Pani Korunova

Ladies and gentlemen, I completed this Friday puzzle!! 🏆 There are many people I’d like to thank. Firstly, my mom for being the good southern woman who made many a meal with OKRA, and given her likely Nigerian origin, I got this clue right away. Secondly, my dad who bought us Black history board games that taught us about our people’s contributions to the world, so PHILLISWHEATLEY was a gimme. Thirdly, I will thank myself for knowing BOPS, UBERED, CUSS, ESPRESSOMARTINI, SELFIE and some more on the first pass. Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to thank Google, who led me to completion on obscure-to-me words like METIER, VERSOS, KOS, ERSE, and PEAT (as it relates to expensive whiskey). I was so relieved to hear that catchy tune because this one made me sweat! Bom dia, gente!

Sorry to be negative, but I disliked this puzzle. There was no joy in Mudville for this lady right here. I knew it would be a challenge — a welcome Saturday morning activity. This one, though, had so little I could suss out. So it’s a me problem? Yes, probably. However, I am not sure if other constructors will have us face UHOHOREO and the like in future crosswords. Yesterday’s puzzle was great — I didn’t have a single lookup, yet the synapses were firing left and right! I hope tomorrow’s puzzle is long, complicated, fun and challenging. Ok, I’ve set down my tiny violin 🎻. Thanks for your patience. Obrigada

Great debut, Anthony. Enjoyable puzzle with a likable theme. Also, kudos for placing TRAVIS and his lady love in the same puzzle without mentioning their relationship. 😎 AGLETS is one of the words I am always amazed that I remember. Have a good Monday, everyone!

I have considered giving up my current crossword streak and quitting the crossword community forever. I have had one too many struggles here. But, then I said: “Never gonna give you up, Never gonna let you down, Never gonna run around and desert you! Never gonna make you cry, Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!” You’ve just been Rickrolled! 🤣🥲🤣🤣 Okay, I’ll never have a STANDUPACT because that may have been the CHEESIEST, CORNiest use of Rick ASTLEY lyrics. Anyway, today seemed easier than yesterday to me but I got hung up on so many clues I ended up taking quite a long time. I enjoyed the puzzle more, though. Shout out to LISBOA, whose district is where I live. Still dealing with “Type A” flu, which the home doctor said is rampant throughout the district and the country. Keep that in mind if you’re traveling here. It’s a pretty rough strain. Adeus!

Now *this* is a crossword puzzle! I had so little filled in across that I just knew downs would come to the rescue. They didn’t. Then, sudden inspiration struck again and again until I was suddenly in the southeast corner thinking it was all over for me. Surely, FUR wasn’t the [bear necessity]. It was! I only knew NERFING because of a NYT Gen Z quiz (my kids aren’t big gamers so I don’t know the lingo). I feel like an absolute genius for this smooth solve. WHOKNEW? 🤣 AARP won’t get me yet! Unfortunately, I get exactly one day of this feeling because, like LSD, Saturday’s puzzle will surely change my perspective. I’ll return to my usual status of cruciverbal PEON. Welp, I have a HOTDATE with my electric blanket because it’s so cold. Adeus, as minhas palavras amigas!

Hmm 🤔 I just saw MAO, OMELETTE, CERA and KOI within a week. Why does this happen (seriously)? I only know Posh (because of her hubby) and Mel B. Other Spice Girls are a mystery. As of today I can name one song: 2 BECOME 1. Did I miss much? Speaking of missing, I sure do miss George Michael of WHAM. He was a crush during my early teen years. I didn’t care that he’d never be interested in me, lol. I’m looking forward to Carnival again this year. The one in my town is said to be the best in Portugal. It’s so much fun 🤩 💃🏾 🎉. OHYOUHAVENOIDEA about the goings on! Then, we sober up and get serious with LENT. Bom terça-feira!

