WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — We have a really witty debut today from Adam Nicolle, one of those young guys who does a billion things with boundless energy. I find the differences between Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday themes to be a bit subtle at times, but I think this hits our midweek sweet spot — it’s a bit too heady for a Tuesday, and not quite arcane and abrasive enough for a Thursday. (Sorry, Thursday!)

Mr. Nicolle mentions (perhaps remorsefully?) that the puzzle is completely free of new entries, but it doesn’t feel at all stale and perhaps some solvers will like the omission of 21st-century meme-based neologisms. (Sorry, cool new slang! It’s just nice to get a break once in a while.)

Tricky Clues

Of course, there is HOLLA, but that’s been around since the 16th century, if you allow for a little leeway in its definition. Otherwise, there were a few trivia names, EARLE, RICE and HORATIO, and a couple of oddball clues that made things a little challenging. (I’d never have guessed SLAW, for example.)

39A: I’ve finished this puzzle and I still see this entry as “tea musa,” or “te amusa” instead of TEAM USA. I was also looking for a country with seven letters and red, white and blue flag colors.