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Evan Kalish author page

21 puzzles by Evan Kalish
with Jim Horne comments

TotalDebutLatestCollabs
217/2/20184/12/20242
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CircleScrabbleFresh
31.6142%
Evan Kalish
Puzzles constructed by Evan Kalish by year

18 daily crosswords by Evan Kalish

Fri 4/12/2024
THATTRACKSIMPS
IOWEYOUONETIRE
BLANKETHOGSNIT
ELITEHATEWATCH
TATSCOBLAPSE
CURIEGLADE
ARTLABTBAAURA
LARAMIEBRONCOS
FIATTANSLEEPY
ANVILTAHOE
DENIMSONDISS
PALMPILOTRUNUP
ANKADONTMINDME
NCISSWEETONION
SETSTEXASTOAST
Sat 7/2/2022
THESCREAMPATIO
HEXAHEDRASLASH
WALLABIESSINAI
ADONUTTATKIT
CIVETSGELBIDS
KNEWTURKANNO
GREATRECESSION
THISONE
NETFLIXSPECIAL
ORALGRAYPSAS
SEXYHATDRATCH
EATUSBFEEROE
ADIOSBALLERINA
REMAPICALLEDIT
TREKSTEXASTECH

Jim here, sitting in for Jeff Chen, who is remapping his keyboard shortcuts.

Saturday puzzles ask you to dig up facts you may have forgotten (Rachel DRATCH left SNL in 2006), figure out terms at you that you may have never heard (NOSE ART?) ,or decipher what some non-English words might mean (Saya for a katana?)

But the pleasures of a Saturday puzzle can also derive from how common short words are clued. As the Inchworm song reminds us, two and two ARE (make) four. Here are some more that remind you that you're working on a late-week themeless:

  • SEC: Tick or tock
  • EAT: Verb whose past tense form is an anagram of its present tense
  • ACE: Game 1 starter, typically (oh, it's baseball!)

Then there are some less famous names:

  • ALI: Tony-winning actress Stroker
  • SAL: Comedian Vulcano of "Impractical Jokers"

And some misdirections:

  • USB: Port letters (not VSOP or some such)
  • HAT: Hi-___ (not RES)

ROE is clued carefully these days to avoid sensitive political associations. Fortunately, it's Saturday, so we can get away with "Tobiko or masago." (You got that one right away? Well, fine.)

A TANKINI combines a tank top and a bikini bottom. You get the modesty of a one-piece, but you don't have to remove your entire swimsuit to use the toilet.

Fri 12/24/2021
DREWBACKOMIT
NEURALNETMEME
AFRIKANERSATON
LIEGESPATNAVY
ANKHSLACESDEE
BEATBOCKTIARA
COWLSASTIR
YEAHABOUTTHAT
POSSEASIDE
HUCKSLETSGASP
SAOSOLESTOSCA
TWOSREYTASSEL
RATEGREWASPINE
IKEASOILTESTS
PERMNICELIST
Wed 2/17/2021
PEPSIEDGEHIP
APRESECARDANA
RHEAPERLMANTBS
KEGAMANDAPEET
MAYRATIOTA
BEMOANHYENAS
FREUDMIMEOS
FADDIAPERSABU
IMCOOLHERES
MONKEYMIDDLE
OBOERBISET
BANANAPEELNWA
HMOONAPEDESTAL
IANVALORPOLYP
TSOAPESABYSS
Fri 1/8/2021
DOTHEDEWALMAY
UNHEARDOFTEASE
BIENVENUEMANIA
LOIREALTAFISH
INSISTDELLPEA
NYTANNSATEEN
DENOTEHADID
THISGUYGETSIT
CHARSNOOGIE
REPEALUSACAV
ASPYODANICOLE
WHYSBOGSNOOKS
DINARWRISTSLAP
AROMADETERMINE
DEWEYESCOOTER

I was surprised to see ["The Gray Lady": Abbr.] as a clue for NYT.