Ok, I got it and it was my fault. After many comical attempts at turning the safe locks, I checked the puzzle for the millionth time and, voila, there was a typo! I had crog for CROW! The 🎶 played and then the locks started turning! Gimmicky but fun! Of course I was spoiled for choices for 62D, “Noted export of Portugal.” I put port but that seemed to be wrong for the clue. Of course it is TILE. If you are ever here, I recommend going to the Tile Museum in Lisbon. Since it’s so deeply part of the culture here, a museum dedicated to tile is anything but boring. It follows tile production back nearly 1,000 years to modern designs. I live in a very Portuguese house, and there are tiles everywhere. The whole kitchen, every bathroom, the floors, the walls — all tile. The other floors are also tile. They commit to a material! The house is cool in the summer and retains heat from the fireplaces in the winter. Good thinking, Portuguese! Feliz domingo!

Merry Christmas 🎄! Feliz Natal! Happy Hanukkah 🕎 Gee, I thought this was like a Monday… until it wasn’t! I tried “emigree”, “escapee”, “refugee” — all obviously wrong — until the fairly obvious EVACUEE came to mind. SEDANS was a clever misdirection. I was worried that my alma mater would have been erroneously used for 12A — it’s in Pennsylvania but nowhere near the Allegheny River or PITT. I was ready for a scrap until the correct answer emerged 😊 Regarding Christmas trees, there are no cut Christmas trees in Portugal, so it’s a moot point for us. There are some potted trees in stores like Leroy Merlin (our Lowe’s). Otherwise, everyone buys and *keeps* artificial trees. The Portuguese people have a very odd Christmas legend. Their Santa Claus is Pai Natal. It’s said that if butter is not left out for him, he will eat the toes of the little ones 😫😳😳🫣. Yikes!!! Gotta go set out some butter… Boas Festas! 🎁

I miss the era when BTS was just everywhere. Those boys are so wholesome and nice. My daughter is still crazy about them. She also has been singing every Alicia Keys song since she was four. I mean belting them out! ISSARAE is one beautiful and talented person 😍. I’ll watch anything she plays in or produces. I’d hoped that her role of President Barbie would have been prescient but, *sigh* that was not to be. I don’t hear MEWS coming out of our litter boxes, just scratching and litter getting CAST onto the floor. It’s a small price to pay for all the purrs and snuggles 😻.

Whew! I also collaborated — with Google and Caitlin’s column. ‘Twas a humbling experience, and a reminder that I have quite a way to go before I’m a seasoned cruciverbalist. It’s Saturday, amigos! I got COLLEGEGRAD, TITOPUENTE and ORIONNEBULA first, which helped verify some of my inklings on acrosses. Still, I ultimately had to reach for help, which Deb says isn’t cheating 🙇🏽‍♀️. I did get the majority on my own, which is something of a victory! @Lewis, congratulations on your and Barbara’s success!!

Oh, I finally figured out why my first two attempts were emu fodder: 54D! Come on, it’s so common that the words no longer have a wash-your-mouth-with-soap impact. 🙄 Anyway, I loved the puzzle. A no-lookup Thursday is a win. As I mentioned in earlier editions, the King KAMEHAMEHA entry brings back many fond memories of trips to Hawaii. I turned down a teaching position on Oahu. I often wonder what my life would have been like had I settled down there. Bravo 👏🏾 GULFOFMEXICO! Loved crossing of DEMOTAPE and MIX. Of course, people also use mixtape. Wishing everyone except the dude with a bad case of EGOISM a bom dia.

I loved this puzzle so much I was positively giddy filling it in. Things that brought a smile (asterisks so it can pass the pop emu quiz): OHDA** - I say that a lot IH**EYOU- when a friend or my daughter looks really pretty, I’m quick to tell them how much hate I have for them 😂 SNL — the Eddie Murphy reference. Love some Eddie! LOVELANGUAGES — If you are a fan of the hysterical Pop the Balloon on You Tube, perhaps you are also surprised by how many men know their love languages. <a href="https://youtu.be/Hok1bMInu9E?si=WWnQu-V-AQugmQVA" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Hok1bMInu9E?si=WWnQu-V-AQugmQVA</a> GALENTINESDAY - thank you Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones for this holiday that far surpasses Festivus in popularity. We celebrate it whenever a friend is newly single. LOCS - The scream I let out when I saw the clue [Protective hairstyle, familiarly] and the answer! I’m in shock 😳. I wish to thank Rose Conlon for this challenging-yet-familiar puzzle, and the NYT team for publishing it. More, please! 🙏🏾

