I've started to notice, after 20 puzzles, that when you see Rebecca Goldstein's byline, you're going to get a solid, fair and smooth puzzle. This one did not disappoint.
@Steve L Ms Goldstein had an AVCX puzzle about 18 months ago called “Fake Meatl that was one of my favorite puzzles ever. I’ve enjoyed many of her other puzzles, too.
@Steve L IMHO, it was only smooth if you managed to avoid a couple of horrible booby traps, like TOTALECLIPSE and ELFIN.
@Steve L And speaking of top constructors, Robyn Weintraub has an easy Wednesday offering at the New Yorker today. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2025/03/05" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2025/03/05</a> The first Robyn of spring?
Gotta like a puzzle that starts with AMIGO. This is one tight theme set – in-the-language phrases combining a Halloweeny term with a domicile area. It’s easy to understand the odyssey Rebecca went through to come up with it. Not only a tight theme, but the four theme answers shimmer with spark, with three of them never having appeared before in *any* of the major crossword venues, and the fourth (DEADPOOL) only a handful of times. Rebecca needed an oversized grid to make it all work, but it worked beautifully. Look at the placement of the theme answers, truly, look at them! Even though the set is not symmetrical, it feels so balanced and grounding. Ahhh. Those four longest downs are gorgeous: GHOST KITCHEN, ROOSTERTAILS, ZOMBIE OFFICE, and TOTAL ECLIPSE. Sweet PuzzPair© of DEEP END and DEAD POOL. Not only a fun solve, but an grid laced with all kinds of beauty. This is so lovely, Rebecca. Thank you!
Regarding the grid art that Rebecca refers to – I see what could be the front of a mansion in the grid’s bottom half, including the door. Did anyone see anything else?
Wow. I was so far off the constructor’s wavelength that I wasn’t even on the spectrum. I have never heard of a ZOMBIE OFFICE, GHOST KITCHEN or ROOSTER TAILS (in this context). I had ECLIPSE but guessed at “solar”. I thought the clever wit might be “rapier”. I am aware of “RIT”, but not RPI. I always thought of ELFIN features as being small and sharp rather than cute. In short, this one wasn’t for me. But that’s ok! Not every puzzle is for everyone. Maybe I’ll have better reception tomorrow.
@Hei RPI is in Troy, near Albany. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I consider it more of a Computer Tech school than a research school, but Wikipedia does describe it as such.
@Heidi just wanted to give you props for a thoughtful comment. This one didn’t click for you, and you stated why clearly and without venom. I wish more commenters followed your example.
@Heidi I almost was flung off into space, too. Had it not occurred to me that TOTALECLIPSE has the same number of letters as solarECLIPSE. For a while I even toyed with lunarECLIPSE, thinking maybe I was seeing the mother of all crossword errors.
I just turned off the t.v. after watching – well, something, never mind. A spooky puzzle, filled with gore, couldn't have been more appropriate. If this is already Halloween, please tell me it's Halloween of 2029. But, more importantly, it's a Rebecca Goldstein puzzle, so there's no way it isn't going to be great and hit all the right notes. Very satisfying and a wonderful mind cleanser! Thank you, Rebecca!
@sotto voce Me, too. BLOODBATH gave me pause. Didn't like it in the context of Gaza and Ukraine. Or US politics . Or joined with the Stonewall Inn. But this is a Goldstein puzzle, so I shook it off, and went on to see the theme.
@sotto voce Whatever show you were watching you should have changed the channel. There was plenty of good news all around.
What an entertaining collection of gory-adjacent theme words! I enjoyed this one a lot.
I was unable to face my patriotic duty, but I know there will be a full accounting tomorrow, so rather than do that now, I did this. A fine puzzle, no sleazy tricks, honest clues, worthy fills, just what I needed. Even the little glue spots were clued with poise and unapologetic straightforwardness, Thank you, Rebecca Goldstein. It was a pleasure to spend some time with a grownup professional. I would vote for this puzzle right now, and if it comes of for Wednesday of the year, I will vote for it then.
Cute theme, but more non-word three letter fill than I care for: TSA NSA IDK ESC OOO ATM RPI HMO DNA. The intersection of DEADPOOL and BLOODBATH was fitting. My hiccup was being slow to let go of SOLARECLIPSE. Obviously, not knowing Chichen ITZA was an embarrassing deficiency in my store of knowledge.
@Marshall Walthew ITZA common deficiency. Bada boom. Tastes like Chichen.
