Today's accomplished authors have teamed up on a clever theme, with a handful of impressive clues & answers somewhat lost among other, crummier ones. The three, even-length four-letter words of the reveal required an oversized, 15 x 16 grid, with only two fills that are unique (°). We have circles that, IMO, might not have been necessary in this instance, as the "ends meet" hint seems to be enough - and it's Friday; so let us solvers work through the challenge~! A mere ten 3LWs, a handful of names, a couple that did not need to be clued as such, no Natick crossings as far as I can see, but a little too much dreck - and I can't fault the constructors, since some of the clues may have been "editorialized". The themers and reveal;
17. *Get one over on: PULL A PRANK ° - "PU-NK" - I am not a fan of shows that belittle people for the sake of a gag; while Candid Camera was light and funny, the current "in that vein" kind of shows such as Punk'd or Jackass, just seem cruel and immature - another commentary here
23. *Action blockbuster with several sequels: THE TERMINATOR - "TH-OR" - I have seen most of the Aaaahnald series movies, none of the MCU ones - I find the excessive use of CGI waaay too much
46. *Antioxidant-rich treat: DARK CHOCOLATE - "DA-TE" - the fruit, but the 'going out' meaning of "date" could be interpreted as "a treat" - not sure about the antioxidant part though . . .
56. *Chin-wag: CHEW THE FAT - "CH-AT" - I almost went with this as my title last week, on the "speak up" crossword theme, but "chew" doesn't quite have a homonym I could effectively use
35. With 36- and 37-Across, get by, or how to find a second answer to each starred clue: MAKE
36. See 35-Across: ENDS
37. See 35-Across: MEET - as the two-letter 'ends' of the themers 'meet' to create a second word with the same meaning - I did enjoy this as a theme concept
Bure Mot Theit Ware's
ACROSS:
1. Android, for one: ROBOT - I do the Downs first, ONUS was in place; "PHONE" was not gonna work
My two favorite androids - C-3PO and Marvin, from The Hitchhiker's Guide...
6. Cat's eye, often: SLIT - At first I thought "meh.", but it turns out that the species at 25D. has round pupils; so does the Pallas Cat of Asia
10. Genesis name: ADAM - AND - 33D. Genesis name: SEGA - clecho, but not the same Genesis; the second one is the gaming console - names #1 & #2
14. Dazzled: IN AWE - Twurd - and our weekly dupe, this time from Wednesday.
15. Goals for some Olympians: TENS - Score. Golds, Silvers, Medals, etc., did not fit
16. Frozen Four game: SEMI - vague; Friday - a round in college hockey finals. Thanks for the SO Moe~!
19. Mountain abode: CABIN - another negative temperature day here in Tolland, CT - which is giving me CABIN fever - I can't get certain projects done when it's this cold, even down in the garage . . .
20. Bilingual subj.: ESL - English (as a) Second Language
21. Touch off: CAUSE
22. Handle: MANAGE - this filled entirely via perps for me
25. Going-out outfits?: PAJAMAS - as in putting "out" the light and sleeping
28. World-weary: BLASÉ - Frawnche
29. Annual Queens sporting event: US OPEN - Ah. I read this as "Queen's", as in the royal persona, thinking maybe POLO . . . but no~! It's the borough of NYC, where the tennis tournament is played
30. "Let's see if you're bluffing": "I CALL." - poker
32. Wanders around ORD?: TSA - Good one - the Wand-ers of the Transportation Security Admin., working at Chicago's O'Hare airport, code abbr (ORD)
38. Big primate: APE
39. Enclosures in a 19-Down: LOCKS - AND - 39D. Highlands waters: LOCHS - I am ambivalent on words spelled this closely in crosswords
41. Nutty Alpine cheese: ASIAGO - filled via perps
43. Rushing sound: WOOSH - my spelling is WHOOSH, Wich is WHrong
45. Women's liberal arts college in Atlanta: SPELMAN - name #3, spelled wrong (😜); author Geoffrey works in Atlanta - here's his last LA Times contribution and the write-up from HuskerG
