Friday, Sep 18th, 2026 ~ Patti Varol

 OBI-WANTON

"You don't need to see my Mulligan . . ."

LA Times editor Patti Varol is back again on Friday - this is her fourth that I have blogged in 2026.  Another tack-on theme, with two of the fills grid-spanners, this time adding '-TON' to some common things / phrases, resulting in some punniness, and a 'defining' reveal.  I breezed through today, just one sticky square, and I was on this Patti puzzle wavelength with most of the proper names being in my wheelhouse.  Standard grid, no outlier squares, no circles, thirteen 3LWs, and ten names.  The themers & reveal;

20. Box that's unexpectedly popular?: SLEEPER CARTON

24. Lazy way to soothe hurt feelings?: NO OFFENSE BUT...TON

43. Take tiny crustaceans out for a stroll?: WALK THE PLANKTON

49. Getting heavier, or an apt title for this puzzle: GAINING WEIGHT - in this case, the answers gain a "TON", or about 2000lbs - I, on the other hand, am losing weight.  I did a weigh-in with my trainer last Thursday - the same 190lbs, but down to 26.5% body fat, originally at 43% - Yikes~!  I keep pushing him to feature me in the Big Sky gym "spotlight" email, but everytime I ask, he tells me "when you get to X" - this time, I have to be down to 24% body fat . . . the carrot at the end of the stick . . . 😖

Button Waiton, There'ston Moreton~!


ACROSS:

1. Band: STRAP

Ankle strap shoes

6. Primer lesson: ABCs

10. Printer refills: INKS

14. Provençal sauce: AIOLI - I do the Downs first, so this corner self-filled in the Across

15. Bread from a tandoor: NAAN - common crossword crust

16. Many a techie or Trekkie: GEEK - Dah~!  Not NERD

17. Fruit with a thick rind: MELON

18. Thing that has away with words?: DELETE KEY - I had "I gOt it" crossing, but once that changed, I saw the clever misdirection with 'away', and not "a way" in the clue

22. Raft: SEA - the "other" noun definition, #3 - a large collection or number

23. Fish that's a symbol of Children's Day in Japan: KOI

33. "Wow, nice!": "OH COOL~!" - Twurd(ish)

34. Approach: WAY

35. Rite answer: "I DO." - well, you'd better give the right answer, or . . . 

36. Constant critic: HATER

37. Like fresh nail polish: WET

38. Bridget's daughter in the "Bridget Jones" series: MABEL - never saw it, no clue, IMDb; name #1

40. "Big" and "Bang Bang" singer Rita: ORA - Crossword staple, just about every week now, along with Dua Lipa.  Name #2

41. "Happy now?": "SEE~?"

42. Old Spanish coin: PESETA

47. Scand. land: NORway - part of ScandINAVIA - Geo name #3

48. Routine: ACT

56. One who's in it for the money: MERCENARY

"I care . . ."

57. Nebraska rail hub: OMAHA - Friday cluing, still geo name #4

59. Fun run distance, for short: ONE K - my gym is hosting a 5K in October, or, you can just walk it 

You can sign up here

60. Foil kin: EPEE - Common crossword cutlass

61. Piercing site: NAVEL

62. Aloo mutter ingredients: PEAS

The Wiki

63. Playful growl: RAWR - 21st century crossword fill, meh.

64. __ City: Pittsburgh: STEEL - Football is back~!

22nd & final NFL season, will turn 43 in December

God bless that kind of drive~!

DOWN:

1. Waterston in the American Theater Hall of Fame: SAM - I know him as Executive Assistant DA Jack McCoy from Law & Order - name #5

2. Binds: TIES

3. Craps turn: ROLL - Crap time~?  Toilet roll . . . 🙄

4. Succulent with lace and tiger tooth varieties: ALOE

5. Misses terribly: PINES FOR - nailed it

6. Like llamas: ANDEAN - I tried HUMPED . . . 

The Dalai Lama can be found near 30D.

7. Boxer Max: BAER - Crossword friendly spelling, name #6

8. Course after trig: CALCulus - I did not "get it" in high school, so I "dropped it"

TBH, I finished the year with my worst math grade of "C" which,

ironically, was the part of  the equation I kept getting "wrong"

9. Slip past: SNEAK BY

10. "No need to explain": "I GET IT."

