Today’s Newsday Saturday

Today’s Newsday  Saturday crossword, by Greg Johnson, is another themeless puzzle that feels more difficult than it turns out to be. Still a bit tough though. I began with 8-A, seven letters, “Publisher sponsoring the National Spelling Bee,” and solved the puzzle quadrant by quadrant. The one clue that gave me fits, minor ones: 17-A, seven letters, “Put in motion.” Not tricky, but I was sure that my first answer was the right one.

Clue-and-answer pairs I especially liked:

13-D, eight letters, “Alternative to regular drip coffee.” But what does “regular” mean in this sentence? We’ve been making the alternative for years. It’s pretty venerable, even with a new-fangled name.

15-A, seven letters, “Dishes cooked to order.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard the answer. Feels nicely dowdy to me, in a heavy-china-plates-in-a-diner way.

26-A, three letters, “Fields of desserts.” Clever.

32-A, eight letters, “Daughter of Oedipus.” A giveaway, maybe. I like seeing her name, though she could be clued as something more than her father’s daughter, even if she was her father’s daughter.

38-A, five letters, “Prefix for note in ’90s Apple media events.” An unusual way to clue the answer, and a reminder of when Apple products could be said to “just work.”

49-A, eleven letters, “Cold cuts selection.” Pairs interestingly with 15-A: I’m not ashamed to say that this selection could be a dish cooked to order. Anyone with me?

52-D, three letters, “What’s the point?” Tricky, I think, as the first letter of the answer of the answer points in a wrong direction.

Never no spoilers; the answers are in the comments.