Boat with broad, square ends / THU 6-26-25 / Accessory for Broadway's Phantom / Atmospheric prefix / Brillo competitor / Baby fish with pink, coho and sockeye varieties / First Holy Roman emperor to be called "the Great" / Bygone jeans brand whose name means "happiness" in Hebrew / Bell for the telephone, for one / Eponymous Belgian town / Cocktail of tequila, lime juice and grapefruit soda / Potato, in Indian cuisine

Constructor: Simeon Seigel

Relative difficulty: Medium

THEME: ___ OR ___ — theme answers are familiar phrases where the first word follows the pattern _OR_; you must read the "OR" as a separate word in order to understand the pair of words in the theme clues:

Theme answers:

• HORN BLOWER (19A: Hurricane / Nor'easter) (word starting with "H" or "N" that means "blower")
• SORE SPOTS (10D: Sees / Espies) (word starting with "S" or "E" that means "spots")
• PORT AUTHORITY (Pundit / Tsar) (word starting with "P" or "T" that means "authority")
• CORD CUTTER (52A: Cleaver / Dagger) (word starting with "C" or "D" that means "cutter")
• WORM HOLES (33D: Wells / Mouths) (word starting with "W" or "M" that means "holes")

Word of the Day: OTS (34D: Certain rehab docs) —

Occupational therapists (OTs) are health care professionals specializing in occupational therapy and occupational science. OTs and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote a person's ability to fulfill their daily routines and roles. OTs have training in the physical, psychological, and social aspects of human functioning deriving from an education grounded in anatomical and physiological concepts, and psychological perspectives. They enable individuals across the lifespan by optimizing their abilities to perform activities that are meaningful to them ("occupations"). Human occupations include activities of daily living, work/vocation, play, education, leisure, rest and sleep, and social participation. (wikipedia)

• • •

Well that was hard, until I figured out the theme, and then it wasn't. And though the puzzle got easier after I got the theme, the fill did not, unfortunately, get better. This was full of wincing and ughing on my end, for sure. SAMLET? (7D: Baby fish with pink, coho and sockeye varieties). LOL, what in the world? The last time that word appeared in the NYXTX was, no joke, the literal day before I started this blog in 2006. If it's a word that's distinct from SALMON, why isn't "salmon" in the clue? Not that that would've helped ... except that it would've eliminated SALMON (also six letters) as a potential answer. SAMLET!? "Hmmm, what should I name my all-fish production of Shakespeare?" "Hmm. How 'bout Mackerelbeth?" "No, that's no good." "As You Pike It?" "Nah ... what else you got?" "Uh ... Tuna Gentlemen of Verona?" "No, that's silly! Keep thinking!" End scene. SAMLET? Craziness. Another thing I've never seen—OTS clued as "docs" (34D: Certain rehab docs). I had to look it up even to understand what the letters stood for. OTS has appeared many many times over the years, but only ever as an abbr. for "overtimes" (i.e. the periods in sports following regulation time, played only if there's a tie). No idea that BEANO was anything but an anti-gas product (1D: Original name for "bingo," after the bits used to cover the playing cards). No idea that SASSON was Hebrew for anything (7A: Bygone jeans brand whose name means "happiness" in Hebrew). I could've inferred what a PATENTEE is, but man that is one ugly word (and one I've never encountered before) (16A: Bell for the telephone, for one). The crosswordese was rampant today, from OTTOI (whose memory lives on solely because of crosswords), AER, AROAR, the dreaded ERIEPA (which I always want to pronounce as one word (air-ee-APE-ah!) but which is really just ERIE, PA). Then there's the awful, cutesy slang for the disease that killed over a million Americans between 2020 and 2023. Nevermind that I haven't heard anyone actually call it "'RONA" in years (53D: Covid-19, colloquially). Yuck and BOO to that clue.

[HORNBLOWER]

So there wasn't much that was amusing me in this one today. Everything is riding on the gimmick, and while I did have an "aha" moment, for sure, I can't say there was much joy, or awe, or pleasure, or anything that accompanied the "aha." I was just glad that I could (finally) see what was going on with the answers. Me: "well, those both blow, but ... what does 'horn' have to do with it?" I think I finally figured it out with "S" OR "E" SPOTS. "Sees" and "Espies" both mean "SPOTS" but ... how are they "sore?" How? How? Somehow, my brain managed to crack "SORE" into three parts: "S" OR "E." And that was that. My brain had a lot less success trying to parse OWEITTO (32D: Must give). It's an awful clue. Where is the "IT" coming from??? For that matter, where is the "TO" coming from? [Must give] = OWE. Good luck swapping out "OWE IT TO" for "Must give" in a sentence (without calling in lawyers and lexicographers, i.e. without seeming desperate). 

[Watson / Mabuse?]

I think you're supposed to admire how many theme answers there are, and how several of them actually intersect (not the easiest thing to pull off, structurally). I recognize the architectural achievement, sure, but it did nothing to increase my solving enjoyment levels, which remained pretty low throughout. There just wasn't enough cool fill, or enough wit or cleverness, to make this consistently entertaining. The main theme idea is cute, but it's not what you'd call funny. It's a little word trick that's tough to figure out, but once you do ... shrug. In the end, it was gimmicky without being delightful. Plus you had to endure awkward Latinness with DATUM and STERNA. There's no joy in that.