Olá e bom dia! I’m going to do a little celebration 🎉 🎊 of my own because I usually dread Thursdays due to an impossible-to-fathom gimmick or loads of info outside of my wheelhouse. Not today!! I sailed through today’s puzzle like an experienced sailor on a wind-assisted speedboat 🚤 💨! No lookups and my fastest Thursday ever. 🥳 Ok, a couple points…. @Deb In your column you suggest imagining a tilde. Why, when Portuguese exists? In the Portuguese language, guess what 12 months means? 12 meses. One year? Um ano (no tilde)! It’s not always Spanish 😄. Also, Garret or Joel, I would have loved to see 34A clued as [sexual predilection] or [cause of a stiff neck], speaking as someone with tightly curled hair. I only have heard that term used pejoratively to describe hair like mine (or as in-group humor). Otherwise, I adored this puzzle and I applaud 👏🏾 Garret’s tenacity and resilience. Adeus!

Enjoyable! My time was longer because I kept dozing off. I also got stuck on WORLDBEATER (🙄🙄🙄) and MAA (again). I guess my children are still *kids* because I hear MAA all the time. Would that make me the G.O.A.T.? (insert groan here). Hey, ITOOKASHOTAT it! Crossword puzzles always have at least one eerie clue. Today’s “weird to see that” is DRANO. We have a clogged kitchen sink that we just can’t clear. The Liquid Plumber equivalents here in Portugal are not working. Hubby took apart pipes, and even used the snake (or “cobra” in Portuguese 🐍). It’s still backing up. I’m guessing one more week until he calls a plumber to finally GETITDONE. Bom dia

Yes, I am in the “felt like Tuesday” camp which is also an “I loved it” camp! There were some names I didn’t know and had to rely upon crossings to get. One clue made me cry 😭 like a toddler: WAWA. Not because I didn’t like it but rather because I am reminded that I won’t be eating a delicious hoagie or bowl of soup from WAWA any time soon 😩. If you have lived in Pennsylvania or New Jersey and then moved away from the region (or country, in my case) you may understand. You’d get a little rumble in the tummy but it’d be easily resolved by pulling into your nearest WAWA and ordering on that wonderful little kiosk. Then you’d stroll over and make yourself a huge coffee with a plethora of creams and other fixins. Go pay for it all, and then grab your food and go. How I miss that!! In Portugal, where I otherwise happily live, one goes to a cafe or restaurant and properly sits down to eat for ridiculously long, relaxing time. No wait staff will bother you until you ask. The food is fresh, and the coffee was just beans just moments ago. The bill will be shockingly inexpensive. However, the American in me would love to go to a WAWA again, but may that fast-paced culture never spoil Portugal.

Hello out there! Today’s talk, sponsored by TEDX, is how to go from a nearly blank grid to a full one. You start with a puzzle by Rebecca Goldstein. Then you close your eyes and turn the clue around five ways. Maybe add an OHM (not of the electrical kind). Finally, in tres, dos, UNO you’re solving! That ☝🏾 didn’t work for you? What can I say? I decided to COMMITTOTHEBIT 🤷🏽‍♀️ PS: NOTIP or NOTIPs? Thoughts?

Harumph 😤. I was sailing along preparing for a record-setting finish and — no music. It had to be LIMN because I was already worried about that. Unfamiliar with the term, I inspected every crossing and they checked out. 😤 Then, I looked at MAXIMUs. I’d wanted to put MAXIMUM but the crossing wouldn’t work. Tick, tick, tick. Being no math wiz, I trusted ABYSs more than MAXIMUM. Back to fly specking. Finally, in frustration, I placed an M to make ABYSM. 🎶!! What in the world?? An error? I flew to the column to learn about that ABYSMal word’s existence. Usually I like learning new words. Today felt like the LEAST SWELL bit of knowledge I have attained in a while. LATERALSYMMETRY my Aunt Sally! 😤 Anyway, some of the other clues were nostalgic. IAMSAM were the first words I ever read. Thanks, MAMMA, for buying Green Eggs and Ham because I was bored, bored, bored playing by myself at home before beginning school. Unlocking reading was my ticket to amazing new worlds. I still finished faster than my usual Wednesday time, so I will stop fussing about ABYSM. 😝 Happy Wednesday!

