It’s August and we’re getting into some “Male Trouble” as the depths of summer arrive. This started as a theme idea I initially discarded after realizing that possible theme entries were skewed exclusively toward one gender—after you’ve finished the puzzle, read this for some context. Hopefully my updated twist on the idea provides a corrective to the original set of colloquialisms. Enjoy!
In other news, I had a puzzle appear recently on Brain Candy—Amanda is a rockstar in the crossword scene, and it was a pleasure to work with her and learn from her sharp editorial eye. I’d also like to take this opportunity to extend an offer to any constructor, newer or experienced, and especially folks from underrepresented groups, who’d like to talk crosswords and/or have a guest puzzle appear here.