah~!  Not MORSE

29. Say "I'll be there," say: RSVP - meh - IMHO, you don't SAY an RSVP, you WRITE an RSVP

32. Old quarter back: EAGLE - I tried BISON

Old Quarterback

33. Cake serving: SLICE - I eat nothing less than a SLAB in my house

34. In fine fettle: HALE

36. Kansas or Alabama: BAND - name(s) #11; "band" was my first guess; I know KANSAS ( and HuskerG linked Dust in the Wind last Saturday ); I am not familiar with the music of Alabama - their website

37. Climbers' supports: TOEHOLDS

38. Demand: INSIST ON - Ah - not the town of Inniston, UK

39. Neutrogena shampoo: T-GEL - name(ish)

41. Passing through: VIA - meh.  "I got to my brother's house via I-495" does not mean I was 'passing through' the asphalt 😜

42. November sticker: I VOTED - Twurd; did you hear that Apple has come out with a new device for finding leprechauns~? It's called the "iRish"

Hi Irish Miss~!

43. Bread: DINERO - I figured this was slang for 'money', waited on perps; the Wiki for US words

44. "I can't wait to see what's inside!": "OPEN IT~!" - Twurd

45. Pickle brand: VLASIC

48. "Hair Love" voice actress Issa: RAE - name #12, a crossword staple

49. Soaks up the sun: BASKS - TANS was a bit "light"

50. Newark-based insurer, on stock tickers: PRU - I shoulda known this - the NJ Devils of the National Hockey League play at the "Prudential Center"

Their logo can almost be seen on the sign

53. Kitchen array: PANS

55. Once called: NÉE

56. Job listing letters: EEO - Equal Employment Opportunity - I always make the mistake of filling in EOE ( thinking employeR ), and mess up that section of the puzzle

57. Make a blunder: ERR

58. Many an airport shuttle: VAN

59. Salt, in French: SEL - and our last 3-Letter Word

Splynter

Grid Flow a Wery Low 18.4

Thursday April 16, 2026 Carolyn W. Stewart

Carolyn W. Stewart is a veteran constructor that for some reason or another, hasn't published here in the LAT before - probably because she has trouble spelling "GEARS." But she's turned that into an asset in today's Los Angeles puzzle. I'm glad she finally found us!

Here's the revealer:

59. Shift, or what the ends of 17-, 23-, 38-, and 48-Across do: CHANGE GEARS. In each of the themers, the order of the five letters that spell GEARS are CHANGED (scrambled). 

Since the themers don't relate to each other (except for sharing the last 5 letters) I'm going GEAR up by inventing new definitions for each of them:

17. Some fines: LATE CHARGES. A fine imposed when returning GEAR late.

23. Group leaders: TEAM MANAGERS. People who may select GEAR for a team to use.

38. Old name for neon or argon: RARE GAS. GEAR to contain gases include tanks and cylinders.

48. Prom purchase: WRIST CORSAGE. Floral GEAR worn on a wrist.

Now you're all in GEAR. This theme was one that needed the reveler to decode. Circles would have clued us in earlier that something was happening at the end of each answer, but then it wouldn't be Thursday. 

Let's CHANGE GEARS and shift into Drive!

Across:

1. Headcheese ingredient: ASPIC. Headcheese is not actually cheese. It is a spicy appetizer mold made of pork roast. For me, the gelatin is the worst ASPIC of this dish.

6. Nave-y bases?: PEWS. Ha ha! "Nave" as in the central area of a church. 

10. Ad __: HOC.

13. Like bagpipes and wetlands: REEDY.

14. Overly familiar: TRITE. 

16. Forest hooter: OWL.

17. [theme]

19. Messenger __: RNA. RiboNucleic Acid is essential for life (as we know it).

20. Marked down: ON SALE.

21. One with snappy comebacks: WIT. If you can't come up with a clever retort, you are WITout.

22. Attach a patch, say: SEW. A mini poem!

23. [theme]

27. Broccoli __: RABE. Broccoli RABE (pronounced ROB) isn't broccoli at all. AKA rapini, it's a leafy, bitter relative of the turnip. Mine is missing - I've been RABED!

30. Go without a destination: ROAM. Or ROVE. 

31. Carol contraction: TIS. 'TIS not the season yet, but it starts earlier every year, so who knows? And remember folks, there's only 252 shopping days until Christmas, so you'd better get going! To save time, you may contact me here for my list. Just sayin'...

32. Didn't waste: USED.

33. Landscaping supply: SOD. In South Florida, it's very difficult to grow grass from seed in our sandy soil, so I recently added some SOD to my lawn. Per instructions, I laid it green-side up.

34. Take exception to: RESENT.

37. None at all: NIL.

NIL (not pictured)

38. [theme]

40. San Francisco's __ Hill: NOB. NOB Hill is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the US. You can hobnob with snobs there.

41. Long rowboat, or a long kitchen: GALLEY.

43. Square on a waffle: PAT. A PAT of butter.

44. Best guesses: Abbr.: ESTS. Abbreviations is abbreviated, so we must double abbreviate ESTimateS?

45. In medias __: RES. Latin for "in the midst of things," it is a narrative technique where a story begins in the middle of crucial action rather than with a traditional preamble. You see it at the beginning of every action movie, as director's try to stay fresh by emulating Homer's Odyssey from the 8th century BC.

