Relative difficulty: Easy (7:02 on my phone while waiting for my Popeye's order)
THEME: Repeating letters — Two word phrases where the second word is the same as the final syllable of the first word
Theme answers:
- [Screen addiction, e.g.] for DEVICE VICE
- The final syllable of the first word is "vice" and the second word is the same: "vice"
Hi friends!! Malaika here, and I'm happy to be subbing for Rex on a Monday, a day that I almost never cover. When I am focused and solving on a computer, I can solve most Mondays in about four minutes. I think this would have been the same, but I was solving on my phone while perking my head up every time a Popeye's employee made a movement, in case that indicated that my order (spicy chicken sandwich, small fries, not a combo bc I don't want a drink) was ready, so I ended up at seven minutes.
I like a theme that has a revealer. I think it is the raison d'etre [/i]for a puzzle; it grounds and centers it. This puzzle didn't have one but I also acknowledge it didn't really need one. The reason for the theme is laid out for solvers and it is basically that... it's a neat pattern! I agree it's neat, by the way! I don't like puzzles where the entries are wacky, and this walked an interesting line where I could almost almost believe that these phrases might actually be used in a conversation. Maybe as a New York Post headline? (SPARRING RING was the weak link to me because I felt the clue was describing jargon and the entry was not the appropriate term (presumably it's just "boxing ring"?) but if someone in the comments knows better than me, please correct me if I'm wrong!)
It's a nice touch that this theme went with spelling and sounds. E.g. "vice" is the same as the last four letters of "device" and it also sounds the same. (Compare to something like "praline line" which has the same letters but different pronunciation, or "minnows nose" that has the same pronunciation but different letters.) The more constraints there are, the harder it is to come up with entries that work-- this was constrained, but at the same time I bet there are other entires not in this puzzle that would work just fine and I bet people in the comments will brainstorm some of them.
I was very briefly confused while solving because I thought JALAPENOS was going to be a theme answers. It's a little unusual to see such a long entry not part of the theme, but it does follow one of the unspoken rules: it (as well as PET PEEVES) is shorter (at nine letters) than all of the other theme entries (ten, twelve, and fifteen letters). Both are great entries, by the way!
Bullets:
- [Long sandwich with cold cuts, maybe] for SUB — One of my favorite questions is: If you had a sandwich named after you, what it would it be? (There's a good Curb Your Enthusiasm episode about this.) Mine would be soppressata, genoa salami, fontina, olive tapenade, and pesto on a hero roll toasted. Then when it comes off the sandwich press, open it up and add some dressed arugula.
- [A quarter or more of one's life, typically] for SLEEP — This stat made me stop in my tracks. I love sleeping but wow, a whole quarter!!!??? Kind of feels like a waste!
- The CBGB / GMC cross was a total guess from me, and so was the IONE / ROUE cross. Really tough for a Monday!
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook and Letterboxd]
=============================
Support this blog :
- Venmo (@MichaelDavidSharp)]
Upcoming Crossword Tournaments
- Westwords (Berkeley, CA, Jun. 14, 2026)
My other blog :
- Pop Sensation (vintage paperbacks)