Sunday, January 11, 2026 - A PHIne crossword indeed 😉

This was Brad Lively's second New York Times crossword, and it was stunning, especially, as one might imagine, the ingenious theme. None of the clues were too over the top — with the possible exceptio...

26 Helmi 18min

This was a fine Tuesday crossword by Adam Aaronson, with a subtle theme and a subtler revealer. We were surprised to see, among the 6 debut answers in today's puzzle, 24A, Fender Stratocaster, e.g., E...

25 Helmi 15min

It's hard not to like a crossword with a DELOREAN in the grid, as we can attest: we adored today's puzzle, the fourth in the NYTimes by Hannah Binney. There was a certain novelty and freshness to the ...

24 Helmi 12min

This was a delectable Sunday crossword by Jill Rataloff and Michelle Sontarp, who happen to both work at the same law firm. That might explain 21A, Certain head jurors, FOREMEN, and 125A, Bars, legall...

23 Helmi 18min

Traditionally, NYTimes crosswords increase in difficulty from Monday to Saturday*. So, if you had problems with today's puzzle, that's perfectly normal and by design: it was built that way. The clues...

21 Helmi 16min

This was a very pleasing Friday crossword by Kate Hawkins. Being Friday, there was no theme, but that just meant that the rest of the clues had to pull their weight, and they certainly did here. We we...

21 Helmi 15min

There were so many great clues and answers in today's puzzle, it's amazing that John Ewbank managed to wrestle them all into a 15x15 grid, but somehow he did. We appreciated the altruism and surely de...

20 Helmi 15min

If Emojis make your heart go pitter-patter, then put your cardiologist on speed dial because today's puzzle — the fourth by Victor Schmitt — is teeming with them. OK, "teeming" might be a bit of an ex...

19 Helmi 17min