Zhouqin Burnikel opens our solving weekend.
Jump to: Tricky Clues
FRIDAY PUZZLE — Zhouqin Burnikel arrived on the New York Times Crossword scene in 2012, and her smooth, lively puzzles soon earned her the nickname “queen of the early-week grids.” (That distinction is shared with fellow constructors Andrea Carla Michaels and Lynn Lempel.)
The puzzles created by these three women have two things in common: They make you feel as if you could solve the puzzle from start to finish without stopping because the clues are both clear and fun. And while you are cruising through the grid, it delights you with interesting junk-free fill.
Ms. Burnikel has now published 80 crosswords in The Times and has had at least one puzzle published on each day of the week. Watching her star rise has been a pleasure because she is a truly good person (not really relevant but nice to know) and I love solving her puzzles.
Tricky Clues
5A. The [Tablet that’s impossible to swallow?] is an IPAD.
15A. [Fair sight] sounds vague unless you interpret it as “something you might see at a fair.” The answer is BOOTH.
31A. Something that has its [Pluses and minuses, e.g.] has both good and bad qualities, but the addition of “e.g.” means that we are really looking for a category in which the pluses and minuses belong. They are mathematical SIGNS.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
