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Bladderball players, historically / FRI 1-19-24 / World capital since 1971 /...
Constructor: Jacob McDermottRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: none Word of the Day: Thomas Campion (44D: "Follow THY Fair Sun" (Thomas Campion poem)) — [Perfect, thanks, Google]Thomas Campion...
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Rap pioneers, slangily / SAT 1-20-24 / Jazz trumpeter Woody / Cousins of...
Constructor: Caitlin Reid and Matthew StockRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: none Word of the Day: Woody SHAW (20D: Jazz trumpeter Woody) — Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989)...
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Opposite of relief, in printmaking / SUN 1-21-24 / Aid in getting a leg up? /...
Constructor: John WestwigRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME:"Funny Business" — puns based on some sad sack's failed business ventures...Theme answers:23A: "First, I founded an aerospace start-up, but I...
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Trait of the fabled fisherman's wife / MON 1-22-24 / Inexperienced gamer,...
Constructor: Jake HalperinRelative difficulty: Medium (with one particularly hard part for this Downs-only solver)THEME: BIRDS AND BEES (56A: Subject of "the talk" about sex ... or a hint to the...
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Pioneering synthesizer brand / TUE 1-23-24 / A wing for a prayer / Headgear...
Constructor: Patrick MaherRelative difficulty: EasyTHEME: ELEMENTS OF STYLE (38A: Principles for good prose in a classic writing guide by Strunk & White ... or a hint to the wardrobe assembled at...
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Selma march leader who served 17 terms in Congress / WED 1-24-24 / Court...
Constructor: John-Clark LevinRelative difficulty: Easy (one of the easiest Wednesdays I've ever solved)THEME: LONGJOHNS (35A: Winter underwear ... or what appear four times in this puzzle) — Different...
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Centrist in British politics, informally / THU 1-25-24 / Cautionary store...
Constructor: Sam EzerskyRelative difficulty: Easy-MediumTHEME: Mercury is in ...— things that Mercury is in (or might be in):Theme answers:GLASS THERMOMETER (17A: Mercury is in this) (the element...
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Song words preceding "his kiss" / FRI 1-26-24 / Release of a new product to a...
Constructor: Sarah Sinclair and Rafael MusaRelative difficulty: Medium (slightly north of Medium, for me)THEME: none Word of the Day: Skara BRAE (22D: Skara ___, Scottish site of Europe's most complete...
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Pioneer in IQ testing / SAT 1-27-24 / Life phases, in social media lingo /...
Constructor: Grace Warrington and Greg WarringtonRelative difficulty: Medium (7:32)THEME: none Word of the Day: Alfred BINET (49A: Pioneer in I.Q. testing) — [there's also a BONET]Alfred Binet (French:...
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Old Venetian money / SUN 1-28-24 / 2017 musical retelling of the stories of...
Constructor: Nathan HasegawaRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (9:35)THEME: "Hammer Time": a visual representation of the game WHAC-A-MOLE (113A: Game represented visually in this puzzle) — five [HOLE]...
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Repository of genetic material / MON 1-29-24 / Relating to the bottom layer /...
Constructor: Garrett Chalfin and Andrew KingsleyRelative difficulty: No idea (as a Downs-only solve, brutal for me)THEME: PALINDROMES (36A: What the answers to the starred clues all are when their...
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Souvenir for a basketball team / TUES 1-30-24 / Turner in a historic...
Hello, everyone! It’s Clare for the last Tuesday in January, which, on the whole, was a miserably cold month in D.C. It snowed a lot, and biking in that weather is not easy. (I have firsthand...
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Prepared to fight Goliath? / WED 1-31-24 / Fine partner? / Rank associated...
Constructor: Nathan HaleRelative difficulty: Medium (4:10) (maybe skewing Medium-Challenging, depending on how easily (or not) you grasped the theme concept)THEME: CROSSED A BEAR (51A: Betrayed...
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Cultured dessert option / THU 2-1-24 / Crown, in Persian / Cured Spanish meat...
Constructor: Simeon SeigelRelative difficulty: Challenging (largely because of the tough fill / theme material mash-up in the middle)THEME: LOOP-DE-LOOPS (61A: Upside-down parts of a roller coaster...
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Footwear with distinctive yellow stitching / FRI 2-2-24 / Party add-ons /...
Constructor: Ryan JudgeRelative difficulty: Medium to Medium-Challenging (7:10)THEME: none Word of the Day: Isle of ELY (27A: Isle of ___ (historic region of England)) — The Isle of Ely (/ˈiːli/) is a...
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Greek word for "knowledge" / SAT 2-3-24 / Sir Georg who conducted 999 Chicago...
Constructor: Carolyn Davies Lynch and Jeff ChenRelative difficulty: Easy (untimed)THEME: [What it's not, in a saying]— Two long answers with this same clue cross near the middle of the grid (more a...
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Salamander named after an Aztec deity / SUN 2-4-24 / Qualifier for a date /...
Constructor: Daniel GrinbergRelative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (12ish minutes (I printed out a new puzzle for my wife before I wrote down the exact time, but it was about two minutes over my...
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What "E" stands for in golf / MON 2-5-24 / Surreptitiously give, as...
Constructor: Desirée Penner and Jeff SinnockRelative difficulty: Easy (solved Downs-only)THEME: FIGHTING WORDS (37A: "Wanna take this outside?," e.g. ... or what are found four times in this puzzle's...
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1980s TV role for Brosnan / TUE 2-6-24 / Designed with passageways / Game...
Constructor: Victor BarocasRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium (untimed)THEME: MOVE DOVER (62A: Change a map of southern England? ... or, when parsed differently, what you need to do to the answers to the...
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Everlasting, poetically / WED 2-7-24 / "War and Peace" character who...
Constructor: Daniel MauerRelative difficulty: Easy-Medium to Medium (4:30 for an oversized 16x15 grid)THEME: stuttered "refrains"— famous "refrains" featuring words with repeated first syllables:Theme...
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