50. Actress Cuthbert: ELISHA - name #4
51. Lingering scents: ODORS
52. Penny prez: ABE - abbr in the clue, abbr in the ans - name(ish)
55. Ultrasound subject: FETUS - First Extra-Terrestrial of the United States~?
24. Chicago Booth degs.: MBAs - I had no idea what "Booth" meant; the university website; name(ish)
25. Big mountain cat: PUMA - A.K.A. "cougar" - two others 'cats' that fit: Lion and ???? - see below
26. "Right this second!" letters: A.S.A.P. - again, the blasé, cliché, mis-representation of STAT
27. Part of a crack team?: JOKEWRITER - OK, kinda funny
30. Doodle medium: INK - meh
31. LP successors: CDs - or,did cassette tapes, and even eight-tracks, 'succeed', as in "follow"~?
34. Oodles: ATON - one of the two the most over-used crossword Twurds - ALOT being the other
36. Fun word to shout into a canyon: ECHO
37. Unit with Roman and "country" varieties: MILE - I know about a "country mile", as in 'longer than a typical distance', but was curious about the Roman one - the Wiki
40. Gp. concerned with NSFW material?: OSHA - I took the OSHA 30 hour course, and while it does have a harassment section, the government 'group' is more about safety; hence the "S" in the acronym Occupational Safety and Health Administration, so 'meh'
41. In pieces: APART - in keeping consistent, this should be: one piece = A PART
42. Free throw, e.g.: SET SHOT - Basketball, which I don't care for
44. "Fine, whatever": "OKSURE." - Twurd
45. At a snail's pace: SLOWLY
46. Clear up, as a windshield: DEFOG - I had DE-ICE
47. Naproxen brand: ALEVE - it was a toss-up between this WAG and ADVIL; name(ish)
49. Scott who wrote "Island of the Blue Dolphins": O'DELL - I had no clue; more here - name #8
52. Way off: AFAR - "The sheriff is A NEAR~!" - Blazing Saddles
"No, dagnubbit, the sheriff is . . . " Now that's NSFW~!
53. Like Mr. Johnson on "Abbott Elementary": BALD - oof. Friday cluing, his IMDb - name(ish)
54. Site with a Home Favorites section: ETSY - good WAG on my part
Highlighted in red
56. Fiscal exec: CFO - Chief Financial Officer
57. Flop __: period of setbacks, in slang: ERA - no clue, but I shoulda guessed; at least it's a new clue for this tired answer. Below is what came up first in a Google search - commentary on our Social Media obsession; it's a bit annoying, but spot on . . .
The previous LA Times "Z-D-L" puzzle was one I blogged on Wednesday back in November - the Monty Python and the Holy Grail "just a flesh wound" masterpiece - if you happen to be a fan . . . Today Mr. Levy's construction features four themers that have a synonym for "speak" going UP the Down fills, but defined as its homonym; I was perplexed as to why I could not get the answer for 9D to gibe with the crossings, until - the V-8 can. Not too difficult for a Friday, IMO, but we get a bit bogged down with the names again; a standard 15 x 15 grid, more than double the number of four-letter words to 3LWs, no circles, and missing only the "Q" for a pangram *. The themers and reveal;
4. Fast service: SSERPXE MAIL - Express is spelled "up" in the grid
9. Seize-the-day type: OG GETTER - here's where I sussed the theme, as I knew it had to be "GO"
27. Many a land-grant university: ETATS SCHOOL - State, going "up"
40. Hogwash: RETTU ROT - Utter, going "up"
25. Comment to a low talker, or what is found in 4-, 9-, 27-, and 40-Down: SPEAK UP - here's the collection of scenes from the "low talker" episode of Seinfeld
63. Stalwart trees: OAKS - I could argue that trees in general are "stalwart", by definition
64. In case: LEST
I like this
65. Eye-shaped windows: OCULI - most of what I find online is round, not "eye" shaped; the Wiki
When I hear 'oculus', I think of the Pantheon
66. Possessive pronoun: ONE'S - e.g. "gird one's loins"
67. Org chart topper: EXECutive
68. Fundamental principle: TENET
69. Countess's title: LADY - Here's Tom Jones, now 85yrs old, married for 59(~!) years until the passing of his wife and lifetime love Melinda in 2016; I grew up listening to his baritone voice, as my parents were born & raised in England - more on Tom from Wiki here
"Never Had A Lady Before"
from "Rescue Me" , his 1979 "disco" album; so many great songs
DOWN:
