Wednesday, August 26, 2026, Zachary Gallardo

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Wednesday puzzle constructed by Zachary Gallardo.  Zachary recently had another LAT puzzle recapped here (on 24 May 20226).  

In today's puzzle, Zachary stacks the names of bands on top of types of seagoing ships.  In each case, the name of the band stands alone while the letters forming the type of vessel are consecutive parts of longer answers.  The reveal is both clever and playful:

59 Across:  "Everyone in the water!," or when parsed differently, what can be found in each set of circled words: ABANDON SHIP.  Or, in this instance, A BAND ON SHIP.  To help us recognize what the constructor and editor are up to, the grid contains those ever-polarizing circles.

It is also worth noting that the reveal does double duty as part of one of the four themed (pairs of) answers.

Here are the four places where the gimmick is employed:

15 Across:  Camel's watering hole: OASIS (a British rock band) and 17 Across:  Programming problem: ENDLESS LOOP.    SLOOP (A sloop is a single-masted sailing vessel typically rigged with a fore-and-aft configuration)

25 Across:  Enclosed rhyme scheme in Petrarchan sonnets: ABBA  (the Swedish pop quartet) and 30 Across:  Clinton secretary of state: ALBRIGHT.  BRIG (a ship with two square-rigged masts)

Madeline Albright

41 Across:  "Exactly right!": YES, (an English band perhaps best known for the song "Owner of A Lonely Heart) and 45 Across:  Bible Belt state: ARKANSAS.  ARK  Ahoy, Noah!

54 Across:  Yellow brick road terrier: TOTO (formed in Los Angeles in 1977) and 59 Across:  "Everyone in the water!," or when parsed differently, what can be found in each set of circled words: ABANDON SHIP.  SHIP (in this case, generic)

The completed grid looks like this:

Here are the other clues and answers:

Across:

1. Emerged: AROSE.  Emerged not from an eggshell or from hiding.  More like an issue that came up.

6. Korean-American grocery store: H MART.  Per Wikipedia, the chain was founded in 1982 and there are now 98 locations.

11. Dim sum brew: CHA.  IIRC, Dim Sum being Chinese dumplings and CHA being tea.       

14. Little solo break: ME DAY.  Hand up for first trying to think of something music-related.

16. "That'll leave a mark!": OOF.  Meh.

19. Scand. country: NOR.  Abbreviated.  Had to be NOR, DEN, SWE, or FIN.

20. Proboscis: NOSE.  By definition.

21. Feature of Canada's flag: LEAF.

22. Nove minus uno: OTTO.  Lezione di italiano di oggi.

23. Suspicious: SHADY.  Suspicious is used, here, as an adjective.

27. Turkish peak: ARARAT.  Often visited in our puzzles . . . and where the ARK came to rest.

34. Olympic gymnast with five moves named for her: BILES.

Simone Biles

35. 2025 Best Picture Oscar winner: ANORA.

36. Letters of liability?: IOU.  Liability as in a debt to repay.

37. Dongle, e.g.: ADAPTER.  A computer hardware reference.

39. Synagogue singers: CANTORS.  CANTORS lead the congregation in singing.

42. __ Sports Bureau: stats giant: ELIAS.  IIRC, I learned about this one from Vin Scully

44. "Punch-__ Love": Paul Thomas Anderson film: DRUNK.

47. Shelters: HOUSES.  From the general to the more specific.

48. Altar site: APSE.

49. Change: COINS.  Used as a noun.  Not as in the verb "to alter".  Loose, or spare change.

51. Prometheus's gift: FIRE.

53. "See ... ": WELL.  Something someone might say . . . and mean.

58. Aussie hopper: ROO.

62. Nocturnal bird of prey: OWL.

63. __ Gras: MARDI. 

64. Unlike the rest: OTHER.  With your kind indulgence, I will pass on a Kendrick Lamar video at this point.

65. Young lady: GAL.

66. Clique: POSSE.  POSSE has expanded from its context in old westerns to now indicate with whom one hangs out.

67. Vociferous: NOISY.  Due to noise complaints, they passed a law in Hawaii that you are no longer allowed to laugh above a certain decibel.  Now you can only use a low hah.

Down:

1. "Exactly right!": AMEN.  Why do they say AMEN instead of awomen in church?  Because they sing hymns instead of hers.

2. City north of Carson City: RENO.

3. Probabilities: ODDS.

4. Service promoter: SALES REP.

5. Cyclone center: EYE.

6. Swindled: HOSED.  Either way we've been had.

7. __ bear: Southeast Asian forest dweller: MALAYAN.

