friendly Easy to Understand and Operate Crossword
wordplay, the crossword column
Good Place to Dig Potatoes
Alex Rosen mixes things up.
THURSDAY PUZZLE — I don't know about you, but I am always excited when the Thursday crossword rolls around. Sometimes there's a trick and sometimes there isn't, but these puzzles are rarely dull. And the conversation around them is even livelier.
Alex Rosen's puzzle contains a good trick, and it took me a while to figure it out. You may have heard the great big forehead slap I gave myself when I discovered it. It was a clever idea, and it's nice to see Mr. Rosen back for his fourth New York Times Crossword.
Tricky Clues
4A. Many solvers may think that the clue "They may join in a circle" is about people. I mean, you have your prayer circles, your drum circles — I'm sure there are more. But this clue is not hinting at people joining in a circle. It refers to a series of ARCS.
23A. This "Compact disc?" does not contain music. It's a MIRROR, specifically one that is a part of a makeup compact.
34A. Did "Multiple of one?" have you doing calculations in your head? Any number times one stays the "same," which fits in the four-letter slot. But that's not the answer. This multiple is a TWIN.
72A. Today I Learned (TIL) that the oldest continuously operating university in the Americas is the National University of San Marcos in PERU. It was founded in 1515.
6D. I have a small bone to pick here. Maybe I don't get around like I used to, but the only way I have ever heard someone order this drink is as a rum and Coke. Not a rum and COLA, as the puzzle says. Furthermore (you know I have an ax to grind when I use "furthermore"), I had the C and the O before I confidently wrote in COKE, which is — as far as I am concerned — the correct answer.
8D. In Mr. Rosen's puzzle, "Plot points?" have nothing to do with the story arc of a show. They are LOCI, which are the points on a graph one may be plotting.
15D. Let's play our favorite game, "Is It a Verb or Is It a Noun?" The word "Lands" in "Lands in the sea" sounds like it refers to something that has just crashed in the water, which would make it a verb. In this puzzle, however, the word is being used as a noun. The "Lands" are ISLES.
18D. I miss "Media journalist David" CARR. That's it. That's the whole comment.
22D. I love when puzzles teach me new quotes. TACT is "the art of recognizing when to be big and when not to belittle." That's a lesson that is missed by many.
24D. I took a guess at which OTTO we were going for. The clue asks for the Holy Roman Emperor beginning in 973, which is waaay back there, so I figured this one might be OTTO II. (And I was right!)
51D. The "Sport in which one could use some pointers?" is ÉPÉE, the official fencing blade of the New York Times Crossword.
Today's Theme
I started out OK, with 1A's MPG as the answer to "Fuel efficiency letters." That's a good sign, I thought to myself. I got one, right out of the box.
But then things got difficult in the sense that I couldn't answer many other clues, which is my usual hint that something tricky is going on. I scanned the clue list and found the four theme clues, each containing a word or phrase followed by " … or what to do as you enter the answer to the previous clue."
Keep that in mind, and clutch those words tightly to your chest.
It turns out that the theme entries are both common phrases and instructions on what to do with the previous entry in order for it to fit in its slot. The hitch is that those previous entries are also real words and phrases, even after following the instructions, so it may be tough to spot what needs to be done.
For that reason, I am going to completely spill the theme beans, although I will hide the answers and the logic underpinning them behind the links below. Click as many as you need to help yourself out.
19A. "Interrupt ... or what to do as you enter the answer to the previous clue"
31A. "Prep for surgery ... or what to do as you enter the answer to the previous clue"
50A. "Leave ... or what to do as you enter the answer to the previous clue"
66A. "Flail at home plate ... or what to do as you enter the answer to the previous clue"
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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.
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Your thoughts?
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/18/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2022-05-19.html
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