LAT tk (Gareth) 
[2.63 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
NYT 15:19 (Eric) 
[2.97 avg; 15 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (Darby) rate it
Universal (Sunday) 10:00 (Jim P) [3.00 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
Universal tk (Norah) [3.00 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
WaPo 5:15 (Matt G) 
[3.36 avg; 7 ratings] rate it
Gary Larson and Doug Peterson’s New York Times Crossword “Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation” — Eric’s Review
Gary Larson and Doug Peterson’s New York Times Crossword “Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation” — 10/26/25
I’ve slept poorly for the last couple of nights, and just got home from a two-hour bike ride on a gorgeous afternoon — and as soon as I sat down to solve this puzzle, the yawns started. I’d like to say that the puzzle woke me up, but it too was a bit of a yawn.
I’ve been a fan of the great English rock band The Who for 50+ years, so the puzzle’s title made me expect some sort of stuttering pattern in the theme answers. (In the song “My Generation,” Roger Daltrey’s lead vocal incorporates a stutter similar to those characteristic of the band’s amphetamine-using Mod fans.) Had I thought about that expectation for just a little longer, I’d have realized that (1) the title would have been obscure to a fair part of the solving public and (2) the theme could easily (and rightfully) be seen as insensitive towards people who stutter.
Instead, each punny theme answer incorporates a bit of slang associated with a generational cohort of Americans, as indicated by the clue:
- 23A [“Great job selecting a Person of the Year!”? (Boomer)] RIGHT ON, TIME Time magazine long selected a Man of the Year; in 1999, Time finally changed it to Person of the Year.
- 32A [Relax on a plane? (Gen X)] CHILL IN THE AIR
- 48A [Abruptly end all communications with D.E.A. agents? (Millennial] GHOST BUSTERS This was my favorite theme answer, because I like the verb GHOST for cutting off communication abruptly.
- 68A [Recognition for an ardent fan? (Gen Z)] STAN LAUREL
- 71A [Awesome after dark? (Gen X)] FLY BY NIGHT
- 87A [One assessing the number of hotties at a party? (Gen Z)] SNACK COUNTER I learned “snack” as “attractive person” when it was in the New York Times‘ Connections game some months ago.
- 104A [Promoting a romantic connection between characters played by actors Nathan and Diane? (Millennial)] SHIPPING LANES
- 116A [Leave just after the first person? (Boomer)] SPLIT SECOND
This theme didn’t amuse me very much. I was slow to understand the significance of the parenthetical references to the generations, so I solved the puzzle as if it were themeless. But as you’d expect from experienced constructors like Messrs. Peterson and Larson, the fill is fairly smooth.
Stuff I noted:
- 6A [___ water, cooking ingredient sometimes called “liquid gold”] PASTA My first thought here was AQUAFABA, the water in which legumes such as chickpeas are cooked. Then I remembered “liquid gold” from some puzzle I solved a few months ago.
- 54A [Sci-fi series with J, K and Zed] MIB There have been three sequels to the 1997 Men in Black, which is the only one I know that I’ve seen. I’ll watch Tommy Lee Jones in just about anything, but his presence wasn’t enough to get me to the first two sequels.
- 73A [Toy with “barista” and “dog trainer” versions] KEN DOLL I didn’t know this and don’t feel like my life is richer for having learned it.
- 79A [Difficulty, to Hamlet] RUB I’m blaming my initial NUB on my sleep deficit.
- 102A [Grp. that investigates cases?] TSA Suitcases, of course. Cute.
Evan Birnholz’s Washington Post Crossword “Cry Out” — Matt’s Review
Evan Birnholz’ 10/26/2025 Washington Post crossword solution, “Cry Out”
Evan is usually good for a dense helping of Halloween content this time of year, and this week fits the bill. Our title “Cry Out” suggests something being removed, but it took me a few themers to figure out the specifics:
- 23a [*MacBook setting] TRUCK STOP
- 25a [*Boosting things] BASS GUITARS
- 35a [*Red Caboose, maybe] FIRST AID KIT
- 59a [*Booms in economics, say] GRAD DEGREE
- 67a [*”Bamboo” source] EMERIL LAGASSE
- 79a [*Where bootees are sold] MERCH TABLE
- 98a [*Its value derives from its Boolean condition] TOWER OF PISA
- 116a [*Baboonish] SEND PACKING
- 118a [Frightening moment in a horror film … or, when read as a command, a hint to how you must deal with a certain noise in the starred clues] JUMP SCARE
That revealer directs us to the clues for the removable string. Which makes sense at this point, as there’s not a whole lot connecting the theme entries. It’s easier to see in some than others, but all the theme clues work with their entries if we ignore the letter string -boo- in the clues, “jumping” the “scare” as the revealer instructs.
