That being said, this isn’t a tournament puzzle, so I’m just whining about this puzzle feeling more like an easy trivia quiz than a Saturday solve because the trivia happens to be in my wheelhouse: So I do think it’s appropriate for tournament organizers, say, to push for a minimum of trivia overall in a final puzzle, or at least to balance trivia knowledge categories so that the tournament isn’t won or lost based on who happens to have the same knowledge base as the constructor. Trouble is, sometimes when there’s a decent amount of trivia in a solve, it either knocks out people who don’t know any of it, or makes what is supposed to be a somewhat challenging solve very easy for people who do. So…I love putting some interesting trivia into a puzzle as much as anyone, and I love learning something new during a solve. Los Angeles Times 8/20/22 by Matthew Stock and Christina Iverson Matthew Stock’s Los Angeles Times crossword - Stella’s write-up (There’s also young English soccer superstar RAHEEM Sterling, who is noteworthy and admirable but for whom I will not be cheering this winter when the US plays England in the World Cup.) Your mileage may (likely will) vary, but a smattering: Serena Williams, Sappho, DEB Haaland (the second Native American to serve in the Cabinet), REESE Witherspoon, OMAR Sy (the first Black recipient of the Cesar Award for Best Actor), and Mahershala ALI. This is particularly true in the USA Today, which constantly broadens my horizons, but today Rafa presents tons of fill and cluing angles to make a puzzle that is (IMO) both atypical of many large-publication grids in its concentration of current names and proper nouns and also utterly accessible at every turn. I love learning from puzzles, and it’s extremely rare that I know everything in a grid. Rafa has a particular skill at fitting tons of current and noteworthy bits of news and pop culture into his grids. But PhotoSHOP, photoCOPY, photoLAB, and photo ALBUM are an even better set, and certainly the way Rafa intended. 58a DEBUT ALBUMĪt first, I read these as “SHOP Photo,” “COPY photo,” etc, and that made enough sense to me.Our themers today end with words that go with “photo”: Rafael Musa’s USA Today crossword solution, “Photo Finishes”, Rafael Musa’s USA Today crossword, “Photo Finishes”-Matthew’s write-up This clue raises the bar for clever clues. I drew a complete blank on this till I had a couple letters in place and suddenly dredged up MORDRED. How do you folks feel about such repeats?įave fill: MALALA, PROMO CODES, SHRINK WRAP (terrific clue,, though I see that MOVE in the grid), ONE-TIME USE, SORDID (I love those -id adjectives), FUTURIST, SISTER CITY, FOOL’S GOLD, BOW OUT. There are four, though! I DID, I SAID SO, and I PRESUME along with 31a. Generally I’m not a fan of including multiple “I” quotes in a grid, but I didn’t notice the overlap while solving. , “I UNDERSTAND.” In this dialogue, this line is said quietly, with pursed lips and downcast eyes. , “DON’T LIE TO ME.” Tell it to me straight. I like the drama that plays out in the central stack: “ GOD, YES,” THE MAGI, LDS, the RED SEA with a biblical clue? Wasn’t expecting that! Ha, there are several religion-oriented entries in this puzzle, which struck me as funny since I’d just read this week’s Friendly Atheist newsletter (which is by Hemant). NY Times crosswrod solution, 8 20 22, no.

Nyt best crosswords