Friday, August 21, 2026, Adryel W. Robles Ojeda

Is a MEATBALLSUB really the same as an Italian hero? Perhaps the question mark in this case means "not exactly right, but we thought it was SODARNCUTE."

I'm done with following major league sports, so LAMELO Ball was unknown to me, and I couldn't even remember RYANCOOGLER's name, so the 2006 Fields medal winner (Terence TAO) was always going to be an "all crosses" answer. I'm not CRASHINGOUT or in a RAGE about it, I'm just giving my side.

Also, I took the time to figure out "La ti do, musically," but I wondered about the key of C being understood like that. Is it always? Should it be? "La ti do" in the key of A, for example, is F#G#A, and how are you going to fit that into a grid? 

JOSTLE (What big crowds do) is a nice word, it's somewhat amusing to learn that there is a spot called OOHAAHPOINT at the Grand Canyon, and the paired clues continue today with "Neighbor of Colo." (NEB) and "Neighbor of Ark." (TEX). 

- Horace 

 

Thursday, August 20, 2026, Hoang-Kim Vu

If you've been doing crosswords for a while, you've come across one where there's something a little off about the clues, and eventually you need to figure out what that is. Well, this is one of those crosswords. The Downs are all normal, but the Across clues must be PUTINREVERSE to work correctly for the answers. Oddly, though, 1-Across "Sound like heaven (HARP) kind of works either way. Maybe that was left intentionally vague to keep us from figuring it out too soon! Oh, and now that I look at it again, I see that "Game of observation for travel" could get one thinking about thinks like "I Spy!," but by the time I got there I had figured out the trick, and knew that SAFARI worked better for the inverted clue - "Travel for observation of game."

So once the trick is worked out, this plays like a themeless. The long Downs are technically revealers, but they work just fine as regular entries. And there are some fun shorter entries, like DEFRAY (Set off), TROU (Brief in pants), NEIGH (Nags about noise?).

Is it a problem that, after getting crosses leaving "ALA__" I put in ALIbi for "It's worth remembering!" Hah! Also worth remembering, at least during one's school or fighting years, is ALAMO. 

I think of the term "cuss out" more than CUSSAT (Into light), but it's not wrong wrong. SPOTON (Correct thoroughly), on the other hand, was SPOTON.

- Horace 

 

Wednesday, August 19, 2026, Kareem Ayas

Let me not be known as one who BURIESTHELEDE. At least not today. Today's puzzle hides berries in the leading word of the theme answers. Gooseberries, elderberries, strawberries, blackberries, and even burberries (also known as "barberry"). Getting that last one in is a real coup, in my opinion, and might well have been the impetus for this theme in the first place. If I ever meet Mr. Ayas, I will ask him.

In the fill we have some nice moderny things like IMNOTOK (My mood is pretty low), UNSEE (Wipe from one's memory, so to speak), and AVA Max. I like the long Downs: CURRICULUM and LOSTCAUSES, and I like the paired clues "Drop" for LOWER and DIP, and "___ Minor" for ASIA and URSA, but I do not like "'A drop of golden sun,' in song" for RAY. It's "re" she sings, and we must interpret it as the homophone. When it's written as "ray" it takes all the fun out of it.

Finally, I had not heard of BLACKBART before, so I looked him up. Apparently, one of the two authenticated poems he left ran as follows:

I've labored long and hard for bread
For honor and for riches
But on my corns too long you've tread
You fine-haired sons of bitches.

 I also found this:

Upon his release from prison in January 1888, Black Bart was asked by reporters if he planned to resume robbing stagecoaches, and he replied with a smile on his face: "No, gentlemen."  Then another reporter asked if he would write more poetry. He laughed and said: "Now, didn't you hear me say that I am through with crime?" 

 

Nice. 

 

- Horace 

Tuesday, August 18, 2026, Jeremy Venook

Today's MUSICOFTHENIGHT theme collects four SONGS, all having something to do with the night in their title. MOONLIGHTSONATA (Classic Beethoven piano piece) (and a song of a sort), CITYOFSTARS (Academy Award-winning tune from "La La Land"), SWEETDREAMS (1983 Eurythmics hit whose full title includes "(Are Made of This)"), and the revealer/title itself, from "The Phantom of the Opera." That last, by the way, I had never heard of, but luckily, I didn't need a DEUS ex machina to figure it out. 

