LAT 2:56 (Stella) 
[3.17 avg; 6 ratings] rate it
Newsday 10:11 (pannonica) 
[3.67 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
NYT 6:02 (Amy) 
[3.97 avg; 15 ratings] rate it
Universal tk (Matthew) [3.00 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (Matthew) rate it
WSJ untimed (pannonica) 
[1.75 avg; 4 ratings] rate it
Kyle Dolan’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 11/15/25 – no. 1115
Hey, hey! Team Fiend’s Kyle, my fellow Chicagoan, has the Saturday puzzle. He’s introduced me to a term that I don’t think was around when my son was a baby: 1A. [Unable to move while holding a sleeping baby, in slang], NAP-TRAPPED. I like it!
Other fave fill: SHONDALAND (finally watched the first three seasons of the delightful Regency soap Bridgerton this year), HOT OIL as a hair treatment (a much better entry than plenty of other xxx OIL entries we’ve seen), PRIZE MONEY (fun clue, [Win dough?], where win is a noun), FIRST OF ALL (Christmas tree season is nigh, firs to fall) FLAT-FOOTED, ROLLICKING, IN ANY CASE, FISH FRY (that’s huge in Wisconsin–you might well find Friday fish fry at an Italian restaurant in Milwaukee), P-TOWN (Provincetown, Mass.), DO DIRTY (really wants a direct object in there, though), WONDERBRA, GO ON TRIAL, PUDGY baby hands.
Three more things:
- 13D. [Form of literature coined by Sartre], ANTINOVEL. I did take a college lit class on plays and anti-plays, absurdist theater. I wanted ANTIPLAYS here but I don’t know if Sartre coined that term.
- 7D. [Showy purple flower], PHLOX. I had ACTION HERO crossing but with the 7D clue and an L in the middle, I wanted LILAC. I was about to be mad if it was something bogus like ACTION IDOL, but no. The H in HERO and PHLOX worked out.
- 57D. [Condition of Freud’s “Rat Man,” in brief], OCD. This is the first I’m hearing of Rat Man, and I’d link to the Wikipedia article I just looked at, but it wouldn’t be fair to you. You don’t want to read this.
Rebecca Goldstein & Rafael Musa’s Los Angeles Times crossword — Stella’s write-up
Los Angeles Times 11/15/2025 by Rebecca Goldstein & Rafael Musa
I was excited by this byline, and ended up liking if not loving the puzzle. Highlights and lowlights:
- 16A [Common threads?] is GROUP TEXTS. I wish the NW corner had been a little harder, because I never saw this delightful clue while solving! It’s a good entry even if in real life GROUP TEXTS are the bane of my existence.
- 18A [Part of a dark cloud] is GNAT, which is also evocative of something not so awesome once you figure it out. I like the evocation more than I dislike the thought of a cloud of GNATs, though.
- 27A [Environment that reinforces existing biases] is ECHO CHAMBER. Hard agree.
- 45A [“Ditto”] is SO AM I. This is a pet peeve of mine: When you have a five-letter entry and a clue like [“Same here!”] you cannot fill in any letters, because it could be AS DO I, AS AM I, SO DO I, SO AM I, or DITTO. At least the clue here allows you to rule out DITTO as an answer and fill in the I. Normally on Saturday I find ambiguity between two or more potentially correct answers of the same length to be an asset, but these entries show up so often that I just get annoyed. (And yes, I do my damnedest to avoid all of those entries except DITTO when I’m constructing!)
- 59A [“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Leakes] is NENE. Thank the crossword gods for NENE Leakes, amirite? No further need to refer to the Hawaiian geese that nobody knows except Hawaii residents and people who solved crosswords prior to the Real Housewives franchise’s existence.
- 61A [Fact checks?] is EXAMS. Cute clue!
- 5D [Theoretically] is ON PAPER. I’m marking this clue as a lowlight because it feels like I’ve seen it a million times.
- 7D [Perimenopause Rx, for some] is HRT. Mentioning perimenopause in a puzzle makes me feel seen.