@Marshall Walthew We just came back from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, where it is about 2 hours by tour bus to Chichen ITZA. We didn't go, as we have been there before, but a whole bunch of our younger generation (all in their 30's) went on a bus tour that included it, a cenote (underwater natural pool located in a cavern), and some other spots. So even though it would have been a gimme anyway, it was fresh in my mind!
Why can't ghosts have babies? Because they have hollow weenies. I am donning a glove of garlic as this puzzle scared me. Thank you Rebecca. A fun Wednesday.
In re: 11D...my mom--for decades--begged my dad to teach her to play bridge, ostensibly so that they could have bridge nights with friends. Of course she could have learned on her own, too, but I don't think gaining knowledge was really her point in asking. And I'm not sure if my dad's reluctance to teach her was due to his impatience with her, with bridge, or with the idea of having bridge nights with friends. In any case, he never did teach her, she never learned, and now, over the past 18 months, they've both passed away. If they had any regrets, such a small thing was probably not among them, but I hope, as the years go by and my partner and I retire and have more leisure time (god willing), that we both say "yes" often.
@Josh My parents stopped playing bridge together, in order to save their marriage. Apparently, Dad was a very demanding partner.
@Josh Sorry to hear that you lost both parents in a relatively short time.
@Josh I'm very late to this, but on the off-chance you return... I love that sentiment, to both say "yes" often. What a shame that didn't happen between your parents. And I'm so sorry for your losses so close together! Fwiw, a friend's parents play together all the time; have done ever since they met in college. The mom has been in recovery for some surgery, and the thought of being able to play bridge again with their friends is helping her push through rehab! I don't get it myself: never understood the appeal...
@Scott Personally, I thought it was Friday difficult. I mean [Spinning, feathered lures] was ROOSTERTAILS. That is absolutely brand new to me.
@Scott I came here to make the exact same comment.
I was pondering the theme near the end of solving and realized SKELETON CREW would have made for a fun theme addition
I felt a shiver going down my spine when I filled in the theme revealer... a shiver of delight! I loved the theme, loved the tricky clues, loved the house shape the theme answers made. One of my favorite Wed puzzles this year!
@Janine Aha! thanks, I hadn't yet seen what the grid shape was meant to be.
A little triggered by 53D, but nice to finally get representation in the NYT puzzle.
@Red B. Maus I suspect you of being E.M., frankly.
Any puzzle with PATTI Luoone in it is okay by me. A fun Wednesday challenge. And did someone say BABKA? <a href="https://youtu.be/n0FLczlOpqo?si=ox1GQ5g_i_LRHcCi" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/n0FLczlOpqo?si=ox1GQ5g_i_LRHcCi</a>
In my relatively short time doing NYT crosswords, I've come to recognize Rebecca Goldstein's name from the get-go and look forward to some fun. Today did not disappoint! What a fun and spooooooky puzzle! I've never heard of a ZOMBIEOFFICE, but it makes a lot of sense and I like it! It also came pretty smoothly for me as the crosses were all very reasonable, I thought. The organization that restructured me out after 20 years (shortly before the pandemic), is most certainly that now. Big, shiny beautiful building they bought downtown just a couple of years before the pandemic—when they had very little latitude for remote work, now sits empty. Crazy! Glad there's a name for it! (And sooooo glad, hard as it was at the time, that I came out wayyyyyyyy for the better from my being restructured out!. ANDHOW!) Anyhow, had fun thinking through the characters on Welcome Back Kotter, an old favorite of mine. I was hoping the role answer would be Epstein's mother (har!), but alas, no. (Insert Horschack laugh here.) Better yet, here's a clip of it: <a href="https://vlipsy.com/vlip/welcome-back-kotter-horshack-laugh-TGK2P5TT" target="_blank">https://vlipsy.com/vlip/welcome-back-kotter-horshack-laugh-TGK2P5TT</a> Last somewhat random thought, every time the title appears even slightly, I consider it my sacred duty to share this literal version of Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart! Best 5 minutes and 33 seconds of my life... well, maybe not *the* best, but it's up there. :-) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMmXCyrV_WQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMmXCyrV_WQ</a>
@HeathieJ Oh, my gosh, I laughed so hard at that video I scared the dog. Thank you!
@HeathieJ so good! I must never have seen that music video, it is definitely ripe for parody!
