Games

David Rockow gets organized.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — I have often observed, both privately and in this column, that a daily crossword-solving habit gives way to casual conspiracy theories about patterns in the puzzles. Aside from the theme — an intentional pattern that is concealed and awaiting discovery — these theories rarely amount to more than an appreciation for the occasional synchronicity of the cosmos.I include myself in this observation, of course. While looking into the origins of the phrase at the heart of today’s crossword, constructed by David Rockow, I noticed a clue that seemed to be worded too cleverly to be a coincidence. But my sleuthing revealed that neither the constructors nor the editors had intended anything by it. Drat! I was forced to admire the rest of the puzzle on its own brilliant merits.Today’s ThemeThe “State of order that this puzzle fails to achieve?” (37A) can be observed by looking at the words that each cluster of circled squares spells. Between 16A and 19A, we get TEAL; from 27A up through 24A, we have MALLARD. Two more ducks follow: the common EIDER and a RUBBER variety. This would all be unremarkable, but for the placement of the circles: None are entirely in alignment. This puzzle, in other words, can’t get its DUCKS IN A ROW.As for the coincidence that had me all atwitter: At 40-Across, T.S.A. is clued as “Org. that specifically prohibits bowling pins and pool cues.” Two of the origin stories for the phrase DUCKS IN A ROW happen to come from pool and bowling. Can you believe it? Should we all buy lottery tickets?Tricky Clues14A. Rule-based clues are both infuriating and brilliant, because the only way to solve one is by guessing a little — ideally with the help of crossings — and then checking your guess against the parameters outlined by the clue. The “Feeling that can be caused by the final three letters of this answer” is NAUSEA, from a trip by -SEA. (Hatred also fits, if you have an aversion to the color red.)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 Bodily takes a hands-off approach.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — I was excited to see Daniel Bodily’s byline at the top of today’s crossword for two reasons. The first is that, as a relatively recent addition to the Games desk, I still get a thrill whenever I recognize constructors’ names from past puzzles — a novel way of marking time, somewhat similar to notching a wall to track growth spurts. The second reason is that I had a lot of fun solving Mr. Bodily’s last puzzle for The New York Times, a Thursday thinker in which common phrases had their halves reversed to create new ones — “craps tables” became “table scraps,” and so on.It won’t be that hard to spot Mr. Bodily’s trick this go-round. But solving the puzzle is a real throwback — as in, you might just throw out your back laughing, once you figure out the theme.Today’s ThemeMy, my, my. How did it feel when you applied a certain famous “MC Hammer lyric” — the words of which are split across the bottom row of the grid at 66-, 67- and 68A — to all of the starred clues?The sheer catchiness of (U) CAN’T TOUCH THIS, the 1990 hip-hop hit, is part of what makes this revealer so satisfying. I recommend listening to the song while reviewing the puzzle’s list of things you CAN’T TOUCH (or can, but really shouldn’t): a CAMERA LENS (17A), WET PAINT (31A), an ELECTRIC FENCE (38A), a LIMBO BAR (44A) and anything at a CRIME SCENE (60A).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

Alana Platt makes her New York Times debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — I trust that many of you, being puzzle lovers, have already stumbled upon a New York Times game called Strands. It’s a word search gone rogue that relies on wordplay for its themes. The current version is still a beta, but I mention it here because the impish spirit that makes its puzzles so much fun is present in spades in today’s crossword, constructed by Alana Platt.Ms. Platt’s theme entries, much like the hidden phrases in a word search puzzle, aren’t easy to see. Even after solving the revealer, I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at. But after my “aha!” moment, I bounced around the grid again just to enjoy the cleverness of the finished product. Congratulations to Ms. Platt on a dynamic debut. I hope to see more from her soon.Today’s ThemeAlthough I don’t eat any “Artfully arranged meats” (35A), this was the only themed clue that jumped out right away. The answer had to be CHARCUTERIE — though another version of this arrangement may be called a “girl dinner.” “Cousin of a pushpin” (32D) wasn’t too obscure, either: THUMBTACK.A phrase for “Helping to manage a nonprofit, say” (56A) tells us, in some witty way, “where to find” the entries above. ON THE BOARD describes where a THUMBTACK may be found — a bulletin board, anyway — and how CHARCUTERIE is presented. WOOD GRAIN (10D), the “Texture in a cross section of timber,” is found on a floorboard. And I hardly need to tell you where to find a CHESS PIECE (17A).I love that the grid is also a kind of board, which makes Ms. Platt’s revealer even more of a wink.Tricky Clues19A. How novel to have a crossword clue that reads like a riddle: “What’s black and white and wet all over?” An ORCA. Other answers that don’t fit in the grid include: photographs in a darkroom, a soggy newspaper or a nun after a water balloon fight.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

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