I grinned when I saw Alex’s name on a Tuesday puzzle because I knew it would be a delight! I waffled between Rubbermaid and TUPPERWARE at my first pass through. They both fit, but as soon as I peeped the theme, it was clear. Speaking of the theme (and adhering to Sam’s warning), it’s been a new experience phone banking for an organization that helps Americans who live abroad cast their ballots. I wanted to make calls in 2008 but I had a house full of noisy kids, dogs and cats. Now I just have cats (and a loudish hubby), so I can manage. It’s scary making the calls, but very important! Living in Europe, the word SOCIALIST doesn’t strike fear in people’s hearts as it does in the US. I guess people understand the definitions behind the scare tactics used in the US. Also, they aren’t limited by TWOPARTYSYSYEMS. The folks here are watching our election like hawks! Happy Tuesday!

Add me to the JAKE/JAPE group — I maintain that CAKE/CAPE is just as plausible, although any fellow reader or watcher of Games of Thrones will have heard JAPE many times. I implore anyone in @andrjez’ boat to take this whole solving activity as a learning opportunity. Many of the clues elude those of us who were born and raised in the US, especially (for me) sports clues. I would have lost a million dollars if someone offered me that for saying when the NBA DRAFT is held! I never fully caught on to the theme but 🤷🏽‍♀️. Finally, I get a clue from my experience of living in Portugal! The RIA FORMOSA is one of this country’s seven natural wonders. It’s in the Algarve, so I suggest visiting in the off season.

Enjoyed this puzzle so much better than yesterday’s. Finished quickly, despite a slow start. Maybe because this feels like my generation’s puzzle (Gen X). Steve L is right, Deb. PITSTOP was undoubtedly about a place to re-tire a race car 🏎️. Fun fact: I haven’t owned a clothes DRYER since moving to Portugal two years ago. I wash my clothes in a fancy washing machine (máquina de lavar roupa, in the kitchen of course) and then take them onto an adjacent veranda where I hang them out to dry like a typical Portuguese person. It’s soooo relaxing and the clothes are so fresh! I save money and help the environment. The clothes last longer, too, I think. I never imagined myself doing this but here I am! I was slowed down a bit in my solving due to my characteristic stubbornness, for example insisting on eRNURSE instead of ORNURSE. Also, I was convinced Burna Boy’s genre would have been AFROrap instead of AFROPOP but that was GenX popping out instead of GenZ! Fun Friday 😊. Another good one, Colin!

This is my favorite type of crossword puzzle: One that I feel has me completely bested until I finally find a foothold. I knew RKO but nothing else until I saw “Star Tre_” — then I felt some glimmer of hope. You see, I’m that nerd who will get darned near anything to do with the Star Trek universe. Naturally, I nearly passed out when I saw one of my favorite characters, Deanna TROI, in 1D! Hit a few more crosses, then went to town on the downs. The Kangaroo phrases were absolutely delightful! I had trouble with GOLEM because I didn’t know it or the cross ROENTEGENS, so the last fill (O) was through guesses. Fun, fun, fun!! 🤩

This was an okay Monday imo. I enjoyed seeing TESSA Thompson on the grid. I wonder if finding their names in a NYT crossword puzzle feels surreal to SASHA and Malia Ann Obama 🤔. It seems as if 16A [Suitemate, e.g.] might have needed a qualifier like “informally” or some such because ROOMIE is a relaxed word for roommate. I wonder what others think about it. FEDERALGRANTS may soon be a thing of the past and, yes, I’m in mourning about it. So much research, creativity and entrepreneurial success emanated from these various federally funded programs. It would be an unthinkable loss. The whole situation is getting DIRE. I worked myself into needing a TREEPOSE! Have a good week to everyone except… well, you know 😁.

