Adrian Johnson’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 1/31/25 – no. 0131
My solving time suggests hardish Saturday (or early “Joel covering for Will” Friday), but it didn’t feel all that tough. I just entered a few too many answers in the wrong squares, slowed myself down.
Starting 1-Across with SRS didn’t bode well, but there was a lot of good stuff to offset that. Fave fill: “THAT’S A WRAP,” SMART PILLS, TO BE HONEST, BARNYARD, MARRIED MAN ([He’s taken!]), “I DON’T BUY IT,” EMPTY STARE, SPIN DOCTOR, RAP BATTLES.
Fave clues:
- 26D. [It’s followed by an extra point], “ALSO …” The clue screamed sports!
- 19A. [Number of countries whose names both start and end with “A”], NINE. Let’s see: Algeria Albania Austria Australia Argentina Azerbaijan Armenia … Angola … and Antigua and Barbuda. I like geography trivia and rote learning, so sue me.
- 37A. [Hinduism’s “king of fruits”], MANGO. I had myself convinced I was looking for a Hindu deity rather than a fruit. Whoops.
- 54A. [Focus group?], CAMERA CREW.
- 57A. [Wanders around a terminal, for short?], TSA. They might wand air travelers with a metal detector.
I’ve never liked 8d. “SO THERE!” The clue is [“Deal with it!”], and a high school classmate once signed my yearbook with the phrase. At that time, I hadn’t really encountered the phrase, and I still don’t know if she was being friendly or rude. The clue feels maybe a little off to me, but I am still not an expert on the phrase’s meaning. What’s your take?
Four stars from me.