Mon 6/1/2026
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| A | G | O | | A | P | E | X | A | M | | U | R | L |
| G | E | M | | D | E | T | E | S | T | | E | N | D |
| | J | A | B | S | | | T | H | E | E | | |
| S | T | E | N | O | | | | | E | R | R | O | R |
| G | R | A | N | D | S | | | C | R | E | E | P | Y |
| T | I | N | | S | E | T | T | L | E | | Y | E | E |
| S | O | S | A | | A | U | R | A | | H | E | N | S |
| | | D | Y | S | T | O | P | I | A | | | |
| C | A | M | E | O | U | T | O | N | T | O | P | |
| M | O | T | O | W | N | | | M | U | S | C | A | T |
| E | L | O | N | | P | O | P | E | | T | U | N | E |
| M | A | N | I | | A | B | U | T | | A | L | A | N |
| O | D | E | S | | S | O | M | E | | N | A | M | E |
| S | A | S | H | | S | E | A | R | | D | R | A | T |
Tue 6/2/2026
| O | S | L | O | | A | T | W | A | R | | U | T | A | H |
| P | L | O | W | | C | H | O | S | E | | B | A | R | E |
| T | O | O | L | A | T | E | N | O | W | | E | P | E | E |
| I | M | M | E | N | S | E | | F | O | R | R | E | A | L |
| C | O | S | T | A | | | | | V | I | P | | | |
| | | S | I | C | S | T | H | E | D | O | G | O | N |
| U | M | P | | S | A | H | I | B | | S | O | R | R | Y |
| R | O | O | F | | L | A | B | O | R | | L | A | C | E |
| S | A | L | E | M | | L | I | M | B | O | | M | A | T |
| A | T | E | L | I | K | E | A | B | I | R | D | | | |
| | | L | S | U | | | | | D | E | I | C | E |
| W | H | O | D | O | W | E | | O | P | O | S | S | U | M |
| R | O | M | O | | A | P | P | R | E | C | I | A | T | E |
| A | N | E | W | | I | P | A | S | S | | R | A | I | N |
| P | E | N | N | | T | S | L | O | T | | E | K | E | D |
Wed 6/3/2026
| O | H | H | I | | | O | R | S | O | | A | L | T | A |
| P | E | O | N | S | | W | O | O | T | | C | A | R | S |
| I | M | T | O | O | O | L | D | F | O | R | T | H | I | S |
| | T | U | N | A | | | T | H | E | C | O | P | A |
| R | I | O | T | G | R | R | R | L | | C | A | R | L | Y |
| I | T | D | | | | T | O | Y | S | | S | E | E | |
| P | A | D | S | E | E | E | W | | E | A | U | | | |
| S | L | Y | N | O | D | S | | M | A | L | A | R | I | A |
| | | A | N | A | | B | E | L | L | L | A | B | S |
| T | H | C | | M | A | A | M | | | | R | E | P |
| S | H | A | K | A | | C | H | E | S | S | S | E | T | S |
| A | R | S | E | N | I | C | | | A | H | A | B | | |
| D | E | A | D | T | R | E | E | E | D | I | T | I | O | N |
| I | A | G | O | | I | D | Y | L | | P | E | R | R | Y |
| E | T | O | N | | S | E | E | K | | | D | D | A | Y |
Hello to all the lovely people of Crossworld from Singapore! It's been a dream of mine to have one of my puzzles published in The New York Times, and I'm overjoyed that, after countless rejections, it's finally become a reality!
I've been a fan of crosswords for about three years now, having first been exposed to them from the Minis all my friends were playing in class. From there, I started cutting my teeth on the full-size puzzles from the archives released every week, and eventually decided to get a subscription to access the daily crosswords. Before long, I began creating puzzles myself, a process I found strangely therapeutic and (not so strangely) time-consuming.
While I knew the direction I wanted to take this puzzle's theme fairly early on, getting a workable grid with acceptable fill was one of the most tedious things I've ever done. I'm relatively happy with the final result, having been able to include some decent bonus long entries, but at the cost of a glut of tired, short fill. I'm glad that some of my clues that I liked were kept mostly intact (specifically 16A and 29D). I was also sad to see some go: [Tot lot?] at 28A and [Many a bathroom production] at 14D.
I'm forever indebted to the kind souls on the Crosscord server who tolerated my queries regarding the legitimacy of more "peculiar" words that appeared as fill options, and for kindly agreeing to provide test solves with amazing feedback. I'd also like to thank the Times puzzle editing team for their patient guidance throughout all the submission and editing back-and-forth.