Rebecca is such a pro. I always perk up when I see her name, and today's puzzle was terrific as usual. [Source of a pulse] for SONAR was clever, and she squeezed in some interesting debuts as well with BLOOD BATH, ZOMBIE OFFICE, GHOST KITCHEN and KOMBUCHA.
@Nancy J. Our son has been brewing KOMBUCHA in his basement...but he and his wife live in Seattle, too far for us to travel easily... (Haven't made it there yet.) However, the KOMBUCHA we've sampled from the grocery store has a fruit juice base, not tea.
Beautifully creepy puzzle. So much I didn’t know, so many forgiving crosses. Felt like a perfect Wednesday. Creamy with a bit of crunch! Thank you Rebecca! Have a lovely day all!
The Southwest corner nearly did me in. Slow Wednesday for me. I had to guess a few, which is not satisfying. That’s just me, though. I seem to recall enjoying Rebecca’s previous puzzles. On a positive note, I’m back to 100 days on my streak. 🎉 Illness caused me to lose my previous one. Somehow I managed to keep this one going despite several days/nights of partying and carousing during Carnival! 💃🏾 Toodles!
@Pani Korunova Congratulations on your triple-digit streak! I was around 640 when the NYT Tech Guild went on strike last year. I’ve got a ways to go to get back to that level.
Both the Crossword and Strands puzzles have wonderfully creative grids. Even the Mini had a twist. A great puzzle day! Thanks to all the constructors!
I’d never heard of ‘Elissa’ before, but today she’s been in the news all day!
Such a fun puzzle! An unusually enjoyable Wednesday. Clever construction.
Anyone else at Disney World today? I finished the crossword, and in line right now for Haunted Mansion, wearing my Haunted Mansion shirt! A serendipitous theme!
Lots of brand new things for me: ESPRINT, purely a French word, though the clue said nothing about French. (I know, I know, it's part of the French language that's been adopted by English. Still, *Wednesday*) Also difficult: ELFIN, ZOMBIEOFFICE, ROOSTERTAILS, ELLISA (never heard of anyone with that name), GHOSTKITCHEN (is that really a thing? Seems wildly inaccurate--the food preparers aren't ghosts and are just like any other kitchen). GABE was difficult because Kotter was almost always referred to as "Kotter", and it's not common for an actor and character to have the same name. I thought this very, very tricky, and that there will be a wide range of estimates on the difficulty.
@Francis I had definitely never seen it spelled that way until Elissa Slotkin was elected. It helped that the first M name that came to mind for me was Melissa.
@Francis Ghost kitchens are delivery/take out only restaurants (sort of). Reddit was discussing that the other day, and someone mentioned that a Denny's, a chain restaurant, was doubling as a ghost kitchen, doing delivery under a different name, while still doing the typical Denny's menu for their regular customers. The "ghost" part of it is that there is no listed "official" location most of the time, especially when delivery only.
@Francis There has been some scandal over 'ghost' kitchens here. One reason is that very poorly paid 'chefs' mass-prepare food in what are cramped badly-ventilated unregulated makeshift huts on industrial estates, when customers think they are getting food prepared in the actual restaurant kitchen.
@Francis Re: actors who play characters with the same name - Roseanne Barr, Lucille Ball, Jerry Seinfeld, and Ray Romano all come to mind. I’m sure there are others.
@Francis 38D is ESPRIT (no N). “[I]t's not common for an actor and character to have the same name.” I always thought the opposite, especially in TV sitcoms: Lucy Ricardo. Mary Richards. Bob Hartley (which is half Newhart). And plenty more who I can’t think of.
Terrific (if not quite terrifying) Wednesday. Sailed through until I was derailed, like so many others, by the darn SOLAR ECLIPSE. I knew ALM was wrong, but had to walk away and return with fresh eyes to see ATM. Then a couple more tweaks and the happy music played! Thanks for a much needed respite from the insanity of the world right now.
Yesterday's musical comments section has gotten me thinking about music in crosswords now apparently. Thanks TOTALECLIPSE (of the heart). Not mad to have that stuck in my head. I ended with a few weird words in the east. Some crosses were just plain wrong, but others just didn't make sense with 29D. I know nothing about lures. REOTTERTAILS sure didn't look right. Left it anyway, because maybe? It slowed me down quite a bit. I really enjoyed the theme on this one! Lots of fune fill too. Solid Wednesday.
@CCed I don't know much about lures either, but the word feathered in the clue, along with the crosses I had, made ROOSTERTAILS seem reasonable.
