Saturday, May 2, 2026, Hanna Slovut-Einerston

Phew! This was one of those Saturdays where, a couple minutes in, I was panicking that I wouldn't finish. I started on the top with just ORA ("How We Do (Party)" singer Rita) and ARABIAN (Preceder of Sea or horse), and then RARER (Like the Aian elephant vis-à-vis the African elephant). And then just the BAN part of PERMABAN (Harshest punishment a website can give. And then nothing. I had considered "too long" for "How an annoying conversation might go," so I smiled when the answer turned out to be ONANDON. 

 

Finally the more interesting answers started to come in. AUNATUREL (Bare), TEMPORARYTATTOO (Disappearing ink?) (Should have seen this one sooner!), TENANTS (Residents without a title). They all seem to make perfect sense now.

I love me some Hamlet, so WORDS (When tripled, a response from Hamlet to Polonius) ("What do you read, my lord?") went right in. "One wrapping up a meal before eating anything" (BOA) was fun, and "Rounded up?" (DOMED) was cute. RAWBAR (Establishment that might have a "buck-a-shuck" promotion) reminded me that I haven't had oysters in quite a long time. The same is true for YORK Peppermint Patties, but somehow those don't have quite the same appeal.

SOANYWAYS, GOLDSTARS all around for finishing this one. Good job!

- Horace 

 

Friday, May 1, 2026, Rena Cohen

It's Friday, and the themed puzzles are over, but this one, anchored as it is by that COLLEGEROOMMATE running down the middle, feels like it may have a mini-theme. Or at least a vibe. To back this theory up I present as evidence THEMUNCHIES (A craving for snacks), the AP Bio trio - "Myosin's partner protein" (ACTIN), "Oxygen-dependent micro-organism" (AEROBE), and "There are approximately 30 trillion of these in the human body" (CELLS) - and then there's "Angle variable, in math" (THETA), and, well, that's it. Unless you will also allow the amusing and young-sounding COLDTAKES (Uncontroversial opinions). 

Us Olds don't need to hang down our heads, though, because we've got that classic #1 from 1958, Tom DOOLEY, the very mature sounding BANKAUDIT (Annual F.D.I.C. requirement), and everybody's favorite Dad-joke types, the PUNSTERS. 

I love the Aztec's "turtle-rabbit" name for ARMADILLOS. That is how I will be referring to them from now on. OCCAM would have loved it, had he ever seen one. 

There's a slight violence vibe with LOCKANDLOAD (Prepare, in military slang), CIAASSET (Plant overseas, perhaps) (nice clue), and "Combat sport, for short" (MMA), which, in this time of war, isn't the greatest, but I can MAKEBELIEVE it's all ok and focus on ART - the only thing that really matters in this crazy world. 

Best clue: "Announcements before giveaways" (SPOILERALERTS). 

- Horace

Thursday, April 30, 2026, Lance Enfinger and John Kugelman

Why have I never heard of the "Seafood dish known as the King of Salads," the CRABLOUIE? Why!? Google tells me it's a west coast thing, but I have a brother out there. Dave, why have you kept this from me?!

OK, rant over. 

What an odd theme! Three Oscar-winning movies are found in the shape of fish hooks, and they are "catching" three kinds of fish. Who thinks of these things? Anyway, I like it and I applaud it. Nice work messieurs Enfinger and Kugelman. 

There's a little bonus material, perhaps, in SHREK (First movie to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature), and in Oscar-winner CHER. 

I loved DOTBOMB (Mocking name for failed businesses of the early 2000s) - Hah! - and it's odd, isn't it, that an insurance company would name itself after a volcano (AETNA)? Would they even cover damage caused by an eruption? 

"What 'R' might stand for on an envelope" (RHODE) was fun. And "Class that might be all play and no work?" (DRAMA) was cute, and I get that they're just trying to be funny, but acting is work! 

Best clue: "Tag line" (YOUREIT) 
Runners up: "References as references" (CITES) and "Toys for tots, perhaps" (TYPO) 

- Horace 

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Joseph Gangi

Another amusing theme. Is it just me being happy to be back blogging these puzzles? Or have the themes been extra fun lately? Today’s is a cute play on dot coms, with normal words beginning with “com” being clued wackily to make them sound tech-related. As in, “*Assurance from an internet company?” (COMPROMISE), “*Exposure for an internet company” (COMPRESS), and my personal favorite, “*Illustrative story from an internet company” (COMPARABLE). Hah! 

