LAT untimed (pannonica) 
[2.08 avg; 6 ratings] rate it
NYT 5:46 (Amy) 
[3.27 avg; 15 ratings] rate it
Universal 6:21 (Jim P) [3.38 avg; 8 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (Emily) 
[2.50 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
Joyce Keller’s New York Times crossword — Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 11/21/25 – no. 1121
I enjoyed this Friday offering quite a bit. Among my favorite entries: LEA MICHELE, MANSPREADS, ROCKET SCIENCE, HEART-STOPPING, EDIBLES (now a legit plural noun), WHITE NOISE (tried to watch the movie by that name, couldn’t make it more than 10 minutes), COME-HITHER, “HERE’S WHY,” CHEAT SHEETS, FIRE STARTER (could also be clued as the Stephen King novel I read in my teens), CESAREAN (been there, done that), and AYO EDEBIRI (her last name is pronounced ə-DEB-ər-ee, which should help you remember the spelling if you struggle with it).
I filled in the southeast section mainly via the Acrosses, so I had to go back after finishing to see what the ONI clue was. [Japanese ogre]! Per Wikipedia, they can eat people in a single bite. Not sure I’d ever encountered the term before.
Three more things:
- 20A. [Symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt], TOAD. Huh I would not have guessed that in 10 guesses, I don’t think.
- 23A. [Shakespearean “Hush!”], SOFT. Is it “But soft! Through yonder window light comes?” I misremembered the Romeo and Juliet lines: “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the East, and Juliet is the sun. / Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, / Who is already sick and pale with grief / That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.”
- Maybe a little tricky crossing going on where 44D. [Anne’s best friend in “Anne of Green Gables”], DIANA meets 55A. [Juana ___ de la Cruz, classic Mexican writer known as “The Tenth Muse”], INES? I’ve seen this INES in other crosswords but sure did not know the name of any side characters in Anne of Green Gables (never read nor saw it). Luckily, DIANA is not an unusual spelling so it was plausible, but there certainly are more notable DIANAs out there (Spencer, Rigg, Ross, Taurasi, to name four real people).
I’m allergic to many fragrances, so 36A. [Popular perfume named after a singing star] had me guessing PIAF off that I. Have I ever heard of a Piaf perfume? No. Have I maybe seen a RIRI perfume advertised? Perhaps. RIRI is Rihanna’s nickname, and she’s a current “singing star” with a thriving line of cosmetics (designed for people of all skin tones) and numerous fashion ventures, so sure, perfumes make sense too.
4.25 stars from me.
Hanh Huynh’s Universal crossword, “Jackpot!”—Jim P’s review
Today’s puzzle replicates a lottery ticket with the revealer SCRATCH OFF (72a, [Remove, as six blocks from this puzzle’s grid … making space for letters that complete the starred clues’ answers and spell an apt word]). Six black squares hide letters that spell out the word WINNER. The starred clues apply to the whole word or phrase to include the missing letters. Subsequent clues apply only to the latter portions.
Universal crossword solution · “Jackpot!” · Hanh Huynh · Fri., 11.21.25
- 27a [*Ski patrol vehicles] SNO(W)MOB(I)LES with 29a [Swarm] for MOB and 31a [“___ Miz”] for LES.
- 41a [*Carouse] GO O(N) A BE(N)DER with 43a [Civil War prez] for ABE and 45a [German for “the”] for DER.
- 60a [*CGI-ready background] GRE(E)NSC(R)EEN with 61a [Defense grp.] for NSC and 63a [Suffix with “velvet”] for EEN.
Down entries get the same treatment with:
- 7d. [*Being pulled] IN TO(W).
- 10d. [*Recipients of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” winnings] CHAR(I)TIES with 35d [Formal neckwear] TIES.
- 18d. [*They accept bad behavior] CONDO(N)ERS with 48d [Med. drama settings] ERS.
- 22d. [*Southern Plains tribe] COMA(N)CHE with 50d [Michael of “SNL”] CHE.
- 37d. [*”Bonanza” ranch] POND(E)ROSA with 66d [Civil Rights icon Parks] ROSA.
- 68d. [*Not at all urban] (R)URAL.
