Like the TARDIS in “Doctor Who,” Kareem Ayas’s puzzle travels through time and space.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
THURSDAY PUZZLE — A note to those who would like their Thursday crosswords to have no tricks, one letter per square and no pop-culture references: I hear you. I really do. And you are more than welcome to your opinions. But you are not going to convince me that Kareem Ayas’s puzzle isn’t an excellent example of how creative constructors can be within the confines of a 15×15 grid.
Mr. Ayas made his New York Times Crossword debut in 2023, and this is his third puzzle to be published.
Today’s Theme
You probably noticed that there were three unchecked squares in Mr. Ayas’s puzzle. If you are not familiar with the term, an unchecked square has no crossing entry or clue. If you are solving online, hyphens take the place of those clues.
You also probably noticed that the answers stemming from those unchecked squares are incomplete. There is a good reason for that.
Those unchecked squares are the openings of WORMHOLEs (39D). Parts of the answers emerge from those portals, but we need to find their entry points. Fortunately for us, those entry points are represented by circled squares in the first row of the grid.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
