Showing 50 out of 561 total with editor comments.
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| S | T | E | P | P | E | B | U | G | J | U | I | C | E | |
| M | E | N | I | A | L | U | N | I | O | N | R | E | P | |
| A | N | G | E | R | M | A | N | A | G | E | M | E | N | T |
| C | A | R | T | I | N | S | I | L | O | S | ||||
| H | E | R | B | R | I | C | W | I | S | P | ||||
| A | N | D | I | A | L | L | A | T | I | N | G | L | E | |
| S | T | E | N | T | U | S | E | R | N | O | W | |||
| S | H | O | R | T | H | A | I | R | ||||||
| M | O | B | A | N | A | T | S | E | E | Y | A | |||
| T | H | E | B | R | E | W | E | R | S | I | C | E | D | |
| G | O | Y | A | R | O | C | K | L | S | D | ||||
| O | N | C | E | A | B | R | O | K | A | W | ||||
| L | A | N | G | U | A | G | E | B | A | R | R | I | E | R |
| O | C | C | U | R | R | E | D | W | E | I | R | D | O | |
| D | E | E | P | E | N | D | S | L | A | S | S | O | S |
I debated for a long time whether or not to highlight the four hidden language names in this puzzle's grid ... but ultimately decided it would be more enjoyable if solvers had to find the hidden names themselves. Hope I'm right!
| E | S | S | B | E | T | A | A | R | F | B | A | C | H | R | O | Z | ||||
| M | O | P | A | V | O | W | B | Y | U | E | N | Y | A | E | W | E | ||||
| B | I | O | H | E | R | E | X | C | E | L | L | E | N | C | Y | X | E | R | ||
| O | R | T | S | R | I | S | E | O | P | A | L | O | H | S | O | |||||
| S | E | R | A | P | E | N | A | D | I | R | O | R | N | A | T | E | ||||
| S | E | E | F | I | T | O | N | E | N | D | P | E | D | R | O | S | ||||
| M | A | T | T | S | N | O | L | L | E | U | S | H | E | R | ||||||
| B | O | O | R | S | T | E | S | T | R | I | D | E | S | A | C | I | D | S | ||
| O | B | V | I | A | T | E | S | C | I | E | D | R | I | N | K | S | I | N | ||
| R | O | E | W | H | I | T | E | H | O | U | S | E | D | O | G | O | E | O | ||
| G | E | R | M | A | N | A | G | C | L | A | W | S | N | U | B | |||||
| I | N | N | B | O | W | W | O | W | A | C | U | |||||||||
| M | A | L | L | O | A | L | T | A | R | O | E | G | U | N | S | E | R | |||
| O | N | E | L | B | S | I | R | I | O | P | I | E | E | N | T | R | E | |||
| A | N | G | I | E | A | S | I | F | T | E | S | S | B | Y | A | G | E | |||
| N | E | W | E | L | L | H | P | S | E | R | S | P | I | S | T | O | L | |||
| M | A | S | S | E | S | S | O | D | I | U | M | |||||||||
| P | E | R | M | T | O | M | A | T | O | P | A | S | T | E | D | E | E | M | ||
| R | A | M | A | B | U | D | D | Y | S | Y | S | T | E | M | E | T | T | U | ||
| O | R | E | L | E | S | C | A | P | E | R | O | U | T | E | U | T | E | S | ||
| M | A | R | L | A | C | M | E | O | F | F | S | P | E | R | K |
An earlier version of this puzzle had the answer CHECKERS MATCH at 24A, clued as "'Jumping' competition [the Nixons]". One of the puzzle testers, though, Frank Longo, pointed out that the Nixons' dog Checkers died in 1964, five years before Nixon took office, so Checkers was never a WHITE HOUSE DOG (62A). That was a great catch, preventing an error from getting into print. On top of that, Frank reworked the upper-middle portion of the grid with the new theme entry HER EXCELLENCY. Thank god for Frank!
| G | A | N | G | N | A | M | L | E | A | P | S | A | T | |
| A | M | E | R | I | C | A | O | I | L | R | I | C | H | |
| S | O | M | E | T | H | I | N | G | S | F | I | S | H | Y |
| O | R | E | E | D | Y | S | A | S | T | E | R | |||
| H | O | S | E | S | O | S | M | I | S | O | ||||
| O | S | I | S | O | N | E | U | P | S | N | O | I | ||
| L | O | S | E | R | S | T | A | I | L | E | N | D | ||
| R | O | C | N | G | O | |||||||||
| A | L | L | T | H | A | T | S | O | N | N | E | T | S | |
| L | E | E | E | R | I | T | U | I | N | R | E | |||
| A | T | A | N | S | T | A | N | C | A | D | ||||
| M | I | N | E | D | R | U | B | E | A | L | I | A | ||
| O | N | T | H | E | W | A | T | E | R | F | R | O | N | T |
| D | O | O | R | M | A | T | L | O | O | K | S | E | E | |
| E | N | S | U | I | T | E | T | O | P | S | E | E | D |
In the first version of this puzzle, which I sent to test-solvers, the clues for 17A and 58A did not reference the three swimming "fish" symbolized by black squares in the middle of the grid. However, after only one of the four testers noticed the fish, I added bracketed remarks so that solvers could appreciate the extra layer to the mini-theme.
| L | E | N | D | S | M | C | A | T | L | U | S | H | ||
| A | D | O | U | T | A | R | C | H | A | S | I | A | ||
| D | I | T | S | Y | N | O | C | O | M | M | E | N | T | |
| I | S | I | T | J | U | S | T | M | E | O | R | |||
| D | O | O | M | O | P | S | M | U | N | I | S | |||
| A | N | N | I | K | A | S | T | O | R | A | G | E | ||
| T | A | C | K | I | E | R | M | O | W | |||||
| A | R | E | T | H | E | R | E | O | T | H | E | R | ||
| F | L | U | I | N | S | P | I | R | E | |||||
| S | A | N | R | E | M | O | K | I | S | S | E | R | ||
| U | N | S | E | T | C | I | A | G | A | Y | E | |||
| A | N | A | G | R | A | M | S | O | F | E | M | |||
| K | A | T | E | S | P | A | D | E | I | T | I | S | I | |
| F | L | A | W | A | G | R | A | V | I | R | U | S | ||
| C | A | B | S | S | E | E | N | S | T | E | P | S |
While I don't usually like quip themes so much, this joke seemed fresh and made me laugh. It's a shame about the three entries containing "IT" (20A, 58A and 38D). But because "it" is such a minor word, this duplication doesn't bother me so much.
| J | U | J | U | B | L | O | T | F | R | A | S | |||
| E | V | A | N | R | O | T | H | C | L | O | T | H | ||
| T | A | X | I | R | I | T | A | A | E | T | N | A | ||
| C | O | R | N | O | N | T | H | E | C | O | Q | |||
| A | S | H | E | N | K | A | N | T | ||||||
| T | H | E | F | A | Q | F | O | U | R | E | S | T | A | |
| M | I | A | T | B | A | R | B | R | O | I | L | |||
| O | F | T | I | S | A | D | O | R | A | I | N | C | ||
| S | T | U | M | P | E | R | A | S | T | K | O | |||
| T | Y | P | O | J | E | R | R | Y | Q | U | I | L | T | |
| D | O | R | M | U | P | S | E | T | ||||||
| Q | U | E | E | N | S | I | Z | E | Q | E | D | |||
| U | T | I | L | E | N | O | N | U | I | C | B | M | ||
| I | N | N | E | R | E | L | O | I | K | O | B | E | ||
| D | E | E | D | M | A | S | K | E | S | Q | S |
I've noticed that the crossword blogs often comment on constructors jamming in the high-value Scrabble letters (J, Q, X and Z). It's a good point that these shouldn't be used to the overall detriment of the fill. However, by virtue of their rareness, they tend to increase the freshness of a puzzle's vocabulary. So all things being equal, I like them. Case in point: the upper-left corner in Brendan's puzzle, which has two J's and an X.
| C | O | B | S | H | O | S | T | M | A | R | S | H | ||
| A | L | O | E | A | B | L | E | A | L | O | H | A | ||
| P | E | T | E | R | S | O | U | T | C | A | M | R | Y | |
| N | O | T | S | O | E | R | R | S | D | E | E | D | ||
| L | A | M | B | P | A | T | S | D | O | W | N | |||
| B | R | E | W | P | U | B | A | L | I | |||||
| O | A | F | S | G | I | S | T | I | N | S | E | L | ||
| N | N | E | J | A | C | K | S | U | P | O | X | O | ||
| O | D | D | J | O | B | Y | E | T | O | R | E | O | ||
| A | G | O | T | E | M | P | E | S | T | |||||
| M | A | R | K | S | O | F | F | S | A | U | L | |||
| I | D | E | A | S | A | L | T | G | L | O | S | S | ||
| L | I | A | R | S | C | A | R | R | I | E | S | O | N | |
| N | O | R | T | H | E | R | I | E | N | E | H | I | ||
| E | S | S | A | Y | T | E | M | P | T | R | O | T |
Lynn Lempel is always a joy to edit because a) her grids are so clean and b) her clues are so good. I rewrote only eight clues in her entire puzzle.
| T | A | K | E | S | T | O | B | O | A | T | E | R | ||
| O | N | A | L | E | A | S | H | I | M | B | U | S | Y | |
| A | G | R | I | C | O | L | A | P | I | E | R | C | E | |
| D | E | M | O | S | O | V | I | E | T | N | A | B | ||
| S | L | A | T | E | E | N | D | P | E | R | E | |||
| N | O | V | A | S | F | U | D | G | E | |||||
| M | A | R | G | I | N | O | F | E | R | R | O | R | ||
| B | E | F | O | R | E | I | F | O | R | G | E | T | ||
| B | A | T | T | L | E | S | C | A | R | R | E | D | ||
| E | T | H | E | L | F | E | R | M | I | |||||
| S | T | A | R | P | O | T | S | A | L | M | A | |||
| T | E | D | F | U | R | R | O | W | S | A | A | B | ||
| I | R | O | B | O | T | I | R | I | S | H | P | U | B | |
| R | U | N | O | U | T | P | E | T | P | E | E | V | E | |
| S | P | E | A | R | S | S | T | A | N | L | E | Y |
Hi Jeff,
While I don't award "points" to crossword entries (as in your example), your general way of assessing crossword quality is the same as mine.