Doesn't UNICEF (International aid org.) always make you think of Halloween? Do kids still go out with those orange boxes the day before Halloween collecting change? I'm guessing the answer is no, but I wish it weren't.

I loved the clue for ACORNS (Nuts whose shells look like they have little berets). I hadn't ever thought of them in quite that way, but now I won't ever think of them otherwise. Hah! And "What gossipers and tall buildings are full of" (STORIES) was fun. And I can't let this puzzle go without mentioning the cross of LUBE and SEXY, and the added bonus of BITEME.

OK, that's probably enough outta me. See you tomorrow.

- Horace 

Monday, August 17, 2026, Zhouquin Burnikel

To this theme, I say YESANDYES. Ms. Burnikel has found entries in which foreign equivalents of the word "yes" appear twice. Such as:

DAPPERDAN (Well-dressed guy) (Serbian, and others)
LOUIELOUIE (1963 Kingsmen hit with a repetitive title) (French)
JAMJARS (Containers for fruit preserves) (Dutch, and others)
SITEVISITS (On-location inspections) (Spanish, Italian, and sometimes French)

Nice theme. What else? I had MARINARA sauce a couple nights ago at a restaurant, not as a "Sauce for mozzarella sticks," but for arancini. But then I thought about it, and the arancini were filled with mozzarella... and sure they have a little rice, but it's pretty much the same thing. Mozzarella sticks, mozzarella balls... it's all good.

And speaking of food, it was interesting to learn that the HABANERO was named for Havana. It seems obvious once you know it. Like so many things, I suppose. 

And speaking of "not food," since when are people tossing PETALS at newlyweds. I am so old as to have been pelted with rice! And speaking of old, are they still making TROLL dolls?

Lastly, love "Lengthy rants" being called SCREEDS, but don't want to make this into one. See you tomorrow!

- Horace 

Sunday, August 16, 2026, Sam Brody

TAKE THE EDGE OFF

Fun theme today that was part definition, part rebus. Take the first one, 23A, "_ATSO_ and _EKYL_." You might know that the missing letters spell Watson and Jekyll, two doctors without the first and last letters of their names, or DOCTORSWITHOUTBORDERS, and that answer is, itself, an international organization. Classic crossword puzzle theme, that. And it continues with all the other theme answers. NEEDSNOINTRODUCTION (_RAVES), and HEADLESSHORSEMAN (_NIGHT) are probably my favorite two.

In fill today, I like the word VALISE (57D, "Travel bag). It's just a nice word, isn't it? I've got to start using it more. "Yes, I'd like to check my VALISE, please." "Oh, I handed my VALISE to the redcap. It's the one with ATONOF stickers on it from various travel destinations..."

Seems almost wrong to call GONGS "Suspended musical instruments," doesn't it? Musical instrument... I suppose every bell is a musical instrument, but to put one in the same category with, say, a piano, seems odd. But I suppose it's no odder than putting me and algae in the category of "things that are alive." 

Where was I? I suppose we might as well just remove the S from BICEP once and for all. And I looked up "Granita." It's about a guy named "Umberto Umberto" who lusts after older women. An amusing parody idea. 

Favorite clue today: "Chemistry test?" (SPEEDDATE). Heh.

- Horace 

Saturday, August 15 2026, Blake Slonecker

Hello all!  Rounding out my week of blogging is a real cracker of a Saturday crossword, with a clean supersymmetric grid bisected both horizontally and vertically by stacks of long answers, and content that came THIS close to breaking me in two separate places.

A bit of a soccer theme was detected, with French soccer star Kylian MBAPPE making his NYT crossword debut (as far as I can recall), and reference made to ENGland's national team the Three Lions.  It reminded me that I did enjoy this year's FIFA World Cup, despite the off-the-charts corruption of its organizing body and (ahem) other related entities...

Back to the crossword!  A fantastic new word was added to my vocabulary today : AESOPICA ("Fabulous collection")!  I needed all the crossers to make any sense of it.  It didn't help that I originally had OPENED in 1A ("Began") instead of DAWNED.  I'd also never heard of OSAKA being referred to as "Japan's kitchen"... But my real near-nemesis was the NE corner, where I blithely wrote in ORAGEL as a "Toothache care option" and then wondering how the devil "7/" could be GUL.  The penny finally dropped with ORAJEL and JUL - phew!  

