Adam Wagner tells us a small tale.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
THURSDAY PUZZLE — I know. The entries seem to have nothing to do with their clues.
Take heart: We will figure out this little puzzle by Adam Wagner together, and when we’re done please feel free to slap yourself on the forehead. Not too hard, just a small tap, enough to lightly acknowledge that the raison d’être for Mr. Wagner’s crossword was in front of our eyes all along.
This is Mr. Wagner’s 23rd puzzle in The New York Times.
Today’s Theme
When I am trying to figure out a theme that has me stumped, I employ my stare-at-the-grid-until-the-penny-drops method of solving. If staring woefully at the puzzle doesn’t work, I allow my eyes to travel back and forth between the clue and the entry. Sometimes sighing plaintively is employed.
As the penny drops, the palm of my hand strikes my forehead and I bring the ping-ponging of my eyeballs to a rest, lest, as my mother always said, they get stuck like that.
You may use this method of solving if you like. It might help you recognize the diminutives at the ends of the first words of the theme clues. Mr. Wagner was even kind enough to leave an extra hint at 8D: The [Diminutive, diminutively] is LIL, the contraction of the word “little.”
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