11. "Middle Cyclone" Grammy nominee Case: NEKO - the "K" was an educated guess from the crossing fill; her website - name #7

12. Acute: KEEN - like, say, ones's hearing 

13. Hit high in the air: SKY - think verb, not noun

19. Pants, slangily: TROUsers

21. Spa treatment: PEEL - Dah~!  Not PEDI

24. Emphatic refusal: NO HOW - I had NO WAY to start

25. Catherine of "The Studio": O'HARA - name #8

26. Eight-related: OCTAL

27. Rival: FOE

28. Clear the cobwebs, say: SWEEP

29. Down: EAT - SAD~? Nope.  OUT~? Nope.  Ah, that kind of down . . .

30. Bhutan neighbor: TIBET - or Nepal~?  I guessed wisely . . . Geo name #9

OK, they're not quite touching, but "neighbors" . . . 

31. Poetic opening: ODE TO

32. "The Odyssey" director: NOLAN - knew it, nailed it, still a name, #10

37. Tiny: WEE

38. Points out: MENTIONS

39. "Fire away": "ASK."

41. Masonic order member in a fez: SHRINER

Or maybe you prefer Steely Dan~?
( I did not realize they were hinting at slang for condom )

42. Fitness app stat: PACE - I am two minutes off from upping my PACE on the Stairmaster to level 6

44. 2026 NBA champions: KNICKS - New York - now if the Rangers could win the Stanely Cup . . .

45. Mood: TONE

46. One who's often going through the motions: LAWYER - I'm filing a motion to supress names in crosswords . . .

49. __ therapy: GENE

50. Sod layer's calculation: AREA - Don't forget, "green side UP."

51. County east of Sonoma: NAPA - Northern California - home to some of our Cornerites

52. Got taller: GREW

53. B-school entry req.: GMAT - B-school = business college, Gradute Management Admission Test

54. Give birth to: HAVE - ooof - I didn't even see this after it filled via perps - "Don't have a cow, man"

55. "Hot Girl Summer" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE - filled via perps, her website, name #11

56. Unruly head of hair: MOP 

Whenever I hear "mop top", I think "The Beatles"

58. 100%: ALL

Splynter

Grid Flow 29.5

Friday, Sep 11th, 2026 ~ Jeff Stillman

REAR ADMIRAL~?

Argh Matey

'Talk like a Pirate' Day is next Saturday

Jeff Stillman is a prolific puzzle producer - ten NYT crosswords, and today's LA Times makes sixty by my count.  My last blog of his was also his last post - January of this year, where he added a "B" sound to the themers, almost in reverse of what editor Patti gave us three weeks ago.  Today we have a redefining of clue words with a 'sound-alike' description in the answer using the first letter of the clue as a "homophone" - at least that's how I can try to explain it.  I caught on at the centered "eye doctor", which was good, since there is no 'reveal' in this construction.  ALOT of two-word/Twurds today, a handful of names; no circles, no 'outlier' squares, no expanded grid, and just 13 3LWs.  The themers;

17. Copperhead?: SEA SERPENT - "C" serpent (e.g. snake), Copperhead begins with a "C"

25. Timeout?: TEA BREAK - "T" break, Timeout starts with a "T"

35. Immunologist?: EYE DOCTOR - "I" doctor, Immunologist starts with an "I"

49. Parkas?: PEACOATS - "P" coat, Peacoats starts with a "P"

58. Xylophonist?: EX-MUSICIAN - "X" musician, Xylophone starts with an "X"

But Wait, There's More;

Brodeur~? = Beekeeper ( NJ Devils goalie )

Gyroscope~? = Gee Whiz

Oh boy~? = Oliver

Quill~? = Cue stick

Umbilical~? = YouTube

Vault~? = Vee formation (meh.)

Yourself~? = Why me


ACROSS:

1. Per person: A POP - ugh.  Starting with one of the worst Twurds - not "EACH"

5. Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel who said, "If a man can beat you, walk him": PAIGE - Name #1, but I knew this one

10. Rope tow successor, at some ski resorts: T-BAR - it sounds "wrong" to call it a "rope tow", and not a tow rope, but they are 'different'

Still going in VT after 85 years - the website

14. 007 foe: Dr. NO - James Bond in his first film, name #2

15. Sleep clinic study: APNEA

16. No more than: MERE - There were a "MERE" two comments last Friday - I thank the Cornerites for the FLN addtions on Saturday, and the email thread, too.  

