Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Yijing Chen

 

POLES APART

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here, with the recap of a polarizing puzzle by Yijing Chen who, apparently, had an L A Times crossword debut roughly one month ago.  Like it or not we may not reach agreement on this one.  In fact, we may end up POLES APART.  "What kind of poles?", I hear you ask.  Well, it could have been TOTEM POLES, or TEN-FOOT POLES, or fishing POLES, or Power POLES, or POLE Dancing or the POLE POSITION, or even someone from Warsaw.  However, our constructor elected to go in other directions.  Perhaps a POLL was taken.  Perhaps not.  In any event, let's start with the two-part reveal:

35 Across:  With 39-Across, diametrically opposed, or what this puzzle's sets of circled letters are: POLES.

39 Across:  See 35-Across: APART.

At four places in the grid our constructor has assembled types of POLES by combining letters that are APART in the answers to the themed-clues.  Those four places are:

20 Across:  Cinematic cultural phenomenon in the summer of 2023: BARBENHEIMER.  BARBER POLE.  The answer, here, refers to the phenomenon when two motion pictures "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer "were very popular simultaneously,

29 Across:  Abolitionist known for her "Ain't I a Woman" speech: SOJOURNER TRUTH.  SOUTH POLE.  All you might wish to know:  Sojourner Truth

44 Across:  Literary movement that included Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg: BEAT GENERATION.  BEAN POLE.  The answer, here, refers to two well-known poets of the 1950's.

54 Across:  Micronutrient such as zinc or iodine: TRACE ELEMENT.  TENT POLE.   Humans require just a little bit, or TRACE, of these elements in their diets.

This is how it all looks in the grid with those often-polarizing circles, no less:

.... and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Be starstruck: GAWK.

5. Oft-pickled pod: OKRA.  I have a friend always baits her hooks with OKRA when fly fishing...She's really into podcasting!

9. Check for freshness: SNIFF.  Does it pass the smell test?

14. Actor Clive: OWEN.

15. Eclipse body: MOON.  Earth's MOON is involved in both a solar and a lunar eclipse.

16. Voice above baritone: TENOR.

17. The Fates, e.g.: TRIO.  In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Moirai—often known in English as the Fates—were the personifications of destiny. In certain accounts, they were considered as three sisters: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, though their number and names varied over time. 

18. Game played "with my little eye": I SPY.  Usually played in a car on a road trip.

19. Hoarse: RASPY.

23. Since Jan. 1: YTD.  Year To Date

24. Misery: WOE.  Relationship WOEs...

I was dating a radiographer. She was a lovely girl, but we broke up recently. 

I was lying and she saw right through me.

Still, at least she knew my heart was in the right place.

25. Toward sunrise, on an equinox: DUE EAST.

32. Green-lights: OKS.  Okay?

33. Winery wood: OAK.  It turns out that the barrels that wines and spirits are aged in have a whole lot to do with the flavor of the finished product.

34. Narrow inlet: RIA.  A word more often used in crossword puzzles than IRL.

38. Cal. divisions: MOS.  CALendar / MOnthS

41. Purple yam: UBE.

42. Vehicle that can really move?: VAN.  Nice (not the city in France) wordplay.  A moving VAN.

43. Hurdle for M.A. hopefuls: GRE.  Graduate Record Examination

50. Some Middle Easterners: SYRIANS.  Several to choose from.

51. Yalie: ELI.  A frequent class of visitor.

52. Numeral associated with "The Force Awakens": VII.

This solver is looking forward to the Mel Brooks version:

57. __ powder: CHILI.

60. Hot rod's rod: AXLE.  A double automotive reference.

61. Geometric calculation: AREA.

62. Bamboozles: DUPES.  Used, here, as a verb.

63. Academic reviewer, often: PEER.  Not used, here, as a verb.

64. Vermeer's "__ With a Pearl Earring": GIRL.

1665

65. Runaway hit: SMASH.

66. Small vortex: EDDY.

67. Site for artisans: ETSY.  A web site frequently visited in our puzzles.

Down:

1. Eked out a living: GOT BY.  A nice role reversal.  Often we get EKED as an answer clued in various ways.

2. "Fiddlesticks!": AW RATS.  So many possible combinations involving AW, oh, ah, darn, dang, RATS . . . among several others.  Thanks, perps.

3. Odd duck: WEIRDO.  Speaking of ducks and WEIRD . . .

4. Radio dial: KNOB.

5. Portending danger: OMINOUS.  What do you call a guy doing ominous Latin chanting?  Greg or Ian.

6. Acceptable, casually: KOSHER.

7. Line that might get tied up: ROPE.  Not a telephone reference.  A clue meant to be taken quite literally.

8. "What do you think?": ANY IDEAS.