2. Savory quality: UMAMI
3. Views: TAKES - Friday cluing; as in "what's your ___ on this~?" but pluralized, meh
5. Jargons: ARGOTS - the "lingo" of a (usually secret) social group - the plural is again a bit 'meh'
6. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE - geo name #7
7. "__ set": ALL - vague; Friday
8. Online admins: MODS - moderators
10. Fuss: ADO
11. Makes more sophisticated: CIVILIZES - a weapon from a more "civilized age"
Your father's lightsaber
12. Festive nights: EVES - what are festive days~? Adams~?
13. Run without saying goodbye, perhaps: DASH
19. Gamer's woe: LAG - think online gaming ( or someone taking too long to play a word in Scrabble )
21. Goes after, in a sense: SUES
30. Terse confirmation: "IT IS."
32. Entice: LURE
33. Cereal coveted by a silly rabbit: TRIX - name(ish) . . .
. . . are for kids~!
34. Whirl: SPIN
35. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO - name #8, crossword staple
36. Fruitless endeavor: LOST CAUSE - stone fruitless = LOST QUARTZ
37. Dracula player Lugosi: BELA - Here's Bella - one of the other trainers at the gym, wearing the shirt I made for my trainer Brett - that's him on the shirt; he and some of the other members are always mocking me for calling the gym equipment "tools" - hey, I do "work"(out) with them . . . name #9
44. Writer/illustrator Carle: ERIC - Didn't recognize the name - #10 - filled via perps - but I do recognize his work; I see he passed in 2021 at age 91. His website
47. Marketing space: AD UNIT - I tossed in AD PAGE
49. "What do we have here?": "O-HO~!"
51. IRS convenience: eFILE
52. Mat position: ASANA - yoga~! yoga~! yoga~!
Animal House announces toga party
53. Trained for part of a triathlon: BIKED - good WAG; running and swimming are the other two events
54. Not very respectful: SASSY
55. Up to the task: ABLE
56. Ken's "Jeopardy!" predecessor: ALEX - I watched Mr. Trebek growing up; have not watched any Jennings episodes - name #11
58. Maze runners: MICE - Dah~! I put in RATS
61. Brief "Blah, blah, blah": etc.
62. Squirt __: GUN - I bought a pair that actually have a pretend, Glock-like "slide"
You lock the slide back to expose the fill hole, thus "loading" it
This puzzle was right in my vein - literally; my Blood type is B+, er B-plus, I mean, B "positive"~! Jeff Stillman is a regular contriButor for the L.A. Times - this is his second in January of 2026 already, and he typically offers two or three puzzles a year - needs only a Saturday puBlication for a"week steak". A simple theme of adding the letter "B" to four in-language phrases to create a humorous change - and just three stray non-theme "B"s in the grid; pretty impressive. A smooth solve for me - Better than yesterday's. Single digits on the 3LWs ( nine~! ), no circles, a standard grid, But a few too many names again. The four themers, with no reveal;
20. Add to one's ear piercings?: HIT A NEW LOBE - Hit a new low - which was a clue we saw yesterday, sorta; spelling change, same "oh" sound
I learned some new anatomy here
27. "There's nothing like the feeling of posting a vlog!"?: "I LOVE YouTube~!" I love you, too~!" - a different spelling change. Below is my first "official" post to YT, the raw, unedited - boring - clip of my first time doing epoxy on the table for my brother; not much to see, but you can hear my furnace, Santa go by in the background, and a quote from Ghostbusters.
46. Trio trying to sneak past the guard at a sauna?: THREE IN A ROBE - Three in a row - same spelling change as the first themer
Does this count as three men in a ROBE~?
55. "Get your own die, pal!"?: "THAT'S MY CUBE~!" - "That's my cue~!" - NO spelling change
"I've wandered, and can't find my cube~!"