– puzzle by Jiahe Men
Thu 6/4/2026
| A | C | T | V | | F | E | N | C | E | S | | S | L | T |
| N | O | R | I | | A | L | O | H | A | S | | U | T | E |
| G | R | A | V | E | N | I | M | A | G | E | | P | I | E |
| L | O | C | A | V | E | | E | S | L | | G | E | M | S |
| E | N | T | | I | D | S | | M | E | N | O | R | A | H |
| A | S | S | A | I | L | S | | T | A | K | E | T | O |
| | | E | N | T | I | C | E | | S | A | G | E | T |
| T | S | A | R | | S | M | A | R | M | | R | O | S | S |
| A | T | L | A | S | | E | L | D | E | S | T | | | |
| G | R | A | P | P | A | | Y | O | G | O | S | E | S | |
| L | I | C | H | A | R | M | | C | L | I | | N | O | S |
| I | P | A | S | | T | A | O | | E | L | I | C | I | T |
| N | O | R | | B | I | G | B | O | X | S | T | O | R | E |
| E | S | T | | B | E | M | I | N | E | | E | D | E | N |
| S | E | E | | C | R | A | T | E | S | | M | E | E | T |
Fri 6/5/2026
| E | M | E | N | D | S | | G | R | R | | D | A | I | S |
| M | A | K | E | I | T | M | A | K | E | S | E | N | S | E |
| T | H | E | W | A | Y | I | L | O | O | K | A | T | I | T |
| S | I | S | | P | L | E | A | | P | O | L | I | S | H |
| | | P | E | E | N | | H | E | R | E | | | |
| R | A | D | A | R | S | | P | A | N | T | R | I | E | S |
| A | G | A | R | S | | F | L | I | E | S | S | O | L | O |
| C | A | V | A | | R | O | A | L | D | | S | T | I | R |
| E | M | I | S | S | I | O | N | S | | P | H | A | S | E |
| R | E | D | A | P | P | L | E | | G | O | O | S | E | S |
| | | I | R | I | S | | L | I | T | E | | | |
| M | A | I | L | I | N | | D | E | V | O | | A | I | M |
| R | U | N | I | N | T | E | R | F | E | R | E | N | C | E |
| I | D | O | N | T | W | A | N | T | T | O | K | N | O | W |
| S | I | N | G | | O | R | O | | H | O | G | A | N | S |
Sat 6/6/2026
| S | C | H | M | E | A | R | S | | I | C | E | S | A | W |
| U | H | A | U | L | V | A | N | | M | O | M | A | L | A |
| B | U | R | N | S | A | G | E | | F | R | I | L | L | Y |
| P | R | E | S | T | I | G | E | | I | N | L | E | A | F |
| A | R | M | H | O | L | E | S | | N | C | I | S | L | A |
| R | O | S | I | N | E | D | | A | E | R | A | T | O | R |
| | | | | D | E | E | M | | I | N | A | N | E |
| C | O | P | E | D | | D | R | E | | B | O | X | E | R |
| L | U | I | S | E | | G | A | N | G | | | | | |
| A | T | E | C | A | K | E | | D | E | S | K | S | E | T |
| S | A | F | A | R | I | | F | M | T | U | N | E | R | S |
| S | T | I | R | I | N | | R | E | S | P | O | N | S | E |
| P | I | G | G | E | D | | I | N | T | E | L | S | A | T |
| I | M | H | O | M | E | | S | T | A | R | L | E | T | S |
| N | E | T | T | E | R | | K | I | N | G | S | I | Z | E |
This puzzle came about when I dusted off some code I'd written back in 2019 and aimed it at this metric. Sometimes I use commercial solvers (Ingrid, Crossfire) to fill puzzles, sometimes I use my own solver (CrissX). This puzzle required something a bit extra given those large (near) 6x8s.
