Games

Aidan Deshong captures our hearts with a lively yet accessible Friday puzzle.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — When Will Shortz became crossword editor at The New York Times in 1993, he vowed to freshen up what had been largely seen by the public as a stodgy, über-intellectual endeavor. To do that, he encouraged younger constructors to submit puzzles with contemporary entries and clues. In fact, he has published the work of more teenage constructors than the three puzzle editors before him did — 63 out of the 70 whose puzzles have run since The Times began offering crosswords in 1942.Make that 64 out of 71, as Aidan Deshong joins that illustrious club: He will graduate a week after his Times debut and will be headed to college in the fall. Congratulations, Mr. Deshong. That’s what I’d call a big month.Tricky CluesThose who solve the Crossword regularly know that the puzzles increase in difficulty as the week goes on (more or less), but that difficulty is sometimes about vocabulary rather than wordplay or misdirection. Here are some of the clues and the entries that stood out to me.1A. A CAPTCHA is a program designed to distinguish between human users and bots. “One might read ‘Select all images with bicycles’” — and clicking on the correct images would allow the user to proceed to a web page, for example.8A. Some companies GAMIFY, or incorporate fun ways to navigate, their apps or websites in order to make the experience “more fun and addicting, in a way.” Waze, the automobile navigation tool, is the first app I have encountered that does this, or at least used to. When it was introduced to the public, users could win points for reaching certain milestones, and the cars on the screen could be customized.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

Shh … Royce Ferguson’s puzzle holds secrets.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — I know some of our readers like to figure out why a given photo was chosen for the top of each column, so if you are curious, it’s because of the headline — the parade is walking through a park. Also, I am currently bingeing the Scottish television show “Outlander,” so bagpipes and kilts are top of mind.Now that we have that settled, let’s talk about Royce Ferguson’s puzzle. Keep your voices down, though. You never know who is listening in.Today’s ThemeWhen you start solving past the early week puzzles, you begin to see the revealer in places where you might not expect it. In Mr. Ferguson’s crossword, the revealer is in the central Down entry, at 7D. The clue reads “‘Shh! People may be listening’ … or a hint to eight squares in this puzzle,” and the answer is THE WALLS HAVE EARS.The WALLS in this grid are the left and right borders of the puzzle, and they certainly do have EARs — eight in total. And yes, they are rebuses, or entries where you need to write more than one letter in a square. If you are just joining us and are not sure how to do that on your device, here is a handy clip-and-save article that will help.Each long Down entry on either side of the grid has two EAR rebuses. For example, the answer to “Routine damage” (1D) is W[EAR] AND T[EAR], and the answer to “Open and honest conversation” (36D) is H[EAR]T TO H[EAR]T. The rebuses also work with the crossing entries: “One paying taxes” (14A) is an [EAR]NER, for example.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

Jeanne Breen makes her New York Times debut with a puzzle in collaboration with Jeff Chen.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — Having spent the last few days in bed recovering from a bug — but enjoying Wordplay, thanks to my colleagues — I can attest to the restorative effects of leisurely distractions. I convalesced with a cocktail of old movies, crosswords and frantic trips to the patio to stare at my soon-to-be-thriving vegetable garden (the red kale is doing well, thank you). How lovely to be reminded, once back at my desk, that one of these wonderful distractions is, in fact, my day job.Today’s crossword was constructed by Jeanne Breen and Jeff Chen. The elixirs in their theme may not be the kind that doctors recommend for getting over a cold, but the joke that connected them all made me laugh — which really is the best medicine of all.Today’s ThemeBartenders who solve crosswords are finally having their day. The entries at 17-, 26-, and 36-/38-Across feature ingredient combinations for various cocktails, and our first job is to name them. Safe to say, this was not my forte: I can barely say “I’ll take a dry gin martini” without making it sound like a question. This is an example of why using your crossings — a skill we cover in our (beginner-friendly!) guide to solving crosswords — can make all the difference for a successful solve.“Vodka + coffee liqueur + Irish cream + heavy cream” make up a MUDSLIDE (17A). Combine “Light rum + dark rum + orange juice + passion fruit syrup,” and you’ve got a HURRICANE (26A). And if you light “rum + brandy + pineapple juice + orange juice + orgeat syrup” on fire — only for cocktail-making purposes, please — you get a FLAMING VOLCANO (36/38A).The names of these drinks imply danger — and that, dear reader, is what makes each clue a RECIPE FOR DISASTER (46/56A).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

This Tuesday debut puzzle is full of fun facts.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAYPUZZLE — One of the downsides of being the editorial director of games is that it’s now rare for me to solve one of our puzzles the way the our solver community does. I often see puzzles in their nascent stages, and I’m thinking about the details rather than enjoying the solving experience. I was happy to solve this Tuesday the way I used to: at my kitchen table with my little sister, coffees in hand. She likes to solve jigsaw puzzles on her iPad, and we chat idly as we work on our respective devices.Today’s puzzle, a debut by Chris Leatherberry, was a fun one to do with a family member. The theme is accessible, and I do love a long entry. But the rest of the puzzle is full of facts and figures that lend themselves to group solving. For example, I was briefly stumped on 7-Down.“Hey — Flying adversary for Godzilla,” I lobbed at my sister. In our defense, Godzilla has had many enemies.“Planes!” she shouted. We looked at each other and burst into laughter.The answer is below, for those who need help.7D. Flying adversary for GodzillaRODANWe 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