When I look at any crossword submission, which I prefer to do on paper, I mark up the answer grid — a check mark for an entry I like (on rare occasions two checks for one I really, really like), a minus for an entry I don't, and an "x" for one that's wrong or truly awful. The size of the mark indicates the depth of my feeling about it, so a bit of crosswordese might get a small minus, a stupid obscurity a big one.
When I'm done, I pull back and look at the puzzle overall to make a decision. An "x," of course, almost always means rejection. If there are no x's, then I judge whether there are enough entries that excite me to outweigh the ones that don't.
You're right that too many minuses will sink a puzzle even if there's lots of good stuff. I don't set an arbitrary limit on weak entries, but more than five, especially if they're bad, will put the puzzle in dangerous territory.
The bar for acceptance keeps getting raised. Many of the puzzles I published 10 years ago wouldn't be accepted today. Even marginal yeses of a year or two ago might be nos now.
That said, to me crossword quality is a matter of balance. Unlike some other editors and commenters on the crossword blogs, I will accept some crosswordese and obscurity in a puzzle (assuming it's fairly crossed and clued), if the upside is strong enough. Sometimes I think it's worth having a subpar entry in order to set up other material that's great. The greater the great stuff, a little more subpar there can be. Squeaky clean isn't always best.
My bottom line is that a puzzle should be judged as a whole, as ordinary solvers judge puzzles, not on just the least appealing entries.
| B | L | O | W | A | D | I | E | U | W | O | E | S | ||
| Y | O | G | A | N | E | S | T | S | I | L | S | A | ||
| F | I | L | T | H | Y | R | I | C | H | L | E | A | N | |
| A | R | E | T | O | O | T | H | E | C | L | O | U | D | |
| R | E | D | A | N | G | R | A | D | ||||||
| G | R | E | A | S | Y | S | P | O | O | N | S | |||
| C | E | D | E | D | S | T | E | I | N | V | A | L | ||
| E | X | A | M | S | P | U | R | N | P | E | P | E | ||
| L | I | T | G | H | E | N | T | A | C | N | E | D | ||
| S | T | A | I | N | E | D | G | L | A | S | S | |||
| R | A | E | E | R | N | C | H | A | ||||||
| S | P | L | I | T | P | E | A | G | E | N | D | E | R | |
| I | R | A | S | D | I | R | T | Y | W | O | R | D | S | |
| Z | O | N | E | O | N | E | A | L | L | O | G | O | ||
| E | W | E | S | G | E | S | T | E | O | M | E | N |
This week's Monday-Thursday puzzles were used for the Akron Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Here are some notes from the organizer, Deb Papa:
"Before we began Puzzle #3 I shared your information about Alex Vratsanos being a 21-year-old college student that you had purchased a first puzzle from when he was 18-years-old. The room buzzed with excitement as the competitors discussed this amongst themselves. Thank you for this information, everyone enjoyed learning something about the puzzle maker.
You had also emailed that Puzzle #4 had a tricky theme. I didn't let anyone know until after the championship round. This was the first time no one finished the championship puzzle 100% correct! None of the finalists answered 28 across correctly. (They didn't get the "2" in the first box.)
Since this was our 5th year of tournament, I have also compiled some statistics. In 5 years we have had 10 different people on the Auditorium stage for the Championship Round. Of these 10 people, 3 have been on stage twice and 1 woman has been on stage an amazing three times!
Before we began, during intermissions, and even afterward at least six different people approached me thanking the library for having this tournament. They appreciate that it is well-organized and enjoy working the crossword puzzles that you send. Thank you once again for the crossword puzzles for the 5th Annual Akron Crossword Puzzle Tournament. We are already looking forward to next year!"
| S | C | A | R | C | E | F | A | C | A | D | E | |||
| O | H | I | O | A | N | A | M | A | Z | I | N | |||
| D | O | N | T | T | A | L | K | A | B | O | U | T | ||
| M | A | S | T | S | M | O | E | A | R | R | I | D | ||
| A | P | E | Y | E | A | P | L | E | N | T | Y | |||
| Y | O | U | R | S | E | L | F | W | E | S | A | L | E | |
| A | P | P | A | L | L | S | O | A | R | L | E | D | ||
| G | O | L | F | O | P | E | L | |||||||
| A | R | P | B | O | B | S | O | D | I | S | T | S | ||
| S | E | A | T | W | I | L | L | D | O | T | H | A | T | |
| I | D | I | O | C | Y | O | A | S | R | N | A | |||
| A | R | D | O | R | A | M | Y | W | H | I | N | Y | ||
| A | F | T | E | R | Y | O | U | L | E | A | V | E | ||
| F | O | O | D | I | E | P | O | R | T | E | R | |||
| T | R | O | O | P | S | S | T | E | E | L | Y |
While I have the greatest respect for Stan, both as an editor and a person, I don't completely agree with his puzzle philosophy. Specifically, I don't think crosswords have to avoid all difficult words. A crossword consists of two parts, apart from any theme — the grid and the clues. In my opinion the challenge can come from either part. Completing an interesting difficult answer can be just as rewarding to the solver as solving an interesting difficult clue.
By an "interesting difficult" answer I don't mean an insect genus or a 50-mile-long river in Russia. I mean something that's stimulating, amusing and/or useful to know. Honest people can disagree about what words meet this criterion. But presumably someone who likes crosswords also likes learning words and exploring the richness of the English language. This means that crosswords don't need to be limited to the 10,000-20,000 most common words — which can get overused besides.
Another problem with Stan's philosophy is that it can lead to blandness of vocabulary and overcaution in themes. I don't judge a puzzle by its worst entries. I judge it by its overall effect. An ambitious theme may require compromises. A great entry or combination of entries may require compromises. I think average solvers judge a puzzle on its balance. I do, too.
So I admire Stan's "fussiness" and attention to using only common vocabulary. I'm happy to publish crosswords of this sort. I just don't think every crossword has to be like this.
| H | O | D | S | B | A | S | K | J | O | J | O | |||
| A | N | O | N | I | L | I | E | S | O | D | O | I | ||
| J | K | R | O | W | L | I | N | G | B | O | S | O | M | |
| J | P | M | O | R | G | A | N | M | A | H | A | L | O | |
| Z | O | E | S | S | E | C | L | A | N | |||||
| E | X | J | E | T | L | A | H | T | I | |||||
| A | R | B | E | A | T | S | I | N | E | N | V | Y | ||
| R | A | F | T | C | R | O | C | I | A | G | E | E | ||
| L | Y | L | E | H | A | N | K | E | R | E | R | S | ||
| E | N | J | O | Y | A | B | R | A | M | |||||
| P | O | T | J | O | S | M | O | N | A | |||||
| I | N | C | A | P | S | J | M | B | A | R | R | I | E | |
| N | E | H | R | U | J | C | D | I | T | H | E | R | S | |
| E | L | E | C | T | A | T | I | T | O | M | I | T | ||
| B | R | O | Z | I | S | I | S | P | O | S | E |
(Will is taking a break from contributing Notes so he can focus on preparing for the upcoming American Crossword Puzzle Tournament.)
| A | C | T | S | L | A | D | Y | P | O | R | C | H | ||
| L | O | O | P | E | L | I | A | A | D | I | E | U | ||
| E | M | I | R | A | M | O | K | R | O | B | O | T | ||
| C | A | L | E | N | D | A | R | Y | E | A | R | |||
| E | L | S | A | D | D | I | M | P | ||||||
| I | M | O | C | H | U | C | K | Y | E | A | G | E | R | |
| S | A | R | A | S | O | T | A | S | I | N | A | I | ||
| A | R | C | S | T | E | N | P | M | D | I | N | O | ||
| A | S | H | E | S | D | I | A | M | E | T | E | R | ||
| C | H | I | C | K | E | N | Y | A | R | D | E | R | S | |
| S | Y | D | I | O | U | T | S | P | ||||||
| C | A | N | A | R | Y | Y | E | L | L | O | W | |||
| G | A | T | O | R | N | O | I | R | A | E | R | O | ||
| O | H | A | R | E | C | O | P | E | T | A | C | O | ||
| P | A | R | K | A | E | K | E | D | O | R | A | L |
A little crossword news: the 15th Westport Public Library Crossword Contest was held this past Saturday. About 120 crossword enthusiasts from Connecticut and New York competed. The puzzles consisted of the Monday-Wednesday NY Times puzzles (Feb. 3-5) plus the Thursday from the following week (Feb. 13).
Andrew Kravis, of Manhattan, was the first in the room to finish each of Puzzles #1-#3, in approximately 3:05, 3:15, and 3:40, respectively.
