Brain Games 2026 by Lewiston Tribune

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March 5, 2026

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Answers on page 24

1 2 3 4 Answers on page 24 1 2 3 4

Answers on page 24

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5 6 7 8 Answers on page 24 5 6 7 8

Answers on page 24

March 5, 2026

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9 10 11

BRAIN GAMES

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

March 5, 2026

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

BRAIN GAMES

Universal Crossword

“I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!”

94 Hearing or smelling, e.g.

96 Soothing lotion ingredients

1 IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!”

“I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!” ACROSS

Physically anticipates bad news, say LP successors

1 Physically anticipates bad news, say

97 Some girls in a blended family 102 Regret

103 Actress Kunis

104 Fortuneteller’s deck 105 Shopper’s complex

106 Land developer’s unit

Shopper’s complex

10 March Madness org.

LP successors

Land developer’s unit

14 “Gangnam Style” singer

March Madness org.

“Gangnam Style” singer

17 Some native Nebraskans

18 Big Island party

108 Quits for the day ... or wedges a seven-letter word between the sets of circled letters

110 Resourceful person’s “supply”

Quits for the day ... or wedges a seven-letter word between the sets of circled letters

19 Timely benefits

Some native Nebraskans 18 Big Island party

19 Timely benefits

20 Automobile brand named after Ransom Eli Olds

112 Tiger Stadium sch.

113 Kwanzaa principle

114 Like fine wine

20 Automobile brand named after Ransom Eli Olds

21 “Can’t eat another bite!”

23 “Can’t eat another bite!” ... or a hint to the circled letters

115 Grammy winner Lionel

Barely manage, with “out”

Cause of great distress

25 Carnegie’s metal

23 “Can’t eat another bite!” ... or a hint to the circled letters

___ Royal Majesty

25 Carnegie’s metal

26 Comparable (to)

27 “Here I am!”

26 Comparable (to)

28 Be fond of

27 “Here I am!”

“To clarify ...”

28 Be fond of

29 Suffix with “fact” or “human”

Many, many

30 Spanish “Later, pal!”

29 Suffix with “fact” or “human”

30 Spanish “Later, pal!”

32 Holiday song

33 Didn’t allow

32 Holiday song

Casually mention you hung out with Cher, e.g.

36 Land developer’s unit

33 Didn’t allow

Clog or pump

British noble title

36 Land developer’s unit

37 Pita dip

38 The “N” of NATO

39 Frozen drink brand

38 The “N” of NATO

dir.

42 Most meager

39 Frozen drink brand

Criticizes “with faint praise”

44 Permission to go on a field trip, e.g.

42 Most meager

48 Common vaccination side effect

44 Permission to go on a field trip, e.g.

about a food additive

49 Ghanaian cloth

48 Common vaccination side effect

50 Hit close to home?

49 Ghanaian cloth

50 Hit close to home?

54 Body part in a knee MRI

57 Orange rind

58 Circle segment

59 Black eye

61 Apt name for a trusting person

59 Black eye

63 Action figure manufacturing figure

61 Apt name for a trusting person

68 Opening words

63 Action figure manufacturing figure

68 Opening words

69 Evaluates, like ore

state flower 93 Make a choice

69 Evaluates, like ore

71 _qual _mployment _pportunity

72 Hair-removal brand

71 _qual _mployment _pportunity

___-reliant

72 Hair-removal brand

74 Even’s opposite

75 Harvest, like crops

76 Get ___ (be dismissed from a job)

75 Harvest, like crops

79 Course for some HS students

76 Get ___ (be dismissed from a job)

82 Their creative work might be tagged

79 Course for some HS students

82 Their creative work might be tagged

85 Suitability

88 Crafter’s online marketplace

89 Flies high

91 Reduce speed

89 Flies high 91 Reduce speed

92 Poet who inspired the Baltimore Ravens’ name

Long sandwich, for short

Cry before “Humbug!”

Three-part race, casually

1 Going down into the

Universal Crossword

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

Some Space Race participants 24 Ability to detect subtle flavors

26 “RIGHT now!” (Note: This puzzle’s title is a hint to the theme!)

“I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!”

2 RIGHT OUT OF THE BLUE

27 Gathering for enthusiasts

ACROSS

Like nuclear energy

“SNL” alum Poehler 31 Vega’s constellation 33 “What ___ is new?”