Tuesday was more difficult at first for me, and then fell neatly and quickly into place. LINUX popped up like magic but DOGE, MEATTORNADO and a couple others took longer. There was a time when I would have called my daughter from across time zones to tell her BTS was mentioned. Friends, I lived through a level of fanaticism with her that I would have thought was a gross exaggeration if I saw it on television or read it in a book! Every cell in her body was BTS coded 🤣. She talked about “the boys” all day, everyday. She spent her part time job money on exorbitant concert tickets. She ~camped out in a tent~ outside said concerts, along with a throng of other fanatics. She knew every detail about every group member. It was exhausting as a mom, but bittersweet. Now, she’s a grown lady living 3,700 miles away from me with a career, a partner, bills and a whole life that I’m about 5% aware of. *Sigh* Anyway, if that LITANY of complaints about those fan years doesn’t make me drink a morning COSMO 🍹🍸🍷 then I think I’m safe 😊. Have a great day, everyone!

Hey, Deb! I’ve live-solved Thursday puzzles along with you and celebrity guests on You Tube so, seeing how agile your thinking is, there’s no surprise that you found this puzzle less than thrilling. I, on the other hand, loved it! My less-than-agile brain was wracked trying to figure out where the rebus would fall until it cleared like Lisbon fog. Quite an enjoyable process. My personal mystery: How in Sam Hill did ARTE pop into my head? I mean, how? I was barely a toddler when the show ended its run, according to a post-solve quest to figure out this mystery. The brain is a curious organ, indeed. To be a Debbie Downer, I fear come November WERESCREWED. If the outcome goes the way it appears, THESCREAM I’ll make will be heard from Lisbon to San Francisco. Adeus!

I wanted this puzzle to last for a much longer time. It was a hoot, except for 38A which caused me to knit my brow and frown in disgust. Otherwise, it was like a glass of fresh lemonade on a hot day. A company I once worked for used to sponsor the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal event and subsequent reception. As a result, I got to know some amazing contributors to the arts and civil rights. The most memorable night was when I spent an evening with Dr Maya Angelou, enjoying her, her son and her friend, Oprah Winfrey. Glad I have photos because that era of my life is starting to feel like a fever dream. Bom dia, amigos!

Pretty darn amusing. Caught the rebus on NE(POT)ISM so it was fairly smooth after that. My ROAD bumps was the crossing of ECSEGAR and EROICA. That J.A.S.A. crossword construction class sounds pretty cool. I imagined retired academics in their DOTAGE keeping their minds sharp. “Good for them,” I thought. That’s until Deb said 55 and up. Then I realized I, too, am a retired academic in my DOTAGE keeping my mind sharp! 🙇🏽‍♀️ If I think I’m still young, I’d better DREAMON! On a different note, I know there won’t be any POTHOLES on the ROADs in my South Carolina hometown that is still blanketed with snow. Why? Because they have no snow plows or salt to clear the streets. Everyone is supposed to just stay home. To be fair, it hasn’t snowed there in 25 years, and rarely before then. Stay warm and dry!

How I loved this puzzle! I knew it was Erik when I reached my favorite Sci Fi author, OCTAVIA Butler. I was already cheesing for GRINER and BILES. Then VIVICA, SHACARRI and STELLA? I was in heaven 🙌🏾! By the way, OCTAVIA Butler wrote the PATTERNist series, which I’m one book short of completing because a title, Survivor, is out of print. She didn’t like it after it was initially published so she had future printings halted. Ms Butler, who died in 2006 at age 53, famously wrote Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. If you want a look at “elections have consequences,” check out these eerily prescient books. 📚 We need a win after a tough few weeks/centuries. The enjoyment I felt from this puzzle was — finally — something I could smile about. Yes, we have to keep hope ALIVE!

