Constructor: Martin Schneider Relative difficulty: Medium THEME: DOUBLE MISNOMER (34A: What 18-, 23-, 49- and 56-Across could be called) — familiar things with two-part names where both parts are "misnomers": Theme answers: EGG CREAMS (18A: Carbonated fountain drinks that contain neither ...) SWEETBREADS (23A: Unusual meat courses that are neither ...) ENGLISH HORN (49A: Woodwind instrument that is neither ...) GRAPE NUTS (56A: Breakfast cereal that contains neither ...) Word of the Day: ENGLISH HORN (49A) — The cor anglais (UK: /ˌkɔːr ˈɒŋɡleɪ/,  ..read more

Constructor: Zachary David Levy Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (**for a Tuesday**—just a bit harder than normal) THEME: BABYPROOF (63A: Make safer, in a way ... or what the starts of 17-, 27-, 38- and 52-Across might be?) — phrases that begin with things associated with a baby: Theme answers: CRIB NOTES (17A: Cheat sheets) BOTTLE GOURD (27A: Fruit also known as calabash) CARRIAGE HOUSE (38A: Outbuilding for many a historic home) MOBILE PHONE (52A: Counterpart to a landline) Word of the Day: BOTTLE GOURD (27A) — Calabash (/ˈkæləbæʃ/; Lagenaria siceraria), a ..read more

Constructor: Christina Iverson and Katie Hale Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium THEME: "Hold Your Doze" — familiar phrases become wacky phrases once they're written out as you might pronounce them if you had a cold, i.e. a stuffy nose ('doze'): Theme answers: "SHOULD THE DEED ARISE ..." (26A: "If that missing house title ever does show up...") ("should the need arise ...") WHAT ELSE IS DUE? (43A: Question from someone with a lot of outstanding debt?) ("what else is new?") DO AS I SAY DOT AS I DO (57A: Teacher's instruction in a class on pointillism?) ("do as I say, not as I ..read more

Constructor: Adrian Johnson Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium THEME: none  Word of the Day: Nicolas ROEG (26D: "The Man Who Fell to Earth" director) — Nicolas Jack Roeg CBE BSC (/ˈroʊɡ/ ROHG; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing Performance (1970), Walkabout (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), Bad Timing (1980) and The Witches (1990). Making his directorial debut 23 years after his entry into t ..read more

Constructor: Hemant Mehta Relative difficulty: Easy THEME: none  Word of the Day: TANGRAMS (40A: Seven-piece puzzles) — The tangram (Chinese: 七巧板; pinyin: qīqiǎobǎn; lit. 'seven boards of skill') is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat polygons, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective is to replicate a pattern (given only an outline) generally found in a puzzle book using all seven pieces without overlap. Alternatively the tans can be used to create original minimalist designs that ar ..read more

Constructor: Sara Muchnick Relative difficulty: Easy THEME: "ALL FOR ONE" (and "one for all") (63A: When read forward and then backward, motto that suggests how to interpret this puzzle's starred clues) — in the starred clues, you have to change "all" to "one" (or vice versa) in order to make sense of the answer: Theme answers: "SOME NERVE!" (17A: *Gone) (=> Gall) TOILET BRUSH (24A: *Stone tool) (=> Stall tool) ICE CREAM (36A: *Scoop received in a call) (=> Scoop received in a cone) SPARKLED (43A: *Shall) (=> Shone) ROTARY JOINT (52A: *It gets the ball rolling ..read more

Constructor: MaryEllen Uthlaut Relative difficulty: Easy THEME: HAPPY B-DAY (57A: "Best wishes for your once-a-year celebration!" (and a wish for solvers of this puzzle) — theme answers have multiple "B"s in them and all the clues start with "B": Theme answers: BUMBLEBEE (17A: Buzzer you wouldn't want to hit?) BABY BOTTLE (25A: Breast milk container) BASEBALL BAT (35A: Brewer's implement) BUBBLE BATH (48A: Blissful soak) Word of the Day: COCKLES (12D: Bivalve mollusks) — A cockle is an edible marine bivalve mollusc. Although many small edible bivalves are loos ..read more

Constructor: Alex Eaton-Salners Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (**for a Tuesday**) THEME: TREETOPS (38D: Common spots for eagles' nests ... or a hint to 2-, 9-, 21- and 24-Down) — you can find "tree" ... parts ... at the "top" of the answers to the indicated clues: Theme answers: ROOTS FOR (2D: Supports from the stands) BARK COLLAR (24D: Neckwear for noisy dogs) TRUNK SHOW (21D: Traveling fashion sale featuring the work of a specific designer) LEAVES ALONE (9D: Lets be) Word of the Day: TRUNK SHOW (21D) — A trunk show is an event in which vendors  ..read more

Constructor: Avery Gee Katz Relative difficulty: Medium THEME: "Pixar Box Set" — seven Pixar movie titles appear in boxes (i.e. single squares) throughout the grid: Theme answers: CARS—25A: Original host of MTV's "Total Request Live" (CARSON DALY) / 11D: Prominent figure at the Academy Awards (OSCAR STATUE) LUCA—35A: Tourist destination in Baja California Sur (CABO SAN LUCAS) / 27D: Certain streaming library (HULU CATALOG) UP—61A: Cloud nine, so to speak (EUPHORIA) / 57D: Two-family dwelling (DUPLEX) SOUL—85A: Fried chicken, cornbread, collard greens, etc. (SOUL FOOD) / 62D ..read more

Constructor: Billy Bratton Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium THEME: none  Word of the Day: ALDO Leopold (26A: Environmental writer ___ Leopold) —   Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American writer, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac (1949), which has been translated into fourteen languages and has sold more than two million copies. Leopold was influential in th ..read more