LAT tk (Gareth) 
[2.75 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
NYT 18:17 (Eric) [2.50 avg; 19 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (Darby) 
[2.13 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
Universal (Sunday) 10:13 (Jim P) 
[2.88 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
Universal tk (Norah) 
[3.33 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
WaPo 6:12 (Matt G) 
[3.88 avg; 8 ratings] rate it
Michael Lieberman’s New York Times Crossword “Mixed Company” — Eric’s Review
Michael Lieberman’s New York Times Crossword “Mixed Company” — 8/24/25
It feels like it’s only been a few weeks since we saw a Sunday New York Times crossword that had an anagram theme. That’s not a knock against today’s puzzle, but it might have been better to space them out a little more.
Anyway, we get products made from hypothetical mergers of well-known corporations:
- 23A [If HOSTESS & PETCO merged and became a medical supply company, they would sell ___ ] STETHOSCOPES
- 31A [If NEUTROGENA, BIC & VANS merged and opened a winery, they would sell __ ] CABERNET SAUVIGNON
- 48A [If IBM, DANNON & ACER merged and started a bakery, they would sell ___ ] CINNAMON BREAD
- 64A [If POST & SCHICK merged and became a kitchenware company, they would sell ___] CHOPSTICKS
- 67A [If EPSON & CHASE merged and became an electronics accessories company, they would sell ___ ] PHONE CASES
- 81A [If FORD & WALGREENS merged and became a landscaping company, they would sell ___ ] FLOWER GARDENS
- 95A [If GMC, PETSMART & LENOVO merged and became an auto parts company, they would sell ___ ] GLOVE COMPARTMENTS
- 109A [If MERCK, MARS & AIG merged and became an art supplies company, they would sell ___ ] MAGIC MARKERS
This is an impressive set of anagrams; I have no idea how one would go about generating them. I can’t even wrap my head around actually solving them (that is, accounting for each capitalized letter in a clue). I can only get a few letters in place and then use the established letter pattern to figure out the rest of the answer, occasionally accounting for the less-common letters like the K in Merck.
To the extent the theme answers are supposed to amuse us in addition to wowing us with their anagramness (anagramnosity?), CINNAMON BREAD is perhaps the most amusing, possibly because IBM and Acer are not in the food business.
Other stuff:
- 18A [Ding-dong ditch, e.g.] ANTIC Not PRANK.
- 20A [Bitter Italian digestif] FERNET That’s new to me. Wikipedia says the formula varies by brand, but it’s usually a mixture of “myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and especially saffron, with a base of distilled grape spirits.” I think I’ll pass, thanks.
- 29A [One of 200+ stations for NBC, e.g.] AFFILIATES These are independently-owned, as opposed to the network’s “O&O” stations (“owned and operated”).
- 35A [Jane ___, longtime writer for The New Yorker] MAYER Not a name I recognize, but I only read The New Yorker sporadically.
- 63A [Org. for Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko] LPGA Not being a sports fan, I didn’t really recognize those names, but got lucky in guessing they are golfers.
- 86A [Winter Olympics setting in 1972, 1998, 2018 and 2022] ASIA I see a clue like that and expect an answer that’s a little more specific.
- 92A [Atomic number of neodymium] SIXTY “Neodymium?” C’mon, you’re just making that up! (Is it just because I’m re-reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay that “neodymium” sounds like it’s from a comic book? I honestly don’t remember that element, but it’s been a very long time since I studied the periodic table.)
- 104A [Like a column starting a row, perhaps] LIBELLOUS That double-L looks wrong to me, but I guess that’s how it’s spelt in British English. And perhaps the clue hints at the Britishness by using “row” in the sense of “a serious dispute.”
- 106A [Buckwheat, for one] RASCAL From the Our Gang series of films, a/k/a The Little Rascals. I knew this was where the clue was going, but blanked on the name.
- 1D [Corkscrews and such] PASTA Not TOOLS.
- 32D [Jazz style] BEBOP Five letters? Jazz? I’m sure there are others, but BEBOP is always my first answer.
- 35D [What a fixer-upper might become, pessimistically] MONEY PIT I glossed over the clue and misread “pessimistically” as “euphemistically.”
- 68D [Baker v. ___ (landmark voting rights case)] CARR A 1962 ruling that redistricting cases can be looked at under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
- 110D [The Guardians, on sports tickers] CLE F/k/a the Indians. I’m not sorry to have seen Chief Wahoo retired.
Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel’s Universal Sunday crossword, “2 Funny”—Jim P’s review
Theme answers are long familiar phrases that feature pairs of “laughing” bigrams (ha’s, ho’s, or he’s). These bigrams are circled (for ease of identification) and turned upwards as indicated by the revealing phrase CRACKED UP (72a, [Burst out laughing, or a hint to understanding the starred clues’ answers]).
Universal Sunday crossword solution · “2 Funny” · Tom Pepper and Zhouqin Burnikel · 8.24.25
- 23a. [*”If you need assistance, just say the word”] “I’M (HE)RE TO (HE)LP.”