I loved the factoid about the Statue of Liberty's second TOE being longer than its first one.  I'm looking at an image right now and yes, so it is - and also, there's only one foot exposed so the singular reference in the clue makes sense.   

HOLLA as "Say 'Hey', say" was new to me, though I liked the terse symmetry of the clue. And I smiled at the clever and oh-so-familiar "Oil wells?" (PORES).  

Much else to say .. e.g. my take on bullfighting, unfamiliarity with the TEXASTWOSTEP, ETCETERA.. But I have a vacation to pack for, so you're own your own.  I now leave you in Horace's more-than-capable hands..

-philbo

Friday, August 14 2026, Zhou Zhang

A nice solid Friday themeless today, with an interesting layout (more long Down answers than Across), great cluing - and, a mere Q and a V away from pangram-dom, which would have been two NYT puzzles in a row.  I assume Ms. Zhang was aware how close she was, and I imagine it might have been tough to resist the temptation to force those two missing letters in there..  

With no theme to describe today, I'll go scattershot around the grid, highlighting the points of special interest - starting with the beautiful IRIDESCE at 35D ("Shimmer colorfully").  Not that it's the clue of the year or anything - I just find the word so evocative.   Two great C/APs side by side on the right - CONFABULATE ("Shoot the breeze") and OCCAMSRAZOR ("Philosophy of 'Keep things simple', in a sense").  Occam's Razor is a great tool to have in one's philosophical belt, I think - if we all embraced it, about a million conspiracy theories would vanish overnight.

AYCARAMBA carries the indelible whiff of The Simpsons, and right below it, BREAKUPSEX is about as lascivious as these crosswords ever get.  Speaking of Simpson, IMEANCOMEON was a phrase often used when discussing the guilt/innocence of O.J. back in the mid '90s.  I liked the brisk imperative "Scratch that!" (ITCH), and "Guard for some time?" is a clever QMC for RENTACOP.

"Huddling, as teammates" (INCLOSE) and "Good places for a deep dive into research?" (SEALABS) seemed a bit contrived to me.  And is THATSMYJAM a generational thing?

Well, that concludes my "drunkard's walk" (look it up!  It's related to how stars shine, amazingly) around the Friday grid.  Hope you enjoyed the solve as much as I did!

-philbo

Thursday, August 13 2026, Killian Olson

A delightful puzzle today, with a clever theme that was opaque to me until the revealer made it all make sense in the end.  Going through the Across clues, we encounter four in italics, straightforward enough except their (evident) answers either don't match the crossers, or don't fit the available squares:

• 17A "Mafia members, e.g." should be MOBSTERS but it's LOBSTERS
• 26A "Alimony recipients, say" should be EXSPOUSES (too long!) but it's ESPOUSES
• 41A "Drinks at a pub" should be ALES (too short!) but it's AXLES
• 53A "11th of a noted 12" should be AQUARIUS but it's AQUARIUM

I had all this written in by the time I encountered the revealer "Evaluating, as an opponent", whose answer SIZINGUP makes the above make sense - the 'M' in MOBSTERS is 'sized up' to 'L' to make LOBSTERS, and so on.  Very neat, and the idea to include XS and XL as 'sizes' is downright brilliant!

The very first letter of the grid is a 'Z' (say it with me : ZED) and of course, that gets the ol' antennae quivering - and sure enough, the crossword is a pangram!!  Always impressive and I didn't find it forced at all.

No big snags to report here, aside from some initial theme-related confusion.  I had a false start with ZIPPO at 1D for '0' (it's ZILCH) but other than that, everything flowed nicely.

Elsewhere in the news:  We've all seen the RICOLA commercials, right?  Is that really yodeling? .. I got a kick out of the clue for PBJ ("Sandwich that may be a bit crunchy.." <-- emphasis on MAY, for those of us in the smooth-PB camp). This, by the way, joins BRRS ("Verbalized shivers") as the Vowelless Answers o' the Day.  And there's EKE again, this time clued as "Pull (out), as a narrow victory"!  We need some sort of bureau of standards to weigh in on this word, finally.

Signing off till tomorrow..

