Lewis

Oh, that’s one terrific theme. The marvelous cast of Othello, Jesus, Musafa, Osiris, and Caesar – all who were double-crossed – being visually double-crossed by their double-crossers in the grid. Pure originality – how often do you see a theme like that? Furthermore, IMO, the theme was beautified by those artfully-written italicized clues describing the villainous characters. Then, the skill and talent behind making this. Designing a symmetrical grid to accommodate five sets of three answers plus a 13-letter revealer had to be a bear. Meanwhile, witty clues, such as [Building that shouldn’t have running water] for ICE PALACE, and [Paired chips with dips?] for RHYMED, brightened the way, as did the gorgeous FILCHES bannering the center of the box. My wheelhouse deficiencies provided trouble spots here and there, happifying my work-loving brain. The art and science of crosswords showcased in your quality creation, Gene. Thank you, sir, and bravo!

I like how the highlighted words – MOM, DAD, I’M, QUEER – are not hidden or masked within the answers they’re in. That is, the answer that MOM was in, wasn’t, say, MOMENTOUS. No, MOM means “mom” in MOMJEANS, DAD means “dad” in DADBOD, I’M means “I’m” in I’M THERE, and QUEER means “queer” in QUEER EYE. It makes the theme all the more powerful and moving. When you got my heart involved, as well as my brain, you made the experience memorable and special. Thank you so much for this, Kenneth!

So, there I was at the point where I was correctly filling in the rebus squares, and had filled in the theme cross of MIDDLEMARCH and BEWARE THE IDES, amazed that the sixth letter of each is E. “Cute theme,” I thought. “But what is all this gorgeously written recipe stuff?” That question crescendoed as I went along. Just as the riddle reached fever pitch, I filled in CAESAR. When that answer’s double meaning hit me, it was like when you trim the Christmas tree, plug it in for the first time, and it transforms the room. It lit ME up – my jaw dropped, I broke into a wide smile, and that grin feeling permeated my entire body and beyond. “Now THIS is what crosswords are all about!” After the fill-in I looked closer at the grid-build. Because the recipe answers were symmetrical, its eight ingredients had to fall into four pairs, each with the same number of letters – BREAD CUBES / LEMON JUICE, ANCHOVY PASTE / DIJON MUSTARD and so on. There’s only one way to say EGG YOLK, ROMAINE, GARLIC, PEPPER, and the others. How can it be that the recipe for Caesar salad consists of four such pairs? How??? Stunning. Otherworldly. And she fit all that plus the rebuses and magnificent center cross in the box! That E square dead center in the box at the nexus of MIDDLEMARCH and BEWARE THE IDES? I have decided it stands for Exquisite. You have made an exquisite puzzle, Miranda, and it’s easily found a home on my Sunday Puzzle Of The Year list. Thank you for making it!

The aha when I realized that hyphens went in the squares and that they worked in both directions, well, that brought on a mighty surge of adrena----. Et tu, emu.

So, all I know about Super Mario is what I have learned and remembered from crosswords. I’ve never played the game, and thus, this puzzle became pretty much a Super Themeless, and hey, the toughness that resulted from the no-knows tickled my brain, which I could almost hear exclaiming, “It’s a me, happy brain!” I actually did remember the catch phrase, and YOSHI, and after a while PRINCESS PEACH. Three things stand out: • The look of the grid, a cool way to dress up the box. • ENTHALPY – Huh? What? Truly, I answered this correctly? • The fact that Kim went through 77 versions of this puzzle, according to her notes, before landing on this final one. Oh. Well. Here is a person striving for excellence on top of wanting to entertain, which turns my thumbs up, and makes my soul happy, joining my brain. Congratulations on your debut, Kim, and thank you for your enthusiasm, which bounced off the grid. Thank you, this was a hoot!

Hello! A brief update from Helene Central… I have greatly missed the commenting family here and being part of it. I tune in when I get enough bars on my cell to access the site (cell service is weak). When I finally get Wi-Fi back, I shall return! Life is very busy here. Let me just say it’s like camping, but certainly not glamping. There is much neighbor helping neighbor, and much humor in the midst of it all. We’re all finding hacks for everything. Anyway, I just wanted to check in, and for those who have asked or wondered, to let you know that I am fine, and my spirits are bright. I miss you all and wish you well!

