LAT 2:44 (Stella) 
[3.60 avg; 5 ratings] rate it
Newsday 16:03 (pannonica) 
[4.00 avg; 6 ratings] rate it
NYT 4:43 (Amy) 
[3.00 avg; 17 ratings] rate it
Universal tk (Matthew) [3.00 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
USA Today tk (Matthew) 
[2.50 avg; 1 rating] rate it
WSJ untimed (pannonica) rate it
David Karp’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 2/14/26 – no. 0214
Aww, too easy for a Saturday slot, but the black squares make a red heart(ish) for Valentine’s Day. Could we not have had tougher clues?
I’m trying to see if there’s a holiday quasi-theme in the fill but I’m not finding anything other than LOVE TRIANGLES and an ECG with a heart clue. SEX TAPE and SHAG?
Fave fill: PEACE SIGN, SANTA PHOTOS (my cousin Adam has a great side hustle as Santa Claus, and his seasonal appearances get booked solid well in advance), LOVE TRIANGLES, PARACHUTE IN, REMOTE WORKERS (raises hand), SIMONE BILES, Greenlandic ICE SHEET.
Three more things:
- 6D. [Screw or nail, to a Brit], SHAG. OMG. This clue is male-centric and crude and I’m honestly stunned to see it in the puzzle. Happy Valentine’s Day, maybe he’ll nail you? Horrible. Wrecks the entire “oh, look, a red heart for Valentine’s Day” vibe. What were Will and the editorial team thinking??
- 54A. [Puts one’s money on the line], TAKES A BET. I opted for MAKES A BET first. You, too?
- 47D. [Beer brand from Trinidad and Tobago], CARIB. This one is new to me but guessable with a few crossings.
Amanda Cook’s Los Angeles Times crossword — Stella’s write-up
Los Angeles Times 2/14/26 by Amanda Cook
On this Valentine’s Day, I’m going to go with a sentiment of “like” rather than “love” for this puzzle, since there were some really fun moments in the clues but not, in my opinion, enough of them:
- 17A [Final act for a big star] is a SUPERNOVA, as in a literal star, not a celebrity.
- 27A [Resource that may be recharged with alone time] is SOCIAL BATTERY. I liked this entry, even though the clue was a bit straightforward for my taste.
- 43A [Unapologetic self-promotion] is SHAMELESS PLUG. Ditto.
- 59A [Reason to cover a lot of ground quickly?] is RAIN DELAY. Best clue in the puzzle IMO.
- 62A [Nonbillable work?] I’m kind of annoyed that this was MINOR ROLE and not CAMEO ROLE like I had at first. After all, many minor roles are billed.
- 12D [Sting operation?] is BEEKEEPING. Nice clue.
- 14D [Dances like Savion Glover] is TAPS. I’m always here for a Savion Glover reference.
I wanted just a bit more playing with words in this puzzle and a bit less straightforwardness in the clues overall, I guess.
Rich Proulx and Simeon Seigel’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “All You Really Need!” — pannonica’s write-up
WSJ • 2/14/26 • Sat • “All You Really Need!” • Proulx, Seigel • solution • 20260214
It’s a very dense theme. Lots of entries, and an extended revealer.
- 115aR [Put-down that could be used in pitches for this puzzle’s products, and for the one in the circled letters (which may be more useful than all those products combined)] WHAT A TOOL. In accordance with the notion that the fanciful combined tools of dubious utility need to be advertised, or pitched, the clues all appear in the same FORMAT (8a)—that of a breathless quoted sales come-on.
- 22a. [“It’s a fancy button that also stokes fires!”] STUD POKER.
- 24a. [“It’s a siphon that can also make holes!”] SUCKER PUNCH.
- 43a. [“It’s a riding whip that’s also a cleaner!”] CROP DUSTER.
- 51a. [It’s an angle checker that also measures!”] SQUARE METER.
- 65a. [It’s an embosser that’s also a smasher!”] STAMP CLUB.
- 86a. [“It’s a hauler that’s also a beekeeper’s aid!”] CHAIN SMOKER.
- 92a. [“It’s a winery gadget that can also smooth wood!”] PRESS PLANE. As for the surface meaning, a PRESS PLANE would be a separate aircraft for media reporters that would shadow a prominent politician’s entourage.
- 111a. [“It’s a nut opener that can also lift a car!”] CRACKER JACK.
Together in order, the circled letters spell that all-purpose solution, DUCT TAPE.
- 1d [Battleship response] MISS. The game Battleship.
- 7d [Threw shade?] DARKENED. Site of my one incorrect letter when the grid was completely filled in; because I’d answered BOING for 27a [Cartoonish collision sound] BOINK, the answer here read DARGENED.
