Wednesday, January 8, 2024 - ARROYO, fun to say, fun to spell, *essential* to solving today's crossword!

This was a fine crossword by David Carp, his sixth for the NYTimes and his third to appear on a Saturday. The crossword was not outrageously difficult by Saturday standards, the clues were cute, and t...

15 Helmi 14min

This was just what we want out of a Friday crossword: daunting, deliciously deceptive cluing and not an iota of crosswordese anywhere in the grid. Evan Mulvihill has succeeded on both counts, as you c...

14 Helmi 19min

Kareem Ayas has delivered a Valentine's Day present two days early, and both cohosts fell in love with it. The theme is a real chef's kiss, and the rest of the grid equally sweet. This is Kareem's nin...

13 Helmi 11min

This was a terrific mid-week crossword by Joseph Gangi, number seven since his auspicious debut in March of 2022. The theme was ... magnificent. It is almost guaranteed to make you LOL when you get it...

12 Helmi 9min

Any time a Hasbro toy makes an appearance in the grid it puts a smile on our faces, and so we are grinning as a consequence of today's crossword — a collaboration between Sarah Sinclair and Amie Walke...

11 Helmi 15min

It never ceases to amaze, how crossword constructors can take a simple phrase and spin it out into as good a puzzle as, say, this one, by Matthew Stock. We liked the theme, and, frankly, everything el...

10 Helmi 11min

This was a Super Crossword for a Super Bowl Sunday. The theme was straightforward but cute, and the rest of the puzzle featured a SEA of crafty clues. For instance, we had 24D, Quick hellos, HIS (ha!)...

9 Helmi 16min

Mark Diehl has been writing NYTimes Crosswords - predominantly Friday and Saturday puzzles - since 1984. He's eased off as of late, his last appearing in 2020. But he's back with an ingenious Saturday...

8 Helmi 15min