Photo by MM

8. Since: AS OF.  A time reference.  Not "because".

9. Animated film about Spix's macaws: RIO.

10. Baker's shortening?: TSP.  Shortened as in TSP for teaspoon.

11. Like laughter, sometimes: CONTAGIOUS.

12. 62-Across call: HOOT.

  Me: I don't wanna alarm anyone, but I think someone in this room might be an owl.

  Grandkid: Who? WHO?

  Me: gasp Oh no, it's worse than I thought!

13. Curly hairstyle: AFRO.

18. Bed frame board: SLAT.

22. Japanese sash: OBI.  Frequently worn in our puzzles.

24. Picks up the pace: HASTENS.

25. Pokémon that ultimately evolves into Alakazam: ABRA.

26. Jason's "Beverly Hills, 90210" role: BRANDON.

27. Modest Muslim robe: ABAYA.

28. Bus passenger: RIDER.

29. Sushi bite topped with salmon: ALASKA ROLL.

31. Hairstyle that may begin with comb coils: LOCS.  New to this solver.  Thanks, perps.  Seems to be a form of the word Dreadlocks.

32. "Stormy Weather" singer Lena: HORNE.

1943

33. Elephant pair: TUSKS.

35. Operatic solo: ARIA.

38. If-then-__ statement: ELSE.

40. Leaves in the care of: TRUSTS TO.  Often, ENTRUSTS

43. Climbs: ASCENDS.  What was it called when all the good dinosaurs ASCENDED to Heaven before the meteor struck.  The veloci-rapture

46. Big galoot: APE.

47. Big Island county seat: HILO.  A bit of Hawaiian geography.

50. Throwback hit: OLDIE.

51. Amphibious hopper: FROG.

52. Corn Belt state: IOWA.

53. Major conflicts: WARS.

55. "Didn't see you there!": OH HI.

56. Knots: TIES.  Which country is known for manufacturing TIES?  Tieland.

57. The Grand Ole __: OPRY.

59. Metal box?: AMP.  A reference to "Heavy Metal" music.

60. Dim sum bun: BAO.  See also 11 Across.

61. Persona __ grata: NON.

Well, perhaps, this reviewer has overstayed his welcome and become a Persona Non Grata (unwelcome).  So, this Manatee will now abandon ship.  One parting comment, however:  It was interesting to travel the world (sail the seven seas?) with this puzzle's references to Sweden, Arkansas, Korea, Africa, Norway, China, Japan, Canada, Turkiye, Australia, New Orleans, Malaysia, Reno, Hawaii, Alaska, and other places.

_____________________________________

MM Out

Wednesday, July 29 2026, Sala Wanetick & Dena R. Verkuil

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a Wednesday puzzle by Sala Wanetick and Dena R.  Verkuil.  This is two-in-a-row for me recapping a puzzle by Sara and Dena and three-in-a-row for me blogging a puzzle by Sara.  Sara and Dena, we really have to stop meeting like this.  Or maybe not.  It's been a whole lot of fun.   Perhaps we'll do it again.

In today's puzzle, Sala and Dena riff on common activities during which we use our eyes to search, or LOOK, for things.  The straight-forward unifier comes at:

61 Across:  "Gotcha!," and what can be said about the answers to the starred clues: MADE YOU LOOK.

The gimmick is employed at these four places:

18 Across:  *Book series with a character in red-and-white stripes: WHERE'S WALDO.  In the books, readers LOOK for Waldo.  Can you find him on this ski hill?

26 Across:  *"Olly olly oxen free" game: HIDE AND SEEK.  Children LOOK for one of their own who is hiding. "Olly olly oxen free" is a catchphrase used in children's games such as hide and seek to indicate that players who are hiding can come out into the open without losing the game.

37 Across: *Presentation tool that doubles as a cat toy: LASER POINTER.  The cat clearly LOOKs at the dot or, closer to the mark, in its intended use, the tool points to things that we need to LOOK at.

52 Across:. *Document in some pirate stories: TREASURE MAP.  The MAP shows you where to LOOK for the TREASURE.

This is how it all looks in the grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and responses.   Please note that a reference to an answer as "often seen in our puzzles" (or similar) is not intended as a criticism.  In fact, without these "usual suspects" a Wednesday puzzle would likely solve as if it were a Saturday offering:

Across:

1. Daytona 500 org.: NASCAR.  An automobile racing reference.  The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC.  Perhaps it should be NASCARL.