– puzzle by Daniel Bodily
Sun 6/7/2026 Split Seconds
| R | I | G | I | D | | | | P | H | O | E | B | E | | S | O | C | K | E | T |
| A | D | O | R | E | S | | R | A | I | L | S | A | T | | C | H | A | S | E | R |
| G | A | T | E | C | H | | A | N | G | E | L | I | C | | E | N | S | U | R | E |
| A | H | A | | K | A | S | B | A | H | | | T | H | E | N | E | A | | | |
| S | O | L | I | | S | T | E | N | C | H | E | S | | S | T | A | B | L | E | S |
| S | O | N | A | T | A | | G | S | I | X | | N | E | S | T | L | E | U | P |
| | A | T | B | A | T | S | | | S | P | R | Y | | | | A | N | G | I |
| M | A | D | R | E | | S | P | E | C | T | A | T | E | D | | I | N | N | E | R |
| S | M | O | O | T | H | | I | S | H | | T | E | T | E | | S | C | O | N | E |
| G | I | F | S | | A | T | R | A | I | N | | | | C | L | E | A | N | E | D |
| | | | T | W | O | O | U | T | O | F | T | H | R | E | E | | | | |
| A | R | T | T | E | S | T | | | | M | O | R | A | Y | S | | S | M | O | G |
| C | A | R | E | S | | E | M | U | S | | R | I | D | | T | S | H | A | P | E |
| C | H | I | A | S | | M | U | S | C | L | E | M | E | N | | T | I | N | E | S |
| E | R | A | S | | | | R | A | R | E | | | S | O | M | A | L | I | | |
| P | A | G | E | R | A | N | K | | A | D | D | S | | S | O | N | O | F | A | |
| T | H | E | R | E | S | T | | I | M | E | A | N | T | I | T | | H | E | F | T |
| | | R | U | S | H | I | N | | | H | E | A | R | T | S | | S | T | E |
| W | A | S | A | B | I | | T | O | D | D | L | E | S | | S | O | F | T | E | N |
| E | L | I | T | E | S | | A | N | Y | S | I | Z | E | | T | U | D | O | R | S |
| D | E | C | E | N | T | | L | E | E | W | A | Y | | | | P | A | S | S | E |
Simeon: On more than one occasion, I've had a puzzle all set to submit to The Times, only to have an eerily similar puzzle show up in print just as I was about to hit send. I was still licking my wounds from having been scooped yet again by this Adam Wagner fellow when Adam contacted me out of the blue.
Adam has produced and collaborated on so many of my top wish-I'd-thought-of-that puzzles, so I was thrilled to meet him and work with him. We used the computer to narrow the list of themers to a mere 40,000 candidates (!), but here are some cool human-powered finds that didn't make it into the grid:
- FUR + THERMOSTATS + UNSET = [To the greatest distance / Around dusk]
- THEBES + TOFU SKIN + SHIP = [Our finest members / Family ties]
- DO IN + GROUNDSWELLS + AID = [Seeing patients / Finely delivered]
Adam: I had a lot of fun working with Sim to figure out clever ways of manipulating our data set to get the good examples to rise to the top. One strategy was to score each hit by how different it was from other hits. That way, trivial examples like NON / ELECTRIC MOTOR / ING => NONELECTRIC / MOTORING would be down-scored, because NON and ING appear in thousands of other hits.
True to form, we had a number of tricky ideas for cluing the themers. My favorite: cluing SOLI / STENCHES / STABLES = SO LISTEN / CHESS TABLES with [Lead-in to bad] [News Pieces] [Covered in pieces]. So you'd have to reparse the clues (Lead-in to bad news / Pieces covered in pieces), in addition to the answers — AND the central clue would be natural-sounding (i.e. News Pieces)! Despite the precedent, the editors didn't bite — alas!
One last Sim find I have to mention:
- GOO / SEWING NEEDLES / SLY → GOOSE WING / NEEDLESSLY!
As I've said about many Sim stunners before: what a find!