- 25a. [*Have a showdown] GO (HE)AD–TO-(HE)AD.
- 46a. [*”Though I appreciate it, I’ll pass”] “T(HA)NKS, BUT NO T(HA)NKS.”
- 96a. [*”When pigs fly!”] “T(HA)T‘LL NEVER (HA)PPEN.”
- 119a. [*Snow day drink] (HO)T C(HO)COLATE.
- 122a. [*Like a kid who isn’t taught in a classroom] (HO)ME–SC(HO)OLED.
Seeing all the pairs of circles, it was pretty easy to suss out the theme with the first entry and the title. The only question was what form the laughs would take. As a consequence, I didn’t find the theme all that engaging, though it’s plenty solid and expertly executed. It threatened to turn into a slog in the lower half, but the phrases are all lively and evocative, and that made it fun to solve as a themeless with just those few upturned letters to contend with.
Away from the fill, we get plenty of enjoyable long phrases such as CHEESE DIPS, ART CRITIC, EGO TRIPS, LOOSE ENDS, GOT IN A BIND, MATRIARCH, YEARBOOK, and DREIDELS. I don’t mind “ON MY WAY NOW” but I suspect most people just leave off that last word in real life. I needed most of the crossings for LIMA, OHIO since I’ve never seen an episode of Glee.
Clues of note:
- 27a. [Peninsula hidden backward in “Hawaiian island”]. SINAI. Kind of a neat find, though the two geographical locations are completely unrelated.
- 90a. [Class issue?]. YEARBOOK. Good clue.
- 104d. [What a vacuum does]. SUCKS. Probably the clue should specify a vacuum cleaner and not just any old vacuum.
Solid grid. Three stars.
Evan Birnholz’s Washington Post Crossword “Quite The Contrary” — Matt’s Review
Evan Birnholz’s Washington Post Crossword “Quite The Contrary” solution, 8/24/2025
A slightly oversized grid at 22×22 this week from Evan. There are no obvious long themers, but a few circled letters, and mid solve I realized certain across entries were paired up:
- 24a [Try to catch a bomb] GO LONG
- 25a [Screech to a halt] STOP SHORT
- 37a [Like the final batter in a batting order] LAST UP
- 39a [Beginning of a football series] FIRST DOWN
- 54a [Assumes, as responsibilities] TAKES ON
- 56a [Radiates] GIVES OFF
- 69a [Stat] RIGHT AWAY
- 71a [Struck out on one’s own] LEFT HOME
- 86a [“Absofrigginlutely!”] HELLS YES
- 89a [“Oh my gosh, absolutely not!”] HEAVENS NO
- 101a [Supported the idea] BOUGHT IN
- 104a [Abandoned one’s principles for money, say] SOLD OUT
- 116a [What a procrastinator may have trouble getting off to] GOOD START
- 119a [What a villain may come to] BAD END
- 134a [Uneasy relations after a treaty has been signed] COLD PEACE
- 137a [Fighting condition] HOT WAR
Each of these pairs – e.g. GO LONG / STOP SHORT – share a row. Each has a single circled letter, which top-to-bottom spell OPPOSITES ATTRACT.
These “apt pairs” are often found as the whole of a theme in a mid-sized puzzle, which can only accommodate one or two theme entries, and Evan has done well to find a batch of similar familiarity and length, especially considering the limitation to ‘opposites’ – one might also imagine apt pairs made of synonyms, like father figure/dad bod, or other relationships.
It took a slightly larger grid too pull this off, but I didn’t particularly notice the extra size during my solve.
Other highlights: It had been a minute since I’d seen the belt-swig-SIP semantic connection, but it’s come up a few times in puzzles lately: [Small version of a belt?] here // [Fashion photographer Herb] RITTS is new to me, so I’ll have to do a dive later // I was unaware and happy to learn that TURNIPs are high in Vitamin C // [Put into words, say] is a particularly tricky turn for DECIPHER // Very fun one-two of NAOMI Girma and Michelle AKERS, soccer stars of the past and present
Cheers!
Speaking of no coverage, I’m going to be on a road trip for a couple of weeks, and the gods of crossworld always seem to take the opportunity of my absence to wreak a little havoc. I’ll be checking in when I can (I’ll be in some places with no cell coverage — hooray) so apologies in advance if there are issues with any of puzzles I host. Fingers crossed.
Eric,
Neodymium is how you make those super-strong magnets that can hold onto your refrigerator like glue. China’s monopoly on neodymium is one reason we need a little finesse in our trade policy. Lots of tiny motors in lots of products rely on it. It’s a good rare-earth element to know.
Thanks.
I’m frankly surprised that I didn’t recognize the name. But as I said, I studied the periodic table a long time ago, and I’ve since forgotten a lot of the math and science that I learned back then.
The anagrams in the NYT were pretty easy to get, and at least mildly amusing. But GLOVECOMPARTMENTS is silly — try going to an auto parts store and asking if they would sell you one. And while a landscaping company might well build a FLOWERGARDEN for you, it’s not something they sell, at least in the sense of an out-of-the-box item.
