MONDAY PUZZLE — When we last saw Dan Schoenholz, he was running the alphabet with us, but in this puzzle, he has found an interesting quirk of the English language.

Tricky Clues

These are enjoyable Monday-level clues, but here are a few that stood out to me.

50A: I see a “dweeb” as someone who might be made fun of, and a TWERP as the person who might make fun of the “dweeb.” I’m not sure they are synonymous, at least in terms of modern usage. TWERP is defined as “a silly, insignificant, or contemptible person” according to merriam-webster.com, and a “dweeb” is defined as “an unattractive, insignificant, or inept person.” If you solve for x, of course, the commonality is insignificance, which is unpleasant, but the difference, to me at least, is intent.

62A: On behalf of the knitters and other yarn artists among us, I will say this once again: A ball of yarn is not the same as a skein. A ball of yarn is just what it sounds like. It’s round. A skein is oblong. Many knitters and crocheters wind their yarn from a skein into a ball, so the yarn can be pulled easily from the inside without tangling, which is infuriating. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

52D: A tennis clue! “One providing great service?” is not a restaurant server or a customer care person, but someone who serves the ball so well that the receiver can’t touch it and loses the point. The answer is ACER.