– puzzle by Adam Wagner and Simeon Seigel
Mon 6/8/2026
| S | T | A | G | | | D | E | M | O | | | S | E | A |
| H | U | G | O | | S | E | R | I | F | | S | P | A | N |
| I | B | E | T | | P | L | A | N | T | | P | A | S | T |
| P | A | R | C | H | E | E | S | I | | M | E | M | E | S |
| | | H | A | L | T | | | L | E | A | F | | |
| P | A | R | A | L | L | E | L | P | A | R | K | I | N | G |
| O | R | E | S | | | | E | R | I | C | | L | E | O |
| P | E | P | | K | N | A | V | E | R | Y | | T | W | O |
| U | N | O | | A | I | D | E | | | | M | E | A | D |
| P | A | R | T | Y | P | A | R | T | Y | P | A | R | T | Y |
| | T | W | A | S | | | H | E | A | R | | | |
| R | U | B | I | K | | P | A | R | A | M | O | U | N | T |
| I | R | A | N | | B | A | S | I | S | | O | H | I | O |
| O | N | C | E | | A | L | O | F | T | | N | O | N | E |
| T | S | K | | | H | E | F | T | | | S | H | E | D |
Tue 6/9/2026
| I | N | I | T | | A | B | Y | S | S | | I | N | D | Y |
| M | E | M | E | | B | L | E | E | P | | L | A | N | A |
| A | W | E | D | | S | O | N | A | R | | L | I | A | R |
| M | M | A | | R | U | B | S | R | A | W | | L | S | D |
| E | N | T | E | R | | | | W | A | I | S | T | |
| E | X | C | E | E | D | I | N | G | L | Y | R | A | R | E |
| D | I | M | E | S | | R | A | N | | S | A | L | A | D |
| I | C | O | N | | A | L | B | U | M | | T | O | N | Y |
| T | O | N | S | I | L | | | | A | M | E | N | D | S |
| | | | M | L | B | | R | I | O | | | | |
| | H | A | P | P | Y | M | E | D | I | U | M | | |
| S | O | A | R | | R | E | E | C | E | | S | E | G | A |
| T | H | I | S | W | O | N | T | E | N | D | W | E | L | L |
| U | S | T | O | O | | O | R | D | | I | N | T | E | L |
| B | O | I | N | K | | W | O | E | | A | T | S | E | A |
Wed 6/10/2026
| A | L | F | | B | R | A | W | L | | | J | A | Z | Z |
| S | O | O | | L | E | T | O | U | T | | I | D | E | A |
| A | G | O | | A | F | F | R | A | Y | | G | O | N | G |
| P | E | T | R | I | | | L | U | S | T | S | | | |
| | W | A | R | G | O | D | | | W | A | K | E | S |
| S | P | A | T | | E | N | C | | N | O | W | I | S | E |
| T | I | R | E | | T | A | U | R | U | S | | C | T | R |
| A | L | M | S | | W | I | P | E | D | | S | K | A | T |
| N | E | E | | G | E | R | W | I | G | | A | S | T | A |
| C | O | R | N | E | T | | I | N | E | | U | T | E | S |
| E | N | S | U | E | | | N | A | R | I | T | A | | |
| | | A | S | H | E | N | | | T | E | R | P | S |
| P | A | W | N | | A | V | E | N | G | E | | T | E | T |
| E | X | E | C | | M | I | R | I | A | M | | E | L | Y |
| C | E | D | E | | | E | S | P | Y | S | | R | E | X |
Thu 6/11/2026
| H | A | L | F | | A | C | M | E | S | | O | A | K | S |
| A | R | A | L | | L | O | O | S | E | | U | L | N | A |
| M | E | N | U | | T | W | O | C | A | P | T | A | I | N |
| M | A | S | S | L | E | S | S | | F | A | I | N | T | S |
| | | H | A | R | | | V | O | T | E | | | |
| H | U | N | D | R | E | D | L | E | G | S | | C | D | C |
| O | P | E | R | A | G | O | E | R | | | S | H | O | O |
| N | O | V | A | | O | N | A | I | R | | A | L | U | M |
| K | N | E | W | | | O | P | T | I | C | L | O | B | E |
| S | E | R | | F | O | R | T | Y | S | H | E | E | T | S |
| | | M | A | R | S | | | K | A | I | | | |
| A | F | R | A | I | D | | A | C | I | D | T | R | I | P |
| F | O | U | R | L | E | A | G | U | E | | E | A | S | E |
| R | O | S | E | | A | C | R | E | S | | M | R | N | A |
| O | D | E | S | | L | E | A | S | T | | S | E | T | S |
Fri 6/12/2026
| | | D | U | D | S | | S | E | A | S | I | C | K |
| | B | A | B | A | R | | A | T | T | A | C | H | E |
| G | E | N | E | T | I | C | L | O | T | T | E | R | Y |
| D | E | S | I | R | E | | O | M | N | I | | C | O | W |
| A | N | T | S | | D | I | N | O | | C | A | R | N | E |
| S | I | K | H | S | | S | E | N | D | | L | E | I | S |
