As easy as the NYT puzzle was today, the WSJ one was not only much harder but just as unsatisfying.

The answer to the clue for 60A Backwards, and a hint to four of this puzzle’s answers was INREVERSE. Now, that made me think that the entire first word of those answers was in reverse, but no. Take a look:
16A Performance in a Bollywood film? RANIDANCE
First off, Rani Dance? Like rain dance? The Wall Street Journal decides during a time of good choices to make an Indian-Native American joke clue? This goes beyond the 3D Full-groan wordplay PUN. But we’ll keep going.
19A Huddles on a San Francisco football field? NINERCIRCLES
I had been thinking it would be something to do with Levi’s, but nope!
36A A visit to the nail salon? MANIVENT
Remember nail salons? You know, the places that more frequently than not almost have all-caps signs? Somehow they seem to come out NAiLS.
56A Recesses in a Bauhaus-inspired cathedral? SQUARENICHES
I didn’t know what Bauhaus is. It’s square modern stuff. From Germany. Nazis kicked them out, so they probably were pretty good. I’m intrigued. https://art.art/blog/10-bauhaus-principles-that-still-apply-today

So you see that it’s just a couple letters reversed, and they’re not even all in the first word of the pair.

The week’s almost over. July is almost over. My birthday is coming up. Hooray?