Jonesin’ 4:30 (Erin) rate it
LAT untimed (Jenni) 
[2.75 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
NYT 6:59 (Evan) 
[3.08 avg; 19 ratings] rate it
The New Yorker tk (pannonica) 
[3.75 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
Universal 4:56 (Eric) [2.60 avg; 5 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (Sophia) [2.50 avg; 1 rating] rate it
Xword Nation tk (Ade) rate it
WSJ 3:44 (Jim Q) [3.00 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
Evan Mulvihill’s Defector Crossword: “Out of Office Again (Themeless)” – Zachary Edward-Brown’s Review
Evan Mulvihill’s “Out of Office Again” 8-25-25 Defector Crossword Puzzle Solution
Very fun, well-filled themeless today at Defector! I was able to put 1-Across in immediately, which is a great feeling on a themeless. The SW / NE corners fell fairly quickly for me (despite the LUMPIA / OAT crossing, which I foolishly thought was OUT), but the center was a little trickier for me, with DIGITAL NOMADS (very fun, interesting seed btw!) and GIANT TORTOISE (I kept wanting it to be something TURTLE, which–fittingly?–slowed me down a bunch). The only other embarrassing thing for me in this puzzle was EXPONENT at 62-Across, which I was totally blanking on. It didn’t help that I had IM OUT rather than I WONT at 50-Down.
Anyway, I had a blast solving this! I love the grid shape, which allows for lots of long 8+ answers, but also lots of fun mid-length fill.
Thanks Evan for this wonderful puzzle!
Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “Let Us Splay” — two from the top. – Erin’s write-up
Jonesin’ solution 8/26/25
Hello lovelies! This week’s Jonesin’ theme involves adding SP to the front of some phrases.
- 20a. [Box for pets to stretch out on during a heat wave?] SPLOOT CRATE (Loot Crate, a former geeky subscription box service). Splooting is lying prone with arms out in front and legs stretched out in the back.
- 31a. [Carry-alls that divide your picnic into equal portions?] SPLITTER BASKETS (litter baskets)
- 38a. Extra spray after doing a cannonball?] SPLASH EXTENSION (lash extension)
- 49a. [Devices to catch immobilized broken bones?] SPLINT TRAPS (lint traps)
Other things:
- 47a. [Company discontinuing their most notable (in the 1990s) service as of September 30] AOL. RIP earsplitting dial-up sound. AOL stopped producing their installation CDs almost 20 years ago.
- 39d. [Oregon coast city with a self-descriptive name] SEASIDE. I happen to be seaside with my family on the East Coast this week, so I’m going to get back to that. Until next week!
Stella Zawistowski’s Universal Crossword “Split Ends” — Eric’s Review
Stella Zawistowski’s Universal Crossword “Split Ends” — 8/26/25
It took me a minute after filling in the grid to make sense of the theme. There’s no revealer, but the title explains the them perfectly. Each theme answer ends with a synonym for “split” in the sense of “depart suddenly”:
- 17A [Creamy vegetarian appetizer] SPINACH DIP Well, it’s vegetarian if you don’t use a recipe like this one.
- 28A [Plane for shortish trips] REGIONAL JET
- 44A [“My Little Pony” character with a multicolored tail] RAINBOW DASH I was mildly surprised to learn just now that My Little Pony toys were developed in 1981. But I was also surprised a few years ago to learn of the existence of “Bronies.”
59A [Kids’ inflatable house with a lunar name] MOONBOUNCE Much as I was born too early for My Little Pony, my childhood predates bounce houses. I know of them only from seeing them in neighbors’ yards for parties to which I wasn’t invited.
I wonder how many solvers’ heads this theme will go over. Maybe it depends on one’s familiarity with DIP, JET, and BOUNCE in this context. None of them were new to me, but they’re also not words I would use. (DASH has been used this way for long enough that I’d think most solvers, even older ones like me, have heard it before.)
In any case, I solved it as a themeless puzzle, and the theme answers were sparkly enough to sustain my interest.
Other stuff:
- 1A [Happening place to be] IN-SPOT I’m not sure I’ve ever been to such a place.