I am a real fan of themes where the transformation happens in the clue as it does here. They seem to allow for a wider range of theme entries, and a wider range of solving experiences for me. My favorites here are “Mack” hiding in “MacBook” (Mack being a common brand of long-haul semis) and “Bam” in “bamboo” in the clue for Emeril.
Other highlights: It doesn’t make the clue [Things found on a mad scientist’s table] for ELEMENTS wrong, but I get a chuckle when “mad scientist” is used in reference to a Completely Normal science thing // It’s fun to pretend that MOTT’s applesauce has some spooky aspect, like so much of this puzzle’s fill, but it’s probably just a nod to the fall season. All the apples in my grocery are from New Zealand right now, unfortunately // I wondered if lowercase ‘s’ in [Help for a lost soul?] was a typo, but I suppose it works as well this way as if it were punning on the Kia Soul //
Pro tip: at 36d [Expert on bugs and viruses, briefly?] is much more likely to be IT PRO than “IT guy.” First, because most puzzle constructors will choose the gender-neutral form, and second because “guy” would force a G and Y in the second slots of some medium-length acrosses. Something worth paying attention to if you have multiple options for a slot.
That’s it for me. Cheers!
Rafael Musa’s Universal Sunday crossword, “Mega Freestyle 2”—Jim P’s review
I’m not sure how this puzzle warrants the number “2”, since I’m certain I’ve done multiple Universal mega freestyles in the past, but that’s neither here nor there.
Universal Sunday crossword solution · “Mega Freestyle 2” · Rafael Musa · 10.26.25
Tons of fun entries in this grid anchored by grid-spanners LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIPS and “LET’S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY“. Other goodies include IN THE LEAD, IRISH PUBS, EUROVISION, ELECTROPOP, BONSAI TREE, “I THINK I CAN,” “ALL SYSTEMS GO“, PARALLEL PARK, STAR WITNESS, STEAL HOME, POWDERED WIG, CANDY SHOP, LOOSE ENDS, and SWEET DREAMS. Plus “NO THANKS,” RACE CARS, and PILLORY. Not so keen on “AM I BEAT!” and weird plural ETHOSES, but that’s pretty minor when you consider call that good stuff.
Clues of note:
- 33a. [PrEP amount, e.g.]. DOSE. I’m of an age where I thought this clue was about colonoscopy preparations. But it looks like it’s regarding medication for HIV prevention. BTW, get your colonoscopies done once you turn 45, people.
- 56a. [___ Park, California]. MENLO. I spent my formative years in the Bay Area, so I never knew there was a Menlo Park other than the one near Stanford University.
- 80d. [Earth’s shape]. GEOID. New to me, and I’m not quite sure I get it.
Fun puzzle. Four stars.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
This is a high mark from me for a Sunday in this humorous theme category.
I got the theme fairly early and that helped with answers like STAN, GHOST and even SNACK (!). But more importantly, the fill was very smooth,, fewer abbreviations and more 4-6 letters than typical Sundays- NETTLES, WICCA, NIBBLE, AVARICE, SPUME… All very nice.
Pretty fun Sunday! If I had quibbles, they’d be PORTIA crossing IRINA and MONS makes for a tricky set of proper names. And it bothers me that PASTA WATER is routinely clued as “liquid gold” when the *actual* liquid gold in cooking is DUCK FAT… which actually *does* have a gold color to it, and imparts such fantastic flavor, while pasta water is so run-of-the-mill, and just looks cloudy. Anybody can get pasta water with a box of spaghetti, but to get your own rendered duck fat… that takes work. And Thanksgiving is right around the corner, when I cook up ducks instead of turkey :-)
I’m partial to duck instead of turkey!
