Fri 11/1/2024
O | V | A | L | | M | O | M | S | | | A | S | P | S |
L | E | S | B | I | A | N | B | A | R | | D | E | L | I |
D | E | E | S | C | A | L | A | T | E | | S | N | A | P |
E | P | A | | A | S | I | S | | L | E | A | D | T | O |
| | | C | L | A | N | | J | I | L | L | I | O | N |
C | H | A | R | L | I | E | B | U | C | K | E | T | | |
H | I | J | A | B | | P | O | D | S | | | B | T | U |
A | V | O | W | S | | O | R | G | | S | P | A | Y | S |
D | E | B | | | S | K | E | E | | K | I | C | K | S |
| | I | V | O | T | E | D | S | T | I | C | K | E | R |
S | I | S | E | N | O | R | | R | E | D | S | | | |
I | N | A | R | O | W | | B | O | N | O | | I | M | A |
D | O | J | O | | E | G | O | B | O | O | S | T | E | R |
L | I | O | N | | D | R | Y | E | R | S | H | E | E | T |
E | L | B | A | | | R | O | S | S | | E | M | T | S |
Sat 11/2/2024
A | R | C | L | A | M | P | S | | C | A | S | I | T | A |
C | O | L | D | C | A | L | L | | O | P | E | N | E | R |
C | L | A | S | S | R | O | O | M | R | O | S | T | E | R |
E | L | S | | | | S | T | E | E | P | | I | N | A |
S | U | S | S | | M | I | T | T | S | | G | M | A | N |
S | P | I | T | | I | V | E | S | | B | R | A | G | G |
| | C | O | A | X | E | D | | T | O | A | T | E | E |
F | E | A | R | L | E | S | S | L | E | A | D | E | R | S |
A | V | L | A | B | S | | P | O | S | T | E | D | | |
L | E | G | G | S | | E | A | S | T | | R | E | D | S |
T | R | U | E | | J | E | T | E | S | | S | T | O | P |
E | M | I | | S | E | O | U | L | | | | A | R | E |
R | O | T | A | T | E | C | L | O | C | K | W | I | S | E |
E | R | A | S | E | R | | A | S | S | A | I | L | E | D |
D | E | R | A | T | S | | S | E | T | L | I | S | T | S |
Sun 11/3/2024 Can I Have a Raise?
G | L | U | C | O | S | E | | B | E | L | U | G | A | S | | F | E | A | S | T |
R | U | M | B | A | L | L | | O | P | E | N | A | I | R | | R | A | S | T | A |
A | L | A | S | K | A | P | E | N | I | N | S | U | L | A | | E | T | H | O | S |
B | L | M | | S | L | A | N | G | | T | A | G | | | | N | O | O | N | E |
| S | I | B | | O | S | S | O | | T | I | E | O | N | | C | U | R | E | D |
| | | A | M | M | O | | | G | O | D | D | A | U | G | H | T | E | R | |
| A | B | R | A | | | I | A | M | | | | S | T | E | P | | | | |
F | R | E | Q | U | E | N | C | Y | S | H | I | F | T | | T | R | I | S | H | A |
I | R | A | | I | R | U | L | E | | A | M | A | | U | S | E | D | C | A | R |
B | E | T | S | | A | D | O | | | U | D | D | E | R | | S | O | R | T | S |
| S | E | A | L | | G | U | T | E | N | B | E | R | G | | S | L | E | D | |
S | T | A | G | E | | E | D | I | C | T | | | R | I | P | | S | W | A | M |
R | E | S | E | N | T | S | | T | H | E | | C | A | N | O | E | | I | N | A |
O | D | E | S | S | A | | M | O | O | D | C | O | N | G | R | U | E | N | C | E |
| | | | F | L | O | E | | | | B | O | D | | | R | A | G | E | |
| C | I | V | I | C | M | I | N | D | E | D | | | O | D | O | R | | | |
P | A | N | E | L | | G | R | A | I | N | | E | L | L | Y | | S | O | B | |
I | N | S | E | T | | | | G | T | A | | D | I | D | N | T | | P | E | P |
S | T | O | R | E | | S | W | I | T | C | H | E | D | P | A | R | T | I | E | S |
A | B | L | E | R | | K | I | L | O | T | O | N | | A | M | O | U | N | T | S |
N | E | E | D | S | | A | M | A | S | S | E | S | | L | O | N | G | E | S | T |
A peek behind the curtain: the first version of this theme set had SALARY BUMP in shaded squares, which I thought was a stronger meta answer for the puzzle than PAY BUMP. But that version was nearly impossible to grid, as it would have required 10 horizontal theme answers and 10 protruding "bump" letters getting in the way everywhere. So I eventually settled for PAY BUMP, which I felt was serviceable, but probably not as popular of a phrase.
