Evans Clinchy opens our solving weekend.
Jump to: Tricky Clues
FRIDAY PUZZLE — This is Evans Clinchy’s seventh puzzle in The New York Times, and today’s crossword is in what seems to be his sweet spot: All of his contributions have been Friday or Saturday grids.
Maybe Mr. Clinchy sticks to the hardest days of the week because he enjoys that tough puzzle cage fight between constructor and solver. I know that I went a couple of rounds with his clues, but ultimately found his crossword very satisfying to solve.
Tricky Clues
14A. In today’s puzzle, the “bread” in [French bread] is slang for money, so the answer is EURO.
23A. The [Big brothers?] are ABBOTS, who lead the other monks in monasteries.
31A. If you are passing through a RIDGE, you are taking [… the high road?].
43A. I was hoping that [Bump above a belt] wasn’t a reference to beer bellies, and I was not disappointed. It’s a much smaller bump: The answer is OUTIE.
3D. The “flight” in [Pricey flight options, perhaps] is not about riding on an airplane. It’s a selection of CRAFT BEERS served in small glasses at a tasting.
4D. You can’t have tomfoolery without TOMFOOLS, or [Doofuses].
11D. When people take a daily [Constitutional], they are taking a WALK.
40D. Someone who is [… on a roll] might be a person who is doing well. In this puzzle, Mr. Clinchy is referring to people who are on a list of registered voters, also known as a VOTER roll.
Constructor Notes
My original clue for 15-Across was, [He wrote in his 2023 memoir, “The movement for trans liberation affects us all”].
Poignant words, especially at times like these.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