On the playoff puzzle, #4, conducted on large boards among the top three solvers, Glen Ryan was the first to finish, in 8:05 but sadly, he left a square blank. Andrew finished right behind him, in 8:17, and his solution was complete and perfect, so he won. Jesse Lansner finished perfectly in 10:37, so he was second. Glen took third.
| H | A | W | S | L | E | E | R | S | A | T | U | N | U | M | ||||||
| O | L | I | N | S | I | N | R | E | A | C | H | W | H | O | L | E | ||||
| R | E | D | E | E | M | T | E | R | M | I | T | E | K | A | H | U | N | A | ||
| E | X | E | R | C | I | S | E | R | S | D | U | R | A | N | D | U | R | A | N | |
| B | A | N | D | O | L | E | R | O | P | O | L | O | S | H | I | R | T | |||
| K | I | A | T | C | M | B | I | C | ||||||||||||
| H | O | W | C | O | S | T | E | A | U | O | A | K | S | T | S | A | ||||
| I | N | H | A | L | F | I | N | A | K | N | O | T | K | O | S | H | E | R | ||
| H | E | A | V | E | H | O | O | L | E | I | C | E | N | T | R | E | E | S | ||
| A | N | T | E | U | H | O | H | T | A | C | O | A | S | T | O | |||||
| T | D | S | B | M | I | N | O | R | R | O | C | O | C | O | C | O | N | |||
| D | O | R | A | E | P | I | T | A | P | H | K | A | T | O | ||||||
| S | N | O | W | I | N | F | E | L | I | C | I | A | W | R | I | T | H | E | ||
| I | O | N | E | S | K | Y | E | E | S | E | R | E | H | E | A | T | E | D | ||
| N | E | E | K | I | E | L | D | H | S | M | O | O | D | I | R | E | ||||
| G | L | I | B | N | E | L | L | T | E | N | S | A | S | S | N | |||||
| S | E | N | D | S | E | A | B | I | R | D | T | O | S | H | ||||||
| O | R | D | A | I | N | W | I | L | L | F | U | L | H | O | T | P | O | T | ||
| T | O | O | D | L | E | O | O | I | O | N | I | C | E | H | O | L | E | S | ||
| T | A | N | S | S | H | O | C | O | O | F | O | R | R | A | N | K | ||||
| O | D | E | S | O | P | E | D | T | E | W | E | Y | O | S |
This puzzle has everything — a fresh, literary theme, beautifully executed, with a bonus visual element, and a handsome construction to boot. Besides the theme I like DURAN DURAN, POLO SHIRT, IN A KNOT, HEAVE-HO, IONE SKYE, HOT POT, TOODLE-OO, NO HOPE, and THE ROBOT. This should make for a relaxing few hours for most solvers ... or a "relaxing" 6-8 minutes for crossword champion Dan Feyer!
| B | A | R | B | A | R | A | B | U | S | H | B | E | E | |
| E | Q | U | I | V | A | L | E | N | C | E | R | R | R | |
| F | A | S | C | I | N | A | T | I | O | N | O | I | L | |
| O | B | E | S | D | R | A | F | T | W | A | K | E | ||
| G | A | S | M | O | M | M | Y | L | E | D | S | |||
| M | A | M | B | A | M | A | D | C | A | P | ||||
| A | H | E | A | D | E | X | F | O | L | I | A | T | E | |
| C | A | R | R | O | L | L | L | E | A | D | S | I | N | |
| E | M | I | L | N | O | L | D | E | K | I | T | E | S | |
| D | O | C | E | N | T | E | X | M | E | T | ||||
| M | A | N | A | F | S | T | A | R | M | E | W | |||
| Z | E | K | E | K | L | E | I | N | P | I | S | A | ||
| A | L | A | Y | O | U | R | M | A | J | E | S | T | Y | |
| G | E | N | O | L | I | V | E | G | A | R | D | E | N | |
| S | T | E | U | N | D | E | R | E | X | P | O | S | E |
This puzzle by Canadian Will Nediger has a lot of fine vocabulary. My favorite entries, besides BARBARA BUSH at 1A, are YOUR MAJESTY, OLIVE GARDEN, HAM OMELET, ERICA KANE, ALARM BELL, BETAMAX, FLEX-TIMER, L.A. LAKER, ERIK SATIE, and WE DID IT. And hardly anything undesirable. That's expert puzzle-making!
| L | E | T | S | D | O | T | H | I | S | T | H | I | N | G |
| A | N | I | M | A | T | I | O | N | S | T | U | D | I | O |
| H | A | D | A | L | O | N | G | W | A | Y | T | O | G | O |
| A | M | I | C | I | S | T | A | L | U | N | G | S | ||
| B | E | E | K | B | E | I | N | G | S | O | L | E | ||
| A | L | S | V | A | L | E | T | E | D | T | E | D | ||
| N | E | U | T | E | R | D | O | T | E | S | ||||
| A | D | P | A | G | E | S | F | E | L | T | T | I | P | |
| X | A | X | I | S | V | O | Y | A | G | E | ||||
| A | M | A | S | A | M | I | S | E | N | C | O | T | ||
| R | A | N | D | M | U | L | A | N | N | O | T | E | ||
| A | R | A | I | L | L | E | U | G | A | B | O | R | ||
| B | A | N | D | E | D | A | N | T | E | A | T | E | R | S |
| I | C | A | N | N | O | T | T | E | L | L | A | L | I | E |
| C | A | S | T | O | N | E | S | S | P | E | L | L | O | N |
I accepted this puzzle by Chris only recently, but liked it so much that I moved it to the top of the pile. A gorgeous construction.
| P | I | S | M | O | B | U | R | Y | E | R | G | O | ||
| A | M | P | E | D | A | R | E | A | P | E | E | K | ||
| W | H | A | T | S | B | L | A | C | K | W | H | I | T | E |
| N | O | M | E | E | L | L | A | E | E | N | S | Y | ||
| O | S | A | Y | L | O | A | M | |||||||
| A | N | D | R | E | D | A | L | L | O | V | E | R | ||
| L | E | E | T | Y | R | O | H | E | R | E | T | O | ||
| A | M | A | J | D | U | D | A | C | I | D | ||||
| N | O | L | O | S | S | S | O | A | R | A | D | O | ||
| T | H | I | S | N | E | W | S | P | A | P | E | R | ||
| A | D | I | A | A | K | I | N | |||||||
| V | E | R | N | E | R | A | G | E | K | I | E | V | ||
| A | S | U | N | B | U | R | N | E | D | P | A | N | D | A |
| M | A | N | E | N | O | I | R | A | R | D | E | N | ||
| P | U | T | S | O | W | L | S | W | A | Y | N | E |
This is only the seventh Times crossword I've published that has two different "correct" solutions (these are the other six). This time, tho, the two different solutions hinge on just one square. The critical clue at 24D is quite pretty. I like the punchline at 63A, too.
| S | A | L | A | F | E | D | U | P | J | P | E | G | ||
| E | M | I | T | I | L | O | S | E | O | A | S | T | ||
| R | O | B | E | V | I | T | A | E | H | Y | P | O | ||
| U | L | Y | S | S | E | S | S | G | R | A | N | T | ||
| M | E | A | T | Y | E | S | Q | O | N | E | ||||
| S | N | E | A | K | U | N | P | I | N | |||||
| P | R | S | E | L | G | I | N | B | A | Y | L | O | R | |
| H | O | H | O | S | I | N | A | I | C | A | B | O | ||
| A | D | A | M | S | A | N | D | L | E | R | Y | E | N | |
| S | I | D | E | A | S | A | L | A | D | |||||
| E | N | O | B | I | T | V | E | I | L | S | ||||
| W | O | O | D | R | O | W | W | I | L | S | O | N | ||
| D | E | B | I | E | A | T | E | R | M | O | P | E | ||
| E | N | O | L | A | C | T | I | I | A | L | E | E | ||
| W | A | X | Y | S | K | O | R | T | R | A | Z | R |
How did Michael find the four examples of this lovely theme? I have no idea. For consistency's sake I do wish they'd all been either like 37A and 59A, with the three circled letters together, or like 20A and 44A, where the circles are separated. But that's probably asking too much. Anyway, having two of each type at least maintains a balance.
| S | T | E | M | I | L | K | S | S | I | T | U | P | ||
| P | A | P | A | N | O | A | H | C | O | W | L | S | ||
| A | C | I | D | F | O | R | A | R | U | I | N | S | ||
| S | O | C | C | E | R | M | A | M | B | O | S | A | T | |
| A | V | A | S | T | A | L | O | T | ||||||
| S | A | P | P | E | R | S | P | L | I | T | U | P | ||
| N | T | H | R | E | A | C | H | S | N | A | R | E | ||
| A | E | O | N | D | R | O | O | P | K | E | G | S | ||
| F | I | N | E | D | C | L | E | A | R | B | E | T | ||
| U | N | E | A | R | T | H | R | I | G | O | R | S | ||
| B | R | A | N | D | I | A | N | A | ||||||
| P | S | I | S | T | R | U | C | K | D | U | M | B | O | |
| A | L | L | O | T | O | B | O | E | C | O | A | T | ||
| R | A | B | B | I | L | A | N | E | H | A | R | T | ||
| S | T | O | I | C | L | I | S | T | O | N | T | O |
Themes like today's that work phonetically are usually funnier than ones that go by spelling. And going by my funnybone, all four theme answers today are good.