- 35A [“Don’t worry about it!” text] NBD I presume that’s “No big deal.” I don’t know why “No worries” as a response to “Thanks” irks me, but it does.
- 64A [Limb with the biceps and triceps] ARM Kudos to Stella and editor David Steinberg for including the S in the names of the muscles.
- 9D [Halftime music groups] PEP BANDS Are PEP BANDS a newer thing? I went to high school in Dallas in the 1970s and don’t remember my alma mater having a PEP BAND, though football games and pep rallies were very big deals.
- 10D [Reason to have a reunion] NOSTALGIA This could also have been clued as [Feeling prompted by many crossword puzzle answers].
- 24D [Drink brand hidden backward in “Cake Boss”] SOBE I know it’s short for South Beach. And the clue was such a giveaway. So why did I have SOBA first?
- 30D [ ___ Lynn Spears] JAMIE I don’t remember hearing about Britney’s younger sister, but I’m not the target demographic for either performer.
- 31D [Most popular American baby girl name, 1996-2007] EMILY I did not know this.
- 34D [Show such as “The O.C.”] TEEN DRAMA Also something not targeted at me, but at least I’ve read about it.
Kevin Curry’s New York Times Crossword – Evan M’s Review
Kevin Curry’s Tuesday 8-26-25 New York Times Crossword Puzzle Solution
Today’s Tuesday NYT crossword is not strictly the first grid to exhibit asymmetry, but it definitely makes a bold play with it!
Kevin Curry’s play on the asymmetry theme has two central elements: (1) the black square pattern of the grid itself is asymmetrical, i.e. does not adopt the typical rotational symmetry pattern of most crossword puzzles and (2) the idea that you could split “A/SYMMETRY” into two words and parse it as a puzzle that has a certain type of symmetry when you connect all the A’s in it. At first, I thought well, great, you’ve made an asymmetrical puzzle – what else? When reviewing the second element, I noticed that there weren’t any letter “A’s” in the puzzle that weren’t part of the “A/SYMMETRY,” and I respected the theme a bit more.
It brings to mind a big debate on whether rotational symmetry is the “supreme” crossword symmetry. To me, I really just love how Miss Rotational looks. I’ve played with diagonal and horizontal/vertical symmetry, and I like them enough for allowing more theme sets and themeless fill to work in a grid, BUT there is something just so nice and pretty about rotational. The theme’s dueling elements ultimately works well for me, but the resulting constricted fill itself isn’t my favorite. SALMON BERRY and PREORDERED particularly stand out as kind of a yawn, but of course that’s the most constricted area of the grid, so there probably weren’t many better options–unless you toyed with the black squares more. PROUD PAPAS was cute, although kind of greenpainty, NET EFFECT, TEA TREE, ON THE DL, RELEASE ME all cute enough.
Very cool idea and pretty good execution from Mr. Curry! Four stars from me.
Susan Gelfand’s Los Angeles Times crossword — Jenni’s write-up
I really enjoy this kind of theme. All the theme clues are the same.
Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Susan Gelfand, solution grid
- 17a [“Easy!”] is A PIECE OF CAKE.
- 28a [“Easy!”] is LIKE CHILD‘S PLAY.
- 46a [“Easy!”] is A WALK IN THE PARK.
- 60a [“Easy!”] is NOTHING TO IT.
All solid and all fun!
What I didn’t know before I did this puzzle: never heard of Jenny HAN or “To All The Boys.”
Kevin Christian & Andrea Carla Michaels’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “What’s New?” — Jim Q’s write-up
THEME: Phrases that mean “to share gossip” clued aptly
WSJ • 8/26/25 • Tue • “What’s New?” • Andrea Carla Michaels • Kevin Christian • solution • 20250826
THEME ANSWERS:
- 20A [Gossip with a grocer?] SPILL THE BEANS. Cleanup, Aisle 16!
- 30A [Gossip with a landscaper?] DISH THE DIRT.
- 40A [Gossip with a waitress?] SERVE THE TEA.
- 53A [Gossip with a baseball catcher?] GET THE LOWDOWN.
