Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “23 and Me” – Erin’s write-up

Jonesin’ answer 1/10/23

Hello lovelies! Last week Matt reviewed 2002. This week he rings in 2023 with a 23-themed grid:

• 17a. [MVP of Super Bowl XXIII (23)] JERRY RICE
• 29a. [Early 1900s “King of Broadway” whose musical “Little Johnny Jones” is credited with popularizing “23 skidoo”] GEORGE M. COHAN
• 37a. [His jersey #23 was retired by two NBA teams (even though he never played for one of them)] MICHAEL JORDAN
• 46a. [“Quiz Show” actor whose character reels off “23”-based facts before a pivotal scene] JOHN TURTURRO
• 60a. [Comedian and star of the 2007 thriller “The Number 23”] JIM CARREY

I might have beloved to see a minimum of one ladies within the theme entries, akin to former star of the Minnesota Lynx, #23 Maya Moore. She gained a number of championships, Olympic gold, WNBA Rookie of the Year, and common and All-Star MVP awards. Moore now focuses her time on legal justice reform.

Other issues:

• 1a. [Don’t hassle the ___”] HOFF. “”Don’t Hassel the Hoff” is the title of entertainer David Hasselhoff’s autobiography.
• 19a. [“Like, run, ___!”] SCOOB. Shaggy’s attempting to get his previous pal Scooby-Doo away from some villain who’s almost certainly some man attempting to get wealthy.
• 35d. [Parminder of “ER” and “Bend It Like Beckham”] NAGRA. Her latest present, a drama known as “Maternal” that depicts the lives of three girl physicians managing work after childbirth, premieres subsequent week on ITV.

That’s it for at present. Until subsequent week!

Gary Larson & Amy Ensz’s Wall Street Journal crossword, “Wurst Case Scenario”—Jim P’s assessment

Theme: Sausage puns.

Wall St Journal crossword answer · “Wurst Case Scenario” · Gary Larson & Amy Ensz · Tue., 1.10.23

• 17a. [Conversation about a sausage?] FRANK DISCUSSION. A very good begin.
• 25a. [Foot-long aficionado?] RED HOT LOVER. Hmm. I affiliate the time period “red hots” with the sweet greater than any sausage.
• 44a. [Unaccounted-for brat?] MISSING LINK. Ah, properly. What’s a sausage pun theme with out this phrase? But I’d moderately see one thing much less predictable like possibly one thing to do with Linked In?
• 58a. [Starting to grill a wiener?] PUTTING ON THE DOG. Never heard of this phrase. Apparently it means pretending that you just’re very trendy or wealthy.

So I had points with most of those, so I’d say this theme wasn’t for me a lot.

In the fill I favored BEAN BALL and ON COURSE, however I don’t suppose I’ve ever encountered MAN-YEARS [Workforce units].  Man-hours I’ve heard used lots, however the place would anybody use MAN-YEARS?

My greatest drawback although was that SE nook with the 2 unusual correct names (MOSS HART [“Winged Victory” playwright] and ELZIE [Popeye creator Segar]), ambiguous clues for HELM and ADZE, and a product whose first letter might be something should you don’t comprehend it (T/GEL). I ended up with an error as a result of MOSSHAST appeared completely believable with SOIL satisfying the clue for 56d [Muddy up]. All this on a Tuesday. I’ve little question that nook might’ve been made fairly a bit fairer with a bit of extra effort.

One different clue of notice: 43a. [Science advocate Bill]. NYE. Isn’t it unhappy that science wants advocates? It’s science, individuals. We’re coping with simple details right here. It isn’t rocket science. Well, generally it’s.

2.75 stars.

Drew Schmenner’s Universal Crossword – “Be In Touch” – Matt F’s write up

Universal Solution – 01.09.2023 – “Be In Touch” by Drew Schmenner

In at present’s puzzle we’ve got a smattering of BB’s — because the title suggests, they’re “B’s in touch.” The theme grew to become obvious fairly early on however I’ve to present it to the constructor for developing with a really wonderful reveal at 60A [Flickering … or, read differently, what connects 16-, 20-, 36-, 38- and 50-Across?] = BLINKING (learn as B-LINKING). Let’s take a look at these theme solutions:

• 16A [Site with lots of posts?] = JOB BOARD
• 20A [Safari or Chrome] = WEB BROWSER
• 36A [Underworld leader] = MOB BOSS (Ok, was I the one one confused by this clue? Mob bosses run the underworld?? Underfloor, possibly… belowworld? That’s a stretch.)
• 38A [Mishmash of items] = GRAB BAG
• 50A [Flavorful spread with dill, maybe] = HERB BUTTER

With a whopping 6 (six!) theme solutions on this grid, I’m amazed how cleanly this one performed. Some of the fill was awkward for me — whats up PAEAN — however general it is a very spectacular development. Mid-length bonuses like DAD BODS, RUN A RISK, BAD EGG, and EAST BAY helped this puzzle shine, together with some intelligent clues like [Opportunity close to home?] = AT BAT. Great puzzle, Drew!