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Japanese game using pentagonal pieces / SAT 11-30-24 / Holiday honoring...
Constructor: Oliver Goodridge and Juan GaravitoRelative difficulty: Very Easy (though I finished with an error 😕)THEME: none Word of the Day: DIWALI (14D: Holiday honoring Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of...
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Source of distress for a bull / SUN 12-1-24 / "The Corsican Brothers" author,...
Constructor: John LiebRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium[there's a little ZAMBONI icon blocking the second "I" in INDIC (121A: Like Sanskrit)]THEME: ZAMBONI (93D: Machine waiting to enter the middle of...
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Glenn of the Eagles / MON 12-2-24 / Old LP format / Culinary tearjerker /...
Constructor: Andrea Carla Michaels and Kevin ChristianRelative difficulty: Medium (solved Downs-only)THEME: P-SS vowel ladder — themers start with PASS, PESS, PISS, POSS, and PUSS, respectivelyTheme...
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Classic Sichuan dish made with bean curd / TUE 12-3-24 / Hammer's home /...
Constructor: Henry Lin-DavidRelative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (*for a Tuesday*)THEME: EMPTY CALORIES (34A: What many junk foods contain ... with a hint to the initials of 17-, 25-, 48- and...
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Experimental musician whose name sounds like a cry / WED 12-4-24 / Problem...
Constructor: Daniel RaymonRelative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (a solid 30 seconds above my Wednesday average) THEME: Punctuation, Literally — The clues on the...
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Org. with the sculpture "Kryptos" outside its headquarters / THU 12-04-2024 /...
Constructor: Garrett ChalfinRelative difficulty: Medium (13:32) (it was easier than my time shows... I am very tired currently)THEME: INSIDE OUT (Pixar film whose title suggests how to read five...
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Sally Bowles's flatmate in Chelsea, per a "Cabaret" number / FRI 12-06-2024 /...
Constructor: Robyn WeintraubRelative difficulty: Easy breezy (9:29)Word of the Day: MADRAS (Patterned cotton fabric originally from India) — Dutch traders arrived in India in the early 17th century to...
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Hockey great Eric / SAT 12-7-24 / Renowned conductor born in Bombay /...
Constructor: Luke K. SchreiberRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: none Word of the Day: Zubin MEHTA (22A: Renowned conductor born in Bombay) — Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor...
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Spice planet in the "Dune" universe / SUN 12-8-24 / Tusked Warcraft race /...
Constructor: John KugelmanRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME:"Just for Fun" — Familiar "___ FOR ___" phrases have the first and second parts reversed, creating alleged wackiness Theme...
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Collectible cardboard caps of the 1990s / MON 12-9-24 / Subjected to public...
Constructor: Elliot CarollRelative difficulty: Medium (solved Downs-only)THEME: "YOU CAN CALL ME AL" (55A: 1986 hit song for Paul Simon ... or an instruction from the starts of 20-, 34- and 41-Across)...
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Czech lager, informally / TUE 12-10-24 / T-shaped contraceptive, for short /...
Constructor: Brian Callahan and Geoffrey SchorkopfRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: MAKE-UP ARTISTS (14D: Some movie set workers ... or what you do when filling in the shaded squares?) — shaded squares...
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Billionaire philanthropist Broad / WED 12-11-24 / Field for a Fortnite pro /...
Constructor: Kathy Bloomer and Jeff ChenRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: IN ONE SENSE (28D: Description of this puzzle's circled letters, and a clue to what they spell)— circled letters spell...
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Low-key place for gnocchi / THU 12-12-24 / Balayage providers / Get serious...
Constructor: Daniel BodilyRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (with a smaller grid today—14x15)THEME: solving by numbers... — familiar phrases have their last words swapped out for the number (of the...
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Antarctic penguin / FRI 12-13-24 / Chargeable conveyances / Tech entrepreneur...
Constructor: Ryan Patrick SmithRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: none Word of the Day: CAVA (51D: Drink similar to Champagne) — Cava (Catalan: [ˈkaβə], pl. caves; Spanish: [ˈkaβa], pl. cavas) is a...
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Titular TV role for Sandra Oh / SAT 12-14-24 / Arabic for "greater" / Soft...
Constructor: Owen BergsteinRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: none Word of the Day: United States v. Windsor (32A: Subject of United States v. Windsor (2013)) — United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S....
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Plunder, archaically / SUN 12-15-24 / Old-fashioned trinket shop vendors /...
Constructor: David KwongRelative difficulty: Medium (if it takes longer than usual, it's because the puzzle has so many moving parts to keep track of, not because it's particularly hard)THEME:"Art...
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Lip-plumping injection / MON 12-16-24 / Tidbit in a nutritious pudding /...
Constructor: Ailee YoshidaRelative difficulty: Medium (solved Downs-only)THEME: COFFEE BREAK (34A: Timeout at work ... as represented visually by this puzzle's circled letters)— circled letters spell...
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Polynesian drink with psychoactive effects / TUE 12-17-24 / Siberian herding...
Constructor: Kathy LowdenRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: vowel change— wacky three-part answers where the only thing different about each of the three parts is the vowel:Theme answers:KNICK-KNACK KNOCK...
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Fool, from the Yiddish / WED 12-18-24 / Sylvan ___ (electropop duo) / Flower...
Constructor: Jeffrey Martinovic and Will NedigerRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME:"CONSIDER THE ODDS" (40A: Think before placing a bet ... or what solvers must do to fully appreciate each starred clue) —...
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Futile batting statlines, in baseball lingo / THU 12-19-24 / Parenthetical on...
Constructor: Brandon KoppyRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: SCREEN / SHARES (45A: With 45-Down, displays during an online presentation ... or a hint to three pairs of answers in this puzzle) — answers...
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Common motifs in high art? / FRI 12-20-24 / Member of the Golden Horde /...
Constructor: Henry JosephsonRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: none Word of the Day: THE GOLDEN SPIKE (32A: Symbol of America's first transcontinental railroad) — The Golden Spike (also known as The Last...
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Shifty little sucker? / SAT 12-21-24 / Austrian composer Mahler / X follower,...
Constructor: Barbara Lin and Lewis RothleinRelative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (Challenging for me, but I made some ridiculous, sleepy decisions)THEME: none Word of the Day: SALT Treaty (23D: SALT,...
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Rhyming toys with colored pegs / SUN 12-22-24 / Online initialism of...
Constructor: Adrian JohnsonRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME:"Go With the Flow" (a Sunday Themeless) Word of the Day: MÁLAGA (81D: Spanish city where Picasso was born) —[Britannica]Málaga (/ˈmæləɡə/;...
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Hodgepodge bowlful of munchies / MON 12-23-24 / Two equal parts, to kids /...
Constructor: Glenn CookRelative difficulty: Easy (easiest Downs-only I've ever done, or close to it)THEME:AFTER MIDNIGHT(34A: CBS late show hosted by Taylor Tomlinson ... or where to find the first...
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Greek goddess of the hearth / TUE 12-24-24 / Yosemite peak, familiarly /...
Constructor: Sarah SinclairRelative difficulty: MediumTHEME: THE NUTCRACKER (39A: Classic ballet set on Christmas Eve, with a hint to four black squares in this puzzle)— four black squares have little...
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