Sunday, July 19, 2026

LAT 8:50 (Kyle) rate it
NYT 10:36 (Nate) [3.69 avg; 8 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (ZEB) rate it
Universal (Sunday) tk (Jim P) rate it
Universal tk (Adam S) rate it
WaPo 3:23 (Matt G) rate it

Michael Lieberman’s New York Times crossword, “Raising Capital” — Nate’s write-up

07.19.2026 Sunday New York Times Crossword

25A THANKS A [“I really, really appreciate it!”]
6D LIMA [See title]
6A LLION [-]
(In-full answer to 25A: THANKS A MILLION)

28A MAIL-IN [After-the-fact discount]
14D BERN [See title]
14A BATE [-]
(In-full answer to 28A: MAIL-IN REBATE)

69A VICTO [Britain’s most prestigious military decoration]
51D CAIRO [See title]
51A CROSS [-]
(In-full answer to 69A: VICTORIA CROSS)

71A DROO [Fantasizes about]
57D OSLO [See title]
57A OVER [-]
(In-full answer to 71A: DROOLS OVER)

73A ERECT [Block someone’s passage, say]
54D RABAT [See title]
54A RRIER [-]
(In-full answer to 73A: ERECT A BARRIER)

110A HOME [Bank offering for a property buyer]
97D ROME [See title]
97A RTGAGE [-]
(In-full answer to 110A: HOME MORTGAGE)

112A WHAT A [2000 Christina Aguilera #1 hit]
99D RIGA [See title]
99A RL WANTS [-]
(In-full answer to 112A: WHAT A GIRL WANTS)

In this Sunday’s NYT puzzle, each of the seven theme answers snakes through the grid in an across / up / across pattern, including a down entry that is a global capital city raised from the bottom up. Wow! This grid is remarkably clean, fun, and full of life, considering how much theme material populates the grid. Unsurprisingly, I was able to break into the theme by very much knowing the last theme entry, WHAT A GIRL WANTS.

Quick entry today (it’s my birthday weekend!), so I’ll leave it at that for now. How did you find the puzzle? Let us know in the comments – and have a great weekend!

Evan Birnholz’s Washington Post crossword, “Captain Obvious Goes to Outer Space” — Matthew’s write-up

Evan Birnholz’s Washington Post crossword, “Captain Obvious Goes to Outer Space” solution, 7/19/2026

Captain Obvious is back this week, and he’s headed to outer space. Our themers are as such a bit celestial:

• 23a [“___ is what happens when you look through a telescope] SEEING STARS
• 33a [“___? Then you’re closer to space than anybody not in space] ON TOP OF THE WORLD
• 50a [“___? Then you might be a resident of Mars”] LIVING ON ANOTHER PLANET
• 68a [“___? Then you’re hovering above our satellite’s surface”] OVER THE MOON
• 84a [“___? Then that fiery celestial ball is above all in our universe”] EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN
• 100a [“___, so your shuttle can’t make it into outer space”] THE SKYS THE LIMIT
• 114a [“___? That means you’ve returned from your space voyage”] DOWN TO EARTH

You know what you’re getting with the Captain Obvious theme. I like them – the boundaries of “space” as a topic help me think of possible phrases, and the clues always get a chuckle out of me. And they come around at just the right frequency that I’m always glad to see them. 

Other highlights: I have mixed feelings on Myers-Briggs (or at least how it often gets misused), but a novel and colorful angle to get to SIXTEEN. (The test categorizes respondents into one of two labels for four different categories, for sixteen possible combinations) // Another fun clue for a number, with [Number of pins hit with a gutter ball] ZERO // Fun bit of wordplay for USA, using state abbreviation in [WI/NE country] // I similarly liked the poker-related play on “hand” in the common phrase [“Take my hand”?] for I FOLD

I’ll be traveling to the other side of the world (have you ever heard the middle of England described so exotically?) so Eric Hougland will take WP writeups for the next two weeks. Cheers!

Rebecca Goldstein’s LA Times crossword “WHIRLWIND TOUR” – Kyle’s write-up

LA Times solution grid “WHIRLWIND TOUR” – Rebecca Goldstein – Sunday 07/19/2026

Thanks Rebecca for today’s puzzle. Our theme today features hidden words, with a twist:

• 98/107A [Reunite a musical group, or a hint to this puzzle’s circled letters] GET THE BAND / BACK TOGETHER. I’ve underlined the circled letters below.
• 22A [Sign on rural roads] DEER CROSSING (Creed)
• 28A [Stays with a series of friends] COUCH SURFS (Rush).
• 47A [“I’ve seen worse”] “IT’S NOT SO BAD” (Boston)
• 50A [Savory potato patties in Indian cuisine] ALOO TIKKI (Tool)
• 61A [Find common ground] SEEK A COMPROMISE (Cake). I give this answer a minor ding because “seek compromise” is the more natural idiom.
• 79A [“How rude!”] “EXCUSE YOU!” (Yes)
• 81A [Project that kindergartners need to use their noodles for] MACARONI ART (Train). Cute clue!

I guess your opinion of the theme probably depends on how much you care for these bands, or rock/pop music generally. My own feeling is that it’s a well-made puzzle, and some of the bands evoke nice associations (Cake’s “Short Skirt Long Jacket” and Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” are cultural markers of my teenage years). I wasn’t altogether hot on the theme-adjacent 67D [Product of Chicago?] ROCK ANTHEM–it’s a great clue/entry pairing, but it’s a bit much to have in an already music-heavy puzzle.

Notes on fill and clues:

• 5D [Cheese with a Romano variety] PECORINO. Pecorino Romano is the cheese used in cacio e pepe and other classic Roman pasta dishes. I spent months perfecting a method for cacio e pepe; getting the Romano to incorporate into a sauce without clumping is not straightforward. Other long culinary entries: 13D [Tilapia-and-tortilla dish] FISH TACO, 15D [Deli spear] SOUR PICKLE.
• 70D DRAG MOTHER [Parental figure for a queen] appears to be making its debut in the LA Times, per the Cruciverb database.
• Hang on, there’s another theme-adjacent entry: 92D [Alvin and Theodore’s brother] SIMON. Remember “Alvin and the Chipmunks”? Are they still around?
• Tricky (and fun) clues: 19A [Sugar substitute?] DEARIE, 94A [Digital extension?] NAIL, 3D [Task managers?] CHECKLISTS, 31D [Peerless?] ALONE, 95D [Safe spaces?] BANKS
• Nice echo in the clues for crossing entries 113A NIECE [Fun aunt’s movie date, maybe] and 109D TIA [Argentine aunt].