Sunday, February 22, 2026
Friday, February 20, 2026
Friday, Feb 20th, 2026 ~ Benjamin Panico
RECIDIVIST
Offender Criminal "Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog" - and, yes, he's NSFW insulting
No Comment. Alas, I must comment - it's the "krow" I do here at the Corner - and I am going to "crow". This was just too much of a stretch to be enjoyable, and the solve itself was fraught with ALOT of meh/vague/cringe. It looks to be the author's debut LA Times crossword; I found one other, I believe, a NYT here, and a blog review of said puzzle. Methinks he is a very cerebral constructor. Names slowed me down, and unlike last week, getting any "?" themer did not necessarily help me elsewhere in the grid. A scarce nine 3LWs, and no circles, at least. The themers, and reveal;
20. *Aircraft marshaling?: PROJECT RUNWAY - "Runway Project" - but this clue~? Meh. "Tarmac resurfacing" - now that's more like it. The actual fill is about this show
The Wiki of the show
34. *Lifeguarding?: LABOR POOL - this is the only themer that makes sense, too me - "Pool Labor". The actual fill is "the source of trained people from which workers can be hired"
40. *Bounty hunting?: JOB SEARCH - "Search Job" - i.e., "skip trace"; Cletus Purcell, a character in the Dave Robicheaux books, does this sort of work as a P.I. The actual fill is, well, a job search
54. Advice to a problem solver, or an apt description of the answers to the starred clues: WORK BACKWARDS - and the title of a self-help, motivational, life-affirming book as well
The website is here
Did I miss some deeper meaning~?
But Wait, unfortunately, There's More
ACROSS:
1. "Catastrophe" writer/star Delaney: ROB - speaking of catastrophe, name #1 - not a good start, but I begin by doing the DOWN clues, so that I might have some perps for the themers - didn't help today. His IMDb
4. Power unit: WATT - a measure established by James Watt who adopted "horsepower" to compare to his steam engine, which improved on the existing design; more here
8. School assignment: ESSAY - I want you to write . . . a "theme" Awww
A Chrstmas Story
13. Filter target: SPAM - my NW was a mess; I had SMOG
15. 2025 Pixar film about a boy who meets aliens: ELIO - name #2, never heard anything about this movie
16. Hollers: YELLS
17. Nix: VETO - my vote.
18. Big pig: BOAR
19. Windows shopping: eTAIL - Ah. a subtle play on "window" shopping - OK, a good one
23. Grammy winner Baker: ANITA - name #3, but we see her frequently in crosswords
24. Thus far: AS YET
25. Lara Croft target: TOMB - the "Raider" from the video games, and movies; name(ish)
27. Taoism founder: LAO TZU- name #4 - more here
31. Couch surfer's spot: FUTON - Ugh. Even IF you accept this definition of couch surfing, still makes me cringe as a clue/answer
37. Ore. neighbor: IDAho - it seems that the Cornerites are not fond of three-letter state abbrs
38. Pressed sandwich that's part of a friendly rivalry between Miami and Tampa: CUBAN - too local to be a fair clue/answer, IMHO, but here's a newsletter/blog for your perusal
39. Quaint quarters: INN - it's Friday; the slight mismatch of singular/plural is a bit meh.
43. Accordion-heavy music: POLKA
45. Latin for "as originally positioned": IN SITU
"Hey, what is that~?"
46. One on the Mohs scale: TALC - The mineral talc rates a low "1" on the hardness scale - I don't have to tell you what this crossword rates on the Moe's scale
48. Spills the beans: TELLS
51. "Let's maybe take it down a __ or two": NOTCH - can we maybe bring it UP a notch~?
57. Country singer Rimes: LEANN - name #5
59. Lemon-shaped: OVAL - when the LA Times gives you lemons . . .
60. Choose yea or nay: VOTE - Nay.
61. Bright and airy courtyards: ATRIA
62. Relocate: MOVE
63. Icicle locale: EAVE - I see just one icicle hanging from my gutters - blessed with no ice dams
64. Streisand film with the song "The Way He Makes Me Feel": YENTL - name #6
65. Imp: BRAT
66. Scolding sound: TSK
DOWN:
1. Choose yes or no: RSVP - Ugh. Vague
2. Place for binoculars: OPERA - I tried VISTA - like this
James Bond using them in "The Living Daylights"
3. Track and field handout: BATON - handout~? Ugh . . . better = hand OFF
4. Zoom lens?: WEBCAM - Zoom, the internet meeting app; we used it for AA meetings during COVID
5. Bundles: A LOT - Atwurd
6. Quinceañera crown: TIARA - good WAG on my part; the Español part, which refers to a 15year-old girl's passing into womanhood, was 'irrelevant'; I ran with a crown synonym