7. Poetic measure: IAMB.  IAMB is a metrical foot consisting of one short syllable followed by one long syllable or of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

11. Hushed "Hey!": PSST.  Frequently whispered in our puzzles.

15. Musical interval: OCTAVE.  Imagine a piano. On it, the keys on the left are lower than the keys on the right. If you are pressing the white keys, starting from C, from left to right, the sequence will follow: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.  From C to C is one OCTAVE.

16. Enunciate poorly: SLUR.

17. Stratford-__-Avon: UPON.  Because it is the birthplace and burial place of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare, Stratford UPON-Avon is a popular tourist destination

20. Café or thé lightener: LAIT.   Leçon de français d'aujourd'hui.  Cafe = coffee,  thé = tea and LAIT = milk.  On first glance, this solver was wondering what the heck was the lightener.

21. "When pigs fly!": NEVER.  A colloquial expression.

22. Gender-specific pronoun: HIM.

23. Florence of Florence and the Machine: WELCH.

25. Stage award: OBIE.  TONY would have fit.  OBIE derives from Off-Broadway.

29. More spent: WEARIER.  Spent as in "I'm spent" meaning out of energy.

31. R&R provider for GIs: USO.  United Service Organizations

32. Steamed bun: BAO.  A treat often consumed in our puzzles.

33. Play-__: Fun Factory maker: DOH. DOH is often clued with reference to Homer Simpson.

34. Tally: ADD.  Tally, used here, as a verb.  As in the classic Harry Belafonte song:

36. Garment worn with a choli: SARI.   A choli is an upper body garment (blouse or bodice).  A SARI is a draped garment frequently donned in our puzzles.

41. Nautical call: AHOY.   AHOY is derived from the Middle English cry, 'Hoy!'.  The word fell out of use at one time, but was revived when sailing became a popular sport. AHOY can  be used as a greeting, a warning, or a farewell

43. Decide (to): OPT.  A choice frequently made in our puzzles.

44. Ecol. monitor: EPA.  Abbreviated clue - ECOLogy  / Abbreviated Answer:

45. Gun, as an engine: REV.

46. Actress Thurman: UMA.  A frequent visitor.

48. "Spoon River Anthology" poet Edgar Lee __: MASTERS.  No, not a Henry Mancini reference.

56. Radar image: BLIP.

57. Proprietor: OWNER.

58. Diarist Anaïs: NIN.  A frequent visitor.

59. Orchestral pace: TEMPO.

60. Kristen of "Bridesmaids": WIIG.

64. Cozy quarters: INNS.  Quarters, in the clue's context, could have been either single or plural making this one a bit more challenging.

65. Japanese noodle: UDON.

66. "That's a lie!": UNTRUE.  That's a fact.

67. Put through the paces: TEST.

68. Petty quarrels: ROWS.  The word ROW has several meanings (polysemy).  Among them:  Things in a line.  To propel a boat with an oar.  A succession without a gap.  . . . and, here, a SPAT (no, not the kind you wear with a shoe).

69. Goes back to zero: RESETS.

Down:

1. "There, there": NOW NOW.  Nice repetition in clue and answer.

2. "Things Fall Apart" novelist Chinua: ACHEBE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.

3. Aspartame alternative: STEVIA.  Sugar substitutes.

4. Opportunity for students to consider their futures: CAREER DAY.

5. State definitively: AVER.  This solver often pauses over whether it will be AVER or Avow.

6. Hi-__ monitor: RES.  HIgh RESolution

7. "To repeat ... ": I SAID.  Do we really need to go over this again?

8. "I'll take complete credit, thanks": ALL ME.  Time to pass on the obvious.

9. Mess around a sty: MUD.  Mess in a sty?

10. Cleveland team: BROWNS.  A football reference.  Named after the original coach and co-owner, Paul Brown.

11. Drawer handles: PULLS.  KNOBS would have fit.

12. Long key: SPACE BAR. . . . on a keyboard (typewriter or computer, not a piano keyboard)

13. "That's the word on the street": SO I HEAR.

14. Demolition letters: TNT.  What do you get when you cross a dinosaur with TNT?  Dino-mite

19. Sound like a fan: WHIR.  See also 38 Down (clever).

24. Tokyo, long ago: EDO.  A place visited frequently in our puzzles.  EDO was renamed in 1868.

26. "lol": HE HE.  Laughter

27. A5 and Q5 automaker: AUDI.  As the clue says, an automotive reference.

28. Colorful carp: KOI.  When I returned from a trip to Japan about a year ago my son asked if I had seen any KOI fish.  I said no, the fish there were actually pretty sociable.

