David Distenfeld’s puzzle uses some vowel language.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
MONDAY PUZZLE — Congratulations to David Distenfeld, the constructor of today’s puzzle, who is making his first themed appearance in the New York Times Crossword after five challenging Friday and Saturday themeless puzzles.
Mr. Distenfeld’s sense of humor is on full display here. Christina Iverson, an associate puzzle editor at The Times, told me that “fresh fill and theme entries” helped this grid stand out when her team was looking for simple Monday puzzles.
Once a puzzle is accepted, Ms. Iverson explained, its journey to publication includes a pre-edit from a member of the editorial team before it makes its way to the desk of the lead puzzle editor, Will Shortz. After a round of “test solving” and a round of editing based on the test solvers’ feedback, the puzzle is queued up for publication on a particular day of the week. Then it might sit for a few months to over a year, depending on the length of the queue for that day. (Mr. Distenfeld’s puzzle was accepted in December, she said, so its turnaround time was shorter than average.)
After all that, a puzzle comes to the point of publication — and explanation in the Wordplay column.
Today’s Theme
This puzzle features a classic theme type called a “vowel progression,” in which all the theme entries contain a word with the same consonant sounds but a different vowel, from A to U in alphabetical order. In Mr. Distenfeld’s puzzle, the constant consonants are the S- sound at the start of the second word of each theme entry and the -KS sound at the end.
The entries in this progression are an eclectic bunch, including the esoteric HONEY SACS (“Bee storage centers”) and the spicy CASUAL SEX (“Option in a ‘no strings attached’ relationship”). We also have the sporty PICK SIX (“Football interception leading to a touchdown, colloquially”) and TUBE SOCKS (“Stockings for athletes”), and the puzzle ends with something that no one would say about this theme: THAT SUCKS (“Oof, sorry to hear it”).
The editorial team appreciated that although the ends of the theme entries sound the same, they are spelled in three different ways. Ms. Iverson also liked that PICK SIX and HONEY SACS are debut entries in the New York Times Crossword, and she was surprised to find that THAT SUCKS is not, having appeared in the fall.
I was unfamiliar with the concept of HONEY SACS and spent some time reading up on them, and now I am more familiar with the anatomy of honey bees than I ever expected to be. Learning weird facts to trot out at parties is just one of the many benefits of solving crossword puzzles.
Tricky Clues
48A. The answer to “‘Here’s a quick summary,’ in internet-speak” is TL;DR, which stands for “too long; didn’t read.” It often precedes a pithy recap of a long internet post that a reader might otherwise skip.
2D. I can’t hear the song in the clue “Jim who sang ‘Time in a Bottle’” without thinking of the incredible scene in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” in which Quicksilver moves so fast that time seems to slow to a crawl around him as the song (by Jim CROCE) plays. It’s a truly perfect pairing of music and action.
4D. The humorous, alliterative clue “Peeper protectors” is for EYELIDS, which protect your eyes. At first glance, I thought perhaps the answer would relate to a mother hen protecting her peeping chicks.
11D. A “Device for someone who’s hopping mad?” is a POGO STICK — because if you’re mad about hopping, meaning you love it very much, a POGO STICK would be very appealing.
22D. The “Timekeeping device that doesn’t work when it’s cloudy” is, of course, a SUNDIAL, which requires clear skies to cast its shadow.
32D. The person “Who said ‘Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical’” was, of course, YOGI BERRA, who, according to his book, really didn’t say everything he said. He did take credit for this quote, however.
50D. “Come to a point?” is a wordplay clue that sounds like it’s about reaching a point in an argument. In a literal sense, though, it means to TAPER.
54D. I initially thought the clue “Open, as a pen” referred to a pig pen or some other enclosure, but the answer here is UNCAP, as you might do to an ink-filled writing implement.
Constructor Notes
People frequently ask me how I come up with the themes for my puzzles. Often, it’s a word or phrase I hear during the day that sticks with me.
Other times, I’m inspired by other constructors’ puzzles and want to try my hand at similar themes. I believe this crossword is a combination of both, but leans more toward the latter.
Want to Submit Crosswords to The New York Times?
The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system, and you can submit your puzzles online.
For tips on how to get started, read our series, “How to Make a Crossword Puzzle.”
The Tipping Point
Almost finished solving but need a bit more help? We’ve got you covered.
Spoiler alert: Subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.
Trying to get back to the main Gameplay page? You can find it here.
"come" - Google News
April 03, 2023 at 05:00AM
https://ift.tt/V0CEcWM
NYT Crossword Answers: Jim Who Sang “Time in a Bottle” - The New York Times
"come" - Google News
https://ift.tt/UnFmZiR
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NYT Crossword Answers: Jim Who Sang “Time in a Bottle” - The New York Times"
Post a Comment