@CCed I took it to mean the movement of a ROOSTER's TAIL to lure hens to mate with them. I've never actually seen it, but I'm aware that feathered male animals are prone to dancing, spinning, and flapping their wings and tails when they want to impress a female for mating.
@Vaer and @sotto voice @Vaer Rooster tail is definitely way more plausible than reotter. I should have seen that error instead of just letting it be! It looks like there is a fishing lure called a rooster tail. I like you're version better though @sotte vocce
@CCed TOTAL ECLIPSE of the heart is infinitely improved by a flowchart. ;) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5HrsZFdfh8" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5HrsZFdfh8</a>
I simply loved this puzzle! No more to say, except that it started my POY list for 2025.
Its really hard to design a puzzle with a visual aspect like this. And to fill it with quality answers while avoiding junk is amazing. Great job Rebecca!
I feel like a zombie today. Just back from "vacation". I love spending time with my family, but I'm a pitch-in-be-a-part-of-things grandma, so there was a lot of babysitting, driving, and homemaking involved. Plus I worked a total of 4 out fo the 7 weekdays I was away. Wonderful time with the family, and time away from home, it was. Vacation, it ain't. Thanks for letting me rant. Anyway, great puzzle!
Original comment not published--too mean? There were several clues I believe to be questionable; I questioned them. Naughty, naughty. Let's just say, "This one wasn't for me." It was not diffiicult, but neither did it hold interest for me, with the exception of 29D--which wasn't even part of the theme. I am not sure why this wasn't held for Halloween. Possibly I'm a tiny bit cross because high winds made sleep difficult, not to mention joint pain from many hours on my feet yesterday (and more to come today.) Alas, it is not possible to mark a quilt border without standing over a table for hours...
Nice, fun, chewy puzzle. Just right for a Wednesday. The middle left gave me some problems (I had never heard of 25D), but eventually, it all worked out. The representation of the haunted mansion was wonderful. Better to enjoy this puzzle now than wait for next Halloween. Congrats to the constructor -- let's have more from her!
Can’t believe they spent this great puzzle on a random day in March instead of saving for Halloween! Breezed through in about 10 minutes only to then be completely stymied by the lower left side for another 20!
@Marty Maybe they could re-use it. It would actually be pretty hysterical to have a groundhog day themed puzzle 2 days in a row...Maybe the same puzzle with different clues.
Full of fun filler, alliteration from an English teacher. Enjoyable and rewarding
DNF. Couldn't let solarECLIPSE go...
@Tim Carey Yeah. I toke me forever to see that too. I was so invested with solarECLIPSE that I was totally stymied for about a half hour just on those few squares.
@Tim Carey I know that DNF can be used in multiple contexts, but you are not, by chance, a Geocacher, are you? 😊
So, how *do* you get ELFIN from "A little cute?" ?
@Violet. Metaphorically. I can recall Audrey Hepburn being described thus.
@Violet I think it’s something along the lines of “little and cute”. She was both little and cute: she was elfin.
@Violet That was a *really* nasty clue. One of my least favorites of all time. Especially given that the current foremost literature on elves is from Tolkien, and Tolkien's elves were tall and beautiful, not "cute". I guess we should have been thinking of Keebler elves.
Nice puzzle. I needed a few lookups along the Western edge (the campus and tv role). I've had a somewhat interesting cultural and linguistic observation, too. In Polish a sweet braided bread is called "chałka", and it is of Jewish origins: you know it as challah or hallah. BABKA on the other hand is a traditional Easter cake. Apparently you call it pound cake. I can see online that Jews in this part of the world used to make challah from babka dough left over after the sabbath - perhaps that's why the American babka is our chałka?
@Andrzej BABKA here is more cake than bread, with seams of chocolate or cinnamon rubbing through it, making it quite sweet. It’s very good with coffee. BABKA is traditionally made with leftover challah dough, which is one of the sweetest bread doughs. Like challah, it is braided before baking. BABKA was developed in Eastern Europe, but the chocolate version is almost certainly an American invention, as chocolate wasn’t available in Eastern Europe at the time.
@Andrzej BABKA and challah are two different types of bread, both with Jewish origins. BABKA is braided, but in a subtle way: the adjective that most readily comes to mind is *swirled*. (This clue annoyed me a lot!). It is delicious. And much more sweet than challah... Scroll down to see a swirly cross-section: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babka" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babka</a> Challah, by contrast: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challah" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challah</a> I hope you weren't hungry before reading this! 😋
@Andrzej Literally, the only time I have ever seen or heard of a BABKA was in that one episode of "Seinfeld".
