Tuesday, February 24, 2026
My father spent 16 months in the Solomon Islands during the war and three years in Mexico when he was hiding from his second ex-wife, but otherwise he never traveled outside of the US until he was in his sixties. When he came home from his first trip to Europe, he told me that Mensa was such a big organization in Germany that every university campus had a building for its exclusive use. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the German noun "Mensa" means "cafeteria."
@Fact Boy Whenever I hear/see the name MENSA, I think of my only encounter with the organization. As some of you may know, I invented an anagram-based board game several years ago. I entered it into an annual contest that American Mensa runs for new board games, called “Mind Games”. All new board games accepted for the competition are played over four days by Mensa members who choose the best new board games on which to bestow the title “Mensa Select”. Win or lose, each entrant gets the benefit of feedback — back then, it was in the form of a stack of filled-out recipe cards —from everyone who played their game, offering assessments of the game. Although my board game was not selected as a “Mensa Select” winner, I did get a big laugh out of the criticism running through all the judges’ comments: “Too hard!”
On the subject of "too easy" vs. "too hard", I dub this the perfect Tuesday puzzle.
Natan, You aren't the only one who wanted MUDDY. Thanks for another enjoyable gloss.
Please, please do not put that awful Liberty Mutual ad in my brain ever again. I beg you.
@Jack Some of them have made me literally laugh out loud, I guess there's no accounting for taste. No matter, it seems you can save hundreds on your car insurance no matter which company you choose.
I'm amazed at the number of people who say that DRECK is a new word for them. It's such a juicy, useful, practically onomatopoeic slur that I can't imagine being without it (and It pairs so well with utter).
@dutchiris --- it does seem like dreck is usually preceded by "utter", "total", "absolute", or the like. Can't anything be just regular dreck?
Natan Last, our guest columnist, knows crosswords as a constructor and crossword historian, and that, combined with his way with words, has made for splendid columns yesterday and today. His way with words? Two examples from his column today: • “Mr. Aaronson … lets us stroll through his land of words – and sometimes trip …” • “That playful, almost roguish obsession with language.” His crossword knowledge? That lovely opening paragraph, referring to Georges Perec’s thoughts on grid-making. Natan has created pieces well worth reading, beyond the basics of explaining the theme and tricky answers.
@Lewis I can't agree with you more -- I've really enjoyed Natan's two columns this week. More, please!
Top job, Mr Aaronsen. I didn’t realise the explicit EG theme, so you got me, and I enjoyed the solve. The number of incorrect first instincts was impressive, and I liked the subtle near double-ups, like LEVEE and LEVIES, and EVE and VEE side by side. Great Tuesday fare.
I was ready to storm into the Comments, demanding that this puzzle needed a revealer, only to learn from reading the column that it was staring me in the face in each themed clue. [Administering dope slap to self, e.g.] Nice puzzle, Adam Aaronson. Thanks for the help, Natan Last.
Oh, Adam got me and got me good. I was thinking this was a weak tea theme, especially from such an a-one constructor, and then… and then… I came here, read the “e.g.” connection, experienced a filled-with-kapow “Hah!”, and wanted to shake his hand for flimflamming me so good. That’s the topper to what was already a solve filled with interest. Lovely-to-learn no-knows MINIPIG (which may not be so mini, as they can be up to 300 pounds) and “Nuyoricans” (which I will remember), and the adventure of spelling the head of China. Not to mention the classic dook NOONE and its terrific clue [Whom a diary is often shown to], never seen in any of Crosslandia’s major outlets before. Also, OVAL, clued [Avocado-shaped], next to GUAC. Plus, a doubly-rich box (7 double EE’s). I love when something is right in front of my eyes, and I simply don’t see it – it’s amazing and funny at the same time. You gave me that, Adam, and lots of sparks besides. Thank you!
Lewis, No mention of LEVEE/LEVIES? As soon as I saw that I thought "I bet Lewis lost his mind over that one"
Fun puzzle, although the theme was indeed such a "slow-moving realization" that for me that realization in fact happened after finishing the crossword and reading the article. Thanks Adam!
I imagine Aaron making this puzzle while watching an exhibition game, listening to Edvard Grieg, and sipping on Earl Grey tea from an emerald green cup made long ago in East Germany.
