Tuesday, February 24, 2026 - The State of the Crossword ... is *Excellent!* 😀

This was a fine Tuesday crossword by Adam Aaronson, with a subtle theme and a subtler revealer. We were surprised to see, among the 6 debut answers in today's puzzle, 24A, Fender Stratocaster, e.g., ELECTRICGUITAR, and 12D, Festivals often featuring jousting knights, for short, RENFAIRES. We just assumed that, for a crossword that came into existence in 1942, by now someone would have worked these two into the grid — but no, it took Adam to make it happen. In addition to the crossword, also h...