NYT Crossword Answers for March 1, 2024

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FRIDAY PUZZLE — Before we discuss Julian Xiao’s excellent puzzle, I would like to ask you all a question.

How is it March already?

As I get older, time seems to pass more quickly, and I feel rushed to pack in all of the things I want to do with my life. We all move at higher speeds now, too. With the pages of the calendar flying off at an ever-increasing speed, I decided that it was time to reflect upon my original stance on the nature of speed solving, which, by definition, is also rushed. It has its place at tournaments, of course, but I have always felt that a crossword puzzle is like a glass of fine wine: It should be savored, not chugged.

When you rush through a crossword — whether there’s a prize in it for you or not — you miss out on some of its best qualities, such as entries you’ve never seen before, clues that are so clever that you wish you had thought of them and the high-wire act that constructors and puzzle editors pull off to make a creative theme idea work.

I’m happy to say that my opinion has not changed. To continue the wine metaphor, crosswords should be enjoyed. Puzzle lovers should take their time moving through the clues to appreciate the wordplay and the mental tug of war between the constructor and the solver. They should, in a sense, swish the puzzle around in their mouths and allow its essence to roll over their tongues before spitting it discreetly into the bucket at their sides.

You get the idea. Sitting down to fully enjoy a crossword is a time commitment, but it is time well spent.

Julian Xiao made his New York Times Crossword debut in January in a collaboration with Ben Tolkin. This is the first one he constructed on his own, and it’s a good one. I found it fairly challenging until I hit the halfway mark, and then I had a breakthrough and was able to fill in a lot of the puzzle.