So a priest, a pastor, and a rabbit walk into a bar. The rabbit turns to the priest and says, "I think I'm a typo."
@Wes I've always hard that joke with a line included about asking each other their blood type
@Wes I think they are both funny.
Raise you hand if you've never heard of ZhUZH, let alone ever done it.
@dutchiris Never in the wild, but it was in one of the puzzles in the last year (?) or so, and my brain offered it up somehow.
I have no idea what you’re even talking about.
@dutchiris I thought ZHUZH was a fairly common term so, when I saw this thread, I assumed it might be regional. But when I asked my husband—who I've been with for decades—he said he'd never heard it. I suspect I might have picked it up from cooking shows, where someone adds a little something extra to a dish to zhuzh it up and make it more flavorful.
@dutchiris My hand is up.
@dutchiris I've heard of it. In the United States it might have become widespread in the television show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy". So, early 2000's?
@dutchiris i’ve said it out loud a million times. But, i had no idea how to “spell” it and i’ve seen a million different spellings online so – between me never having heard of AZT and having ILOSE instead of ILOST, it was really hard to try and guess the proper way to spell this mystery phonetic word that i’m positive doesnt have an ‘official’ spelling
@dutchiris The first time I heard it was in a Yoga class when the yogi suggested ways to zhuzh up the asana if you wanted to go further. I thought she was saying schush. Then it was in the NYT crossword, and once again today. So ... three times in 50 years.
@dutchiris. My lovely spouse, is an excellent cook, and she does occasionally, ZHUZH up a dish to make it more flavorful. I've heard her us that term, which helped me with today's puzzle.
@dutchiris I imagine most people have heard it but have never seen it spelled. It's pronounced more like "juj" to me. It's used very similar to jazzing something up.
"Want to try out for the winter Olympics?" "Sure, I've got nothing to luge!" (It's easier sled than done.)
@Mike Reminds me of a joke (from Milton Jones? Glenn Moore? Tim Vine?) When my grandpa was very old we covered his back with lard. After that he went downhill fast.
@Mike When they slide you into the tube, you'll see you've been misled, and it snow one's fault but your own. Pray for rain, dear.
@Mike You're really on the downhill slide this season.
@Mike Schuss! I'm trying to concentrate. Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to slalom my pride and admit defeat.
A punny theme introduced by a phonetic clue, which solves to a phrase unknown to me - a puzzle can hardly get any worse for me, so personally I didn't like it at all 🤷🏽 The poodle puppy Lucyfer (Lucifer) is beginning his third day with us. It's amazing how smart he is! He observes everything intently, learns new things and acts upon it. Case in point: Yesterday he went down the stairs for the first time in his life. In the morning he took it slow and easy, and needed encouragement. In the afternoon he didn't even stop once on his way down, and in the evening he was running down enthusiastically. Also, he is very different from Jorge the lab, which will prevent unhealthy comparisons with him. Us getting to know one another is going to be quite the adventure!
I overdid it there at the beginning. A phonetic reaveler unknown to me was what I meant.
Ok, I read the column now. Apparently each of the themed entries was actually a phonetic reference to something else. I missed that completely. Not my day, at all.
@Andrzej I am glad he’s acclimating so well. It sounds like your family and he are a good fit.
@Andrzej Happy for you, dear Andrzej!! 😍 I mean, about the doggie... Not the puzzle! 😆
@Andrzej What a great name, Lucifer. It's so much fun watching a dog study us. Sometimes I think my dogs knew me better than I did. The theme for me, like you, has gradually dawned on me in stages. And at each stage I'm more impressed.
@Andrzej Great to hear the pupper is settling in well. A new chapter for your family. (I also found the theme a bit hit and miss)
I just brushed the little rascal (minutes after he tried to eat the TV remote 🤣). He's so fluffy 🤩
@Andrzej I'm so happy for you that you have both the new puppy and your warm memories of Jorge. Best wishes. Training time is exhausting (mostly in great ways). :)
@Andrzej - The revealer I only knew from the NYT (and had to look up the spelling). It's not widespread slang here. We might jazz something up or spiffy something up.
