This goo was worth a point in February 2024.

publication date: Monday, February 12, 2024 (part of February 2024)

category: Opinion

clue: Prior to his 1999 passing, this film critic considered himself a fair RATER at the movies, even though he gave far more of the dreaded thumbs-down ratings than his TV partner.

explanation: Siskel co-hosted Siskel & Ebert at the Movies with Roger Ebert, and was considered the more consistently negative of the two. more…

intended difficulty: very easy

solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and Erik Bates

Ancient Acrostic: Sator Squares are a meme from ancient Rome, a double-acrostic palindrome puzzle in which five words repeat backwards, forwards, upwards, and downwards. The tiles were made over the course of centuries, and historians have a variety of theories as to their origin but no definitive explanation, making them a compelling historical enigma. Ponder their meaning with these seven celebrities, each of whom was inspired by a different five-letter word that can be traced in a winding route on the squares.

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