- 10D [High-speed crashes?] is SONIC BOOMS. It’s a nice clue, but I wish it were a singular entry and clue. I find it hard to imagine talking about SONIC BOOMS in the plural.
- 26D [Victory speech?] is A WIN IS A WIN. Liked this entry and clue.
- 47D [Numbered dest.] is P.O. BOX. I’m totally fine with the use of an abbreviation in a clue to indicate that the answer is an abbreviation, especially when the answer itself is said as is out loud often. I’m no longer fine with abbreviations that one rarely (ever?) sees in real life, like “dest.” for “destination.”
David P Williams’ Newsday crossword, Saturday Stumper — pannonica’s write-up
Newsday • 11/15/25 • Saturday Stumper • Williams • solution • 20251115
Changed things up this week by tackling the Newsday before the Wall Street Journal puzzle.
This was a remarkably easy solve. I plowed though it with virtually no struggles whatsoever. Sure, there were certain spots where I was stymied, but there was always another nearby section that was eager to yield to incursion.
- 1a [Take a glance] CAROM. Of course I was thinking about looking at something, but the crosses were quite amenable, especially 2d [Formerly classy person?] ALUM.
- 6a [Parking place of a sort] SLIP. Thought about SPOT, but wisely held off.
- 10a [“Cool” that’s cool again] FAB, though I definitely put in RAD at first. Hmm, judging from these first few comments, one would think that I had trouble with this puzzle! In reality, however, these were minor concerns that were resolved relatively quickly and easily.
- 14a [#2 singles, #1 doubles name (as of mid-’25)] COCO Gauff.
- 15a [What a trailer may pick up] CLUE. 24d [Furtive follower] TAIL.
- 19a [Spread of varied opinions] MARMITE. Effective misdirection, but the spell was broken by having all the crossing letters for the first half.
- 30a [Focus of a revolutionary movement] TOP. eh.
- 35a [Obsolescence metaphor] DODO. Had DINO for a time.
- 39a [Pithy pair] SHORT AND SWEET. Nice clue. Was able to locate and enter the AND part first.
- 54a [Orange peel portion] ÉPÉE. The cryptic-style clue returns.
- 55a [La Eiffel __ de Parigi] TORRE. I did not know how to say tower in Italian. 47d [Lamborghini mascot, to its makers] TORO.
- 57a [Hoopsters with a “burst” logo element] SUNS. I somehow feel that that’s a common design feature?
- 58a [Highbrow] SNOOT. Aha, noun not adjective.
- 4d [Visa holders shouldn’t do it] OVERSTAY. Current administration is throwing people in jails with terrible conditions for months, for OVERSTAYing their visas by even just a day or two. In some cases they’re doing similar to legal residents, if I’m not mistaken.
- 6d [Talk derived from a nautical water cask] SCUTTLEBUTT. Pleased that I got this answer with just —CUT— in place.
- 15d [Hardly hard to accomplish] CHEAP, not A SNAP.
- 21d [Lit __ ] CRIT. One of the most straightforward, unambiguous clues I’ve ever encountered in a Stumper.
- 23d [High-tech handles] SCREEN NAMES. This was easy, yes?
- 27d [Claustro- opposite] AGORA-. Know your phobias!
- 31d [He wears a yellow coat and pants] ODIE. Didn’t appreciate the cleverness of the clue until just now. My initial thought during the solve was a character like Paddington the Bear.
- 32d [One working on their feet] POET. Wasn’t fooled for a moment here. And that was basically the story of my solve—being on the right wavelength.
- 41d [It’s hard to see through] DAZE. Glad I got this entirely via crossings.
- 43d [Make whole] REPAY. Perhaps the only clue in this Stumper that strays into the that’s-too-oblique-to-be-helpful range?
- 46d [Focus of the 2024 book Gangster Hunters] G-MEN.
- 48d [Disc you can buy for less than two bucks] EURO. Alright, I’ll group this one with 43-down, above, in the oblique category.
- 52d [Occasion for dried young bamboo soup] TET. A case of what-else-could-it-be?
