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Early text messenger / THU 1-2-25 / Flower whose name means "flame" in...
Constructor: Robert CharltonRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: F/PH— eight squares contain both "F" and "PH" ("F" for the Down answer, "PH" for the Across); the reason for the F/PH confusion is...
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Small stretches, perhaps / FRI 1-3-25 / Woody's crush in "Toy Story" / Motif...
Constructor: Colin AdamsRelative difficulty: Easy or Easy-MediumTHEME: none Word of the Day: PROMposal (48D: Simple question on a high schooler's hand-drawn poster = PROM) — The teenage rite of passage...
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Portmanteau term for airplane fuel / SAT 1-4-25 / "Holy oleo!" speaker /...
Constructor: Sam EzerskyRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (more Medium if you didn't know the names, more Easy if you did)THEME: none Word of the Day: Simon PEGG (59A: Simon of "Shaun of the Dead") —...
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Made less effective, in gamer slang / SUN 1-5-25 / Part of a fishing line to...
Constructor: Kareem AyasRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME:"All Things Change" — expressions involving "change" (i.e. coins: a "dime" a "penny" a "nickel" and a "quarter") are represented visually in the...
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Modern anxiety source, in brief / MON 1-6-24 / South Korea's second-largest...
Constructor: Rena CohenRelative difficulty: Medium (solved Downs-only)THEME: DRAW CONCLUSIONS (57A: Use deductive reasoning ... or a hint to what 17-, 27- and 43-Across all have) — final words...
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"Zoom fatigue" is a modern one / TUE 1-7-25 / Sacred insect in a hieroglyph /...
Constructor: Dana EdwardsRelative difficulty: Challenging (**for a Tuesday**)THEME: self-referential clues— theme clues offer typographical representations of the answer:Theme answers:CAPITAL "ISM"...
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Papal vestment / WED 1-8-25 / Rick of Rickrolling fame / Southwestern gully /...
Constructor: Laura DershewitzRelative difficulty: Easy (except for one exceedingly arcane word, which thank god I vaguely remembered)THEME: BUMP, SET, SPIKE (53A: Common volleyball combo ... or 20-,...
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Fictional thief Lupin / THU 1-9-25 / Film writer/director Goldberg / Awesome,...
Constructor: David P. WilliamsRelative difficulty: Easy to Easy-MediumTHEME: NATO Alphabet (38D: Grp. whose alphabet is used eight times in this puzzle)— one word in each clue is actually a disguised...
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Rolling source of entertainment / FRI 1-10-25 / Counterpart to Britain's MI6...
Constructor: Robert LoganRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium to MediumTHEME: none Word of the Day: SISALS (16D: Natural rug fibers) — Sisal (/ˈsaɪsəl/, Spanish: [siˈsal]; Agave sisalana) is a species of...
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Contralto singer known as the "First Lady of Radio" / SAT 1-11-25 / River...
Constructor: Ryan McCartyRelative difficulty: Medium to Medium-ChallengingTHEME: none Word of the Day: Rig Veda (23A: River featured in the Rig Veda = INDUS) — The Rigveda or Rig Veda (Sanskrit:...
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Treasure-seeking woodcutter of folklore / SUN 1-12-25 / House, slangily /...
Constructor: Jeffrey MartinovicRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME:"I Think Knot" — words for things that come in strands, or that can be "knot"ted, can be found in three sets of circled squares;...
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Hangout events for two guy friends / MON 1-13-25 / Digitally make to look...
Constructor: Adam LevavRelative difficulty: on the Challenging side for a MondayTHEME: MIDDLE ENGLISH (36A: Tongue of Chaucer ... or what's literally shown in the shaded squares?) — 2nd person pronouns...
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Signature Caitlin Clark shot, informally / TUE 1-14-25 / Emphasized, textwise...
Constructor: Lance EnfingerRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: QUIDDITCH (58A: Game that ends when the snitch is caught ... and whose positions end 17-, 24-, 36- and 48-Across)— a Harry Potter theme...
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Show where the term "Debbie Downer" originated, in brief / WED 1-15-2025 /...
Constructor: Parker HigginsRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME:Common "X for Y" phrases are re-parsed so the verbs become nounsTheme answers:[Look for trouble] for STINK EYE"Look" as in "facial...
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Cornhole action / THU 1-16-25 / What follows T.S.A., weirdly / Sent a...
Constructor: Rebecca Goldstein and Adam WagnerRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: COMMON CORE (52A: Set of educational standards ... or a hint to 17-, 23-, 34- and 46-Across) — theme answers are...
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Jörmungandr, in Norse mythology / FRI 1-17-25 / First capital of Alaska /...
Constructor: Willa Angel Chen MillerRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: none Word of the Day: CALL option (18A: ___ option) — In finance, a call option, often simply labeled a "call", is a contract between...
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Famous palindrome starter / SAT 1-18-25 / Arabic for "prayer" / Chest-beating...
Constructor: Scott McMahonRelative difficulty: Extremely EasyTHEME: none Word of the Day: MAHÓN (2D: Capital and second-largest city of Minorca) —[flag of Minorca—love an insignia that looks like a...
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English translation of the Irish "aigéan" / SUN 1-19-25 / Pokémon with a...
Constructor: Emily Sharp and Kunal NabarRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME:"Word Problems"— answers are familiar phrases, but clues are written as mathematical problems:Theme answers:DIVISION OF...
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"Bad you!" / MON 1-20-25 / Tween sister of Barbie / Kevin of "Shark Tank,"...
Constructor: Katie Byl and Jeff ChenRelative difficulty: Medium (normal, easy Monday) (solved Downs-only)THEME: WORK LIKE A DOG (56A: Do one's job to the point of exhaustion ... or a hint to the ends...
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Hang with the boys, slangily / TUE 1-21-25 / Playground pathogen / Body...
Constructor: Dan CapreraRelative difficulty: Medium, maybe a little north of MediumTHEME: SCAVENGER HUNT (37A: Popular camp activity ... or, literally, what the circles are creating four times in this...
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Bankable vacation, for short / WED 1-22-25 / Italian anise-flavored liqueur /...
Constructor: Landon HortonRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: MIXED DOUBLES (51A: Tennis format ... or a description of some of the letters in 20-, 31- and 38-Across) — three wacky answers created...
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Perfume ecclesiastically / THU 1-23-25 / Classic line from the Dick and Jane...
Constructor: Natan Last and the J.A.S.A. Crossword ClassRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: POTHOLES (56A: Obstacles for a driver ... or what this puzzle's circled squares represent) — four circled squares...
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Seafarer's device / FRI 1-24-25 / Some stripes on drapeaux français /...
Constructor: Ernest LimRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: none (though for a bit there I thought it was something about "newspapers"...) Word of the Day: The Treachery of Images (9D: English...
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The forest, in a metaphor / SAT 1-25-25 / ___ Mountains, Kyrgyz/Tajik border...
Constructor: Michael LiebermanRelative difficulty: Medium THEME: none Word of the Day: GESTALT (10D: The forest, in a metaphor) — : something that is made of many parts and yet is somehow more than or...
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War room briefings, in military shorthand / SUN 1-26-25 / Pioneers of...
Constructor: Rich ProulxRelative difficulty: Medium except NW corner, where I was stalled for (seemingly) ever...THEME:"Letter Openers"— seven Down answers have clues that are REBUSES (a term spelled...
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