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Jared Cappel sticks the landing in his New York Times Crossword debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — Today’s crossword puzzle left me sore. As in it made me realize how sore my back was. After a week of desk work and slumped sitting, I was grateful for the reminder that I should really do something about the twinge in my shoulder. So I thank Jared Cappel, the constructor of today’s puzzle, for pointing me in the direction of some relief.This is Mr. Cappel’s first crossword for The New York Times, and it makes for a fabulous introduction to his sense of humor. I hope he, ahem, sticks around.Today’s ThemeWhether or not you’ve ever tried the [Traditional Chinese medicine component] at 27D, you can appreciate the ACUPUNCTURE-based wordplay in this puzzle. At 3-, 9- and 18-Down, italicized clues hint at expressions that double as things an acupuncturist may do during a session.To [Grasp a central idea] is to GET THE POINT (3D). To [Betray] is to STAB IN THE BACK (18D) (though if you’re feeling actual stabs in an acupuncture session, you might want to find a new practitioner). And if you [Make noticeable progress], then you MOVE THE NEEDLE (9D).I’ve tried acupuncture and enjoyed it, but it’s unsettling to think that, to the outside observer, I probably looked like a character from “Hellraiser” during my sessions.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

Patti Varol makes a charming return.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — I can’t help but notice that, for all the thrill of science fiction stories about evil twins, violent clones and spooky parallel dimensions, most real-world examples of duplication are fairly benign. What’s so scary about identical twins (not counting the Grady sisters from “The Shining”)?Today’s crossword, constructed by Patti Varol, plays on one such instance of lighthearted repetition in language itself. Once you’ve solved it, pass it along to a friend — it’s a puzzle so nice it’s worth solving twice.This is Ms. Varol’s solo debut in The New York Times. Her first puzzle, constructed in collaboration with Doug Peterson, appeared in December 2020. I look forward to seeing where she takes us next!Today’s ThemeThe entries at 17-, 24-, 32-, 45- and 51-Across share a feature that’s hinted at in 63-Across: To [Turn around and return] is to DOUBLE BACK. Read this expression as a noun and you’ll see what the themed entries have in common: “backs” that contain double syllables.The [Girl of classic comics who sported ringlets and a red outfit], for instance, was LITTLE LULU (17A). If something is [Entertaining, as opposed to disturbing] you might refer to it as FUNNY HA-HA (32A). And you don’t have to be a “Little Monster” to know that LADY GAGA (51A) is the [“A Star Is Born” co-star (2018)] in question, opposite Bradley Cooper.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

Malaika Handa opens our solving weekend.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — Every constructor brings something different to the New York Times Crossword, and I’d like to think that I approach each solve with equal enthusiasm. When it comes to the different days of the solving week, however, I’m not ashamed to play favorites: Fridays have my heart.The Times runs two themeless puzzles per week, on Fridays and Saturdays. Because the Saturday crossword is generally understood to be the hardest of the week, I like to think of Fridays as the calm before the storm. These grids give us a welcome change of pace after a week of themed puzzles and serve as a teaser for what’s to come. I don’t know how else to describe what I love about them — they just work.Today’s Friday fare is the handiwork of Malaika Handa, a constructor whose deftness for punchy fill has made her a regular and much-admired figure in the T.C.C.U. — the Times Crossword Cinematic Universe. This is an especially breezy grid, with no ambiguous spanners or any obscure phrasing. It just works.Tricky Clues19A. Here’s today’s tip about solving question-marked clues: Try interpreting words as different parts of speech. In [Leaves for dinner?], for instance, “leaves” seems like a verb. But what if we interpret it as a noun, as in the leaves you eat for dinner? There’s our answer: KALE.23A. Users of the TI-83 — or of any calculators that predate smartphones — may have the upper hand here. [What might be confused with “5” on a digital display] is the letter ESS. (When entries are letters, they tend to be written phonetically.)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

Kiran Pandey breaks the rules, and I am here for it.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — A crossword constructor needs to adhere to a lot of rules in order to make a good puzzle. There’s the “no fewer than three-letter words” one, the “be fair to the solvers” one, the “don’t duplicate words” one and many more.Kiran Pandey, the constructor’s of today’s crossword, has broken, or at least stretched, some of those rules, and I can honestly say that I am here for it. (For those unfamiliar with the phrase, that’s a good thing.) No one makes me smile more when it comes to crossword puzzles than a rule breaker.This grid may be a bit tougher for newer solvers because there is no revealer or hint about the theme, but once you get it, you may laugh as much as I did. Mr. Pandey capped off this experience with his very funny constructor notes below.Today’s ThemeSome of the entries in Mr. Pandey’s puzzle are duplicates, which, as we know, is a big no-no in crosswords. That is, unless there is a good reason for it: The second word in each pair is incomplete, and our job is to figure out what to add to it in order to make sense of the answer.Side note: This is not a rebus puzzle. There is no need to try to squeeze anything into squares.For example, the word BORN is an answer at 16A and 17A. That can’t be right, but let’s look at the clue for 17A: [Like one with renewed beliefs]. That would make 17A BORN (AGAIN), although it could also be (RE)BORN.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

