Thursday, July 2, 2026, David J. Kahn

The semiquincentennial is starting early! Today we have the postal code for all thirteen original colonies in rebus form scattered throughout the grid. I caught on to the trick on the BE[NJ]AMIN (10 Hamiltons) / [PA]T[RI]OTS (American Revolution heroes) line, and really, it might have been [PA]ULA (Comedian Poundstone) that really forced my hand, as there can only be one answer to that, and it doesn't fit in four boxes. In other places, like 3-Down, I was able to answer "Ordinary" with PLAInold instead of PLAI[NJ]ANE.

I like how Mr. Kahn was able to include so many bonus, America-related words, like [MA]DISONS, [DE]LE[GA]TIONS, ELE[CT], U[SC]ENSUS, SENATOR, and even IOWA. And for good measure, and I'm sure because I am in Italy, he also threw in PIZZA and CANNOLI. Thanks, Dave! :)

I look forward to two more 'Murica-related puzzles on Friday and Saturday, and maybe even a big, colorful one full of fireworks on Sunday, but if that happens, it'll be Colum who gets to talk about it.

See you tomorrow!

- Horace
 

Wednesday, July 1, 2026, Jeffrey Martinovic

Wormholes do exist! Today one snakes through the middle of the grid, connecting two completely walled off segments that are mirror images of each other. And we have, essentially, two revealers at the bottom - PARALLELUNIVERSE and ALTERNATEREALITY. It's pretty cool. When I realized that all the Downs in the NW and NE were the same, I half expected a similar thing to occur elsewhere in the puzzle, but no, it's just those two sections. The rest plays like a themeless, aside from the two 16-letter grid spanners.

"Bed for fish?" (SUSHIRICE) was very good. SALIVATE (Get ready for dinner, say) was a little much. And "Position in a bridge game" (SEAT) was odd, and tricky, as I wanted a compass point there.

Is it just me, or were there a lot of deception-related entries, like "Double-crosser" (RAT), WHITELIE (It's just a little bit off), "Dodge deceptively" (EVADE), "Trickster" (CONARTIST), and "Places where people are usually lying, for short" (ERS). Hah!

Fun Wednesday.

- Horace 

Tuesday, June 30, 2026, John Liber

My favorite clue today as I was solving was "Warning before your breaking point?" (ADOUT). That's a clever clue. Aside from that, though, most of them are fairly straightforward. I was briefly mad about "Easily broken" for FRAIL, because I mostly think about that adjective being used for people, but I looked it up and they gave some examples like "frail boats in a storm," and "a nations's frail economy," so I had to reconsider.

The theme of EMPTYWORDS, or "words that start with M and T" was fine. MACHINETOOLS was maybe the least "in the language," but it's perfectly cromulent. I have been meaning to sign up for an introductory class to learn to use the MACHINETOOLS at a maker space I joined, but I have not yet found the time.

I thought the upper middle was the weirdest, with its WIIU (Nintendo Switch predecessor), HOGCALLS ("Sooooey!" and "Here, piggy, piggy!"), and OUGHTTO (Really should). And can you look at GODARK (Suddenly cease all communication) without seeing it as "God ark?"

OK, I need to get on the road. Today's seven-hour drive from Rome to the Veneto will be a test of just how many espressos one human body can endure. 

See you tomorrow! Hopefully.

- Horace 

Monday, June 29, 2026, Ginny Too and Rajeswari Rajamani

A smile-inducing, reduplicative theme today. The only theme answer that I have heard in normal conversation is SPARRINGRING, but the others are all valid, at least in a crossword puzzle valid kind of way. 

DEVICEVICE - Screen addiction, e.g.
SPARRINGRING - Where boxers trade jabs
INTELLIGENTGENT - Clever chap
NOBELISTLIST - Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Linus Pauling, Martin Luther King Jr. and so on
FELINELINE - "Meow, meow, meow!," e.g.

OK, FELINELINE is borderline. And speaking of, my niece's son is trying to get us to a cat cafe today. It's his last day with us in Rome, and the two items on the agenda are getting into the Pantheon, and getting to the cat cafe. And then if there's time, maybe the Appian Way. 

Doesn't it seem like a cat cafe would be a better fit in EGYPT? 