Soapmaking ingredient 35 Gallery works

Some native Nebraskans

Number of degrees in a

“Compact” music holders

Big Island party

Timely benefits

38 Battery terminal

40 Leaning Tower city

41 Opposite of paleo-

Automobile brand named after Ransom Eli Olds

42 “Hold ___ your hats!”

43 Betamax tape player

“Can’t eat another bite!”

44 Push away

47 DownRIGHT

49 Hammer ends

“Can’t eat another bite!” ... or a hint to the circled letters 25 Carnegie’s metal

26 Comparable (to)

51 Pupils’ places

27 “Here I am!”

53 Largest of the British Virgin Islands

28 Be fond of

29 Suffix with “fact” or “human”

57 “Yeah, RIGHT!”

30 Spanish “Later, pal!” 32 Holiday song

33 Didn’t allow 36 Land developer’s unit

37 Pita dip

38 The “N” of NATO

39 Frozen drink brand

42 Most meager

44 Permission to go on a field trip, e.g.

48 Common vaccination side effect

49 Ghanaian cloth

50 Hit close to home?

54 Body part in a knee MRI

57 Orange rind

58 Circle segment

59 Black eye

61 Apt name for a trusting person

63 Action figure manufacturing figure

68 Opening words

69 Evaluates, like ore

71 _qual _mployment _pportunity

72 Hair-removal brand

74 Even’s opposite

75 Harvest, like crops

76 Get ___ (be dismissed from a job)

79 Course for some HS students

82 Their creative work might be tagged 85 Suitability

88 Crafter’s online marketplace

89 Flies high 91 Reduce speed

92 Poet who inspired the Baltimore

Letters aptly missing from “di_tr_ _tful”

Tech for a road trip

Stitch using needles

Standards of perfection

___: Mall Cop”

How cruise ships travel

Place to enter a PIN

Activist Griffin aka the “Rosa Parks of Iowa”

“___ Kapital” (book)

Vaccine molecule

Lily ___

Place to get a full body wax

Universal Crossword

“I’M

3 COPY THAT

European peaks

IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!”

Orangutan or gorilla

Sacred Egyptian beetles

15 Lip or cheek

19 Bring shame upon

21 Made the right call, say

22 Bounce off the walls?

23 “Getting through one day at a time”

25 “Moby-Dick” captain

benefits

26 44th U.S. president

27 “Maleficent” actress Fanning

20 Automobile brand named after Ransom Eli Olds

28 Perfect example

21 “Can’t eat another bite!”

30 Mother pig

31 Graduation cap attachment

23 “Can’t eat another bite!” ... or a hint to the circled letters

34 Hit the road, like a band

102 February 29th 103 Sammy the Banana ___ (mollusk mascot of UC Santa Cruz)

104 Fire remnants

106 Prefix for “potent”

107 Destinations for bottles and cans ... and a hint to this puzzle’s theme

113 In the hot ___

114 Two-continent region

115 Niagara River’s source

116 The right direction?

117 2001 film about a family of secret agents

118 Mama sheep

119 Poet Whitman

1 “See ya!”

25 Carnegie’s metal

37 Intricately decorated

2 “How low can you go?” competition

26 Comparable (to)

38 Meaty spread

27 “Here I am!”

