Just kidding — Rafael Musa gives us the good words.
Jump to: Tricky Clues
FRIDAY PUZZLE — This is Rafael Musa’s 19th crossword in The New York Times, and it’s a fun one. The stacks in the corners are strong, and the clues are lively yet gentle enough to give a fair experience to those who are just starting to solve themeless puzzles.
One of the things I like about Mr. Musa is that he shares his time generously with aspiring constructors. He has collaborated with others on 13 of his Times crosswords.
If you are considering making your own puzzle, he has provided his email address at the end of his notes. You couldn’t be in better hands.
Tricky Clues
7A. I love this clue. It’s the language version of a trick of the light. [Something that’s filled with bad words] sounds as if the bad words are actually filling something, but read the clue again (and again, if necessary — I had to). “With” is doing double duty here. The clue needs to be read as “Something that’s filled by using bad words.” The answer is SWEAR JAR.
16A. If you had “BBQ sauce” as an answer to [Bottleful at a barbecue], remember that a word in the clue cannot also be in the entry. The answer is HOT SAUCE.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
