Crossword Puzzles

We wish you a merry Robyn Weintraub Day.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — I don’t need to tell you how fond I am of Robyn Weintraub’s puzzles. I’ve said it before, and besides, you’re probably fond of them, too.Ms. Weintraub has a knack for making crosswords with sparkling long entries, no junky fill and some of the most clever clues I’ve had the honor of solving.And we have reason to congratulate her: While Ms. Weintraub makes puzzles for multiple venues, this is her 50th crossword in The New York Times.Tricky Clues10A. The word rash can describe acting without thinking about the consequences, but in today’s puzzle, it’s a skin irritation. If you [Have a rash reaction], you ITCH.16A. I first entered the word cami for [Teddy alternative], but the substitute we’re looking for is the nickname THEO.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. More

Garrett Chalfin turns us every which way and teaches us an important lesson.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — People turn to crossword puzzles for all sorts of reasons, including the soothing effect they can have on us when life feels out of control. I understand that some themes may drive solvers up a wall, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the comforting feeling of methodically filling in blank squares, being distracted from your problems and the joy of conquering a puzzle that you thought might conquer you. When you’ve completed it, a sense of control is restored, even if it’s just for awhile.Constructors can feel that happiness and sense of satisfaction, too. After filling their grids in a way that is pleasing to them and submitting their crosswords, receiving an acceptance from the puzzle editors can bring a joy that is hard to describe. I vividly remember my first acceptance, and that was 20 years ago. No matter where or how many times I was published, it never got old. Maybe some of the Wordplayers who are published constructors can explain the feeling in the comments.Allowing yourself to feel joy and to recall them when life is hard can be healing. Garrett Chalfin’s constructor notes provide an excellent lesson on coping with trauma. He tells a story about how, after a harrowing experience, the habit of substituting a happy memory for intrusive thoughts under the guidance of a therapist helped him begin his healing process.I think his story will resonate with a lot of people. No matter where you are in life, everyone can use more coping tools.Today’s ThemeMr. Chalfin’s puzzle uses the Pixar film “INSIDE OUT” (62A) to give us a hint at how to read the five theme entries, all of which contain gray squares.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. More

Daniel Raymon’s puzzle earns top marks.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — Have you ever panicked in a corn maze? That’s the best analogy I can think of for the experience I had while solving Daniel Raymon’s crossword: I got a little lost, then very lost, and for a minute there I worried I’d never find my way out.Mr. Raymon’s puzzle features some truly impish cluing, and his theme is, to use a pet phrase of Prue Leith’s from “Great British Baking Show,” a little triumph. But there’s a whole lot to do before figuring out what that theme is. The challenge begins at 1-Across, with [Cry in a pool game] — a pool clue that has nothing to do with billiards, for once — and it doesn’t let up until the very end, at 65-Down.Today’s ThemeFour of today’s clues are simply bits of punctuation: [”] at 20A, [.] at 26A, [–] at 48A and [/] at 56A. These marks can hold several meanings: The symbol at 48A, for instance, could be a minus sign or a hyphen. In this case, it means “dash” — in other words, to MAKE A RUN FOR IT.The quotation mark is sometimes simply called a “quote,” which is a PRICE ESTIMATE. The “period” indicates STRETCH OF TIME, and the forward slash is just Slash, the ROCK GUITARIST of Guns N’ Roses.These plays on punctuation left me speechless, so I have no further comments — or rather, commas.Tricky Clues1A. This clue refers not to the game of pool but to a game played in a swimming pool, so the [Cry in a pool game] is MARCO.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. More

Henry Lin-David makes his New York Times Crossword debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — If Henry Lin-David’s Times debut is any indication of his puzzling prowess, I predict that he’ll enjoy a long career in crossword construction. I mean “career” in the figurative sense, of course — I have yet to meet a constructor whose puzzles pay the bills in toto.The grid is a treat to solve, but its theme is what I found utterly spectacular. I’m always delighted by the clever themes in early-week crosswords — it’s the rare one that makes me feel clever for having solved it, too. Did you experience a similar postpuzzle glow? Let me know your impressions in the comments.Today’s ThemeThe foods at 17-, 25-, 48- and 56-Across make for a strange smorgasbord, but there’s more than meets the eye (or stomach). MOOSE TRACKS ice cream, MAPO TOFU, MINI TWIX and something called a MEAT TORNADO — a [Fictional burrito on “Parks and Recreation” that “literally killed a guy last year”] — all share initials in common.Phonetically, these initials, M and T, represent [What many junk foods contain]: EMPTY (M.T.) CALORIES (34A).Tricky Clues20A. To have [Bathed, old-style] is to have LAVED. Now we just take showers.27A. Speaking of fancy words from the Middle Ages, this word for [Speaker’s platform] sounds like something from the Knights of the Round Table: DAIS (pronounced DAY-iss). Coincidentally, it may once have described a round table — DAIS is derived from the Latin word “discus.”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. More

Andrea Carla Michaels and Kevin Christian go for a run.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — What a treat to begin my December with a crossword by Andrea Carla Michaels and Kevin Christian. I’ve had the good fortune of writing about two of their puzzles: The first played on “color commentary,” and the second counted types of beans (as a “bean counter” might).Another grid from them, another grin from me: This puzzle was a delight to solve, as I expected it would be, and conceals an elegant theme that’s certain to elicit oohs and aahs — albeit not necessarily in that order.Today’s ThemeAll of today’s themed entries begin with P_SS, which would be a cute — if somewhat simple — gimmick on its own. But read between these letters, and you’ll discover what really makes the theme sing: The entries’ vowels run A-E-I-O-U.Here’s the full set, with vowels in bold: A [Trend that’s here today, gone tomorrow] is a PASSING FAD (16A). If you’re [Seeing the glass half-empty], you’re being PESSIMISTIC (23A). To be [Beyond irritated] is to be PISSED OFF (33A). You might call a [Potential option] a POSSIBILITY (47A). And finally, one who [Tiptoes, as around a touchy subject] PUSSYFOOTS (56A).Tricky Clues13A. We may tear up at emotional scenes in movies or TV shows, but this [Culinary tear-jerker] relies on a purely chemical reaction: ONION.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. More