Saturday, May 3, 2025, Michael Lieberman

A big gimme at 1-Across started this one off well. If you haven't read ANIMALFARM (Source of the line "Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend"), do yourself a favor and get a copy out of your local library. It's apt that it appears in a puzzle with SSR (Onetime union member: Abbr.), but LETSFACEIT, it could be applied to other countries as well. (SOS!)

"How some people self-identify" (ITSME) was cute, and I hadn't heard the term PREHAB (Physical therapy before an operation, familiarly), which is also cute. And even though I am currently a member of a place called the Artisans Asylum, I spelled ARTISANAL (Made using traditional methods) wrong (ARTISiNAL), and I had guessed LOSERbuYS (LOSERPAYS) for "Stakes of some bar bets," so I had a hard time seeing GAPS (Intervals). If I had known SPITSGAME (Tries to talk smoothly, in slang) it would have gone better. But I'm still a little confused - does this mean that the person only tries, but does not succeed to talk smoothly? 

In other argot, I enjoyed HADNOCHILL (Was way too keyed up, in modern slang), and that one seems much more straightforward. I also enjoyed SLOE (Blackthorn berry). Mmmm.... gin....

So a few snags, but I still finished in under ten, thanks to what seemed like a very straightforward top half. Final review - good, but a little on the easy side for a Saturday. What'd you think of it?

- Horace