Thursday, January 9, 2025 - A NATO-themed crossword? Neato!! 😀 😀

This was a fun and challenging Thursday crossword by David P. Williams, his sixth for the NYTimes, deftly edited by the indomitable Will Shortz. The theme was very helpful, providing a distinct tactical advantage (which we discuss in today's episode). There were scads of thought-provoking clues throughout the puzzle, like 37A, Danger in a Wile E. Coyote cartoon, TNT; 36D, At the end of the day, ALLINALL; and 26D, Leader of Germany?, SOFTG 😀 (Hint for new solvers: clues that start with "leader of" or "head of" may be a sly reference to the first letter of the word to follow).Show note imagery: Yes, WELCHS does make grape sodaWe love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, [email protected], we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!