Freddie Cheng’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “I’m a New Yawka!” — pannonica’s write-up
WSJ • 11/15/25 • Sat • “I’m a New Yawka!” • Cheng • solution • 20251115
I’m rarely (never?) a fan of of themes based on regional accents, and probably especially ones referencing New York City because I personally have never spoken that way and very few people I grew up around did. So I’m admittedly biased here.
- 22a. [Went past one’s highway exit?] MISSED A RIGHT (Mister Right).
- 32a. [Smack some undergrad?] WHOP A JUNIOR (Whopper, Jr.).
- 39a. [Audit some company’s group of directors?] CHECK A BOARD (checkerboard).
- 57a. [Put up a porterhouse?] HANG A STEAK (hanger steak).
- 65a. [Hold an interview for the domestic staff?] MEET A MAID (meter maid).
- 79a. [Undress some guy from Warsaw?] STRIP A POLE (stripper pole).
- 93a. [Use some barbecue seasoning on the poultry?] RUB A CHICKEN (rubber chicken).
- 100a. [Extract ore from Jupiter?] MINE A PLANET (minor planet). Would’ve been better to cite a terrestrial planet rather than a gaseous one.
- 116a. [Overreact to a bad call on the gridiron?] SOCK A REFEREE (soccer referee).
Wow. Smacking people, socking people, invoking vaguely sexist tropes like meter maids and stripper poles … I dunno. Seems a bit much to casually toss in. Also raising my eyebrow—now in context—at 28d [Lusty desire, with “the”] HOTS and 36d [Supplies with staff] MANS. Is it just me?
- 9d [Makes a course correction[ ZIGS. Crossing the unknown-to-me 19a [Oona Chaplin’s “Game of Thrones” character] TALISA. Fortunately I guessed correctly, but it seems nearly as plausible to have ZAGS/TALASA. This was the final square I filled in.
- 16d [Chat starter] HELLO. 24a [Conversation starter] LET’S TALK.
- 21d [Have a day in court] STAND ON TRIAL. Ngram shows that “stand trial” is far more pervasive.
- 41d [“The Iliad” and “The Odyssey,” e.g.] EPIC VERSE. Had EPIC POEMS first.
- 66d [Wriggly animal] EEL. 67d [Wiggly parts] TOES.
- 69d [Quantum mechanics physicist Paul] DIRAC. Kicking myself for not remembering him right away.
- 79d [Faux pas by a faithful] SIN. “a faithful” seems a little weird to me.
- 82d [TTT] TAUS. 27a [XXX] CHIS.
- 101d [Letter-shaped track] I-RAIL. ???
- 106d [Choose] ELECT. 75d [Of one’s own volition] BY CHOICE.
- 1a [Answers a host] RSVPS. Always nice when the first clue encountered is gettable but not super-obvious.
- 25a [Past regulation, briefly] IN OT. I was misreading the clue, parsing “past” as “previously in time”.
- 38a [Eco-friendly building certification, for short] LEED. “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”. Some stress in holding the grid together.
- 97a [Out of bed] ARISEN.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4.5 stars
This is just a rock solid Saturday. Excellent fill, good clues, perfect amount of challenge… can’t ask for much more than that.
I am choosing to read 14D as GOON TRIAL
and you can’t make me see it otherwise.
nyt: Me too, Jamie! ;-) (A potentially prescient term? Who can say…)
Also, from Amy’s write-up: in [Win dough?] and PRIZE MONEY, aren’t both “win” and “PRIZE” used as adjectives (versus as nouns)? (i.e., “win” was adjectivized here, I thought?)
NYT: I thought FIRS TO FALL crossing GOON TRIAL was a little tricky. But otherwise, a smooth Saturday.
NAP TRAPPED, ANTINOVEL and PUPU platter were new to me. Grew up Catholic in Wisconsin, so a Lenten Friday FISH FRY was a gimme (catfish, in the part of the state where I was raised).
ETA – @Jamie, great minds…
NYT: I had WONDEROOS for a bit, thinking of Underoos, but that’s a brand associated with pull-ups, not push-ups. Funny clue for POKE [Give the finger?]. Nice puzzle.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
Is the Y at the end of “yes indeedy” natural? A particular American vernacular expression by any chance? Yes indeed seems way less awkward.