BuBt WaBit TheBre's MoBre
ACROSS:
1. Word on some birth announcements: GIRL - gonna be multiple choice, soon
5. Bowlers, e.g.: HATS
Pierce Brosnan from The Thomas Crown Affair - loved the movie
9. Storage box: CHEST - I am thinking about building an LP record chest for my bother to match the table I gave him for Christmas
14. French friend: AMIE - Frawnche lesson #1
15. Bread maker: OVEN - I made my best chicken crust pizza this past weekend; oh so good~!
16. Video counterpart: AUDIO - the "A" in A/V Club
17. Uneven do: SHAG
18. Mallet game: POLO - Ah. I was stuck in croquet-mode
19. Rapinoe who won the Ballon d'Or Féminin in 2019: MEGAN - Frawnche lesson #2, "Women's Golden Ball" - the "N" was my last fill; this was more like a Saturday clue/answer, as I had no clue - or answer 😜 - name #1
23. Onetime owner of Virgin Records: EMI - Iron Maiden, one of my musical favorites, started out on EMI; their early management led them to fifty years of albums and touring. There's also a girl who works at my BJs club named Emi; I wondered if it was short for Emilia, or something. Name(ish)
24. Michael of Monty Python: PALIN - Glad I am a MP fan, otherwise, name #2
37. Body shop fig.: ESTimate - these days, the car is usually totaled
39. "The King and I" role: ANNA - name #3
40. Uses a Brillo pad on: SCOURS
43. Meditation spot: YOGA MAT
48. Location: SITE - think construction
49. Evasive maneuver: DODGE - I own a Dodge Grand Caravan; taking the ferry on Tuesday to Long Island to deliver and install a new trellis to replace the one that was run over at a friend's house last year - it was "totalled" 😝
52. Dejected: SAD - I am SAD; the Buffalo Bills are out again - but I did call it on Jan 2nd
59. Words to live by: AXIOM - "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
61. Home overhaul, informally: RENO - renovation; I like HGTV's show "No Demo Reno"
My business name is "Re-Mölisher" - I try to reduce the demo/waste, too
62. Iranian money: RIAL - Learned by doing crosswords
63. Amazon assistant: ALEXA - I have Alexa, but I put her away to "renovate" my living room, and she's still in her box. I still love this always funny SNL skit - name #4
Amazon Alexa Silver - uh-huh
64. Small fastener: BRAD - at least it wasn't clued as a name . . .
65. Utah home of Sugarloaf Mountain: ALTA - Dah~! I knew ASTA was wrong, however long the name has appeared in crosswords; he's the classic movie dog; geo name #5
66. Back, as a racehorse: BET ON - I read this as 'back OF a racehorse'
Hey, croup fit . . . .
67. "Holy moly!": "YIPE~!"
68. Existed: BEEN - WERE did not gibe; I had - - EN, so I went with THEN; BEEN was slow to come to me, as its pronunciation is more 'bihn', than 'bean', as it looks
DOWN:
1. Nasty cut: GASH - I start with the Down clues, and was on a roll . . .
2. "Ya dig?" reply: "I'M HIP." - but I had "Uh-Huh" here . . .
3. Rodeo rope: RIATA - and LASSO, so the NW was a mess
4. Motivation for seeking counsel: LEGAL ISSUES - great fill, but waited on perps
5. "Heaven forbid!": "HOPE NOT~!" - waited on perps
6. Assert: AVOW - Filled in the A & V, waited on perps - could always be avER
7. Disclose: TELL
8. Comics canine: SNOOPY - name #6
9. Required remittance: CAME DUE - pondered "WAS OWED" - Twurd
10. Peach or plum: HUE - I was not fooled. Yes, they happen to be fruits as well . . .
Plus burgundy, coffee, ivory....