So, I didn’t catch the theme until the end but it was pretty cool. It reminded me of the MIRO museum in Barcelona, where I also visited the Picasso Museum and the Sagrada Familia. The latter is almost finally finished, and is just so breathtaking. Speaking of churches, I thought there would be at least some SOTTO voce grumbling about multiple religious references — PEW, PSALM, ARKS, MATTHEW and even EASTEREGG. I thought it was charming. I see, however, that the expected complaints about *two* rapper clues is a train that arrived as scheduled. Sad that it’s not viewed as a learning opportunity. To contradict myself, please please please don’t construct an all-sports puzzle, as hinted at by today’s constructors. That will be the day my streak ends and my migraine will win 🤕. It also may be the day when I begin constructing my all hip hop all RANDB puzzle in retaliation 🤣🤣🤣. Bom dia ☀️

Since I had no idea about the themed clues (I don’t read music, though I do a bit now 🤣) crossings were my friends! I particularly enjoyed the mini math problem on 41A. I finally got to say NIHAO! I learned that and a few more Mandarin words from “Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat,” the animated series that ran on PBS for a couple years at the beginning of the millennium. It was based on a children’s book of the same name by one of my favorite authors, Amy Tan. Crossword puzzles are such an amazing way to learn new things. This one somehow allowed a personal best time though I was in learning mode. Loved it!

Reading Rich Norris’ bona fides led me to the decision to bite my tongue. I’m a mere solver whose ability to handle late-week puzzles is finally trending upward. Additionally, I imagine lots of entries were left in by Joel out of deference. Perhaps a few modern entries were thrown in so the cobweb load would be relieved. So instead of complaining, I will go do that oh-so-common activity of driving to the post office for CLEARTAPE. If it’s not there, I guess I’ll listen to some BOOKSONCD and call it a day. 🤷🏽‍♀️

OLÁ again. You’re welcome 😉.

This puzzle was such a delight! I got LEFTYLOOSEY RIGHTYTIGHTY and SCREWDRIVERS right away, which was a confidence boost (doesn’t take much). Sailed through, only to hit snags with SRI (I was convinced it was “san.”) and CUE (I inexplicably had “axe” lol). Y’all, I’m so stoked about my trip this week to Barcelona and Lyon. I’ve never been to France! The puzzle seemed to know this: ETRE, AMI, BERETS! C’est fantastique! Oh yeah, I finally got to use VOLT 😜. Loved the super clever puzzle, Rich.

Was this Wednesday? It was so frunchy (did we make that portmanteau a thing?)! Great job, Landon. I had to chuckle at 14D because on the group chat my kids had a big laugh at how I hold GRUDGES for them that they have long forgotten. Me: “Remember when Emilie grabbed your arm in fourth grade and pulled you down the hallway?” Daughter: “Um, no” Me: “Isn’t that the guy who tried to embarrass you in front of the soldiers in your squad?” Son: “When?” Me: “In November of 2023, right before your Thanksgiving leave.” Heaven HELPME to bite my tongue when I see those “offenders” 😂 Yeah, I’m a LOCO (but actually harmless) MAMA bear 🐻 Have a great day, everyone!

OMG I am in love 😍! I loved this puzzle so much I was positively giddy filling it in. This has simultaneously been the best and worst Black History Month in a long while. As I completed today’s puzzle, I became convinced that the constructor is a Black American woman, like me. If that’s true, it’ll be the icing on the cake of this very eventful February. Things that brought a smile: OHDAMN - I say that a lot IHATEYOU - when a friend or my daughter looks really pretty, I’m quick to tell them how much hate I have for them 😂 SNL — the Eddie Murphy reference. Love some Eddie! LOVELANGUAGES — If you are a fan of the hysterical Pop the Balloon on You Tube, perhaps you are also surprised by how many men know their love languages. <a href="https://youtu.be/Hok1bMInu9E?si=WWnQu-V-AQugmQVA" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Hok1bMInu9E?si=WWnQu-V-AQugmQVA</a> GALENTINESDAY - did this start on Sex and the City? We celebrate it whenever a friend is newly single LOCS - The scream I let out when I saw the clue [Protective hairstyle, familiarly] and the answer! I’m in shock 😳. I wish to thank Rose Conlon for this challenging-yet-familiar puzzle, and the NYT team for publishing it. More, please! 🙏🏾

Wednesday wordplay! Sorry not sorry but I was thrilled to see FOURHLEADER in today’s puzzle. Although it’s been pointed out that 4-H is international, this organization was part of many happy childhood memories in the US. Bless my southern heart, my sewing stitch work made it to state competition. In SC of the late 1970s, that was no mean feat 😄. I also have memories of 4-H away camp, the county fair and so much more. Thank you, Mr Wiegmann, for that blast from the past! Despite my youthful amateur sewing prowess, I had no clue what the second number on a pants tag was. For some odd reason I put INSEts (??), which messed up the taunting laugh as well as most of Nebraska. Fortunately, I got the IDEA 💡after the only logical answer for Nebraska FARMLAND! Have a great day everyone, especially Mr Shortz!

