I hope this puzzle floors you!
SUNDAY PUZZLE — Hi all! My name is Kiran, and I’m excited to be back for my third Sunday puzzle of the summer! June and July have really flown by for me, and there’s somehow only a month left before school? If you enjoyed this puzzle, I can be reached at kvparekh@umich.edu; if you didn’t, I can be found at crosswords@umich.edu. Thanks to all the incredible people at the Copy desk and to my lovely editor Tobin. I hope you have a fun solve!
Tricky Clues
19A – “Coach Brondello of the WNBA” is SANDY Brondello, who won a ring with the New York Liberty in 2024 but is currently the coach of the Toronto Tempo. I’ve been a WNBA fan for the past few years, and she’s famous in that sphere, but I definitely wouldn’t expect most to know this one.
48A – “Union general at Gettysburg” is George G. MEADE, a historical figure I had not heard of until creating this puzzle. I typically try to avoid using words or references that I personally am unfamiliar with (the crossword software we use has a deep bank of terms), but if I think it will be known to others (and if I think it allows for fun entries elsewhere), I’ll let it slide.
60A – “Read but not read?” is a tricky one, especially because the clues aren’t spoken aloud. It refers to PAST TENSE, as “read” (think “red”) is in past tense while “read” (“reed”) is present tense.
5D – The “far northern constellation that never sets” is DRACO the dragon. I like to include fun facts about natural history adjacent subjects in my puzzle and this was a nice opportunity to do that!
54D – “Aug. 6 and Jan. 11” are both examples of DATES. To be more specific, they are mine and Tobin’s birthdays, respectively!
Today’s Theme
MANDOWN at 57-Across stands as the revealer for this puzzle, giving us a clue to the modification of the three theme entries: SEM(AN)TICS, PERFORM(AN)CE, and NECROM(AN)CER (located at 20-, 29- and 45-Across, respectively). All three of these terms have the letters in the word “MAN” drop vertically in the shaded regions, before continuing with the word as normal.