7. Doughnut shape: TORUS
8. Monocle, for one: EYEWEAR - that it is, I guess; so spectacles & glasses are EYES wear~?
9. Put on: SET ATOP - No comment; technically, it's a unique fill
10. "You __ me!": "SLAY" - Friday vague
11. Actor Mahershala: ALI - I'll have to add this name, #7, to the Muhammad / Laila list - and a Tuesday dupe
12. Fashion monogram: YSL - Yves Saint Laurent, a double whammy abbr/name, #8
14. Cocktail garnished with mint: MOJITO - I tried GIMLET first; but that's a lime garnish - Gimlet showed up on Tuesday, too
A different kind of "spirit" from Minnesota~!
21. __ collar: ETON - Dah~! Not BLUE
22. Synthetic fabric: NYLON - goes without saying . . .
26. Fuzzy memory: BLUR - I tried HAZE
28. Slog away: TOIL - like during this solve
29. Pass (out): ZONK - Ah. Another clever clue; I was in DOLE/METE mode
30. Fibula counterpart: ULNA - leg-to-arm bone comparison; semi-deceptive, but four letter bone~?
I like the other leg pic . . .
31. Pacific nation that exports water: FIJI - I did not know that this was the actual case; some interesting environmental info here; I'll stick with the 5gal jugs from BJs - and geo-name(ish)
32. Nagoya noodles: UDON - crossword staple
33. Pop-top tops: TABS - I found several pieces of art made from these, including "chain mail"...
...and a cool dragon
35. Pre-K sequence: ABC - yeah but meh.
36. Thai coin: BAHT - name(ish), but I knew this from doing crosswords
38. Sealing substance: CAULK - Catchy Clue - alliteration
41. "Happy Days" retort: "SIT ON IT~!" - Two 70s sit-coms in one week ( Welcome Back, Kotter )
42. Everlasting: ETERNAL - Excellent Entry - alliteration
43. Bulldoze: PLOW - I tried RAZE
44. Interval of eight notes: OCTAVE
47. Jewelry often worn with sandals: ANKLET - I put in TOE RING but ran out of spaces; I've seen anklets with heels, so a bit of a 'meh' clue.
49. Relationship-deepening word, informally: L BOMB - did this get dropped last Saturday💕~?😜
50. Really relish: SAVOR
52. Slovenian neighbor: CROAT - name(ish), but I nailed it; the 'inhabitants'
53. Man cave fixtures: HDTVs
54. Alert: WARN
55. Vena __: major blood line: CAVA
56. Switch roles after hiding: SEEK - the kid's game of HIDE & SEEK
57. __ of the land: LAY
58. Beach season in Marseille: ETE - ah, there's my Frawnche~! Summer on Cote d'Azur
Splynter
Forgot to start the timer; it took about 10 minutes that
Forgot to start the timer; it took about 10 minutes that
I can't get back
Grid Flow 27.9
Grid Flow 27.9
Friday, February 13, 2026
Friday, The 13th, 2026 ~ Barbara Lin
CATWALK-ING
Superstitious~? The Quadruple Whammy
THIS is what a real crossword looks and solves like - with gratitude from my heart to our constructor, whose last appearance for the LA Times was here. The puzzle has a standard 15 x 15 grid, no gimmicks, no circles, a level of difficulty hinting at what's to come with the Saturday themeless ( I'm looking at you, 11D. ). Just six names, maybe a few too many abbrs ( and a high 3LW count ), with two pairs of nines in the Downs, and enough vagueness/deception to make me have to think about the answers. The themers, "add-ING" to common phrases, are all unique, and such that if a solver can get a hold on one, they can go back and get some assistance for the others; no contrived reveal or 'forced' fill, either. I give it Four Moe ⭐ stars~! The themers;
19. Reservation with impeccable timing?: THE GOOD BOOKING - The Good Book, better known as The Bible; add ING, and you get the last room available at Comic Con - I so want to dress up and go~!