| S | T | A | B | U | H | O | H | M | A | C | H | O | ||
| T | R | U | E | S | O | L | O | A | L | L | E | N | ||
| A | I | R | T | R | A | V | E | L | G | E | E | S | E | |
| L | E | A | S | E | I | D | U | N | N | O | ||||
| L | D | S | P | E | A | C | E | K | E | E | P | E | R | |
| P | E | N | N | M | E | T | A | M | A | |||||
| L | I | F | E | L | I | N | E | O | A | T | E | N | ||
| I | R | I | S | D | O | L | C | E | B | R | E | D | ||
| K | A | B | O | B | F | A | C | E | C | A | R | D | ||
| E | N | O | L | O | S | R | O | W | S | |||||
| D | I | N | N | E | R | T | A | B | L | E | S | H | E | |
| A | E | N | E | I | D | R | A | P | I | D | ||||
| N | I | C | A | D | T | I | M | E | S | H | A | R | E | |
| C | A | C | T | I | C | E | L | L | A | D | E | N | ||
| O | N | I | O | N | H | U | B | S | B | E | D | S |
While "words that go with" sorts of themes have become quite common, this one is a cut above the rest, in my opinion, because the shared word, TIME, connects with both halves of the other theme entries. That's elegant. Also, there are five theme examples, besides the "revealer," which is a lot. And the revealer itself is fun.
| Z | O | M | B | I | E | S | W | A | M | P | E | D | ||
| A | N | O | M | A | L | Y | S | O | S | U | E | M | E | |
| G | E | T | I | N | T | O | W | R | I | T | E | I | N | |
| A | T | O | S | O | D | A | D | A | I | N | T | Y | ||
| T | O | R | A | N | E | W | T | O | N | S | ||||
| R | O | C | C | O | L | O | A | F | M | S | G | S | ||
| A | M | Y | T | A | N | L | P | G | A | U | L | U | ||
| T | A | C | I | T | U | S | S | O | B | E | R | U | P | |
| E | N | L | S | M | O | G | D | E | L | E | T | E | ||
| D | Y | E | S | B | O | O | B | S | H | E | E | R | ||
| T | E | S | T | B | A | N | I | N | N | S | ||||
| U | N | L | O | C | K | S | N | E | E | O | F | T | ||
| R | A | I | N | O | U | T | D | R | L | A | U | R | A | |
| N | U | T | E | L | L | A | S | T | I | N | G | E | R | |
| S | T | E | R | I | L | E | S | A | S | H | E | S |
I accepted today's puzzle by James Mulhern in August 2012. A few weeks ago, just as I was editing it, he wrote me again out of the blue that he wanted to improve the construction. Was there time, he wondered? Well, yes. Good timing. And he made the grid better, too. I admire James's attention to quality.
| A | R | C | T | I | C | W | H | O | S | T | H | A | T | |
| W | A | H | I | N | E | H | O | W | A | R | E | Y | A | |
| S | T | A | N | C | E | A | M | E | N | A | M | E | N | |
| P | L | E | A | R | T | E | S | D | A | R | K | |||
| A | O | K | S | M | O | T | E | H | E | N | S | |||
| M | I | L | E | H | I | G | H | C | L | U | B | |||
| I | S | I | S | S | U | E | S | T | O | P | I | T | ||
| C | O | N | C | I | S | E | Y | E | S | O | R | N | O | |
| O | N | E | A | R | M | S | U | V | K | O | O | K | ||
| P | E | E | R | P | R | E | S | S | U | R | E | |||
| T | R | E | S | A | E | T | N | A | D | D | S | |||
| H | E | I | R | A | W | E | S | L | I | M | E | |||
| E | S | P | O | U | S | E | D | S | I | T | A | R | S | |
| P | L | E | A | S | E | G | O | A | V | E | R | T | S | |
| S | A | N | D | B | A | G | S | C | A | N | Y | O | N |
Not surprisingly, Ian's puzzle is the first Times crossword ever to have the entry MILE-HIGH CLUB. The term was probably a little too racy for my predecessors. But how to clue it? Ian's clue was "Group getting some air play?" I liked the misdirection of this, but the usage of the word "play" here felt too loose — and maybe too racy for the Times audience. Another clue I considered was "Group whose membership qualifications are up in the air?" — but that felt too easy. And "Set of screws on an airplane?" was just too rude. So I finally settled on what you see here.
| F | I | G | J | O | N | A | S | S | U | M | E | |||
| I | N | O | A | V | E | C | S | L | U | R | R | Y | ||
| E | V | A | M | I | M | I | T | E | N | S | E | R | ||
| N | E | W | K | I | D | O | N | T | H | E | B | A | D | E |
| D | R | A | I | N | D | U | E | T | S | |||||
| S | T | Y | X | S | H | E | B | O | O | Z | E | |||
| W | H | E | R | E | B | U | X | O | M | |||||
| B | U | T | C | H | E | R | B | P | A | R | T | I | E | S |
| A | T | S | E | A | A | Q | A | B | A | |||||
| A | Z | U | L | L | U | N | E | D | R | E | W | |||
| L | A | N | D | O | S | U | E | D | E | |||||
| I | C | E | B | B | U | S | T | E | R | M | O | V | I | E |
| D | O | N | A | L | D | E | L | O | I | E | B | B | ||
| A | P | O | G | E | E | S | E | A | R | A | L | I | ||
| S | E | W | E | R | S | A | R | K | L | E | T |
This is the second day in a row in which a Times constructor is making a debut. Michael Hawkins hails from Gastonia, N.C. The print and online versions of his puzzle necessarily have different numbering. The print version is the first puzzle I can remember in which the solver is supposed to number some of the black squares — either present or (as in this case) missing!
| L | O | B | S | H | I | S | T | T | H | E | S | W | ||
| A | C | R | E | I | N | T | O | A | B | A | T | E | ||
| S | T | A | N | G | U | A | M | L | E | T | U | S | ||
| H | A | N | S | C | H | R | I | S | T | I | A | N | ||
| A | N | D | E | R | S | E | N | R | A | M | O | N | A | |
| T | E | S | L | A | B | U | S | F | I | X | ||||
| E | V | I | C | T | E | D | C | A | K | E | ||||
| H | A | N | S | E | L | A | N | D | G | R | E | T | E | L |
| O | N | E | S | L | E | S | S | E | E | S | ||||
| S | K | A | T | E | N | L | A | M | E | R | ||||
| T | H | R | O | W | S | P | A | N | O | R | A | M | A | |
| B | R | O | T | H | E | R | S | G | R | I | M | M | ||
| A | B | E | A | R | A | T | T | Y | I | T | I | S | ||
| T | I | E | T | O | N | E | O | N | T | A | T | E | ||
| H | B | R | E | W | K | R | O | C | Z | I | T | S |
Constructor Jared Banta of Superior, Colo., makes his debut today with a very clever theme idea. Generally solvers (especially new ones) don't expect a rebus element on a Wednesday, so I'm girding myself for complaints about the lower-left and upper-right corners.
| W | O | R | D | W | O | O | D | W | O | O | T | |||
| C | I | D | E | R | A | B | L | E | E | B | R | O | ||
| O | L | D | I | E | T | E | E | M | M | E | M | O | ||
| R | E | E | N | A | C | T | S | I | M | A | R | E | T | |
| D | E | R | I | D | E | E | A | S | E | D | ||||
| N | E | D | S | B | E | N | E | A | T | H | ||||
| C | A | B | D | A | V | I | S | S | I | C | K | O | ||
| O | W | E | N | R | E | S | E | T | T | I | T | O | ||
| R | E | V | E | L | L | E | N | I | N | D | S | T | ||
| K | E | Y | W | E | S | T | T | E | E | S | ||||
| S | T | E | E | P | R | U | P | I | A | H | ||||
| C | A | R | W | A | X | L | I | S | T | E | N | T | O | |
| O | G | E | E | U | P | A | S | R | E | T | R | O | ||
| O | R | N | E | A | L | T | A | A | D | R | I | P | ||
| K | O | O | K | L | O | O | K | L | O | O | P |
Todd's grid ended up with a lot more crossword-y stuff than I like — especially WILE E, OBER, OR ME, ORNE, UP AS, AGRO, A-WEE, ISE, ADRIP, and A TRIP. But a theme like this, with fixed answers around the perimeter, is difficult to pull off, and I think the result here is worth the compromises. On the plus side, I like KEY WEST, CAR WAX, NEWSWEEK, and especially WE MADE IT.
| H | D | T | V | T | U | D | O | R | P | U | P | S | ||
| A | R | O | O | I | R | A | N | I | A | P | I | A | ||
| L | I | N | C | O | L | N | M | E | M | O | R | I | A | L |
| S | P | E | A | R | P | A | I | R | I | N | G | S | ||
| B | E | D | E | L | E | T | T | E | A | |||||
| J | E | T | C | I | V | I | L | R | I | G | H | T | S | |
| A | M | A | K | E | E | N | Z | O | E | |||||
| M | I | K | A | M | L | K | J | R | D | A | W | N | ||
| E | T | D | E | P | O | S | I | I | I | |||||
| I | H | A | V | E | A | D | R | E | A | M | R | N | A | |
| N | E | S | U | S | E | G | R | A | B | |||||
| A | T | T | A | C | K | A | D | R | E | M | I | X | ||
| W | E | A | R | E | F | R | E | E | A | T | L | A | S | T |
| A | R | N | E | O | M | A | N | I | O | M | A | R | ||
| Y | O | D | A | R | E | N | D | S | W | A | W | A |
11D and 29D in this puzzle both run through two horizontal theme entries. I appreciate it when a constructor takes the time and effort, as here, to find lively answers for these important spots.