Bullets:

• 59A: They try to admit the worst first, informally (E.R. NURSES) — do the nurses do the admitting? Whatever, I'm going to assume that's true and say that I like this clue. The real meaning of "admit" is disguised nicely.
• 65A: Choice words ... which are necessary to interpret the answers to 19-, 36- and 52-Across and 10- and 33-Down) (ORS) — I'm only just noticing this (awkwardly worded and completely unnecessary) revealer now. "Which are necessary to interpret" does not begin to get at what is going on here. Something about the "ORS" being buried or hidden or something like that would've made more sense. If you're going to bother with a revealer, at least get the phrasing right.  
• 63A: Marquis name? (DE SADE) — sadism and COVID in the same corner, what a day!
• 13D: Music export from Tokyo, informally (J-POP) — short for "Japanese Pop Music," not to be confused with K-POP, Korean Pop Music (of which BTS is an example) (20D: Music export from Seoul)
• 38D: Love lines? (ODE) — "Lines" of poetry about something you "love." Poetry dressed up as palmistry. Nice.
• 39D: Dutch cousin of Mac or Ben (VAN) — as in, say, Martin VAN Buren (our mutton-choppiest president). I thought "VAN" meant "from," whereas "Mac" meant "son of?" But I guess using "cousin" in the clue gives you a lot of leeway in terms of how close the equivalency really is. I wrote in VON at first, but that's German, not Dutch.

[VAN!]

• 60D: Car that went defunct in 1936 (REO) — not to be confused with the GEO, which "went defunct" in 1997.

See you next time.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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Opera with a baritone Iago / WED 6-25-2025 / Rite place at the rite time? / 2008 romantic drama starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow

Constructor: Ben Zimmer and Zach Sherwin

Relative difficulty: Hard (21:46)

THEME: CENTRAL AC — Eight answers in the grid (four across, four down) have their central two letters, AC, in their own box

Theme answers:

• [Historic agreement of 1215] for MAGNA CARTA
• [Expansive parcels] for TRACTS
• ["Dream a Little Dream of Me" singer of 1968, familiarly] for MAMA CASS
• [Healthful snack brand] for TERRA CHIPS
• [Onomatopoetic breakfast trio] for SNAP CRACKLE POP
• [Source of prophecy] for ORACLE
• [907, for a high one] for AREA CODE
• [Popular stocking stuffer?] for SANTA CLAUS

Word of the Day: TETRA (Flashy fish) —

The Characidae and their allies are distinguished from other fish by the presence of a small adipose fin between the dorsal and caudal fins. Many of these, such as the neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi), are brightly colored and easy to keep in captivity. Consequently, they are extremely popular for home aquaria. [wiki]

• • •

Good morning everyone, and welcome to another Malaika MWednesday!! (Although I am writing this at nighttime on Tuesday-- it's been a fantastic night in Brooklyn.) Zach Sherwin! He is a comedian / songwriter who does a show called "The Crossword Show" which I was lucky enough to contribute to back in 2023. I don't think I've ever solved one of his crosswords, but he has solved many of mine! So it's fun to have the tables a little bit turned.

Incredibly apt puzzle today, as NYC is getting obliterated by a heatwave. I have a very high tolerance for heat (+ live in a very dense, cool, pre-war building with high ceilings and a courtyard) and have resisted installing my AC unit for soooo long... but today (or rather, Tuesday) was the day that I cracked. 105 degrees is simply too hot to tough it out!! (So maybe the puzzle wasn't quite apt for me personally, as I have had CENTRAL AC for exactly two years out of the past twelve.)

Very interesting to see a rebus puzzle on a Wednesday! I think on Wednesdays, the rebus squares should have circles. But I also think that generally every puzzle should be slightly easier than how it was published, so maybe ignore me. This played hard for me in terms of cluing though! I finished three-quarters of this puzzle in about ten minutes, and then used over ten minutes just aimlessly guessing in the top-left corner. Those two stacked long answers (MAGNA CARTA and ALBATROSS) both had trivia clues that just didn't click for me, plus Bobbsey Twins trivia (NAN), space trivia (PLASMA), and referring to a TAMALE as a treat which just felt weird. It's a food item! Would I call a sandwich a treat, or an empanada a treat?

The theme itself was executed well. It's interesting to see how an idea for a theme can get implemented in different ways-- I think that this could have very well been a Monday puzzle with four long across answers that had AC at their center and no rebus at all. Adding the rebus made it a Wednesday level. I wish there had been a bit more of a rationale for why they were squished together in a box (I was expecting a revealer like "AC unit"), but I guess we wouldn't have gotten the down answers if the AC's weren't rebusified. 

Stay cool everyone!!!

Bullets:

• [Flanged girder] for IBEAM— I read this clue over and over again and thought "those can not possibly be words. Are those words." Well, let me tell you, they are words!! "Flanged" means that it has a ridge on the end, and a "girder" is a piece of a framework.
• [Miscellaneous collection] for RAGBAG — Really??? Not "ragtag"???? What on earth!! 
• [Bit of gear for Vermeer] for PALETTE — Was so stuck here thinking that the entry would be something super-specific to Vermeer and my hours spent rereading the YA book Chasing Vermeer would finally pay off but alas no
• ["Quickest way to Harlem," in song] for A TRAIN — This is the best train in NYC, in my opinion (so fast!! Manhattan Brooklyn Queens!! Beach!! JFK!!!!) but this entry took a bit to click because I associate the A with Washington Heights
• [Rite place at the rite time?] for ALTAR — Very good clue

xoxo Malaika

P.S. One of my crosswords was published today! It's small and themeless and you can solve it here.

[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]
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✏️ Upcoming Crossword Tournaments ✏️

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