ROUE (Hedonistic sort) is a bit of an outlier on a Monday, and I wasn't sure whether they'd want ISLES or islas for "Majorca and Minorca," but things worked themselves out. 

A breezy Monday. I think Frannie takes over tomorrow, and I'll see you in a few.

- Horace 

Sunday, June 28, 2026, Rebecca Goldstein and Christina Iverson

DOWN IN THE VALLEY

Remember Valley Girl speak? When was that? The eighties? It always makes me think of Moon Unit Zappa, I guess because her father had that hit song about it... Anyway, I hope you do remember it, because the theme today relies on the use of the word "like." It's like, in every theme answer, but then it's like a normal phrase that's, like, clued to make it like, totally mean something different. 

Let's like, check them out.

"Was an employee at IHOP, in Valleyspeak? SOLDLIKEHOTCAKES
"Fanned some Egyptian royalty, in Valleyspeak? SHOOKLIKEALEAF
"Did some birding, in Valleyspeak?" WATCHEDLIKEAHAWK
"Hitchhiked with a hangnail, in Valleyspeak? STUCKOUTLIKEASORETHUMB
"Made some outfielder errors, in Valleyspeak? DROPPEDLIKEFLIES
"Prepared some new pet fish, in Valleyspeak? BUILTLIKEATANK
"Performed some witchcraft, in Valleyspeak? WORKEDLIKEACHARM

Fer sure, those are all totally bitchin'. I shouldn't be surprised, though, when I look at the byline. Rebecca Goldstein and Christina Iverson are like, crossword superstars or whatever. And there's hardly any grody fill at all. Nothing to be SOREAT or LASHAT, and LOTSOF C/APs to LAUD like "One acting on impulse?" (AXON), "They shine during the day" (SOAPSTARS), and "Time to give up?" (LENT). 

Finally, I will say that it was nice to see PAX in the puzzle, because I don't think I've mentioned lately that we are in Rome, birthplace of the PAX Romana! I used to have a t-shirt when I was younger that I bought out of the back pages of Soldier of Fortune magazine that read "Peace through superior firepower." I wore it ironically, but it's kind of like, true or whatever. 

- Horace 

 

Saturday, June 27, 2026, Adrian Johnson

WHATATREAT to get two good themeless puzzles back-to-back. That NW stack is so good. DESERTISLE, ONEPOTMEAL, and the fabulous HOWABOUTNO ("What if we just ... didn't?"). I'm guessing Adrian Johnson was pretty happy when that came together. 

In other areas, my favorite entries were LEGOBATMAN (Toy adorned with a tiny rubber cape), THROWBACKS (Homages to a prior era), and "Dancer's restraint?" (REIN) (hidden capital!). I could have done without WARCABINET (Defense council?) and RAJ (British ____ (colonial rule of India)), but it's all just words, right? 

And I loved the straightforwardness of "Out" (NOTIN). And I've never heard "Cock-a-hoop" (GLAD) before. Where did that come from?

Looking forward to being able to say I ATE a HEN when I get back to the States. :)

Ciao for niao! 

- Horace 

Friday, June 26, 2026, Spencer Leach

OKSO, all week I've been saying that I have been enjoying the themed puzzles, and I've been thinking maybe I should stop saying I prefer themeless after all, but then I do a puzzle like today's and I'm back where I started. This thing was great right from the start. The paired 2- and 3-Down - "Expert on cosmos" (MIXOLOGIST) (a great clue on its own) and "Expert on the cosmos" (ASTRONOMER). Laying those side-by-side, and then running the Scrabbly XMAS and EXTRALARGEPIZZA (Biggest restaurant size that nevertheless is often topped?) (Very nice) through them is a real coup.

It got a little computer-nerdy with "Logic gate that is only on when neither input is in" (NOR) and "Unlikely scenarios, in techspeak" (EDGECASES), but then I really liked "Current affairs" (ELECTRODYNAMICS), so I shouldn't complain too much.

I really have to run, because we are going to get to St. Peter's as early as possible this morning to try to beat the torrents of tourists swarming in Rome despite the 90+ degree weather. I know, I know, I'm part of the problem... but still... I'm not sure WAYMO exists in Rome, so we're taking a local train one stop, from Trastevere to San Pietro. Wish us luck.

Seriously, though, this was great. Thanks, Mr. Leach. I'll be watching for your name in the future.

- Horace