Thursday, June 26, 2025, Simeon Seigel

The good thing about most crossword puzzles is that even when there is a trick like this, where the entries must be interpreted in a certain way to make sense with the clues, they will still be recognizable entries. SORESPOTS, for example, is an entry that looks fine per se, but in order for it to correspond to the clue "Sees / Espies," it must be read as "'S' or 'E' Spots." This strikes me as just the kind of thing that my friend Rob likes to complain about - as if wordplay were some kind of offensive or tedious thing. But he will never read this review, and so I can say that he is an idiot for thinking that. :) (Hi Rob!)

So anyway, because of this feature of most puzzles, I was able to complete the grid without fully realizing what was going on. Once I was finished, though, and could unlock the rest of my brain (I don't really know what goes on up there while I'm solving, but it's definitely shutting down certain processing centers), I could figure it out. And then once I did, I started thinking "Who comes up with this stuff?" And "Is Rob right?" :)

I liked the cluing on PATENTEE (Bell for the telephone, for one) and STEEPLE (Bell location, often). I'm not familiar with the PALOMA (Cocktail of tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda) but I would not turn it down if someone bought one for me. Oh, and what the heck is a SAMLET (Baby fish with pink, coho and sockeye varieties)! Since when is that a word? (And don't even start with "parr.")

- Horace 

Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Ben Zimmer and Zach Sherwin

A surprise Wednesday rebus perfect for finishing off the heat wave. CENTRALAC is something that I have never had. This morning at 6:45 or so, in fact, the thermometer in our house was at 85 when I looked at it. We will leave the windows open until around 8:00, then close everything down so it doesn't get any hotter. 

I enjoyed learning the term "California SOBER," and I went for RAGtAG instead of RAGBAG for "Miscellaneous collection." I guess the former is more of a pejorative for people, whereas the latter is, as here, for things. At least that's my ten-second research assessment.

If you haven't heard MAM[AC]CASS sing "Dream a Little Dream of Me," it's worth a listen. 

Good cluing today. "Bill promoting science education" (NYE) was an excellent example of a hidden capital, "Wear on earth?" (ERODE) was clever, and "A person's soul mate, with 'the'" was an excellent way to spice up ONE.

- Horace 

Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Ingrid Steffensen

Kind of a rebus-y Tuesday theme today. Old-school rebus, I mean, where you have to play with the words on the page. DOCKSDOCKS weirdly works with the first half of the clue, "A couple of places to secure boats ..." but you have to think of it as a "pair o' docks" for it to work with "a logical contradiction" (paradox). Fun! The other three work the same way, and then there's a little revealer at 54-Down, "Law firm aides, informally ... " (PARAS).  

In other news, it's always fun to be reminded of The Waste Land (APRIL (T.S. Eliot's (and the I.R.S.'s) "cruellest month")), and I love how "What's the USE?" is in the very center of the grid. A message for our times? Or mere coincidence...

Speaking of escapism, OPERAFAN reminds me that I haven't seen an opera in a while. Doing so might keep me from letting the news ENRAGE me to the point that I become a RIOTER.  

Ugh. I've got to stop caring. 

YEA (Word said in passing?) was clever, and ASSAI (Very, in music) was some deep notation trivia.

Fun Tuesday.

- Horace 

Monday, June 23, 2025, Zhouqin Burnikel

The theme today is a type of clue we decided to call a FIC, or a False Imperative Clue. To wit:

"Can it!" (DILLPICKLE)
"Zip it!" (SLEEPINGBAG)"
"Shut it!" (BEDROOMDOOR)
"Button it!" (DRESSSHIRT)

All four mean the English equivalent of ta gueule!, or, be quiet. Very nice.

Interesting inclusion of Steven Vincent BENÉT, of "John Brown's Body" fame. It's a funny thing that it became so famous with that first line: "John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave." 

SEAL (Stamp for a notary public) was timely for me, as I just used the services of a mobile notary public this past weekend. And I will never forget that the capital of Samoa is APIA. It's classic crosswordese, and at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament a few years ago I met someone who had lived there for a while. Apt!

OK, I gotta run. IHADABLAST. 

- Horace 

Sunday, June 22, 2025, Ruth Bloomfield and Hannah Margolin

BRINGING A PLUS ONE

One letter has been added to each wedding-related theme answer, and the result has been clued to fit the new meaning. As in,

SHAVETHEDATE - Make a partner's beard presentable for all the photos?
WEDDINGDURESS - Cause of many headaches while planning the big day?
and
GRIFTREGISTRY - Tool for a couple who intend to return everything and keep the money?

It's nice that they were able to do this with so many typical wedding things. My favorite is one of the shortest - CASHBARD (Poet hired to write the couple's vows in flowery verse?)

In other news, I enjoyed the negativity of NONE (Survey option) and "What's broken for a record?" (LAW). And I guess you could add INTER (Lay low?) to that list. Strange C/APs include "Much" for FAR and "Little nobodies" for TWERPS. And we haven't seen ONER (Real lulu) in ages, so that was a nice throwback. And to have it cross EELER is extra fun. 

I always appreciate quotes from Shakespeare, and today we got two: "'OWOE is me, to hvae seen what I have seen': Ophelia" and "'DENY thy father and refuse thy name': Juliet."

Didn't love it, didn't hate it.

- Horace 

Saturday, June 21, 2025, Christina Iverson and Doug Peterson

Knowing BOBSLED (Olympics event in which Germany is the traditional powerhouse) and then guessing BARBIEDREAMHOUSE (Crib for a doll) off of it really started things off well today, but putting in Strewn for "Scattered" (SPARSE), slowed things right back down again. Heh. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. You just have to LETITGO.

I had four siblings, but I never felt any SIBLINGRIVALRY (Fuel for a family feud). And isn't it funny how the diphthongs in "fuel" and "feud" are pronounced exactly the same but spelled differently? 

Another thing about me is that I loved putting KARO syrup on my pancakes when I was little. The clear one. It just looked so cool. Also when I was little, we sat at a "kids table" during big holiday meals, and some grown-up would come around and fill up our water glasses. Or milk glasses... or whatever we were drinking. And for some reason, if one of us thought we might get skipped, we would call out "Magic pour-er-er." But it would sound more like "magic pour-euh-euh." And my sister and I and my cousin still say it to this day when we want a refill. Wow. That's the kind of thing that goes through my mind when I see POURER (Sommelier, e.g.) in the grid.

So that's my review. I really enjoyed this one.

- Horace 

Friday, June 20, 2025, Adrianne Baik

Triple stacks today, all common enough. Not a "one" in sight. Here's the ranking:

WORDONTHESTREET  
HATERSGONNAHATE
ROYALOPERAHOUSE
EVERYVOTECOUNTS
THATANSWERSTHAT
ONINTIMATETERMS

"Part of many a car's dashboard" (CDSLOT) seems a tad dated, and this from someone who has both a CDSLOT and a cassette player in his car. TROMP (Trudge) is fun. "Its first sale was a flamingo-print zip pouch for $8" (ETSY) was some interesting trivia. As was "Queen Elizabeth owned over 30 of them" (CORGIS), but it makes me wonder what the exact number was. 

I guessed AYEayecapn for "Mate's reply" (AYECAPTAIN), and tried SpOOKed for "In a state" (SHOOKUP), but things righted themselves fairly quickly.

Overall, a quick, decent Friday.

- Horace