11. Border: EDGE - good WAG; could have been the verb ABUT
12. "The King and I" setting: SIAM - learned by doing crosswords
13. "Knives Out" actress Collette: TONI - name #7 - no clue, more here
21. The Aswan High Dam's river: NILE - geo name #8 - found this video with the unfinished obelisk featured as well
22. Snout-touching sound: BOOP - toyed with OINK
26. Seafood dish that turns from blue to orange during preparation: STEAMED CRAB
29. Gut course: EASY A - I am not aligned with "easy" meaning "gut" in this instance
30. Arm bone: ULNA
31. Out of shape: BENT - FAT was, ironically, not big enough . . .
32. Timeline stretch: ERA - Dah~! not EON
33. Sumptuous: RICH - POSH, LUSH~? - ah, my actual name - but did not need to be clued as such
34. Fragrance: ODOR - I associate "fragrance" as positive, say "aroma" - "odor" with "stink", funk", etc.
36. Winter hrs. in Halifax: AST - Atlantic Standard Time
Circled in green, bottom right
38. Craggy hill: TOR - Learned by doing crosswords
41. Surname of two directors in the "Ghostbusters" franchise: REITMAN - Ivan did the always quotable original, and the less entertaining "II"; his son Jason did "Afterlife", which I have, embarrassingly, never heard about . . . now I gotta see it - name #9
42. Enemy of the Jedi: SITH - from the ubiquitous Star Wars - name(ish)
44. Period of invincibility in video games: GOD MODE - I like playing Sim City, and I can literally play "God" by turning on - or off - the natural disasters.
45. "About __": Hugh Grant film based on a Nick Hornby novel: "A BOY" - the IMDb
47. Within earshot: NEARBY
50. Skillful deceit: GUILE - My one unspottable error; GUI S E was good enough, and crossing a name, AL(S)TA, I was not going to notice I was wrong 😜
51. Online cash-back offer: eBATE
52. Automaker that declared bankruptcy in 2011: SAAB - The Monday dupe - now on Wednesday~! I once owned a 1983 900 - buy now, SAAB later - name #10
53. Wagon part: AXLE
54. Lose on purpose?: DIET - the verb; I am back on track - down now at 207lbs, and still "losing"
56. Actress Hatcher: TERI - 'Bond girl' Paris Carver from Tommorow Never Dies, name #11
Pierce again - yet not my favorite Bond, by far
57. Pic: SNAP
58. Joie de vivre: ELAN - Frawnche #3, "Joy of Living"
60. Ergonomic brand: OXO - another Thursday dupe; 'kitchen gadgets', but that phrase was already in the crossword as a clue, @ 35A.
Gilette Castle, right here in my home state of Connecticut
This was a great crossword puzzle theme - a clever use of ordinal numbers and homonyms ( I also found the term "polysemy" - bank & run, e.g. ), words that sound and spell the same, but have two totally different definitions. My research into constructor Alex Rohrer led me to some other pages of crosswords ( click the green "read" button ) but I cannot be sure who "they" are - if they be man or woman - and I am not going to assume, as I made that 'foe pah' last year with "Dana" Edwards - sorry, man. Anyway, this was Friday-level difficulty in a standard grid, no circles, just twelve 3LWs, but a tad too many names & abbrs ( at least in the clues; I'm looking at you 58D. ). The themers;
17. [Math], science, gym, English: FIRST CLASS - the [ brackets ] are a hint as to the "position" required to finish the fill; here, "math" is the opening, or first, instance of four school "classes" listed - not the combination of the two words being 'posh section of an airplane'. The "M" is capitalized just because it's the opening letter of the clue - which threw me at first.
30. Allegory, [fable], anecdote, parable: SECOND STORY - the word in brackets is now found in the 'second' place, one of four synonyms for "story" - not the 'level of a house'
46. Walkout, slowdown, [picketing], sit-in: THIRD STRIKE - the third word, in brackets, is a synonym for strike, in the 'union' sense, not the "yer out~!" of baseball, or say, convictions; ya know what they call manners in prison~? Con etiquette, get it~?
