Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “Gallery Display” — you’ll know it when you see it. – Erin’s write-up

Jonesin’ solution 3/4/25

Hello lovelies! This week’s Jonesin’ theme involves adding a dash of ART to some phrases:

• 20a. [Boxer Liston and his new constitution?] SONNY AND CHARTER (Sonny and Cher)
• 33a. [Mixed drink with gin, vermouth, cheese, vegetables and pastry crust?] MARTINI QUICHE (mini quiche)
• 48a. [Scottish player who’s a hit at all festivals?] THE PARTIED PIPER (The Pied Piper)

Other things:

• Today I learned that GERRY Rafferty sang “Baker Street” and Kristian NAIRN acted in “Our Flag Means Death.” That crossing R was not going to come to me without looking it up.
• 14a. [“Like sands through the hourglass, so ___ days of our lives …”] ARE THE. Not a great partial answer, and how is this soap opera still on the air? I had to watch it as a child every summer and sick day from school.
• 52a. [Tiger noise, to the under-2 set] ROWR. I knew from the crossing HOLA [Hi, in Hidalgo] that this was going to be ROWR, but RAWR is much more common.
• Today I also learned that a QUIRE is [1/20th of a ream], or 24-25 sheets of paper, or four sheets of paper folded to make eight leaves.
• 12d. [___ Festival 2 (recently announced sequel to a 2017 disaster)] FYRE. With tickets up to $1 million, no lineup announced, and local government denying any knowledge of the festival’s existance, I’ll be sitting around with popcorn waiting for everything to implode.

Until next week!

Jake Halperin’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Rule of Twos”—Jim’s review

Theme answers are familiar(ish) two-word phrases where both words feature the “ooh” sound. The revealer is OOHS (53d., [Sounds of awe heard twice in this puzzle’s theme answers]).

Wall St Journal crossword solution · “Rule of Twos” · Jake Halperin · Tue., 3.4.25

• 18a. [Chow you don’t need to chew] SPOON FOOD.
• 20a. [Box in a lunchbox, perhaps] FRUIT JUICE.
• 33a. [Milwaukee team, to fans] BREW CREW.
• 40a. [Steadfastly loyal] TRUE BLUE.
• 52a. [Church program for the next generation] YOUTH GROUP.
• 57a. [“My turn or yours?”] “WHOSE MOVE?”

That works, and it’s well aimed at a Toohsday crowd. I’ve never heard the phrase SPOON FOOD and it doesn’t Google all that well, but it does get some hits.

What really kicked this up a notch was my realization that both words in each entry share the same spelling of the “ooh” sound and yet each of the entries features a different spelling. A very subtle, but very elegant feature that I’m certain was no accident. And to have six such entries is impressive as well. Nice job!

MT. RUSHMORE is great fill, especially considering it crosses two theme answers. GOOD PERSON [Decent sort] is good as well, but I really wanted it to be GOOD PEOPLE.  FIASCOS, JACKALS, and “I STINK” are other standouts, but I’m giving ICELESS the side-eye. Proper name LENYA crossing brand name RENU might be a sticking point.

Clues of note:

• 9d. [Plant that’s da balm?]. ALOE. I’ll admit to chuckling at this one.
• 33d. [Where everything needs to be spelled out]. BEE. Also a good clue.

3.75 stars from me. Extra points for the attention to detail in the spelling.

Elizabeth C. Gorski’s Cr♥ssw♥rd Nation puzzle (Week 718), “Extended Features “—Ade’s take

Crossword Nation puzzle solution, Week 718: “Extended Features”

Hello there, everyone! Let the Madness of March begin! Here is hoping you are doing well and haven’t gone mad just yet! 

Today’s puzzle definitely saves face, if you will. Each of the first four theme answers have circles inside of their entries, and when filled, spell out the letters FACE — though the letters are spaced out. The final theme answer, WHY THE LONG FACE, acts as the reveal (61A: [Alternate puzzle title that hints at the circled letters in four answers]). 

