Games

Aidan Deshong and Adam Levav move their rears. In a completely innocent and cruciverbal way, of course.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of business jargon. I like plain talk, as you can see from this relatively simple, 15-word sentence.When I entered the corporate world, I was suddenly surrounded by people who spoke what sounded like English but was really a carefully assembled cluster of clichés. The banter in meetings took on the cadence of a postgame interview in which athletes are asked their opinions on how things went.Executive: “Well, the team was out of the loop for the first quarter, but once we leveraged our core competency and drilled down to the silver bullet, we experienced a paradigm shift and, at the end of the day, succeeded in picking the low-hanging fruit. That’s when the team was finally able to move the needle.”Boss: “You forgot to use the word ‘synergy.’”Executive: (Panicking) “Oh my God, I’m so sorry! May I please start again?”Boss: “No. You obviously don’t have enough buy-in to be part of this team. Put him on the back burner, boys.”Executive: (Being dragged from the conference room) “Nooo. …”I bring this up because Aidan Deshong and Adam Levav, the constructors of today’s puzzle, have used a popular business cliché as their revealer, and it is mission critical that we fly it up the flagpole to see what happens, impactually speaking. It’s also so much cheaper than therapy.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

Don’t let Adam Vincent’s challenging crossword tick you off.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — When struggling to understand a crossword theme, I find that the answer often comes to me if I just start typing a message to the puzzle editors. I get about as far as “Can someone explain ——” before it hits me, at which point I quietly delete my message and slink back to my column.This was precisely how I succeeded in understanding the theme of today’s puzzle, constructed by Adam Vincent. Although Mr. Vincent’s most recent crossword was published in July, it’s been a little over a year since I wrote my first column about his puzzles. Today’s ThemeThe central entry of this theme appears, handily, at the center of the grid, split between 6- and 32-Down. Combined, these entries make a phrase that means to [beat an opponent soundly]. The expression is to CLEAN ONE’S CLOCK (a little confusing, since “one’s” suggests that the clock-cleaning might be self-inflicted), and it’s surrounded by entries that interpret the idiom literally. For instance, at 15A, [A reason to act this very instant … or why you might 6-Down 32-Down?] solves to THE TIME IS RIPE, because “ripe” refers to odor that might merit a cleaning. At 34D, a [Bottleful that might 6-/32-Down?] is HAND SOAP — the “hands” in question are those of the clock. And one more, [Bottleful that might 6-Down/32-Down?], at 39D, is FACE WASH, for the clock’s face.You had to be rather “clockwise” to solve this theme, eh? (Unless you stand firmly against the notion of requiring wisdom to solve it … in which case I’d call you counterclockwise.)Tricky Clues13A. [100%] can mean any number of things — a perfect test score, resounding approval or, as it is here, ALL of something.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

Gene Louise de Vera makes his New York Times Crossword debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — The first play on words I ever made (as far as I can remember, anyway) was at the dinner table, at the age of 5 or so. We were having grilled salmon, and I had noticed a piece of fish on my plate that seemed to be shaped like a cigar. I picked it up and pretended to puff on it. “Look!” I shouted. “Smoked salmon!”Notwithstanding the disturbing notion of a kindergartner aspiring to a cigar habit, I’d say this was pretty clever. I couldn’t have known at the time that my sense of humor would lead to a career in crosswords, but an entry in today’s puzzle, constructed by Gene Louise de Vera, felt all too cosmic: At 5A, indeed, to be [Like cigar and salmon] is to be SMOKED. Just as the prophecy foretold.Today’s Theme[Early struggles for a new enterprise] are known as GROWING PAINS, and in this puzzle the phrase also serves as [a hint to the shaded squares] of entries at 28D, 29D, 32D and 34D. Here are those squares, in bold below:At 28D, the phrase [“You had your chance”] means that it’s TOO LATE NOW. At 29D, if you [Go berserk], you HIT THE ROOF. Starting to see a pattern? We’ve got “ow” and “oof,” both of which are expressions of pain. And we can confirm the hunch with the remaining entries — an [Instruction to improve posture] is DON’T SLOUCH at 32D, and at 34D, a typical [Cameraperson’s session] is a PHOTO SHOOT. Note that each shaded word “grows” by one letter as we move from left to right.My exclamations of pain also include “Oy!” and “Ack!” along with a number of grawlix-worthy terms I won’t share in this column. If you have any (clean) expressions of your own to add to our GROWING PAINS lexicon, feel free to do so in the comments. Also, at 34D: Is the growing pain “SHOOT” because it’s what one exclaims, or because it’s shooting pain? I welcome your opinions on this, too.Tricky Clues25A. This [Blues group, for short?] is political, rather than musical, and “blues” describes a color, not a type of music, associated with the group itself. The answer is DNC, short for Democratic National Committee.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

Adrian Johnson is quite a stacker of words.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — I think those of us who have tried to construct a crossword puzzle can agree that it’s not an easy task. Even the best puzzle makers run into jams. A grid might be filling like a dream and then suddenly the constructor runs into a dead end, where nothing fits. The resulting choice may be between refilling the entire section or settling for a less-than-desirable word such as “esne,” a word that describes a feudal laborer and has achieved fame as a bit of crosswordese.Stacking entries well, whether they are horizontal or vertical stacks, is another high-wire act. For one thing, it increases the likelihood of filling failure by quite a bit, because the entries in the stack have to be exciting. The crossings also have to be familiar words all the way across those entries.Adrian Johnson’s 11th crossword in The New York Times contains some beautiful quadruple stacks in the northwest and southeast. His center entry at 34A made me a bit excited, thinking that we might be solving a rare themed Friday puzzle. His crossword is not themed, but the entry is lively nonetheless.While you’re solving, take some time to appreciate the stacks and their crossings. Note that every Down crossing is fairly familiar, and be duly impressed at the amount of work it took to achieve the quality of those sections. That’s the way to stack entries. Nicely done, Mr. Johnson.Tricky Clues17A. [Booked it] is slang for having moved quickly, and the answer is RAN LIKE MAD.19A. The word [Skinny] can describe thinness, but in today’s puzzle it’s slang for information, or the INSIDE DOPE.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

