AV Club 4:09 (Amy) 
[2.67 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
LAT 4:24 (Gareth) 
[3.50 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
NYT 6:51 (Amy) [3.27 avg; 11 ratings] rate it
The New Yorker 4:17 (Jim Q) [3.50 avg; 5 ratings] rate it
Universal untimed (pannonica) 
[2.83 avg; 3 ratings] rate it
USA Today 8:45 (Emily) [2.75 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
WSJ 5:52 (Eric) [3.50 avg; 2 ratings] rate it
Bharati Hemmady & Jeff Chen’s Wall Street Journal Crossword “Digital Divide” — Eric’s Review
Bharati Hemmady & Jeff Chen’s Wall Street Journal Crossword — 6/24/26 (Click to Enlarge)
This one went very smoothly. If I had solved on paper, or if AcrossLite had a keyboard command for switching directions, I’d have been quicker. Approximately 40 years of typing on computers have made me very fond of keyboard command over using a mouse or trackpad. (Yes, I can hear the teeny-tiny violin you’re playing, probably in waltz time.)
Four mathematical fractions, all of which work out to “1,” clue the theme answers:
- 16A [1/1] NEW YEAR’S DAY
- 25A [4/4] TIME SIGNATURE I listen to music throughout most of my days, but never learned to play any instrument. Consequently, while I have a vague idea of what a time signature is, “4/4” didn’t make me immediately think of common time, a pattern of four notes to a measure that is the norm in rock, jazz, country, and bluegrass.
- 47A [20/20] PERFECT VISION In my youth, you were unlikely to have your eyes tested unless your teacher noticed you were having trouble reading the chalkboard. I didn’t wear the glasses I needed for quite a while after I got them. My perfect vision is likely to be restored only by cataract surgery in a few years.
- 60A [50/50] HALF AND HALF We go through that stuff way too quickly around here. When I first started drinking coffee in college, I decided I would do it only if I drank it black. I didn’t want the calories from sugar or cream. That didn’t quite work out.
It’s a solid theme, with theme answers that feel fresh.
Other stuff:
- 10A [Car that “beats the gassers and the rail jobs” in a 1964 hit] GTO I should probably listen to that song someday, as much as it appears in crosswords.
- 21A [“Breaking Away” director Peter] YATES As a regular bicyclist and a movie fan, that’s a gimme.
- 55A [Guy who cooks] FIERI Cute clue.
- 6D [Ford’s longest continuous car model] MUSTANG I expected the answer to be TAURUS, thinking that, like the Chevrolet Camaro, the Mustang had been discontinued and revived.
- 10D [Fashionable group] GLITTERATI Kind of a fun word.
- 27D [There’s no use discussing them] MOOT POINTS In my experience, mootness never stops some people.
- 50D [Interior designer Yip] VERN That’s a new name for me; I guessed VERA. Wikipedia says that while guesting on the TV show Trading Spaces, Yip “was known for frequently including silk, candles and flowers in the rooms he designed.” That doesn’t sound like something I’d care for, but in moderation, who knows?
Kevin Curry & Zhou Zhang’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 6/24/26 – no. 0624
WALKIE-TALKIES are the name of the game, 36A. [Hand-held radios used by the speakers of the italicized clues and their answers?]. The theme answers are phrases that end with walkie-talkie transmission words, clued as if there’s a comma in those familiar phrases:
- 17A. [“Sleigh’s loaded and ready! How are you feeling, Santa?”], “JOLLY, ROGER!” We assume that one of the elves at the North Pole is named Roger.
- 25A. [“I’m at the bakery – what kind of doughnut do you want?”], “GLAZED, OVER.”
- 49A. [“What’s tomorrow’s chemistry exam about again?”], “CARBON, COPY.”
- 60A. [“Before you go, what animal crosses the road in that old joke?”], “CHICKEN, OUT.”
Fun, fresh.
Didn’t know a 1A. [Retro kind of hairstyle] was a PIN-UP. What era is this from, exactly?
63A. [What postseason games can’t end in], TIES. I filled in DRAW first, since it’s World Cup season. Slowed down that whole corner. DRAW encouraged WE’RE HERE instead of WE MADE IT, and REVS instead of PEPS didn’t help me one bit.