A tougher than usual Tuesday for me, but ended up being a nice workout. The reveal was almost the last thing I worked out and then I had to go look at the referenced answers before it all finally dawned on me. That's a nice touch. Really different puzzle find today. I'll put that one in a reply. ....
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: A Sunday from March 15, 1998 by Frank Longo with the title "Central figures." A couple of clue/answer examples. I'll put the implied given name in parentheses. "Actor Baldwin trapped in a heavenly phenomenon?" TOT(ALEC)LIPSE "Actress Garr discovered at a statue site?" EAS(TERI)SLAND "Witticist Bombeck caught in a newspaper feature?" WEATH(ERMA)P "Artist Warhol accosted by the British police?" SCOTL(ANDY)ARD And there were others. Even a couple of unfamiliar names that I still don't really get. e.g. - "Soprano Gluck kidnapped by a fundamentalist group?" MORALMAJORITY I assume that may be ALMA, but I don't really know (and don't want to look it up). Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/15/1998&g=27&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/15/1998&g=27&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta No wonder it was tough; this is Wednesday. (Ducking and running) This is happening to me All. The. Time.
Today's puzzle was a good example of one where you read a clue and you think your answer fits, but you think it isn't right so you leave it blank and move on. Sure enough, after getting some crossings or looking stuff up. BAM, your original answer was correct. Nice one!
Hmm. Looks as if someone went for "GHOULISH" but ended up "FOOLISH." ESPRIT = "Clever wit"??? Um, no. "Small contribution" = ADD IN. Srsly? Maybe an ADD-ON IN BOUNDS....INBOUNDS....IN-BOUNDS? = "Puts into play"? Does this make sense? "And he inbounds the ball immediately"--said nobody, ever. IDK where some of this originated, but it belongs in the 7D. However, I was very pleased to enter ROOSTER TAILS-- we caught a lot of bass using those lures! They especially liked the silver ones.
@Mean Old Lady According to Merriam Webster, esprit = vivacious cleverness or wit.
@Mean Old Lady INBOUNDS is a verb here, in basketball parlance. The use you give, which you say nobody said, ever, is actually very common.
@Mean Old Lady I've seen ESPRIT as "team spirit," or James Bond's submarine car (the white Lotus) or the clothing brand, so that was a stretch for me. See also: elan, eclat. I suppose ROOSTER TAIL spinners would be fine for smallmouth bass (or trout) but for largemouth bass, you want something that wiggles like a frog. That's according to my nephew, who landed a five-pounder last summer. We call him the Fish Whisperer.
So cute! And scary! I can't hear Cat Stevens and not think of "Harold and Maude". Harold would have loved this puzzle! Can you imagine the deli scene in a movie called "When Harold Met Maude"?
I'm sure I'm not the first to notice this, but did anyone else think that the grid today IMAGED Pennywise, the clown from Stephen King's "It"?
Ah, Rebecca, you always deliver. Delightful Wednesday...neither too easy nor too hard...a veritable crossword bubble bath! Grazie!
Nice, solid Wednesday—a little stretch here and there but no big problems. Thanks, Rebecca! Liked the spooky theme, the Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite Disney attractions. Fortunately, they don't have any theming showing 7D, 20A, or 25D, though I wouldn't mind a 28D for refreshments.
LOVE this puzzle. One of my favorites in a long time. It helps that it’s my favorite ride. While I’m in line I hand out stickers to nearby kids.
Fun theme, AND the theme answers look sort of like a (headless) skeleton when highlighted! I’d ask why this wasn’t saved for October, but I’m currently wearing skeleton-print pants in March, so clearly I’m in agreement that spooky themes are appropriate year round.
An interesting puzzle with an unusual geometry. The pair of black inverted crosses seemed nicely thematic.
Another example how a puzzle can range from easy to hard. Had I thought TOTALECLIPSE I would have had a good time, though not record time, for a Wednesday. Instead my mind went solidly to solarECLIPSE and I went way, way over the time. In fact, because of that single error, I consider this the hardest Wednesday I can remember. It was all based on one choice that I didn't see. Had I seen it, it would have been easy. But I didn't, so it was hard.
@Francis You need CCed's earworm. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcCezUzwlP8" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcCezUzwlP8</a>
I liked this very much!! Cute grid and theme and I like the black square upside down crosses. My new personal best for Wednesday puzzles.