Erik Agard extends his regards.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
TUESDAY PUZZLE — You may come across the odd entry in the New York Times Crossword (or any crossword, for that matter) that doesn’t seem to be a real word. That’s valid! While we don’t need to argue over whether specific words do or don’t “exist” — in certain scholarly arguments, none of them do — it’s reasonable to wonder why some words appear in the crossword but not in the dictionary.
With that said, I hope you’ll understand why Erik Agard decided to include 66-Across in today’s crossword. I think you’ll understand why the word had to be used … even if it is a bit of a stretch.
Today’s Theme
There’s no revealer in this theme, but it does feel as though each themed entry builds on the previous one as you move down the grid. Four identical clues at 17-, 36-, 44- and 66-Across read: [“Seriously?!”]. The answers are distinct, albeit tonally similar, but one of them stands out.
I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU (17A) leads to WHO DOES THAT? (36A) and THE AUDACITY! (44A). Then it’s just WOOOOOOOOOOOOOW (66A).
The joke dawned on me when I noticed that I had some kind of grid-spanning entry that ended in -OOW. What kind of expression of disbelief was this? I filled the row with O’s, half-joking at the notion. Only once several Down entries crossed the O’s successfully did I realize what was going on. “Ooooooooooohhhh,” you might say.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