When I started Wordplay years ago, I was given two rules to follow about the Times:

  1. Never call it the Newspaper of Record. The NYT isn't. One reason it isn't is that there's no such thing as the Newspaper of Record.
  2. Never call it "The Gray Lady" because people there hate that.
Sun 11/8/2020 WAIT, WHAT?
MICROLOANPATELSILO
ADHERENCEELUDEIKNOW
YOUGOTTHATSTRUTDEUCE
ALMSHAYROOKSERENA
SAPCUSSSENSITIVE
MORALWOEROTSSOL
FOLEYCHIMIATADORM
WHYTHELONGFUSSTBONES
IAMIDEEREDSHERO
WIPEGALPALUFOADD
RUDDERSOFTHELOSTARK
SUELEISEDAKADOES
CARYSPARTAMEPGA
ACCEDELOADEDTHEBUSES
HAHSCSINYIOSBAILS
EPALIMAIMPBEETS
MUCKUPARTISTSROD
CHASERHOPELEOLADE
SHIFTTHENUMBOFTHEGUM
KINKSTURINFREEAGENT
INGAVNECKFIREWORKS

Rudders of the Lost Ark is especially brilliant because it flips the meaning of Ark between "boat" and "box."

Thu 7/16/2020
JACKASSSODACAN
ALDENTEEROTICA
CORNDOGNEWAGEY
OHOPOISOND
BAMBIFESTGAP
ICLEIIOMAHA
STORYARCSNARED
LANDTRICKTBAR
OBLIGEAREACODE
BOOERFLOWCH
SOWOTOHTARSI
HURDENTANN
OKCUPIDYESISEE
WIIMOTEPRINTER
EDASNERDARKART
Mon 4/13/2020
DROPSRESTSHAM
VENTIARIALENO
RELAXDILLIDEA
SKYTRICKLEDOWN
MENUOXEN
STREAMLINEICK
STEINACESSHE
ERRSHATESSTOP
WARBATHHOIST
SPARIVERDANCE
CZAREONS
FLOODLIGHTSAHA
ASTOOKRAOPIUM
DATESEASLADLE
STAYSASHOCEAN
Mon 1/20/2020
GOBIGGAMEACTS
UMAMIAMENWORE
SATANGILDONYX
SNICKERDOODLE
YINGREDRESAT
COMEDYSKETCH
PAPAALIEEYORE
SEARSSANDIGIT
AIRACENETNADA
LOTTODRAWING
MUYTIESKAPBJ
GETTHEPICTURE
LEONWIREHURON
BREDARIAONION
JARSREEKSAMMY
Tue 12/31/2019
SCUBAASIAATMS
HONUSBONDNEAL
IRISHPOUNDNARY
RNCERRSSLAMON
KEEPATASTECOO
SAFARIKOIPOND
RESCUEACES
TWOPEASINAPOD
ARALPANAMA
RIVERPORAYBAN
ICEOUSTERAONE
GOSPELALOTOTS
ALBALOSEWEIGHT
TOYSEVENARIEL
ORESDADASEEME
Mon 11/11/2019
ASHCHESTBASIS
PHOYUCCAADEPT
POOLSHARKASAHI
STPATRUESTON
WINDMILLDUNK
STANCEYOURE
URLSNAPEBOTCH
MAGTEARGASLAM
OMANIHOODPESO
PLANEARISES
BOBBYSHERMAN
ALLPATHCOOKS
KIOSKTHINKTANK
ENOKIEENIEFEE
REMIXDREADSEW
Tue 9/3/2019
TWASSUPERBBIG
YODAENAMORUNO
PURPLEPROSECDT
ELIIPAAWAKEN
ADAGEILKPLANA
BANANADAIQUIRIS
LSDSNUBOAT
PDFSENOKIHOLY
ERRSLURPRO
COURTEDDISASTER
ONCUEEATMERGE
RETELLSIBORG
IDOLATEBLOOMER
NOSAMORALAPSE
ONESPEEDSREST
POW Tue 8/20/2019
PTAAWEOHSTOP
ARTCELSNAPOLI
TEESHIRTTIRADE
HAULROUGHRIDER
STPADDYREST
CUERIDZITS
BUNKERHILLDYE
FROSTESLACORN
FDRGREENSALAD
SUMSLESAIR
NEATMTADAMS
CUPOFCOCOAISEE
AVICIIGOLFBALL
REGALEINITDOM
EASTERSECANA
POW Fri 7/12/2019
STARSHIPSSONIA
CHICKASAWAXONS
RELAYRACEMESSI
UTEDWEEBNETS
BADPRTAMSEA
RIMFETATRI
TOBECONTINUED
WHATSHOULDIDO
CHEMICALPEELS
REMPANSSNL
ERASLCSALEM
SETHSEVENOVA
TAROTDATAMINER
EMILEINAMOMENT
DIXIETELEPORTS
Tue 5/21/2019
TESLAATITTAGS
GRIEGCEDEDROP
IGNORETHATPETE
FOGERIEDANTE
LEAVESUNSAID
MALAISEIRAS
ICEINUGGUAE
CHANGESTHEWORLD
EEKDYEEASED
GAINFANTASY
ARMYRECRUITS
WHOMEATMSMAO
MOORBONUSTRACK
ANNAODORABLER
NESTGENEGILDA