This forum’s not quite what it was It’s minus a bit of its buzz Replies have gone ghostly But certainly mostly I’m missing “I done did this puzz”

(Third try) [Advice taken by today's theme's creator] GET THEE TO A PUNNERY (Et tu, emu)

Just wondering... who counted on their fingers to get the sixth word in the Gettysburg Address? Et tu, emu.

How many out there confidently placed CUES in for [Pool shooters]? Et tu, emu.

Well, yes, this was a constructing feat. Are you kidding me? Ten theme answers totaling a sky-high 72 squares, with each theme answer working two ways due to the gimmick, crossing revealers, and still the grid has hardly a whiff of junk? But a constructing feat is shallow, not to mention show-offish, if it doesn’t deliver satisfaction to the solver. I can only speak for myself, but this theme was a first-order, multi-level capital-R Riddle, and cracking it brought great fulfillment, the sweet feeling that I earned this. That, plus being wowed by the feat, well, it also brought a huge inner standing O. Sticky areas gave my brain pleasure as well. Truly, a lovely puzzle could have been based on the STEAL A KISS element alone, but Kareem pulled off the double-play, all in a single 15x15 box. Hats off on this one. Bravo, Kareem. Perfecto! An apex Valentine's Day puzzle. Can’t wait for your next, and thank you for a scintillating solve!

Oh, sure. Anyone can find a pair of words with a one-letter difference, like SLIM/SWIM. But to find such a pair that can be clued with an in-the-language phrase like “Skinny/dip”? Well, okay, maybe once or twice, but even that, to me, is remarkably difficult. But then to do it thirteen times? “Wild/bunch” for ZANY/MANY? “Card/game” for JOKER/POKER? And so on down the line? And then have the one-letter-difference letters form a perfect pangram, each letter used just once? Are you kidding me? Who does this? Derrick does. He does it in all his puzzles. He did one Sunday where every symmetrical pair of answers HAD THE SAME CLUE (12/18/16 – find it and look at it!)! This man is a word quirk genius, a master nerd who creates masterworks. An amazing talent. Every theme answer today jaw-dropped me, and that is a solve that I cherish. This puzzle is easily entering my Best Puzzles of 2025 list. Derrick, you are amazing. You are a Crosslandia treasure. Thank you, thank you for illuminating my day with the sheen of brilliance and for highlighting the astounding possibilities that lie in this quirky language of ours!

[VISIO_] NO END IN SIGHT

Barbara and I took our time with this one. It turns out we have that in common, especially with the cluing. We let the cluing marinate. Barbara is remarkably sharp, astute, and witty. Our goal was to create a Saturday-worthy puzzle, that is, one that in a pleasurable way, activates the minds of experienced solvers. Grateful for all the feedback, which helps me hone my craft. And grateful to this commenting community (and its bloggers) – a treasured hangout. Thank you all!

[ ? Superb ] OUTSTANDING BEYOND QUESTION

Really? Derrick took a common two-word phrase, and substituted a synonym for each word to make a brand spanking new common phrase? Like CAN OPENER to FIRE STARTER? Something like that seems very hard to come up with even once, a quirk find. But he did it how many times? Eleven? Eleven??? And he made them symmetrical? And even when you figured out what was going on, the theme answers were still hard – and fun – to guess at? Really? Derrick has been making Times puzzles for 43 years? He's only made Sunday puzzles and is the longest running contributor to the Sunday puzzle? Color me impressed. After getting a couple of theme answers I started wondering how long he could keep coming up with these stunning finds – surely not through the whole puzzle. And with each theme answer I went, “Dang! He did it again!” Wordplay-lover me wordplay-loved this, Derrick. I found your creation to be quite amazing. Bravo, sir, and thank you!

So, while anagrams are on the table, I’d like to share one I like that I recently ran into: A DECIMAL POINT – I’M A DOT IN PLACE Et tu, emu.

