Erik Agard runs down the clock.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
TUESDAY PUZZLE — People tell me that I’m elusive. I hear from one friend or another that I’m hard to get a hold of, that I seem eternally busy. Despite my protestations, these assessments may have some truth to them: My social calendar is active to the point of exhaustion, and I can’t resist sopping up any free hours with hobbies (sign language classes, a gym routine, sourdough).
Erik Agard has a solution for those in a similar position, but he has hidden it in the theme of today’s crossword. How many minutes can you spare to solve it?
Today’s Theme
Mr. Agard’s novel approach to scheduling consists of a yin and a yang: We should SAVE THE DAY (17A) and SPEND THE NIGHT (38A). This cycle of saving and spending is described at 62-Across, [What 17- and 38-Across combine to form?] — a TIME BUDGET.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a minimalist theme, nor one so cleanly and cleverly executed. Mr. Agard used just two themed entries to achieve the wordplay in his revealer, but the effect was exponential.
Tricky Clues
19A. I confess to being a fair-weather fan of spoken clues. It’s satisfying if I can solve one at first glance, but when I can’t, I feel justified in criticizing them as a group. The phrase [“Who ___?”] might be completed by “says” or “said,” for instance, but in this case it solves to ISN’T.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