19. Large amount: SCAD

20. Official order: EDICT

21. "Rubbish!": "PISH~!" - Meh.  It's "BOSH~!" in my part of the world . . . but it is a word

23. Potato-peeling GIs: KPs - Kitchen Patrol

24. Grab: SNATCH

27. Become peeved: GET SORE - Twurd #2

29. Like a wide grin: TOOTHY

30. Green Day drummer __ Cool: TRÉ - I know him too, still a name, #3

31. Tolkien forest creatures: ENTs - Lord of the Rings "Tree People" - A I calls them humanoids . . .

34. Spanish cat: GATO - Italian Gatta is for nylons . . .

. . . uh, it's for "cat", too 🙄

38. 1952 Winter Olympics site: OSLO - Geo name #4

40. Trade punches: SPAR

41. Coral isle: CAY - of course, I put in KEY - at least it's derived from the same root word

44. Chip in, in a way: ANTE UP - Poker #1, two words #3

46. Squalid digs: RAT HOLE - Two words #4

52. Like some transfers: IRON-ON . . . not a Twurd due to its hyphen

53. Be decisive: OPT

54. Cap site: KNEE - not HEAD - that's a different kind of 'cap' . . . 

55. Tally mark: NOTCH - "Before I put another notch in my lipstick case . . ."

Pat Benatar, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Lyric @ 3:12

56. Glorify: LAUD

61. Turkey bacon?: LIRA - didn't fool me; the moola/bread/dough in the country of Turkey

62. Put in more chips, say: RAISE - Poker #2

63. Words before a start date: AS OF - Two words #5

64. Mine finds: ORES

65. Job candidate's talking point: ASSET - I tried FORTE

66. Part of an Instagram feed: REEL


DOWN:

1. Pitches: ADs - the noun, not the verb; Friday vague

2. One who hogs the mirror: PREENER - My first thought, but hesitated

3. Looking for sparks, perhaps: ON A DATE - Thwurd, and Hahtoolah hit the mark on Tuesday~!

More like IN a date . . .

4. Puts forward: POSITS - I tried OFFERS

5. Short hole on a golf course: PAR THREE - Good fill, still two words, #6

Leif Olson wins a BMW

6. Android download: APP - if you're an Apple advocate, you are apt to add an app as well; 's a lotta a's

7. Bungling: INEPT - as in averse to being able . . . more of them a's

8. Disney character who is blue most of the time?: GENIE

9. Vexes: EATS AT - Two word #7

10. Protected IDs: TMs - I had no idea; did a Google search, found out it's for Trademark identification when filing for a patent . . . oof, that's Friday for you - the website

11. "Waiting for Godot" playwright: BECKETT - Name #5

12. Great Plains people: ARAPAHO - name(ish)

13. Morning omen for sailors: RED SKY - "Red sky night, sailor's delight; red sky morning, sailor's warning" - my mother used to say it this way all the time

Still a two word, #8

18. Danish footwear brand: ECCO - I always think it's MCAN, but that's an American brand - and - when I looked on the Wiki page for those shoes, discovered the company was founded by J. Franklin McElwain along with Ward Melville - I went to the high school named after him . . . still a name, #6

22. Video-on-demand service phased out in 2020: HBO Go - Twurd, #9.  The Wiki

24. Mil. rank: SGT

26. Laugh good and hard: ROAR

28. Brings to a close: ENDS

32. Best: TOP - Funny - "TOP" was the "addition" in last week's theme

33. Lasting effect: SCAR - I know it's Friday, but is it an 'effect'~?

35. Monthly util. bill: ELECtric

36. "Is everything all right?": "YOU OK~?" - Twurd #10 - we're into double digits now

37. Purchase for which it's important to consider tracking?: TRAIN SET - I still have plans to build a model railroad in my house some day . . . still  two words, #11

The spectacular and tragic story of the Gorre & Daphetid model railroad

38. Paltry poker holding: ONE PAIR - Poker #3, still two words, #12, and I tried TWO PAIR to start

39. Prominence: STATURE

41. Short and sweet: CONCISE - like these last two clues/answers

42. Song written by Queen Lili'uokalani: ALOHA 'OE - Two words~?  the Wiki

43. Desire: YEN - I had a desire to try playing a double-neck guitar left-handed, and it worked

At $400, this Epiphone 6 & 12 string guitar was a no-brainer

because the bolt-on necks allowed me swap them -

the bridges are fine, the knobs suck . . .

send me an email LA Darren~!