Kathleen Duncan makes her New York Times Crossword debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — I’ve said it before in this column, and I will say it again: When it comes to Thursday puzzles, expect anything. Thursday themes will not always be the longest entries in a puzzle; they may not all be Across entries, as thmed entries typically are earlier in the week; and sometimes the letters may even escape the grid.You get the idea.Keep your mind open and flexible for this clever debut by Kathleen Duncan. I had a lot of fun with it, and I think you will, too.Today’s ThemeSometimes theme entries go off in different directions, and that is precisely what is happening in today’s puzzle. We will be making film genres bend to our wills: Each theme clue contains two movies each, and we need to figure out 1) what their genres are, and 2) where we need to bend them.Oh, and that’s why there are dashes in your clue list if you are solving online. The dashes indicate that the remainder of the genre you are solving for is included in that space.For example, the theme clue at 1A is [ “Interview With the Vampire” and “Prince of Thorns”]. The answer is DARK F and then just trails off. That doesn’t make any sense, so something else must be going on. If you look at 5D, where the F is in the first position, the clue is one of those dashes. Boo. That’s no help.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

Brandon Koppy makes space for us.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — I’ve come to expect a trouncing from Wednesday puzzles — last week’s installment by Kathy Bloomer being an especially pronounced instance. So I was surprised to find myself breezing through today’s, constructed by Brandon Koppy. The puzzle has its fair share of midweek “crunch” (a term of art for challenging crossword fill), but is otherwise guileless.The theme is light and relatively easy to apprehend. In other words, there isn’t much gravity to it.Today’s ThemeThe exact origins of GALAXY BRAIN (61A), as in [Having ideas far too profound for anyone else to comprehend], are hard to pinpoint. The term often refers to a stock-image meme of a man’s brain expanding panel by panel, until it seems to radiate with cosmic energy. As it relates to this puzzle, GALAXY BRAIN gives you the power to see words about the galaxy in each of the themed entries.The [Honor for “Dune” and “American Gods”] at 18A is the NEBULA AWARD. At 25A, [Swifties vis-à-vis Taylor Swift] are STAR-STRUCK. The song described in 37A’s [Grammy-winning Soundgarden hit of 1994] was BLACK HOLE SUN. And the [Canadian province on the Gulf of Maine] at 52A is NOVA SCOTIA.Tricky Clues31A. In academic contexts, a score of 30 percent might be a failing grade. But when it comes to leaving a TIP, [30% is a very good one].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

Alex Eaton-Salners plays us in.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — Whether or not I had good taste in music as a teenager depends on whom you ask. (One might argue that a sixth grader with most of Weird Al Yankovic’s discography memorized was a woman ahead of her time!) I might have been more popular if I had followed some of the bands in today’s crossword, constructed by Alex Eaton-Salners. I did catch up to the trends eventually — but alas, I walked a lonely road.Today’s ThemeThe bands may be our clues, but their entries have little to do with music. Instead, each band’s name is wittily linked to something more familiar — for instance, at 17A, some [Red Hot Chili Peppers] are CAROLINA REAPERS. At 29A, celebrate a [Green Day] and you’re observing SAINT PATRICK’S. And, at 43A, [Earth, Wind & Fire] are GREEK ELEMENTS. I’ll let you solve the last clue on your own, but I’ll give you a hint: Go west, not east.56A. [They Might Be Giants]BASEBALL PLAYERSTricky Clues23A. This word for a [Person chosen by ballot] isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t feel natural, either: It’s ELECTEE.47A./48A. Note that both [Bud holder] and [Pen filler] are vague in their wording, so don’t rely on their solving to similar answers in future puzzles. This [Bud holder] is an EAR, but in past puzzles it has also been “keg,” “vase” and “twig.” The [Pen filler] is INK here but has also been “sheep” and “hog.”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

Thomas van Geel’s second crossword is set in the ol’ factory.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — I don’t know what it was that inspired Thomas van Geel to come up with the theme of today’s crossword, but I want what he’s having. Solving this puzzle has me smiling from ear to ear with the kind of delight you wish you could bottle for darker days. I hope you’ll give it a try — and let me know whether you need a tissue afterward.Today’s ThemeUnlike themes that take shape within a couple of entries, identifying the [Polite response to the ends of 17-, 25-, 34- and 48-Across] requires solving all of the entries in question.17A’s [Coming-of-age ceremony] is a BAR MITZVAH. The [Place “rocked” in a Clash song] at 25A is THE CASBAH. An [Animal that can go 0-60 in three seconds] is a CHEETAH, at 34A. Let’s pause here to note the common ending of these entries, which is -AH. Will the same be true of 48A’s [Famed shoe designer]? Nope, it’s JIMMY CHOO.Now read the ends of these entries in order: AH … AH … AH … CHOO! The [Polite response] to this sequence at 56A is, of course, GESUNDHEIT.Tricky Clues14A. Top stories in the newspaper are found on the first page, called A1. But what’s [always the top story] of a house? Why, that’s the ATTIC.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