What does Kenneth Cortes look for in a good crossword? Location, location, location.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
MONDAY PUZZLE — Anyone who has tried to lease an apartment in New York City has probably learned to translate brokers’ euphemisms for crummy real estate. An “open concept” one-bedroom? That’s a studio. A place that’s “close to transportation” can just mean that it’s within earshot of subway tracks. You’ll love this “quiet” pad — all of your windows face brick walls!
Kenneth Cortes, who constructed today’s puzzle, takes certain liberties in describing the grid’s real estate — but the use of language is clever rather than crooked.
Today’s Theme
Each of this grid’s four sides has its own witty theme pair, with the inner entry giving us a hint to the outer entry’s location and meaning. At 17A, for example, a [Prime cut of beef … or 5-Across, literally?] is a TOP SIRLOIN. 5A is at the TOP of the grid, so we head up there for the clue [Texas Roadhouse specialty]. It solves to STEAK, which can be a cut of SIRLOIN.
Let’s move east for one more example. At 11D, [One of four for a square … or 32-Down, literally?] is a RIGHT ANGLE. On the RIGHT side of the grid, at 32D, we need a word that suggests an ANGLE or a [Biased point of view]: SLANT.
Keep moving clockwise to find the entries at the bottom and the left of the grid.
Tricky Clues
28A. [Eloquence] is known as the gift of GAB, which feels like a mismatch. Shouldn’t a word denoting eloquence be fancier? The gift of gabardine, maybe.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