44. Twin of Artemis: APOLLO - Greek gods AND Moon Missions

45. Bakery-cafe chain with Salad Stuffers: PANERA - Monday dupe, along with KEY

47. "Star Trek: TNG" counselor Deanna: TROI - name #7, but I am a Next Generation Trekkie

48. Chop shop wheels: HOT CAR - Twurd #13

50. State that joined the union in 1845: TEXAS - Duh - I could only think of MAINE as a five-letter state . . . I knew IDAHO was too far west for 1845 - that state joined the union in 1890

51. Rounds in tourneys: SEMIs

57. Govt. prosecutors: DAs - Meh.  I tried AGs for Attorney Generals . . .

59. Consume: USE

60. Commanders' org.: NFL - The National Football League's Washington team, né the REDskins, are now "PC" . . .

Grid Flow 19.3

9/11, 25 Years Later

I was watching on TV only sixty miles away when I saw the second plane

enter the frame, and knew that we were no longer witnessing 'an accident'

Splynter

Friday, Sep 4th, 2026 ~ Wendy L. Brandes

BLACKTOP MARKET

Psst~!  I gotch yer tarmac right here . . . 

This is Wendy's 20th puzzle for the LA Times - she has one for each day of the week, but Friday is her most prolific, with eight constructions in total counting this post; her last was almost a year ago.  The theme this time invloves the clever addition of "top" into the long fills, and in some nifty, awkward spots, no less. I found today's crossword Friday-level, struggled in the SE corner with crossing names ( Natick ), one semi-Twurd, and an incorrect guess on my part, but it all worked out in the end.  A 15 x 16 grid with eight extra black boxes called cheater squares, nine names, ten more 3LWs than four-letter ones, a couple of Twurds, a couple of Frawnche, a couple of baseball, and a couple of cringe-worthy fills.  The themers and the centered reveal;

20. Concern that one's sneakers are hopelessly out of style?: HIGH TOP ANXIETY - High Anxiety

27. Knocked over a bottle of booze?: TOPPLED THE FIFTH - my favorite of the themers, "Pled The Fifth" ( Amendment )

Baseball #1

46. "Project Runway" timer?: FABRIC STOP WATCH - Fabric Swatch

The cat wants a swatch of that outfit . . .

54. Going on and on about one's new cookware?: IN PAN TOPIC MODE - In Panic Mode

That's not breakfast sausage . . . 😆

35. Not well-balanced, or an apt title for this puzzle?:

TOP HEAVY

But

Wait,

There's

More~!

 

ACROSS:

1. Breaks down: SOBS

5. Virginie-Occidentale et Californie: ETATS - Frawnche #1, for states, West Virginia, and California; I am learning how to play Hotel California - just have to get better with the opening chord progression picking pattern

I have an Epiphone 6 &12-string with bolt-on necks,

so I could turn it upside down and play lefty 

10. Chilean sea __: BASS

14. "Love ya!": "MWAH~!" - we've seen this before in crosswords - a "kissy" noise - 😘

15. Diana Taurasi's jersey number: THREE - WNBA, basketball, name #1

16. Joined with: WED TO - Twurd

17. Bach title: HERR - name(ish)

18. Settles: CALMS

19. Leader of a chipmunk band: ALVIN - name #2

23. Bakery allure: AROMA

25. First responder gp.: EMS - Emergency Medical Services

26. Indication that docs are included: ENCs - ooof - Enclosures

32. Forest carpet: MOSS

33. Chitchat: GAB

34. Web design lang.: CSS - I knew of "C", "C+", and a few other coding languages, but not this one

39. Phillipa of "Hamilton": SOO - learned by doing crosswords, still a name, #3

41. Tax return fig.: AGI - Adjusted Gross Income

42. Hit close to home?: BUNT - worthy of being a C.C. clue . . . baseball #2

52. Tyke: TOT

53. Pirouetting, say: ON TOE

59. Pont des Arts city: PARIS - Frawnche #2

60. Olympic gymnast Strug: KERRI - I was down to _ERRI, so a WAG of K, or T or . . . name #4

61. St. Louis landmark: ARCH

64. "My Brilliant Friend" novelist Ferrante: ELENA - semi-WAG, secretive identity, name #5

