Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “Zero Stars!” — that’s my rating. – Erin’s write-up
Jonesin’ solution 1/21/25
Hello lovelies! This week Matt’s grid has a really bad review! The first word of each theme every is a negative descriptor:
- 20a. [Words chosen to be ignored, maybe] UNWANTED ADVICE
- 38a. [Like those who don’t get called back] WRONG FOR THE PART
- 55a. [“Thanks for being thoughtful”] AWFUL KIND OF YOU
Other things:
- 4d. [Bozo, e.g.] CLOWN
- 45d. [More than a misdemeanor] FELONY
- 47d. [Puncture from a thorn] PRICK
- 65a. [Totally insane, like some choices or options] NUTS
Until next week!
Mike Shenk’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Foiled Again!”—Jim’s review
Theme answers are familiar(ish) words and phrases that all feature the letters TIN which appear to move across the grid as the solver moves downward.
Wall St Journal crossword solution · “Foiled Again!” · Mike Shenk · Tue., 1.21.25
- 17a. [Renaissance painter nicknamed “il Furioso”] TINTORETTO.
- 28a. [Last bit of filming for the day, in Hollywood lingo] MARTINI SHOT.
- 37a. [Audited] SAT IN ON.
- 46a. [The Dow, for one] MARKET INDEX.
- 61a. [1999 film about air traffic controllers, and a hint to this puzzle’s theme] PUSHING TIN.
A very good example of this type of theme. The revealer makes a solid basis, and each entry is positioned perfectly so the letters in question “flow” smoothly and evenly across the grid. My one hang-up was not recalling the phrase MARTINI SHOT. I may have heard it before but probably just forgot it. Note that it shares nine out of 11 letters with “parting shot.” I love the title as well, which evokes a certain Weird Al parody.
Fill highlights: The lovely GARDENIA which may be my most favorite flower scent of all, FOSSILIZED, and RETROSPECT.
3.5 stars.
Elizabeth C. Gorski’s Cr♥ssw♥rd Nation puzzle (Week 712), “Time Marches On! “—Ade’s take
Crossword Nation puzzle solution, Week 712: “Time Marches On!”
Hello there, everyone! Hope all is well with you and that you’re all staying warm!
So the final two theme entries are making me jealous, because those are things that I hope to be on right now! But solving a puzzle where each of the themes start with a number and followed by a period of time — with all of them in numerical order, no less — is definitely not a bad consolation prize!
-
-
-
- ONE-MINUTE SPEECH (16A: [Short address before Congress])
- TWO-HOUR LUNCHES (27A: [Lengthy midday repasts])
- THREE-DAY CRUISE (42A: [Mini-vacation at seas])
- FOUR-WEEK HOLIDAY (57A: [Summer break that’s about a month long])
-
-
How can we already turn a real good puzzle with a well-executed theme even better? We all my alma mater, SYRACUSE, in the grid (36D: [University whose mascot is Otto the Orange])! Honestly, mascots don’t get better than an anthropomorphic orange! And if you say they do, you’re just wrong! Seeing MOB HITS reminds me of the Time Life infomercials that I saw years ago selling a music collection of Mob Hits, and the ones that always stood out were “Mambo Italiano” and “Lazy Mary,” the latter which is played after “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at New York Mets games (19A: [Terrible jobs featured in “The Sopranos”]). What’s your favorite mob hit song?
“Sports will make you smarter” moment of the day: HERB (25D: [Basil or thyme]) – Former NBA center Herb Williams played 18 seasons in the league, from 1981 to 1999, playing for four different teams. Before his pro career, Herb was a standout performer at Ohio State, making the First Team All-Big Ten team as a junior. Williams was drafted in the first round of the 1981 draft by the Indiana Pacers.
Thank you so much for the time, everybody! Have a wonderful and safe rest of your day and, as always, keep solving!
Take care!
Ade/AOK
Dan Caprera’s New York Times crossword–Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 1/21/25 – no. 0121
The theme is SCAVENGER HUNT and the four themers have circled letters that spell out various scavenger animals. CORNER DRUGSTORE has a CONDOR, and not sure I knew they were scavengers like vultures are. Puerto Rican singer LUIS FONSI of “Despacito” fame has a LION; now, lions famously hunt live prey, but Wikipedia confirms they eat plenty of carrion. CARD TABLE has a CRAB, and “crab = scavenger” doesn’t reside in my brain; Wiki says “Crabs are omnivores, feeding primarily on algae, and taking any other food, including molluscs, worms, other crustaceans, fungi, bacteria, and detritus, depending on their availability and the crab species.” “OH, YOU HAVE NO IDEA” contains a famously scavenging beast, HYENA. I like the full-length theme entries, but their animal connections feel sometimes tenuous.
Fave fill: SLOUCH, ANYHOO, VISHNU.
Three stars from me.