Clik here to view.
Alex jewelry retailer / MON 8-15-16 / Competition in rodeo ring / Sea crossed...
Constructor:Sam TrabuccoRelative difficulty:Ultra-Easy (2:29 might be my NYT record ... I should know this ... never been sub 2:20, I don't think ... maybe I'd done 2:27 before ... anyway, lightning...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Popeye's brawny rival for Olive Oyl / TUE 8-16-16 / Onetime CBS news anchor /...
Constructor:Lynn LempelRelative difficulty:EasyTHEME:ARTOO DETOO (65A: "Star Wars" droid ... or a phonetic hint to what's found in 17-, 26-, 41- and 52-Across)— every themer is a two-word phrase (or...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cars introduced with much fanfare on E Day / WED 8-17-16 / Starting progress...
Constructor:Mark McClainRelative difficulty:Easy-Medium (actually Medium .... and then very easy)THEME:DARK ARTS (38D: What sorcerers practice ... or a hint to interpreting five clues in this puzzle)—...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Popular game with sequel Riven / THU 8-18-16 / zero in sports slang / Car...
Constructor:Parker Lewis and Jeff ChenRelative difficulty:EasyTHEME:reparsed 15s— 15-letter words imagined as if they were ridiculous phrases...Theme answers:RECON SIDE RATIONTEMPE RAMEN TALLYNONCOM...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gendered Seinfeld accessory / FRI 8-19-16 / Certain grenade for short /...
Constructor:Paolo PascoRelative difficulty:Easy-MediumTHEME:none Word of the Day:Walter ALSTON(21A: Walter ___, Dodgers manager before Tommy Lasorda) — Walter Emmons Alston (December 1, 1911 – October...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Land 1954 Kirk Douglas sci-fi role / SAT 8-20-16 / Colorful ornamental with...
Constructor:Mark DiehlRelative difficulty:Easy-MediumTHEME:none Word of the Day:Capriole(53A: Capriole => LEAP) — n.1. An upwardleapmade by a trainedhorsewithoutgoingforwardandwith a backwardkick...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Subatomic particle named for weak force / SUN 8-21-16 / Enigmatic one in...
Constructor:Kathy Matheson and Jeff ChenRelative difficulty:Medium-Challenging ?? Or just Medium, maybeTHEME:"Wonder-Ful!"— tribute to the NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE (80A: Federal agency established on...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Samsung competitor / MON 8-22-16 / Witches director Nicolas / Like stage...
Constructor:Emily CarrollRelative difficulty:Monday normal (so, Medium) (2:57)THEME:TASTE MAKERS (61A: Influential sorts ... or a hint to the starts of 178-, 23-, 39- and 50-Across)— first words of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Starchy substance found in some plant roots / TUE 8-23-16 / Soda brand...
Constructor:Joel FaglianoRelative difficulty:Medium, leaning easyTHEME:SWIRL (60A: Ice cream feature represented four times in this puzzle)— four flavors of ice cream are "swirled" inside nine-letter...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Activity for Hobbes / WED 8-24-16 / 1/100 of a Norwegian krone / VCR insert /...
Constructor:Matthew SewellRelative difficulty:Easy-MediumTHEME:FANTASY SPORTS (36A: Field of DraftKings and FanDuel ... or 18-, 23-, 52- and 58-Across?)— themers are fictional sports (all from within...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rippled and lustrous / THU 8-25-16 / In a comfortable position / In a state...
Constructor:Andrew ZhouRelative difficulty:MediumTHEME:THE ROAD TO HELL—The road to hell is a PAVED ROAD, paved with GOOD INTENTIONS, and the road spans this crossword grid diagonally. Hell is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Multimedia think piece / FRI 8-26-16 / City with world's largest clock face /...
Constructor:Andrew KingsleyRelative difficulty:MediumTHEME:none Word of the Day:DROP CAP(40D: Large letter in a manuscript) — In desktop publishing, the first letter of a paragraph that is enlarged to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Title princess of comic opera / SAT 8-27-16 / Monogram for Christ / Yasmina...
Constructor:Jim PageRelative difficulty:EasyTHEME:none Word of the Day:IHS(58A: Monogram for Christ) — In the Latin-speaking Christianity of medieval Western Europe (and so among Catholics and many...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Green spirit / SUN 8-28-16 / Taiping Rebellion general / Fastener with...
Constructor:Paolo PascoRelative difficulty:Easy-MediumTHEME:"The First Shall Be Last"— last letter of a word in each themer is moved to the front of the word, creating wackiness galore:Theme...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Exemplar of masculinity / MON 8-29-16 / CBS spinoff set in SoCal / Clic Stic...
Constructor:David SteinbergRelative difficulty:Easy-Medium (triviality of themers was only hold-up)THEME:WYOMING (39A: Squarest of the 50 states)— uh ... OK. Some Wyoming things:Theme answers:OLD...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bell town in Longfellow poem / TUE 8-30-16 / Vegas resort with musical name /...
Constructor:Roland HugetRelative difficulty:Medium-Challenging (on the slow side *for a Tuesday*)THEME:CHEMICAL SYMBOLS (36A: This puzzle's circled letters, for the words that precede them)— first word...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gangland rival of Dutch Schultz / WED 8-31-16 / Victims of Morlocks in sci-fi...
Constructor:Ned WhiteRelative difficulty:Easy (maybe Easy-Medium)THEME:MAKE IT LAST (62A: "Use this sparingly" ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme)— familiar phrases have "IT" tacked on to the end;...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fatty tuna part at sushi restaurant / THU 9-1-16 / Tuscan city famous for...
Constructor:Ben TausigRelative difficulty:EasyTHEME:GENDER-FLUID (37A: Having a variable identity, as suggested by four squares in this puzzle)— four squares can be either an "F" or an "M"Theme...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Old red white you sloganeer / FRI 9-2-16 / Auto name discontinued in 1986 /...
Constructor:David Liben-NowellRelative difficulty:Medium-ChallengingTHEME:none Word of the Day:Foucault's "This Is Not A PIPE"(31A) — This essay not only proposes a new understanding of Magritte; it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chess situation in which any move is bad move / SAT 9-3-16 / Oversize hip-hop...
Constructor:Damon Gulczynski Relative difficulty:Easy-MediumTHEME:none Word of the Day:ZUGZWANG(32D: Chess situation in which any move is a bad move) — Zugzwang (German for "compulsion to move",...
View Article