Anyway, it turns out that PAY BUMP has actually been the more frequently used term since about 2017. Who knew! I'm reminded that language never falls behind — only we do, in our knowledge of how it's evolving.
Some interesting theme answers from the cutting room floor:
ALDOUS HUXLEY = DOU(G)H
SENSIBLE ADVICE = B(R)EAD
CROCODILE ROCK = DI(N)ERO
And my favorite, BERT AND ERNIE = T(E)NDER
– puzzle by Sid Sivakumar
Mon 11/4/2024
| P | S | S | T | | R | E | P | O | | C | H | O | W |
| O | P | A | L | | O | R | A | L | | L | O | L | A |
| W | A | T | C | H | C | A | R | E | F | U | L | L | Y |
G | E | N | E | | O | K | S | | | L | I | E | I | N |
O | R | G | | I | R | E | | I | C | A | N | S | E | E |
B | E | L | T | O | U | T | A | S | O | N | G | | | |
O | D | I | O | U | S | | M | I | N | K | | T | B | D |
O | U | S | T | | | B | I | T | | | B | R | I | E |
M | P | H | | S | C | A | T | | F | I | B | U | L | A |
| | | S | U | I | T | Y | O | U | R | S | E | L | F |
S | A | V | I | N | G | S | | D | R | S | | N | Y | E |
A | L | I | G | N | | | A | D | O | | C | O | I | N |
F | A | S | H | I | O | N | F | O | R | W | A | R | D | |
E | M | I | T | | H | O | R | N | | A | S | T | O | |
R | O | T | S | | O | B | O | E | | D | A | H | L | |
Tue 11/5/2024
| S | A | I | D | | I | S | S | A | | I | N | C | H |
A | N | D | S | O | | N | O | T | V | | T | O | U | R |
S | O | I | L | S | | S | A | L | E | S | R | E | P | S |
A | G | E | E | | Z | I | P | | M | A | U | L | S | |
| S | U | T | R | A | S | | M | A | G | S | | | |
| | | | O | P | T | | A | R | E | T | H | A | |
I | N | S | P | O | | | E | L | I | | Y | A | L | E |
C | A | L | I | F | O | R | N | I | A | R | O | L | L | S |
K | P | O | P | | R | E | D | | | B | U | O | Y | S |
| S | P | I | R | A | L | | O | P | I | | | | |
| | | N | O | L | O | | B | U | S | H | S | R | |
| H | I | G | H | C | | E | G | G | | A | P | E | S |
N | E | D | B | E | A | T | T | Y | | A | S | A | N | A |
A | R | E | A | | R | O | A | N | | W | A | D | E | D |
B | R | A | G | | E | E | L | S | | S | T | E | W | |
Wed 11/6/2024
A | S | S | | S | O | D | | | E | D | U | | H | E | M |
T | O | T | | P | L | A | T | I | N | U | M | | E | L | O |
O | U | I | | E | D | M | O | N | T | O | N | | A | L | P |
M | S | N | B | C | | A | L | D | O | | O | L | L | I | E |
S | A | K | E | | | S | L | I | M | | | E | T | S | Y |
| | B | L | A | C | K | S | A | B | B | A | T | H | | |
A | P | O | L | L | O | | | | | R | I | B | B | I | T |
S | O | M | A | L | I | A | | | L | I | M | E | A | D | E |
T | U | B | | | F | R | I | T | O | S | | | R | E | V |
I | T | S | I | N | | I | D | O | L | | B | O | S | S | A |
| | | M | E | A | D | O | W | L | A | R | K | | | |
B | I | K | I | N | G | | | | | C | I | G | A | R | S |
L | O | N | G | A | N | D | S | H | O | R | T | O | F | I | T |
O | T | O | H | | E | U | R | O | P | E | | O | A | T | Y |
W | A | T | T | | S | H | I | N | E | S | | D | R | A | X |