Tuesday, April 28, 2026 |

Jonesin’ untimed (Jenni) rate it
LAT tk(Erin) rate it
NYT tk (Eric) rate it
The New Yorker tk (pannonica) rate it
Universal untimed (Eric) [4.00 avg; 1 rating] rate it
USA Today tk (Sophia) rate it
Xword Nation tk (Ade) rate it
WSJ tk (Jim Q) rate it

Matt Jones’s Jonesin’ Crossword, “Here’s a Quarter” — it’s anniversary time! – Jenni’s write-up

The puzzle comes with a message: “Since May 2001, Jonesin’ crosswords have featured fresh topical clues. As Jonesin’ celebrates 36-Across, here are actual fresh-at-the-time clues from my prior puzzles, one per year from 2001-2025!  Thank you to all the editors, publishers and solvers over the years!–MJ” Congrats! That’s quite a run.

This one was a real challenge for me. I got almost all of the throwback answers. Unfortunately some of the fill hit my pop-cult blank spots and I had a true Natick in the NE. It’s a long list of theme clues, so let’s dive in.

Jonesin’, April 28, 2026, Matt Jones, “Here’s a Quarter” – it’s anniversary time!, solution grid

• 1 [*2018 documentary about a Supreme Court justice {#887, June 2018} {As Jonesin’ celebrates 36-Across, we’re revisiting one clue from every years since 2001!}] is RBG.
• 4d [*2021 U.K. award for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” actor Toby Jones {#1030, February 2021}] is OBE.
• 12d [*Patriots defensive back who scored during the 2002 Super Bowl {#38, March 2002}] is TY LAW.
• 13a [*___ & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming” {#1139, April 2023}] is BONO.
• 14a [*Amanda who came back to the US in 2011 {#542, October 2011}] is KNOX.
• 20d [*”The ___” (podcast hosted by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise) {#1086,  March 2022}] is DAILY.
• 21a [*Moises who missed the ball destroyed 2/25/04 {#139, March 2004}] is ALOU. I know Moises ALOU. I have no idea what the rest of the clue refers to. Someone please enlighten me!
• 26a [*”The Grand Budapest Hotel” director Anderson {#678, June 2014}] is WES.
• 30d [*Rap group with a 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination {#646, October 2013}] is NWA.
• 33a [*Actor Idris of 2017’s “The Dark Tower” {#844, August 3017}] is ELBA.
• 34d [*French electronic group with the 2007 album “Pocket Symphony” {#301, March 2007}] is AIR.
• 36a [A quarter of a century] is SILVER ANNIVERSARY.
• 43a [*2012 acronym akin to “Be adventurous” {#588, September 2012}] is YOLO.
• 45a [*Emperor who abdicated on 4/30/2019 {#944, July 2019}] is AKIHITO.
• 47d [**Brosnan/Rush movie “The ___ of Panama” {#2, May 2001}] is TAILOR.
• 53d [*Amanda who retired, then “unretired” from acting in 2010 {#481, August 2010}] is BYNES.
• 54a [*2008 kids’ movie “___’s Island” {#366, June 2008}] is NIM.
• 57d [*___ Stanley Gardner (author whose Perry Mason character inspired the 2020 HBO series) {#995, June 2020}] is ERLE.
• 60a [*Eugene of “A Mighty Wind” {#106, July 2003}] is LEVY. No relation.
• 61a [*National Historic Landmark designated 3/27/06 {#249, March 2006}] is GRACELAND.
• 62d [*Show whose season finale was directed by Quentin Tarantino {#206, May 2005}] is CSI.
• 64d [*”Trap Queen” Fetty ___{#746, September 2015}] is WAP.
• 65a [*Some family speakers at a notable June 2016 funeral {#785, June 2016}] are ALIS.
• 66a [*Cookie that partnered with Coca-Cola {#1223, November 2024}] is OREO.
• 67a [*2025 Best Picture Oscar Winner {#1240,  March 2025}] is ANORA.
• 70a [*Org. that requested the Pet Shop Boys change their name to the Rescue Shelter Boys {#423, July 2009}] is PETA because of course it is.

Phew. 25 years of consistently entertaining and well-constructed puzzles – quite an achievement! I love that we have the option of supporting constructors directly through subscriptions like this. It’s the Golden Age of crosswords!

What I didn’t know before I did this puzzle: I did not know that the SAJA Boys are the antagonists in “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” I didn’t know the JODY Watley sang “Looking for a New Love,” and I’ve never heard of EVAN DANDO of the Lemonheads, so that was my NE Natick.

Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels’ Universal Crossword “Crunch Time” — Eric’s Review

Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels’ Universal Crossword “Crunch Time” — 4/28/26 (Click to Enlarge)

I have to wonder if Lebron James wants a cut of the constructors’ payment for this puzzle. There’s some tasty stuff going on here:

• 17A [Cuban mover and shaker, in a way] SALSA DANCER
• 26A [Super corny] CHEESEBALL
• 36A [Physical world, in cyberpunk] MEATSPACE I don’t read much science fiction, but I picked up this term from an AV Club crossword I did a few years ago.
• 50A [Reaction to a traumatic  experience] SHELLSHOCK I’m not too crazy about seeing SHELLSHOCK in a grid; what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder is real and serious, and including it here seems a bit trivializing. But I do appreciate that the constructors and editors didn’t get jokey with the clue.
• 59A [Promotion at some Mexican restaurants, or a hint to this puzzle’s theme] TACO TUESDAY

The theme answers are all pretty good, with that one exception. Ideally, perhaps, the taco ingredients would appear in the grid in an order closer to how one assembles a taco in real life (for me, that would be shell, meat, cheese and finally salsa). But the dictates of a crossword grid sometimes interfere with such ordering.

Other stuff:

• 15A [Walsh who wrote “Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of Three Accomplished Women”] ELSA I’d not heard of that book or its author. Walsh has worked as a reporter for both The Washington Post and The New Yorker. Her book is based on  interviews with 60 Minutes reporter Meredith Vieira, orchestra conductor Rachael Worby, and breast surgeon Alison Estabrook and the women’s families.
• 29A [Rodent companion] PET RAT I misinterpreted the clue as “companion of a rodent,” not “companion who is a rodent.” PET CAT seemed like a dumb answer, but that’s what I had for a while.
• 57A [Iron Butterfly’s “___-Gadda-Da-Vida”] IN-A A gimme for me; some substitute teacher I had in the fifth or sixth grade once had my class analyzing the lyrics to that 17-minutes-long song.
• 1D [“Dang!”] AW SNAP Is that how people use AW SNAP? I always thought it was more like “You’ve been burned!” But I suppose one could use “Dang!” in that context, too.
• 5D [Like Felix Unger in “The Odd Couple”] NEAT The sitcom based on Neil Simon’s play was part of my 1960s childhood TV diet, but I wonder if younger solvers know who Felix Unger (Ungar) is. There’s lots of other ways NEAT could have been clued.
• 25D [Song feature that Ringo dislikes] DRUM SOLO Well, that makes two of us.
• 51D [Unpleasant aromas] ODORS On behalf of my fellow Fiend reviewer pannonica, I will note that the dictionary definition of ODOR does not limit it to an unpleasant smell.