Brandon Koppy provides us with small pleasures.
Jump to: Tricky Clues
FRIDAY PUZZLE — Something happens when I’m solving a really good puzzle, and I’m curious whether it happens to you, too.
I smile when I write in a particularly lively entry or read a fun clue. For me, this happened in today’s puzzle at 21- and 44A, which were Brandon Koppy’s seed entries, as he mentions in his constructor notes. They are both making New York Times Crossword debuts. I also liked 3-, 7-, 19- and 26D. That last one makes a return to the Crossword after not appearing for 57 years. Oh, and Mr. Koppy has tucked a whopping eight debut entries into his grid.
The smile is involuntary, but it’s a response I wouldn’t trade for anything. The joy is real. It’s a small pleasure in a fractious world, and I’m grateful that Mr. Koppy is here to share that with us.
Tricky Clues
13A. The clue [Knight shtick?] is a pun on the phrase “night stick,” and the answer is HONOR, because it’s a knight’s obligation to behave honorably.
15A. It’s funny how the mind works. The clue [Wonderland directive] made me hum Taylor Swift’s “Wonderland (Taylor’s Version)” while trying to solve. It turns out that the answer is EAT ME, the label on the cake that made Lewis Carroll’s Alice grow or shrink.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
