NYS 4:20NYT 3:55CS tbaLAT tbaThe theme in the New York Times crossword is an unusual one. Newcomer Henry Quillen stair-steps 11 words that start with A/end with Z or start with Z/end with A along both diagonals in the grid, with A TO Z TO A filling a space in the middle: ZIMA, a [Coors product], meets ARROZ, [Ingrediente en paella], which hooks up with the [Keebler cracker brand] ZESTA, which inter...

Tausig 6:00Onion 3:57CS 3:53NYS 3:45NYT 3:19LAT 3:00(post updated at 2 p.m. Tuesday)Lynn Lempel classes up her Tuesday New York Times crossword by including plenty of 6- and 7-letter answers in the fill. Each theme entry adopts an N that changes the phrase's meaning:A sack race turns into SNACK RACE, or [Competitive noshers' event?]. Warning sign of the apocalypse: There's a show on cable called Hu...

6/22 BG 9:306/29 BG 8:34Henry Hook's "Identity Theft," dated June 22, jettisons an ID from various phrases to generate the eight theme entries. Joan of Arc's epithet, Maid of Orleans, becomes MA OF ORLEANS, or [Mere?]. My eyeballs wanted MAO FOR something. An [Exciting dance?] is a MERRY WOW (Widow) WALTZ. The final theme entry, [1979 Super Bowl?], contains numerals: FRAY (Friday) THE 13TH. That 1...

Jonesin' 4:07NYS 2:58NYT 2:51LAT 2:50CS 2:38(post updated at 10:30 a.m. Monday)Gilbert Ludwig's New York Times crossword bundles together three movie titles that follow the format of "The [synonym for "happy"] [term for a woman defined in relation to a man]." In 1934, Ginger Rogers starred in THE GAY DIVORCEE and Jeanette MacDonald played THE MERRY WIDOW. More recently (in 1975), Lynn Redgrave port...

NYT 9:58PI 7:58BG 7:31CS 4:04LAT untimedI may or may not be able to get to the other Sunday puzzles. I'm at my in-laws' using Dad's PC, and it seems like it would be rude to download Across Lite onto someone else's machine. I've got AL on my laptop, but there's no wireless in the house and I'd have to go around the corner to the lounge at the gas station. (Curses! Should've pre-loaded Across Lite f...