In the fill, there were two entries that made me feel it was Wednesday – SPARGE, which is, apparently, to “Rinse with water, as grain in the brewing process,” and CABERS, the “Poles tossed in a Highland competition.” I vaguely remembered the second, but not the first. In my paper Webster’s from the ‘90s, it just gives “to splash or sprinkle,” from the Latin spargere, which means the same thing. I suppose it makes sense. I’m more familiar with the non-S variety, parge, which means to apply a thin coat of plaster or mortar to seal a wall. Interesting, right? This is what keeps you coming back to this blog! :)

To the list of things I didn’t know you may add the fact that Yoko ONO wrote something called “Mrs. Lennon,” and that Mao Zedong’s successor was named HUA Guofeng. Hopefully, I will now remember both. All.

Best clue: “Where seeds might be placed” (TOURNAMENT). But "Trait for a good waiter?" (PATIENCE) was also good, and funny, I'm guessing, because it's true.

- Horace

Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Hal Moore

This theme amused me. I smiled at CLOSEENOUGH (Not perfect, but acceptable) before I had any idea what was going on, and I laughed again at the revealer – “Like children, ideally, in an old adage … or a hint …” (SEENANDNOTHEARD). Hah! And upon further inspection, the word “seen” can be seen in the three long theme answers. What will they think of next? 

In the fill we have some nice entries in STRINGENT (Rigorous), GRAMMAR (Linguist’s concern), and PAPAYAS (Ingredients in some tropical smoothies). And a quality clue for the quaint word CANST (“____ thou not minister to a mind diseased?”: Macbeth). I recently saw a fantastic production of Macbeth at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. They really played up the dark side of the Scottish play.

It feels odd to see ARREAR (Overdue debt) in the singular, but there’s nothing wrong with it, I suppose. Everybody seems to like ARREAR. And speaking of - BRAS was a surprising answer to the innocent-sounding “Some supports.”

Speaking of clues, “Sink-or-swim competition?” was cute for WATERPOLO, if a little too much.

Had a couple little missteps, guessing TApaS instead of TACOS for “Some cantina fare,” and seeIN in place of ASKIN for “Welcome at the door, say,” but nothing that wasn’t fixed up in a jiffy. 

The amusing theme was good enough for me today. Nice Tuesday. What'd you think? 

- Horace 

Monday, April 27, 2026, Neville Fogarty

Four two-word answers where the first word starts with V an the second with R anchor the puzzle today, all lit up by the revealer answer VRHEADSET (Device worn by a video gamer ... or a hint to ...). I'm not all that familiar with the "Spinoff of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'" (VANDERPUMPRULES), but it is a Monday, and the crosses were all fair, as long as you remember that ELON is that North Carolina university.

I was actually happy to see the "dubious medical advice" ("Feed a cold, STARVE a fever"), because I think about that phrase every time I have a cold, and I can never remember which goes with which. I think usually I think about it as though it were alliterative and ending with "feed a fever," but I never actually do either, so I'm not sure why it rattles around in my head at all. Sigh.

Lots of classics today - EKE, UGG, ERMA, OHARE, RAVI, ITSY. A nice cozy Monday.

- Horace 

Sunday, April 26, 2026, Rebecca Goldstein

WELL-SUITED

Clever clues are given to normal phrases, most of which are not actually clothing-related, making them sound like things you could wear. KIDGLOVES, of course, are actual articles of clothing, but the phrase has become generic, and the use of the word "nanny" in the clue makes this one extra punny. I especially liked DUSTJACKET (Fashion item for an aspiring housekeeper?), and MARKETWATCH (... for an aspiring grocer?), but they're all pretty good.

I enjoyed ICETRAYS (Freeze frames?), and the fact that there are 14,000 species of ANT was interesting to learn. ATSIGNS (Name tags?) was cute, and "One clicking with an audience?" got a little guffaw.

I'm pretty sure I've never used the word DUAD (Pair), but maybe, just maybe, I have uttered OCTAD before. And I guess I just wasn't wowed by the fill in general. TITER, ESTA, TERABIT, INKMARK, INRE, YULES... 

Any mention of Tom LEHRER is good, though, and the theme did make me smile several times. So let's call it a wash.

SEEYA! 

- Horace