Christopher Youngs’s crossword is more than the sum of its parts.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — Hello, Monday solvers! Sam Corbin normally writes the early-week columns, but she is under the weather — as am I, only somewhat less so than Sam, so I am stepping in to fill her very punny shoes. I hope they fit.This is Christopher Youngs’s fourth crossword in The New York Times, and it’s a fun one. In fact, you may want to give it a round of applause when you’re done.Today’s ThemeHey, kids, let’s PUT ON A SHOW! I’ll write the SCRIPT, those of you who are handy with tools can build the SET, we can all be in the CAST and, if you’re too shy to perform, you can hunt for PROPS.Mr. Youngs offers four entries in which the second parts are elements of putting on a play. For example, the answer to the clue at 17A, “Programming language since 1995,” is JAVASCRIPT. At 24A, a GOLDEN SET is a “Rare tennis feat in which one player wins 24 straight points.” (I was not aware of the term.)The revealer clue at 62A is “Keep up appearances, say … or what to do with the ends of 17-, 24-, 39- and 50-Across?” The answer is PUT ON A SHOW.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

Wind your way through Adam Wagner’s puzzle.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — When does a crossword puzzle need a visual hint at the theme? We’ve seen circled squares, shaded squares, bolded lines and even black squares used as aids to help solvers organize their thoughts. These elements are usually added to the grids during the editing process.This devilishly clever puzzle from Adam Wagner includes shaded squares, and thank goodness they’re there. Not having some sort of visual element might have led to cross words (sorry).Adding a visual element is only one of many jobs of the puzzle editors.“We usually talk about visual elements like this during the meetings when we’re accepting the puzzle,” Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, said. “In this case, we just thought the visual would be too hard to see without any shading, and if testers find something confusing, we’ll change the presentation,” she added.Joel Fagliano, the digital puzzle editor, agreed with Ms. Iverson and said that other ideas for clarifying the theme were discussed. But, he added: “Ultimately, we settled on what you see now. Even if it makes the puzzle a little easier for a Thursday, it seems worth it to make the theme clear to all solvers.”Today’s ThemeFirst, allow me to give kudos to Mr. Wagner for filling this grid. Making a puzzle where the true answers are basically hidden but what we write in the squares are unrelated words or phrases is next-level constructing as far as I’m concerned. You’ll see what I mean.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

Martin Schneider calls ’em like he sees ’em.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — It’s no secret that crossword puzzles are a good place to expand one’s base of trivial knowledge. Grids regularly feature defunct car makes, academic abbreviations and celebrity first names. While it can be frustrating to lose out on a few minutes of solving time just to guess at an entry I don’t know, I always find myself grateful for having learned it after the fact. Where else can one discover both the full name of the Rubik’s “Cube creator” (39A) and the identity of the “Brian who composed the original start-up sound for Windows 95” (41A) in a matter of minutes?Today’s crossword, constructed by Martin Schneider, scatters plenty of trivia tidbits among wordier entries. I learned, and I loved it. I hope his puzzle teaches you something new, too.Today’s ThemeAs a crossword columnist, I generally celebrate creative uses of the English language. But Mr. Schneider’s theme brought out my inner pedant, who makes an appearance when the occasion demands it.Today’s occasion is DOUBLE MISNOMERS (34A), as in items whose two-word names don’t describe what they actually are. “Carbonated fountain drinks” known as EGG CREAMS (18A), for instance, contain neither EGG nor CREAM. Some “Unusual meat courses” (23A) are called SWEETBREADS, even though they aren’t SWEET and there is no BREAD involved. And what’s the deal with airline food?Mr. Schneider’s list of DOUBLE MISNOMERS is impressive — contagious, even. Have you got any name-based bones to pick? I’m looking forward to seeing your contributions in the comments section.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

Zachary David Levy is really rocking it.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — Before today, I had already written about three of the six crossword puzzles that Zachary David Levy constructed for The New York Times. This being his seventh puzzle, I can now say that I’ve gotten to solve over half of them. But this was merely a fraction (yuk yuk) of the reason that I perked up at the sight of Mr. Levy’s byline. Having seen him rhyme and road-trip his way through previous grids, I knew I could expect a good deal of whimsy in today’s puzzle. And, despite muddling through a few surprisingly tough clues, I was not disappointed.So, what did you think? Did today’s solve make you feel especially young at heart?Today’s ThemeOf the four theme entries cited in the revealer clue, I found 52A’s “Counterpart to a landline” to be the easiest to solve (even if landlines may have fallen out of fashion) — MOBILE PHONE. After that came CRIB NOTES, at 17A. Because we know that the “starts” of themed entries are keys to Mr. Levy’s theme, we can focus on MOBILE and CRIB.To “Make safer, in a way” (63A) is to BABY-PROOF. Without a hyphen, this phrase becomes a clever description of “the starts of 17-, 27-, 38- and 52-Across”: a MOBILE and CRIB are both evidence of a newborn’s presence. Ditto the beginning of a “Fruit also known as calabash” (27A), called a BOTTLE GOURD, and a final first word you can reveal below.38A. “Outbuilding for many a historic home”CARRIAGE HOUSETricky Clues9A. “Lightens (up)” looks as if it’s already a full phrase, but this clue wants us to find a word that means “Lightens” when followed by the word “up.” The answer is EASES.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