I would like the brand for the HAND SOAP and FACE WASH to be Dial. Et tu, emu.

And now, a moment of irony: GULF OF MEXICO is a NYT debut answer, finally getting its moment in the sun. Et tu, emu.

This puzzle was made by two pros, Jeremy with 28 NYT puzzles and Tracy with 37. They put their skills on display in this grid, no? That freedom route in the lower grid is masterful, remarkable grid building. Look, please LOOK at its elements: It starts in a small rectangular cell which gets broken out of, then moves through a matrix of constricted spaces, and ends up right at the edge of the grid, ready to burst out into freedom. Not only did they find nine synonyms for narrow spaces, but they interlinked them, made every one of them a part of a word or phrase, AND found a way to have the letters of Andy’s full name appear IN ORDER through the escape. And with all this going on, they filled in the whole area cleanly!!! Hello? Hello? Is this not a feat of feats? Plus, it’s cool, giving the solving experience a visual layer. Having the theme be one of my favorite movies ever, well, that’s piling on, piling on with goodness and having me leave the puzzle feeling warm all over, excited about what can be done in a box of squares, and, corny as this sounds, happy to be alive. Thank you, Tracy and Jeremy, for a puzzle that’s going to stick with me for a long time. Brava and bravo!

I love the backstory, that Brandon came up with this puzzle idea in January, realized it HAD to be done, realized that it was very late in the game to have it come out the first week of May, then fashioned the grid – designed and filled it! – in ONE DAY, then clued 140 answers in TWO DAYS, then hurried it in. I repeat, in single day he crafted a puzzle with such hard-to-attain features (symmetrical theme answers whose fourth letters are rebuses, the first letters of which spell STAR WARS) – and the result doesn’t feel forced! Nor do the clues feel hastily thrown together. Furthermore, the answer set includes sixteen NYT debut answers, including lovelies NON-GMO, SENSUALITY, ELICITING, and DO I EVER. On top of that, there are excellent original clues, such as [Book reviews, of sorts] for TAX AUDITS, and [Baby monitors] for NANNIES. This is a backstory with notes of talent, skill, and passion. It is a story with a very happy ending – an impressive and pleasing-to-many puzzle that successfully landed on the day it was born to land on. So yes, I’m wowed by what led up to your puzzle, Brandon, as well as grateful for the splendid outing it gave me. Standing O!

“The New York Times crossword puzzles will no longer feature wordplay,” said Games crossword spokesperson Aria DiOreo. “It has grown out of date, worn, and will be phased out.” The reaction was swift: “We’re in treble,” said a chorus teacher. “It’s about tine,” said a resident of Grand Forks. “Don’t shout it, please,” said someone, “but I’d like some confirmention.” “I am in great dis-tress,” said someone else who just shaved their head in protest. “Don’t know what to think of this,” said a see-saw. “They never get it right,” snorted Mr. Ed. “Too busy working my NFL football muscles climbing rungs,” said a ladder-day Saint. “Poppycock!” said a chick hatchling seeing its daddy for the first time. (It’s good to start out April foolish…)

What a gorgeous grid, stagger stacks in the middle, abutting spanners above and below. The typical Sunday grid has 74 blocks and 139 words, and this one has 58 blocks and 128 words. You’d expect a presence of ugly fill in such a low-count grid – but not if it were made by Erik. His grids are unfailingly clean. And even with the difficulty of filling a low count grid, Erik put in a dozen NYT answer debuts for spark, my favorite two being ALPHABET SONG (with its world-class clue) and COME ON IN THE WATER’S FINE. Everything flows in this grid – no scary islands to fill in. Even that huge tablet-shaped area in the middle is entered by four long answers. Plenty of answers and clues to love; I never felt bored. A shining, sterling, fun-to-solve beauty, which is the rule of your puzzles, Erik. Nothing but quality in them. Thank you, and please, keep creating!