39 It means nothing!

28 Be fond of

40 Repairing

3 Old-timey “Puh-leeze!”

4 Phony thing

5 “Life of Pi” director Lee

29 Suffix with “fact” or “human”

42 Green sauce on some pizzas

30 Spanish “Later, pal!”

43 “Creed” actress Thompson

32 Holiday song

Polynesian taro dish 7 Author Hemingway

Slop for a pig

33 Didn’t allow

47 1969 antiwar song by the Plastic Ono Band

Driver’s ed course obstacle

36 Land developer’s unit

52 That woman

Colony insect

37 Pita dip

53 Like a tie score

Cheer syllable

38 The “N” of NATO

54 City home to the Taj Mahal

16th prez

39 Frozen drink brand

55 Fusion genre for Limp Bizkit

42 Most meager

58 Opposite of pos.

Trample

59 “The Fountain” director Aronofsky

44 Permission to go on a field trip, e.g.

City home to the Space Needle

61 Troubling engine sound

48 Common vaccination side effect

49 Ghanaian cloth

63 Crashed, like a virtual meeting

50 Hit close to home?

66 Hopelessly stalled

69 Like prerevolutionary Russia

54 Body part in a knee MRI

57 Orange rind

70 Pop singer Justin

58 Circle segment

71 Homophone of 73-Down

59 Black eye

72 Knowing smile

61 Apt name for a trusting person

74 Greek counterpart of Mars

63 Action figure manufacturing figure

75 Thinnest U.S. coin

76 As well

68 Opening words

69 Evaluates, like ore

77 Desktop’s data transmission device

71 _qual _mployment _pportunity

72 Hair-removal brand

84 Early period of life

74 Even’s opposite

87 Propelled a rowboat

75 Harvest, like crops

88 Smeared on, like makeup

76 Get ___ (be dismissed from a job)

79 Course for some HS students

89 “I can ___ cheezburger?” (cat’s grammatically incorrect question in a meme)

91 Alternatives to acrylics

82 Their creative work might be tagged 85 Suitability

92 Backs of boats

88 Crafter’s online marketplace

94 Hidden geeky sides

98 Made amends

89 Flies high 91 Reduce speed

99 Place to get a pedicure

92 Poet who inspired the Baltimore Ravens’ name

BRAIN GAMES

THE QUIET GAME

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

Universal Crossword

1 Execute with precision 7 “Will do shortly”

13 Skate on ice

18 Online likeness

THE QUIET GAME

19 Novelist/playwright Truman

20 Eye part

“I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!”

ACROSS

22 *Loaf that contains grated veggies

1 Execute with precision

24 “More likely than not ...”

7 “Will do shortly”

13 Skate on ice

26 Angsty music genre

18 Online likeness

27 Colors, like Easter eggs

19 Novelist/playwright Truman

28 “Hazy” beer, briefly

20 Eye part

30 “Quit lollygagging!”

31 Say “Give me an A!,” say

22 *Loaf that contains grated veggies

33 *Many a union supporter?

24 “More likely than not ...”

38 “You’re already leaving?”

26 Angsty music genre

41 Enter slowly

27 Colors, like Easter eggs

28 “Hazy” beer, briefly

42 Airplane walkways

30 “Quit lollygagging!”

43 *Eagerly following a lead

31 Say “Give me an A!,” say

46 Terriers’ cries

33 *Many a union supporter?

47 Sky blue

38 “You’re already leaving?”

48 Trade fair

41 Enter slowly

49 Riverbed sediment

42 Airplane walkways

50 Vietnamese soup

43 *Eagerly following a lead

Suffix with “fact” or “human”

53 Pigs’ homes

46 Terriers’ cries

47 Sky blue

54 Principal water line

48 Trade fair

55 Tasted an unfamiliar dish

49 Riverbed sediment

58 Charged atom

50 Vietnamese soup

59 Hours on NYE in NYC

53 Pigs’ homes

100 Wonton soup vessel

101 Apple desktop

105 King of the jungle

106 ___ deco

107 Assistance

108 Far from fresh

109 Georgia O’Keeffe, e.g.

112 Fundraising event ... or what’s spelled out in the last words of the starred clues’ answers

117 Excused from work

118 Pilot a plane

119 Mochi-pounding tool

120 Merited 121 More beloved 122 Panini-squashing device

1 Apt rhyme of 81-Down

2 Egg cell

3 Food item “de birria”

4 How Tums are sold, for short

60 ___ out (sing loudly)

54 Principal water line

5 Ooh and ___

of NATO

55 Tasted an unfamiliar dish

61 *Inflatable structure at a school fair

6 Sea god’s spear

39 Frozen drink brand

63 Give a heads-up to

58 Charged atom

59 Hours on NYE in NYC

65 Ocean animal such as Patrick

60 ___ out (sing loudly)

7 More frosty

8 Catches

67 Be charitable

42 Most meager 44 Permission to go on a field trip, e.g. 48 Common vaccination side effect

61 *Inflatable structure at a school fair

49 Ghanaian cloth

63 Give a heads-up to

68 *Industry that includes Broadway

9 National Grilled Cheese Month (Abbr.)

45 “This way in an emergency” indicator

82 MCU actor Liu

50 Hit close to home?

71 “The Book of ___” (2010 film)

65 Ocean animal such as Patrick

10 Adversary

Comic Bryant

E pluribus ___

74 Some rodents

67 Be charitable

54 Body part in a knee MRI

11 “r u getting here soon?”