27. Task for a pet store with too many cats?: KITTY HAWKING - I thought this might be an outlier, with Kittyhawk being one word, but no - the town in North Carolina is Kitty Hawk - more here
A kitty hawking "real estate"
45. Sport that combines football and sparring?: TACKLE BOXING - Sounds like this could be fun - but then again, I think we have this sport already - it's called MMA
54. Night when one leaves the closet?: COME OUT EVENING - Gaming, gambling, etc., where one "buys in" and leaves at the end with the same 'investment'; I have had many a poker night where I was glad to have "come out even"
But Waiting, There's Moreing
ACROSS:
1. Elevator choice: FLOOR - Ah. Clever; I was thinking brand name, then "LOCAL", as opposed to express; overthinkING it, so my NW was messy
6. Tech giant headquartered in Armonk, N.Y.: IBM - I did not know the home office was residING in my old state; name(ish)
9. Mixes in: ADDS - no mixing, just tackING on ING
13. Future family member: FIANCÉ - Ah. The groom side of the equation; fiancée is the lass
14. Cal. neighbor: ARIzona
15. Sniffed item in some tastings: CORK - I pondered "NOSE" - more here - the aroma ( not odor ) of a wine at a tasting; cork sniffer has a negative connotation these days
16. Intelligence, sense of humor, etc.: ASSETS
17. Aunt's sis: MOM - my step-grandfather married my grandmother and his brother married her daughter, my mother's sister - figure that one out 😜
18. Like half of an MLB team's games: AWAY - not just baseball, most team sports have half their season played at another team's arena, not on/at their home field
22. Med. nation: SYR - I had the "Y" in place from doing the Downs first; Mediterranean / Syria
23. WNBA player: PRO - clever deception; NBA players are PROfessionals, too - I was overthinkING again, that the "W" factored into the answer
24. Forensic drama franchise: CSI - totally misread this clue, put in NSA 😝
25. "Christopher Robin" hopper: ROO - from Winnie The Pooh, name #1
30. "Frozen" character with antlers: SVEN - The reindeer in the Disney animated film; name #2
33. "Told you!": "SEE~!"
34. One metal in bimetallism: SILVER - LearnING moment for me; I thought bimetallism referred to the two metals, typically brass and steel, that make an old thermostat work - more on the financial "standard" here
35. Peninsula between the Gulf of Thailand and the Strait of Malacca: MALAY - geo name #3
37. Fuel additive brand: STP - crossword staple
39. Prolonged battle: SIEGE
40. Polar mass: ICE CAP
42. Facial twitch: TIC
44. Indoor rowers: ERGS - I knew this because my brother has one in his basement
48. Sinus specialist, briefly: ENT - Ears, Nose, Throat - crossword staple
49. Not well: ILL
50. "Or so __ heard": "I'VE"
51. Soccer great Hamm: MIA - name #4, but a frequent visitor to crosswords
58. Drive: FIRE - Friday cluING; drive has several definitions; cars, golf, passion, etc
59. Ironman competition, for short: TRIathlon; SwimmING, CyclING, RunnING
60. Brainstorm: IDEATE - $2 word
61. Light up: BEAM - think facially, like 'happy' tics
62. Crew blade: OAR - Crüe Axe
Mick Mars - Mötley Crüe - I have a similar BC Rich "axe"
63. Tickled pink: ELATED - This one cost me two minutes trying to find my error; I went with "S" at the end, not "D", never noticed the "tense" of either crossing
64. Spot in the sea: ISLE - this corrected my other messy corner; I had "ATF" for 63D.
65. Bill addressing climate change?: NYE - filled via perps, but "Bill Nye, the Science Guy" is also a regular visitor to crosswords; name #5
66. Flower part: SEPAL
DOWN:
1. Suspicious: FISHY - Ah. I was thinkING human perspective, went with LEERY - this is somethING generally soundING questionable - but not my "Y"
2. Hair-removal option: LASER - HOT WAX did not fit. Ouch.
3. Thou: ONE G - the slang for a thousand, one Grand, not the Biblical thou / thee / thine
4. Army creatures?: OCTOPI - Clever, but perhaps this is better clued as Arm-y~? I did get it
5. Vacation spots: RESORTS
6. Foot that's part of a meter: IAMB - poetry, e.g.
7. Jewelry box item: BROOCH - Earring, Necklace, Bracelet were too expensive in terms of letters
8. Brunch cocktails: MIMOSAS
9. Nutrient-rich berry: ACAI
10. With the current: DOWNRIVER - Dictionary says it's one word
11. Unhatched prize in Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" series: DRAGON EGG - name(ish), complete unknown, but I had enough crossings to figure it out; here's the Wiki