Liz, btw, is the first Times constructor to benefit from the paper's new pay rate — $300 for a daily puzzle. That's still not a lot, considering the amount of time and skill it takes to create a first-class crossword. But it's a lot better than the $40 that The Times paid when I started in 1993. And it's much more than any other daily newspaper currently pays. I will keep working to increase the rate further, because the contributors deserve it.
| B | A | N | A | N | A | G | R | A | M | S | U | S | M | |
| A | D | O | B | E | R | E | A | D | E | R | G | E | E | |
| T | I | J | U | A | N | A | T | A | X | I | G | A | G | |
| E | D | I | T | E | R | A | S | A | B | R | A | |||
| S | A | V | C | L | U | T | C | H | S | O | O | N | ||
| S | E | T | H | P | A | L | O | P | O | U | F | |||
| A | E | C | T | E | R | Z | E | T | T | O | ||||
| I | L | O | V | E | L | A | F | A | I | R | S | E | X | |
| F | A | C | E | P | A | L | M | E | N | S | ||||
| I | V | A | R | R | E | U | P | G | E | E | Z | |||
| D | A | R | N | A | C | R | O | S | S | R | A | G | ||
| I | T | I | S | I | D | I | P | W | A | N | E | |||
| D | O | N | T | A | X | O | N | O | M | I | S | T | S | |
| I | R | A | E | J | E | C | T | O | R | S | E | A | T | |
| T | Y | S | S | A | S | H | A | F | I | E | R | C | E |
David Steinberg, who turned 17 in November, was the most published constructor in the Times last year. He had 15 puzzles published in 2013, nosing out Ian Livengood, who had 12.
| S | H | O | R | E | H | O | T | E | L | B | A | R | S | |
| M | O | P | E | D | A | N | I | M | A | L | F | A | T | |
| O | N | E | L | S | S | A | N | I | T | A | R | I | A | |
| G | E | N | I | E | A | S | I | R | E | C | A | L | L | |
| G | Y | M | C | L | A | S | S | E | S | K | I | E | L | |
| I | B | I | S | M | E | I | R | T | O | D | D | S | ||
| E | E | K | B | O | A | S | F | O | P | |||||
| R | E | E | N | A | C | T | L | I | S | S | O | M | E | |
| O | T | O | M | A | N | S | P | A | Y | |||||
| S | A | A | B | S | L | E | V | I | J | A | K | E | ||
| A | R | G | O | D | I | M | E | S | T | O | R | E | S | |
| B | E | E | T | H | O | V | E | N | R | A | T | S | O | |
| O | N | T | H | E | M | E | N | D | A | N | I | O | N | |
| T | O | W | E | L | E | T | T | E | I | N | S | U | M | |
| S | T | O | R | M | D | O | O | R | L | A | T | T | E |
Kevin Der makes a crackerjack themeless. Entries here I like include HOTEL BARS, ANIMAL FAT, AS I RECALL, GYM CLASSES, DIME STORES, BEETHOVEN, STORM DOOR, HONEYBEE, OPEN MIKE, NO BOTHER, BLACK OPS, OP ARTIST and EYES ON ME. That's a lot of nice stuff! Nothing really bad either.
| H | O | G | A | D | A | M | L | A | R | S | O | N | ||
| A | N | E | C | D | O | T | E | A | M | A | N | D | A | |
| C | A | N | O | E | I | S | T | D | O | T | E | O | N | |
| K | N | E | W | T | E | E | D | I | C | E | R | S | ||
| R | E | F | A | R | F | H | R | S | ||||||
| S | T | A | R | E | S | L | A | C | E | S | ||||
| C | A | T | S | U | P | G | O | D | O | T | ||||
| H | O | E | D | O | T | T | E | D | I | R | E | A | ||
| P | A | I | R | S | U | N | B | E | L | T | ||||
| B | E | L | L | A | P | E | O | P | L | E | ||||
| V | A | N | P | J | S | D | R | E | ||||||
| D | O | T | A | G | E | A | T | M | Z | A | H | N | ||
| A | I | M | L | O | W | Y | O | U | D | O | T | O | O | |
| P | L | A | T | T | E | N | U | T | R | I | E | N | T | |
| S | A | N | Y | O | S | E | T | T | U | D | E | E |
The thing I like most about this puzzle is that every one of the six I's in the grid has D-O-T immediately over it. In other words, there are no I's left "undotted."
| J | A | C | O | B | C | O | D | A | B | A | B | A | ||
| A | R | O | M | A | A | S | A | P | A | F | E | W | ||
| G | E | O | G | R | A | P | H | Y | B | S | T | A | R | |
| S | A | P | B | L | E | A | T | P | I | E | T | Y | ||
| L | A | T | H | O | S | I | E | R | ||||||
| E | M | B | E | R | O | W | N | U | P | N | S | C | ||
| V | O | L | T | A | I | R | E | M | E | M | O | I | R | |
| A | D | A | M | O | N | L | Y | U | A | O | N | E | ||
| D | E | C | E | I | T | L | I | P | S | Y | N | C | S | |
| E | L | K | B | A | D | G | E | H | A | T | E | S | ||
| E | R | A | S | E | L | O | O | N | ||||||
| F | O | Y | E | R | C | A | D | R | E | C | U | E | ||
| E | V | E | N | C | A | R | I | B | B | E | A | N | C | |
| M | A | D | D | O | N | I | N | O | W | E | T | O | ||
| A | L | P | S | S | T | A | G | X | E | N | O | N |
Bernice Gordon turned 100 last Saturday. This puzzle makes her the first known centenarian ever to have a crossword in the Times (or anywhere else for that matter).
I had the honor of attending a beautiful birthday party for Bernice in Philadelphia on Sunday — an elegant affair at the Four Seasons hotel downtown. About 70-80 people attended, mostly family and friends. I was the only puzzle person besides Bernice herself. The event was covered by the AP, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the local ABC station. The Inquirer reporter asked me why I published Bernice's puzzles — what makes them special? Well, I said, first, she still constructs a mean puzzle. I think today's is one of her best. Second, a lot of solvers know Bernice's story and are thrilled every time they see her byline. And, third, I just revere Bernice and want to honor her 60+ year record of making crosswords for The Times. I hope to keep publishing her when she's 101 and beyond.
| J | I | V | E | J | A | Z | Z | H | O | K | U | M | ||
| U | B | E | R | A | G | E | E | A | C | U | R | A | ||
| M | A | R | S | I | N | N | S | D | E | R | A | T | ||
| P | R | A | T | T | L | E | T | W | A | D | D | L | E | |
| R | O | W | B | M | T | A | ||||||||
| H | O | T | A | I | R | A | N | D | R | A | P | S | ||
| A | D | O | U | T | G | L | A | S | S | N | A | T | ||
| B | I | L | G | E | R | O | T | T | R | I | P | E | ||
| I | L | L | R | H | O | N | E | R | E | G | A | L | ||
| T | E | S | H | I | K | E | B | U | S | H | W | A | ||
| A | O | K | Y | A | R | N | ||||||||
| B | L | A | T | H | E | R | H | O | G | W | A | S | H | |
| L | E | F | T | S | A | T | Y | A | E | C | H | O | ||
| A | T | R | I | A | N | S | E | C | B | L | I | N | ||
| H | O | O | E | Y | T | O | S | H | B | U | N | K |
An 82-word construction is four words over my usual maximum for a daily puzzle, but this is done to accommodate — count 'em — 16 theme answers. They're all nice ones, too. A very elegant construction.
| O | F | F | E | R | P | L | U | S | C | O | P | |||
| N | O | L | T | E | E | O | N | S | E | R | O | S | ||
| T | R | E | A | T | P | H | O | N | E | C | A | L | L | |
| H | A | W | I | O | T | A | V | I | L | L | A | |||
| E | S | S | R | H | O | N | E | V | A | L | L | E | Y | |
| G | O | O | S | E | S | A | I | D | Y | D | S | |||
| O | N | L | Y | S | E | R | I | E | S | |||||
| G | O | N | E | B | A | L | L | I | S | T | I | C | ||
| C | A | L | M | L | Y | E | R | A | S | |||||
| F | A | R | S | O | B | F | A | M | I | N | E | |||
| S | T | O | N | E | W | A | L | L | E | D | S | I | P | |
| T | O | M | E | I | O | U | Z | O | H | S | T | |||
| O | N | E | A | N | D | A | L | L | P | A | S | T | E | |
| P | A | R | T | A | C | L | U | T | W | E | E | T | ||
| L | O | O | B | E | S | S | S | E | A | R | S |
For someone solving this crossword from top to bottom, the puzzle's structure is like a joke. You wonder where the theme is going and then … boom! the punchline comes at the end (58A). Very pretty. As always, Lynn's construction is gorgeous, too.
