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

Friday, Apr 10th, 2026 ~ Lynn Lempel

  WRACK of LAMB

Ovine humor #1 - and a "rack" recipe 

Today makes three solid Friday frolics in a row - Lynn Lempel ( see below ), a seasoned constructor who started making crosswords in the 1970s, now has a total of 104 puzzles published, the EGOT of one for each day, and a whopping 74 of those grids on Monday alone - typically the hardest ones to make, as the clues & answers need to be uncomplicated early in the week.  Today we have the added, silent "W" to "R" words that completely change the definition of said words & phrases.  A very clever, tight group of in-language phrases, and none of the tripe I do not care for in crosswords - nary a Twurd to be found.  A standard 15 x 15 grid, no circles, a few more names than I would like, but most of them not so obscure, a 3LW count just two higher than the number of 5-letter words - and three ovine references.  The four, all 11-letter themers;

17. Get-together before the holidays?: WRAP SESSION - Rap session

Goes well with 56 Across

30. Bicycles and airplanes?: WRIGHT STUFF - ( The ) Right Stuff, a movie - I had another play on the word/name 'Wright' in this crossword 

45. Broken-down washing machine?: DEAD WRINGER - A washer's "rinse" cycle spins up to a speed high enough to "wring" out one's clothes.  Dead Ringer - two meanings; the truth one, and the false(th) one - and a movie ( pluralized ) as well

61. "Good job on that coup you pulled off"?: WELL WRESTED - Well-rested, a slight outlier with the hyphen

But Wait, Thewre's Mowre~!

ACROSS:

1. Homes in the sticks?: NESTS - Har-har~!  I reached out to sumdaze for an Eagle update; her words -

"As it turns out, the two chicks just hatched this [last] weekend so these are very exciting times on the nest! The parents are Shadow & Jackie. The two chick will not get names until they're much bigger."

6. Fabric for a fez: FELT - Alliteration

10. World Series org.: MLB - Major League Baseball - we're officially into the 2026 season

13. Puff piece?: ÈCLAIR

Nom-nom, yum-yum, win-win~!

15. Boba option: ALOE - filled via perps; #18 on the chart - see 44D. below

16. Wearable souvenir: TEE - T-shirt, like from a concert, and not "LEI" - TEE comes in at #43

19. By way of: VIA

20. Big band member?: TUBA - I think the "?" could have been left out on a Friday

21. Puss in Boots, for one: CAT - I am not having much success with finding a Schnauzer rescue, so now I am considering getting me a kitty-cat - I like the idea of a cat, and I have field mice that get into the basement on occasion ( though not this winter, and it was a cold winter ), but I need to "claw-proof" some things, and then I am going down to the shelter.

22. Like the members of BTS: KOREAN - These kids 

24. Turn: SOUR - think milk, or relationships . . .

26. Gives a hoot: CARES - Our constructor is old school, like me

Woodsy says, "Give a hoot, don't pollute"

27. __-Man: PAC

34. "Killers of the Flower Moon" people: OSAGE - I do the Downs first, so I was 60% filled VIA perps

36. One who might make a ewe turn?: RAM - Sheep humor #2

37. Like avocados: OVAL

38. Peru's "City of Kings": LIMA - geo name #1

39. Brand of riding mowers: DEERE - name(ish); my tractor is a Massey Ferguson, and I got a flat last year - need to address this problem soon

41. Irk: RILE

42. Genesis plot: EDEN - a garden plot of dirt, that is . . .

43. Before, in verse: ERE - #4 on the list

44. Many a Chopin piece: ETUDE

49. Distress signal: SOS - #223

50. Word in some English place-names: SHIRE - The shire reeve came to be pronounced "sheriff"

No dagnubbit, the sheriff is a - . . .

51. College World Series org.: NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Assoc. - the Wiki

53. Hummus ingredient: TAHINI - I wanted CHICK PEA to fit, but I had two extra "beans"

55. Tower of note: AAA - Tow - er, like Flow-er = 'river'; the author got me this time - Triple A being this organization since 1902 - I did not know it was THAT old . . . 