Not silly if you need a a replacement glove compartment.
Well, my glove compartment is part of the dash, which is a single molded unit. But then I can’t afford one of them fancy German cars.
I didn’t enjoy the NYT one bit. It was another of those themes that are out to make you admire the setters and succeed, but just don’t play the least role in solving, leaving the slog of a huge themeless.
I first looked for a punning theme, which slowed my discovery of the real one and my solving the puzzle. When I got it, it was too late to help much. My favorite puzzles are variety cryptics, and I think of anagrams as among their pleasures, but when they’re this long and already largely filled in, there’s nothing to be done but either check the setter’s work or just take for granted that they got it right and ignore the whole thing.
Looking back at how I solved this one, I consistently chose the ‘ignore the whole thing’ option. It’s fair to complain that anagrams this long just aren’t all that much fun.
Anagrams are not my strength, and ones this long are just impossible for me. I admire the constructer’s ingenuity in coming up with these themers – but in the end, they are just very long anagrams with little payoff for the solver (or at least, for THIS solver).
Puzzle: USA Today; Rating: 1 star
poor theme structure9
I figured out the theme about halfway through. It ended up being helpful once or twice, but otherwise I was unmoved. At least the fill was clean enough and not terribly hard.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 2 stars
So, the theme is 10- to 17-letter anagrams, clued with dad jokes? I was hoping for some clever twist on the kinds of products those companies make, but nope. In the end, the theme answers all quickly became obvious from crosses, without reference to the clues.
Those long anagrams were an impressive find, I guess, so I assume that some segment of the solving community will find this entertaining. Sadly, I am not part of that group.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 2 stars
NYT: What. A. Slog. Giant, easy, boring themeless puzzle with super lame long entries (once you ignore the inane anagrams, which should be outlawed IMO). “Name a thing in a car.” “Name something that has to do with landscaping.” Ad nauseam. Definitely not my cup of tea.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 1.5 stars
I usually love anything to do with anagrams, but this was a joyless puzzle. It makes me kind want to see some of the Sunday puzzles in the reject pile at the NYT.
NYT: Fun and pretty fast Sunday! Got stuck a little with CHICA, as I had put in MeYER not MAYER despite knowing the author. I’ve been trying to get better at anagrams, as it’s a weakness for me, and I keep submitting for the NPR Sunday puzzle hoping to get picked once… and I feel like Will does anagrams on the air enough that I need to be prepared :-) It was a bit helpful; got me PHONE CASES after I had the first five, and was good for eliminating some of the crossings. Nice puzzle!
Puzzle: WaPo; Rating: 5 stars
Amazing on every level…and so elegant. I’m in awe. Thanks, Evan.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
Pleasant NYT Sunday solve.
Puzzle: WaPo; Rating: 4 stars
The more I do Evan’s WAPO, the more I adore his thinking and brilliance! Got the whole thing today without getting the theme and then when I pieced together the circled letters and the themers, I was pretty impressed.
I missed the juxtaposition of stuff like HELL YES/HEAVENS NO until I read Matt’s review. It made me appreciate the puzzle much more than I had before. It’s particularly impressive that both words in each pair are opposites.
Thanks, Andrea (and Kelly and Eric). :)
Really fun Sunday. I always save Evan’s Sundays for Monday when the NYT is super short. Clever pairings all the way through, with a little bonus meta phrase too. Nicely done!
Puzzle: WaPo; Rating: 4.5 stars
Evan’s puzzle is another masterpiece that proves he is the top constructor nowadays!
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3 stars
I would be playing cryptics if anagram was my thing, but I think the puzzle is still okay as a themeless.
re: some posters saying “how to do 17-letter anagrams”, of course you should get some crosses first before you even try.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 2 stars
Not a fan of the NYT. Maybe if there was a better connection between the themes. But for the most part they are random products.
Eric the answer to your question about how the constructor created these anagrams. There are several anagram builders out on the net. Most seem to be geared to scrabble and words with friends. This one below seems the best. I was able to create several of the themes in this puzzle. If I was constructing, I would grab a couple of company names and throw them into this builder and see what comes out. Very doable given that there is really no connection between any two themes.
https://ingesanagram.com/
Thanks. I’ve used a site similar to that one.
I’d think there would be a lot of dead ends — names that seemed promising but didn’t generate anything useful.
Puzzle: LAT; Rating: 2 stars
Just when I think the editing is getting better, then it goes sub-par again. Most editor recognize that the crossword fan-base is over 40 years old, and they refrain from using too many “hipster” terms & names & texting initialisms.
To wit: how many people know 20A – “Red Velvet leader” and the answer is “Irene”?
And who knows 27A – “Beach on a film set” and the answer is “Adam”?
But constructor Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel delivered another solid puzzle that deserves better than 3 stars. (But because of the editing, I’m downgrading this crossword.)
Universal 15×15 (apparently not reviewed)
Themeless Sunday 147
By Adrian Johnson
Technical nit –
16 Down is clued as : “Jump 700%”, but the answer is “septuple”. The clue should have been “Jump 600%”.