| D | E | W | A | R | F | L | O | W | C | H | A | P | M | A | L | E | ||||
| E | X | I | L | E | R | A | R | E | L | A | B | A | N | I | M | A | L | |||
| C | A | S | A | B | L | A | N | C | A | F | A | L | A | L | A | L | A | L | A | |
| O | M | E | N | O | N | E | S | C | A | N | T | O | D | D | S | O | N | |||
| A | T | O | Z | N | E | A | L | S | S | M | E | E | ||||||||
| T | A | B | L | E | T | B | O | L | T | S | S | T | A | R | W | A | R | S | ||
| B | L | A | D | E | C | L | U | C | E | S | A | R | B | O | T | |||||
| S | O | F | A | T | H | A | T | C | H | O | N | U | P | E | R | D | E | |||
| P | E | T | C | H | O | C | U | L | A | I | D | D | O | D | A | H | L | |||
| A | S | H | E | K | R | O | S | S | M | E | T | R | I | C | A | L | ||||
| A | M | A | N | A | P | L | A | N | A | C | A | N | A | L | P | A | N | A | M | A |
| R | A | W | O | N | I | O | N | K | A | M | E | N | I | P | A | D | ||||
| C | R | A | W | T | U | D | E | T | O | A | D | I | E | S | A | B | S | |||
| H | I | R | E | S | I | T | S | C | A | R | A | T | S | A | B | L | E | |||
| E | N | D | S | A | T | C | H | E | L | S | E | N | R | O | N | |||||
| R | A | S | T | A | M | A | N | I | C | O | S | A | I | S | A | A | C | S | ||
| U | T | E | S | S | L | A | N | T | S | M | O | G | ||||||||
| A | D | O | R | E | S | P | A | I | N | E | G | P | A | R | A | J | A | |||
| M | A | G | N | A | C | A | R | T | A | B | A | L | A | C | L | A | V | A | S | |
| P | Y | R | O | M | A | N | I | A | I | C | E | S | A | M | I | C | I | |||
| M | O | E | N | L | I | M | N | T | E | E | M | O | S | A | K | A |
In 2002 I published a crossword by Patrick Berry in which the only vowel in the entire grid was A, so I wasn't so impressed here that just the theme answers are univocalic. But the twist of the theme clues also having A as the only vowel? Love it! Fourteen theme entries in a Sunday puzzle is impressive, too.
| C | A | N | A | D | A | B | L | U | E | G | R | A | S | S |
| T | R | A | D | I | T | I | O | N | A | L | I | R | A | S |
| N | A | V | A | L | E | N | G | A | G | E | M | E | N | T |
| S | T | E | M | L | E | S | S | G | L | A | S | S | E | S |
| L | A | Y | H | I | E | S | ||||||||
| C | D | R | S | K | I | S | O | S | P | A | D | |||
| R | A | I | D | R | A | P | S | N | E | A | L | E | ||
| I | N | N | O | W | A | Y | I | T | S | A | L | O | T | |
| S | I | G | M | A | O | R | Z | O | R | E | N | O | ||
| P | O | S | S | U | M | O | E | R | S | E | X | |||
| K | E | R | T | S | A | T | ||||||||
| O | B | S | C | E | N | E | G | E | S | T | U | R | E | S |
| P | O | T | A | S | S | I | U | M | I | O | D | I | D | E |
| E | L | E | P | H | A | N | T | T | R | A | I | N | E | R |
| D | E | N | T | A | L | A | S | S | I | S | T | A | N | T |
I love a puzzle that has supersmooth fill. But at times I also like to see how far the English language can be pushed, even if there are a few compromises as a result — as long as the overall effect is good. Martin Ashwood-Smith is a master of quad-stacks, and this construction is gorgeous.
| A | C | C | E | N | T | K | A | S | D | A | N | |||
| T | R | A | L | E | E | T | R | I | P | O | L | I | ||
| M | U | R | D | E | R | C | H | I | L | L | O | U | T | |
| S | I | D | E | D | I | S | H | E | S | A | R | M | S | |
| S | P | R | Y | C | E | N | S | U | S | |||||
| W | E | L | L | C | R | A | C | K | S | H | O | T | ||
| I | S | A | Y | O | A | T | E | R | S | N | A | G | ||
| S | H | Y | O | P | T | S | F | O | R | E | L | M | ||
| P | I | E | M | A | C | H | O | S | H | I | K | E | ||
| P | R | E | A | C | H | E | R | S | E | D | E | N | ||
| I | N | A | P | E | T | D | E | A | D | |||||
| E | G | G | S | B | A | T | H | P | I | L | L | O | W | |
| P | R | I | N | T | A | D | S | O | C | T | A | V | E | |
| P | I | G | E | O | N | S | S | T | A | K | E | D | ||
| S | P | A | R | T | A | T | A | P | E | R | S |
I hold Patrick Berry in such awe that (I hope he doesn't mind my telling you this) I was flabbergasted to find he'd misspelled the answer at 7D. The 1990s rap duo, known for wearing their clothing backward, is spelled Kris Kross. KRISS KROSS, with two doubled S's, is the name of the skeleton/fill-in puzzle in Dell puzzle magazines, popular since the 1930s. I'm glad I was able to save this answer with a new clue, because the middle area of the grid was not going to be "fixed"!
| Z | I | P | S | M | E | S | I | N | T | E | L | |||
| A | S | E | A | U | T | A | S | N | O | O | N | E | ||
| P | L | A | Y | T | O | N | H | D | I | R | G | E | ||
| P | E | C | B | A | N | A | I | E | S | T | E | R | ||
| A | S | H | T | O | N | N | N | A | P | E | E | L | ||
| F | O | O | T | E | D | Y | E | T | ||||||
| D | R | U | B | S | A | R | R | H | E | S | U | S | ||
| O | O | Z | E | B | R | E | L | O | Q | U | A | Y | ||
| E | N | Z | Y | M | E | A | A | C | U | B | E | D | ||
| A | T | M | S | B | R | O | A | D | ||||||
| P | A | T | C | H | O | F | A | D | L | I | B | S | ||
| S | A | R | A | H | R | A | I | C | E | V | A | T | ||
| P | R | O | T | O | S | U | T | E | J | I | B | E | ||
| E | S | S | E | N | E | L | E | R | E | D | E | N | ||
| D | E | E | R | E | T | M | S | B | E | L | T |
Of my three main test-solvers for the Times crosswords, one "loved" this puzzle and two "hated" it. No one was lukewarm about it! Mindful of possible negative reactions, I eased up a few of the Down clues in the ninth column, to make the gimmick easier to see. I hope these changes bring a few more solvers into the fold. Notice the one-letter answer (T) at 65A — a first, as far as I can remember.
| B | Y | O | B | S | P | U | R | P | A | R | S | E | ||
| R | O | V | E | O | G | L | E | E | T | A | I | L | ||
| A | H | E | M | B | A | T | H | S | P | O | N | G | E | |
| T | O | R | I | I | R | A | T | B | O | N | N | |||
| T | H | I | N | G | A | M | A | B | O | B | U | F | O | |
| Y | O | T | E | A | M | O | P | A | S | T | O | R | ||
| O | T | I | C | S | H | O | R | E | ||||||
| N | I | C | K | E | L | O | D | E | O | N | ||||
| N | I | E | C | E | T | O | M | B | ||||||
| O | R | W | E | L | L | B | L | I | N | K | A | T | ||
| S | K | I | T | I | M | E | S | S | Q | U | A | R | E | |
| E | S | S | A | M | E | N | S | T | R | E | P | |||
| B | O | S | S | Y | P | A | N | T | S | J | A | N | E | |
| A | M | U | S | E | L | U | A | U | O | T | O | E | ||
| G | E | E | N | A | Y | I | P | E | B | E | T | S |
Sam and Vic aren't the NYT co-constructors with the widest age difference (that would, famously, be Bernice Gordon and David Steinberg, born 83 years apart). But 43 years is still quite a difference. Sam is one of several young constructors whom Vic has mentored. Besides the theme here, I especially like YO TE AMO, BE MINE, RAN OUT ON, NOSEBAG, NEW ISSUE and NUT JOB.
| S | A | C | S | J | I | M | I | V | O | D | K | A | ||
| H | U | L | U | F | R | O | S | I | T | R | I | P | ||
| O | D | I | N | K | I | L | L | E | R | B | E | E | S | |
| G | E | O | D | E | N | T | E | S | T | S | L | O | ||
| I | N | S | A | N | E | A | S | Y | L | U | M | S | ||
| E | T | C | A | U | S | T | ||||||||
| R | B | I | R | A | D | I | C | A | L | S | I | G | N | |
| A | R | N | O | R | E | D | O | S | E | Z | I | O | ||
| W | I | C | K | E | D | W | I | T | C | H | E | F | T | |
| T | U | R | N | A | A | A | ||||||||
| B | A | D | M | O | O | N | R | I | S | I | N | G | ||
| B | O | A | W | A | H | O | O | R | I | D | E | R | ||
| I | S | T | H | I | S | G | O | O | D | A | I | R | E | |
| F | L | E | A | S | O | L | I | O | N | O | V | A | ||
| F | O | S | S | E | D | A | L | I | S | T | E | T |
In the "old days" three or four theme answers were sufficient to carry a daily puzzle. Nowadays the bar has been raised. Here Mark manages six theme answers, which is pretty impressive. The only fill I don't like is IT RIP. Otherwise, a pretty solid construction.
| O | B | E | Y | S | R | I | D | E | S | K | I | P | ||
| H | A | V | O | C | E | M | I | R | M | E | S | A | ||
| M | N | I | G | H | T | S | H | Y | A | M | A | L | A | N |
| S | E | L | A | N | E | O | A | L | L | O | T | |||
| M | B | U | T | T | E | R | F | L | Y | |||||
| G | O | K | A | R | T | L | E | I | G | A | M | |||
| A | N | I | T | A | L | E | I | L | A | R | P | I | ||
| V | C | R | S | X | A | C | T | O | T | E | A | L | ||
| E | L | K | M | E | R | G | E | T | H | E | R | E | ||
| L | E | G | I | N | A | P | L | E | N | T | Y | |||
| I | A | M | A | M | E | R | I | C | A | |||||
| A | M | B | L | E | B | I | N | L | A | U | D | |||
| V | I | S | F | O | R | V | E | N | G | E | A | N | C | E |
| E | L | O | I | A | I | R | S | E | M | I | L | E | ||
| R | E | N | E | G | A | T | E | R | O | M | A | N |
I debated for a long time whether or not to "explain" the significance of the puzzle's Roman numerals (M-M-X-I-V) in the clue for 67A ... and decided against. For one thing I couldn't think of a smooth way to do it. Also, most Times solvers are smart enough to get the point of the puzzle without a sledgehammer from me (right?).