• • • • FALLS FROM GRACE (16A: [Loses status, respect or prestige])
      • FIREPLACE (21A: [Toasty marshmallow-toasting venue]) 
      • FAMILY ALLOWANCE (38A: [Grant made to a worker with dependent children])
      • FAT CHANCE (52A: [“Absolutely not!”])

Love myself different types of headwear, but not sure if I’ll invest in an OPERA HAT anytime soon (15A: [Topper worn at a performance of “Carmen”]). Seeing “Carmen” makes me think back to the Katarina Witt/Debbie Thomas “Battle of the Carmens” in the 1988 Winter Olympics, when both gold-medal contenders skated their long program to the music from Carmen. Peak figure skating drama! (Well, I guess Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan a few years later might have been peak figure skating drama as well!)

“Sports will make you smarter” moment of the day: FOE (64D: [Nemesis]) – Who will be the American man that breaks the two-decade drought and finally win a Grand Slam singles title? On a couple of occasions, Frances Tiafoe, a.k.a. “Big Foe,” was real close. In 2022 and 2024, the Maryland native whose emigrated from Sierra Leone to escape the civil war there made the semifinals of the U.S. Open, losing in five sets in each of those semifinal matches. His father worked as a janitor at the tennis club that Tiafoe trained at as a kid in College Park, Maryland. Tiafoe, now ranked No. 17 in the world, reached as high as No. 10 back in 2023.

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

Hanh Huynh’s New York Times crossword–Evan’s recap

Hanh Huynh’s New York Times crossword solution, 3-4-25

The phrase “I’M SHOOK” has made its NYT debut as a Tuesday revealer, and count me shooketh! (Note some NSFW cursing in that video link.) TBH, I’ve been trying to make the entry “SHOOKETH” happen in one of my themeless crossword constructions for a minute, but it hasn’t quite happened yet. Using the word “shook” to mean scared and/or surprised originated in African American Vernacular English, probably in the 1980’s and 1990’s, and has been featured in various rap songs (including Jay-Z’s 1999 “Come And Get Me” and Nicki Minaj’s 2011 “Roman’s Revenge”. As many things do, it has taken on a life of its own in various online communities.

So I’m glad Hanh Huynh beat me to the punch with this fun take on the newfangled(ish) phrase. The theme entries are four cute items that, in an anthropomorphic world, might announce their ability to be shaken: POMPOMS, SPRAY PAINT, POLAROID PICTURE, and TAMBOURINE.

Not going to lie, I consider myself a strong speller, but I really wanted to spell it “tamborine,” but that’s apparently not right. If only I had known it comes from the French “tambourin,” which is apparently a long drum de Provence! Interesting grid shape for a themed puzzle with a short-and-sweet 7-letter opening themer and revealer and a kind of fun three-stacker with the tres themeless pyramidy black squares in those 2 corners (a modified Utah? demi-pyramid? I don’t know what one call this but I use it a lot myself). There’s also the colossal 15-letter theme spanner in the middle, and some fun non-theme fill. My favorites: CARESSING and I HEART just feel good–who doesn’t love a gentle caress? EGO MANIA and MISS ME? evoked a favorite vaguely narcissistic one-liner joke of mine: “Pretentious, moi?”

Four point five stars from me! Almost a perfect one but the cluing felt a teensy bit unimaginative. “Are you sad that I’m gone?” for MISS ME, and “This news has got me rattled!” in the revealer for the theme phrase felt like boring takes on the more in-the-language entries themselves. Along that line, “It develops in front of your eyes” felt a little dry and “unthemed” for POLAROID PICTURE, but at least it gave me the urge to listen to Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” for old time’s sake. Shake it like that, and I’ll leave you with that!

Will Nediger’s New Yorker crossword — pannonica’s write-up

New Yorker • 3/4/25 • Tue • Nediger • solution • 20250304

This one felt closer to what I conceive of as the ‘moderately challenging’ level. It took roughly as long as yesterday’s ‘challenging’ offering.

