Michael Schlossberg sugarcoats the truth.
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WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — Over the centuries, English speakers have come up with several creative ways of avoiding vulgarity. Minced oaths are euphemistically rendered expressions of profanity or obscenity that gained popularity among playwrights of the Elizabethan era. Bowdlerization began a few hundred years later, when a well-meaning couple sought to make Shakespeare more family-friendly. And today, the teens use algospeak to avoid censors on TikTok, often using emojis in place of words.
While I cannot confirm that Michael Schlossberg constructed today’s crossword with any of those strategies in mind, I can tell you that solving his puzzle will give you a particularly creative way to express your delight about what lies inside the grid.
Today’s Theme
I can honestly say that I let out a “Little laugh” (53D) when I entered the revealer of Mr. Schlossberg’s puzzle (though mine sounded a little more like a “hehe” than a TEHEE).
“What you might cry upon recognizing this puzzle’s ingredient list?” (62A) requires first solving the entries with gray-shaded squares: 17A, 20A, 32A, 42A and 54A. These yield a recipe of MILKSOP, COCOA BEACH, BUTTERFINGERS, SUGAR SNAP PEAS and VANILLA ICE.
When mixed together, the terms in bold elicit a delicious confection that doubles as an interjection — OH, FUDGE!
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
