LA Times Daily Crossword Answers Today – March 27, 2026

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L.A. Times Crossword Answers Today: Fri, Mar 27, 2026

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Table of Contents

Today’s Overview

Welcome, solvers! Today’s LA Times Daily Crossword, dated March 27, 2026, is a delightful Friday challenge. Constructor Yijing Chen, edited by Patti Varol, brings us a clever food-themed puzzle. Get ready for some wordplay that will make you hungry!

The grid features a fun twist on common phrases. You’ll find familiar sayings given a culinary makeover. It’s a medium difficulty puzzle, perfect for a Friday. Let’s dive in and conquer this grid together.

L.A. Times Daily Crossword
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1A
2M
3U
4S
5E
6L
7S
8A
9T
10C
11D
12C
13T
A
M
I
L
14A
H
A
S
15S
O
U
R
16A
G
A
T
E
17S
E
A
P
18I
C
K
L
E
19D
I
M
20V
21I
S
A
22B
U
I
L
T
23C
I
24D
E
R
O
F
25O
26N
E
S
E
Y
E
27B
I
N
S
28M
A
T
E
29I
30L
O
S
T
31S
32T
I
R
33T
34I
35M
36K
I
M
C
H
37I
P
A
T
C
38H
39K
I
D
S
40E
B
B
41R
A
P
S
42A
A
R
O
N
43T
44R
O
D
45T
I
M
E
46T
47H
48E
W
I
N
E
49O
50F
W
R
A
T
51H
52A
I
M
E
D
53B
O
O
B
54R
I
55G
56C
H
E
E
S
57Y
58W
A
Y
59A
60R
E
N
A
61K
A
R
T
62R
O
M
E
63L
O
A
D
S
64S
T
Y
65S
O
A
R
66L
E
D
U
P
1.Bring a smile to
AMUSE
6.Aspiring atty.’s hurdle
LSAT
10.Public health org.
CDC
13.Sri Lankan language
TAMIL
14.Sounds of realization
AHAS
15.Tart
SOUR
16.Stone with a “crazy lace” variety
AGATE
17.Marine animal with a cylindrical body, once processed?
SEAPICKLE
19.Turn down
DIM
20.Mastercard alternative
VISA
22.Put together
BUILT
23.Dearly beloved, once processed?
CIDEROFONESEYE
27.Airport security containers
BINS
28.Check a final time?
MATE
29.Words of defeat
ILOST
31.Commotion
STIR
33.“I Think You Should Leave” star Robinson
TIM
36.Dolls that come with adoption papers, once processed?
KIMCHIPATCHKIDS
40.Wane
EBB
41.Spits bars
RAPS
42.“__ Burr, Sir”
AARON
43.Trampled (on)
TROD
45.Lock screen display
TIME
46.Dust Bowl-era Steinbeck novel, once processed?
THEWINEOFWRATH
52.Readied a putt
AIMED
53.__ tube
BOOB
54.Fix unlawfully
RIG
56.Earth’s galaxy, once processed?
CHEESYWAY
59.The Eras Tour venue
ARENA
61.Small racing vehicle
KART
62.Capital on the Tiber
ROME
63.Boots up, as a program
LOADS
64.Messy room
STY
65.Reach great heights
SOAR
66.Was a prelude (to)
LEDUP
1.Little bit
ATAD
2.Hocus-pocus
MAGIC
3.Condiment that adds strong, rich flavor, informally
UMAMIBOMB
4.Reflect on, with “with”
SIT
5.Like Matt Smith’s Doctor, on “Doctor Who”
ELEVENTH
6.Sudeikis role
LASSO
7.Barley bundle
SHEAF
8.MiLB level
AAA
9.Small baking meas.
TSP
10.Journalist Roberts
COKIE
11.With little inflection
DULLY
12.Largest Greek island
CRETE
15.“__ me!”: “Comin’ through!”
SCUSE
18.“Suuuuure”
IBET
21.April 15 org.
IRS
24.__ jockey
DISC
25.Forgets, maybe
OMITS
26.Snitch (on)
NARC
29.Actor Barinholtz
IKE
30.Ad-__
LIB
31.Fashion designer Kate
SPADE
32.Spigot
TAP
33.Michelin surface
TIRETREAD
34.Words of avowal
IDO
35.Bing portal
MSN
37.Wrinkle remover
IRON
38.Unpopular pet product?
HAIRBALL
39.__ Sutra
KAMA
43.Bird’s sound
TWEET
44.Disposes (of)
RIDS
45.Number of prongs on a bident
TWO
46.Short nails
TACKS
47.Drum kit cymbals
HIHAT
48.Nail file material
EMERY
49.Only U.S. president born after 1960
OBAMA
50.Place for a hat rack
FOYER
51.Holi celebrant
HINDU
55.[I’m surprised!]
GASP
57.Mos. and mos.
YRS
58.“__-hoo!”
WOO
60.Sushi topper
ROE

🧠 Grid Strategy & Intersection Analysis

Today’s 15×15 grid offers a balanced solving experience. It has a fairly open center, but some corners are more segmented. This means you might find yourself working in distinct sections.

  • Start Strong: The top-left corner (1A, 1D) and top-right (10A, 12D) are good entry points. Look for short, direct clues to get some letters on the board.
  • Long Theme Answers: The long theme answers are crucial. They span the grid horizontally. Once you crack one, it will open up many crossing down clues.
  • Choke Points: Notice the black square clusters. These create mini-grids. If you get stuck in one area, jump to another. Don’t force it.
  • Leverage Crosses: Many clues are fairly clued. Use the letters from your confident fills to tackle trickier neighbors. For example, 36A, 46A, and 56A are long theme answers. Their crosses will be your best friends.
  • Common Traps: Be wary of clues that seem too obvious. Sometimes a simple word has a less common synonym. Always check your crosses.

