Friday, January 9, 2026

i reached my first 1,000-day streak today! i don’t post much here, but i am thankful for these puzzles & this community every day. 🫶

Anyone else enjoy “lab” crossing “puppy love?”

While TRASH PANDA has been a relatively common term for a raccoon due to their frequent forays into dumpsters and other garbage receptacles, there was one that worked its way into a liquor store in VA, and was found drunk and passed out in the store's bathroom. It was promptly called TRASHED PANDA, and its photo, emblazoned on some tees and sweatshirts, has raised over $170K for the VA animal rescue organization that took him in. <a href="https://washingtonian.com/2025/12/09/viral-trashed-panda-raccoon-raises-over-170k-for-virginia-animal-shelter" target="_blank">https://washingtonian.com/2025/12/09/viral-trashed-panda-raccoon-raises-over-170k-for-virginia-animal-shelter</a>/

This is my favorite Friday in a long while. I haven’t been around as much lately, so I never got to say thanks to Deb. I’ll do that now and hope she still reads it. Thanks for helping me out so much over these last three years. I’ll miss reading your words in the column. (Nominating @Eric Hougland or @Lewis to take your spot!) @Andrzej, it felt like Will Shortz was talking directly to you in his intro. You’re a great example of an offshore solver who gets the Americanness of the NYT Crossword, learns from it, and respects it. That’s not to say you always love it. But it seems you get it, and your perseverance on Foreign Soil is one of the reasons we all think so highly you.

If we have these plurals: Passers by Attorneys general Daughters in law Then should we have “meets cute”? Haha, how to turn a cute idea into crusty grammatical stodginess. Also: just kidding.

Will S. mentioned, in his comments, a back-and-forth by mail with a solver in 1995. It reminded me of the more-than-several times over the years I’ve emailed him with a question or comment, and every time he promptly, graciously, and respectfully replied, with an on-the-point answer indicating that he fully heard what I was saying. This from what I’m sure is a very busy person. This is to say that along with his other fine qualities, he’s a mensch as well.

Cute and sassy, exactly what I want from a puzzle, or a puppy. But the proper plural is CIGAR BOXEN.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that after having __TS for 37D, my first thought was that there were 2.3 million RATS. 😖

I was stumped with OXES. I’ve only known ‘oxen’ as the plural of ox, and even then, it didn’t quite fit the clue for me.

A lively puzzle with some fresh entries and some interesting clues for some old standbys (EPEES, MAGMA). I liked BENEFITSPACKAGE, AIRMARSHALL, MRRIGHTNOW, and PAGETURNER. I also enjoyed prepares for a “wild”night (NAPS) crossing “Wilde” thing (POEM).

"He doesn't know anything about volcanoes!" "What are you trying to do, magma look bad?" ("Your knowledge is going to crater!") "No, I promise I conduit!")

What a lively puzzle! It took me back to my WILDE and crazye days of yore (I wasn't always a middle-aged, married man, ya know). After one of those Saturday evening Disco NAPS, and waking up with a strong case of CABIN fever, I head out to my local watering hole, and there HE was, on the dance floor--Mr--well let's just say, MR RIGHT NOW. He didn't look very happy out there, as he had been cornered by a couple of dudes who were down-right OXES! Somehow, I managed to find the NERVE to CUT IN, very politely, of course; I offered to get us both drinks, but he was so grateful to be rescued that he offered to pick up the TAB. He showed me pictures of his LAB (always a way to score points), and I showed him pix from last SKI trip. We traded SSNs, (false, of course). "Do you want to take this POCO a POCO?" he asked, or do you have a YEN to . . ." "HE_ _ YEAH!" came my reply. Well, I know you want the LURID deets, but it's None of YER BIZ! Suffice it to say that soon we had SET UP CAMP, BOOTs and TUBE SOCKS thrown about the room, and were at it like a couple of TRASH PANDAs . (Another entry might fit here, but the emus would be offended. Lying there afterwards, I thought "Is this just a PHASE? Is he just a quick PIECE? I'VE NO IDEA." But it was worth pulling some bacon out of the freezer for breakfast the next morning. Eighteen years later, he's still the love of my life! *** Here's a MEETCUTE from Elle Cordova, complete with MAGMA: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aayStR3xjrU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aayStR3xjrU</a>

While we don’t have TRASH PANDAS, or anything even remotely related, here, we do have the “bin chicken” a.k.a. Australian whit ibis.