-philbo

Wednesday, August 12 2026, Adrienne Baik

Today's puzzle is right up my alley as an old computer nerd, AND as a licenced operator of automobiles.  The dual theme is revealed by the central grid-spanning answer INTERNETTRAFFIC, and the theme answers, reading top to bottom, tell a little driving story, couched in IT terms:

Went for a GOOGLEDRIVE ...
Drove at excessive NETWORKSPEEDS...
Caused a COMPUTERCRASH...
And now there's a SERVERDELAY

Fun!  There's such a thing as PACKETCOLLISION in network-speak, which would also have been apt!  PRINTERJAM perhaps less so, though most printers *are* networked these days. 

Elsewhere, I tip my hat to the inventive cluing of the pedestrian words ONE ("Only number to appear twice in the Fibonacci sequence") and THE ("Hot French beverage").  Another short one - RUG ("Throw, for instance") - actually threw (SWIDT(*)) me for a moment:  I thought it was RIG, which would have also made sense.  And CTRLC ("PC 'copy' shortcut) was downright vowellessly cheeky, if you ask me.

I had to look up ARO to make sense of why it means "feeling little to no amorous attraction".  Learn something new every day!

That's all I got.  See you tomorrow!

-philbo

(*) See What I Did There

Tuesday, August 11 2026, Wade Bednar

Today's crossword is of the "embedded word" variety, with the longer answers containing theme words, tied together with the standard revealer down near the bottom of the grid.  And the theme?  Chinese dynasties - to wit:

• FLAMINGLIPS (psychedelic rock band)
• HANSZIMMER (German film composer)
• WUTANGCLAN (Hip-hop group)

...all revealed by SONGDYNASTY - apparently the first Chinese government to establish a permanent navy.  Nice factoid!  There's cleverness here that I didn't get right away - at first I thought, ho hum, embedded dynasty names - but lo! the substrates are all musically connected, and the revealer dynasty is SONG - aha!  So I take back my "ho hum".  

Outside the theme - I liked the hyperbolic clue for DOI ("Abso-freaking-lutely!") ... interesting intersection of ELMO and ELM in the NE corner ... "People hold complicated positions on it" was a great clue for TWISTERMAT,  I have vague recollections of playing Twister as a kid, blissfully unaware that it's really more of an adult game.  

I take slight issue with the C/AP "Duck down" = EIDER at 33D.  Yes, "eider down" is a thing, but an EIDER is a type of duck.  I feel like this not an EIDER-or thing.  (Or maybe I just wanted to slip this groaner in, here)

There was an odd moment in the SE corner when it looked like the "big export of Myanmar" was going to be RABIES.  "What the heck?" I thought.  (It's RUBIES.)

All in all a nice puzzle, which would not have been out of place on Monday.

Onwards and upwards!

-philbo

Monday, August 10 2026, Nate Cardin

The notable thing about today's puzzle is that Mr. Cardin has managed to incorporate six theme clues into the grid, including the revealer, which does double duty as a theme answer itself.  Great construction, and I do love me some good recursion!!

It wasn't hard to see what was going on.  As I worked my way down the grid, gentle even for a Monday, I encountered SIDEBYSIDE ("Next to each other, like many washers and dryers"), PLAYBYPLAY ("Detailed, real-time description of events") and then STEPBYSTEP, apparently both a 1990's sitcom title and a New Kids on the Block hit (I knew neither of these) - so it was clear what the pattern was.  Sure enough, the revealer "Many an off-road vehicle..." is of course FOURBYFOUR, which describes the theme perfectly - two four-letter words side by side - and is also pleasingly self-referential.  Big kudos from me!

Not much to report otherwise.  I did not know that Anne Lamott recommends tackling big writing projects BIRDBYBIRD.  Seems kind of weird but I'm sure there's some sort of case-in-point, or metaphor, underlying it.  And "Foggy mental state" (HAZE) made me sad as that's the state of the air in our westernmost province right now.  My brother's there, trying to cope and helping out however he can.  Thoughts and prayers, for what they're worth...

Anyway.  Fun, easy Monday puzzle with a great theme.

-philbo

Sunday, August 9 2026, Erik Agard

Howdy out there in Crossword-land!  Philbo here, back for another week of blogging - and what do I get right out of the gate, but a rare themeless Sunday puzzle authored by Erik Agard, who absolutely slayed at this year's ACPT!  And a chunky puzzle it is, with a paucity of black squares, two grid-spanning double-stacks at top and bottom and a big fat block of intersecting long answers occupying the centre of the grid.  Somewhat intimidating out of the box!