Oh, very impressive grid build. First, it’s a pretty tight theme. There aren’t many world capitals that work in this scheme. Those capitals have to be embedded in a worthy common phrase, and they have to be preceded and followed by at least two letters. Michael actually preceded and followed them by at least three. But here’s the kicker – given these challenges, which were impressively overcome, Michael placed the six zig-zaggy theme answers SYMMETRICALLY in the box! Are you kidding me? Making those letter-counts match? Amazing. Those zig-zaggy answers, by the way, greatly restrict the answers that surround them, and yet Michael produced a remarkably clean grid. Oh, I had fun, Michael, guessing the theme answers with as few crosses as possible, once I cracked the gimmick, and then my appreciation swelled at seeing the impressive skill it took to make this. This was one big wow for me, sir – thank you!

I wanted to open an eatery in a certain Chicago area, but competitors ... KEPT ME OUT OF THE LOOP

What a hoot! Very funny theme clues/answers, many non-theme clues playing on words, a mostly no-stress difficulty level so as not to blunt the fun, and lovely answers on top of it all – SCAMP, FEIGN, QUASH, WANTON, FOIST, GALLANT, FREELOAD, ANOINT, CODGER. That’s entertainment! Way to lift the day, Ralph and Doug -- and with a piece-of-junk car! Bravo, and thank you both!

The HERE trick lifted this puzzle from ordinary to spectacular. That was one terrific BUTWAITTHERE S M O R E moment!

[Presumptuous ones] WHI(P)(P)ERSNA(P)(P)ERS [The circles in the above answer?] SPLIT PEAS

[One of the 105D Levys tweaking the script] EUGENE EDITING

This is the kind of puzzle satisfying to long-time solvers who through experience learned the tricks and ways of thinking that make such grids gettable and satisfying. We have lots of new solvers who were brought in through easier puzzles, including easier end-of-week puzzles, and who haven’t yet developed the chops needed to experience the joys of solving puzzles such as these. How to bring these new solvers along, editors? Keep the end-of-week puzzles just as challenging as today’s. The only way to develop the skills needed is through practice. Give these new solvers great satisfaction earlier in the week through easier puzzles that whet their appetite for more, giving hints on what challenges/pleasures lie ahead, but keep these end-of-week puzzles tough. I hope that is the direction you’re taking with puzzles like today’s, tough weekend puzzles that were once the rule. You may lose a few solvers, but those who stick it out will stay with you forever.

Oh, gorgeous grid design, never used before in the Times. And it's so clear that Barbara spends time with each clue. I love the misdirects and fuzziness – little things like [Choking cause, with "the"], and big things like [Makes a return that hits the net?]. Gorgeous answers, such as TAKES A BOW, PRESIDENTIAL RUN, CANARD, THROE, I KNOW THE FEELING, IMPULSE BUY, and MEWLS. Barbara, you are one of the handful of constructors whose skillfully-made creations shimmer with quality, with a high level of art that makes me shake my head in wonder. You do it every time, and I so look forward to what you come out with. Thank you for another splendid, splendid outing.

Okay, regarding the difficulty of making this puzzle, I’ll just say this. It took Joel Fagliano, a pro’s pro constructor, five years to make a similar one (7/30/2020), and from his notes, it sounds like most of the time was spent pulling out his hair. Two points: First, every across answer today not only has its crossing answers to aid in solving, but another across answer as well! That was a new solving experience, and just felt very cool and quite wonderful. Second, 11 of the 14 paired answers are NYT debut answers! What? Really? Read those phrases, they all sound in the language. Daniel somehow filled this seemingly impossible-to-make puzzle with remarkable freshness! That first point made the outing fun and memorable. The second, well, the skill that underpinned the making of this blew me away. Daniel, sir, part of me is bowing down, and part of me is pumping my fists in a raving standing-O. This was a gem. Thank you!

Sweet how this theme weaves together: • The name of the song, “Break On Through To The Other Side” describes how to get through the wall. • “The Doors” are what the mystery squares literally are -- as the bonus clues open them -- as well as being the name of the group. Very crafty, Brandon.