30. Safari platform: IOS.  An Apple Computer reference.

34. Mobile download: APP.  As in mobile phone.

35. Polka __: DOT.  All You Might Want To Know

36. Vehicle safety devices: SEAT BELTS.

37. LGBTQ+ rights slogan: LOVE WINS.  Also the title of a song by Carrie Underwood.

38. Sound like fans: ROAR.  See also 19 Down (clever).

39. Quarter-moon tide: NEAP.  NEAP tides occur in puzzles far more often than do SPRING tides.

40. Covers with sheets?: TPS.  Not bed sheets.

41. __ deco: ART.  Shouldn't deco have been capitalized?  From Wkikpedia:  "Art Deco, short for the French Arts décoratifs, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished internationally during the 1920s to early 1930s, through styling and design of the exterior and interior of anything from large structures to small objects, including clothing, fashion, and jewelry. Art Deco has influenced buildings from skyscrapers to cinemas, bridges, ocean liners, trains, cars, trucks, buses, furniture, and everyday objects, including radios and vacuum cleaners."

42. Princess Leia, e.g.: HEROINE.  A Star Wars reference.  Why didn't Princess Leia have a boyfriend?  She kept looking for love in Alderaan places.

46. Word before "force" or "the Force": USE.  The second part of this clue is also a Star Wars reference.

47. Cooing sound: MURMUR.

48. Quite a few: MANY.

49. Blues guitarist __ James: ELMORE.  For many of us, the reference by George Harrison on the Beatles recording of "For You Blue" might have been the first we had heard of ELMORE.  For others, the Grateful Dead cover of It Hurts Me Too may have provided the introduction.  The blues aficionados among us, of course, have known all along.

50. Remove, as knitted stitches: RIP OUT.

51. Rods in bike wheels: SPOKES.  Radii, as a clue, would have made it even easier.

53. High anxiety: ANGST.  MOVIE would have fit the allotted space....but anxiety would have to have been capitalized in the clue.

54. Supply funding for: ENDOW.

55. Attitudes: MIENS.  I before E except after C.

59. Song: TUNE.  "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down", for one:

60. Wisdom partner: WIT.  As in the many book titles that begin The WIT and Wisdom of ...

62. Fuss: ADO.  A common commotion in our puzzles.

63. Possessive word: OUR.  OUR time, this morning, is now drawing to a close.

Whatever it is that you are looking for today I hope that you find it.

_________________________________________________

Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Sala Wanetick & Dena R. Verkuil

 

Good Morning, Cruciverblists.  Malodorous Manatee here with a recap of a puzzle co-authored by Sala Wanetick and Dena R. Verkuil.  I recently (May 27th of this year) blogged one of Sala's puzzles.  Dena made her L. A. Times crossword debut in September, 2025 and has also had puzzles published in the N.Y. Times.

Today, they team up in the hope that we will all have a blast working out the answers.  Let's start with the unifier:

64 Across:  Finish dramatically, or what the answers to the starred clues do: END WITH A BANG.

Each of the answers to the four starred clues are comprised of two words.  In each case, the second word is, more or less a description of, well, as the clue put it, something dramatic.  Some are more dramatic than others but we surely get the gist of it.

Here are the four starred clues and answers:

18 Across:  *Time of financial growth: ECONOMIC BOOM.  

26 Across:  *What may follow kids in a candy store?: SUGAR CRASH.  . . . after the sugar high.  This one might have been linked to 18 Across.

40 Across:  *Handshake alternative: FIST BUMP.

54 Across: . *Stressful contest?: POETRY SLAM.  In this case, stress refers to how poets create meaningful experiences for readers.  A SLAM is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judge

This is how everything appears in the completed grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and their answers:

Across:

1. Getting off the fence: OPTING.  Someone who is undecided as to how to proceed is said to be sitting on the fence.

7. Indian state known for silk and tea: ASSAM.  A place frequently visited in our puzzles.  Five letters and four of those are A and S.

12. Nothing special: MEH.  We can take it or leave it.

15. Subdued: LOW KEY.

16. High wispy clouds: CIRRI.  Plural of CIRRUS

17. 'Twas the night before Christmas?: EVE.  Not sure about that question mark.  The preceding night really is the EVE.

20. Antidiscrimination HR initiative: DEI.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

21. Replace with a grawlix, say: CENSOR.  This solver had never come across the word grawlix although I was certainly familiar with the c0ncept.