I needn't have worried, though.  Thanks to really fair cluing and nothing terribly obscure, this turned into a pleasant, gentle solve on my sun bench, with family helping out with a clue or two.  At the top of that chunky centre block, LIFESPAN was my way in ("Up to 150 years, for a tortioise" - what else could it have been?).  I worked my way downwards to the very amusing and excellently-clued BEESTING ("Honey boo-boo?" - who can forget that reality show from a decade+ ago?).

Aside from entering AWOKEN instead of ARISEN for "Up for the day", my only real problem was with the very first grid-spanning clue "Swimmer's invitation" (COMEONINTHEWATERSFINE) - I had it ending with WARM, and then NICE, until the crossers finally came to the rescue, one of which was another great QMC - "12 letters?" (XII), and another - AFROMAN - a rapper of whom I've never heard. Much messy scribbling in the NE corner!

I feel like I'm not able to do this puzzle proper justice here - there are just too many satisfying moments, especially in the longer clues, to enumerate.  There's no "trick" or gimmick to explain - just a solid, satisfying experience top to bottom. If you're reading this, I hope you can relate to what I'm saying.

Just one little nit at the bottom.  I'm pretty sure there should be an extra 'D' in "ODS bodkins!" as a bygone oath, although the the search I did on alternate spellings was, admittedly, somewhat cursory (see what I did there?).

Off to enjoy the sunny day, tempered somewhat by the fact that the western end of my country is on fire right now :(   Back atcha tomorrow!

-philbo

Saturday, August 8, 2026, Kameron Austin Collins

Ooh! Any time I see Mr. Collins' byline, I know I'm in for a fun solve with interesting choices of entries and clues, in a chunky grid. And today does not disappoint!

I found myself drifting through the grid, filling in what I could to get a more solid entry. I found my stride in the fourth corner I worked to in a clockwise fashion, the southwest, and then worked my way back around counterclockwise to finish up in the northwest.

The very fun 21A: Summertime top (SLEEVELESST) was one of the challenges for sure. That last ____SST just didn't make sense for a long time. 18A: Slippery slope (WATERSLIDE) is my favorite kind of clue, the non-QMC, tricky but not with the obvious signifier of a "?". SERIESE is another tough get at 5D. Two answers in the same region with a single letter word!

PENG

Finding EVITAPERON crossing SPANAKOPITA is just lovely. And how about 36A: They're taken off for boudoir photos (LENSCAPS)? Another great non-QMC, teasing at a blue answer but veering off to the literal instead.

The pair of French answers in the southwest are just as pretty as the BELLEAMIE referred to. ENPASSANT has entered the English language in its own right.

STEEVE is an unusual word, which remains in the term "stevedore," the person responsible for loading or unloading cargo on a ship in port. I questioned it initially, but accepted it to complete the puzzle.

Fun week! Philbo will take over the blogging. 

- Colum

Friday, August 7, 2026, Jesse Cohn

Let's start with the great clue at 2D: Cuisine with the #1 dish in a CNN "World's 50 Best Foods" poll (THAI). Not that I would complain - I just had Thai food last night, and it was great. But what is this poll, and how does it have the authority to show up in a Friday NYT Xword? 

Poll might be a strong word here. It seems it was the travel staff of the CNN website who came up with this list. It's an odd one: buttered popcorn is #50, and poutine is higher ranked than potato chips. Donuts are ranked higher than croissants (very questionable). Anyway, Massaman curry takes the top spot. Hmmm. It was fun reading, anyway!

Meanwhile, the puzzle has a lot of fun colloquial phrases, like CATSOUTOFTHEBAG, AREWEATHING, IHADNOIDEA, and ABITETOEAT. 

TOONS

1A: What suggests relief is at hand? (STRESSBALL) is a great way to start the puzzle. I love the literalism of the "at hand" here. 42A: Opportunity on Mars, say (ROVER) is a good example of a hidden capital. 

It's a smooth themeless puzzle, and I always enjoy that. 

- Colum

Thursday, August 6, 2026, Dena R. Verkuil and John Kugelman

What a fun theme today! The revealer comes at 60A: Chock-full ... like three squares (and foods) in this puzzle (JAMPACKED). There are three rebus squares for the letters JAM, which in the across answers simply are part of the phrases. In the crossing down answers however, the JAM just becomes a filling for the food items. Thus 11D: Temptation for Homer Simpson (DOUG[JAM]HNUT). 