A puzzle feast – a five-trick-pony theme instead of the usual one. Gymnastic wordplay. Riddles from top to bottom. Not to mention, a capital-P Puzzle. Where first you had to figure out what was going on. Then you had to figure out that the gimmicks were all different, making each theme answer a puzzle in its own right. Oh, there were footholds to help, but not a generous amount, to keep things interesting. All this brought capital-P Pleasure to my brain. Fortified by beauty: NOUGAT, GEISHAS, AL DENTE, AS IT WERE. Not to mention a rarest-of-rare-in-crosswords six-letter semordnilap (LAMINA). And in the middle of it all, at 28D, the true theme of this puzzle from Josh Goodman: MY TREAT. Josh, I’m guessing you know that only one constructor, Andrew Ries, has hit the cycle (had a NYT puzzle every day of the week) in their first seven puzzles. You, now, with a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, can become the second. Go for it! And thank you for your fabulous puzzlepalooza today. This was, indeed, a treat!

My ten favorite original clues of 2025 (in order of appearance): 1. Play with one's food? (6)(7) 2. Feature of a safe landing, perhaps (4) 3. Literary bird with a one-word vocabulary, apparently (5) 4. Downward facing dog? (5)(5) 5. Caaaaaaar, you might say (4) 6. Adjunct faculty? (5)(5) 7. Focus of an airplane battle (7) 8. Plan B, for seniors (6)(6) 9. Handled press agents? (5) 10. Pan in the butt? (4) DINNER THEATER (Kelly Morenus) RAIL (Simeon Seigel) RAVEN (Robyn Weintraub) CANIS MAJOR (Willa Angel Chen Miller and Erik Agard) LIMO (Ginny Too) SIXTH SENSE (Katie Hoody) ARMREST (Ryan McCarty) SAFETY SCHOOL (Kelvin Zhou) IRONS (Juliana Tringali Golden) GOAT (Kevin Curry)

Okay, here’s something amazing – those triple stacks flanking the east and west? All six of those long answers are NYT debuts, including the gorgeous BEAR THAT IN MIND, CORPORATE GREED, and GET THE MEMO. Those six answers are all touched by ONE OF EVERYTHING, another gorgeous answer (and NYT debut). ONE OF EVERYTHING, as the revealer, had to be in the grid. So those six triple-stack answers of which I speak had to accommodate that revealer’s letters. Thus, not only did Gene manage to do that cleanly -- a very difficult task -- but he did it so gorgeously. Absolutely amazing. Did the grid suffer from this feat? No, it did not. Au contraire, it sung because of it, sung with spark and beauty. This is not a “clever-by-half” feat; it is pure artistry. What a lovely Saturday, with wit and guile. Saturday clues like [Order at a restaurant], for HAVE, where “order” can be a verb or noun, and whichever it is, there are still multiple answer possibilities. I want muddy clues like this on Saturday. I want my HAVE to HAVE to HAVE crosses. An uber-low 62-worder so beautifully filled and satisfying to fill in. Masterful, Gene. An accomplishment that pays off for the solver. I. Absolutely. Loved. This. Thank you!

Well, I'm feeling for John Ewebank. Here he came up with a sweet theme idea and expertly crafted a grid to showcase it. Absolutely, complain away about its unsuitability for the day it landed on -- that's what this forum is for, to express sincere reactions -- but also tip the constructor when deserved, giving credit where credit is due.

What really enhances this theme – gives it pop – is that of its eight answers (including the revealer) six have never appeared in the 80 years of the NYT puzzle. They not only have sizzle for that reason, but they’re excellent answers as well: DAMN WITH FAINT PRAISE THIS IS JEOPARDY SILENT AUCTION TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR CINNAMON BREAD SCIENCE PROJECT So, there’s that, on top of finding words with silent letters, all from the word AUCTION, and placing them in the grid in the order that the theme demands. Lots of goodness and skill, and on a NYT debut puzzle, as well. Bravo and congratulations, Zachary – looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!

Manny Nosowsky, who had more puzzles published in the Times (254) than anyone else, died on Wednesday, at 94. He matched his quantity with quality, and his output was rife with punny wordplay. Not the kind that make you roll your eyes, but rather the kind that make you want to stand and applaud. When I make a puzzle, I often research clues for a particular answer, maybe to check if my clue has been done before, or to get ideas for a direction to take that I haven't thought of. There are only a handful of constructors whose clues I *always* look at, and Manny's one of them. He enriched my life with his work, and I'm sure the lives of many others, and I'm so grateful to have his path cross mine. You can read the Times story about his life and crossword work, including some of his great clues here: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/us/manny-nosowsky-dead.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/24/us/manny-nosowsky-dead.html</a> .