@Andrzej Jorge is watching over you. Now that Lucyfer has found you, prepare yourself to fall in love all over again.
@Andrzej hearing about your new puppy made my day. The puzzle was definitely punny but that middle one I did not find funny at all. Had to look that one up!
Speaking of ATE UP, I’m still laughing over a line I read from a recent movie review. I’m sharing it because I hope it brightens your day as much as it did mine. The review was a dire pan, and here’s the line: “People are going to want to walk out of this movie even when it is shown on airplanes.”
@Lewis Care to share the reviewer’s name? I don’t mind a bit of snark now and then — especially when it’s witty. Thanks.
@Eric -- His name is Kyle Smith. His review was in the Wall Street Journal. I saw the line in Frank Bruni's latest op-ed column.
@Lewis Why not share the movie? For those interested, it's The Roses IMDb 7.1/10 (6k votes) Metacritic: 59/100 Tomatometer: 66% Fresh (79% Popcornmeter) Seems like Kyle Smith is in the minority.
BUCKAROUGE reminds me of a family joke: Every summer my dad asks at the farm stand if they still have "Pirate corn". (It costs a buck an ear).
Found this a little hit and miss, but that’s because I’m not into puns rather than a fault in the puzzle. As always I’m amazed at the skills used in producing a crossword grid. Surprised at how many haven’t heard of ZHUZH UP. In the early 90’s we had a tv programme here featuring a young, gay Asian man by the name of Gok Wan. Fabulously camp and a genuine admirer of women, he would take a woman who had lost her way sartorially speaking and teach her how to ZHUZH herself up, starting with the right underwear and building up. It was must watch tv in our house. I believe the term comes from Polari; pre gay rights speak when it was illegal to love who you love. I found it bitter sweet to see both this and AZT in the same puzzle. Sad for the guys who had to live in the Dark Ages, happy that they are (mostly) in the past. Though certain former democratic governments are trying their best to reverse that.
@Helen Wright So well said!!! 👏👏👏👏 (Standing ovation)
Started solving the NYT crossword just over a week ago and today was my first 7 day streak! Nice to swap out doomscrolling with something that actually makes me feel I'm getting smarter (if only because as a Brit in Sweden there are a lot of US or NYC-specific things I have to Google). I enjoyed this one while solving and enjoyed it even more when I read the constructor's notes. Will have to rewatch.
@Becky A seven day streak already! Nice! If we were both in New York I'd treat you to a celebration coffee at the globally famous Katz Deli. 😃
@Becky when I went to Google I found that the nyt crossword clue would essentially populate as soon as I started typing, so I stopped using Google almost immediately. Now I consider it treasure hunting research for clues and I limit myself to Wikipedia/IMDb/dictionary, and as an underemployed degreed art historian, the treasure hunt is legitimately such a fun part of the crossword for me :-) It's extra fun when I finally get to solve them without hunting, but that's few and far between haha. Welcome to that first week streak!
Wellll… I’d never heard of the revealer, Didn’t know the deli, And was not familiar with the HIV med. And that made for a very difficult center section. But, it was a fun puzhle, nonetheless.
@Striker Well I grant you AZT is potentially obscure but I hope you were able to suss out the deli—I mean what self respecting Jewish New Yorker would go to KATE’s or KATY’s deli???
@Striker Apparently, you never saw “When Harry Met Sally.”
@Jeanne Hot take: that was the best Ryan/Hanks movie. Meg was great in it, playing three roles. The writer, John Patrick Stanley, also wrote Moonstruck and Doubt.
@ad absurdum I have no response to that. 😉
Before figuring out the theme, I thought maybe “Tampa beige” was an actual color. You know, like “El Paso ecru” or “Peoria puce”. But then the other themers set me straight -Bingpot! to quote Captain Holt.
@Cat Lady Margaret I could have sworn TAMPA BEIGE an Opi nail polish color.