Two points why this is such a good theme. First, the rebus square is in the center of each food item, just where the filling ought to be. Second, in the across answers, the JAM is in no way related to its meaning in the down answers, its just those letters in the correct order. For example, 48A: Pillow fight setting (PA[JAM]APARTY). Nicely done!

AIMEE Lou Wood

I'm a little split in my mind about 36D: "OK, that makes sense" (AHIGOTCHA). I love how it looks in the grid. On reviewing the puzzle after the solve, I had to remind myself how to parse it. On the other hand, I have a feeling that the clue should somehow indicate the alternate spelling for "got you." I'm not sure how to accomplish that, to be fair. But I recall when solving thinking it was going to be AHIseenow, or something like that.

8D: Short blue person? (DEM) is hilarious. So much better than using "abbr." or such like. I also enjoyed 59D: Nickname that drops "hard" (RIC). Just an odd clue.

- Colum

Wednesday, August 5, 2026, Daniel Bodily

Well, we know what Wednesday is for. It's for puzzles that don't fit into any other day. Today's is an odd 15 x 14 grid, where the theme is... two word phrases split into separate answers, where the second answer is clued in reference to the first. And it's carried down all 14 rows.

I think I would find this more rewarding if there were a revealer theme somewhere along the way. But there's no real reason for these phrases being chosen in particular. And the very large number of black squares needed to make the grid work means that the puzzle is extremely segmented as well, making the solve not terribly smooth.

I like CARBON / STORAGE and WESTERN / SAHARA. In my book, BOOLEAN usually goes with logic, not ALGEBRA. But it "searches up" better than logic, although that might be due to the large number of searches today for answers to the puzzle.

I would more typically look for INDIANA / HOOSIER(s) in the plural than an individual. 

ABIE's Irish Rose

And sadly, the fact that the solver is so reliant on the down answers to figure out the split across answers, the cluing is on a very straightforward level. LON is a cute "apt ____ name" clue. And 56D: Word that becomes its own synonym when "p" is added to the end (GOO) is an amusingly large number of words to clue a 3-letter answer.

I really don't like 50D: Pen letters? (BIC). I was thinking AKA or some other sort of initialism. It would work if the name of the company was an acronym, but in fact it's from Marcel Bich, the entrepreneur who monetized László Biró's design. He dropped the H to make a more pronounceable name for his company.

Ah well, they can't all be designed for my pleasure. What was your mileage?

- Colum

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, Vasu Seralathan

Today's theme is an amusing concoction of puns based on words from the Indian subcontinent. It turns out that "sari," "Holi," and "Delhi" are all Hindi words with Sanskrit origins, while "naan" comes from Farsi. Etymology is fascinating!

It's amusing that the puns start with SARINOTSARI and end with NAANAPOLOGY.  It's also cute that all four answers relate to a wedding, so that they tell a little story from choosing a wedding gown, to planning the reception, to the ceremony itself, followed by a minor catering failure at the reception. Hah!

How many different ways can we come up with to clue the humble OREO? An enrobed version just means chocolate or fudge covered. We have them in the US as well. But the cookie will stay with us crossword solvers forever, given its forgiving collection of vowels. 

DUMBLEDORE

Would you argue that 25D: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler vis-à-vis "Saturday Night Live" (ALUMNI) is incorrect? Should the male gendered word be available to refer to all genders? Should we care? Perhaps it is fine to move away from gendering, and it is certainly problematic to use "alumni" for mixed-gender groups but "alumnae" for female only. What do you think?

- Colum

Monday, August 3, 2026, Willa Angel Chen Miller

Yesterday I mentioned the flexibility of the English language. Today we get a demonstration where the word CHILLING is interpreted three different ways: first as relaxing, as a BEACHBUM might do while idling along the seashore, second as making something grow colder, as one might do with an ICECREAMMAKER, and finally as sending an eerie feeling through your soul, as might occur while watching a TRUECRIMESHOW.

I did two of those three things while on vacation in Delaware last week! Well, I didn't make ice cream, but I certainly devoured it. I'll let you guess which of the other two I did.

