Saturday, May 24, 2025 - Today's crossword contained, literally, a PLEASANTSURPRISE

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

If this crossword was a car, it would be a Bugatti; if it was a watch, it would be a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime. In short, this was a top-of-the-line Tuesday crossword, built with precision, lov...

19 Helmi 14min

Ian Livengood had written a SLEW of NYTimes crosswords between 2010 and 2016. Then, most mysteriously, he vanished — nary a puzzle in sight until, after almost a decade of radio silence, he is back wi...

17 Helmi 10min

Michael Lieberman and Rebecca Goldstein are, individually, great crossword constructors: together they are greater, as today's puzzle makes abundantly clear. We loved the theme, we loved the clues, Su...

16 Helmi 19min

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