9. F1 circuit type: STREET.  An automobile racing reference.

10. More warm, in a way: NEARER.  Idiomatic.  As in "You're getting warmer."

11. Useful connections: INS.

12. Dandy: FOP.

13. Cook, as pot stickers: FRY.  

21. Endor inhabitants: EWOKS.   Do EWOKS defecate in the woods?  No, they have Endor plumbing.

22. Gloom: MURK.

26. Spiritual glow: AURA.  All of the psychics got this one.

27. Hullabaloo: STIR.  Not a reference to the old TV show.

28. "Fine, be like __!": THAT.

30. Average __: JOE.  Sometimes clued with a coffee reference.

31. Who lives in a ghost town?: NO ONE.

35. Trivia night spots: PUBS.

36. Heed: OBEY.

37. "O, that way madness lies" king: LEAR.

38. Use Beard Club products, perhaps: MANSCAPE.  MANSCAPE 

refers to the trimming or shaving of a man's body hair to enhance his appearance. It typically involves grooming areas such as the chest, back, and groin for a neat and polished look.

  39. "Glee" teen played by Kevin McHale: ARTIE.

40. Smallest Canadian prov.: PEI.  Prince Edward Island

Eastern Canadian Provinces

42. __ cava: VENA.  The VENA CAVA is one of two venae cavae.  They are two large veins that return deoxygenated blood to the heart from the human body.

43. Drawing room?: GALLERY.  Another clue meant to be taken literally.  A place where one would find drawings.

45. Mr. and Mrs.: TITLES.  From the specific to the general.  The clue could have been a couple of hundreds of things.

46. Like some Christmas sweaters: GARISH.   Excessively bright or showy.  Ugly was too short. 

47. Had trouble moving steadily: REELED.

48. Ready to move on: OVER IT.  As in "I am so OVER IT !"

49. SF NFLers: NINERS.

53. 2026 Olympics host: ITALY.  This type of clue is easier to figure out now that the summer and winter games are not held in the same year.

55. Crossed (out): EXED.

56. Final Fantasy spellcaster: MAGE.  Final Fantasy was an unknown reference to this solver but various mystical-related stuff was not and MAGE is often found in other contexts.

From Wikipedia, "Final Fantasy is mostly an anthology series with primary installments being standalone role-playing games, each with different settings, plots and main characters, but the franchise is linked by several recurring elements, including game mechanics and recurring character names."

57. Jewel case items: CDS.  Those clear, square cases that the Compact DiscS are stored in are often referenced in our puzzles.  A bit of misdirection if a solver first thinks of forms of jewelry.

58. Sound of a running fridge: HUM.

59. Hoppy brew, for short: IPA.  India Pale Ale originated in the 18th century when British Brewers created a hoppy ale that could survive the long sea voyage to India.

Well, that will wrap things up for today.  If there was any snow left, this marine mammal would grab his favorite type of POLES.

M M Out

Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Mat Holmes

 

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee, here, with the recap of a Wednesday puzzle by Mat Holmes.  It's probably a good thing that today is Wednesday and not a Tuesday or a Thursday or I would not have the time to do the recap because I'd be doing this:

That said, this morning's puzzle offering is perfect for those of you who are always looking for new ways to get your kicks.  Now, with that intro, you might be thinking something along the lines of:

Paul Revere and the Raiders - Kicks

Or, perhaps:

Asleep At The Wheel - Route 66

Or, perhaps, even a couple of Nissan automobiles or the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.

But, no.  KICKS here is used in the slang connotation of athletic shoes.  Perhaps not as much fun as any/all of the above but it works well for the puzzle.  Let's start with the unifier:

59 Across:  Trusted companions, or what the sets of circled letters in this puzzle literally are: SIDEKICKS.  

At five places in the grid Mat has place brand names for sneakers/tennis shoes/athletic shoes.  These are referred to as KICKS in contemporary slang and each name abuts a side of the puzzles.  Get it?  Side kicks.  To help us out, or to irk those who profoundly dislike them, circles have been utilized to help us see what is fairly obvious once the theme is grokked. . . if one is familiar with the brand names involved.

Here are the places where the gimmick is employed (deployed?):

16 Across:  Mark Twain lad who falls in love with Becky Thatcher: TOM SAWYER.

22 Across:  Exclamation in "Tommy Boy": HOLY SCHNIKES.  This solver was not familiar with this exclamation.  "Tommy Boy" is a 1995 buddy flick starring Chris Farley and David Spade.

