Kathy Lowden’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s write-up
NY Times crossword solution, 3/17/25 – no. 0317
Happy International Women’s Day! That was back on Saturday the 8th, while Monday is St. Patrick’s Day. The theme is GIRL POWER, 63a. [Slogan that celebrates a young woman’s confidence and independence … or a hint to 17-, 24-, 40-/41- and 49-Across]. There are four women with positive attributes for last names:
- 17A. [Emmy-winning actress for “Hacks”], JEAN SMART. Love that show!
- 24A. [Only person in the arts ever to be named Time’s Person of the Year], TAYLOR SWIFT.
- 40A. [With 41-Across, former “S.N.L.” regular who played Gemma and Cathy Anne], CECILY / STRONG. I don’t recall those character names but was always a fan of Strong’s.
- 49A. [She played Serena on “Gossip Girl”], BLAKE LIVELY. She’s had a rough year or two.
A little surprised to see TARSI, TSE, MOCS, ELS in a Monday puzzle.
I take issue with the clue for WIENIE, [Twerp]. That meaning would be spelled WEENIE, per both me and Merriam-Webster. M-W reserves WIENIE for a hot dog. I stand with Merriam-Webster! I hadn’t even checked that crossing because the E seemed indisputable.
3.75 stars from me.
Kevin Curry’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Save the Earthtones”—Jim’s review
Theme answers are familiar phrases whose final words can also precede the color “green” in other phrases. The revealer is GO GREEN (40d, [Make ecologically sound decisions, and a hint to what the starred answers do]).
Wall St Journal crossword solution · “Save the Earthtones” · Kevin Curry · Mon., 3.17.25
- 17a. [*Rapper whose stage name refers to his rapid-fire delivery] MACHINE GUN KELLY.
- 28a. [*Pro at company recruiting] HEADHUNTER.
- 34a. [*British moneymaker once overseen by Sir Isaac Newton] ROYAL MINT.
- 43a. [*Kalamata, e.g.] GREEK OLIVE.
- 54a. [*Gnome home, perhaps] ENCHANTED FOREST.
‘Tis the day for the wearin’ of the green, so I guess this puzzle is safe from getting pinched. Good choices of theme answers, especially those grid-spanners. (And yes, the varying green colors you see above are accurate with the correct RGB values. The things I do for you…)
Smooth fill all around with highlights DRACULA, LACONIC, ORLANDO, SEANCES, and MACARONI. I’m giving SAVES GAS the side-eye since it really doesn’t feel like a crossword-worthy phrase, but I suppose it could be worse. New to me is OWL CITY [“Avian” artist with the 2009 #1 hit “Fireflies”] though I did recognize the song once I heard it, and my daughter immediately asked why I was listening to OWL CITY.
Clue of note: 2d. [Blood count?]. DRACULA. Don’t know if it’s new or not, but that’s a good clue.
Nice Monday grid. 3.5 stars.
NYT: I was even more surprised to see ARBOL in a Monday puzzle. According to xwordinfo, this is only the third time it’s ever appeared in the NYT. When I google it, most of the sites that come up are Spanish or French. I had never heard of it before this.
Chile de arbol (“tree chili”) is a favorite of ours. I grind a handful as our house crushed red pepper. It’s way more exciting on pizza than the generic stuff. Highly recommended for spice lovers.