@Cat Lady Margaret OH...you mean it's NOT a real color (like Contractor BEIGE)? How disappointing. When we were stationed at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, many of the offices/interiors were painted a rather noxious color of green...because it was a favorite hue of the Commanding Officer, Gen. O. D. White. It became part of our "family language" --we called that color "O.D.White-Green" ever after.
@Cat Lady Margaret - Google said it is an actual color.
Well, I love wordplay and I love the zh sound, so this theme hit my happy button. There were ancillary pleasures as well. That lovely phrase POP THE HOOD. That sweet dook REDANTS. Having “Rit”, a word I haven’t seen since childhood, pop into my head as if I used it yesterday. Seeing TAPTAP backwards and imagining someone saying, “There, there.” So, thumbs up. Props to Michael for coming up with this collage of theme answers and getting them to fit puzzle symmetry. That had to be tough, truly, try coming up with more. My favorite was THE DEAD SIEGE because of its perfect clue [Headline during a zombie attack?]. In case you’re wondering, and I’m sure you are, the theme sound – that ZH as in Zhivago – is called a voiced postalveolar fricative, as I learned post-puzzle. I love the beauty it adds to our language in words such as corsage, mirage, massage, and genre. As well as in the phrase joie de vivre, which is what you brought to the box today, Michael. Thank you!
@Lewis RIT DYE is still out there, still useful and in use! Saw your note yesterday; Yes, I saw the intended pun...but I thought it was lame and required leeway that a good pun never needs. I stand by my implied Meh.
@Lewis Oh man, I gotta figure out a way to sneak voiced postalveolar fricative into a conversation!
I wound up trying to say these phrases in Sean Connery’s voice: SHKIP TO MY LUGE.
@Steve same here! I love when last week's crosswords linger in my head and give extra chuckles :-)
@Steve I had the same thought, especially after Sunday's Sean Connery theme.
@Steve Exactly!! And then it’s on - you try the others out - Tampa Bezh, The Dead Sheezh, and he would sound great on BUCKAROUGE! How about Emuzh?
Fun, and a pretty tight theme, although I pronounce SIEGE with a strict soft g not a zh— but it is an alternate pronounciation. Here’s one that I do pronounce that way: “Everyone loves the Duchess of York, your highness”? — NOBODY DOESN’T LIKE SARAH, LIEGE. (Ok SARA LEE doesn’t gave an H— sue me.)
@SP You're right. It's not pronounced like "seizure" unless one has a lisp. I think that subconsciously annoyed me. The theme was a bit janky to me.
First of all, I love that this was dedicated to Andre Braugher. When I first saw him in "Homicide: Life on the Streets" back in the 90s, I thought he was going to be a mega star. But somehow it never happened. I can't figure out why. I'm glad he found a role on Brooklyn 99, but my honest appraisal is that his talent was mostly wasted on comedy--he was so, so good in dramatic roles. The puzzle itself, though I solved it in reasonable time, seems to be in this era's hardening of the early week puzzles, and easing (I'm told) on the late week. I thought this was a difficult puzzle, although there were some absolute gimmes as well. ZHUZHUP was a difficult cross with KATZ, which is probably the most New York City-centric clue I've ever seen. I've been there multiple times. I'm sure it's a landmark but I have never heard of it, as far as I know, in any of the multitude of movies set in New York City. I hope to hear what movies did mention it. ["That slaps," for something good, e.g."] took me forever to parse, because I did not know the SLANG term. Mostly crosses and guesses. I'll try to be plain--I did not enjoy this puzzle as much as I have others, but nevertheless it was a great diversion from the horror of the time. If I could pass all my time this way, I might survive. So thank you, Michael B. Berg. THE DEAD SIEGE was a monumental stretch to The Dead Sea. But it was in line with the others (I realized when I went back) so I've gotten myself to be ok with it.
