Willa Angel Chen Miller makes her New York Times Crossword debut, in a collaboration with Matthew Stock.
Jump to: Tricky Clues
FRIDAY PUZZLE — What makes a crossword difficult? There are a few reasons solvers struggle with puzzles, and I believe everyone does so in different ways. Some people have a hard time with wordplay and misdirection; others are just not in the constructor’s wheelhouse.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I had to fight to finish today’s puzzle, constructed by Willa Angel Chen Miller and Matthew Stock. The battle was serious, but I had a lot of fun along the way, especially when I reviewed the stacks in the northwest and southeast corners. Nicely done, Ms. Miller and Mr. Stock.
Your thoughts?
Tricky Clues
15A. The answer to a [Question that can’t possibly be answered “No”] is ARE YOU AWAKE. I beg to differ: Any sleep-deprived parent will tell you that it actually is possible to continue to sleep and answer this question.
16A. The clue [Solid :: glace : liquid :: ___] needs an answer in French. Glacé means ice, so the answer is EAU, or water, to complete the analogy.
31A. I was stuck for a long time on this one: I understood that the mohawk in [Mohawk culture] referred to the hairstyle, but I just couldn’t make the mental leap away from Indigenous culture.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