65. Etsy business: eTAIL - online Retail

66. Macaroni art need: GLUE

67. Curl counts: REPS - Workouts, not wigs

68. Al __: pasta specification: DENTE

69. Looks at: EYES - I see you checking out my asphalt . . .

DOWN:

1. "I can't believe u": SMH - Text-speak #1 for Smacking My Head -🤦‍♀️- S'edMH on a few fills today

2. Be behind, in a way: OWE

3. Does a pub crawl: BAR HOPS - frequently in my ute

4. Crayfish kin: SHRIMPS - Cringe.  Perhaps we can have deers, sheeps and oxes, too . . .

5. Engrave: ETCH

6. "Don't be like __!": "THAT~!"

7. Folk singer Guthrie: ARLO - crossword staple, still a name, #6

8. Protein in some vegan ribs: TEMPEH - Ah.  The "H" filled via perps

The website

9. Tahini ingredient: SESAME - I tried YOGURT, but that's Tzatziki

10. Convictions: BELIEFS - nailed it

11. Onsets: ADVENTS

12. Knit or purl: STITCH - I learned to knit years ago, but lost interest once I did . . .

13. Some smart TVs: SONYs - I tried OLEDs

16. Buildup on a menorah, perhaps: WAX - Meh.  I thought it was an oil lamp, but I'm not Jewish . . .

21. Miss: GAL - I went with "ERR". the other kind of miss - and how could I miss miss~?

black tights on blacktop

22. Research-funding org.: NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation  - the website

23. Cash provider: ATM

24. Hopping pal of Pooh: ROO - from Winnie the Pooh books - name(ish)

28. Motivation for a vanity project: EGO -  We had EGOs yesterday, too

29. Big name in sealant: DAP - I use this brand all the time

30. "Frankly," in texts: TBH - Text-speak #2, To Be Honest

31. In need of salt, say: ICY - took a moment, but once I thought 'blizzard' instead of 'bland', nailed it

35. Publisher with a mountain peak logo: TOR

36. Put away the groceries?: EAT - Har-har

37. Many moons __: AGO

38. A-lister: VIP - I tried PRO

39. Time commitment for some jrs.: SAT PREP - clever, but still Twurdish

40. Gets: OBTAINS - solid Friday clue/answer

42. Detail in a van Gogh self-portrait: BANDAGE

"What~?  I can't hear you . . . "

43. Downright: UTTERLY

44. Cpl. or sgt.: NCO - military abbr, Non-Commissioned Officer

45. With 51-Across, Wyle drama: THE - 51A. See 45-Down: PITT - The IMDb; I had no clue, name #7

46. Closing number: FINALE - Dah~! Not ENCORE

47. Pugsley kin: ITT - PITT and ITT, plus a Monday dupe, name #8

Slash, the Cousin Itt of Rock N Roll

48. Out of options: COOKED - Yeah, but meh.  I think I would have preferred rOOKED - at least I can see a checkmate in chess being forced by a ROOK

49. Rays home, for short: ST. PETE - [Devil] Rays, from Tampa Bay - baseball #3 - In the Ms. Wendy puzzle I blogged, 2024, Tropicana Field was a clue

50. Court: WOO - Nailed it - but SUE was my first thought

51. Three-time Oscar nominee Laurie: PIPER - vaguely remembered, but I still had to do the alphabet run with the crossing PITT, so Natick . . . Rotten Tomatoes link, name #9

55. Intel org.: NSA - No Such Agency - 🤫

56. Persia, today: IRAN - Iran today is a prickly place - Geo name #10

57. Lit __: CRIT - Abbr for Literary Criticism - this website came up when I Googled

58. Unit equal to 20 north-south blocks in New York City: MILE - Huh.  Learning moment for me - I figured it was ACRE, but was waaaay off . . . 

62. Pool necessity: CUE - Ah.  That kind of pool; got me

Gonna need the girl, too, obviously . . . 

63. Guys: HEs - Meh.  I had MEN, so 33.3% correct

Splynter

Grid Flow 10.0 - the lowest recorded on Friday to date

 
Notes from C.C.:

 

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