John has had 13 Times puzzles in the past two years, which is impressive enough, but 11 of them have been Sundays. Sundays are beasts to make – you not only have to come up with a worthy theme, but you have to design a grid to accommodate it, fill it, and come up with clues for some 140 words! John not only does this ably, but he injects humor and inventiveness as well. Here’s an example from today’s puzzle that incorporates both – [Apt name for a narcissist?] for MIMI. That’s an answer seen well more than 100 times in the major crossword outlets, almost always clued to a famous Mimi in real life or the character in Rent or La Bohème, but never with the narcissism angle before. Plus, the clue made me smile. It’s a little thing, that MIMI clue, but also a big thing. I’ve learned over time that when I see John’s name atop a puzzle, I know I’m in for the unexpected and for a dip into levity, and I plunge in with great expectations. And, as with today’s puzzle, I end up well rewarded. Just want to thank you for that, John. You are a one-of-a-kind and a pro.

Note to editors, who do such remarkable work. I have a request, and I’m guessing I’m not alone in this request. For years and years, Thursdays were not only marked by trickiness, but were also tough to fill in, often as tough as Fridays and Saturdays. As one who became skilled at solving the more difficult puzzles through doing Monday through Wednesday grids, I loved the process of cracking a tough puzzle – thinking laterally, learning oft-repeated answers, seeing answers with fewer and fewer letters filled in. By being tricky, Thursdays were fun, and with the layer of difficulty added to it, they became riddle-fests supreme, requiring brain-loving effort, and bringing deep satisfaction. Recently, the difficulty has dropped, shifting Thursdays closer to the early week rather than the later week, and as one spoiled by how things were before, I have to register my discontent. You provide puzzles for newer solvers not only Monday through Wednesday, but also in the minis and midis now offered. Oh, I love puzzles such as today’s, with its wit, beauty and humor, but I would have loved it more had it included more rub. Please shift Thursdays back to where they used to be, and, IMO, where they belong. Thank you.

It’s a little-known fact, but James Bond prefers playing badminton to tennis; it has something to do with the feel of thwacking the object in the game. It may only be a shuttle difference, but to James, it’s everything. Et tu, emu.

[Hans Geiger?] COUNTER REVOLUTIONARY

I love the backstory, that Hannah has had a passion for giraffes for as long as she can remember, and decides to share it with us. But she wants to do it right, and for months throws herself into this puzzle, not satisfied until after having gone through 77 versions, getting the drawing just right, getting the grid and answer set to make that drawing happen – trust me, this was very difficult to do. But she doesn’t stop there. She brings zing into the grid with a dozen worthy debut answers, including some that raise the question, “How can these answers never have been in the Times puzzle before?” Answers such as BEAR WITNESS, FACT CHECK, COFFEE RUN, COMES EASY, and LEVEL WITH ME. Well, I like giraffes. They make me smile. I had fun filling in the grid, with enough sticking points in it to make my brain smile too. The giraffe in the grid is cute as can be, and everything about the puzzle and the story behind it has simply charmed me. What a treat, Hannah – thank you!

On Saturday, I want resistance. I want the puzzlemaker(s) to throw obstacles in my path, to entice me onto roads to nowhere, to cause me to forage for long-sleeping knowledge in my brain. I appreciate on Saturday a scattering of fairly crossed no-knows, but mainly I want tough figure-outs – knotty riddles – and vagueness that makes me wait for confirmation. I want that precious feeling of knowing that my brain is working on something but the light bulb hasn’t arrived yet, but also knowing it will if I take my attention elsewhere and let the brain keep working on its own. I want a fill-in that’s earned, that’s sparked by a staccato of ahas, that I leave walking a little taller. “Check!” on all that today. This was a beaut of a Saturday. It was brightened by seven first-time answers in the NYT puzzle, including the how-has-this-never-appeared-before BRAIN SURGERY, and the lovely UNDYING. I loved the palindromic pair of OMEN and NEMO, and the neighboring Scandinavian NILS and backward SAAB. Above all, I loved coursing through the Saturday experience I hope for and treasure. Congratulations, Carolyn, on your debut, and I bow to you, Jeff, not only for your skill, but for passing it on to others. Thank you both for a terrific outing!

