AV Membership untimed (Amy)
LAT tk (Gareth)
NYT 6:22 (Amy) 
[3.50 avg; 3 ratings]
The New Yorker tk (Kyle)
Common tk (pannonica)
USA Right now tk (Emily)
WSJ 4:49 (Jim) 
[4.00 avg; 1 rating]
A plug for the upcoming Westwords crossword match. It’s on Sunday, June 22 in Berkeley, and there’s a web-based model being dealt with by John Lieb of Boswords fame. The entire shebang is run by Rebecca Goldstein, Kate Chin Park, and Stan Park. I really like love love that the in-person occasion requires masking! So thoughtful for folk like me. I can’t participate this yr, however possibly subsequent time. If you happen to’re in Northern California otherwise you’re up for a web-based puzzle occasion, take a look at Westwords!
Daniel Hrynick’s Wall Avenue Journal crossword, “Cram for the Finals”—Jim’s evaluation
It’s that point of yr for college kids to prepare for his or her ultimate exams. (My very own HS junior is prepping for her AP Physics check this Friday.) In honor of that, this puzzle brings us acquainted phrases whose ultimate phrases may also be synonyms of “cram.”
Wall St Journal crossword resolution · “Cram for the Finals” · Daniel Hrynick · Wed., 5.14.25
- 17a. [Large grocery buy] FAMILY PACK.
- 23a. [Cushaw or Hubbard, e.g.] WINTER SQUASH.
- 37a. [One you might hope to have chemistry with, in two senses] HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH.
- 48a. [Treatment for a sprain] COLD COMPRESS.
- 59a. [Braking point, of a sort] TRAFFIC JAM.
Pretty theme and a very good theme set. I particularly love that central grid-spanning entry with its cute clue. I additionally like that the title serves as revealer liberating up area for 5 strong theme solutions.
Fillwise, we get ULTRASOUND and SIGHT LINES anchoring two of our corners. I’m not in love with HR REP particularly with a clumsy and wordy clue about one being a disciplinarian. I’m getting nearer to remembering ALIA Shawkat’s identify (although nonetheless not fairly there but).
Clue of observe: 14a. [Club’s equivalent on German playing cards]. ACORN. Huh. By no means thought-about this. The 4 German fits are Acorns, Leaves, Hearts, and Bells. Going again to the yr 1450, this apparently predates the French go well with system of that we use right this moment.
Nice theme with glorious execution. 4 stars.
Rebecca Goldstein & Adam Wagner’s New York Instances crossword–Amy’s recap
NY Instances crossword resolution, 5/14/25 – no. 0514
This theme performs on the shapes of letters, embodied in phrases describing them.
- 17A. [Color-changing fad jewelry … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters?], MOOD RINGS. The shaded O’s are rings inside the phrase MOOD.
- 24A. [Heroes’ journeys, say … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters?], CHARACTER ARCS. The letter C is an arc of types.
- 39A. [Visual aids on scatter plots … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters?], REGRESSION CURVES. The S’s are curves.
- 51A. [Some painting in a parking lot … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters?], DIVIDING LINES. The letter I, significantly with out a serif, is a line.
- 63A. [Awkwardly lanky … or a description of this answer’s shaded letters?], ALL ELBOWS. This one’s my favourite–all the time neat to avoid wasting the very best for final.
New to me: 1D. [2010s documentary trilogy about training for a very difficult wine exam], SOMM. Quick for sommelier, I suppose, however not something I’d heard of. Any of you accustomed to it? Not accustomed to the time period PR GURU both, nevertheless it Googles up okay.
Fave fill: LIGHT VERSE (began with LIMERICKS however that’s a 9, not a ten), CORN BELT, X-RAY CAMERA.
Meals historical past: 19A. [Colombian cakes that have been around since pre-Columbian times], AREPAS. Now, this clue might pull from the very prime of the Arepa Wikipedia article. Learn a bit additional down, and study that arepas date again about 3,000 years! That’s pre-pre-pre-Columbus. That jogs my memory: It’s changing into outdoor-dining season and there are arepas ready for me!
4 stars from me.
Geoffrey Schorkopf’s AV Membership Traditional crossword, “Film Marathon”–Amy’s recap
AV Membership Traditional crossword resolution, “Film Marathon” – 5/14/25
Film titles chained collectively, that’s the secret:
- 18a. [*Push-up innovation (2004 sports film; 1985 sci-fi …)], MIRACLE BRA. “Miracle” was a film in regards to the hockey Miracle on Ice. Shaded BRA hooks as much as ZIL within the subsequent themer, so Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil.”
- 23a. [*Uncountable amount (… flick; 2016 biographical drama; 1993 erotic…)], ZILLIONS. “Lion” starred Dev Patel, after which “Sliver” is the subsequent flick.
- 35a. [*Benign skin blemish (… thriller; 2015 Best Picture …)], LIVER SPOT. “Highlight” hyperlinks up.
- 53a. [*Drizzle (… winner; 1989 Best Picture …)], LIGHT RAIN. “Rain Man.”
- 67a. [* Like — fun fact — all of Georgia’s lakes (… winner; 1998 family …)], MANMADE. Didn’t know that about Georgia’s lakes! Perhaps it’s not true? Most of Georgia’s lakes are artifical our bodies or dam reservoirs, however all? “Madeline.”
- 76a. [*One rudely cutting into the queue (… film; 2008 action film — phew!)], LINE JUMPER. Hadn’t been conscious of “Jumper.
Neat theme mechanism, the “Earlier than & After” melding of film titles throughout successive theme entries.
I forgot BUBBLE PIPEs existed! Again within the day, I had a blue plastic bubble pipe with 4 receptacles for effervescent. Different fave fill: PIGGY BANKS, PONCHO, OLD TIMES, PLUS ONE, TRASH TV.
4 stars from me.