32 Across: Some family vehicles: MINIVANS.

40. Wonder Woman publisher: DC COMICS.

47 Across:  Talk to: CONVERSE WITH.  When this solver was in Junior High School, CONVERSE All Stars were the cool (neat, bitchen) shoe to have.

This is how everything lays out in the grid:

Here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Opera star Nellie with a peach dessert named for her: MELBA.  Nellie MELBA (Helen Porter Mitchell) took the pseudonym Melba from her hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

6. Commercial flop: DUD.  BOMB was too long.

9. Outer layer: RIND.  As of a watermelon.

13. Celestial hunter: ORION.  The constellation.

14. Squeeze bunt result: RBI.  A baseball reference.  Run Batted In

15. "Same here": ME TOO.  We all got this one.

18. English derby town: EPSOM.  Those of you who watched Rocky & Bullwinkle might remember this:

19. U.K.-based global bank: HSBC.  All You Might Wish To Know

20. __ Lingus: AER.

21. Seat of power: THRONE.  Also slang for toilet.

25. Big name in BoSox history: YAZ.  

28. Chance to stand for a spell?: BEE.   Spelling BEE.

29. Keep out of sight: HIDE.  If you HIDE well then folks will be unable to find neither hide nor hair of you.

30. Cover story: ALIBI.  Not as in the cover story of, say, Time Magazine.  A CYA story.

36. "The Biggest Little City in the World": RENO.  Self-proclaimed.

37. Umami, for one: TASTE.

39. Furry Endor denizen: EWOK.  A Star Wars reference.  Specifically a reference to the planet Endor.  EWOKs aren't meant to be left outside......they're Endor pets.

42. Japanese beer brand: ASAHI. KIRIN would also have fit the allotted space.  Sapporo was too long.

43. Topple (over): KEEL.  The phrase "KEEL over" originates from nautical terminology, referring to a ship capsizing or rolling so far on its side that its keel is visible.

44. Ocean Potion no.: SPF.  A Sunscreen reference with a rhyming clue.  Do we have a motion to salute that notion?

46. __ Kippur: YOM.  The Day of Atonement.  All You Might Want to Know

52. Chances for a hit: AT BATS.  Another baseball reference.

53. Actor Kingsley: BEN.  Actor #1

54. Facility: EASE.  In 1953, Tom Lehrer used the word FACILITY in this context in this song:

58. "If __ Street Could Talk": film based on a James Baldwin novel: BEALE.

61. Pianist Schnabel: ARTUR.  All You Might Want To Know

62. Scrape (out): EKE.

63. Elba of "Cats": IDRIS.  A frequent visitor.  Actor #2

64. In real time: LIVE.

65. Meditative discipline: ZEN.  What did the ZEN master say to the hot dog vendor?  Make me one with everything.

66. Connect with: TIE TO.

Down:

1. Grown-up silkworm: MOTH.

2. Greek Cupid: EROS.

3. Life partner?: LIMB.  Not your soulmate.  As in the expression:

4. KitchenAid alternative: BOSCH.  Maybe not the first name to come to mind.  Amana and Miele would both have fit the space.

5. "Blonde" star de Armas: ANA.  Actor #3

6. Visine target: DRY EYE.

7. Rides with surge pricing: UBERS. 

8. S, SW, or SSW: DIR.  DIRection

9. Temporary stays: REPRIEVES.

10. Gentle reply to an apology: ITS OK.  Several not-so-gentle replies come to mind.

11. Terrible turnout: NO ONE.  The turnout cannot get much more terrible than this.

12. Geodesic structures: DOMES.

Buckminster Fuller

15. Body art that uses henna: MEHNDI.  New to this solver.  Thankserps.

17. Corduroy rib: WALE.

21. Yours, once: THINE.  This above all....

23. __-Wan Kenobi: OBI.  Another "Star Wars" reference

24. Debit slip: CHIT. 

25. Football unit: YARD.  An American Football reference.

26. Sir __ Guinness: ALEC.  Actor #4

27. Nutrient in oysters: ZINC.  The crossing YAZ helped.  If y0u did not know that one then perhaps you tried IRON?

31. Car seller's concern: BOOK VALUE.

32. Ed.'s stack: MSS.  Abbreviation for ManuScriptS

33. Not home: AWAY.

34. Nabe in L.A. and NYC: NOHO.  Nabe = neighborhood.  Abbreviated clue.  Abbreviated answer.

35. Take a little off the top: SKIM.  Not a haircut reference (TRIM).  A monetary (or milk) reference.

37. Ranking groups: TIERS.  There can't be a TIER list for knots because they would all be tied.

38. Knee parts commonly viewed with MRIs: ACLS.  Abbreviated clue . . .   Plural clue . . .

41. Limo driver in the airport, e.g.: MEETER.  Cute.  Someone who meets someone at the airport.  For some reason, MEETER made me think of greeter which led to this (I apologize, in advance, and I will understand completely if some of you want to respond with the alternatives along the lines of those hinted at at 10 Down):