NERTS!

With today’s solve my streak hit 1000 so I am happy. I mentioned to my wife after a couple of Guinness that when one reaches this milestone, you receive an invitation to play ping pong with Mr Shortz- she bought it and mentioned to some friends at a Christmas party. Oh, what a tangled web…

I loved this one! Lots of good, fun fill. Had IOS instead of CPU for faaar too long. Plugged along here and there but it was really enjoyable. Thanks, Greg & Glenn. Happy Friday, y’all!

In about 12 hours, we will SETUPCAMP in the Serengeti. Will we see GNUS and so much more. And last week, I saw all the Nelson Mandela sites in South Africa, no IDRIS Elba though. My streak survived the Surinam rainforest, let's see if it survives the Tanzanian savanna...

TRASH PANDA was an easy one for me thanks to a recent news story about a raccoon that broke into a liquor store in Virginia, sampled several bottom shelf bottles, and was found passed out in the bathroom, next to the toilet. Needless to say, the photo of this incident went viral. After the local animal shelter retrieved him, let him sober up, and released him back into the wild, they made some "TRASHED PANDA" shirts in honor of him. Best news story of 2025, no questions asked.

For 37D, I confidently filled in "rats." Turns out I wasn't far off, in fact, as a 2023 study estimated the NYC rat population at around 3 million. For more, see: - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rats_in_New_York_City" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rats_in_New_York_City</a> Guess there's a Wikipedia page on almost any topic.

(Second try) This was fun. Some of it was areas that were fast fill-ins, that is, whoosh fun. Some of it was wordplay, which sparked the cluing throughout, and brought smiles. Some of it was fun answers like HECK YEAH, ON A HEATER, even LURID. It was even fun having an area that I could hardly dent (the NW), right at the start, but having the faith that I would come around later and eventually fill it in (because the Times editing is superb), then indeed doing just that. It was fun being reminded of dogs with PUPPY LOVE, LAB, even a backward PAWS, because the dogs in my family have so enriched my life. I was just thinking yesterday, as I was petting my dog Teddy, that dogs are a remarkable gift to mankind, and I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking this. It was fun seeing a new-to-the-Times grid design that was wonderfully flowy, with no isolated corners. Get me in a good mood, puzzle-makers, and my thumbs turn up, and that’s just what you did, Greg and Glenn. Thank you!

HECK YEAH! Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Solved on my big, soft kitchen couch with a fluffy blanket and two pups dozing on my lap. Told hubby it's *totally* a fredagsmys Friday. ( Pronounced fred-AGS-moos...kinda.) Another Swedish word, meaning a cozy Friday, or a soft, gentle end to the work week, likely involving a good, filling family dinner with comfort food and some quality couch time. Just chillin our way into the weekend. Wishing all a lovely fredagsmys!

Enjoyable and quick. Just 10 seconds off my Friday record, which is a shame since I like long puzzles (I do them in bed and like to be falling asleep before I finish). Oh well, off to read something tedious now, I suppose.

My Diary of a Crossword Fiend review: <a href="https://crosswordfiend.com/2026/01/08/friday-january-9-2026/#ny" target="_blank">https://crosswordfiend.com/2026/01/08/friday-january-9-2026/#ny</a>

Fun puzzle, I enjoyed it! Fast, but I had several wrong answers, like moccasins before TUBESOCKS, side before AREA, and shoe and iron before BOOT. A lot of nerdy fill that I cottoned onto quickly. But the one that made me think the puzzle was reading my mind was MRRIGHTNOW. Just yesterday I was telling a story about someone I called Mr Right Now. I read the clue and thought "nah... but hmm, that fits." I've said NERTS a lot. In my head it can also be spelled nertz. Clues that include the phrase "old-timey" apparently now refer to my lifetime. Hoo boy. Pointless nit: MAGMA doesn't bubble until it reaches the surface, at which point, of course, it's lava. Yes I got the answer, yes it's a perfectly fine clue, but I don't want anyone thinking there's a giant cavern beneath the crust with bubbling magma in it. That would be so wrong.

Fast and lots of fun, though with Donny Osmond still rattling around my head from earlier this week, leading off with PUPPY LOVE was a bit traumatic for me. Love having Will as our guide these last two days. It's funny, but after so many years of hearing him as the Puzzle Master on NPR's Sunday Edition, when I read the column I hear his voice in my head.

