I, too, loathe the expression "Yada yada yada"...and I've seen YADA in quite a few puzzles recently. Even one "yada" is too many.
Today's crossword has 42 black squares, and that number is another thing I'm seeing in far too many puzzles. Use no more than 36, puzzle makers. Thirty-two or fewer is even better. Make me happy. In today's crossword are four foreign words (COSI, EAU, ETTU, OLE), ten abbreviations (ADT, ALA, AOL, AVE, BTW, CSI, ENT, LITHO, OAS, SAS), an archaic word (OER) and Roman numerals (III). There are also three similar terms: AFEW, ALOT, ATON. But there is one bright spot: the puzzle includes the first name of actor Keir Dullea, which I had never before seen in a
crossword. Dullea appeared in dozens of tv shows and movies, including The Thin Red Line, Bunny Lake Is Missing and 2001: A Space Odyssey. His latest film is Space Station 76 (2014). So this week we've seen the names of Sabu and Keir Dullea in crosswords. Maybe Zasu Pitts, Faye Bainter or Vera Hruba Ralston will be next.