Rebecca Goldstein gives us a witty jump scare.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — “Is this a crossword which I see before me, the pen toward my hand?” OK, so that’s not exactly what Macbeth said, but it’s the reference that sprang to mind as I started in on today’s crossword, constructed by Rebecca Goldstein, which is chock-full of spectral sightings in a certain estate.Let’s solve this grid bravely together, shall we?Today’s ThemeIt’s time for a tour through the rooms of Ms. Goldstein’s HAUNTED MANSION (62A/66A), where everyday expressions reveal various scary locations.First, we have the [Blowout victory, metaphorically]: a BLOOD BATH (20A). Speaking of water features, how about this [Marvel superhero portrayed by Ryan Reynolds]: a DEADPOOL (7D). Tackle your terrifying work tasks inside the [Commercial property left mostly vacant by hybrid work arrangements], also known as a ZOMBIE OFFICE (25D). And finally, we’ll stop for a bite of frights in the GHOST KITCHEN (28D) — a [Restaurant offering delivery and pickup only].Tricky Clues14A. The [Source of a pulse] in a person would be the heart, but this clue is after a pulse used for navigational purposes: SONAR.34A. Remember: A question mark in a clue is essentially a wink. The [Device for taking notes] refers not to the kind of notes you’d take in a classroom, but to bank notes. The answer is ATM.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

We’re picking up good vibrations from Hanh Huynh’s crossword.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — When The New York Times’s puzzle editors review crossword submissions, they want to be sure that every entry is “in the language,” so to speak — in other words, that they would be familiar to most solvers. Modern slang tends to be dicey in this regard, since a common phrase for one generation may be obscure to another.Today’s crossword, constructed by Hanh Huynh, leans on an expression that some might say is relatively new to our capital-L Language. It has grown in popularity since the aughts — perhaps as a result of Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones” — but its usage can be traced back to at least the turn of the 19th century, when it appeared in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel “Treasure Island.” The discovery of this slangy phrase’s vintage left me … well, in a similar state as the items in today’s puzzle.Today’s ThemeIf you want to say [“This news has got me rattled!”], you might say “I’M SHOOK!” (65A) — a phrase that hints at how the entries 1-, 20-, 37- and 54-Across are used.[Cheerleaders’ accessories] are POMPOMS (1A), shaken at pep rallies and sports games. A [Graffiti artist’s supply] consists of SPRAY PAINT (20A), which comes in cans meant to be shaken. And you may see someone shaking a POLAROID PICTURE, a snap that [develops in front of your eyes] (37A). (If you do see that, tell the shaker to stop.)Try to shake the last themed answer loose on your own, or you can click to reveal it below.54A. [Hand-held instrument that jingles]TAMBOURINEWe 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

Michael LiebermanJump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — Having even one crossword published in The New York Times is a tough feat, much less having done so 27 times. That is what Michael Lieberman has done, and that accomplishment is something to be admired. That goes double for when the puzzles are lively and fun, as Mr. Lieberman’s are. Today’s grid is no different.Not to be picky, but there’s just one thing that’s bothering me — Mr. Lieberman has not hit for the cycle yet. He’s almost there: Of those 27 puzzles, he has had at least one crossword published on six of the seven days of the week, except for Saturday. Just one Saturday puzzle and Mr. Lieberman will be among the illustrious cycle hitters who can seemingly construct a crossword for all sorts of skill levels.I know you have this in you, Mr. Lieberman. No pressure. Just one Saturday puzzle, and then we can give you your cycle hitter smoking jacket.Tricky Clues1A. This [Splashy government expenditure?] is a PUBLIC POOL.16A. Annual leave is another term for vacation, but to [Accrue annual leaves?] in this puzzle means to RAKE them up after they’ve fallen from their trees.23A. In business, [overhead expenses?] include items such as rent, utilities and employee salaries. Other overhead expenses include things people wear over their heads, such as BEANIES.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

David Steinberg wants us to tuck things away for safekeeping.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — When I visited my father’s extended family as a child, one of my favorite parts of the get-together was when my grandmother would pull me aside and say in a conspiratorial voice: “Here’s a dollar. Don’t tell your grandfather.” At some point, my grandfather would pull me aside and say: “Here’s a dollar. Don’t tell your grandmother.” The same thing would happen with most of the adults until I had amassed what, in my child mind, seemed like a small fortune.These relatives had one small quirk that I noticed. As they handed me the money, each one of them said the same thing: “Put it away so you don’t lose it.”This irritated me. How incompetent did they think I was, I wondered. Why would I lose track of this sudden influx of wealth, I said to myself, as I set the dollars down somewhere and promptly forgot about them.So my relatives were right, I guess. You should definitely put things in a safe place so you don’t lose them. David Steinberg, the constructor of today’s puzzle, apparently agrees, and his charming puzzle is a lesson in how to do just that.Today’s ThemeMr. Steinberg’s puzzle offers a double rebus with a visual component that I thought was charming. If you are not sure how to enter more than one letter in a square using the rebus key on your device, here are instructions.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