Correction -- It's Adam, not Aaron. I am so sorry, Adam!
@Lewis, Or maybe watching “Twelve Angry Men” starring his favorite actor, E. G. Marshall.
Finally, a puzzle that earned its day, and maybe was even a wee bit harder. I enjoyed it immensely. even though I didn't get the full flavor or the theme, i.e, the e.g. after each theme clue. But there were enough fresh answers to keep me entertained, and to keep me from being bored, the way the last umpteen batch of puzzles has. Congrats to Adam on a perfectly pleasant puzzle. I only wish your account were on BlueSky and not X. I closed that account the minute the Muskrat took over and changed the name and the political bent.
I'm not sure why exactly, but I enjoyed every moment of solving this puzzle, which went pretty fast for me. The clues seemed very much on the easy side, but fun.
Agree. Some recent ones have been easier, and a bit dull as a result. This one was still "Tuesday easy," but clever.
Took me two minutes *after* finishing the puzzle to finally see and understand the theme. Considered this to be an added bonus on top of an already fine construction. Seemed much more a Wednesday than a Tuesday offering to me, but I enjoyed this puzzle quite a lot. "A+, e.g." --- EXCELLENTGRADE for this one!
@Xword Junkie I saw the theme fairly quickly, but I didn't understand it until I read the column.
Great puzzle, lots of fun. And I liked the constructor story about Gigi and Xi!
Another imagined peek into the brain of a constructor: “Elbow Grease…nah, Ethical Gamble…nah, Edvard Greig…nah… OMG! Endocrine Gland!!!! Eureka!”
@Cat Lady Margaret Egyptian God. Should coulda woulda.
@Cat Lady Margaret Lovely Elora Gorge which would have fit yesterday and today! See here: <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g679248-d625915-Reviews-Elora_Gorge_Conservation_Area-Elora_Centre_Wellington_Ontario.html" target="_blank">https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g679248-d625915-Reviews-Elora_Gorge_Conservation_Area-Elora_Centre_Wellington_Ontario.html</a>
I hope those who read the Wordplay columns are enjoying guest writer Natan Last as much as I am. Thanks, Natan! If you’re one of the commenters unfamiliar with DRECK, you might also want to add schmutz to your vocabulary. On that note, if you’re a commenter who has never heard the expression “Uff-da! (a clue in today’s Mini), spend 5 minutes in Minnesota. (Or Wisconsin or North Dakota). The exclamation (“Uffda!) covers a lot of territory. As does its counterpart “Ishda!” Google it.
@M. Biggen My dear husband knows this word well. He was once running sound for a women’s retreat when the female speaker on stage said, “You know what “uff-da” means, don’t you? It’s when you put your bra on backwards and it still fits!” The women roared with laughter, and then collectively remembered there was one poor man in the room, and turned to look at him all at once. They all roared with laughter again. He laughed, too, but being an introvert, also turned bright red. 😳 Whenever we hear “uff-da,” we think of that and have a good laugh!
Don't know if any of the guest columnists are auditioning for a permanent position, but so far I would choose Natan Last. I mean first.
My father refers to the store Ross Dress for Less as Ross DRECK for Less. As a dutiful daughter, I laugh. every. single. time. A shout-out to Muddy Waters who made a brief appearance in a lot of our solves. Here he is, with 3 of the 4 Rolling Stones jamming alongside him (about halfway through this legendary video, though it's quite fun and hypnotic to watch the whole thing.) <a href="https://youtu.be/z3Or7huOK7o?si=o02xJcRedk-gh8_3" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/z3Or7huOK7o?si=o02xJcRedk-gh8_3</a> Thank you to Natan Last for yet another brilliant column, and Adam Aaronson for a perfectly divine Tuesday puzzle!
@sotto voce One of my favorites too, and you led me to do some answer history searches: MUDDYWATERS 4 times. BODIDDLEY 4 times. ....
@sotto voce When I was working, a lot of my wardrobe was from Ross, and it definitely wasn't dreck. Just as the clothes I bought at thrift stores and yard sales had labels I could not otherwise have afforded, the shoes, pants, coats, skirts, and even underwear from Ross were often top drawer. You had to know what you were looking for and ignore the rest, which is true everywhere.