| A | S | I | A | N | D | J | P | A | U | L | Y | D | ||
| C | O | N | D | O | G | R | E | A | T | B | E | A | R | |
| T | U | T | O | R | L | A | T | C | H | O | N | T | O | |
| U | S | E | R | M | I | N | S | K | A | D | E | N | ||
| P | A | R | K | R | A | N | G | E | R | T | A | S | E | |
| V | A | U | L | T | T | A | B | |||||||
| C | R | A | B | B | I | E | R | T | I | P | P | L | E | |
| P | O | L | L | O | D | O | S | G | R | A | I | N | ||
| R | O | S | E | U | P | T | E | E | T | E | R | E | D | |
| T | A | C | A | L | O | F | T | |||||||
| A | R | C | S | T | H | E | C | A | P | I | T | O | L | |
| M | O | O | T | D | I | X | O | N | G | I | V | E | ||
| A | U | D | I | T | O | R | I | A | L | U | M | E | N | |
| S | T | O | N | E | W | A | L | L | A | R | E | N | T | |
| S | E | N | T | E | N | C | E | V | E | R | S | O |
"Jersey Shore" cast members Snooki and The Situation have both appeared in Times crosswords before (Snooki four times), but this is a debut for DJ PAULY D (6A). With new episodes of the MTV series not being made anymore, I'm guessing this is the last such debut. Besides 6A, I admire the entries GREAT BEAR, PARK RANGER, THE CAPITOL, STONEWALL, and ADORKABLE (which was new to me, but I like).
| P | E | T | I | T | F | O | U | R | Y | A | W | P | S | |
| I | R | O | N | H | O | R | S | E | E | N | I | A | C | |
| D | O | N | N | A | R | E | E | D | S | E | P | I | A | |
| G | I | G | S | E | G | R | E | T | W | E | N | T | ||
| I | C | U | W | V | A | E | W | E | O | F | T | |||
| N | A | E | Y | E | N | M | I | X | T | U | R | E | ||
| A | C | R | O | S | T | P | E | T | E | R | ||||
| M | O | T | H | S | T | E | N | S | E | |||||
| G | A | N | N | E | T | T | B | E | D | S | ||||
| N | I | C | O | L | A | I | E | R | I | B | A | H | ||
| O | N | O | M | M | M | A | V | A | R | A | Y | |||
| C | R | U | Z | P | E | N | N | E | C | A | F | E | ||
| C | O | R | E | S | L | I | B | R | A | R | I | A | N | |
| H | A | S | T | Y | A | N | A | S | T | A | S | I | A | |
| I | D | E | A | L | G | O | G | E | T | T | E | R | S |
Before the Internet, I don't think constructors in different places (McLean, Va., and Houghton, N.Y., in this case) ever teamed up to construct a crossword together. Now co-constructions have become fairly common. We live in a wonderful age. My favorite entries here are PETIT-FOUR, ST. PETER, FOREVER STAMP, PAIN-FREE, BEANBAG, and TWITTERVERSE. There's lots of other good stuff, too.
| I | B | A | R | S | A | L | L | A | F | L | A | T | ||
| R | E | C | A | P | D | U | O | M | O | O | C | H | ||
| M | A | C | H | I | N | E | S | V | A | R | A | C | E | |
| A | R | E | N | O | L | T | E | T | O | N | E | R | ||
| U | P | L | A | T | E | C | H | I | N | E | S | E | ||
| O | P | T | I | C | S | S | H | A | V | E | R | S | ||
| D | O | E | T | H | M | O | I | R | E | S | ||||
| A | N | D | I | W | A | L | L | M | E | M | U | S | ||
| G | E | A | R | E | D | P | L | A | N | K | ||||
| F | R | A | N | C | I | S | D | E | F | T | L | Y | ||
| G | L | U | T | T | O | N | D | E | A | F | T | O | ||
| R | O | S | I | E | A | C | O | R | N | R | O | E | ||
| O | R | S | O | N | T | H | E | R | U | L | E | S | B | |
| F | E | I | N | T | E | A | R | T | O | S | E | A | ||
| E | T | A | P | E | D | I | R | S | A | S | S | Y |
Sometimes I think every possible Thursday gimmick must have been used by now ... but, no. Great new ideas, like today's, keep showing up. That's one reason I maintain an "open submissions" policy at The Times, unlike many British papers, which limit crossword submissions to a select few. Todd Gross is only an occasional contributor, and if he weren't on that hypothetical roster of approved submitters, he wouldn't have sent me this beautiful puzzle. In addition to the four long theme entries, I love the bonus one at 32A.
| E | R | N | E | S | T | V | I | C | C | H | I | C | ||
| G | E | I | S | H | A | O | W | E | O | O | N | A | ||
| B | U | R | O | A | K | C | O | S | N | A | T | L | ||
| E | N | V | R | E | B | A | S | H | E | R | R | Y | ||
| R | I | A | P | A | U | L | I | N | A | S | U | P | ||
| T | O | N | O | E | N | D | T | A | R | G | E | T | S | |
| N | A | T | I | A | N | S | D | O | N | H | O | |||
| H | A | P | P | Y | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||||||
| C | A | V | E | R | E | E | L | S | I | R | T | |||
| H | E | I | R | E | S | S | A | U | S | T | E | R | E | |
| I | R | A | W | A | T | U | T | S | I | C | I | A | ||
| M | A | D | M | E | N | B | E | A | M | I | R | R | ||
| E | T | U | I | D | U | O | N | E | A | T | E | N | ||
| R | O | C | K | A | K | A | N | O | N | A | M | E | ||
| A | R | T | E | L | E | T | A | N | G | L | E | D |
I've been saving this puzzle since June. The theme is slight — just one answer (37A) and its four numerical crossings. But it's fun and timely. I like the fact that all the numbers change spelling in the other direction — 2 to "too," 0 to "Oh," 1 to "won," and 4 to "for."
| A | F | L | A | C | M | Y | B | A | D | B | H | T | ||
| L | L | A | M | A | A | E | R | I | E | L | E | E | ||
| L | I | V | I | N | G | L | A | R | G | E | I | N | N | |
| S | P | A | O | U | T | S | J | U | N | C | O | |||
| H | O | R | A | T | I | O | A | L | G | E | R | |||
| X | A | N | A | D | U | S | K | Y | E | |||||
| T | W | I | R | L | P | O | L | E | F | O | B | |||
| R | O | C | K | E | T | S | R | E | D | G | L | A | R | E |
| A | L | E | H | A | G | S | I | B | I | Z | A | |||
| I | D | O | L | A | V | A | L | O | N | |||||
| P | R | E | M | I | U | M | L | A | G | E | R | |||
| L | O | U | P | E | E | T | T | A | A | R | F | |||
| A | I | R | C | H | I | V | A | S | R | E | G | A | L | |
| G | L | O | U | M | B | E | R | I | M | A | G | E | ||
| E | S | S | T | O | M | E | I | P | U | R | E | E |
Everyone understood the theme here, right? There's no answer that explains that each of the five long Across entries ends in some arrangement of the same five letters. An "explainer" is needed only when the theme is more subtle than this.
| W | I | N | G | Z | I | T | I | A | B | O | D | E | ||
| E | S | A | U | A | P | E | D | B | R | U | I | N | ||
| B | A | N | E | P | A | N | T | S | U | I | T | E | D | |
| A | B | A | S | H | N | O | A | H | O | T | T | O | ||
| P | E | N | T | U | P | A | N | G | E | R | H | A | W | |
| P | L | A | S | M | A | P | A | P | E | R | S | |||
| R | E | F | S | G | A | R | Y | |||||||
| P | I | N | T | M | E | A | S | U | R | E | ||||
| P | O | S | E | O | Z | M | A | |||||||
| S | O | W | H | A | T | M | E | S | S | R | S | |||
| O | P | E | P | O | N | T | L | E | V | E | Q | U | E | |
| A | T | R | A | T | O | R | A | A | R | U | B | A | ||
| P | U | N | T | R | E | T | U | R | N | V | I | A | L | |
| E | N | A | C | T | E | N | V | Y | E | S | T | E | ||
| R | E | P | O | S | S | K | A | T | S | H | O | D |
While vowel progression themes have become fairly common (and warning: I have several more in inventory!), this is the first one I can remember in which the progression appears in a four-letter string. Whether it's a first or not, it's a nice change of pace.
| P | B | O | O | K | T | U | N | E | S | P | I | C | K | P | ||
| V | E | N | T | I | S | T | A | C | Y | A | T | L | A | S | ||
| E | L | I | T | E | A | U | T | O | S | C | O | A | T | I | ||
| T | O | O | V | E | R | B | A | L | C | U | E | W | I | Z | ||
| O | W | N | S | T | S | E | L | I | O | T | I | S | E | E | ||
| C | A | R | A | F | L | |||||||||||
| S | I | D | E | W | A | L | K | C | H | A | L | K | ||||
| B | O | W | E | R | A | F | O | U | L | Q | U | I | L | T | ||
| A | M | A | N | A | N | A | O | M | I | I | M | D | U | E | ||
| W | A | L | T | W | H | I | T | M | A | N | B | R | I | D | G | E |
| D | R | E | I | U | N | E | R | C | A | N | O | E | S | |||
| S | A | N | G | H | I | Y | A | |||||||||
| P | W | A | T | C | H | H | U | B | O | U | T | O | F | P | ||
| P | E | P | S | I | L | A | P | A | T | C | I | V | I | C | ||
| A | L | P | D | R | E | S | S | R | A | C | K | E | T | H | ||
| S | C | A | B | A | T | A | B | R | A | S | R | T | A | |||
| S | O | R | E | P | I | G | P | E | N | S | U | P | I | N | ||
| E | M | E | R | S | T | O | O | L | I | E | D | A | N | G | ||
| R | E | L | A | P | B | A | L | L | S | F | O | R | G | E | ||
| T | E | N | E | T | S | H | A | R | K | |||||||
| C | I | E | R | A | L | O | U | S | E | |||||||
| H | O | S | H | E | A | R | T | F | E | L | T | P | S | A | ||
| O | B | A | M | A | D | O | I | L | Y | H | A | I | T | I | ||
| T | R | A | M | P | D | O | N | O | R | E | R | R | O | R | ||
| P | A | C | E | S | S | K | Y | P | E | D | E | E | P | P |
When Joel showed me this puzzle last summer, my heart sank a bit, because I remembered Mike Shteyman's take on the same theme in 2006 — right down to the elongated grid with six POCKETs positioned in the same spots. But that was almost eight years ago, and at some point a statute of limitations applies. Joel's version is quite different from Mike's, and it's a beauty. So I'm happy to run it.
