Paul Coulter conducts an experiment.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
TUESDAY PUZZLE — One of my goals for this year is to construct a crossword puzzle. I’m aware that most elements of puzzle making can be learned by rote, but it worries me that there’s no study guide for imagination. Judging by the creativity and originality of the puzzles that come across my desk each week — including today’s crossword, constructed by Paul Coulter — I’m in need of a crash course.
Mr. Coulter’s grid plays with a language pattern so subtle that I would never have thought to point it out, and uncovering that code was tremendously satisfying. If you haven’t cracked it yet, I hope that the body of this column illuminates things for you.
Today’s Theme
The revealer at 35-Across reads as follows: [Like some harmony … or a hint to 17-, 30-, 47- and 59-Across]. The answer is TWO-PART — music theory heads rise up — and refers to the fact that each of today’s themed entries is made up of two body parts.
The [Emoji that means “I’m crazy about you!”] (17A) is the HEART EYES emoji, as in heart plus eyes. Another word for a [Harmonica] (30A) is a MOUTH ORGAN, made of mouth and organ (technically a wider category that includes the heart, but I’ll allow it).
Incidentally, the harmonica featured prominently in two movies I watched recently, one old and one new: It was a central plot point in “Once Upon a Time in the West” and appeared with Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown,” the recent Bob Dylan biopic. Who knew an instrument could be so, uh, instrumental?
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