@Francis Katz deli was in “When Harry Met Sally”. It’s where the famous scene was filmed…I’ll have what she’s having 😜 Billy Crystal’s mom got that cameo!! 🤣
@Jacqui J You are misremembering slightly. It was Rob Reiner's mom, Estelle, who uttered the line. :)
@Francis I would have agreed with you that the KATZ/ZHUZHUP crossing was very NYC-centric… except that TIL that ZHUZH apparently originated in the UK! I had always just assumed the term was Yiddish, and never would have guessed it was derived from gay Brit subculture! It’s been years since I watched “When Harry Met Sally”, so I couldn’t say if the KATZ deli was explicitly identified in the movie, but I certainly always associated that scene with it in my mind. I’ve probably only been at the iconic landmark in person once or possibly twice in my life, but it left an indelible impression, even without encountering any customers as effusive as Meg Ryan!
@Francis Have you watched all of Brooklyn Nine-Nine? He is amazing in it!! I adore him in that role! And I'm devastated at his loss. I didn't watch Homicide back in the day, but I've tried to more recently since he died and it popped up more on streaming. At this stage it's a little harder to get into, but I got to tell you I adore him on 99. That is absolutely my comfort TV these days. But that's not to say that it doesn't make you think because it totally does. Think and laugh! That's my sweet spot! 😁
@Francis I shared your bewilderment about "slaps" but guessed it was slang. But I didn't think Katz's was too NYC. It's the deli equivalent of Mom's Diner or Luigi's Italian or any other generic but still plausible name. I know there's a Katz's here in Toronto (not a franchise) and I'm pretty sure you'll find one by that name in any large coastal US city.
“It plays a little song when you solve it, as if you’ve just learned to potty.” Now I will think of this every time I finish a puzzle. Perfect.
@Will Now I will be tempted to do the jingle every time I use the potty.
Quick and clever puzzle. I was planning to say that TIL how to spell ZHUZH, but Sam's intro makes it clear there isn't just one way. For those who've never heard of "Skip to My Lou," it's a song some of us learned as kids, but I'd forgotten it's also in, "Meet Me in St. Louis," a musical I tried out for in Junior High but sadly didn't get cast. 😭 <a href="https://youtu.be/_ywr15C7eLM?si=QK6vHAAxbn1kzBjM" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/_ywr15C7eLM?si=QK6vHAAxbn1kzBjM</a> It's okay. I sang "Pink Pony Club" for karaoke last night and brought the house down. (In my own mind, anyway.)
@Beth in Greenbelt For the Londoners here, a pun on the song is "Skip to the Loo" but skipping may be detrimental for such a trip.
@Beth in Greenbelt Isn't Chappell Roan something? Love her. Fell asleep to her music last night. My teenage years (55-60 years ago) would have been so much easier if artists like her had been around.
Andre Braugher was one of my favorite actors going back to Homicide:Life on the Streets from the 90s. I swear I would watch him read the phone book he was so talented. Thankfully his work lives on through film.
@Cynthia Yeah, his Frank Pembleton should be a classic character. But somehow, it didn't seem to go anywhere.
@Cynthia Listening to him sing “Try a Little Tenderness” with Paul Giamatti in the karaoke movie “Duets”, gave me goose bumps. We lost a multitalented performer way too soon.
Oh, my. I will never hear the happy music again in quite the same way. If you don’t know what I mean, read the constructor’s comments.
@Sue I usually have my audio off but when I’m going to put in my last letter I turn it way up hoping I’m going to hear it and my husband hears it too if he’s in another room. It always brings a congratulatory response. No way that’s going to change for me.
Michael, you had me smiling at TAMPA BEIGE, and kept smiling throughout, themes and fills both!
I was surprised so many people disliked the puzzle. I loved it, and the shout out to Andre Brouwer. Seeing the vitriol, I read up on zhuzh. It was added to the oed online in 2005, so has been around for a while. And it surprises me that people get grumpy because they don’t know a word in a puzzle, rather than pleased that they learned something new.
Karen, There are a fair number of new "players" here who seem to be more interested in "winning" than learning.
Not for me today. The reveal through the notes left me with a huh ? So onto tomorrow
Every time that song plays (as it did today), I think about that moment from Brooklyn 99. I miss Andre Brauer on a daily basis.
