Deb Amlen
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Crossword puzzles and games
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I no longer write for tech. Ever. Unless it's a humor gig.
Humor writer/NYT Crossword/Games columnist. Creator of the official, gluten-free Twitter Avocado Verification Program 🥑
Articles by Deb Amlen
Manny Nosowsky, Whose Wordplay Enlivened Times Crosswords, Dies at 94
Manny Nosowsky, a New York Times crossword puzzle creator who delighted solvers with his witty, pun-filled puzzles for nearly two decades, died May 20 in San Francisco. He was 94. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his wife, Debby Nosowsky. Manny Nosowsky had been practicing urology for about 20 years when he faced a sudden bout of health issues. In 1983, at age 51, he gave up medicine and retired. Then he ran into a problem common for people who have stopped working; he had nothing to do.
Manny Nosowsky, whose wordplay enlivened Times crosswords, dies at 94
Posted Tuesday, May 26, 2026 10:55 am Manny Nosowsky, a New York Times crossword puzzle creator who delighted solvers with his witty, pun-filled puzzles for nearly two decades, died on Wednesday in San Francisco. He was 94. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his wife, Debby Nosowsky. Mr. Nosowsky had been practicing urology for about 20 years when he faced a sudden bout of health issues. In 1983, at age 51, he gave up medicine and retired.
Manny Nosowsky, Whose Wordplay Enlivened Times Crosswords, Dies at 94
Manny Nosowsky, Whose Wordplay Enlivened Times Crosswords, Dies at 94 For nearly two decades, the prolific puzzle maker, a retired urologist, charmed solvers with his penchant for witty, waggish puns. Manny Nosowsky holds the record for the most puzzles published in The Times.Credit...Photo illustration by The New York Times. Photo, via Megalo Media, Inc. Deb Amlen is a games columnist for The Times.
Manny Nosowsky, Whose Wordplay Enlivened Times Crosswords, Dies at 94
10 hours ago Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for May 25, No. 1,079. Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and …
Manny Nosowsky, Whose Wordplay Enlivened Times Crosswords, Dies at 94
Manny Nosowsky, a New York Times crossword puzzle creator who delighted solvers with his witty, pun-filled puzzles for nearly two decades, died on Wednesday in San Francisco. He was 94. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his wife, Debby Nosowsky. Manny Nosowsky had been practicing urology for about 20 years when he faced a sudden bout of health issues. In 1983, at age 51, he gave up medicine and retired.
The New York Times
What We Learned After Tracking Every Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s Policies President Trump’s agenda faced more than 600 lawsuits over the past year. In many cases, district court judges found his policies to be unlawful. By Mattathias Schwartz How an Anxious Game Player Learned to Compete My journey to becoming a worthy opponent in Crossplay, The Times’s first two-player game.
How an Anxious Gamer Learned to Compete in Crossplay, the NYT’s First 2-Player Game
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have been granted access, use your keyboard to continue reading. The idea of playing games where I am pitted against real people makes my palms sweat without fail. That’s particularly true when I am asked to play against total strangers online. Call it performance anxiety, if you will.
NYT Crossword Hints for Jan. 2, 2026
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — For some people, the themeless crosswords on Friday and Saturday (the most difficult puzzles of the week) feel unapproachable. For me, however, that’s when the party really gets started.
NYT Crossword Hints for Dec. 31, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — Hand up if you started solving or constructing crosswords during the pandemic lockdowns.
NYT Crossword Hints for Dec. 26, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — I don’t know about you, but I sometimes think about debut entries while solving. Knowing the correct answer to any clue is a thrill, but I also get a kick from seeing an entry make its first appearance in the New York Times Crossword, especially if it’s a really lively one.
NYT Crossword Hints for Dec. 25, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — There is an internet game involving a particular Christmas carol that will remain unnamed because revealing it will make everyone reading this column immediately lose.
NYT Crossword Answers for Dec. 19, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — You know you’re in for a good solving experience when the constructor packs a whopping 10 debut answers into a grid. This is Hemant Mehta’s ninth crossword in The New York Times, where he is known for his Friday and Saturday puzzles, the two hardest days of the week.
NYT Crossword Answers for Dec. 18, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — There are two kinds of constructors: those who want to have a relatively easy time filling and cluing a puzzle, and those who intentionally set constraints for themselves because they wonder whether they can make the puzzle work under those conditions.
NYT Crossword Answers for Dec. 12, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — For someone who made his New York Times Crossword debut only four years ago, Adrian Johnson has really gotten the hang of things. He has managed to publish 15 puzzles in The Times, most of them running on Fridays or Saturdays.
NYT Crossword Answers for Dec. 11, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — I think virtually everyone daydreams. Allowing your mind to wander is a healthy way to spark creativity, provided you are not too deep inside your head when, say, you’re trying to cross the street. What do you think crossword constructors daydream about?
NYT Crossword Answers for Dec. 5, 2025
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — Seeing your first crossword puzzle published in The New York Times is a tremendous experience.
NYT Crossword Answers for Dec. 4, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Stephan Prock makes his New York Times Crossword debut abetted, sorry, assisted by Jeff Chen. Here’s hoping that these people manage to find their way.Credit...Gerard Julien/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Dec.