• 5a [Thrown out, briefly] DQED, disqualified. 8d [Like an idea that’s going nowhere, informally] DOA, dead on arrival, 44d [“That’s ––ing ridiculous,” in a text] SMFH, shaking my fucking head. 30a [Message when stepping away from the keyboard] BRB, be right back.
• 16a [It can be knitted or mopped] BROW. Solid clue, but I needed a crossing.
• 25a [They might be designed specifically for twins] FITTED SHEETS. Clever clue.
• 34a [Protagonist of the Metroid video game series] SAMUS. I knew this because it was in the Saturday NYT crossword. It’s appeared in crosswords at least a few times previously.
• 41a [Crème brûlée crackers] SPOONS, cracking the caramelized surface.
• 45a [2022 Charlotte Wells film for which Paul Mescal was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar] AFTERSUN, which I think is on my mental to-watch list.
• 48a [All inclusive arrangement?] MASTER PLAN. This is a great piece, even though I don’t exactly agree with a lot of the sentiments as couched:
  
• 51a [“I am not __ as long as one person of Color remains chained”: Audre Lorde] FREE. I agree with this sentiment, but it can be more generalized, because unfortunately (in this day and age!) there are many marginalized groups being attacked.
• 52a [“Gymnopédies” composer Erik] SATIE.
  
• 56a [Mark who coined the term “Afrofuturism”] DERY. Didn’t know this.
• 3d [Parking lots?] SEDENTARY. Unless I’m parsing it wrong, I feel the clue is trying too hard with its wordplay.
• 11d [Groups of characters] FONTS. That works,
• 15d [Power points?] SOCKETS. This too.
• 24d [Intentionally gave an impossible task] SET UP TO FAIL. Seems like a lot of this happening right now in government and diplomacy.
• 42d [Person putting on a façade] POSER. I distinguish between POSER and poseur, so to my mind this clue/answer combo is wrong. Would be more lenient if this were any publication besides The New Yorker.

Joe Marquez’s Universal Crossword, “Mealtime” (ed. David Steinberg) — Matt F’s Review

Universal Solution 03.04.2025

Today we’re served a helping of foods with seasonal adjectives:

• 20A – [Meat product that doesn’t require refrigeration until opened] = SUMMER SAUSAGE
• 31A – [Common garnish in Chinese dishes] = SPRING ONION
• 40A – [Gourd known for its white flesh] = WINTER MELON

Tied together with a fitting revealer:

• 53A – [Recipe direction for using salt and pepper, or a theme hint] = SEASON TO TASTE

Solid theme, although I wish there was a “fall” or “autumn” food item to complete the seasonal quartet. The fill is livened up by some fun bonus words: GHOSTTOWN, SPEEDDIAL, RADIOSTAR, and IGETITNOW; and the shorter fill is clean as a whistle. [Seat at the Derby?] was a nice misdirect for SADDLE at 30A.

Roger Miller’s Los Angeles Times crossword — Jenni’s write-up

Fun Tuesday! Except for a few things that made me say “hmm.” There are circles in all the theme answers. As always, those will be depicted with orange letters.

LA Times crossword solution · Roger Miller · Tue., 3.4.25

• 17a [*Know what’s going on at all times] is NEVER MISS A TRICK.
• 28a [*Trained canine in an airport, say] is SNIFFER DOG.  Seriously?
• 50a [*Literature Nobelist who wrote “The Good Earth”] is PEARL S BUCK.

And the revealer: 63a [Love letter message often accompanied by a lipstick mark, and what the answers to the starred clues are, thanks to their circle letters] is a clue worthy of Peter Gordon. The answer is SEALED WITH A KISS. NECK, SNOG, and PECK are all types of kisses. That part works fine. I still don’t like SNIFFER DOG.

What I didn’t know before I did this puzzle: I got nothing.