Joe Rodini author page

I was a subpar French student in high school, so my teacher's "répétez après moi" was on constant repeat. Perhaps all that rote work did something because I understood SANS right off the bat!

Understanding what SANS / SANS meant was a different story altogether.

I thought about it for a day, then asked Jim Horne if he'd care to explain it to me so he could prove that he's smart as I am. Alas, Jim is far smarter and called my bluff. Between the two of us, we think that SANS / SANS implies "without the SANs, SAN FRANCISCO is FRANCISO."

Let's say it has a touch of "je ne sais quoi."

It's a neat set, names that become cities after SAN. Growing up in San Jose — an hour south of San Francisco — I recognized the theme immediately. The CALIFORNIA puzzle from two years ago helped, too.

I didn't immediately recognize PEDRO PASCAL, even after slogging through most of "The Mandalorian." Perhaps only seeing his face once in two seasons had something to do with it. I hear his acting shines in "Narcos," so I'll add that to my queue.

Fun clues in TONGA and PROPOSAL. I love wordplay, having used TONGA to TANGO in one of my own puzzles. And PROPOSAL as a question that might have a ring to it? I'll scream "Yes!" to that!

Some solvers hate name-focused themes, calling them trivia games instead of crosswords (emphasis on the word "words"), but I enjoyed the focus on these four Hispanic names.

Using the French alongside made for a strange juxtaposition, but there's no doubt that the SANS / SANS repetition makes you think.