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Malaika Handa’s grid is packed with lively entries. Try to set a personal record with this Friday puzzle.Credit...Peter Nicholls — Getty Images Nov. 13, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET FRIDAY PUZZLE — Malaika Handa made her New York Times Crossword debut in 2023, and this is her eighth puzzle in The Times.
NYT Crossword Answers for Nov. 13, 2025
THURSDAY PUZZLE — I have a theory that most aspiring constructors begin their careers in puzzle making either by creating a fairly simple theme, or by avoiding the brain-twisting process of theme development altogether with a themeless puzzle. Building a complex theme in a daily crossword is not for the faint of heart, especially for beginners. That’s why I’m always impressed when debut constructors enter the scene with a puzzle like this one by Kyle Perkins.
NYT Crossword Answers for Nov. 7, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-11-07.html wordplay, the crossword column Kelly Morenus offers some lively stacks and a sizzling central crossing. Listen to this article · 4:29 min Learn more Vroom!Credit...Robert Laberge — Getty Images Nov. 6, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — One of the things I like about Kelly Morenus’s grid design in today’s puzzle is the central crossing of 37A and 8D.
Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — One of the things I like about Kelly Morenus’s grid design in today’s puzzle is the central crossing of 37A and 8D. There’s something about writing in those long, exciting, entwined entries that is incredibly satisfying. They always leave me wondering how it’s possible to place these grid-spanning answers and still make the rest of the fill shine.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-11-06.html wordplay, the crossword column Sam Brody gets us all mixed up. Listen to this article · 5:10 min Learn more No one wants to stumble on a Lego block in the dark.Credit...Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Nov. 5, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — This is Sam Brody’s third crossword in The New York Times, and he’s really growing on me as a constructor.
NYT Crossword Answers for Nov. 6, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/crosswords/daily-puzzle-11-06-2025.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Sam Brody gets us all mixed up. Listen to this article · 5:10 min Learn more No one wants to stumble on a Lego block in the dark.Credit...Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Nov.
NYT Crossword Answers for Nov. 5, 2025
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — I love it when constructors make their New York Times Crossword debuts. There is nothing quite like receiving that first “Yes!” email from the puzzle editors. It’s like finally being born after a long and frustrating gestation period (“Congratulations! It’s a published constructor!”) Chad Hazen makes his debut with today’s puzzle with assistance from the veteran constructor Jeff Chen, and it’s a good one.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 31, 2025
Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — One of my favorite things about solving crosswords is the wordplay in some of the trickier clues. There’s nothing wrong with puzzling over obscure facts and vocabulary, but figuring out when a clue reads one way yet means something else is what makes this game fun for me. Take, for example, the entry at 2D.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 30, 2025
Gameplay|A Strong Sense of Direction https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-10-30.html wordplay, the crossword column Howard Neuthaler’s puzzle lifts the spirit. Listen to this article · 4:45 min Learn more To quote the song “Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Bob Dylan, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”Credit...Streeter Lecka — Getty Images Oct.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 29, 2025
Gameplay|A Puzzle With Bite https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-10-29.html wordplay, the crossword column John Donegan wants you to sink your teeth into his crossword. Listen to this article · 3:40 min Learn more There’s a lot at stake in John Donegan’s puzzle.Credit...Emmanuel Dunand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Oct.
NYT Crossword Answer for Oct. 24, 2025
Gameplay|A Place for Friends https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-10-24.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Kelvin Zhou makes his New York Times Crossword debut. Listen to this article · 7:23 min Learn more Wordplay: Where everyone knows your screen name.Credit...Unique Nicole for Paramount Pictures — Getty Images Oct.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 23, 2025
Gameplay|Site of a Huge Annual Crowd https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-10-23.html wordplay, the crossword column Aimee Lucido wants us to worm our way out of this one. Listen to this article · 4:21 min Learn more Solvers waiting for Aimee Lucido’s puzzle to drop.Credit...David Dee Delgado/Getty Images Oct.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 17, 2025
Gameplay|Plant on a Pergola https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-10-17.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Karen Steinberg opens our solving weekend with an approachable themeless puzzle.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 16, 2025
Gameplay|How Whiskey Might Be Served https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2025-10-16.html You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Kareem Ayas’s puzzle will not leave you feeling cold. Listen to this article · 5:22 min Learn more Kareem Ayas, today’s constructor, likes his puzzles tidy.Credit...Jeff J. Mitchell — Getty Images Oct.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 10, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Colin Adams opens our solving weekend. Listen to this article · 5:04 min Learn more Themeless crosswords can be so sweet.Credit...David Swanson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Oct.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 9, 2025
wordplay, the crossword column Freddie Cheng offers solvers a digital puzzle. Listen to this article · 4:00 min Learn more Thinking visually will help solvers not get tagged out on this puzzle.Credit...Nick Cammett — Getty Images Oct. 8, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — Here’s a tip for becoming a better crossword-doer: Scan the clue list before you enter anything into the crossword.
Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — This is Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa’s third crossword collaboration in The New York Times, and I’m happy to see them back. They are both experienced constructors, and anyone solving their puzzles can recognize their efforts to fill those grids with exciting entries.This is what it feels like to play a puzzle with no weak fill. Their clues are clever and fair.
NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 2, 2025
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — Crosswords can sometimes have a Proustian effect on me. Every now and then, an entry or clue will remind me of something from my past, and it’s usually a good memory. Perhaps that’s why I solve. Maybe you experience this phenomenon, too. Today’s puzzle by Aidan Deshong, a student at Harvey Mudd College, had that effect on me. You probably felt the same way when you opened the crossword and saw the numbers on some of the black squares.
Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — In a 2024 interview with Amuse Labs, Patrick Merrell, a New York Times constructor and former Wordplay writer, had this to say about writing clues: “Clues need to be entertaining, factually correct and phrased so that solvers know what they’re asking for — all in the space of just a few words.” It’s that last part that I find so interesting.
wordplay, the crossword column Jesse Goldberg’s puzzle just seems confusing. Once you get the trick, solving it is smooth sailing. Listen to this article · 5:10 min Learn more Now you don’t see the theme, now you do. …Credit...Santiago Felipe — Getty Images Sept.
NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 19, 2025
wordplay, the crossword column Erica Hsiung Wojcik’s answers light up the grid. Listen to this article · 5:04 min Learn more Let Erica Hsiung Wojcik’s puzzle dazzle your brain.Credit...Asif Hassan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Sept. 18, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET Jump to: Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — Constructors of themeless crosswords have a lot of choices when it comes to grid design, since there are no theme entries that take up precious space or cut off certain sectors because of their length.
NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 18, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Adam Wagner gets introspective. Listen to this article · 5:36 min Learn more You may soar through this puzzle, but did you figure out the theme?Credit...Evening Standard — Getty Images Sept. 17, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues THURSDAY PUZZLE — Let’s talk about qualifiers.
NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 12, 2025
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues FRIDAY PUZZLE — The key to giving someone a good birthday present is to focus on who they are and what they like, as opposed to what the gift giver likes. Joe Marquez is a puzzle constructor. He likes words and being published, among other things. So what better present could he receive on his birthday, which just happens to be today, than having one of his puzzles run in The New York Times on the day of his birth?
NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 11, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Gia Bosko hits one out of the park. Listen to this article · 4:52 min Learn more Try not to fly through this puzzle. Solving it may require your full attention.Credit...Geoff Stellfox — Getty Images Sept.
NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 5, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Bryan Cheong makes his New York Times Crossword debut. Listen to this article · 5:41 min Learn more Bryan Cheong’s puzzle will give you a run for your money, bunt don’t take it too seriously.Credit...Winslow Townson — Getty Images Sept.
NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 4, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Colin Ernst’s puzzle rises above … well, you’ll see. Hand up if you immediately knew what was going on in Colin Ernst’s puzzle.Credit...Tim Boyle — Getty Images THURSDAY PUZZLE — Yes, I know. If you are someone who is new to Thursday puzzles and you are wondering what just happened to you, come sit right here next to me.
NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 4, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Colin Ernst’s puzzle rises above … well, you’ll see. Hand up if you immediately knew what was going on in Colin Ernst’s puzzle.Credit...Tim Boyle — Getty Images Sept. 3, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET THURSDAY PUZZLE — Yes, I know.
NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 29, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Jesse Cohn’s puzzle is packed with fun. Check, please.Credit...Stephane De Sakutin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Aug.
NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 28, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Joel Woodford makes his New York Times Crossword debut. Cone you solve today’s puzzle?Credit...Andreas Solaro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Aug. 27, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET THURSDAY PUZZLE — Almost anything goes when it comes to Thursday crosswords in The New York Times.
NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 22, 2025
FRIDAY PUZZLE — In the guidelines for submitting a New York Times Crossword, the editors ask for grids with a maximum of 78 words for themed crosswords and 72 for the themeless Friday and Saturday puzzles. Sometimes the word count is even lower, like in today’s 68-worder by Gia Bosko. That’s a good thing. The lower word count makes for a livelier solve.
NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 21, 2025
THURSDAY PUZZLE — I don’t know about you, but I find that solving crosswords is a somewhat Proustian experience. There are clues in almost every puzzle that bring up memories of experiences and feelings for me. Maybe you see your own memories in the puzzles, too. In Simeon Seigel’s puzzle, the clue at 41D, [Best candidates for permanent relationships], made me smile because it reminded me of my husband.
NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 15, 2025
FRIDAY PUZZLE — People who don’t solve crosswords do not always understand why dedicated players get so excited over new or unusual words or phrases. The answer is fairly simple: Stumbling upon an entry that is new to the Crossword or even to pop culture makes solving feel almost like a hunt for buried treasure, with the clues acting as the map.
NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 15, 2025
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. wordplay, the crossword column Gene Louise De Vera asks the important questions. Wherefore art thou, theme?Credit...Chris Ratcliffe — Getty Images Aug. 13, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET THURSDAY PUZZLE — The subject of Gene Louise De Vera’s third puzzle in The New York Times is of particular importance to the crossword community.
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