Yay, yay this was my day. Personal best time with a puzzle really in my wheelhouse. I loved it. I nearly leaped out of bed when I saw 35 across! Finally, my husband’s Slovak heritage proves helpful! I knew it was KAREL right away, which helped with other crossings. Czechia and Slovakia were one country for many years, Czechoslovakia, until their 1993 “Velvet Divorce.” Like Portuguese and Spanish, many words in the two countries are the same. Hubby says Slovaks can understand Czech, but Czechs can’t understand Slovak. Portuguese people say the same thing about Spanish, which I am finding true. ASADA, OLE, SENOR, and CHICA were gimmes (see above). Interesting to learn about CASABAs and mullions. Enjoyable Wednesday puzzle and a fine debut!

I thought Kelly’s puzzle was going to do me in! On the first three passes, my entries were as shaky as cryptocurrency. But then, out of the BLUE, some crosses took hold and I grinned my way to a fast finish. Seeing 10D LIN reappear so soon helped me get going. Fun! I did get flashbacks from BURSAR. As an impoverished scholarship student at a very expensive northeastern university, I was frequently camped out in the BURSAR’s office. I had to make sure the scholarship hit and wait for my Pell Grant refund to pay for my room and board. I am so grateful that my own kids never experienced such financial anxiety while attending college. The backstory of the sea urchin turning up on EBAY is pretty cool. <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelopleurus_exquisitus" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coelopleurus_exquisitus</a> Here’s hoping you have a healthy dose of LEVITY today 🥂

Enjoyable though it was a bit tougher for me than other commenters. I couldn’t get DOLMA (never heard of it) because I was convinced 53A was “orbs” instead of LOBS. I had “faa” for AAA because I was thinking of aircraft control towers being overseen by the faa. I still haven’t clicked on AAA 🤪. That with what would become ELLY gives an idea of the mess I’d made of the lower third of the puzzle. However, the long answers were familiar enough to help me untangle the bottom section. I liked REMAINANONYMOUS helping me at the bottom. The top long ones came pretty easily, too. Something funny about people whose names are JOÃO here in Portugal (every other man’s name btw). I have had *several* of them independently and haughtily assert to me that I, a native English speaker, could never pronounce their name correctly. I proceed to say it properly. Their response 100% of the time? *Oh.* Then they move on to the business at hand without acknowledging my prowess with the nasality of the word 💅🏾! I laugh out loud now when it happens. Have a great day everyone except JOÃOs 😜!

What are ARCTICS? Otherwise, super easy (but still enjoyable) Wednesday puzzle! Alert 🚨 REUTERS: I’m going to be a Glamma for the first time! My son, who did his graduate studies at GEORGEMASON, and his wife are expecting a baby! She’s PREGGO and they are expecting me to leave Europe to take care of the tot. Mixed feelings. Maybe I can whip up some FUDGE and eat my feelings. Seems like only yesterday when my son was doing SATPREP. This puzzle was definitely an EASYA — LATER! ✌🏾

Kareem 👋🏾! Look at you, making a Wednesday rebus that was enjoyable. When I saw RALLYCAR it made me miss my Subaru WRX, one of three cars I sold before moving to Europe. The young fellas used to say, “Wow, you’re cool!” and want to race me. It had such great acceleration, an awesome sunroof and a great aftermarket sound system 🎶 . Good times! NURSEMIDWIFE brought to mind that many of the women of my family had a long tradition of being MIDladies, as they were called. They were needed because due to segregation in the south, the pregnant women in my community were not allowed to give birth in the hospitals. It skipped a generation, but there’s now an over representation of RNs, Nurse Practitioners, Veterinary Nurses, and LPNs among the younger generation of my extended family. Enjoyable Wednesday!