46. The Smiths guitarist Johnny: MARR. Johnny MARR is an English-born Irish musician, singer and songwriter. Fender now offers a signature model Jaguar built to his specs. 

Johnny and his Jaguar

47. Political satire that won 17 Emmys in seven seasons: VEEP. It's on HBO, so many of us haven't seen it. 

48. [theme]

52. Many, many years: EON. Many, many years: EVEN. The rest are odd years.

53. "Color me intrigued!": OOH. Tell me more!

54. Drive-in server: CARHOP. Before the drive-thru, meals came to you! You were still eating in your car, but at least you were parked. So civilized.

58. Shakshuka ingredient: EGG. Shakshuka is a popular North African and Middle Eastern dish of EGGs poached in a flavorful sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, seasoned with spices like cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. I'm glad this clue wasn't the other way around - Egg dish: SHAKSHUKA. That would've been ridiculous. 

59. [theme]

62. Low grade: DEE.

63. "Home Alone" boy: KEVIN. KEVIN! Played by Macaulay Culkin.

64. Will of "Blue Bloods": ESTES. Will ESTES is an actor, apparently, who stars in something. 

65. Orchestra sect.: STR. The STRING section.

66. Tide type: NEAP.

67. Surgical tube: STENT.

Down:

1. "Collapsed in Sunbeams" singer-songwriter Parks: ARLO. ARLO Parks is a performer perhaps better known by her English countrymen, although now living in the States. Since the only ARLO I know is Guthrie, I assumed she was a he. And you know what happens when you assume...

2. Astin of "The Goonies": SEAN. SEAN Astin is an accomplished American actor who started as a child in Goonies. I liked him as the Hobbit Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's best friend in Lord of the Rings.

3. Dependents that can't be claimed as tax deductions: PETS. Actually, they can be deducted if they are also service animals. Here's Buster patrolling the beach as a tax-deductible life guard.

4. Contributed to a brainstorming session: IDEATED.

5. Repetitive sequence: CYCLE. Ever felt like you're getting nowhere?

6. Org. that may take summers off: PTA. Like many school-related organizations, the Parent Teacher Association follows the academic calendar and has summer vacation.

7. Miss a cue, say: ERR.

8. Native American hut: WIGWAM. A WIGWAM differs from a teepee in that there are less ways to misspell it.

9. Hofbrau vessel: STEIN. Hofbräu is a Bavarian beer from Munich traditionally served in a German beer STEIN.

10. Good judgment: HORSE SENSE. You can trust a horse's advice if he's wearing glasses.

Mr. Ed talking sense into Wilbur

11. One with a title: OWNER. 

12. Scratches (at): CLAWS.

15. Lots of rich folks?: ESTATES. See sNOB HILL.

18. Word of mouth: HEARSAY.

24. "Wuthering Heights" setting: MOOR. The MOOR in this story is in northern England, thus no bagpipes. It lies between Liverpool and Leeds, near Haworth where the Brontë sisters wrote most of their novels.

25. Met expectations, in a way: MADE PAR. This clue was average.

26. PX patrons: G.I.S. G.I. is a nickname for an US soldier, thought to be mass-produced "Government Issue." Originally stamped on trash cans and equipment made of "Galvanized Iron" in WWI, it's adoption is an even more cynical take. In any case, soldiers shop at Post EXchanges, retail stores on an Army base.

27. Stepladder step: RUNG.

28. Land east of the Urals: ASIA.

29. Quasimodo, for one: BELL RINGER. Yeah, I know. His face doesn't ring a bell.

34. Daily grind: RAT RACE.

35. Pay attention to: NOTE. Because if you miss a NOTE, the melody sounds wrong.

36. Cookbook meas.: TBSP. A TaBleSPoon measure.

38. Update, as inventory: RESTOCK.

39. Needle-nosed swimmers: GARS.

42. French article: LES.

44. Highest point: EVEREST. While Mount EVEREST is the highest point above sea level, it's interesting that there are taller mountains on Earth, but they start on the sea floor.

46. Natives of the Colorado river valley: MOHAVE.

48. Works the garden: WEEDS. The difference between WEEDS and flowers is whether you want them there or not. We're trying to grow more wildflowers around our South Florida home that add color and thrive naturally in the sub-tropics with low water requirements. 

Not our yard, but it's certainly colorful!

49. Thesaurus creator: ROGET. In junior high, I thought it was Roger's Thesaurus, but that's a different word.

50. Financier Steve who owns the New York Mets: COHEN. He seems very popular.

51. Green plums: GAGES. Greengages (or Green GAGE) are a cultivar group of the European plum recognized for its small, round shape and intense sweetness. That's plum crazy! The things you learn from xwords.

55. Can't stand: HATE. Can't stand: SITS.

56. __ Ishii: Lucy Liu's "Kill Bill" role: O-REN. I stumbled upon Kill Bill: Volume 1 while flipping channels years ago, and was immediately riveted. Watched it from the middle, then again from the beginning. I like Tarantino's incongruent music choices.

Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii

57. "Over here!": PSST.

60. Actress Vardalos: NIA. It all started at her wedding...

61. Economic fig.: GNP. This figure representing a country's wealth, the Gross National Product, is outdated though still in common use. In 1993, the United Nations renamed it GNI, the Gross National Income, to better reflect their intent to measure residents' income vs. product manufacturing.

Be good. RB