62. Safari lodge, island property, destination spa, [all-inclusive beach hotel]: LAST RESORT - finally, we have four examples, or definitions, of places, as opposed to the ultimate act of extreme decisiveness, like nulcear war
* FOURTH ESTATE - known collectively as 'the press' - I did not know about the first three estates
Let's keep this theme going~!
sodium, carbon, lead, tin, [ iron ] - Fifth Element
Great movie, 1997 - about "love", not atomic structures on the periodic chart
But
Wait
There's
More
ACROSS:
1. Lemon piece: WEDGE - I do the Downs first, had SOAR at 1D., so I filled in SLICE; Bzzzt~!
6. Shoe with a "Sport Mode": CROC - don't own, don't care
10. Sunscreen ingredient: ZINC - I had - IN -, thought TINT at first 😜
14. Far from familiar: ALIEN - I knew this was the answer, but my NW corner was a jumbled mess
15. Off-white hue: ECRU - Ah. The Monday dupe. On Tuesday.
16. "Pick me!": "OH, OH~!"
19. Simplicity: EASE
20. Start of a long drive, perhaps: TEE SHOT - the "H" my last letter to fill, highlighted red in the grid below; I was trying to parse this as TEES OFF, which the crossings denied
21. Available sans Rx: OTC - Over-The-Counter, Frawnche "without" prescription, but only avec argent
23. Craps cube: DIE
24. Journalist Katie: COURIC - name #1, knew this one
26. Formal expulsion: OUSTER
28. Well-suited: APT
32. Tasks: CHORES
34. Doja Cat's signature song: SAY SO - not my thing, but I listened and liked it - has a 70's disco vibe, and the video does, too; * warning *- the rap in the middle contains foul language, of course - name(ish)
35. Zipped, or ripped: TORE
36. "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" airer: Mtv - the channel ran its last actual music video in 2025, sorta
37. Kardashian matriarch: KRIS - name #2, no clue, tried "I-ris"
6. Boston player: CELTIC - All I could think of were Red Sox and Bruins - I am no basketball fan
7. TV producer: RCA - a company that produced the actual appliances; who else remembers the TV repair guy using a mirror to see the screen while he adjusted the settings~?
I do remember the hardboard back panel with the holes in it, too~!
8. Ish: OR SO
9. Guardianship: CUSTODY - I was on the wavelength with "parentage"
10. Elmo's orange friend: ZOE - name #7 - Never heard of her
11. "Couldn't resist!": "I HAD TO." - due to inflation and the rising cost of crossword fill, there will be an upcharge for "Thwurds"; we also have - 43D. Have high expectations: ASK A LOT - AND - 48D. "I'll have to pass": "IT'S A NO."
12. More likely to pry: NOSIER
13. Chipper: CHEERY - alliteration
18. Targets of some workouts: CORES - my "core" has gone south on me; I slacked off during the holidays. But I did some fasting, and gotta get to trying those new dishes~!
22. Swear: CUSS - Ah. CURSE didn't fit, but I was "correct"
25. People who get half the credit: CO-STARS
27. Stir up: STOKE
28. Do one's part: ACT
29. Soup with rice noodles: PHO - I pondered NAM, like we had last Friday
31. Pt. of USNA: NAV - meh. U. S. Naval Academy
33. In vogue again: RETRO - I'm "retro" simply because I'm old, and never changed . . .
36. B.A. Baracus player: Mr. T - from "The A-Team", 80s TV; name #8
38. Mount with southeast-facing faces: RUSHMORE - name(ish), but a gimme
What's the price of admission to this park, CandianEh!~?
39. Addams cousin: ITT - name #9
40. Reserved: SHY
42. Object of admiration: IDOL
44. One with two poles: SKIER - and here I thought I was clever filling in "EARTH"
45. Cry of hunger?: "LET'S EAT~!"
46. Qualities: TRAITS
47. __ crab: HERMIT
49. Foot part: INSTEP
Foot parts ON steps
53. Isabel Wilkerson's "__: The Origins of Our Discontents": CASTE - more here, name(ish)
56. Dada: PAPA - a bit meh for Friday, IMHO
58. Former "DWTS" co-host Andrews: ERIN - I had no idea what DWTS is - Dancing With The Stars. She & partner came in third, then she was one of the 25D. until 2020; name #10
59. Hotel visit: STAY
61. World view?: MAP
63. "Aaron Burr, __": "Hamilton" song: SIR - name(ish), and not needed for this 3LW
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