Fave fill: ASS BRA above the middle should be a thing. Maybe it is? PICANTE, PONZU, OMNIVORE, GOOD EATS (maybe better clued as the old Alton Brown food show).
Four stars from me.
Sala Wanetick’s AV Club Classic crossword, “This Is Fine”—Amy’s recap
AV Club Classic crossword solution, 6/24/26 – “This Is Fine”
This was a quick solve, but also one where I have no idea what the theme was after solving. Let’s put it together. The revealer is 36a. [Sign in a construction zone, or what might be said by the entities in this puzzle’s theme answers], PARDON OUR DUST. Ah, it’s all in the theme clues, isn’t it?
- 17a. [Cocaine-selling “Scarface” character who says “Say hello to my little friend”], TONY MONTANA. Face dusted with the coke he’s been snorting.
- 24a. [Three-time Olympic gold medalist in track], GAIL DEVERS. Sprinter and hurdler. Olympic tracks are made of that rubbery stuff, right? No literal dust? Just leaving people in the dust, figuratively.
- 47a. [“Hook” fairy], TINKER BELL She’s got fairy dust.
- 57a. [Iconic New Orleans beignet spot known for using a truly egregious amount of powdered sugar], CAFE DU MONDE. Powdered sugar everywhere.
So the puzzle title, “This Is Fine,” evoking that cartoon dog in a burning room saying “this is fine,” relates to fine powders such as cocaine, dust, fairy dust, and confectioner’s sugar.
Fave fill: ILIA Malinin of ice skating fame (at first I thought it was the Ilia of Heated Rivalry), POLITICO, ESCARGOT (took my son and his wife out for dinner last week and the kids ordered escargot and ate it all). [Appetizer typically served with a snail fork]? Indeed. It arrived at our table with four little forks, though the snails were already out of the shells.
14a. [Word pair repeated in “Hot Hot Hot,” the anthem of the 1986 World Cup], OLE, OLE. Watching the Telemundo streaming feed of the World Cup matches, I’ve not heard fans chanting “Olé, olé, olé,” but I have heard the announcers shouting “Go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ol!” when either team scores. (Pardon my brevity. I left out a lot of O’s there.)
Four stars from me.
George Simpson and Zhouqin Burnikel’s Universal crossword, “Gas Caps” — pannonica’s write-up
Universal • 6/24/26 • Wed • “Gas Caps” • Simpson, Burnikel • solution • 20260624
Not sure why we have a vertically-oriented theme this time around. Anyway, there are three long phrases that each possess initials spelling G-A-S.
- 3d. [*Totally at fault (note the initials of the starred clues’ answers)] GUILTY AS SIN. I didn’t even read the parenthetical during the solve, and was figuring that there was a rebus involved because surely the answer was GUILTY AS CHARGED?
- 14d. [*Make a desperate attempt] GRASP AT STRAWS.
- 23d. [*”Sure, ask away!”] GO AHEAD, SHOOT.
- 1a [Green growth in a pond] ALGAE. Excellent timing, as we all know what’s been going on with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool debacle. I thought it was ironic how the heaviest growth seemed to coincide with Bloomsday.
- 16a [Wolf cut or butterfly cut] HAIRDO. I, uh, don’t know what those look like.
- 17a [Sound of a loud crowd] ROAR. 9a [“You stink!”] BOO.
- 18a [“__ Miserables”] LES. 28a [“Thank __ very much”] YOU. 27a [“It happened ages __!”] AGES. 64a [“They __ unstoppable!”] ARE. Boring. (And there are several more I’m not bothering to mention here.)
47a [Japanese dogs that have adapted to cold weather] AKITAS. Still waiting to see any of the other Japanese dog breeds featured in a crossword. TOSA, for instance, would be a natural.- 56a [Full of energy] VIBRANT. 58a [Queen bee’s home] HIVE.
- 1d [Felt it after leg day] ACHED. 61d [Segment of a journey] LEG.
- 8d [Bit of basil] SPRIG. Okay, but I mostly think of basil as leaves, while many other herbs are almost always described in terms of sprigs.
- 35d [Spice used in za’atar] SUMAC.
- 42d [Asked earnestly] PLED. <head waggle>
- 44d [Ward (off)] STAVE.
