Sunday, September 13, 2026, Henry Lin-David and Frank S. David

THINKING INSIDE THE BOX

Greetings, Readers! It's Horace, here, back for another week of talking with you about the puzzle. I hope you have all been happy and healthy. Me, I've been busy with a lot of things, primary among them, cleaning out my old family home in preparation for selling it, which will, of course, be traumatic. So let's talk about the puzzle instead.

Today we have a puzzle within a puzzle - a totally walled-off 4x4 square in the very center - and the clues for those eight four-letter words are answers within the grid, which must first be filled in as answers to the original clues. It's not a style of crossword that I particularly like or enjoy, but today's went smoothly enough. Is there a reason for the walled off square? Do the central answers make any sense on their own, or give an extra level to the whole thing? STEM, TAXI, AKIN, YETI, STAY, TAKE, EXIT, MINI.... no. None that I can see. 

So it's a stunt puzzle, and I've already told the story of how Bruce Haight made me appreciate them more... and I do. I appreciate the fact that it's a technical feat, but I am writing about the solving experience - mine in particular - and when appreciation comes after the fact and not during the solve, well, ... I've said plenty already. 

There were some cleverly ambiguous clues, like "Pole, e.g." (SLAV), "Chilling" (ATEASE), and "Over" (ATOP). It's interesting to think about an OAR as a "Nautical lever." I like the idea of MONKMODE (Distraction-limiting lifestyle trend), and I'm storing away the fact that VIRGO is the "Largest zodiac constellation." 

See you tomorrow!

- Horace