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PUNS AND ANAGRAMS — We know Andrew J. Reis well for his wide-ranging, congenial crossword puzzles; this is his third “Panda” and another admirable feather in his cap. There is a lot of personality in this particular variety of variety puzzle, I think. The incomparable Mel Taub was wholly responsible for them for many years, and now that we are seeing different constructors we are seeing some different flourishes.

For example, I always find it satisfying to solve “perfect” anagram clues, where the words that get anagrammed pertain to the final word. This is a bit reminiscent of the stricter universe of cryptic crosswords, where every word has to count for something, but it’s not de rigueur in Pandas — their rules are looser. So I really like a clue like 27A, “Once a common way to cross a lake,” because a CANOE, the anagram of “Once a,” is a common way to cross a lake. Mr. Ries did a good job with this formula, I thought, for entries like SLIPPER, AS YET, ÉGALITÉ, ANEMONE, STAN LEE, RECASTS and so on. These clues make for pleasant solving, no white knuckles, which I think is appropriate. There were a few that taught me something new, like 39A — “So, a Neill” became LOIS LANE, who was played by Noel Neill in the 1940s and ’50s.