LAT tk (pannonica) rate it
NYT 5:06 (Amy) 
[4.25 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
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Amanda Winters’s New York Times crossword — Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 6/12/26 – no. 0612
Interesting grid design. The 6-block corners look weird, but we get a puzzle bolstered by four 14s instead of 15s. The GENETIC LOTTERY, PORTLAND OREGON, ICE CREAM PARLOR, and BEST-KEPT SECRET are all great. In the middle are crossing 11s: CONEY ISLAND and POINTILLISM, also welcome. The rest of the fill is in the 3- to 7-letter range, so just the six longer entries.
Fave fill: SEASICK, KEY WEST, MAGGIE Smith.
Five more things:
- 19A. [“Empire of the ___” (1977 sci-fi film with an approval rating of 5% on Rotten Tomatoes)], ANTS. There’s also a 1991 novel by that name, by a French writer. Sounds much better.
- 29A. [Half ass reply?], HEE. As in half of a donkey/ass’s call, hee-haw.
- 1D. [Pastry with Austrian origins, despite its name], DANISH. I’ve had Swedish Danish in Chicago, so delicious!
- 11D. [Home of the Ernest Hemingway House], KEY WEST. Been there, saw some cats. The yard had some philodendrons climbing the trees. If you think about the plant’s etymology, it makes perfect sense!
- 49D. [Do business?], SALON. A business where they generate hairdos.
Four stars from me.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4.5 stars
That was excellent. Fun fill throughout, good cluing, minimal gunk.
If you ever visit PORTLANDOREGON, you must make time for Powell’s City of Books in downtown. There are a couple satellite stores too, but they’re just not the same.