This reminds me of the 4 Non Blondes song that is somewhere on the soundtrack of everyone’s life:
This was a fun puzzle that really glided for me quite seamlessly from north to south. I enjoyed the theme entries, though I think over-thinking the relationship between the career and the phrase might be confusing (Why are you spilling the grocer’s beans right in front of them? Who’s serving the tea? You or the waitress?). Also, I only know the tea as being spilled, but alas that already happened to the beans. Looks like the “serve” version googles well enough to pass, but not without a bit of playful side-eye.
Fill was really polished here. The complete lack of crud is impressive.
THINGS I DIDN’T KNOW:
One of many HELGA portraits
- A dozen state governors are currently women! Bummed because I actually would’ve guessed it was significantly higher than that.
- [Noted subject for Andrew Wyeth] HELGA. He created over 250 portraits of Germanmodel Helga Testorf.
- [Bill who coached the 49ers to three Super Bowl victories] WALSH. Man, you think someone with that resume would find a place to live in my head. Nope.
- [Portal with a Copilot AI search field] I thought it said “Copilot AL”
FAVE CLUES:
- [Finger painting?] NAIL ART.
- [Seasoned sailor?] SALT.
- [Escape from Ford, e.g.] AUTO. Fun wording with the misdirect attempt.
Fun! 3.5 stars from me!
NYT: I couldn’t figure out at first why the “As in an A shape” idea seemed so recently familiar (to me) – until remembering Will Shortz’ latest Sunday Puzzle, on NPR. Part of the answer to that (npr) puzzle was a marquee entry in this (nyt) puzzle: https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/16/2019&g=52&d=A
(Speaking of which, my fingers are crossed Dallas eventually gets invited to play on air!)
I’m now eager to see tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) nyt, based on the generous constructor post by Kevin Curry today! (Nice of you!!) https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/26/2025
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
Thanks for posting the link to Kevin’s post – so sweet!
I liked the puzzle better than I usually like stunt puzzles, which is what this feels like. Given the constraints, the fill was remarkably smooth.
I agree, for the most part. I found the puzzle tougher than usual for a Tuesday. LEOTARD before UNITARD; couldn’t come up with COGSCI immediately; unfamiliar with VDAY. And surely I am not the only solver who’s never heard of SALMONBERRY (Wiki sez it’s a west coast thing, so maybe that’s why).
Definitely at least a Wednesday level difficulty NYT puzzle, maybe even Thursday
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 2 stars
Another “look at me” construction that provides very little fun for the solver.
Can’t say I disagree.
I still am not getting the ‘symmetry’ portion. Is the grid supposed to be symmetric relative to the ‘A’?? It doesn’t look like it to me. Plus the ‘S’ and ‘T’ making up part of the ‘A’ seems out of place.
I think it’s that the A’s in the puzzle form a symmetrical (with respect to a vertical line) figure, which is the letter “A.”
Every “A” in the grid has an “A” arranged symmetrically to it. The “A”s are symmetrical in the grid. That’s A-symmetry.
I agree that the S and T being part of the crossbar is a ding against the puzzle, but I’m not sure how avoidable that is, given how few words end in AA (do any words end in AA besides AAA, which the constructor has used already?). If the S and T squares were black, that would solve the problem, but I think the crossbar would be harder to see in that case.
The formed A is extra. The symmetrical As could have formed an H or even nothing and have been symmetrical. It’s another layer entirely.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
Magnificent construction, but the fills are a bit iffy. At least the clues try to bring it down to Tuesday level.
No WSJ review today? Darn! Was hoping to read the goss about it ;)
WSJ: @Andrea: Oh, I see what you did there… ;-)
FWIW: I loved it! Fun and easy “old school” vibe theme, nice clueing, and very clean fill**. Yes, the theme is “phrases for sharing gossip”, i.e., [Gossip with a ____?] where each clue fills in the blank differently. [… grocer?] SPILL THE BEANS, [… landscaper?] DISH THE DIRT [… waitress?] SERVE THE TEA, and [… baseball catcher?] GET THE LOW DOWN.
** As fill, I like that TOP SECRET and HOGWASH seemed relevant to gossip. (Intentional? I DUNNO.) And any puzzle with WOMEN (well-clued), AKITA and DOGS in the first 2 rows has good puzzling feng shui, for me.