56. Ductwork sealer: TAPE - actually, it's the one thing Duct Tape is not good for - foil tape is better

60. __ Bravo: RIO - geo name #2, and slides into the top 100 at #99

64. Blow it: ERR - just misses the Top Ten at #12

65. Some long-term investments, briefly: IRAs - #27 in the singular

66. Considered: DEEMED

67. Hook's partner: EYE - in the plural, it's #439

68. Fish sought by Marlin and Dory: NEMO - name #3

69. Like voices after a loud concert: RASPY

DOWN:

1. Terrarium critter: NEWT - "I got better . . ."

2. Beige shade: ECRU

3. Chunk: SLAB

4. Spanish apps: TAPAS - Dah~!  I had taCOs to start - the appetizers, that is 

5. Girl of the fam: SIS - abbrs

6. Observe Ramadan, say: FAST

7. "ManningCast" co-host: ELI - name #4, one of three Manning brothers - fill #5 on the Top Ten

8. Attention hog's cry: "LOOK AT ME~!" - first 8-letter Down

9. Choral section: TENORS

10. Pompeii destroyer, for short: Mt. VESUVIUS - Dah~!  Got caught up thinking "ETNA"

11. Skywalker twin: LEIA - Star Wars name #5; LUKE fit, too

12. Three __ salad: BEAN

14. Happen again: RECUR

18. Wrapped silk dress: SARI - I would have reworked the dupe "wrap" out of the clue

23. Be short with, perhaps: RETORT - and . . . 

25. Be short with?: OWE - in at #354, tied with ESC, IGOR, NNE & ODD 

26. Scorch: CHAR

27. Propelled, as a punt: POLED - I had OARED, so, close, but no gondola gold

28. Parenthetical remark: ASIDE - [ I told them we already got one~! ]

The Frawnche taunting the silly English Kuh-nig-its

29. Returned to dry land: CAME ASHORE - the second 10-letter Down

31. Earth-friendly: GREEN - ah.  I was thinking ECO, but what~?

32. Three-time Masters winner who was knighted in 2009: FALDO - golfer Nick, name #6

33. Skedaddles: FLEES - nailed it

35. Figure on some rupees: GANDHI - name #7

39. Behind: DERRIERE - the other 8-letter Down

My thanks to the author~!

40. Sandusky's lake: ERIE - geo name #8, but I knew it 'cuz lived in Cincinnati Ohio - and a Wed dupe

44. Historic time span: ERA - Crossword's #1 Top Twenty ( of a list of 500 ) fill word

46. Beneficial to both sides: WIN-WIN

47. Chew (on): GNAW - another dupe from Wednesday

48. BlueMountain.com product: eCARD - I thought this was a pet supplies company - Bzzzzt~! 

52. Adrift: AT SEA - this fill makes the list at #439

53. Dendrologist's concern: TREE -  I thought "dendr-" was nerves ( and I am not wrong ), so I tried AXON

54. Unsubstantial: AIRY

55. Furthermore: ALSO - comes in at #239 - ALTO is higher . . . #116

57. Bodega fixtures: ATMs - I was kinda surprised to find this ( non-plural word ) did NOT make the Top Ten - in fact, it's WAY down at 186 . . . 

58. Chirp: PEEP - Peeps are SO last weekend . . . 

59. Swirling current: EDDY

62. On the __: LAM - Sheep humor #3

"I'm on the Lam(b), But I Ain't No Sheep" - 

from Blue Öyster Cult's debut album, 1972

63. Suffix with puppet: EER - and this one comes in at #325

Splynter

Grid Flow a low 22.2

Friday, Apr 3rd, 2026 ~ Kyle Dolan

 GO TEAM

"Run Away~!" "Take off~!" "Beat It~!"

