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Go to: Sneaky Clues

FRIDAY PUZZLE — If you’re not a constructor, you probably sit down to solve your crosswords without giving much thought to how difficult it is to fill in a grid.

This is good. Analyzing the puzzle and building it is usually not part of the solving agenda. But it’s something constructors look at when they come across other people’s puzzles.

Without getting too deep into the weeds, I’d like to point out a few things about today’s crossword puzzle constructed by Trent H. Evans that I think deserve a second look. Follow me after the jump below for a short discussion. If you don’t want spoilers, please skip to the Insidious Clues section.

The thing I like most about themeless crosswords is that there is no theme. I love a good theme, mind you. Simply placing the subject in the grid involves placing lots of black squares around them, which cuts into the spaces where long, exciting entries can go.

Most builders enjoy the extra space allowed on themeless grids, and there are a few ways they make their puzzles shine:

• They edit their word lists, adding fresh and unique words and phrases to excite their audience. Unwanted entries in lists are pruned judiciously.

• They try to find at least one best seed entry to be the first fill in the puzzle (and the seed often anchors the grid). I believe Mr. Evans’ seed was probably 35A, A LITTLE HELP HERE, also making a debut. This is an entry that will bring a smile to most people’s faces because it is colloquial and unusual to see in a crossword puzzle.

• They build lively stacks. A stack is a series of crossword entries that are either on top of each other (such as 1A, 15A and 17A) or next to each other (such as 12D and 13D). If all the entries shine, this usually ensures that at least that quadrant of the grid will be pleasing to the solver. A stack that includes winners like Northwest’s TRUST FALL, SOCIAL CUE and ALL ABOARD will tempt deciders to continue. The trick – and this is partly how I judge if a stack is successful – is to make sure that the crossovers in the stack are also interesting, not obscure words or acronyms. In my opinion, all nine entries that cross 1A, 15A and 17A are good.

So once you’ve made up your mind, come back and take a closer look at Mr. Evans’ work. If you’re into crossword grids and looking to become a theme-free constructor, this is a good example of the kind of submissions that puzzle editors accept. It’s more work than you might think, but the end result is worth it.

Clever clues

1A. I don’t remember exactly when TRUST FALL became an example of the corporate friendship you should have with your team, but it was very popular [Activity at a company retreat]. The way it worked was that you had to fall backwards into the arms of a colleague with no guarantee that the person would be able to catch you. If your colleague succeeds, voilà, trust is established between the two of you until the day you discover that this very colleague stole your lunch from the office fridge.

17A. This [Training announcement?] not a list of exercises to do. In this case the training is about locomotives and the message is ALL BOARD.

25A. The word ASPIC understood as [Savory jelly], has been in the New York Times crossword puzzle 148 times, and even though I haven’t been around for all of them, every appearance has made me feel vaguely sick. Who wants to eat spicy jelly?

That all changed after I had my first Chinese dumpling soup or xiao long bao. These savory morsels of flavor are packed with soul-warming broth and meatballs. The dumplings are eaten by biting a small hole in the wrapper without getting third-degree burns (served very hot), then sipping the broth inside until you reach the meaty center. You can add a splash of black vinegar to make the broth even more delicious as you wonder how the hell they got the soup in there. I later discovered that this culinary wonder is made by adding gelatin and chilling the broth until it solidifies, essentially making it aspic. Scoops of the gel are placed in 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 dumplings are steamed, which returns the broth to a liquid state.

44A. [Burn letters?] it is not an exhortation to set fire to your correspondence. It refers to the SPF letters you’ll find on a bottle of sunscreen.

45A. I had to look this one up. I knew that [What 0! equals] it was a math clue, but I’m no factorial expert. I got the answer ONE because that was the appropriate one, but curiosity got the better of me. Here is a much better explanation than I could give you why 0! is equal to ONE.

55A. A [Hard fall?] sounds painful, but the one in this puzzle is HAIL because hail is hard when it falls.

2D. This [Billing matter] it’s not about money, it’s about where your name is on the marquee. The answer is ROLE.

5 E. If you wonder “who is Tom?” when you read the clue [Tom sporting a striped coat, say], it’s not about a guy named Tom. This clue is for a cat; the striped one is a TABBY CAT.

26D. There are many places and kiosks in New York that sell freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices. The [Green juice?] there are usually leafy greens like spinach. However, in Mr. Evans’ puzzle, juice is power, and the answer is SOLAR ENERGY, which is a form of green energy.

56D. The clue [Air force?] does not apply to the military. The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, is also a force and works to ensure that people are safe when they travel by air.

Designer’s Notes

This is my 11th puzzle for The New York Times. I’ve rarely experienced a high like getting the email from Will Shortz himself in 2018 welcoming me on board with my first acceptance. Like the first date that went incredibly well compared to the 11th year of marriage, now is different. Some of the excitement may have gone from it, but I found something much better: a sense of belonging to a community of good-hearted, good-thinking people constructing and solving puzzles.

My wife and I recently returned from a vacation driving the entire West Coast, from Seattle to San Diego. I discovered many things on this trip as we made our way through different landscapes and cultures. What struck me the most is that people on Earth live life in so many different ways. And mine is just one of them. I love that puzzles are a vehicle that allows us to come together and share an experience despite our many differences. Knowing that so many people will experience this puzzle at every stop along the way from Washington to California is a huge privilege that I never thought I would have.

Contemplating the interconnectedness of everything is something I try to do through meditation. Today, in this tangible way, my mind connects with so many other minds in so many other places. The rapture was replaced by something much deeper and I thank you for being on the other side of it. We hope that together we can be much more mindful of our interconnectedness and interdependence as we navigate the world we find ourselves in today.

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