- 53d [Swiss confectionery known for its truffles] LINDT. Editorial choice: I would have used confectioner, but either works fine.
57d [Meh] BLAH.
(yes, I know)
Rebecca Goldstein’s New Yorker crossword — Jim Q’s write-up
THEME: Body Positivity!
New Yorker • 6/24/26 • Wed • Rebecca Goldstein • solution • 20260624
THEME ANSWERS:
- [2006 film about a tap-dancing penguin] HAPPY FEET
- [Bit of cabaret razzle-dazzle] JAZZ HANDS
- [Cheerleading flourish popularized by “Bring It On”] SPIRIT FINGERS
- [Nickname for a nimble dancer]TWINKLE TOES
Cool to see a theme! I don’t recall solving one of Rebecca’s puzzles in The New Yorker before. Really enjoyed it! And a theme that’s after my heart as someone who invests a ton of time and energy in theater and cabaret.
The most remarkable part is that the fill suffers 0% from the theme inclusion, and even gives us some fun longer answers with SNOWDRIFTS , LOVE SCENES, SUPER FAN, and AIRTIMES.
5 star puzzle today. Excellent.
Max Schlenker’s USA Today Crossword, “Sea Change” — Emily’s write-up
The tides are shifting…
USA Today, June 24, 2026, “Sea Change” by Max Schlenker
Theme: each themer contains –BALTIC– scrambled differently (a change of a sea)
Themers:
- 18a. [Person whose identity transcends borders, perhaps], GLOBALCITIZEN
- 37a. [“Chillax a bit”], DIALITBACK
- 55a. [Reference for someone who’s really in their element?], PERIODICTABLE
A fun themer set today with GLOBALCITIZEN, DIALITBACK, and PERIODICTABLE. I first had “dual citizen” so I was on the right track and had it with a couple of crossings. I needed more crossings for the other themers though I could see some solvers filling them based on cluing–especially the third. Very clever! h/t to Sally for an assist with this theme explanation, as I wasn’t seeing it on my own. The title hint didn’t get me quite there–how’d you all do?
Favorite fill: SNOUT, TRACKSUIT, and AMIGA
Stumpers: GEM (new cluing to me), BONNAROO (new to me), and GOONATEAR (needed crossings)
Overall a smooth solve though a few cluings tripped me up at the end and cost me extra time. Still a great puzzle with fresh fill. Enjoyed the theme and themer set.
4.0 stars
~Emily
Sala Wanetick & Dena R. Verkuil’s LA Times crossword – Gareth’s theme summary
Sala Wanetick & Dena R. Verkuil interpret the phrase ENDWITHABANG to mean “each of four other entries are phrases ending in something loud and onomatopoeic”, with [Handshake alternative], FISTBUMP being a lot closer to an actual BUMP than the other three. [Time of financial growth] is an ECONOMICBOOM; [What may follow kids in a candy store?] is a SUGARCRASH, which is mythical; finally, a [Stressful contest?] is a POETRYSLAM.
Trickiest vocab was in the clues no the answers: [Replace with a growlix, say] for CENSOR (as opposed to replacing with gravlax)….
Gareth
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4 stars
Why does one of the elves need to be named Roger? Roger in radio comms just means “I hear you” or “copy”.
Neither JOLLY, ROGER nor CARBON, COPY works very well as a radio response to a question. ROGER means “message received” and COPY means “message understood.” You wouldn’t use either of these in response to a question. If there’s an elf named ROGER, the response makes sense (even if the ROGER isn’t radio-speak). CARBON, COPY just doesn’t work.
The theme didn’t quite make sense to me either, not that I know a whole lot about using walkie-talkies.
I thought crossing RAMONA (who?) with PONZU (what?) was inelegant, but I guess only one letter makes sense.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4.5 stars
I thought the NYT puzzle was great! Inventive and fun! 4.5 stars from me!
Me, too, and I don’t understand the objections in comments here. Each themer is a real thing, such as a carbon copy, and each can be read perfectly well as the use of CB.
For the WSJ, I took longer than I should trying to give the themers more playful meanings and more playful uses a slash. But fine once I went along with the idea that they were all different but normal uses.
The problem in the NYT is that 17-A and 49-A don’t work as responses to an interrogatory. ROGER and COPY are words used to indicate that information or an instruction has been received and understood.