Crossword constructor Kyle Dolan frequently appears on Saturday; based on my research, this is his first Friday for the LA Times - all he needs now is a Thursday puzzle, and he gets the "EGOT" of grid making - yay~! ( see 36D. ).  I have mixed feelings about today's offering; the theme is quite fresh and felt Friday-level, five phrases redefined as 'names' for a "collection" of other similar-use phrases, but was dismayed with a triple Natick in the vicinty of Minnesota ( but not Cedar Rapids ); two names dropping off an answer with a semi-vague clue; can't win 'em all, I guess.  Standard grid, no circles, just 11 3LWs, two handfuls of names, two Wines, two Whiskeys.  The themers;  

17. "Pay attention," "Listen up," and "Eyes on the prize": FOCUS GROUP - "Focus~!" group of phrases

24. "Unbelievable!," "That's crazy!," and "What a coincidence!": WILD BUNCH - "Wild~!" bunch of synonymous words/phrases

38. "Gee whiz!," "Golly!," and "Holy cow!": BOY BAND - "Boy~!" band of words/phrases

49. "Sleep tight," "Sweet dreams," and "Don't let the bedbugs bite": NIGHT CREW - "(g)'night." crew of phrases

61. "Check this out," "I'll demonstrate," and "Eyes on me": WATCH PARTY - "Watch~!" party - the only one that I was not familiar with; the standard definition of "watch party" is 'friends who get together' to view, say, the Super Bowl

Don't "Hit the Road", There's More~!

ACROSS:

1. Have a sudden inspiration?: [ GASP ] - , the "inhale" meaning of inspire, plus sudden = sharply

5. Less cockamamie: SANER - Meh.  TAMER, SAFER~? - this is the "structure" of most of the words I have ever missed solving the Wordle - the "_ vowel _ E - R" type, where I simply run out of guesses; there are hundreds of words that fit.  If my first five-letter guess doesn't give me anything, I immediately fill in "_ vowel _ E - R" for the maximum # of attempts

10. Hydropower sources: DAMS

14. "__, sing America": Hughes: "I TOO" - "I had" no poetic clue, filled via perps; name #1

15. Scent: AROMA

16. Rapper who plays Fin on "Law & Order: SVU": ICE-T - short for Odafin, name #2

19. Whiskey mixer: SODA - whiskey #1 - could have been CoLa - SODA was a good WAG on my part, as cola was the go-to choice ( usually diet ) for the Happy Hour crew when I worked at the night club/band bar Casanova's in Cincinnati, OH

20. Place for post-debate interviews: SPIN ROOM - makes sense after it filled, via perps, but then I went looking for some info, and realized it could be this kind of "Spin" room

21. Bug experts, for short: IT PROS - Information Technology professionals, e.g., "Geek Squad"

23. Work in a cast: ACT - work in a cast . . .

26. Implore: PLEAD

28. "That a fact?": "IS IT~?"

29. Tampa Bay team, familiarly: BUCS - the Buccaneers of the NFL - or the cost of corn these days . . .

30. Like folk tales: ORAL

33. Settle, as a debt: REPAY

37. Hospital dept.: ICU - Intensive Care Unit

40. Modeled on: À LA

41. Down source: GEESE - Goose "Up" is when they "take off"

43. Art __: DECO - I like Art Deco

44. Former quarterback Aikman: TROY - announcer with Joe Buck on NFL MNF games - name #3

24 seasons together

45. Winery purchase: CASE - Wine clue #1, you lush . . . then again, I bought beer in case quantity, so I will take that back

47. Pettiness: SPITE

54. Dusk, poetically: E'EN

55. Catch: ENMESH

56. Low-cal drink: LITE BEER - I do the Downs first; otherwise, this could have been DIET COLA

60. Singer Lambert: ADAM - filled via perps, don't know this artist  - name #4

63. Ceremonial event: RITE

64. Responded to an alarm: AWOKE

65. Viking character: RUNE - ah.  Not, say, "ERIK" - from this show - but . . . 

66. Lip: SASS - a "lip" synonym on the edge again

67. Detect: SENSE

68. Getaway spots: SPAs

DOWN:

1. Motion pictures?: GIFs - good one; took me a minute, plus the "G" when I sussed "GASP"

A Graphic Interchange Format moving picture of "Run Away~!"