I'm really enjoying the guest columning* by Will Shortz! The choice and explanations of the Tricky Clues feels like a little peek under the hood of the NYTXD editorial process. And the anecdotes provide a little more insight on the personal side. (Not knowing TRASH PANDA is a little surprising! The animals – and their moniker – are profligate out here in Brooklyn, along with feral felines, and of course rats.) *Not a word! 'Til now? 😁 I know we are to expect other guest columnists, but I for one wouldn't mind if Will is able to keep adding this to his already-packed schedule... and appreciate what we've gotten so far. // This was a solve in fits and starts for me: almost nothing at first, then the SE flowed in; inched back up the grid only to come to a full stop in the NW. Not even the LAB could help point me in the right direction! Yet again, a tiny helping from the Wordplay column came to the rescue. Thanks Greg, Glenn — and Will!

This was fun. Some of it was areas that were fast fill-ins, that is, whoosh fun. Some of it was wordplay, which sparked the cluing throughout, and brought smiles. Some of it was fun answers like HECK YEAH, ON A HEATER, even LURID. It was even fun having an area that I could hardly dent (the NW), right at the start, but having the faith that I would come around later and eventually fill it in (because the Times editing is superb), then indeed doing just that. It was fun being reminded of dogs with PUPPY LOVE, LAB, even a backward PAWS, because the dogs in my family have so enriched my life. I was just thinking yesterday, as I was petting my dog Teddy, that dogs are a remarkable gift to mankind, and I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking this. It was fun seeing a new-to-the-Times grid design that was wonderfully flowy, with no isolated corners. Get me in a good mood, puzzle-makers, and my thumbs turn up, and that’s just what you did, Greg and Glenn. Thank you!

Nice, uncontroversial puzzle.

Enjoyed the fresh clues and entries in this puzzle. ON A HEATER was new to me as was MR RIGHtNOW which I loved. TRASH PANDA wasn’t new to me but so fun. The clue for AIRMARSHAL was terrific. Not too hard but I did have to solve from the bottom up, except for my lucky first guess on CIGARBOXES.

I thought I was being so smart by thinking "HUMIDORS" when I saw the clue for Places Many Cubans are Found. Alas, it didn't fit, but the crosses gave me the correct answer very quickly. Loved the clue for AIR MARSHALS. Didn't love the clues for ON A HEATER or CUT IN. It was never rude to CUT IN to someone else's dance, unless it was done rudely. And on the road, you either CUT OFF (very rude) or MERGE IN (maybe rude).

Will, Love that glimpse into the evolution of the NYT crossword puzzle. Thank you for curating future archives that will amuse, educate and challenge solvers. Looking forward to many more zesty grids.

I'm three weeks into doing the NYT puzzles, so I'm still learning the ropes. I refuse to use any outside help/resources, so it wasn't until I got the "Almost There" message that I had to figure out where I went wrong: 17D. I had "ST_ES" for 25A, but my brain was not computing the correct pronunciation of "I" in "SKI", so what did I go with? "SKU". I mean...I don't know what kind of technology is being used in morgues, but I imagined that barcodes on toe tags might be a thing!?

I’ve been introduced to ONAHEATER and NERTS and I can’t say I enjoyed their company very much. Hmmph.

A couple of look-ups, a couple of flyers, and the fog started to clear. A real pea souper for a while, but when it started to fall into place it felt like hot skis on a downhill slope, faster and faster, and actually quite thrilling (was I ONAHEATER? IVENOIDEA). Thanks Greg and Glenn, I loved it.

OXES? ON A HEATER? Those two entries close together confused me. I had OXEn. Not knowing the other phrase I was stumped for the longest time. When I finally changed that n to an S, everything finally clicked and I completed the puzzle in Wednesday time. I enjoyed most of the clueing - the challenge of this grid may have been slightly less than what I expect on Friday, but at least it was created by misdirection rather than spamming trivia, as is sometimes the case.

Thought this was a perfect Friday! At first nothing was coming to me, panic starting to set in, but kept gradually plugging away and finished in about my average time. Just my favorite kind of puzzle- feels so awesome when you’ve solved it!

OXES? As in more than one ox? This VEXES me very much.