42. Astern: AFT.  A nautical reference.

44. Norway neighbor: SWEDEN.  It had to be either SWEDEN, Finland or Russia.

45. Evergreen tree: PINE.

47. Plotting group: CABAL.  What do you call a secret CABAL of strippers who surreptitiously control the adult entertainment industry?  The Illumi-naughty.

48. "SNL" alum Cheri: OTERI.  Five letters, three of which are vowels.  A constructor's friend.  Actor #5

49. Channel for hoops fans: NBA TV.   Hoops being a slang term for the game of basketball.

50. Motorized ride: E-BIKE.

51. Supermodel Klum: HEIDI.  Actor #6

55. Farm unit: ACRE.  1 ACRE of land for sale, no house.  That’s a lot.

56. Funny sketch: SKIT.

57. Canadian gas brand: ESSO.  Derived from the initials of Standard Oil.  S O 

59. "__ who?": SEZ.  Oh yeah?

60. Footballer's uniform: KIT.  In the soccer world (or football as most of the world outside the USA calls soccer) KIT means the uniform that they players wear.  So, the answer to this clue is "by definition" once one figures out the global nature of the clue.

_____________________________________

MM Out

Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Brian Callahan

Good Morning, Cruciverbalists.  Malodorous Manatee here with the recap of a melodious puzzle constructed by NYT, LAT and USA Today veteran constructor Brian Callahan.  At four places in the grid Brian has inserted the names of singer-song writers with each name consisting of two words.  The first words all begin with the letter P and the second with the letter S.  The theme was inspired by the answer to the unifier which is found at:

59 Across:  Beatles hit on "Please Please Me," which could be dedicated to 16-, 24-, 35-, and 50-Across: PS I LOVE YOU.

Here are the four themed answers none of which require explanation beyond their clues:

16 Across:  "Because the Night" singer-songwriter: PATTI SMITH.

24 Across:  "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" singer-songwriter: PETE SEEGER.

35 Across:  "You Can Call Me Al" singer-songwriter: PAUL SIMON.

50 Across:  "Poetry Man" singer-songwriter: PHOEBE SNOW.

Thank you, Brian, for the opportunity to revisit all of those great songs.  Now, after all of that, if anyone has the time and energy, here's how it all appears in the grid:

. . . . and here are the rest of the clues and answers:

Across:

1. Campbell's container: CAN.

Andy Warhol's Take On The Subject

4. Sports complex: ARENA.  From the Latin harena meaning sandy place.

9. Air quality factor: SMOG.  A portmanteau of SMoke and fOG.

13. The Jazz, on scoreboards: UTA.

14. Cuddly pooch: LAP DOG.

15. University of New Mexico athlete: LOBO.

18. Siberian city: OMSK.

19. Twitter: CHIRP.  An avian reference - not a tech reference.

20. Grumpy person: CRAB.  CRABs (the animals) have a reputation for being feisty and unpleasant.

22. Fed. health law: ACA.

23. Dialect in some Black communities, for short: AAVE.  All you might want to know:

African American Vernacular English

27. Tear sheet?: KLEENEX.  Not tear as in to rip a piece of paper.  Tear as in crying.

29. Flair: TALENT.  A cake entered a TALENT contest.  The Judge asked, "What's your talent?"  "Icing", replied the entrant.

30. "Mars Attacks!" creatures, in brief: ETS.  ExtraTerrestrial BeingS

31. Celtic priest of old: DRUID.  Did this one stump you?

34. Son of Zeus: ARES.

 

38. Ralph Lauren brand: POLO

41. Buff: TONED.  Buff, here, was used not as a verb but as an adjective

42. Sked abbr.: TBD.  To Be Determined.  Sometimes it turns out to be TBArranged.

45. Device for smoking shisha: HOOKAH.  Shisha is  is a wet tobacco that is soaked in a combination of glycerin, molasses or honey, and flavoring.