- 14d [Rope bond symbolizing deep affection] TRUE LOVE KNOT. Timely. The clue is basically a sequence of direct synonyms for the answer.
- 17d [“Not great”] MEH. Quite literal. In contrast, I tend to use “not great” as sarcastic understatement for awful.
- 34d [Fed. law protecting patients’ information] HIPAA, not HIPPA it should be noted.
- 37d [Infomercial exhortation] ACT NOW, which seems apt for the theme clues’ pitches.
- 38d [A __ (theoretical)] PRIORI. “Theoretical” doesn’t seem to be a perfect match for the phrase’s meaning, but as we all know crossword clues needn’t encompass the entire sense of their answers.
- 59d [Straight shooters?] SELFIE STICKS. On the other hand, I don’t buy this one at all. Sure, SELFIE STICKS are by and large straight lengths of material, but they don’t shoot anything. It’s the cameras that are FASTENed (8d) to them that do that.
- 66d [Get up] AWAKEN. 3d [ __ No. 1 (James Brown nickname)] SOUL BROTHER.
- 70d [It goes over most people’s heads] PRIVATE JOKE. Or under their radar.
- 77d [Flight taken by a lot of people] MASS EXITS. Had MASS EXODI first, ha.
- 81d [In direct competition] MANO A MANO, which means hand-to-hand, not man-to-man.
- 103d [Get the lead out?] ERASE. Nice clue.
- 105d [Yard cleaner] RAKE. A non-thematic tool.
- 37a [Coverups for some dirty work] APRONS. Another nice clue.
- 48a [Participants in some moving experiences] VANS. Ditto.
- 75a [Result of too many balls in the air?] WALK. This is baseball, and I feel the clue is stretched a bit too thin.
- 105a [Basis of some vaccines] RNA. The US federal government has basically halted all domestic research for this promising field of medicine.
Not a particularly good song, but the title is perfectly apt, so here it is.
David P Williams’ Newsday crossword, Saturday Stumper — pannonica’s write-up
Newsday • 2/14/26 • Saturday Stumper • Williams • solution • 20260214
I found this to be an exceptionally easy offering for the Stumper series. Was able to get more than the usual few desultory entries to kick things off, and most of the key long entries were gettable with just the few letters those other entries provided.
- 1a [Suffix meaning “sayer” for a “wise” one] -ACRE, wiseacre. This was not one of the entries I got immediately.
- 9a [What the region north of Detroit resembles] THUMB. My frame of mind was about landscape rather than cartographic appearance.
- 14a [Leopard ou tigre] CHAT. Super-easy, my first bit of fill.
- 15a [Inside plant] MOLE. 40d [Inside plants] SPIES. 45d [Inside plants] ALOES. That last one a stretch. I don’t mind the wordplay, but ALOES are very much an outdoor plant in warmer climates.
- 20a [Two-way time intro] ERE. The “two-way” of the clue merely refers to its palindromic quality.
- 21a [She’s seen in nail salons] ILSA. Didn’t fool me for a moment. It’s the cryptic-style clue, and it’s a hidden word.
- 23a [Vital sign] SPARKLE. <head-waggle> SPARK I can see, but SPARKLE?
- 26a [Literary clerk whose “servility was false”] Uriah HEEP. Once I dismissed BARTLEBY, I was fortunate to remember this fictional character.
- 34a [Planet precursor] EXO-. 54d [Start to mend] COM.
- 36a [Company workers] TROOP. 44a [Service charge] AWOL.
- 38a [Arm that sounds 32-Down-like] UZI. 32d [Go slow] OOZE, hence OOZY ≈ UZI.
- 45a [On the move] ANIMATE, as an adjective.
- 52a [You, in informal phrases] ’CHA. Don’tcha know?
- 58a [Louis Comfort contemporary] RENÉ. Tiffany, Lalique.
- 61a [“He __ of you, that never used to beg”: Shak.] ASKS. Turns out this is from Pericles, with the title character speaking of himself. Fortunately, the content of the quote made it rather easy to figure out the answer.
- 3d [Anger management candidate] RAGEAHOLIC. Too many people are like this.
- 7d [Arm-wrestling participant] ULNA. >groan<
- 8d [Low-tech security device] NET. At first I thought it would be DOG, then PET.
- 12d [Surfing accessories] MICE. Another one where the misdirection didn’t fool me.
- 18d [Got ready in a green room] MIKED.
- 24d [Verb from Old English for “slash”] REND, not REAP.
- 25d [White house rotunda] IGLOO. Noticed right away that ‘house’ wasn’t capitalized, but for a long time had no idea what to make of the clue.
- 27d [Hyper anxiety] AGONY, not DREAD or AGITA.
- 31d [They have about four calories each] BTUS. Once I got the U from UZI this was a snap.
- 39d [Gets moving, as retro robots] REWINDS.
