NYT Crossword Answers for June 12, 2024

Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues

WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — On Wednesdays, many of us crest the hill of the five-day workweek and begin a soothing downward slope toward the weekend. Simeon Seigel’s crossword happens to be the perfect prelude to this particular weekend, on account of a certain holiday many of us will celebrate this Sunday.

We tend to associate the central figure of both this occasion and Mr. Seigel’s puzzle with “the lowest form of humor.” (You’ll see what I mean at 1A.) So either this grid has done a bang-up job of elevating that kind of humor, or I’ve lowered my standards to laugh right alongside it.

Today’s Theme

Mr. Seigel’s crossword is brought to you by the word “Pop.” The term can mean “popular,” but today it means “father.” (Do you refer to your father as Pop? Funny — in the northeastern U.S., we call him soda.)

Each of the italicized themed clues uses “Pop” to make a DAD JOKE, or a “Pop corn?” (1A). Some such jokes rely on the setup for a groan-inducing punchline — 23A, for instance, reads: “Yesterday I ATE a clock. It was very time-consuming!” Others, though, can look more like today’s themed clues and entries. “Pop quizzes?” (21A) are PATERNITY TESTS, and a “Pop song?” (39A) is the childhood rhyme, THIS OLD MAN. I found “Pop art?” (73A) to be especially brilliant: DADAISM.

If you’re stuck on the remaining entry at 60A, you can reveal it below.