@sotto voce And thank you once again for an incomparable music video. Never seen it. Blew me away. Can you imagine being in that room that night?
Kind of a weird puzzle for a Tuesday. Most of it was fairly easy. But it had that EL GRECO/GIGI crossing that's a major Natick. Plus it had a lot of answers that seemed designed for the first instinct with the same number of letters to be wrong. Like ETHEL Waters instead of Muddy. MINIPIG instead of Piglets. PITH instead of Rind or Peel. Gave me a lot of confusing moments when the obvious crossings didn't work. I did appreciate LEVIES crossed with LEVEE.
@Chris. That crossing was legitimated by the across entry being a themer, hence E.G…..
@Chris People are attaching their own notions of what it means to be a Natick, usually settling on "what they don't know." A Natick should be something that reasonably cannot be deduced; in addition to what Patrick said about the EG thing, one of the entries is highbrow, the other is lowbrow, and the solver is expected to know one of the two, depending on which way they lean. Of course, as the puzzle hints at with 63A, the solver who knows both does the best. That solver is said to be UNIBROW. I'll see myself out now.
@Chris All the things you disliked are exactly what I enjoyed the most. The creation of a puzzle where again and again you have to juggle two plausible answers -- aim or arm? Ethel or Muddy? Pith or peel? Amber or umber? PC help or IT help? Bliss. And then there were the destabilizing moments. When the top of 31D was XIJ and I thought that can't be right...until I read the crossing clue. And then there was the D'oh response as I read the column and noticed that I had failed to notice a clutch of EGs. Well done, all.
@Chris EL GRECO is nowhere near Natick. GIGI was unknown to me, but that doesn't make her obscure and only known locally. Now the misdirects were delightful, IMO!
I came here from the Mini to say "Uff-da"? "Uff-da"!!??!! YEESH! Can we at least have generally accepted onomatopoeic exasperation sounds as clues, instead of something only the constructor (and presumably their close family members) has ever said?
Grumpy, But it looks like a crossword goldmine, according to Wikipedia: “Uff da …sometimes also spelled oof-da, oofda, oofala, oof-dah, oofdah, huffda, uff-da, uffda, uff-dah, ufda, ufdah, or uf daa”
@Grumpy srsly? we say it all the time, and we're not even from the upper midwest where just about everybody would be familiar with it. Google it and click on images--you can buy it on a mug, or a t-shirt, or a button, or a sign...
@Grumpy I had this same complaint. This appears to be an extremely regional thing, not a common phrase by any means. I'm certain this has never been used in pop culture, which is really the only way someone not from that particular region would've heard/seen such a thing previously.
Love the LEVEE/LEVIES, ARM/AIM clues. Also a big fan of EVE/VEE/EVENING GOWN all together.
E Gads, what a sneaky theme! It slipped past me like an EEL in a KOI pond. MINI PIG danced a JIG for all the musical clues. He was driving his Chevy to the LEVEE for a performance by ETHEL Waters when he realized he had missed seeing SGT Pepper just the day before. “I’m a CREEP”, he muttered, as Quiet RIOT blasted their ELECTRIC GUITARS through the car stereo. At least his girlfriend would be joining him for the show. “Ah, LEAH,” he thought. “You will always be my BOO.”
I was more than 2 minutes under my average time, so in that sense it was easy, but there were plenty of sneaky misdirects. I can’t remember the last time I had to change so many answers that I thought that I had correct.
I had DRECK in place due to DM'ED, so even though my first thought was Muddy, I did remember ETHEL. (That was a sneaky way to muddy the waters.) There were a couple that got me—tEE for HEE, and Peel for PITH, which I didn't catch until the last crossing word, so went back and corrected the remaining incorrect letters. Caught the theme on the second at 24A, confirmed with EL GRECO, and it maybe helped with the fourth and fifth, although those were pretty guessable. A fun puzzle! Thanks, Adam!
Spelled "flibbertigibbet" wrong. Wouldn't want to lead readers astray, in case it appears in a future puzzle. ;)
Mr. Aaronson: I enjoyed your constructor notes. Where I live, seeing celebrities while on a walk is extremely unlikely, unless XI JINPING decides to take up crabbing. Also, not too many fashion models go out on the docks for some reason. I've often wondered if B-list stars clip and save crosswords when their names first appear as a clue. I would!