- 46d [Name-check, often] THANK. My last filled entry, though far from the most difficult clue/answer.
- 51d [Word below some Treasurer’s signatures] FIVE. I gather this must be the US Secretary of the Treasury, and five dollar bills.
- 55d [Road debris protector] BRA.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3 stars
Normally I would say that the editors should have scheduled this grid differently, but this one was bespoke for today and it’s just way too easy. Finished with a Wednesday time.
Also I already accounted for the puzzle needing to go to horny jail. It was 4 stars before that (and how easy it was).
NYT: while I was surprised at SHAG also, the misdirection of the clue had me wondering what those Brits hit with a hammer! Surprised but not offended.
And while SHAG (and its clue) may be a bit vulgar, why give infidelity a pass and not call out LOVE TRIANGLE??
All in all, a pretty breezy Saturday <3
If the people in the love triangle are consenting adults in open relationships, it isn’t really infidelity.
That’s not what love triangle means.
Yes, a love triangle is not a throuple, but nor does one usually involve infidelity. For instance, it’s often a happy couple plus an unwanted suitor. Or A loves B loves C loves A, all unrequited. Stuff happens.
I don’t think a “love triangle” is equivalent to a throuple (or a “threesome”). But if there’s a “happy couple” and an “unwanted suitor,” how does that become a love triangle? Seems to me an “unwanted suitor” isn’t part of the geometry.
A “love triangle” is where there is one person who is in love/lust with two others – often, but not always, unbeknownst to the two others. I’m not sure how “unrequited” comes into play here.
Romeo, Juliet and Paris (cited in Wikipedia) would seem to be an example. There are many, varied, examples in that article.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4 stars
NYT: I do the puzzles on paper so I don’t time them, but I printed the puzzle out at 10:00PM and was finished at 10:15. I’m not one who complains about an easy Saturday puzzle, but I can see how it might rile (crossword fave?) those who want more of a challenge on a Saturday. Oh, and I agree 100% with Amy’s comment on the clue for shag. Sometimes Will is really tone deaf in his editing
NYT: I agree – a very easy Saturday. I may have to try the Stumper to get my workout for the day. For once, grid art made sense to me – even though solving in AL, there were no red squares.
I was surprised, but not offended by SHAG (as clued). The misdirection was kind of cute, but it does seem a bit out of place on Valentine’s Day. I’m not great with Britishisms, so had no idea of what they call screws and nails. Then, once the alternative meaning dawned on me, I started with “snog.”
I liked the clues for PEACE SIGN (which I surprised myself by entering with no crosses) and SERIAL NUMBER (which took quite a few crosses for me to see). But other than those two and SHAG, there wasn’t a lot of wordplay for a Saturday.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
I’m not much of a ____ person
a) grid art
b) easy Saturday
c) Valentine’s Day
d) all of the above
Correct answer is d. But that’s a me issue
However, I am in the BVI right now and have had my share of Caribs the past week and a half
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3 stars
I honestly don’t know what to think. Like Amy, I started with an Awww response. But that red heart sets Hallmark card expectations, and a SEX TAPE in the middle was not exactly consonant with them. LOVE TRIANGLE consolidated the idea that this is on the raunchy side of Valentine’s Day, and then SHAG as defined here, and not in the 1960’s carpet sense..huh!
So, no flowers and candlelight. But could we have had some chocolate thrown in, at least?
PS. The Strands puzzle is lovely, as usual.
SHAG, to my mind, is teenage boy language, puerile as well as crude. Maybe after that and watching the SEXTAPE, you’d better have an ECG…
Apart from being way too easy for a Saturday, this puzzle struck a sour note with me for its content.
Way, way too easy. I look forward to Saturday and was disappointed. Agree it was also a bit offensive. Also agree with Gary R. – I will try the Stumper to get my workout. I don’t want to be mean, so no rating.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 1 star
I agree with Amy on the cluing for SHAG. There’s really no excuse for including something so offensive. Do the NYT editors ever offer apologies?
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3 stars
Agree that NYT was way too easy for a Saturday.
I’m not at all bothered by SHAG. It reminds me of the Austin Powers movies which I crack up over.
But how do you feel about ‘screw’ and ‘nail’?
No problem at all.
I’m a big girl.
Pretty sure “Georgina” is an online name being used by a man, based on the usual tenor of their comments.
I am a lesbian and lean butch.
But hey, thanks.
Time to step off your high horse Amy. If you’re gonna state things without proof, people can do the same about you.
Puzzle: Newsday; Rating: 4 stars
In the Stumper, if FIVE refers to paper money, shouldn’t the clue for 51-D be plural: “Word below some TreasurerS’ signatures”? They’d all be on the bills. (Or does “some” here mean “a”?)