Evan Kalish, in his notes above, dismisses ANTE-PENULTIMATE as uninteresting. It's a great word! Perhaps he's unfamiliar with Flanders & Swann, whose brilliant song Have Some Madeira M'dear includes this verse every word lover should cherish:

Then there flashed through her mind what her mother had said
With her antepenultimate breath
"Oh my child, should you look on the wine that is red
Be prepared for a fate worse than death"
She let go her glass with a shrill little cry
Crash! tinkle! it fell to the floor
When he asked, "What in Heaven?" she made no reply,
Up her mind, and a dash for the door
Mon 11/26/2018
WOKEELBACHASM
OHNORAINLOCKE
WIENERDOGEATIT
SOWSOLSARI
SCREENERDVDS
HASHTOVSEEN
DINNERDATEPLO
ODDROWIRALAW
LEIBANNERDAYS
EMTSIDOGUYS
DESIGNERDRUG
GMOSEVEBAG
CROONINNERNERD
BOONEPAIRALIA
SEDERATMSSTAY
Fri 10/26/2018
TABLESCRAPASIS
ALPINELAKERICA
KALECAESAREDEN
EMUASAPPHTEST
IOSSONBWAHAHA
PENGRAYAREA
BIASSAILSMEN
LINTSKUNKBETA
UGHSUINGAIDS
SPARESETCFO
THROATSSACMTA
SAMOSAPUCEOWN
FROMIVECHANGED
OMNINOPRESSURE
RAYESWEETTALKS
Mon 7/2/2018
HAZESACTBOAR
OCEANALOEAMMO
PASTASHELLYAPS
SITPEASANTARMY
HANEAR
WHATAGENTLEMAN
MAAMTAROCARGO
ANTEVITABAG
IDESTECIGVIPS
MARKUPLANGUAGE
INAINN
PRIMENUMBERCHE
HODAITSASECRET
EVESNERDSPARS
WEAKISPTABBY

3 Variety puzzles by Evan Kalish

Sun 5/28/2023
HSSTTRTHNDSNR
PTTPLRSNMTHTTN
RTHLNGSRDHRRNG
WHTLSSNWNRDMLS
SRFDRHNSSDD
FCTCHCKRFRSS
THTSNDSBTRGHT
BTNTWRLRS
MRNNGNNNCMNTS
TNTSNDSNNDSN
HKHHCTRGNMB
RDCLWNSNTTHTDD
NCLRWSTTRSTTRP
THCTSMWGSFRSPN
RCKSTRSRNFSTS
Sun 7/24/2022
BTSGNLBRDLST
LLHRDWSDDRNCH
TKNGTSLWRWSCRS
TPSMDMRRNTHTS
RSRTMDLCRSPRD
STTLWNSHSTRCP
THNKSFRTHTP
CRTNCHRCTRS
SGNFCNTTHRS
FGRSNTSHLDSTH
DNTGTSPSSTTTL
GLTMTTTTTSRTD
RBBDTNSRVCNMLS
PSTWRRSTRLFTS
STTSNTPDNFLL
Sun 5/2/2021
MTCHNGTFTBSRBD
SLNGNGHSHTKTKS
FLGHTSCHLLSTNN
TSSTNLNVDSNBG
STTLTGRGWTTG
MNTNNCFSWMMTS
NSTRCTRDTM
RRSCHCHTSTS
WTRSHDMMNT
WGNWHLPNGPNGS
DHLSCPLNRTHD
GTSTKTMNSGSMN
FRCDSSNKCHRMRS
RMNGDSTRKSTRCH
SSSDTRSSTHSTKS
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