22. Helping: AIDING.

24. Gush: SPEW.

29. Elixirs: TONICS.  What is a Genie's favorite drink?  A Djinn and TONIC.

32. "To __ is human ... ": ERR.

Paul Ehrlich

33. Past regulation, briefly: IN OT.  The regulation, in this case, refers to the normal length of a sporting contest (e.g. four quarters, three periods, sixty minutes).  It the score is tied at the end of regulation it goes INto OverTime.

34. Blooper reel bit: OUTTAKE.

36. Sounding shocked: AGASP.

39. TD's six: PTS.  A  football reference.  A TouchDown scores six PoinTS

42. Knight's title: SIR.

45. Italian scooter: VESPA.

46. Try to be like: EMULATE.

48. Eye ailment: STYE.

51. Puppy's bark: YIP.  Have you heard about the zoo where the only animal is a single dog?  It's a Shih Tzu.

53. Speechified: ORATED.

58. Antacid brand: TUMS.

 

59. "Let me check": I'LL SEE.

60. Someone who has a trying job?: TESTER.  One who tries things out.

63. Manicure choice: GEL.  More often clued with a reference to hair.

69. Andrea Gibson's "__ to the Public Panic Attack": ODE.  Unknown to this solver.  Thanks, perps.  If you wish to listen to this the ODE, here it is:

70. Oktoberfest mug: STEIN.  What's the smallest amount of beer you can order at an Oktoberfest gathering?  Ein STEIN.

71. Soul legend Franklin: ARETHA.

72. Craggy hill: TOR.

73. Kagan of the Supreme Court: ELENA.  Supreme Court Justices often visit our puzzles.  Samuel and Ruth and ELENA come to mind.

74. "Let's hear it!": DO TELL.  Gossip.

Down:

1. Fútbol chant: OLE.  Often heard at the FIFA World Cup games.

2. Abbr. that includes many racial identities: POC.  Person Of Color

3. Opinion: TWO CENTS.  There are several theories as to the origin of this expression.

4. "Didn't fool me!": I KNEW IT.  

5. Gas in bright signs: NEON.

6. Fitness centers: GYMS.

7. Accumulate, as sick time: ACCRUE.

8. Sis or bro: SIB.  Abbreviations.  Sister.  Brother.  SIBlings.

9. "No seats" sign: SRO.  Standing Room Only

10. Like fans after great plays: AROAR.

11. Mirror: MIMIC.  Used as a verb.

12. Freeway divider: MEDIAN.

13. "And yet ... ": EVEN SO.

14. Progress that may be measured on a doorframe: HEIGHT.

19. Siri platform: IOS.  An Apple reference.

23. Coffee option: DRIP.   

24. "Quit it!": STOP.

25. Sulky look: POUT.  Y0u better watch out, you better not cry . . .

27. Snatch quickly: GRAB.  Trying to GRAB some toilet paper at Costco during the pandemic was quite traumatic.  I came away with TPSD.

28. Exchange words: ARGUE.

30. Bistro: CAFE.

31. Hits the slopes: SKIS.

35. Awards such as Best Play and Best Team: ESPYS.

37. Paintballs, e.g.: AMMO.

38. Egg (on): SPUR.

41. Long part of a comet: TAIL.

42. Drench: SATURATE.

43. Article: ITEM.

44. Cincinnati MLBers: REDS.

45. Doberman docs: VETS.

47. Dishonorable wager: LATE BET.  Considered to be dishonorable because the outcome may have been discernible before the wager was placed.

48. Faucet: SPIGOT.

49. Ohio city on Lake Erie: TOLEDO.

50. Loud person: YELLER.  Also the Labrador of movie renown.

52. Green film on copper: PATINA.

55. Actress Witherspoon: REESE.

56. Film starring Barbra Streisand as a woman who pretends to be a yeshiva boy: YENTL.

57. "Have we __?": MET.

61. Herring kin: SHAD.

62. Dim sum root vegetable: TARO.  If your book is made of root vegetables...You’re doing a taro reading!

65. Department head?: DEE.  The first letter of the word Department.

66. Finish first: WIN.

67. Org. emulated in "Heated Rivalry": NHL.  National Hockey League

68. Lass: GAL.  This one reminded yours truly of one of his favorite limericks:

There once was a GAL from Madras
Who had a magnificent ass
Not round and pink as you probably think
It was brown, had long ears and ate grass

On that note, it's probably time to haul outta here.  Everyone have a great rest of the week . . . and beyond.

___________________________________________________________

M M OUT
With A Bang