Some years ago on a trip to NY, I had lunch at Katz's followed by dinner at Peter Luger's... probably shaved a few years off my life with that combo. Minor nit to pick with 49A - to me, gunning an engine = revving it, i.e. done in neutral (or in park, but not in gear). One might actually put the pedal to the metal while gunning an engine, but to me, that phrase = FLOORS IT
I like today's theme because I love the word ZHUZH. In my world, it not only means to "fancify", but also to "poof up" or tease (with respect to one's hair). And my mother used ZHUZH to talk about her food processor, which she called the ZHUZHer, as in "It's so easy to make chopped liver now. You just throw all the ingredients in the ZHUZHer." However, one must have a nit! Today's nit-du-jour (please pardon the redundancy): BEIGE, LUGE, and ROUGE all end with a "zh"-sound. But SIEGE??? In my pronunciation, it ends with a "j"-sound. Do others pronounce "SIEGE" with a ZH?
The article that Sam cites in her Wordplay column looks at some of the other meanings of ZHUZH and has a fascinating discussion of its etymology. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/style/jeuje-zhoosh-zhuzh.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/style/jeuje-zhoosh-zhuzh.html</a> However, it doesn't mention my mother's usage, and its origin there was surely onomatopoetic.
@The X-Phile -- my dictionary has sē(d)ZH as its pronunciation guide. (By comparison, it has ej for "edge.") I've probably said "siege" 50 times out loud this morning. My own pronunciation seems to be somewhere between the two, FWIW.
@The X-Phile Not my favorite theme in the world, but I would have been able to forgive it, if not for SEIGE. It's not pronounced that way, and destroys the theme.
KATZ's was an iconic New York deli, even before "When Harry Met Sally" came out (in 1989!). After the movie came out, it was (and often still is) mobbed with tourists. They serve a nice pastrami sandwich, and the meat is hand carved, which is impressive considering how much meat they go through, but, for my money, I prefer 2nd Ave Deli (and Pastrami Queen). Remember to tip your carver...and don't ask for mayo! And eat a pickle; it's good for you.
Katz's may have "When Harry Met Sally," but 2nd Ave has Seinfeld and Gaffigan, and if the scene from "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" doesn't make you want to get a pastrami sandwich immediately, I don't know if we can be friends. <a href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/80181893?trackId=14170289&tctx=7" target="_blank">https://www.netflix.com/watch/80181893?trackId=14170289&tctx=7</a>%2C0%2C4c4422c2-1c35-4a72-9e15-1d6cc3e1fdd8-272024941%2CNES_FEE0340EF139AC480C9C9E55B6F09C-994911DC4F528C-378BB7464E_p_1756905086697%2C%2C%2C%2C%2C80171362%2CVideo%3A80181893%2CdetailsPageEpisodePlayButton Deli scene is at the 10-minute mark.
Fun puzzle! I first heard the word ZHUZH from Rachel Ray, who was always giving food a ZHUZH on her cooking show. I especially loved the dedication to Andre Braugher. Brooklyn Nine-Nine was an excellent show, and he was the heart of it. He had a rare skill: delivering incredibly silly lines in a manner that was dead serious. We lost him far too soon.
@Katie Ah, yes, that's where I know it from! Thank you. Rachel Ray has helped me twice now! (EVOO last week)
I had to check to make sure I hadn’t been mispronouncing “siege” for the last 50 years.
Believe me when I say that after a long day, BUsK A ROUGE made sense, although in a “huh?”, head-scratching sort of way. BUsK is a pretty rare word when used as a transitive verb. As in, “He busked him al so swiþe Boþe squier and kniȝt” level of rare. And so I took a minute to figure out the theme, and then the penny dropped. Phew. I was prompted to read the constructor’s notes after reading one of the comments, and it’s only now I find out that Andre Braugher died almost two years ago! What a devastating loss. I always perked up to see his name in the credits; such talent on the screen, with warmth, intellect, and easy good humor that came just shining through. Rest in peace, Mr. Braugher.
