Interesting topic, Mark. Having just finished the NYT bevy of puzzles for today, I’m VERY annoyed by “Connections.” I chose Navy, Pinto, Lima and Kidney (beans, duh!) and it was rejected! Also, in Spelling Bee I often enter a word such a TARN or ADIT or many others that are deemed iinacceptable but appear regularly in NYT crosswords. Make up your !