This is quite cool and it took me more than half of the grid to figure out part of what was going on. I needed the revealer to understand it fully, and though the clue was wordy, it made sense and provided a satisfying aha moment. I’m really impressed with how the trick works in both directions. GO ON A BENDER was tough to see and CONDONERS is blah, but there are a great deal of constraints at play here, so I can put up with some crunchiness. Overall, an excellent theme with a satisfying payoff.
But now I see the grid is not quite symmetrical, so I’ll count that as a small demerit. No, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment I got solving the puzzle, but I see it as an inelegance nonetheless.
Fill highlights include “DESPACITO“, RACCOONS, and the REAL ME. For some reason, IV BAG didn’t sound right to me, but nope, that’s what they’re called.
Clues of note:
- 33a. [Shrug, in a text]. IDK. I had to think about this because I usually use ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .
- 45a. [German for “the”]. DER. Slightly misleading since there are three main words for “the” include “das” and “die”.
- 5d. [Pickleball enthusiast Andre]. ANDRE. I don’t know if there’s a story behind this or not. If anyone cares to elucidate, feel free.
Good puzzle! 3.5 stars.
Emet Ozar’s Los Angeles Times crossword — pannonica’s write-up
LAT • 11/21/25 • Fri • Ozar • solution • 20251121
Today we’re asked to parse repeated phrases differently.
- 19a. [Beer endorsed by a British pop star?] DUA LIPA DUAL IPA. I’ve heard of double IPAs but not dual ones. (There is minor support for it via internet searching, however.)
- 24a. [Relaxed prankster?] A TEASE AT EASE.
- 44a. [Post-punk sudden death period became extremely exciting?] GOTH OT GOT HOT. This became extremely nonsensical.
- 51a. [Jerk risked growing hangry?] TOOL ATE TOO LATE. This may be the first time I’ve encountered this pejorative sense of tool in a crossword context.
I don’t know about you, but this theme just didn’t work so well for me. I mean, the concept is good, but the answers and execution left something to be desired. Only one of the four (24a) came across well.
- 14d [Element of coastal defense] SEA WALL. I would have said ‘protection’ but this works well enough.
- 20d [Sonia Sanchez, for one] POET.
- 24d [Very silly] APISH. Took many crossings to see this one.
- 32d [“__ my wit’s end”] I’M AT. 43d [Incessantly] TO NO END.
- 36d [Department store section] PETITES.
- 49d [Book that’s been mapped out?] ATLAS. Sure, ok.
- 13a [Manufacturer “where every mattress is sheep approved”] SERTA. Did the usal SEALY/SERTA two-step by just putting in SE- and seeing what crossed. 14a [Zaire’s Mobutu __ Seko] SESE.
- 30d [Smoked jalapeño] CHIPOTLE. Smoked and dried.
- 48a [Baked beans holder] CAN. Was definitely looking for something more akin to a crock.
- 61a [To boot] ALSO.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3 stars
Ehhh, I didn’t love this one. I enjoyed a lot of the long fill, but a few too many cutesy wordplay clues for my liking.
And I’m not going to hold this against the puzzle, but a) this felt more like a Saturday, although I may just be really tired… and b) RIRI was in yesterday’s grid too, also referring to Rihanna’s nickname. How does that happen?
It’s entirely possible that having RIRI two days in a row was intentional — solvers unfamiliar with Ms Fenty’s nickname might remember it today because they saw it yesterday. (I didn’t know that her fashion line extended to fragrances, but it was logical that it might.)
I don’t know much about Rihanna’s music, but based on the Wikipedia article about her, she’s had an impressive career in several areas.
I’d have to disagree on it being anything but coincidental. The odds that WS would chose a Friday themeless because it shares an entry with a Thursday are nil, in my opinion. A four-letter word with two vowels, one terminal, is apt to be useful. I’d bet a box of OREOs that RIRI is destined for the crosswordese Hall of Fame.