Thank you, Greg and Glenn, for a lovely Friday grid! Such a nice range and clever clueing! I actually just finished a fictional PAGETURNER that I'd like to recommend: The Correspondent, a debut novel by Virginia Evans. The story is told through a series of letters, involves both sides of the pond and I could not put it down! I do not know Ms. Evans nor do I receive compensation for my (amateur) recommendation, but I always like to pass along a good read by a debut novelist when they emerge! Happy Friday, everyone!

TIL that I know something Mr Shortz doesn’t! TRASH PANDA was a gimme somehow, despite raccoons not existing in the UK. Good Friday puzzle; chewy, interesting, very little glue. I think I said the same about this Wednesday’s puzzle too. It’s been a good week. We’ve survived the first big storm of the year last night with just a broken window, but sadly a friend’s Father lost his house roof over on the Isles of Scilly, where they registered wind speeds over 120mph. Fearsome.

Fun puzzle! Seems like almost a theme, with meeting cute, puppy love, and Mr. Right Now.

Loved this puzzle - so much misdirection and fresh cluing ! Was I the only one that thought of BODEGAS for cubans ? Or MIAMI DELIS ? Wanted it to be a cuban sandwich . That's what I get for solving over breakfast !

I haven't read the comments yet, but I hope that there aren't cries of "too easy!". I felt like I was on the constructors wavelength for this one and finished in Wednesday time (I got ON A HEATER and CIGAR BOXES on the first pass). That being said, it wasn't too easy; it was the best puzzle this week with dazzling wordplay, and minimal trivia and proper nouns. Entries such as MR RIGHT NOW AIR MARSHAL CR@P NERTS NAPS EPEES And more made me chuckle, if not laugh out loud. And I was stuck on either dance or disco fever for the longest time.... I really enjoyed this one. More please!

This week has been pretty meh until now, but I liked this one. I've never seen TRASH PANDA outside of a crossword puzzle, although this isn't the first time I've seen it so I knew it right away. I guess I'm learning things from crosswords!

Although it went more quickly than I’d’ve liked, I loved the puzzle. I even checked afterwards whether it wasn’t a Robin Weintraub brainchild—which is a high bar for a fun grid. Having started in the SE corner, I thought that the [Wilde thing] was going to be ‘quip,’ which would’ve made [prepares for a wild night, maybe] ‘BBQs,’ and I thought to myself: “I haven’t had *that* combination since college. Other folks must be having a lot more fun with their veggie burgers than hubs and I.” Still, it would’ve been a great cross. Too bad Wilde wrote POEMs, too. About that MR. RIGHT NOW—and this is in no way a gripe about the puzzle. [clears throat for rant] May I just say that I loathe the term and don’t really understand the concept? As for the term itself, I’d’ve thought that with all the care we take with how we speak about women, we’d’ve retired the term because we want to be respectful to men, too. As for the concept, why would anyone want to have a relationship with someone she thinks of as a placeholder? I’ve been married for almost half my life now, but I remember dating. There were lots of great (and less than great) guys I saw only a few times because we didn’t click 100%. What’s with the idea of dating anyone “for now” for an extended period of time? These are rhetorical questions, by the way, idle musings as I sit in traffic in the back of an Uber. Bottom line: a great puzzle to (almost) usher in the weekend.

Don’t sass me but I thought this was a good puzzle.

My only real difficulty was LAB - we always say golden Labrador, never yellow, so I thought the chocolate and yellow might refer to a sweet or a biscuit. Delightful crossword, with quite a bit of learning new things, but crossers were kind for the HEATER, the PANDA and the MR. "Losing effort" was clever. Idris is now Sir Idris Elba - scope for a new clue. Oxen is a leftover from centuries ago when English plurals ended in -en, as in children, brethren, men. Even before that, the plural o child was childer (like the German Kinder) and that changed to childeren - children.

My favorite kind of Friday. A quick pass through yielded only two of three entries. Never a slog, always some interesting ambiguity to parse. And, a column from WILLz! Happy puzzling all!

fun, but over pretty quickly for a Friday. New best time, and half my average time. Thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.

Really enjoyable! My personal favourites were the clues for CIGARBOXES and PAGETURNER I can’t believe it took me so long to fill in MEETCUTES despite watching so many romcoms 🤣 I was thinking more of tropes like miscommunication whoops!

ICEE isn't necessarily a fruity drink. Slush is redundant. It's just an ICEE.