Jump to: Tricky Clues
FRIDAY PUZZLE — If you’re not a builder, you probably sit down to solve your crossword puzzles without giving much thought to how difficult it is to fill in a puzzle.
That’s okay. Analyzing the puzzle and its construction is not usually part of the puzzle-solving program. But it is something that puzzle-makers look at when they encounter other people’s puzzles.
Without going into detail, I would like to point out a few points about today’s crossword puzzle, by Trent H. Evans, that I think deserve a closer look. Follow me past the jump below for a brief discussion. If you don’t want spoilers, please skip to the Tricky Clues section.
What I like best about unthemed crosswords is that there is no theme. I like good themes, mind you. It’s just that to get the theme into the grid, you have to put a bunch of black squares around it, which cuts off the spaces where long, exciting entries could go.
Most builders appreciate the extra space allowed in unthemed grids, and there are several ways to make their puzzles shine:
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They edit their word lists by adding new and unique words and phrases to excite their audience. Unnecessary entries in the lists are judiciously pruned.
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They try to find at least one top entry to fill the puzzle (and the seed often anchors the grid). I believe Mr. Evans’ seed was probably 35A, A LITTLE HELP HERE, which is also making its debut. It’s an entry that will make most people smile, as it’s both familiar and unusual to see in a crossword puzzle.
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They build lively stacks. A stack is a series of crossword entries that either overlap (like 1A, 15A, and 17A) or are next to each other (like 12D and 13D). If all the entries shine, it usually ensures that at least that quadrant of the puzzle will be enjoyable for the solver. A stack that includes winners like TRUST FALL, SOCIAL CUE, and Northwest’s ALL ABOARD will keep solvers coming back. The trick—and this is partly how I judge a successful stack—is to make sure the crosses in the stack are equally interesting and don’t contain obscure words or abbreviations. In my opinion, the nine entries that cross 1A, 15A, and 17A are all good.
Once you’ve solved the problem, go back and take a closer look at Mr. Evans’ work. If you tinker with crossword puzzles and aspire to be a themeless builder, this is a good example of the kind of submissions that puzzle publishers accept. It’s more work than you might think, but the end result is worth it.
Delicate clues
1A. I don’t remember exactly when TRUST FALL became an example of the corporate camaraderie you need with your team, but it was a very popular activity (a company retreat activity). The idea was that you had to fall backwards into the arms of a coworker with no guarantee that they could catch you. If your coworker succeeded, that was it, trust was established between the two of you, until one day you discovered that it was that particular coworker who stole your lunch from the office refrigerator.
17A. This (training announcement?) is not a list of exercises to be performed. In this case, the training is on locomotives and the announcement is ALL ABOARD.
25A. The word ASPIC, whose clue is (salted jelly), has appeared 148 times in the New York Times crossword puzzle, and while I haven’t been there every time, each appearance has left me with a vague feeling of nausea. Who wants to eat salted jelly?
Everything changed after I ate my first Chinese dumplings, or xiao long bao. These delicious morsels are filled with a comforting broth and a meatball. The dumplings are eaten by biting a small hole in the wrapper without suffering third-degree burns (they are served piping hot), then slurping the broth inside until you get to the meaty center. You can add a splash of black vinegar to make the broth even more flavorful, while you wonder how the hell they got the soup in there. I later discovered that this culinary miracle is achieved by adding gelatin and refrigerating the broth until it sets, essentially making it an aspic. Spoonfuls of gel are placed into dumpling wrappers along with the meatballs, and each dumpling is closed by making a series of deft folds in the wrapper. When ready to serve, the ravioli are steamed, which returns the broth to its liquid form.
44A. (Burning letters?) is not an exhortation to set fire to your correspondence. It is the letters SPF, which you would find on a bottle of sunscreen.
45A. I had to look this up. I knew that (What 0! equals) was a mathematical clue, but I’m not an expert in factorials. I got the answer ONE because that was the right answer, but curiosity got the better of me. Here’s a much better explanation than I could give you of why 0! equals ONE.
55A. A (hard fall?) seems painful, but the one in this puzzle is a HAILSHOWER, because hailstones are hard when they fall.
2D. This (billing) question is not about money but about where your name appears on a theater marquee. The answer is ROLE.
5D. If you were wondering “Tom who?” when you read the clue (Tom wearing a striped coat, for example), it is not a person named Tom. This clue is about a tomcat; the one with stripes is a TABBY CAT.
26D. There are many places and stands in New York City that sell freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. The (green juice?) usually contains leafy green vegetables like spinach. In Mr. Evans’ riddle, however, juice is energy, and the answer is SOLAR ENERGY, which is a form of green energy.
56D. The clue (Air Force?) does not refer to the military. The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, is also a security force, and it ensures that people traveling by plane are safe.
Manufacturer’s Notes
This is my 11th puzzle for The New York Times. I have rarely known such happiness as when I received the email from Will Shortz himself in 2018, welcoming me aboard with my first acceptance. Like a first date gone perfectly compared to the 11th year of marriage, it feels different now. Some of the euphoria may have worn off, but I have found something much better: a sense of belonging to a community of kind-hearted, like-minded people who build and solve puzzles.
My wife and I recently returned from a road trip up and down the West Coast, from Seattle to San Diego. I discovered a lot on this journey, passing through different landscapes and cultures. What struck me most was that people on Earth live in very different ways. And mine is just one of them. I love that puzzles allow us to come together and share a unique experience, despite our many differences. Knowing that so many people will experience this puzzle every step of the way from Washington to California is a privilege I never imagined I would have.
I try to contemplate the interconnectedness of all that exists through meditation. Today, in this tangible way, my mind connects with so many other minds in so many other places. The elation has been replaced by something much deeper, and I thank you for being on the other end of the line. I hope that we can collectively keep our interconnectedness and interdependence much more in mind as we navigate the world we find ourselves in today.
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