NYT Crossword Answers for Sept. 5, 2024

Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues

THURSDAY PUZZLE — Well, hello there. I’ve been waiting for you. You are probably here because Joe Deeney’s very clever puzzle left you feeling confused and possibly a bit dizzy.

I say dizzy because the grid lines in some parts of his crossword are not the typical straight ones. I mean, just look at this:

I don’t think I had ever seen anything like this, at least not in the New York Times Crossword.

If you were confused, all will be revealed in the theme section of this column. I will also be handing out Dramamine tablets should you need one.

Today’s Theme

The nice thing about crosswords is that the theme ideas tend to reveal themselves in plain sight. You just need to know how to look.

Note that I didn’t say where to look. The how is much more important.

In this puzzle, each theme entry is enclosed in grid lines that take the shape of the first word of its phrase, which is missing. For example, 16A’s [Tried getting on a Jumbotron, say] is enclosed in wavy lines, and when you’ve solved enough of the crossing entries, the answer as written is TO THE CAMERA. When the grid line shape is added to the rest of the phrase, the answer becomes WAVED TO THE CAMERA. That is indeed a good way to get on the Jumbotron, or you could be like George Costanza from “Seinfeld” and publicly and thoroughly enjoy an ice cream sundae at the U.S. Open.