Confidential

57 Orange rind

76 Capital of Peru

68 *Industry that includes Broadway

71 “The Book of ___” (2010 film)

12 “Mission accomplished, team!”

Venomous serpent

Hay storage building 86 Transcript no.

It’s dealt face

58 Circle segment

77 Item laid by an 81-Across

74 Some rodents

13 (What a terrible pun!)

59 Black eye 61 Apt

76 Capital of Peru

78 “Damn, Daniel! Back ___ again with the white Vans!”

77 Item laid by an 81-Across

79 Junk email

80 “It’s ___” (breakup words)

78 “Damn, Daniel! Back ___ again with the white Vans!”

81 Clucking mama

79 Junk email

82 Hoagies

80 “It’s ___” (breakup words)

85 _adison _quare _arden

87 “Uhh ...”

81 Clucking mama

82 Hoagies

85 _adison _quare _arden

14 Ran 15 “___ be a big help”

Got out of bed

Bill ___ the Science Guy

Pabst competitor

game people who can die from embarrassment

Clic Stic pen maker 90 Wanted to weep, say

Ganymede’s planet

“Somewhat” 94 Go ___ the gold 96 Dog food brand 97 Steak ___ (pan-fried dish)

“Ta-da!”

Was concerned

Delivers by post

Healing succulents

87 “Uhh ...”

88 Work as a mixologist

90 *What is the last round in a popular game show?

93 “The ___” (musical film in which Diana Ross plays Dorothy)

90 *What is the last round in a popular game show?

Bone above the patella

89 Flies

93 “The ___” (musical film in which Diana Ross plays Dorothy)

94 Bone above the patella

95 Typical

96 *Newspaper section such as “The Ethicist”

City south of Fort Worth

U-turn from WNW

Place to hibernate 36 Vampire’s weakness

37 Label on a birthday box 38 Heart or diamond

39 Seeps 40 Gals in a car chase scene 41 NFL game airer

Recover

Oscar recipient, e.g.

Fifth of a nickel

Up the ___ (increase risk)

Mark from surgery

Color akin to khaki

Night before a holiday

“___ got your back”

Swimmer Thomas

Place for a piercing

Official who says “Safe!”

BRAIN GAMES 11

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

THURSDAY, JULY 19,

Sudoku Puzzle

2 1 3 4

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026 2 1 3 4

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

6 5 7 8

Sudoku Puzzle

MARCH 5, 2026 6 5 7 8

2 1 3 4

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

Sudoku Puzzle

Complete the grid so that numbers 1 through the other circled THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

1 2 3 4

Complete the grid so that numbers 1 through the other circled THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026 1 2 3 4

Complete the grid so that numbers 1 through the other circled

number connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

1 2 3 4

number connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Answers on page 29

Complete the grid so that numbers 1 through the other circled

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

7 8

number connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Answers on page 29

Players use crossword-style clues to ll in two-word phrases. But here’s the twist: the second word of each phrase is the rst word in the phrase that follows.

1 2

1 2 3 4

Answers on page 30 1 2 3 4

Answers on page 30

1 2 3 4

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026

THURSDAY,

THURSDAY, JULY 19,

PlayFour! is a puzzle involving eight clues, four across and four down. The four-letter answers can be names, abbreviations, acronyms, even prefixes. Answers can be more than one word.

1 2 3 4

PlayFour! is a puzzle involving eight clues, four across and four down. The four-letter answers can be names, abbreviations, acronyms, even prefixes. Answers can be more than one word.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026 1 2 3 4

March 5, 2026

THURSDAY, JULY 19,

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2026 1 2 3 4

MARCH 5, 2026 5 6 7 8

PlayFour! is a puzzle involving eight clues, four across and four down. The four-letter answers can be names, abbreviations, acronyms, even prefixes. Answers can be more than one word.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5,

All the words listed below appear in the puzzlehorizontally, vertically, diagionally and even backward. Find them, circle each word and strike it off the list.