![]() ![]() The theme, as revealed in four of the five long Across entries, is an “optimistic quote” that reads: “YOU CAN’T THINK / OF YOUR TROUBLES / WHILE SOLVING / A CROSSWORD.” The quotation, as we learn in the last long Across entry, is by the “First puzzle editor of The New York Times,” MARGARET FARRAR. Bukszpan has managed to do just that, because unlike other quip puzzles this one is a little bit meta. This is a theme type that has become less common in recent years, but it’s still a classic, and I appreciate when a constructor finds a new take. ![]() As an added bonus, the speaker of the quotation is included as an entry. This puzzle is a quote or “quip” puzzle, in which a particular quotation unfurls, from top to bottom, through the solve. The clue “60 minuti” includes the Italian word for “minutes,” so 60 Italian minutes is ORA, which means “hour.” Today’s Theme When a clue has a non-English word in it, the answer will be in whatever language is being used. I laughed out loud at the clue “Make it well known that you know someone well-known well.” To do so is to NAME DROP.ĥ1D. That is HOGWARTS, the school of magic in the “Harry Potter” books.ģ9D. The “School where students learn to spell?” is not a school where they learn to spell words but rather a school where they learn to perform spells. I can never remember the “Letters on a bottle of brandy,” so perhaps I should work harder to memorize that VSO stands for “Very Superior Old.”ģ6D. Usain Bolt is a very fast runner, and “bolt” also means “to run very fast.”Ģ2D. I enjoyed the clue “Like Usain Bolt’s last name” for APT. Bond, James Bond, is a special AGENT.ġ2D. In the clue “Bond is a special one,” the word “one” is standing in for the entry. Perhaps the question mark is there to note that “long story short” is also a common expression one might use before RECAPping.ĦD. I’m a little curious about the question mark in the clue “Make a long story short?” As I mentioned above, the question mark generally means that there is a pun or some sort of wordplay, but I think RECAP is a pretty straightforward interpretation of the clue. That said, it is a very funny mental image.ĥD. Under what circumstances would a person attend a holiday party as a SEXY ELF? I could imagine maybe seeing one at a Halloween party, but I have never in my life seen a SEXY ELF at a holiday party. I almost spat out my coffee at the clue-and-entry pair “Risqué costume for a holiday party” for SEXY ELF. STET is the way a proofreader says, “Actually, don’t delete this” the word is Latin for “let it stand.”ĢD. (Today I Learned) that TALI is another word for “Anklebones.”Ħ5A. Although on the surface “Strike from the Bible” might sound like it’s about editing something out of the Scriptures, we’re actually looking for a word that means “strike” in the Bible: SMITE.Ħ2A. The clue “Strike from the Bible?” contains a question mark, which indicates wordplay. In this case, the “Federal loan agcy.” is the SBA, or Small Business Administration.Ģ8A. When a crossword clue contains an abbreviation, like “agcy.” in the clue “Federal loan agcy.,” you know the entry will also contain an abbreviation. ![]() First, though, let’s take a look at some tricky clues and break down the theme. In fact, my first thought opening this puzzle was, “Well now, that’s an odd-looking grid!” I know not every solver is going to immediately spot what’s different about this one, so I’m excited to geek out about that at the end of the column. It’s a little unusual, in more ways than one, despite having a classic theme type. Today, David Bukszpan joins the ranks of New York Times Crossword constructors with a puzzle that celebrates crossword puzzles. TUESDAY PUZZLE - We’re four puzzles into 2022, and this is our second debut of the year. ![]()
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