Joe O’Neill makes a poetic debut.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
THURSDAY PUZZLE — My favorite magazine cartoon is a drawing of a conductor dressed in tie and tails, standing at his podium and reading a version of the score that reduces his job to its most ridiculous: “Wave the stick until the music stops, then turn around and bow.”
In fact, that cartoon was the first thing that came to mind after I solved Joe O’Neill’s debut New York Times Crossword. His theme translates a work of art into something with considerably less gravitas as well, turning the puzzle into a 15×15 square version of Shmoop, the humorously down-to-earth literary study guide.
According to Mr. O’Neill’s constructor notes, this happened because he needed a way to make his theme fit the grid and enable him to fill the puzzle well. So he distilled a famous poem down to a very plain-spoken summary.
The challenge lies in figuring out what that summary says because it’s written in Mr. O’Neill’s own words, which are not as predictable as the poem’s text. The crossings will be invaluable. While that may make things a bit tougher for some solvers, it’s a cute idea, especially if you are an unostentatious elocutionist like myself.
Today’s Theme
Robert Frost (1874-1963) was an American poet whose work realistically depicted rural life. Mr. O’Neill’s theme summarizes Mr. Frost’s 1923 poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” in what is probably the most colloquial way I have ever seen. To see the entire summary, please click on the following links from top to bottom.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
