LAT tk (Stella) rate it
Newsday tk (pannonica) rate it
NYT 6:27 (Amy) 
[4.60 avg; 5 ratings] rate it
Universal tk (Adam S) rate it
USA Today tk (ZEB) rate it
WSJ tk (pannonica) rate it
Katie Hoody’s New York Times crossword—Amy’s recap
NY Times crossword solution, 7/25/26 – no. 0725
I’ve been feeling like Katie Hoody is a bit of a constructor nemesis, whose puzzles work me over. Felt like this one came together in a reasonable time, though!
Fave fill: POLKA DOTS (anyone watching these mountain stages of the Tour de France?), GARAGE SALE, ROUND ROBIN, ETSY SHOPS, “NICE GOING,” OMELET BAR (I knew A.M. meant morning in the [A.M. station] clue!), PINK NOISE, airplane ELBOW ROOM and HEAD RESTS, BLIMP.
Did not know that ICE CRUSHER was a term. “I’M IN THE SAME BOAT” feels arbitrary with that “I’m” bit. “ISN’T IT TIME?” doesn’t feel too idiomatic, and neither does “THAT DOESN’T COUNT.” I’ve said before that “I RULE” feels bogus and nobody says this. Do you agree on these spoken phrases or am I overly critical?
Three clues:
- 23A. [Shared fantasies?], LIED. Feel like “fantasies” are more make-believe than deception.
- 57A. [Second person seen in “Hamlet”], THOU. The pronoun, not the second character on stage.
- 61A. [The so-called “hurricane bird,” because of its reputation for seeking shelter from storms at the last possible moment], IBIS. There are ibises in Florida, apparently.
3.5 stars from me.
Puzzle: NYT; Rating: 4 stars
I think IMINTHESAMEBOAT and THATDOESNTCOUNT are solidly in the language.
ISNTITTIME normally has something following it, like “you” or “we.” IRULE is crosswordese at this point.
Lots of good stuff as usual. Maybe Katie’s easiest Saturday. Just wish RBG and RUBIO weren’t crossing each other…
53D: Blond in Barcelona