| J | U | M | B | O | F | R | I | E | S | S | R | T | A | |
| O | N | I | O | N | R | I | N | G | S | U | I | E | S | |
| G | U | N | S | L | I | N | G | E | R | G | P | A | S | |
| S | M | A | E | D | G | E | R | P | A | S | S | E | ||
| P | A | G | O | G | A | R | N | E | T | |||||
| M | O | J | A | V | E | S | T | U | C | C | O | |||
| E | D | U | C | E | B | O | R | N | T | O | R | U | N | |
| W | I | S | E | B | A | R | A | K | A | T | N | O | ||
| L | E | T | S | P | A | R | T | Y | S | T | E | P | S | |
| P | E | O | R | I | A | P | I | E | R | C | E | |||
| O | D | E | T | T | E | M | I | L | D | |||||
| F | I | A | T | S | A | T | O | L | L | D | A | D | ||
| O | N | C | E | S | M | I | L | E | Y | F | A | C | E | |
| L | A | H | R | S | E | N | T | I | M | E | N | T | S | |
| D | R | Y | S | A | N | Y | O | N | E | E | L | S | E |
Years ago Will Weng wrote that in his opinion a crossword was a good one if 10% of the entries were fresh and lively. By this standard, Frederick's puzzle is a wild success. Some of the entries I like in it are JUMBO FRIES, ONION RINGS, BORN TO RUN, LET'S PARTY, SMILEY FACE, ANYONE ELSE, SUGAR-COATED, RIP-SNORTER, JUST PEACHY, and SILLY ME — and not too much GUNK! That's handsome work.
| G | O | O | D | C | A | T | C | H | S | T | O | R | M | |
| I | N | S | T | A | G | R | A | M | T | I | N | E | A | |
| N | E | W | S | R | E | E | L | S | S | L | E | D | S | |
| U | S | E | B | E | A | V | L | I | S | T | ||||
| P | E | G | S | T | I | C | S | Y | N | C | H | |||
| C | O | L | A | S | N | A | O | H | T | A | E | |||
| I | N | T | A | L | O | E | V | E | R | A | ||||
| D | J | A | N | G | O | U | N | C | H | A | I | N | E | D |
| A | U | C | K | L | A | N | D | E | V | A | ||||
| D | I | T | O | T | O | H | D | E | L | O | S | |||
| S | C | A | M | S | S | O | W | S | T | U | F | |||
| T | E | L | E | B | R | I | G | T | A | I | ||||
| O | B | O | T | E | O | B | A | M | A | C | A | R | E | |
| B | O | N | E | S | V | E | T | O | P | O | W | E | R | |
| E | X | E | R | T | A | S | H | K | E | N | A | Z | I |
Twice a year for the past few years Ian Livengood has conducted a class on crossword construction for the Jewish Association Serving the Aging in New York City. (Caleb Madison started the class in 2010, but Ian took it over when Caleb went off to Yale.) As with all of Ian's constructions, the grid here is lively and superclean. I wonder how he does a collaboration like this in real time in a class.
| I | D | A | H | O | S | A | F | T | E | R | A | L | L | |
| A | R | R | A | N | T | T | I | A | M | A | R | I | A | |
| N | U | C | L | E | A | R | E | N | G | I | N | E | E | R |
| G | O | O | G | L | E | S | T | R | O | N | G | |||
| S | I | E | N | N | A | A | L | E | E | |||||
| D | R | J | G | R | E | E | N | A | L | G | A | E | ||
| I | K | E | S | V | A | R | I | G | ||||||
| P | O | T | E | N | T | I | A | L | E | N | E | R | G | Y |
| A | I | R | E | D | D | O | P | E | ||||||
| R | I | F | L | E | R | A | N | G | E | Z | A | P | ||
| B | A | R | A | I | N | A | R | U | T | |||||
| E | C | A | R | D | S | V | A | R | I | E | S | |||
| G | E | N | E | R | A | L | D | I | S | A | R | R | A | Y |
| E | M | I | R | A | T | E | S | S | I | E | R | R | A | |
| M | E | S | S | T | E | N | T | O | L | D | S | A | W |
When I started at The Times in 1993, I was cautioned that ANAL (23D) was not an appropriate word for the paper to run in a puzzle. But times — and standards of taste — change, and it seems OK to me now. Tim's puzzle has just 70 entries, which is two fewer than the maximum for a themeless puzzle, and this puzzle manages five long theme answers. I'm impressed.
| C | H | A | D | S | M | U | R | K | A | D | D | S | ||
| H | U | L | O | T | A | S | I | A | F | E | A | T | ||
| I | R | E | N | E | N | U | M | B | O | M | N | I | ||
| S | T | E | E | L | I | E | R | U | P | R | O | A | R | |
| E | L | L | P | E | K | O | E | |||||||
| O | W | L | A | L | P | M | I | S | S | T | E | P | ||
| F | E | A | R | D | U | M | B | E | A | U | D | E | ||
| F | I | V | E | G | O | L | D | E | N | R | I | N | G | S |
| T | R | A | C | E | S | S | R | S | D | I | E | T | ||
| O | S | S | E | T | I | A | S | Y | S | S | R | O | ||
| S | A | C | R | A | N | Y | C | |||||||
| S | H | A | S | T | A | L | A | C | R | O | S | S | E | |
| N | O | R | I | R | U | I | N | I | R | A | T | E | ||
| O | H | N | O | U | S | E | D | A | N | G | E | L | ||
| B | O | O | N | S | O | N | Y | C | Y | S | T | S |
I've been saving this puzzle since May, to run on or near Christmas. I especially like that 41A crosses two letters of the center ring — very elegant.
| T | W | A | R | A | F | T | R | O | B | B | E | N | ||
| E | A | T | E | I | R | E | I | L | O | I | L | O | ||
| A | L | T | P | R | E | S | I | D | E | N | T | O | F | |
| L | E | D | A | E | S | S | O | Y | I | P | E | |||
| P | O | N | Y | C | A | R | A | F | T | N | E | E | ||
| F | W | D | E | K | L | E | R | K | W | A | G | S | ||
| C | I | E | T | I | E | S | O | X | ||||||
| N | E | L | S | O | N | M | A | N | D | E | L | A | ||
| I | T | S | A | D | O | I | L | L | ||||||
| T | A | T | A | A | P | A | R | T | H | E | I | D | ||
| B | A | N | Y | E | S | P | E | R | U | S | E | S | ||
| A | R | N | O | C | O | O | T | I | N | O | N | |||
| S | O | U | T | H | A | F | R | I | C | A | V | A | T | |
| S | T | A | R | E | R | S | N | A | G | E | T | A | ||
| I | S | L | A | N | D | O | G | L | E | R | E | X |
David Kahn is the master of tribute crosswords, which he's done quite a few times. He always picks someone worthy of honoring, then manages to pack an incredible amount of theme material into the grid. Because tribute themes tend to be straightforward, I don't care to run this sort of thing too often. But once in a while, for novelty's sake, definitely. TATA (46A) here is a bonus theme answer — an amazing coincidence, I guess. David's clue for TATA did not mention Mandela.
| C | O | L | A | C | R | E | S | T | B | O | N | G | ||
| R | A | I | D | C | I | N | C | O | A | M | O | R | ||
| O | R | Z | O | S | P | E | R | M | W | H | A | L | E | |
| P | S | A | L | M | M | I | C | A | N | A | G | |||
| P | I | G | G | Y | B | A | C | K | I | N | G | |||
| M | E | T | H | A | N | E | E | T | O | N | ||||
| A | B | O | M | A | S | C | O | J | O | S | ||||
| T | A | K | E | I | T | T | O | T | H | E | B | A | N | K |
| E | Y | E | S | Q | U | O | I | W | I | I | ||||
| M | O | E | T | B | R | E | A | S | T | S | ||||
| R | I | V | E | R | P | H | O | E | N | I | X | |||
| A | V | E | C | O | E | N | O | I | N | K | S | |||
| F | O | G | M | A | C | H | I | N | E | O | O | O | H | |
| T | R | A | M | H | A | N | O | I | M | A | K | E | ||
| S | Y | N | E | S | T | E | R | N | S | H | O | D |
Andrea Carla Michaels is the most "promiscuous" of New York Times crossword constructors. This is her 20th collaboration in The Times with nine different contributors! The "word that goes with" sort of theme has become overdone, but this one is nicely handled, with a handsome construction to boot. The only entry here I don't like is O-NINE, which isn't too bad.