I'm going to try out this read
12. Much of a sunset photo: SKY - Dah~! I went with "RED"
Surreal - and a contest winner - more here
13. Jazz legend Waller: FATS - name #6, no clue. We are in Feb, Black History Month; more here
20. Lavishes affection (on): DOTES
21. Auckland residents, informally: KIWIS - Aussies are too fat to fit
26. Big brutes: OGRES - unless you're Shrek
27. Special skill: KNACK - I have a knack for complicatING simple things
29. Big name in bright lights: KLIEG - this one I knew, from working on movies - more here
30. Dispatch, biblically: SMITE - lots of Bible today
31. Openings: VACANCIES
32. __ college: ELECTORAL
36. New Haven undergrad: YALIE - Ah. Eli didn't make the grade . . .
38. Short cut: PIXIE - Haircut - I call my Pruis C 2 "Pixie"
Short cut - Short car - both cute
41. Pack of cyclists in a race: PELOTON - Tour de Frawnche taught me this word
Now that there's a piece of equipment called Peloton, it's
all that comes up on a Google search 😜
43. Out-of-uniform garb: CIVVIES - Ha~! Nailed it, the rare double "v" spelling and all; civilian attire
46. DVD alternative: BLU-RAY - I have a Blu-Ray player and a few movies
47. Pine leaf: NEEDLE - Yup, that's what the needles are - leafs; they're Leafs in Canada, Eh~?
51. Mazda roadster: MIATA - One of the employees of the pipe organ company has a 2005 model - he let me drive it to get coffee; no power steerING, and manual shiftING - a true drivING experience~!
I'll have the 2026 - in blue, with the fold-away hard top - Vroom-Vroom~!
52. Recon acquisition: INTEL - GatherING whilst spyING
53. Like wine and cheese: AGED - PAIRED didn't work - DUET~?
55. Eager volunteer's cry: "ME~! ME~!" - not the internet meme
56. Lose steam: TIRE - It's Friday, I pondered "FLAG"
57. Semimonthly tide: NEAP
58. DOJ arm: FBI - Department of Justice, and "Fart, Barf & Itch" ( from the Dave Robicheaux series books ). Also possible were ATF and DEA; not fitting in were the Bueau of Prisons and the US Marshals
** Thanks to all at the Corner for the B-day comments, and I truly appreciate "Eh!" who had me down for five years younger 😁 I am surprised at the number of folks who said that "double nickel" was in the rearview mirror for them - keep solving crosswords~! I do miss the pipe organ job - such a cool place to work, and I am still planning on getting my very own Cooper - loved the links and pics; my brother's card said "I can't drive 55~!" **
Splynter
Grid Flow a low 23.7
Friday, February 6, 2026
Friday, Feb 6th, 2026 ~ Brian Callahan & Geoffrey Schorkopf
GRAPH WHERE SOLUTION HID
- OR -
Clever Hints; Answers Due
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~?
GORT, from The Day the Earth Stood Still
58. Done: OVER
59. Went down: FELL
60. Doctoral hurdle: ORALS - Dah~! I read this as "doctor's", so I put in MCATS
61. "Razzle Dazzle" singer in the 2002 film "Chicago": GERE - Richard, name #5
62. Just: ONLY
63. Running behind: TARDY
DOWN:
1. Rank: RIPE - Like the lingering scents of 51A.
2. Weight: ONUS
3. Sitcom pioneer: BALL - could have been LUCY, or DESI, so I waited - name #6
4. Parliament member: OWL - Ah - parliament, the "animal grouping" - good one
5. "I want to learn how to do that!": "TEACH ME~!" - Twurd
6. Walks with confidence: STRUTS
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Watch Sheena Easton "Strut" in Tokyo, back in 1989, singing "Strut"
7. Crib sheet?: LEASE - semi-clever; the 'paper' one signs to rent a 'crib', slang for the place one lives
8. __ beauty: INNER - vague, Friday
9. Judgy sound: TSK - judgy~? The river 'meh' is rising
10. Yoga poses: ASANAS - I think I have had this fill now in three of my Fridays
11. Student group that may encourage members to go pro?: DEBATE TEAM° - this one was clever. The "side" in a debate, that being either "pro" or "con"
12. Compañero: AMIGO - Español lesson
13. Worker in a rush?: MINER - Gold rush, that is
18. Hymn of praise: PAEAN - Its etymology here
19. Waterway with 39-Across: CANAL
22. Move (about): MILL
23. End of some races: TAPE
He's across the finish line~!
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
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?: JOKE WRITER - 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: A TON - 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": "OK SURE." - 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)
48. Poet Leonard: COHEN - name #7 - his Wiki
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 . . .
Flop Era - Akita Neru
Splynter
Grid Flow 33.4
From 25D. - "Lynx"
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