Thanks Eric and Martin. I had honestly wondered if that was part of the editorial process and how that all worked. And yes, I bet we end up seeing RIRI about as often as AYOEDEBIRI.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 1 star
NYT: Honestly tired of the needless sexism. As much as people talk up the “breakfast test” or whatever it is we call the Times’ unwritten guidelines to keep from making people feel bad when they engage in this pastime, I can’t understand why gendered pejoratives are still widely accepted. I would not accept “women drivers”, for example, clued as an inability to operate a car well. And I will not accept “manspread”.
Anyway, no stars; and I got my second incomplete ever for the same reason as last time. I will not fall in line for this crap. A few more like this and my money goes elsewhere.
I guess you’ve never been a woman whose seat on the bus or train has been subject to inroads by some dude’s sprawled legs taking up more than his allotted space. The sexism is the space-hogging, not the labeling thereof.
Of course I have. Only it didn’t happen to me because I was a woman. I’ve also been annoyed by the space hogging of all sorts of other privileged people, too. But my opinion is that gendered labeling like this, maybe all gendered labeling, inures people to a hostility between the sexes that harms everyone in a collateral way (if not an equal way), and that using the tools of sexism to fight sexism isn’t ever going to work. I understand the goal here might be to visit aggression rather than solve problems, though. But that’s not my object.
I didn’t mean any harm, though.
I often notice women taking up two seats with their oversized bags and ignoring others who might wish to use that second seat. We need a term for that.
The term for using a second seat on a crowded bus for a parcel is the same as for a man using much of three seats: inconsiderate behavior.
But the latter, when a statement that it’s an anatomical necessity, is also an expression of toxic masculinity. I’m not sure “sexist” isn’t better reserved for clearer expressions of gender enmity, but sex-based boorishness is clearly something to be disparaged and a pejorative term is on point. But I fear we are feeding the troll.
I’m not a troll, so don’t worry.
I found the MRA, people. “Honestly tired of the needless sexism” – thank god you’re here to fight the good fight against sexism against men (this really isn’t a case of that, even.) This flimsy wallpaper of ‘I would not accept “women drivers”, for example’ bit, to give the veneer that you’re about equality for all, is completely akin to Black Lives Metter? No – it’s All Lives Matter.
It looks as if Jim P reviewed today’s Universal, but I don’t see it anywhere. Is it just me or did it not load to the site? Thanks.
I see it now.
NYT was nicely made but pretty easy for a Friday. I only slowed down in the SW corner — I don’t know this DIANA, needed crosses to get EBLAST, and took a while to see CART for ‘schlep.’
NYT: solid Friday for me.
Had to erase ABOUT THE MONEY at 25A, which I thought was solid.
Overall, very enjoyable!
There are several recent films with that title, but I’m going to assume it was the most high-profile of the bunch, a 2022 adaptation of Don DeLillo’s brilliant and prescient 1985 novel. I got whiplash when the project was announced: first from excitement, immediately followed by disappointment when I learned that it was directed by Noah Baumbach, whose films I find insufferable.
That’s the one. I’d read the novel when it was newish and figured the movie would also be memorable, but no.
Not sure I’ve seen any Baumbachs. How does his work compare to the insufferability of Wes Anderson films?
hahaha. Different animals altogether. I can actually sit through a Wes Anderson film.
NYT: Like Amy, I was not in love with the choice to clue DIANA so obscurely when it crosses another proper name (INES) that is not very common. There are many plausible consonants that could have fit in the square of the two words crossing.
I certainly agree there are more accessible ways to clue DIANA – but I’m struggling to come up with other plausible letters for that crossing.
Puzzle: LAT; Rating: 1.5 stars
LAT: What an unpleasant slog compounded by a plethora of obscure names. I usually enjoy the LAT, but not today.
Puzzle: Universal; Rating: 4.5 stars
I really liked this puzzle once I got the hang of it. And the constructor’s creativity is great!
Puzzle: Universal; Rating: 5 stars
The theme is really cool, and it took me a long time to get it, and I only noticed some parts of some longer themers after reading Jim’s review. (Thanks, Jim!)
Jim, how do you type the “ツ” in “¯\_(ツ)_/¯”? (Not to mention what you call it, and what it’s used for, other than emoticon art.) Do you type all that out every time you want to say “IDK”?
ツ is the Japanese katakana character “tsu.”
Thanks!