| H | E | E | | T | I | N | Y | | I | M | P | A | C | T |
| | P | O | I | N | T | I | L | L | I | S | M | | |
| U | P | T | U | R | N | | S | I | L | K | | P | T | S |
| P | A | S | T | | S | O | L | O | | E | M | A | I | L |
| T | R | E | S | S | | P | A | N | S | | A | R | T | E |
| O | T | C | | A | D | I | N | | I | M | G | L | A | D |
| P | O | R | T | L | A | N | D | O | R | E | G | O | N | |
| A | N | E | M | O | N | E | | R | E | A | I | R | | |
| R | E | T | I | N | A | S | | A | N | T | E | | | |
Sat 6/13/2026
| A | M | A | S | S | | | | | C | A | I | M | A | N |
| T | W | I | L | L | | | R | O | A | D | R | A | C | E |
| L | A | M | A | R | | S | E | X | D | R | E | A | M | S |
| A | H | O | Y | | S | E | G | O | | I | N | N | I | T |
| S | A | D | | S | T | A | G | | N | E | E | D | L | E |
| T | H | E | H | E | A | T | I | S | O | N | | P | A | R |
| A | L | A | R | M | B | E | L | L | | B | A | N | S |
| | | V | A | P | E | J | U | I | C | E | | | |
| B | A | D | E | | P | L | A | S | M | A | T | V | S | |
| A | M | A | | C | A | T | C | H | I | N | A | L | I | E |
| G | O | T | M | A | D | | K | I | T | E | | O | N | E |
| C | R | E | E | L | | U | S | E | S | | I | G | G | Y |
| L | O | S | A | L | A | M | O | S | | A | N | G | L | O |
| I | S | U | R | E | C | A | N | | | S | T | E | E | R |
| P | O | P | A | R | T | | | | | H | O | R | S | E |
Sun 6/14/2026 Limited Runs
| P | O | P | H | I | T | | | D | U | E | L | S | | H | Y | U | N | D | A | I |
| B | T | E | A | M | S | | C | O | N | G | E | E | | M | E | G | A | O | H | M |
| S | O | P | H | P | O | O | H | P | O | O | H | S | P | O | S | H | S | H | O | P |
| H | E | A | R | | T | E | E | S | | R | A | H | S | | | A | S | K | S |
| | | Y | O | W | I | E | | | D | E | M | I | | D | D | T | | | |
| R | E | E | V | E | S | R | E | V | E | R | E | S | S | E | R | V | E | R | S |
| T | A | X | A | C | T | | Y | V | E | S | | P | H | O | N | E | | D | E | E |
| O | R | T | H | O | | | | A | G | I | T | A | | D | I | S | C | E | R | N |
| F | I | R | | M | A | M | A | C | A | S | S | S | C | A | M | S | C | M | A | S |
| U | N | A | L | I | V | E | D | | | T | A | T | A | | | | L | A | N | E |
| | | O | C | A | N | A | D | A | | R | E | S | U | R | G | E | | | |
| S | H | O | O | | | | G | E | N | A | | | T | R | U | E | F | A | C | T |
| N | E | S | S | I | E | S | E | E | N | I | N | S | E | I | N | E | | B | O | O |
| E | A | T | E | N | A | T | | P | E | K | O | E | | | | K | M | A | R | T |
| A | V | E | | O | R | A | L | B | | I | M | A | C | | A | G | A | T | E | S |
| D | E | R | R | I | E | R | E | R | I | D | E | R | D | E | R | I | D | E | D | |
| | | O | L | D | | X | E | N | O | | | T | W | E | R | E | | | |
| S | I | L | L | | | Y | U | A | N | | E | T | R | E | | L | A | M | B | |
| S | M | A | L | L | C | A | S | T | O | F | C | H | A | R | A | C | T | E | R | S |
| N | U | M | E | T | A | L | | H | U | R | R | A | Y | | H | O | R | S | I | E |
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Mon 6/15/2026
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| A | C | A | I | | P | O | D | I | A | | R | O | D | E |
| P | E | N | C | I | L | S | H | A | R | P | E | N | E | R |
| S | E | C | | N | E | E | D | | | A | T | O | N | E |
| | E | A | S | E | | | R | A | C | E | R | S | |
| J | A | C | K | I | N | T | H | E | B | O | X | | | |
| A | U | R | A | S | | H | O | M | E | | T | M | I | |
| R | T | E | | T | A | R | P | I | T | S | | A | D | O |
| O | W | E | | B | E | E | T | | L | A | I | L | A |
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| E | T | C | H | E | D | | | E | D | A | M | | |
| A | L | O | H | A | | | G | A | T | E | | E | O | N |
| S | O | M | E | B | O | D | Y | S | C | R | A | N | K | Y |
| S | P | E | W | | K | A | R | M | A | | L | U | R | E |
| N | E | S | S | | S | P | O | R | T | | L | S | A | T |