USA Today's themers lead off with the all-to-topical LONGCOVID. Unfortunately we cannot say WEREDONE with COVID.

In the LAT, I wanted DRONERACING instead of DRONESOCCER, which is new to me. What kind of rules does that have?

Universal has AVIDREADER down the middle, which reminds me I have some books to get to...

#crossword #USATXword #LATXword #UniXword

Loved this week's New Yorker puzzle. That central stack of SANCTUARYCITY, AMITHEASSHOLE, and MEALSONWHEELS is amazing, with nice bonuses TACOTRUCKS and the excellent portmanteau HIPHOPERA (are there any others than "Hamilton"?)

LAT had a nice selection of SPILLEDMILKs. Can you still get anything for collecting cereal BOXTOPs?

Kind of surprised to see the Sony PSP in the Universal. Didn't think anyone remembered those, though they had some good games. I mostly played PSP games via PSTV.

#crossword #NewYorkerXword #USATXword #UniXword

HULKSMASH! I'm not into skate culture, but that entry made the LAT puzzle fun.

USAT made me hungry with APPLEPIEALAMODE. Also liked the reminder that the whole CARBONFOOTPRINT thing is BP greenwashing.

Universal reminded us of the lockdown fad of SOURDOUGH baking. I do love fresh hot bread, but never been a big SOURDOUGH fan myself (I'm not a fan of sour flavors in general).

#crosswords #LATXword #UniXword #USATXword

Universal has TOEBEANS and CATEYES, so that automatically wins puzzle of the week. It also has some fun entertainment with a DRAGSHOW and SOAPOPERAS. Hopefully you don't need a SIDEHUSTLE to pay all those cover charges and streaming fees. I'll forgive it RAWDATA, even if I get too much of that in the day job.

The highlight of the LAT is the clue on 43A for PETS.

The Stumper definitely tried to stump. Really wanted the "Early influence on Asimov" to be VERNE or WELLS, but I suppose PULPS is accurate as well. That central pairing of INCAN DESCENT and INCANDESCENT is wild.

The Newsflash has me wondering why OREOs are the official cookie of the NBA? I am glad that Chrome has gotten reliable enough that I'd almost forgotten the AWSNAP message. I hadn't heard Disney+ was planning a new PETERPAN. Hope it's good.

#crosswords #SaturdayStumper #LATXword #UniXword #FireballNewsflash

USAT gets us into a proper kitty mood with KITTEN and CATTAIL. Then the Universal has BELLYDANCE; not quite as good as a bellyrub, but close. LAT reminds us to neuter our cats by removing their BALLS.

#crosswords #USATXword #UniXword #LATXword

USAT features the delightful entry CATPARENT. Universal has "Catwoman" as a clue for VETERINARIAN. And the LAT leads with BIGCAT at 1D. Overall, a very satisfying catty day of crosswording.

#crosswords #LATXword #UniXword #USATXword

Fun LAT puzzle today, with its GENDERCREATIVE reveal. I was initially confused by 18A; my first thought whenever I see CBT is not mainstream-crossword-friendly...

USAT had a fun selection of artists for its theme. 68A caused more trouble than it should have: "Rats!" -> DRAT -> DANG -> DARN!

Universal had some groanworthy (even if a bit over-familiar) puns, though I was a bit confused by 48A; "ROOTS" and "routes" (in the navigation sense) are not homonyms to me.

#crosswords #LATXword #USATXword #UniXword

COOLCAT reminded me of the "I'm cool cat bad" catchphrase played upon collecting all the brains in each level if Dr. Lunatic Supreme. Which I have now discovered was made available with all formerly available downloadable levels on itch.io. And there's an opensource Hamamu engine called Hamsandwich that fixes various annoyances on modern hardware!

Also, the crossword itself was delightful. Who doesn't love a GRAVYTRAIN of FOODTRUCKs? And I don't eat sushi, but I've always loved the presentation of a SUSHIBOAT.

#gaming #RetroGaming #crossword #UniXword

I am Mr CRANKYPANTS if you interrupt me while I'm doing a crossword, or reading the comics. Thanks to Universal for reminding me of that excellent expression.