YES INDEEY is something the character Ned Flanders on The Simpsons either says or should say given his wholesome cheerfulness. I’ve known a few people who would use it sincerely, but most people I know would use it ironically or cutesily if at all.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4 stars
I confess to looking at a map to jog my memory for PTOWN. I knew the exact location buy could not conjure up the name. That has long been a destination on my list but for a different reason—I am a pilot (hobby, not career) and there is a nice little GA airport within a walk from town.
I loved the Stumper. Happy that “Disc you can buy for less than two bucks” did not turn out to be OREO.
As for SNOOT, I always think of its David Foster Wallace meanings: “Sprachgefühl Necessitates Our Ongoing Tendance”or “Syntax Nudniks of Our Time” (i.e., one who is persnickety about usage).
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
Love me some DFW. Here’s my current fav:
“So full of himself he shits limbs.”
• David Foster Wallace
I also had LILAC before PHLOX — the latter comes in a wide range of colors (whites, pinks, reds), so ‘purple’ in the clue threw me off.
Yesterday’s and today’s were a whole lot easier for me than last weekend’s. Too little data to forecast a trend, though :).
As @pannonica states, the Stumper was quite easy today. The ALUM, CRIT, POET, APU, APBS, TAIL, AGORA gimmes gave footholds into each section. My biggest hold-up was trying to get 26D when I had written TOsTIto for 24A. That also made mInt instead of DILL and thus I was wondering who eats SAnd (I didn’t actually write that in but I had to consider it with SAn in place.)
BirCH before BEECH, making CLUE and HIRE (both clued hard for me) difficult to see. I don’t associate PORSCHES with sedans. And while TET was probably the right answer for 52D, I also didn’t know how to spell tower in Italian, wanted a U in there somewhere.
Stumper: Agree with pannonica, as usual. Never heard of Coco, but could get it from the crosses. I wasn’t fond of “hire” for “team buildER” (18A), but got it from the crosses. Also not fond of 34A’s “recorder” (singular) equating to “oboes” (plural). The minor part that I really didn’t like was the crossing of 55A and 47D — two things I didn’t know, so I wasn’t sure what the crossing square was at all. Overall, not bad.
“Kin” is useful because it can be singular or plural. My parents are my kin. Oboes are a recorder’s kin.
So it seems, but I’m still not happy sbout it. :)
Puzzle: LAT; Rating: 4.5 stars
Thanks for the write-up Amy!
The LA Times puzzle by Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa was excellent. Solid grid and plenty of twisty clues.
Puzzle: WSJ; Rating: 1 star
I CAN’T COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES I CRINGED – awful!
Re Stumper, 51D: I have counted and counted, and I keep getting 18 letters in his surname. Is there another animated merchant APU besides the one in The Simpsons?
I didn’t know his last name — just that it’s long. Per Wikipedia, it’s “Nahasapeemapetilon,” which is 18 letters. A pedant could argue that something 18 letters long is, indeed, 17 letters long (plus one), but that’s not me.
Puzzle: WSJ; Rating: 1.5 stars
pannonica, it’s not just you. I had the exact same reaction to all the sexist items you referenced. I grew up in South Florida, so I’m pretty familiar with New “Yawk-ese” but that doesn’t equate to a fun or interesting solve. I think I audibly groaned at 79A. Thanks for your affirming review.
Newsday: Just noticed that I embedded the theme music for Fear is the Key a second time. Have just replaced the duplicate with what was originally intended.
Can someone please explain the Newsday clue for 54 Across? How is epee an orange peel portion?
Most (all, now?) Stumpers have one clue that’s more in the vein of a cryptic crossword. It’s this clue for the latest Stumper. EPEE is hiding in orangE PEEl, so it’s a “portion” of orange peel.
And yes, I had to ask about this clue too!
Ugh. Thank you for of the info. It was driving me crazy. Now I remember why I don’t do cryptics!