I started out slow with 1A: What's paid (COST). I tried "bill" first, but ODIE put paid to that (see what I did there?). I had to fill in the rest of the corner to get the obvious answer. Sometimes you can overthink things, I suppose. 

MILNE

Even in a Monday puzzle, you can find character and pizzazz in cluing. My two examples today are:

26D: First two syllables of "I am what I am," aptly (IAMB). Apt!

49A: Surgery that leaves the patient looking better? (LASIK). Hah!

Very nice Monday.

- Colum

Sunday, August 2, 2026, Ralph Sharaga and Doug Peterson

GOING FOR A SPIN

Hello, all you NYT Xword solvers! And others who have stumbled onto a blog looking for collaborations between Latin poets and Boston cooks? I'm back to pen a week of reviews, after a lovely vacation on the Delaware beaches. We had it all! Tornado warnings, impressive full moons, and mostly sunny days battling jellyfishes in the warm Atlantic waters.

But what a Sunday puzzle to come back to! The theme is silliness - an exercise in misleading adspeak for a broken down hooptie (a word we learned from the Urban Dictionary in years past), where each characteristic is represented in glowing terms. Thus, the fact that the car was found in a ditch gets it called an OFFROADVEHICLE. I particularly liked 82A: "... and the broken door locks?" (KEYLESSENTRY), and 110A: "... and finally, the missing front tires?" (REARWHEELDRIVE). Fun stuff, especially with the bonus clue at 37D: How the car in this puzzle's theme would be sold (ASIS).

Beyond the theme, though, there were a plethora of fun clues, befitting a punny style of grid construction. 1A: Pen name (BIC) starts us off in the right frame of mind. Take nothing at face value! Or, with 9D: What someone flat-footed lacks (ARCH), take it exactly at face value. 

19A: It's right around the present (WRAP) is a great example of how the English language lends itself to misleading clue writing. 97A: Safari destinations? (URLS) is a nice hidden capital. I was also amused by 117A: Legend who occasionally used his head to achieve greatness (PELE). 

Maybe my favorite clue is 45D: It has a rind but supposedly no rhyme (ORANGE). It reminds me of the great late Tom Lehrer, who came up with this:

Eating an orange
While making love 
Makes for bizarre enj-
Oyment thereof

Can't beat that, and so I end my review there. See you tomorrow!

- Colum

Saturday, August 1, 2026, Zachary David Levy

Color me surprised that I was able to finish this puzzle. When I started, I had only VAGUEIDEAS and a growing sense of unease as I read clue after clue. It wasn't until I got to 38A and its call for a Rabelais character that I could get started with any confidence. In hind sight, I should have known 20A off the clue ("21-time Emmy nominee for 'All My Children'" (SUSANLUCCI)), but I hadn't thought about soap operas in so long that I skipped that one without really thinking about it, assuming I wouldn't know the answer. Anyhoo, after putting GARGANTUA to bed, things went more smoothly. From APSE to ELSE, by way of the fun AMAZEBALLS, I METPAYROLL, which made me think I would be able to complete the solve and helped settle my grid-based DYSPEPSIA. :)

But, I still had to go back to the beginning. On the second pass, I took a little more time with each clue and was able to make sense of the tricky and clever "Dis/cuss?" for TRASHTALK, "Precipitous?" for RAINY, and its neighbor "Source of some classic rock bands" (AGATE) - all of which required a little mind shift for this solver. I guessed that "Result of bad service, maybe" related to tennis, but without anything to go on, I had too many five-letter options to commit to one. I was hesitant to enter KAMASUTRA at 9D because it was just in yesterday's puzzle, but eventually that was the only possible option.

I had the most trouble in the north- and southeast. I didn't know the 'Island of a Thousand Temples' label for BALI. I was totally stumped by the clue "Bugling game." which turned out to be ELK - I have the Across answers to thank for that one. "Base unit" in the southeast was another such clue. I had to get all the Downs to fill in COT, which made sense only after I thought about base as in army.

Overall, it was a nice mix of tricky QMC and non-QMC clues and quite a dense grid with only 29 black squares, including two grid-spanning entries and lots of other big and unusual fill like DANGERZONE, ABRUPTNESS, PATCHWORK, and RIVERAS.

Saturday signals the end of the cycle. I know without ADOUT that you'll be in better hands next week with our friend and co-blogger, Colum. Until next time, dear Readers.

~Frannie.