Today’s Newsday Saturday Stumper is by “Lester Ruff,” or Stan Newman, the puzzle’s editor. It felt to me like a New Yorker Monday — not too rough (but also not as self-consciously hep). A kinder, gentler Stumper.
Some clue-and-answer pairs I especially liked:
1-D, four letters, “Partner in eye health.” I’ve known the answer from childhood, but with no relation to eye health.
10-D, seven letters, “Big name in big heads.” EGOTISM? No, that’s a word, not a name. It’s a good clue for an ugly, ugly name.
14-A, ten letters, “What may infuse olive oil.” MOREGARLIC? This idea is new to me.
13-D, five letters, “Apple, mostly.” What kind of Apple/apple?
17-A, ten letters, “Rather soft.” I liked seeing the answer, new to me in crosswords.
20-A, nine letters, “45 descendants.” Ugh — I thought of you-know-who. Fortunately, the answer has nothing to do with his spawn.
25-D, four letters, “They may get into a jam.” Yes, but it’s harmless fun.
26-D, ten letters, “Number associated with Yale.” I sometimes wonder what it might be like to be a Yale grad and see oneself — as ELI — in crosswords day after day. Would one preen? Swell with self-regard? The closest I’ve gotten to Yale: 1. watching Gilmore Girls, 2. eating pizza from Frank Pepe, though not at the same time.
34-A, three letters, “Olympic VIP.” Ha.
56-A, ten letters, “Crime story where the perpetrator is revealed early.” New to me, but I realize that it describes every episode of Colombo. Is this a well-known term?
No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.