You can find several ways through this puzzle by Christina Iverson.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
TUESDAY PUZZLE — How Christina Iverson manages to balance her time between editing crosswords for The New York Times and constructing puzzles of her own, I will never understand. I can barely carve out the mental space to journal when I wake up before the crush of formal writing obligations overtakes me.
As it turned out, having a mind consumed by the day-to-day of office life was exactly what I needed in order to discover the theme of Ms. Iverson’s latest crossword. It took only the knowledge of a certain workplace item — and understanding a clue’s witty reinterpretation of its purpose — to discover this crossword’s secrets.
Shall we uncover them together?
Today’s Theme
As a former competitive punner, I am consistently impressed by the myriad ways in which constructors execute wordplay within the constraints of a standard crossword grid. Some attempts may inspire more groans than others, but their creativity is always to be admired.
In today’s grid, Ms. Iverson has taken great pains to make a certain “Spring-loaded office device” serve as “a collective hint to 16-, 26-, 34- and 41-Across” (54A). That device is a THREE-HOLE PUNCH. Let’s take a look at the entries cited in this revealer to see how it all binds together, shall we?
The “Flaw in an argument” (16A) is a LOGICAL FALLACY, which is a rhetorical hole.
A “Void” (26A) is a physical hole (but contemplate it too long, and it can become an existential one): EMPTY SPACE.
One’s “Messy living area” (34A) might be referred to as a PIGSTY — a hole (derogatory).
“Many a beverage ending in ‘-ade’” (41A) is a FRUIT DRINK. And this, reader, is the punch.
Tricky Clues
14A. “France’s longest river” is not the one seen — or Seine, I should say — in Paris. It is the LOIRE, which stretches just over 625 miles across the country.
29A. My fitness regimen consists of walking the dog and taking public transit in New York City, so this “Weightlifting item for a biceps routine” was unfamiliar to me. It’s called a CURL BAR, apparently — just like the place I get my hair styled.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