I had to correct [Mints in rattly boxes], b/c I wanted to put ALTOIDS at first. ;-) I know the feeling of going here hoping others will [… gelato server?] SHARE THE SCOOP, only to be disappointed. (Hope my comments are some consolation. It was fun!) That’s all folks! ;-)
Apologies. You can (please) take my last WSJ comment down now. (common to not have reviews for some puzzles here, from time to time; I’m just empathetic for anxious constructors — even the veteran ones.) Hopefully, people associate “tea” with “T” for “Truth”, whether serving or spilling it. Origin: The term originated in Black drag and LGBTQ+ communities in the 1990s as “spilling the T,” with the “T” standing for “truth”. It became “tea” as a pun on the beverage and entered the mainstream lexicon through shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and the internet. (I shall shut up… Good song link, Jim! It’s been a minute since I’d heard it…)
Got it! Sorry for the delay, Andrea!
That’s ok… I suspect you have a life!!!
Love the 4 non blondes song… one of the few post-Beatles cassettes I’ve ever purchased!!!
And yes about the spill/serve thing but playful side-eye reciprocated.
Thank you for the thoughtful and fun write up!!! WSJ puzzle never gets really seen or discussed so it’s nice to get a little recognition/feedback
PS The puzzle is mistitled in your write up (in case anyone is looking for it) it’s called “What’s New”, not “Just Me and Myself”
Fixed! Caught red-handed copying/pasting and forgetting to change the deets.
I enjoyed your puzzle. As Jim noted in his review, the “finger painting” clue was quite fun. MONOCLE and HOGWASH were highlights for me in the fill. There were plenty of other interesting words and phrases in addition to the amusing theme.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4.5 stars
Liked it! A fresh idea for a puzzle, and a bit more challenging and engaging than the usual Tuesday.
I live in salmonberry country, and in fact have a bush in my yard, and yet did not immediately recognize the answer from the clue — and then had a “well, duh!” moment when it began to emerge from the crosses. “Traditional” here refers the traditional practices of the indigenous peoples of the northwest coast. Salmonberry was part of the traditional diet of the Coast Salish peoples, but it doesn’t seem to have the same level of cultural importance as the fish it’s named for. I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended several tribal events where salmon was served, with not a single salmonberry in sight.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4.5 stars
I generously applaud novel and clever ideas and forgive some nits.
Nyt: my first thought from the revealer was to look for the shape of A and didn’t think of looking for instances. But very nice how it worked out.
Tny: on the easy side, though I hadn’t known MICROSD. (Oh that’s what they’re called!)
Universal: PEPBANDS are a college basketball thing. They sit behind the baseline in polos or rugby shirts and perform during timeouts, and sometimes during halftime.
Thanks!
I went to several University of Texas men’s basketball games back in the ’70s. I don’t remember a UT pep band, but they might have had one.
NYT: Fun interesting idea! Felt like the execution was good, and I’m excited for tomorrow’s puzzle now, too :-)
Regarding symmetry, I think 180 degree rotational is a good constraint that helps lead to grids that fill well; if it works in the NW and NE, it will be in good shape for the SE and SW. But that’s just a guess on my part…
TNY: Very easy, I thought, even though there were a couple of things I hadn’t heard of — ICEBAR and MAUI (as clued). I suppose an ICEBAR is a place where they serve alcoholic and other beverages, and will also add ice to your drink if you ask. In other words, a bar.
No, I think an ICE BAR is a bit different than your run-of-the-mill neighborhood drinking establishment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_bar
Yes – I’ve been to one, in Stockholm. Walls, bar, seating and tables are all made of ice. Drinks are served in “glasses” made of ice. When we went in, they outfitted us with insulated hooded “shrouds.” Not sure what the ambient temperature was, but it was definitely cold.
Interesting one-time experience. No need for an encore.
Thanks, I figured it must be something special and/or trendy, but I was too lazy to investigate.
I’m not seeing the New Yorker write-up.
Puzzle: Universal; Rating: 1.5 stars
,