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Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “Paste Test” — twice the sticking power – Jenni’s write-up
I really needed the title this time. I got about halfway through with no idea what was going on, checked the title again, and the light dawned. Each theme answer is a nonsensical two-part phrase in which both halves can precede the word “paste.”
Jonesin’, June 23, 2026, Matt Jones, “Paste Test” – twice the sticking power, solution grid
- 17a [Prawn breath freshener?] is SHRIMP GUM. Ick.
- 19a [Clone of a corn salsa bit?] is BLACK BEAN COPY.
- 33a [Beefsteak photo as a desktop backdrop?] is TOMATO WALLPAPER. Hah. Took me a minute to realize we weren’t talking about, say, a firefighter calendar.
- 50a [Where Grover and The Count can check out books?] is the SESAME LIBRARY.
I would happily eat BACK BEAN paste, TOMATO paste, and SESAME paste. I’m allergic to SHRIMP and have had my fair share of LIBRARY paste (hey, I was five). Fun theme!
What I didn’t know before I did this puzzle: never heard of rapper LIL Yachty.