48. On an elite level, informally: GOD TIER.  This expression is new to this solver.  On a somewhat related note, did anyone else besides yours truly get tired, earlier this month, of the unrelenting barrage of "Quad God" references?  After the disappointing final skate, one half expected the talking heads to switch to "Lutz Klutz".

53. Wine category: REDS.  As opposed to, for example, white wines or rose wines.

54. Jungfrau, for one: ALP.  elevation 13,642 feet

55. Balm-yielding succulent: ALOE.  ALOE, there.  Vera nice to meet you!

56. Small but powerful group: CADRE.  CADRE entered this solver's vocabulary during the Mao Tse Tung era.

57. History: PAST.  The PAST, the present, and the future walked into a bar . . . and things got a little tense.

62. Yale students: ELIS.  From the eponymous Mr. Elihu Yale.

63. "Praying" insect: MANTIS.

64. Dawn goddess: EOS.  A frequent visitor.

65. __ and file: RANK.  

66. Short-lived Ford model: EDSEL.  Often taken on road trips in our puzzles.

67. Private chats on soc. media: DMS.  Abbreviated clue . . .  Direct MessageS

Down:

1. Treat baked in a fluted liner: CUPCAKE.

2. No longer moving: AT A HALT.

3. Longtime residents: NATIVES.

4. Some Energizers: AAS.

5. Turntable meas.: RPM.  Abbreviated clue . . .   Revolutions Per Minute   Remember when we'd talk of tone arm counter weight, Sure vs Audio-Technica cartridges, and direct drive vs. belt drive?

6. Order: EDICT.  Not order as in what you do at a restaurant.  Not order as in an array.  Order as in some directive to be obeyed.

7. __-Dame de Paris: NOTRE.

An Unforgettable Moment

8. Shocked: AGHAST.  A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed losing its entire load.  Witnesses were stunned, startled, AGHAST, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.

9. __-mo replay: SLO.

10. Certain representative for a child actor, casually: MOMAGER.  A portmanteau formed from, MOM and ManAGER.

11. More than indecent: OBSCENE.  We'll skip the graphics on this one.

12. Kids' racers: GO KARTS.

14. Sass: LIP.  See also The Sex Pistols "Don't Give Me No Lip, Child"

17. Cherry or lime: TREE.  Flavor, fruit, and pie filling were all too long.  Soda would have fit.

21. Arthur in the Television Hall of Fame: BEA.  Best known for her role as Maude.

24. Lima's country: PERU.  A reference to either the country or to the beans which were grown in PERU even before corn was grown there.

25. Jump for joy: EXULT.  See also Van Halen "Jump"

26. Flair: ELAN.

28. Secret-protecting doc: NDA.  NonDisclosure Agreement

32. Late start?: ISO.  The beginning (start) of ISOlate.

33. Down Under canine: DINGO.

35. Jab: POKE.  Not in the "Lonesome Dove" sense.

36. __ Mix cat food: MEOW.

37. "That's strange": ODD.

38. Element of a basic reading test?: PH PAPER.  PH PAPER can be used to determine, or read, where something falls on the acidic, neutral, alkaline (base) scale.  Nice wordplay.

39. "How swanky!": OOH LA LA.

40. Keeps updated: LOOPS IN.

42. Like much Grateful Dead merch: TIE DYED.  Okay, so there's no TIE DYE in this video but the images are great (no pun intended) and how could we pass on the opportunity?

43. Double space?: BEDROOM.  A place for a double bed.

44. "The Lorax" creator: DR SEUSS.  Written in 1971, "The Lorax" was a relatively early piece of work focusing on environmental issues.

46. Legal org.: ABA.

47. "I could use a hand": HELP ME.  In keeping with today's theme (and I would guess that this was an intentional "move" by Brian).  Of course, we could also have gone with The Beach Boys.

49. Four-time NBA All-Star Young: TRAE.   In 2017–18, TRAE tied the then NCAA Division I single-game assists record with 22 and became the only player to ever lead the NCAA in both points and assists in a single season.

51. "Deeply unfortunate": SO SAD. . . . and the opposite from Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker:

52. Düsseldorf denials: NEINS.  Today's German lesson.

56. Walgreens rival: CVS.  A drugstore reference,

58. Disappointed cluck: TSK.  We never know, at first, if it will be TSK or TUT.

60. Cell service letters: LTE.  All you might wish to know:  Long Term Evolution

61. Part of EVOO: OIL.  I always thought that the concept was quantum but what do I know??

Well, that will wrap things up for this musical Wednesday.  Have a Grate(ful) Day, everyone!

_________________________________________________

MM Out