I invite you all to purchase, and read, my brief, informal autobio--in short, how I had a career working at RenFaires as a proprietor of a taco truck: aka Sgt. Guac, as I was known, slangily. I operated exclusively at RenFaires. Alas, my career was cut short when, at an emu Xing, I was trampled by a drove of feral (not tame) mini-pigs. A passing ENT caught the whole incident on videotape, which you're all welcome to watch on your VCRs--it will have you, if not ROFL ("Rollynge on ye ffylde* Laughynge"), at least going "Hee!" If you're interested to hear more, just DM me. *a Middle English variant recorded in the OED
I'm not sure that recommending that your readers hop over to the "site formerly known as" is responsible given the hostile and misleading atmosphere that site perpetuates.
@Neal S. Post-emu redux: By all means let's perpetuate the general cultural trend of throwing out every baby with all generally disfavored sources of bath waters. I find X a cesspool as well. And yet, looking there every morning before solving the puzzles here for the sole purpose of reading what Laurie Garrett has to say is a baby I'd prefer not to discard.
@Neal S. Hear hear. Just think of all the poor, innocent children who may be driven to Mr Aaronson’s X account due to Natan’s irresponsible platforming of it 😱
A fun Tuesday - lots of little treats sprinkled throughout the puzzle.
A solid Tuesday, fun but chewy. Feel very smug that I worked put the theme all by myself. Doesn’t happen very often.
So many fun echoes (AIM/ARM, EVE/VEE, DMED/DIED, on we go)! ... And for me, a lovely blast of nostalgia: me and my sweetie playing computer games on our first PC, back on the 80s, trying to figure out if those amber dots were vital clues or random rocks... We've been together for 46 years now, yikes! But the graphics are better these days 😄
The clue to 1A had me thinking of tonight's speech. As in, "What will the President say and do at the State of the Union Address?"
@SBK Where are you when I need you? @Francis Talk me down, quick!
I do feel that "Contacted quickly online, informally" should be IMed rather than DMed....since the "I" stands for instant, and the clue specifies "quickly". But maybe that's just me yearning for the AIM days.
@Allison I've come to conclude that it's a kealoa. Either one fits; they're interchangeable. Some platforms call them IMs, some DMs. DMs tend to be a component of social media platforms, while IMs are used in platforms dedicated to one-on-one messaging. They're both instantaneous, so speed is not a deciding factor, though I get that "instant message" sounds faster. You wait for the cross in this case. DRECK is a thing; IRECK isn't.
Loved it. Stared at the long crosses for a long time trying to figure out what the theme was before it hit me!
@Ben I didn’t even realize there was a theme until I read your comment. Is the theme EG or something like that?
This was a fun puzzle with a satisfying, understated theme - exactly what I want out of a Tuesday! Adam Aaronson, you’re as high in my estimations as you are in the phone book
Exuberant Gratitude for this gem. Also really enjoying Natan Last's columns.
This was a perfect Tuesday puzzle IMO. I wasn’t familiar with DRECK, but the crosses took care of it. I liked LEVEE crossing LEVIES and the clue [Make that two!] for ME TOO. I have seen many paintings by EL GRECO at the Prado Museum - stunning to say the least. All in all, a pleasure to solve. Thank you, Adam!
No. A smirk is not a wry look. Wry: funny in an understated, sarcastic or ironic way. Smirk: an annoying, self-satisfied smile.
@NanuNanu I actually held off on the W until the BEER made me do it. I use a wink, not a smirk, after a WRY remark.
@NanuNanu, Yeah, I agree. That was a little too wide of the mark. I’m WRY because I’m showing a smirk? 🤔
@NanuNanu A WRY smile is lopsided or turned smile. Whether one is smugly smirking or smiling wryly may be in the eye of the beholder. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wry" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wry</a>
love the ARM/AIM and LEVIES/LEVEE crossings, really delightful work!