And doesn’t 57-A, “A thing of the past” appear to be ask for a noun? I know, it’s a Stumper, but still.
I liked this Stumper a lot, but I found this cross confounding.
These both seemed okay to me. In 51-D, it’s “Word” that indicates that the answer will be singular – multiple “some Treasurer’s” doesn’t matter. And as for 57-A, an event, or a trend or an era that is “A thing of the past” is OVER. Works for me.
Yes, a thing of the past is over, but “over” is an adjective there.
And yes, FIVE is singular, but it appears under the signatures of all the Treasurers. The plural possessive is appropriate, esp. given the plural “signatures.”
(Over and out.)
I think you countered your own objection – “a thing of the past is OVER” – that’s the point.
And would “FIVES” (which wouldn’t fit) or “ONES” (which would) make any sense? Neither of those is a “Word below some Treasurer’s signatures.” “Treasurer’s” is not a plural possessive. Could be multiple signatures because there are multiple five-dollar bills or it could be that there are other places a Treasurer’s signature show up. It’s a Stumper.
(Over and five.)
“Treasurer’s is not a plural possessive”: that’s exactly my point. “Treasurers’,” the plural possessive, is appropriate. Some Treasurers, the ones that are Secretaries of the Treasury, have their signatures show up on currency. The Treasurers’ signatures show up there. My objection is to the wording of the clue, not to the answer.
I honestly thought that “A thing of the past” might be ONER — a one and done. I still think the clue asks for a noun. A thing of the past is over, but “over” is not a thing, not a noun (though a noun of course need not name a person, place, or thing). We can agree to disagree about the boundaries in Stumperdom.
I wasn’t fond of either one, but they work in a Stumper sense. There has been worse — like the aloes that pannonica cites. I do think of them as indoor plants, but they’re hardly the first indoor plants I think of. I think of ferns far more as indoor plants.
I think the syntax is proper, as is. If I opined, “Some roofer’s toolbelts are nylon, but most are leather”, I don’t think I want a plural possessive there because the subject in the singular would be “roofer’s toolbelt”, and the plural would be “roofer’s toolbelts”; putting the apostrophe AFTER the S would be redundant. Here, the thing in question is more than one treasurer’s signature; if you’re going to pluralize that compound noun, you just add an S to “signature”. Ultimately, I think it’s dealer’s choice–neither construct is technically incorrect.
The Sunday NYT magazine, of course, always has a second puzzle page, apart from the big Sunday puzzle, with some regular features. Tomorrow’s variety puzzle is, Puns and Anagrams, is covered with red streaks. I wish other subscribers a cleaner copy.
Can get a clean one from XWord Info, 20 bucks a year and well worth it.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 3.5 stars
NYT: agree with the difficulty level leaving me wanting for a Saturday, but i have a different take on the NYT…”amorous” theme. In re SHAG LOVE TRIANGLE SEX TAPE et al, honestly I’m kind of happy that the puzzle has deviated from the fusty musty rusty 2014era clunkers we’ve had the past few weeks and months. The editorial standard seemed much more ‘AVCX’ than usual, and i mean that as a compliment. Certainly could’ve used some more female gaze but at least we weren’t doing CPR on an archives puzzle? Id say 4.5 for the effort but 2.5 for difficulty and execution, so an honest 3.5?
LAT was great but much easier this week. Played like a normal Friday against the puzzle standard. Not much there that was challenging, but again, LOOK at the fill compared to the NYT. Wildly fresh by comparison.
The stumper has a lot of time variance for me, and seeing how i was closing in on a really low time this week, I thought I must’ve underestimated the challenge, but no, relatively quick this week. Seems pannonica would agree. Still fun though! Far less frustrating than some previous weeks where the cluing was obscure to the point of dryness.
I wasn’t offended but the language took away the fun and joy of the heart. Simply not romantic. And that includes LOVE TRIANGLES.
Stumper: I’m side-eyeing that S at the end of BOONDOGGLES and TENURES. For the former, I guess it makes sense, but for the latter, it’s weird. TENURE fits the (very good) clue just fine.
Agree.
I made the Stumper much harder than it warranted. UNCONSCIOUS BIAS perhaps explains why I looked at 14A’s clue and saw Spanish instead of French, and I missed it for a long time. Gato went in and then out because no crosses worked; I guess I didn’t look at the clue again until very late in my solve – duh, it’s “ou”, not “o” so French!
I’m not sure SPARKLE would ever lead me to think “Vital sign”.
@Pannonica, thank you for the ‘CHA explanation.
Stumper: Agree (as usual) with pannonica. Relatively easy, so nice. My husband, who had French in high school, got “chat” and its crossing “aches,” so with the “a” of “aches,” I got “acre” first. I, too, look askance at “vital” with “sparkle” — that was the one thing I circled to make sure to mention here.