Road bumps is a fitting theme from one with a degree in civil engineering, as today’s constructor has, according to his notes. I’ve done puzzles before with theme answers that require the bumpy gyration that today’s have, but what makes today’s stand out to me is that the bumps are over a particular word (ROAD). That’s a variation I don’t remember seeing before. Furthermore, each of the bumps is directly centered over ROAD, that is, over the letters OA, which had to make the construction even tougher. This is also a tight theme; I don’t think we’re going to see many alternative theme answers in the comments today. It’s also original – there’s never been a bump-in-the-road theme in any of the major crossword venues. In fact, BUMP IN THE ROAD is a debut answer not only in the Times, but in any of the major crossword venues. So, tight theme, lovely execution, and original. But, most importantly, how was the solve? I found it to be a lovely mix of footholds and resistance. Satisfied my brain’s work ethic in some places, brought the delight of quick figure-outs in others. So, a splendid outing, for which I’m grateful. Bravo, and high congratulations on your debut, Mat!

Well. There it is. A quintessential Thursday. Crafty theme, slippery and clever cluing, no-knows, all teaming up to create a riddle-fest. Totally Thursday, IMO, in difficulty level and trickiness. Marvelous concept! For me, cracking it brought a very satisfying aha. In the theme answers, I love how the marriage of Roman numerals and what they’re counting make legitimate words, so there’s no gibberish in the box. I liked seeing a clue that ended in “e.g.” – [Laudanum, e.g.] – echoing Tuesday’s terrific E.G. puzzle. I also liked the solving experience, a mix of quick-fill areas with brain-loving pesky ones. Most impressive for a debut, Yitzi. This was a wow. What the heck can you follow it up with? I can’t wait to see. Thank you for a puzzle that filled me with GRINs!

My ten favorite original clues of 2025 (in order of appearance): 1. [Switch hitter?] (7)(2)(5) 2. [Hunks of plastic?) (4) 3. ["Human beef" and "Chicken pox pie" on a menu, one hopes] (5) 4. [One who manages to get by?] (4) 5. [She's so full of herself!] (10) 6. [Pitches low and inside?] (6)(3) 7. [Phrase on ID tags] (6)(8) 8. [One whose hard work is showing?] (7) 9. [Way of getting online that might sound like "Beep beep beeHAW beeHAW beeeeeep SHRHRHRHRH"] (6) 10. [Drawer with knobs?] (4)(1)(6) FLICKER OF LIGHT John Kugelman KENS Jake Bunch TYPOS Ginny Too BOSS Katie Hale and Scott Hogan MATRYOSHKA Spencer Leach SUBWAY ADS Natan Last FAMOUS POTATOES Peter Gordon REALTOR Willa Angel Chen and Matthew Stock DIALUP Henry Lin-David ETCH A SKETCH NYT Editing Team (according to constructor Jim Burch)

Oh, the magnitude of what Kathy pulled off today! I'll try to explain... When you have answers that bend in right angles, as the circled words do, it greatly hampers the word possibilities that can go around them, because it constricts the possibilities in two directions, rather than the usual one. It is challenge enough to create a grid in which this happens five times, as today’s does. But then, Kathy also had the right-angled answers coming out of other answers – all long! – an addition of complexity which makes building this grid seemingly impossible. And she pulls it off! PLUS, she had to find four examples of truth-bending in which the beginning of a synonym for “truth” is embedded, such as the first five letters of HONESTY nested in PHONE SCAMS. What? Really?? Wow!!! I bow down to you today, Kathy. This puzzle is a triumph, the work of a master. And it was fun to solve for me because the theme’s layers unfolded in stages. Thank you – this was stunning!

[Puck, for one] CRAFTY FAIRY