LA Times Daily Crossword Answers Today March 18, 2026
L.A. Times Crossword Answers Today: Wed, Mar 18, 2026
Table of Contents
- Today’s Overview
- Grid Strategy & Intersection Analysis
- Theme Breakdown & Crosswordese
- Today’s Top Answers
- Frequently Asked Questions
Today’s Overview
Welcome to your daily dose of wordplay! Today’s LA Times Daily Crossword, crafted by Aaron Ullman and edited by Patti Varol, offers a delightful musical journey. This Wednesday puzzle is a solid medium difficulty. It features a clever theme that will resonate with music lovers, especially guitar enthusiasts. The grid is well-balanced, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly frustrating. Let’s dive in and get those answers!
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Grid Strategy & Intersection Analysis
Today’s 15×15 grid presents a fairly standard layout. The black squares create several distinct sections. This means you might need to jump around a bit. Start with the shorter, more obvious clues. Look for those three-letter and four-letter entries first. They often provide crucial starting letters for longer, intersecting words.
The northeast and southwest corners are relatively open. This makes them good places to gain traction. The center of the puzzle is also quite open. This allows for good flow once you break into it. Watch out for the longer theme answers. They can be tough without some crossing letters. Don’t be afraid to leave a tricky clue blank for a moment. Move on and come back to it. Often, an intersecting Down or Across clue will reveal the missing piece. Proper nouns are always a good target. If you know them, they can unlock large sections quickly.
📖 Theme Breakdown & Crosswordese
Aaron Ullman’s theme today is a real treat for anyone who appreciates music. The revealer clue at 56-Across, “Stirs emotions, or how a guitarist might interpret the ends of the answers to the starred clues?”, points directly to the fun. The answer is STRIKES A CHORD. This perfectly sets up the musical connection.
Let’s look at the starred clues and their endings:
- 20-Across: “Some fruity sandwich spreads” leads to RASPBERRY JAMS. The key word here is JAMS. Guitarists love to “jam” or improvise together.
- 27-Across: “Criticize harshly” gives us RIP TO SHREDS. The ending, SHREDS, refers to playing guitar solos with extreme speed and technical skill.
- 36-Across: “Long-handled, long-toothed combs” is AFRO PICKS. The word PICKS is essential. These are the small tools guitarists use to pluck strings.
- 49-Across: “Hollow floaties” is POOL NOODLES. The final word, NOODLES, describes a guitarist’s casual, often aimless, improvisational playing.
Each starred answer ends with a term directly related to guitar playing. The revealer, STRIKES A CHORD, ties it all together beautifully. It’s a clever and consistent theme!
As for crosswordese, we see some familiar faces today:
- 15-Across: “Crème de __” is a classic fill-in-the-blank for CACAO.
- 32-Across: “WSW opposite” is a common directional clue, leading to ENE.
- 35-Across: “Cold War initials” often points to USSR.
- 63-Across: “Why the heck not” hashtag is a modern crossword staple: YOLO.
Recognizing these common entries can really speed up your solve.
Today’s Top Answers
| Clue Number | Direction | Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Across | Tend the garden | WEED | A straightforward start to the puzzle. |
| 20 | Across | *Some fruity sandwich spreads | RASPBERRYJAMS | Part of the theme! Ends with a guitar term. |
| 27 | Across | *Criticize harshly | RIPTOSHREDS | Another theme entry, ending with a guitar technique. |
| 36 | Across | *Long-handled, long-toothed combs | AFROPICKS | The third theme answer, featuring a guitar accessory. |
| 43 | Across | Number of orbits around the sun Neptune has completed since its discovery | ONE | A fun bit of astronomy trivia. Neptune’s orbit is very long! |
| 49 | Across | *Hollow floaties | POOLNOODLES | The final theme entry, ending with a guitar improvisation term. |
| 56 | Across | Stirs emotions, or how a guitarist might interpret the ends of the answers to the starred clues? | STRIKESACHORD | The brilliant revealer that ties the whole theme together. |
| 62 | Across | Dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt | PLUTO | A classic celestial body, now reclassified. |
| 63 | Across | “Why the heck not” hashtag | YOLO | A common modern abbreviation in crosswords. |
| 70 | Across | Shape of some cocktail picks | SWORD | A clever visual clue for a common item. |
| 3 | Down | Secure, as 4-Down, perhaps | ENCASE | To put something into a case, like data. |
| 4 | Down | Facts and figures | DATA | Often paired with ‘secure’ in a digital context. |
| 6 | Down | “Rock the __”: hit song for The Clash | CASBAH | A classic rock song reference. |
| 12 | Down | Conquerors of England in 1066 | NORMANS | A key historical event. |
| 21 | Down | Parody | SPOOF | A common synonym for a comedic imitation. |
| 23 | Down | Honeylove purchase | BRA | A specific brand clue, leading to a common garment. |
| 30 | Down | Queen’s record label | EMI | A major record company, often seen in puzzles. |
| 31 | Down | Grumpy friend | EEYORE | A beloved character from Winnie the Pooh. |
| 39 | Down | Former capital of Japan | NARA | A historical city, good to know for geography buffs. |
| 50 | Down | Drink of the gods | NECTAR | A mythological beverage, often clued this way. |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the theme of today’s LA Times Crossword?
The theme of today’s LA Times Crossword is centered around guitar-related terms. These terms are found at the end of the puzzle’s starred clues. The revealer clue, STRIKES A CHORD, ties them all together. - Who constructed the LA Times Crossword for March 18, 2026?
The LA Times Crossword for March 18, 2026, was constructed by Aaron Ullman. Patti Varol served as the editor for this puzzle. - How does ‘STRIKES A CHORD’ relate to the puzzle’s theme?
‘STRIKES A CHORD’ is the revealer clue for today’s puzzle. It relates to the theme by explaining that the endings of the starred answers (JAMS, SHREDS, PICKS, NOODLES) are all terms a guitarist would use. These terms describe various aspects of playing the guitar.