Sunday, September 21, 2025

LAT tk (Gareth) [2.00 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
NYT 16:33 (Eric) [3.28 avg; 16 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (Darby) [2.83 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
Universal (Sunday) 9:58 (Jim P) [3.17 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
Universal tk (Norah) [3.38 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
WaPo 5:47(Matt G) [2.25 avg; 4 ratings] rate it

Adrianne Baik’s New York Times Crossword “Gimme a Break!” — Eric’s Review

Adrianne Baik’s New York Times Crossword “Gimme a Break!” — 9/21/25

A tasty little rebus for your Saturday evening or Sunday morning pleasure. It took me a bit to figure out exactly what was going on, which I’m glad to say I did before I hit the revealer:

• 23A [Traditional form of Japanese drama] KABU{KI T}HEATER/18D [Regular at a park with half-pipes, informally] S{KAT}E RAT 18D threw me a bit because ski areas — which I am much more familiar with — often have half-pipes.
• 34A [2012 Disney film set inside an arcade] WREC{K IT} RALPH/21D [Breaded, fried Japanese pork cutlet] TON{KAT}SU I’m not really up on my Japanese foods, but I’ve heard of this dish before. I just couldn’t remember exactly what it’s called.
• 59A [Festive outdoor lighting options] TI{KI T}ORCHES/40D [“I made it big time!”] LOOK AT ME NOW
• 72A [Place to perfect a recipe] TEST {KIT}CHEN/52A [Members of the mongoose family] MEER{KAT}S I credit those adorable little guys with helping me figure out the trick here, because I knew the answer and didn’t immediately realize that it didn’t fit.
• 98A [Certain rescue pet] FOSTER {KIT}TEN/78D [Ambush] SNEA{K AT}TACK
• 112A [Bite-size chocolate-covered wafers … or a hint to what’s found in five squares in this puzzle] KIT-KAT MINIS

You could argue that the entire puzzle is just one big candy advertisement and I’d agree with you. Or you could say that the MINIS of 112A justifies squishing KIT-KAT into five squares, and I agree with that, too. (Do I lack principles or am I just flexible?) Either way, it’s kind of a fun theme if you’re not philosophically opposed to rebuses.

Other stuff:

• 30A [Far from conscious] IN A COMA Constructors beware: Inhaling green paint fumes often leads to unconsciousness.
• 69A [Puck’s king] OBERON From A Midsummer Night’s Dream. (But you knew that.)
• 90A [Reform Party founder] H. Ross PEROT He got 8.4% of popular vote, but that was almost 30 years ago. Maybe it’s time to let him rest in peace?
• 3D [Tik-Tok in the Oz books, for one] ROBOT I have no idea where I learned this. Not from L. Frank Baum’s books, because I’ve never read them.
• 12D [Filing services?] MANICURES Cute.
• 60D [Graham Greene’s “___ Man in Havana”] OUR I think I read that book decades ago, but I could easily be confusing it with The Quiet American. But the title was familiar enough that I didn’t stumble with THE or HIS or anything else that might have made sense.
• 99D [What the “dalai” of “Dalai Lama” translates to] OCEAN I saw a similar clue just the other day — and I’d already forgotten the answer.

Evan Birnholz’s Washington Post crossword, “Capital Gains” – Matt’s writeup

WaPo solution, 1/22/17

This week’s theme plays with hidden capital letters in the answers, substituting pairs of initials for two-letter words:

• 23a. [Command to consumer advocate Nader to destroy the computer systems department?] WRECK I.T. RALPH (Information Technology)
• 25a. [“Both surgery sites work for me”?] EITHER O.R. (Operating Room)
• 39a. [Authority from a driver’s license, say?] I.D. SAY SO (Identification or Identity Document)
• 41a. [Proceeds after the birth of Jesus?] A.D. REVENUES (Anno Domini)
• 58a. [Holistically trained physician that one cares for?] D.O. YOU MIND (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine)
• 68a. [Send cybernotes to some user on ChristianMingle?] I.M. A BELIEVER (Instant Message)
• 84a. [Simple website button to for communicating with everybody in America?] CONTACT U.S. (United States)
• 96a. [Detective’s phone number?] DIGITS OF P.I. (Private Investigator)
• 99a. [Prosecutorial pandas, e.g.?] D.A. BEARS [District Attorney]
• 116a. [Carnival worker with a graduate degree?] M.A. BARKER (Master of Arts)
• 119a. [Tiny complaint about somebody’s naturally unpleasant smell?] LITTLE B.O. PEEP (Body Odor)

Some enjoyable finds in here. I really like DA BEARS, and DO YOU MIND was a great aha moment. Also glad to see LITTLE BO PEEP for an example using the abbreviation in the middle of the phrase.

If I were a more devoted blogger, I’d compare today’s clues to a copy of the 2017 puzzle. At a glance, nothing feels especially dated. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was generally true of Evan’s puzzles. Regardless, a good choice for a week-off stand in puzzle. Each themer was a nice reward, even once the theme was clear, and the fill varied and interesting.. 

Specific highlights: “The Love Guru” is maybe not the Mike MYERS movie that comes to mind, but it’s got a nice so-bad-it’s-good thing going on. I think I saw it at a drive-in theater paired with “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” // I’m not sure the last time I’ve seen ELKO, Nevada. I once held out for crossings between it and Reno, but haven’t in quite a bit // SKATE [Emulate(s) a Blues man?] as the Blues are a professional hockey team // ADDLE in [Buffalo, so to speak] is one of the meanings of ‘Buffalo’ that make the repetitive sentences (of any length) work

Sala Wanetick’s Universal Sunday crossword, “End of Discussion”—Jim P’s review

Theme answers are things one probably shouldn’t talk about. The revealer is “DON’T MENTION IT!” (121a, [“No problem!,” or a hint to each starred clue’s answer]).

Universal Sunday crossword solution · “End of Discussion!” · Sala Wanetick · 9.21.25

• 22a. [*Coca-Cola’s syrup recipe, e.g.] SECRET FORMULA.
• 32a. [*Certain credit card number] SECURITY CODE.
• 43a. [*Event that may involve hiding in a friend’s house] SURPRISE PARTY.
• 70a. [*Guidance that no one asked for] UNSOLICITED ADVICE.
• 96a. [*Sensitive topic] TOUCHY SUBJECT.
• 105a. [*The meaning of “Rosebud” in “Citizen Kane,” e.g.] MOVIE SPOILER.

Straightforward theme, but solid all around with a good theme set and a cute revealer.

And after I went on at length about the dearth of grid symmetry in Sunday-sized puzzles, here’s one to prove me wrong. We get full traditional rotational symmetry and we still get lively non-theme fill. Highlights include PERFECT TEN, PRONOUN PIN, MINI-MOON, IMPOSTOR, and REM SLEEP.

Clues of note:

• 93a. [___ piercing (bit of lip jewelry)]. MONROE. New to me. So named because it consists of a stud in the upper left lip resembling Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark.
• 3d. [Ampaw grain]. RICE. Also new to me (ampaw, not RICE). Ampaw is a Filipino sweet puffed rice cake.

Good grid. 3.5 stars.