MP & the Holy Grail

2. Sitting on: ATOP

3. Nonverbal signal: SOCIAL CUE - I was thinking "HAND SIGN", but "sign/signal" was too close for a crossword clue/answer, and it didn't fit, anyway; not familiar with this phrase

4. Mimics a cat, perhaps: POUNCES - Friday vague

5. Starchy palm product: SAGO - one of the triple Natick that got me - not TARO

6. One-way symbol: ARROW

7. Swedish actress Rapace who plays Lisbeth Salander: NOOMI - I did not know who this was until I went to IMDb - she played Elizabeth Shaw in the 'Alien' franchise movie "Prometheus" - name #5

She did not look like this in that movie . . . 

8. Bird in the bush: EMU - "Bush" being the quaint nickname for the hinterlands of  Australia

9. Word after Grand and Cedar, in city names: RAPIDS - Grand in MI, Cedar in IA and MN

10. Row: DISPUTE - rOW, not rOE

11. Part of a squirrel's diet: ACORN

12. French red wine: MÈDOC - Wine clue #2, more here for the lushes connoisseurs

13. Hoard: STASH - the noun, not the verb - I tried AMASS - another good 'edge' word

18. Sp. miss: SRTA - Español abbr

22. Classic car, informally: T-BIRD

25. Light purple: LILAC - followed by . . . 

26. Dark purple: PUCE

Tough to find on one palette - and that's a dark lilac

27. Scooby-__: DOO - name #6

29. Well-known: BIG - one of the bands that frequented Casanova's was "Big In Iowa", a sort of self-deprecating name drawn from a quote here - I was friends with Rick House, one of the guitarists; he, founder Bob Burns, and bassist/WEBN radio host Ken Glidewell have since passed away . . . sheesh

31. Winona of "Stranger Things": RYDER - name #7

32. Actor Vigoda: ABE - name #8

34. Work together: PARTNER UP - a unique fill

35. Skin soother: ALOE - very much NOT a unique fill

36. Happy cry: "YAY~!" - "yay, I finally got my ta-DA~!" when I filled in the correct word at 5A.

38. Heart throbs: BEATS

39. Figs.: NOs - abbr, figures & numbers

42. Plots: SCHEMES - nailed it

44. Haberdashery accessories: TIE BARS - There's two kinds - I wanted TIE TACkS - more here

The concrete rebar/epoxy connections on the left

46. Both sides of America?: SCHWAS - very clever - the phoneme, /ə/, when saying /ə/-MEH-rik-/ə/; it's the most common sound in the English language - more here

48. Tiny sound: PEEP

49. Gets warmer?: NEARS - think the guessing game, where someone is getting closer or further from some hidden item, and the other person says "colder, cold, warm, warmer, hot, HOT~!"

50. Birthplace of novelist Kiran Desai: INDIA - Sheesh.  Friday.  Half WAG on my part; name #9

51. Exams for future MBAs: GMATS - not LSATs, not MCATs, this test is for getting into schools for the acquisition of a Master of Business Adminstration degree

52. John with an EGOT: ELTON - I always get fooled by "John" being his last name, #10

53. Threads in tea lights: WICKS - Friday clue, but clever

57. You, once: THEE - Dah~!  I tried THOU

58. Peak near Catania: ETNA - yada yada, I threw this volcano name in, and "ding~!"

59. Whiskeys that are typically more dry than bourbons: RYES  - Whiskey #2, the basis for the drink called a Manhattan, which reminds me of the only time I ever tasted this liquor.  Growing up, we had watered down iced tea; a treat was a can of full-sugar soda; the adults would have a "Manhattan" at holidays; I figured it must be even better than soda, the "nectar of the gods" - until I tasted it - blech~!

62. Speechless feeling: AWE - not knowing "why" the adults really drank Manhattans certainly left me speechless regarding its taste & lack of sweetness

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.2