Jill Rafaloff and Michelle Sontarp start from the beginning.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
MONDAY PUZZLE — The theme of this Monday crossword, constructed by Jill Rafaloff and Michelle Sontarp, struck me as a callback to an entry in last week’s Wednesday puzzle (by Sam Koperwas and Jeff Chen): [Sounds heard during a cuteness overload]. The answer there was AWS.
You may go “Aww!” at the discovery of this theme, or be in awe of the constructors’ ability to craft it. Choose your own awed-venture, I say!
Today’s Theme
The first words of 18-, 23-, 36-, 49- and 56-Across can all be categorized by the term at 64-Across.
What do the above entries have in common? Let’s see: A [Short stiletto shoe] is called a KITTEN HEEL (18A). The [‘N Sync bandmate of Justin Timberlake] was JOEY FATONE (23A). [What a first crush might be dismissed as] is PUPPY LOVE (36A). Kitten, joey, puppy: Each of these is a BABY (64A) in the animal kingdom.
I won’t give away the puzzle farm, but here’s a hint for the remaining entries: You’re looking for a cow and a bird.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