LAT left me wondering, what is a lucky ACORN?

#crossword #UniXword #LATXword

Kind of jolting to have BEACHREAD in the NYT on one of the coldest days we've had this year (I'm late posting, but I did that one on Saturday when it was 11F out).

Universal reminded us that SHARINGISCARING. I hope y'all enjoy my posts :)

LAT was unusually tricky, but you have to love any puzzle that leads off with PEPPAPIG. I enjoyed learning that Cape Canaveral's AREACODE is 321. And that clue on GAYBARS is fabulous. But EARLAP crossing a tough clue for ASTA was a rough finish.

The Stumper featured favorite vehicles DIRIGIBLES. And the retro DIALO for 411 was a fun trick. But CALUMNIATE and the obscure battery size AAAA made the SW tough.

#crossword #NYTXword #LATXword #UniXword #SaturdayStumper

A bit peeved with the NYT for making me remember Avatar and its idiotic MacGuffin UNOBTANIUM. But then we get adorable MARSROVER Perseverance and a good SF answer in CRYOSLEEP to make up for it.

The Universal had a delightful hot pepper theme. I wish Midtown had a better selection of spicy food; I haven't felt a good burn for too long.

USAT gets in highly topical MISOPROSTOL. If you might need it, get it now!

LAT has a fun multi-lingual theme. How often do we get TURKISH or JAVAnese in our crosswords? And the English phrases were all fun, too.

#crossword #NYTXword #UniXword #LATXword #USATXword

The Universal crossword today triggered a bit of nostalgia for the days when I travelled every week and had opinions on the relative merits off all the airlines. Well, I still would refuse to fly SPIRIT.

NYT had the kind of meta I'd expect in a Sunday WaPo, but was a pleasant surprise for the Times. The missing DARKMATTER leaves a nice valid grid.

The LAT made me figure out how to spell DIADELOSMUERTOS. I really wish I'd taken Spanish in school.

#NYTXword #LATXword #UniXword #crossword

Universal had the most fun themers today. RABBITCORKSCREW is a fun product name, and who doesn't love a VICARIOUSTHRILL?

LAT had an unexpected NY theme. I wouldn't mind some ENERGIZERBUNs on my hamburgers. The TENSOR/ERYKAH cross almost got me though (I started with TENDON; fortunately DENSE didn't make SENSE so I caught the error)

#crossword #UniXword #LATXword

The big news today is that the NY Daily News has finally included circles in a Universal grid! We still get the awkward cluing, too, but maybe they can edit that out in future. And add the title and byline, too. That said, the puzzle itself was definitely not a CHORE, though I had some trouble deciding if 46D would be VIBED, GIBED, or finally JIBED.

NYT was unintentionally amusing with its very mild idea of what constitutes an OATH. Also a rare typo in the clue for 19D (in fact, i wrote in TYPO before SILO since I figured "Stprage" must be deliberate.)

From USAT, I learned HANOI is only Vietnam's 2nd largest city. I would have guessed it was the biggest, but apparently Ho Chi Minh City is over twice as large.

In the LAT, I loved the MALICESHELF, though I'd say that's where I keep my hate reads like the Orson Scott Card books I just can't part with.

#crossword #UniXword #NYTXword #USATXword #LATXword

Today's NYT was particularly timely, as my husband Edward awaits the completion of a BACKGROUNDCHECK so he can start his new job (hopefully next Tuesday).

The Universal reminds us that noone with a MANBUN will ever be a STUDMUFFIN.

USAT is making me hungry for some good CHOWDER. Anyone have any recommendations for some in NYC?

#crossword #nytxword #latxword #unixword

The NYT todays has both AAHS and SHH. I hate those answers as it's never clear which letter to double.

Universal features MARIAHCAREY with her full name. My husband's favorite singer, so I'm a bit sick of her Christmas album at this point...

And the LAT has a CAROLINAROSE. Despite being from North Carolina and having roses in our front yard, I did not know there was such a thing, but it is a pretty shade of pink.

#crossword #latxword #nytxword #unixword