The grid flows well once you get a few theme answers. Don’t be afraid to guess and check. That’s part of the fun!

📖 Theme Breakdown & Crosswordese

The theme today is a fantastic play on words. It takes well-known phrases and transforms them into food-related puns. The key phrase in the clues is “once processed?”. This tells you to expect a food item substitution.

Let’s look at the theme answers:

  • 17A: Marine animal with a cylindrical body, once processed? -> SEAPICKLE. This plays on “sea cucumber.” A cucumber can be processed into a pickle. Very clever!
  • 23A: Dearly beloved, once processed? -> CIDEROFOONESEYE. This is a twist on “apple of one’s eye.” Apples are processed into cider. A delightful pun.
  • 36A: Dolls that come with adoption papers, once processed? -> KIMCHIPATCHKIDS. This one is brilliant! It’s a pun on “Cabbage Patch Kids.” Cabbage is processed into kimchi.
  • 46A: Dust Bowl-era Steinbeck novel, once processed? -> THEWINEOFWRAHT. This refers to “The Grapes of Wrath.” Grapes are processed into wine. A classic literary pun.
  • 56A: Earth’s galaxy, once processed? -> CHEESYWAY. This is a fun take on “Milky Way.” Milk can be processed into cheese.

The theme is consistent and well-executed. Each base phrase is transformed by replacing a key word with a food item that is a “processed” version of the original word. It’s a great example of a tight, pun-based theme.

As for crosswordese, today’s puzzle includes some common fills:

  • LSAT: A frequent appearance for “Aspiring atty.’s hurdle.”
  • CDC: “Public health org.” is a staple.
  • AHA: “Sounds of realization” is classic.
  • EBB: “Wane” is a common short fill.
  • AARON: “Burr, Sir” is a Hamilton reference, but AARON is a common name in crosswords.
  • ROME: “Capital on the Tiber” is a classic geographical clue.
  • IRS: “April 15 org.” is always a good bet.
  • KATE: “Fashion designer Kate” often refers to Spade.

Knowing these common entries can help you gain traction quickly. Always keep an eye out for these familiar faces in the grid.

✅ Today’s Top Answers

Here are some of the most interesting and challenging clues from today’s LA Times Daily Crossword. We’ve included the theme answers and some tricky non-theme ones to help you out.

Clue Number Direction Clue Answer Explanation
17 Across Marine animal with a cylindrical body, once processed? SEAPICKLE A pun on ‘sea cucumber,’ where cucumber becomes a processed pickle.
23 Across Dearly beloved, once processed? CIDEROFOONESEYE A play on ‘apple of one’s eye,’ with apple becoming processed cider.
36 Across Dolls that come with adoption papers, once processed? KIMCHIPATCHKIDS A clever pun on ‘Cabbage Patch Kids,’ with cabbage becoming processed kimchi.
46 Across Dust Bowl-era Steinbeck novel, once processed? THEWINEOFWRAHT A twist on ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’ where grapes are processed into wine.
56 Across Earth’s galaxy, once processed? CHEESYWAY A pun on ‘Milky Way,’ with milk processed into cheese.
6 Across Aspiring atty.’s hurdle LSAT A common abbreviation for the Law School Admission Test.
16 Across Stone with a “crazy lace” variety AGATE A type of chalcedony, often used in jewelry.
28 Across Check a final time? MATE Refers to a checkmate in chess, the final move.
33 Across “I Think You Should Leave” star Robinson TIM Tim Robinson, known for his sketch comedy.
53 Across __ tube BOOB Refers to a ‘boob tube,’ an informal term for a television.
3 Down Condiment that adds strong, rich flavor, informally UMAMI The fifth basic taste, often associated with savory foods.
5 Down Like Matt Smith’s Doctor, on “Doctor Who” ELEVENTH Matt Smith played the Eleventh Doctor.
10 Down Journalist Roberts COKIE Cokie Roberts, a well-known American journalist.
12 Down Largest Greek island CRETE A significant island in Greek history and mythology.
18 Down “Suuuuure” ASIF An expression of disbelief or sarcasm.
24 Down __ jockey DISC As in ‘disc jockey,’ or DJ.
38 Down Unpopular pet product? AARF A playful, phonetic spelling of a dog’s bark, often used in crosswords.
45 Down Number of prongs on a bident TWO A bident has two prongs, unlike a trident which has three.
49 Down Only U.S. president born after 1960 OBAMA Barack Obama was born in 1961.
57 Down Mos. and mos. YEARS Months and months add up to years.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the theme of today’s LA Times Crossword? The theme of today’s LA Times Crossword is a series of puns where common phrases are reinterpreted with a food item that is a ‘processed’ version of a word in the original phrase.
  • How does ‘once processed?’ relate to the theme answers? The phrase ‘once processed?’ in the clues indicates that a word in the original phrase has been replaced by a food item that is derived from or ‘processed’ from the original word, like ‘cucumber’ becoming ‘pickle’ or ‘grapes’ becoming ‘wine.’
  • What is ‘KIMCHIPATCHKIDS’ referring to? ‘KIMCHIPATCHKIDS’ is a pun on the popular ‘Cabbage Patch Kids’ dolls. The word ‘cabbage’ is replaced by ‘kimchi,’ which is a processed form of cabbage.


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