The Struggle Continues Word Search the Struggle Continues Crossword
wordplay, the crossword column
Item on a Bucket List
The theme is the MVP of Dan Schoenholz's puzzle.
TUESDAY PUZZLE — Welcome back to the constructor of today's puzzle, Dan Schoenholz, who is making his 28th appearance in the New York Times Crossword!
Today's puzzle features "Item on a bucket list?" as a clue, which makes me think of my own crossword bucket list. Over the years, I've scratched more than a few items off my list: solve a Friday puzzle without hints; solve a Saturday puzzle without hints; construct my own puzzle; learn to solve a cryptic crossword — all mostly achieved (although I still struggle mightily through most cryptic solves).
There are, however, several items that remain elusive: solve a Monday puzzle within a particular time frame; learn to solve a diagramless crossword; learn to create variety puzzles. The list goes on and is ever-expanding — new goals seem to crop up the moment I cross one off! I suspect this may be the nature of bucket lists, encouraging you to reach ever-higher before your time is up.
So what's on your crossword bucket list? Share your puzzle goals in the comments, and let us know which ones you've achieved.
Tricky Clues
16A. Longtime solvers will know that the answer to the clue "Butter alternative" is almost always OLEO. This is not a term I have ever encountered in the wild (we just call it "margarine" in my house), but it has appeared in the New York Times Crossword over 870 times. That's a lot of butter substitute!
22A. "Trains at a high level?" are ELS, which is what you call elevated trains, many of which operate well above street level.
27A. I had absolutely no idea what the "1953 title role for John Wayne" would be, and because I had some doubts about my spelling of 9D, I ended up with HONDa instead of HONDO. After solving, I watched the trailer for "HONDO," and I think that's probably all I need to see of that particular film.
1D. I love the clue "Item on a bucket list?" for PAIL. I tried to make my own list of buckets and it was pretty short: PAIL, basin, tub, can. Those were all the bucket synonyms I could come up with!
9D. Today, I learned that a "Starfish or sea urchin, in a biology text" is an ECHINODERM. Apparently the etymology of that term is from the ancient Greek words for "hedgehog" and "skin," which makes sense given the spiny appearance of the sea urchin.
54D. Finally, we've got a bit of a thinker with the clue "Missing letters in '??propria?e' (felicitously)." A bit of pondering led me to the conclusion that the full word was APpropriaTe, which is (felicitously) a synonym of APT. This clue ties perfectly into today's theme, which also highlights APT letters found in order in longer phrases.
Today's Theme
This puzzle features three grid-spanning theme entries that contain circled letters, and each of the entries is an interpretation of a common initialism contained within the circles. For example, the first theme entry is IF I'M BEING HONEST, with the letters I, M, H and O in circles. The initialism "IMHO" stands for "in my humble opinion" (in its original usage — though some argue that the H stands for "honest"). Thus, IMHO means the same thing as the entry in which it's embedded.
The second theme entry is RESERVE ONE'S SPOT, with circles around R, S, V and P. Although RSVP comes from the French phrase "répondez s'il vous plaît," or "please respond," its meaning is synonymous with RESERVE ONE'S SPOT, as you would for a wedding or another social function.
Finally, we have AND MAKE IT SNAPPY, which contains the circled letters A, S, A and P. Of course, ASAP stands for "as soon as possible," which can be interpreted as a command to "make it snappy!"
I appreciate that all three theme entries are 15 letters long, stretching across the full grid. IMHO, I wonder if solvers will object that the word "honest" is represented in both the entry and the meaning of IMHO (according to some interpretations of the "H"). That the H can stand for either "honest" or "humble" alleviates this concern for me, but I can see others taking issue with the slight inelegance.
Constructor Notes
It's always a thrill to have a puzzle in The Times. This one took a circuitous route to publication. I submitted version No. 1 back in 2017; I revised it based on comments, only to see it rejected again in 2018. Then, I set it aside for a few years before dusting it off, reviewing it with fresh eyes and coming up with an improved version that finally made the cut.
Because the New York Times Crossword is deservedly recognized for its erudite, high-minded puzzles, it may come as a surprise that my prepublication correspondence with the editorial team focused on whether to capitalize the "Head" in "Butt-Head" in the clue for 49-Across. (Actually, for those who know me, it probably isn't that surprising at all.) Thanks to the team for engaging with me on this critical question, and more generally for their upgrades to many of my original clues. I hope solvers enjoy the result!
Want to Submit Crosswords to The New York Times?
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.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2022-10-18.html
Post a Comment for "The Struggle Continues Word Search the Struggle Continues Crossword"