“Liquid gold” may be a bit dramatic; the Italians just call it l’acqua di cottura (cooking water). But make no mistake — a few tablespoons of it are essential to many sauces. The way it liaises the pasta and the sauce is almost magical in cacio e pepe. The cooked pasta is uniquely “comfortable” with it. Because the pasta is releasing starch, it repels plain water but absorbs l’acqua di cottura. It’s impossible to properly make carbonara without it. In addition to being the common “solvent” for the eggs, cheese and pasta, it cools the pan to prevent scrambling the eggs.
Duck fat is great and I always have a quart of rendered schmaltz in the fridge (Jewish gold), but a bit of exaggeration is worth it if it convinces or reminds one to save that cup of pasta water.
I’m in no way suggesting PASTA WATER isn’t useful; I know it is :-) But having rendered duck fat to use for cooking latkes and making gravy vs. dipping a measuring cup into a pasta pot before draining… it’s no comparison. And to help you remember, Alton Brown suggests putting a measuring cup in your colander.
My final point would be to look at this picture of rendered duck fat vs. a picture of pasta water and tell me which one should be called “liquid gold”:
https://www.dartagnan.com/how-to-render-duck-fat.html
https://pastatwins.com/pasta-water/
I’d love to start seeing “l’acqua di cottura” being used as the clue for PASTA WATER in the future… much better :-) I’ll get off my soapbox now.
I have a recollection of a puzzle with a stuttering “My Generation” theme, but don’t remember details. Ring a bell for anyone?
2/27/24 NYT
Read the blog post
Oh yeah, I remember the Lola controversy now.
WaPo- Matt, I agree that “Soul” instead of the more generic “soul” would have been a great additional layer for this clue.
NYT – Okay, according to my kid, SHIP is totally a Gen Z term, not Millennial.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3 stars
I read this as a “Stay in your lane” reference. But I am Gen X and really have no idea ;-)
I’ve been reading and using the term in fanfiction since the early-mid 00s
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
I thought the same thing.
Nah. The term “shipping” rose out of slash fiction, an often eroticized online evolution of fanfic. It evolved in real time on the X-Files fan pages in the late nineties, just one example of many new speech creations–see LOLcat macros and 1337 speak–the colorful new language of a very fertile time. It’s most definitely Millennial in period, though that’s not to say it wasn’t coined and popularized by any old web user at the time–a demographic heavy with Boomers and Gen X. Frankly, at the height of Mulder and Scully shipping, the oldest Millennials were still in high school–though I’d argue that it was just that generation who carried the term out into the rest of the world.
Basically everybody but Zoomers were in on this one, frankly.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4 stars
I liked: ENVY crossing AVARICE; CHITON, CHIS, and EPSILON along with the Iliad reference (although CHITON/CHIS crossing was a little weak). Didn’t like: TEENIE and EENSY both making an appearance; IRINA/PORTIA (MONS was in my mind palace somewhere)
Puzzle: WaPo; Rating: 4.5 stars
Love Matt’s review of this one! I tried so hard to find sounds in the answers to JUMP, but as usual, did not read the revealer as carefully as I should have, so JUMP the BOO totally evaded me. I also really like when the theme refers to the clues rather than the answers. Thanks Matt!
Puzzle: WaPo; Rating: 4 stars
Same for me – I kept looking in the answers rather than in the clues. And of course, in the clues it just jumps out screaming – LOL. Since I know the heights to which Evan Birnholz can rise, I can’t go over 4 for this one, but really enjoyed it.
Great Sunday from Evan! I almost got it from the first when I got TRUCK STOP from the crossings and had Mack truck in my head, but I didn’t piece it together till the final reveal. Very satisfying solve, with lots of extra Halloween content (and an Ani Difranco answer tucked in there too :-) Perfect for the spooky season!
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 2.5 stars
We don’t really have a theme here, no? The clues would also work if the “Gen X”, “Gen Z” labels all got deleted. And without other things to glue the thematic fills, the grid is essentially themeless.
And as a themeless, the grid didn’t spark joy.