@Solverado I first recall seeing him in Homicide can thinking he was by far the best actor in that show. I was saddened when I heard the news.
This might be the first time I've almost completely filled out the puzzle, understood the answers and their connections, and had no idea how to fill out the middle due to not knowing Katz or AZT, but I did enjoy learning something new.
@Kelson Good for you! The middle of the puzzle was a bear. Plenty of comments below.
Banzai, Buckaroo Banzai, said no one in that movie. (Did Buckaroo attend ETON at the same time as James Bond?)(No.) Fun puzhle. Nice tribute to Andre the other giant. Buck-a-rouge makes me think of: Feed the birds, tuppence a bag Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag Feed the birds, specially emus Otherwise all of your posts you shall lose
I love the cute backstory about Brooklyn 99. Made this puzzle even more endearing!
Fun, unique theme. Had never heard of 'Skip to my Lou' but the crossings helped. Loved the constructor notes too. RIP Velvet Thunder
@Rahul I guess not an international favorite, but for your edification, it's been around a long time: <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_to_My_Lou" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skip_to_My_Lou</a> My personal favorite take on the song: <a href="https://youtu.be/-0C-xv7a_rg?si=2DStD63rkXUnG_Yy" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/-0C-xv7a_rg?si=2DStD63rkXUnG_Yy</a>
Sam, ETON is not a college in the sense we know colleges to be, even though it’s called ETON College. Our colleges and universities are just called universities in the UK, while anything called a college over there is what we would call a prep school here. In other words, it’s for roughly high school age boys. And it is for boys only; additionally, it is a boarding school.
@Steve L Not really though. Cambridge and Oxford universities are made up of colleges. <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/how-the-university-and-colleges-work" target="_blank">https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/how-the-university-and-colleges-work</a> <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/colleges/a-z-of-colleges" target="_blank">https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/colleges/a-z-of-colleges</a>
@Steve L You're mostly right and I appreciate the clarification but a small point: A college here is not just a prep school. That's just in private education. It more commonly refers to a place some students go for their last two years before university. Our equivalent of high school goes to 16, then you go to college or sixth form.
“Why would you intentionally spill beans? They're one of nature's most densely packed protein sources, and they remain unsullied by flavor.“
If there is still any doubt about ZHUZH, it appeared today in my edition of the NYT International Edition. But was in the print edition last week - August 27. "Hispi “pretty much stays across the board, the same price most of the year round,” Mr. Hill said. Its rise, he added, comes as a wave of chefs are zhuzhing up once-overlooked ingredients like secondary cuts of meat or fish for stock that once may have seemed too basic to serve diners." <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/dining/london-cabbage.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jE8.xu_B.Yg_fxu6cTikC&smid=url-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/dining/london-cabbage.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jE8.xu_B.Yg_fxu6cTikC&smid=url-share</a>
I’m relatively new to solving — I got a ⭐️ for Monday and Tuesday’s puzzles but had to resort to my old friend autocheck for today. The bottom left corner really threw me for a loop. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow!
@Olivia Grace Congrats on your two gold stars! I'm sure you know already that the puzzles get tougher as the week goes on, so don't feel bad. You're building your crossword muscles up with each one you do!! Good luck and have fun!! ☺️
A bit of a yikes here (for a Wednesday.) Way slower than my average, and if I hadn’t been 99% sure of AZT I’d never have gotten that middle.
@Wayne It made me a bit sad to read comments from people who said they'd never heard of AZT. Then I thought about how long it's been since HIV was the death sentence it was when I was in my 20s, and it's less surprising that people don't recognize it.
@Wayne I had AcT for the longest time, until I finally remembered that it was AZT, I guess it had something to do with rhyming. Had never heard of ZHUZH out here, but it had to be KATZ. Spent way too much time trying different combos here until I found a typo elsewhere. Longest Wednesday ever!
Now I’m imagining Captain Holt getting Zhuzed up on Queer Eye and I’m giggling. I enjoyed this punny puzzle.