We have LIONs too, Chicago. Only ours are marble, not bronze. Ours are in front of the NY Public Library's main branch. Just saying. But I liked the way this puzzle was clued, A bit off the beaten track for a Tuesday -- such as in the clues for OED, WRY, and CHARGER. Darned if I can find a revealer. I didn't notice a theme -- nor miss not having one -- while I was solving. I thought the puzzle made a perfectly nice themeless: a little harder than usual for a Tuesday. After finishing, I looked back and noticed the EGs, then looked for the revealer, but there isn't one. Which leaves more room for the really dense theme. Liked this puzzle.
Maybe, look *again* at the *themer* clues...
This is the "unnested" repost of my reply to your nested reply. Nancy, Your first reply was not too short. You didn't see it because of the new "nesting" of replies. I'll post this again "unnested."
Well, that was fun! I even forgive Adam for MINI PIG (Srsly?) ....That said, I'm not so sure about the inclusion of "Nuyoricans"--which I had to Google afterward. Walking a fine line, or harmless neologism? Obviously, Team Puzz trustingly decided it won't be used in a derogatory fashion. One hopes. Ah, yes.....Ye Olde Thyroid....a example of Planned Obsolescence? The synthetic replacement isn't quite as good IMO. Cute crossings (LEVEE/LEVIES and ARM/AIM). Made me look. On with the show!
@Mean Old Lady Nuyorican is not derogatory in the least. It was most likely coined by Nuyoricans themselves, given the fact that it's not spelled Newyoricans.
@Mean Old Lady And not really a neologism, unless you consider fifty-some years in the language "new."
@Mean Old Lady During my early days while serving in the Infantry, Nuyoricans were plentiful in number. And, by the way, were ever so quick to remind we blancos of their origins. The street gang behavior most certainly followed from Spanish Harlem and South Bronx into the ranks of the Infantry. Dare to confuse Puerto Ricans with Nuyoricans, and lots of heated discussion would ensue. Lots. I'll just leave it at that. Time for me to back out of other peoples' space, sorry.
@Jerry My squad leader referred to himself as a Sorta Rican, because his father was from the island, but his mother was Cuban.
I loved it! I didn't even realize there was a theme until reading the column, but that's mostly because I'm still half asleep this morning. This was challenging for a Tuesday, and the lack of handholding on the theme was refreshing. The library I used to go to as a wee one had computers with AMBER graphics. My school was still using a card catalog, though.
I read a couple of brief early Yiddish/German-related comments. Not to intrude on the conversation, here are the thoughts it provoked in me: Back in '10, or so, I had to call a locksmith to the house. A young woman drove up in a van, showed me her ID badge, and proceeded to work on my lock. Her first name was Tahel, Yael, or something to that effect. Her last name was nothing ending in 'stein,' or 'berg,' it was absolutely a Hebrew-looking name. So I said to her "Wow, you must be Israeli, you have a beautiful name." Her reply, in a beautiful accent was something like, "Thank you for not thinking I'm Jewish. My name is Hebrew, but I'm not Jewish. Not everybody from Israel is Jewish, you know." I replied, "Well, my last name is German, but the Germans tell me it's Jewish." I showed her my ID, and she immediately said, "Your name is not German, it's Yiddish." I remarked, "Hmmm, I thought Yiddish was a dialect of Hebrew and not associated with family names." Her reply was along the lines of "No, no, that's where you're wrong. Everybody thinks that, and they're all wrong." Anyhow, very interesting conversation ensued between she and I, and I was better educated. Nice woman.
@Jerry Lovely story, but 'between she and I" is grammatically incorrect. You have used the subjective pronouns where the objective pronouns are required (her and me). Of course, the easiest way to fix it is to say, "between us." Alternately, you can rework the sentence where the two of you are the subject: We (she and I) had a very interesting conversation. I, too, always have thought Yiddish is a dialect.
I must've gotten a single letter wrong... now I have to retrace my steps. But I wanted to drop in and say that XIJINPING joke in the constructor notes made me LOL.
I love a solid Tuesday puzzle, EG this one. 🙂
@Elbridge Gerry An entirely independent and disinterested assessment, I'm sure.
Very nice. But I wasn’t aware of the theme until reading the recap.
@Michael How long did you *ponder* what the theme might be before reading the column? Just wondering.