Ross Trudeau wants to know more about us.
TUESDAY PUZZLE — People who don’t solve crossword puzzles are really missing out. Some nonsolvers look at a blank grid and panic. They may feel stressed out and become frustrated at not being able to solve the puzzle.
That’s an anxiety-inducing way to approach what is essentially a game. I’d like to suggest reframing your approach. You’ll feel better, and you just might have some fun.
When you’ve been solving for a while, you begin to look at a blank grid and see possibilities. For that category of solver, a new puzzle is a chance to learn something, and maybe have a laugh or a smile.
It has been a tough week at Wordplay Central — the Resident South African is battling Covid, but seems to be doing well — and Ross Trudeau’s puzzle really cheered me up. It’s a lighthearted game-within-a-game, and was a great distraction from my worries. The theme put up a slight fight, and when the penny dropped, I smiled and felt much better.
Whether the crossword in front of you feels like a stressful I.Q. test or a chance to escape for a little while is up to you. It’s all in the choices you make.
Tricky Clues
10A. Sydney Bennett, who used to perform under the moniker SYD tha Kyd, was a member of the rap group Odd Future. She has since dropped “tha Kyd” and now performs both solo and with the collective the Internet.
2D. Barney Gumble is the town drunk on The Simpsons. He BURPs.
28D. I had to think about this one. It turns out that an ORAL contract is “Like a contract that’s said to be ‘not worth the paper it’s written on” because it’s not written on paper.
35D. Brief cruciverbal history geekout: The word EXPANSION, which is fairly common, has not appeared in the New York Times Crossword since 1959. I don’t know why I find this so fascinating. Did the word fall out of favor somehow? The only thing I can think of is that it’s fairly long (nine letters) for nontheme fill, and constructors might not want it to compete with their theme fill.
Today’s Theme
Mr. Trudeau’s five theme clues are a series of choices we have to make, and the answers describe those choices in a punny way using common phrases. In each of these phrases, the second word is a synonym for choice.
For example, at 17A, the answer to the clue “Lager or I.P.A.?” is DRAFT CHOICE. I am more familiar with the term “draft pick,” but I’ll give it a pass because they essentially mean the same thing. In this puzzle the choice is not between football players, but types of beer.
Similarly, at 23A, the answer to the clue “Hot fudge or caramel sauce?” is SPLIT DECISION, which is a term frequently heard in boxing.
As the theme set stands, it’s fairly tight. I had to look up the sports-related phrases because that’s my weak spot. I thought that a set where all of the phrases not only had to do with choices but were also all related to sports would be exquisitely tight, but two of them (39A and 61A) are not. Still, I enjoyed solving this one very much.
Oh, and for the record:
1. Neither (I don’t drink beer).
2. Why not both?
3. On the rocks.
4. Fireball (although I’ve never tasted Jägermeister).
5. I’m more of a vegetable stock person.
Constructor Notes
For me: lager, hot fudge, neat, Fireball, beef bouillon. Et tu?
If you’re interested in learning how to make crossword puzzles, feel free to contact me via Twitter or my personal puzzle site, Rosswords.
The Tipping Point
Almost finished solving but need a bit more help? We’ve got you covered.
Warning: There be spoilers ahead, but subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.
Trying to get back to the puzzle page? Right here.
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