What a nice way to start a Wednesday! Love Brooklyn Nine Nine:)
Andre Braugher was a treasure and he made Captain Holt so so funny. An incredible actor who I miss! A delightful homage (see what I did there 😉)!
Francis, You posted this in a reply hours ago: I've seen it, and the only thing I remember is that seen. So did Sally do her performance at KATZ? And, really, was the name of the deli a prominent part of the movie? I'm sure it was easy for all the Jewish New Yorkers, but I grew up in the midwest. So, while it's entirely fair, it was a very difficult clue. (1) Any New Yorker would likely know Katz's, and orthodox Jews don't eat there because it's not a kosher deli. (2) It's been around for a while: <a href="https://katzsdelicatessen.com" target="_blank">https://katzsdelicatessen.com</a>/ (3) It has been seen in more than one movie.
(3) Continued... Katz's was the site of Meg Ryan's fake orgasm scene in the 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally..., followed by Estelle Reiner's line "I'll have what she's having"; the table at which Ryan and Billy Crystal sat is marked with a sign that says, "Where Harry met Sally... hope you have what she had! Enjoy!"[21][22] It was the site of Johnny Depp's character meeting with an FBI contact in Donnie Brasco (1997).[23] Katz's Deli is the site for a scene in Across the Universe (2007), in which Max reveals he has been drafted into the Vietnam War.[24] The deli appears in the 2007 film We Own the Night, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendes.[24]
@Barry Ancona - I only knew Katz because it's been featured in the news recently (perhaps this newspaper). Otherwise, I would have no idea. I don't pay attention to specific diners in the movies.
@Barry Ancona I knew it, and I live in Tennessee. But it was also mentioned a few times last season in NYT Next Gen on Bravo, so that may have put it more in mind.
The very notion that American IDOL is the most-watched television show in the world diminishes my faith in humanity. I've never watched it, apart from the clip of William Hung singing "She Bangs." I've never seen the dragon movie either, but it amuses me that they would be afraid of EELS. Thumbs up to the constructor for zhuzhing up tired fill with a fresh clue. (Did I use it correctly?}
@Grant If you’ve never seen it, how can you pass such harsh judgment on it? Maybe you just don’t care for music that much, or you think there’s something odd about competition for a singing title? The William Hung clip became famous because it was an anomaly. Usually, such poor aspirants are weeded out before the filming begins.
@Grant It's the "IDOL" franchise, not American IDOL that's most watched. More than 50 versions aired in more than 150 countries.
@Tom Bantle I remember watching Arab Idol while visiting Syrian in-laws in Florida about ten years ago!
It was unique. Just a minor quibble, if that's ok. Siege doesn't fit the pattern. It's pronounced seej, not seezh. (I'd never heard actually anyone say "zhuzh up" but maybe that's just me!)
add Mike Berg to the "not doing this puzzle" list ZHUZH as a central theme should get me a refund for the year
I have a print from the TATE MODERN hanging on the wall right next to me, and yet all I could think was "Who is Tate Modern?" 🤦🏼♀️
What a fun puzzle! Had to read the theme words out loud to get the theme. 🤦🏻♀️ Still, very enjoyable. Nothing I could not get by crosses and way better than my average Wednesday. Thanks, Michael!
My Diary of a Crossword Fiend review: <a href="https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/09/02/wednesday-september-3-2025/#ny" target="_blank">https://crosswordfiend.com/2025/09/02/wednesday-september-3-2025/#ny</a> I also reviewed Tuesday's puzzle. As always, Fiend covers about half a dozen puzzles each day — some from mainstream media, some indie. Come by and learn about some fun puzzle you might otherwise have missed. (Speaking of which, the LAT puzzle from Friday, August 29, is a lot of fun.)
@Eric Hougland I almost immediately got POPTHEHOOD but it bothered me too.
Love Andre Braugher (RIP), loved the theme, loved the puzzle!
I love the tribute to Andre Braugher! A comedic titan gone far too soon <3