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Dan Caprera wants us to mind our own business. Are we going to take that from him?Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — The following is a public service announcement for those of you who are just starting to solve Thursday puzzles: Today’s crossword is not broken. It’s supposed to be like that.I know that some of the words don’t match their clues, and that some solvers will not expect to see this sort of theme in a crossword. I’m being deliberately vague so as not to spoil things for readers who are still solving, but all will be revealed in the theme discussion section.Before we do that, however, let’s all extend our hands in friendship and camaraderie to Dan Caprera, today’s constructor. He seems to be a bit cranky, which is an unsolicited opinion I’ve formed based solely on the revealer in his puzzle.Seriously, Mr. Caprera, we like your crossword. No need to push us away. Sure, we need to think outside the box for it, but, in the end, we are not a bunch of bums. We have the chops to solve whatever you throw at us. And if some solvers need help, someone will be there to help them. Hence the Wordplay motto: “No solver left behind.”Today’s ThemeCrosswords where letters escape the boundaries of the grid are rare, but they appear approximately once a year, according to Ian Livengood, a puzzle editor. That’s what we are dealing with today and why some of the answers in Mr. Caprera’s puzzle don’t seem to make sense.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

Tom McCoy makes a few corrections.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — I have been to the city at the center of today’s crossword theme only once, roughly four years ago, but it has had my heart since then. There’s just something about it — and there’s something about today’s crossword, too. Tom McCoy’s puzzle is both clever and subtle. The clues are charming even in their occasional silliness. It’s exceptionally buoyant but has just the right amount of Wednesday bite.It will no doubt appeal to denizens of the city, but I think there’s something in this puzzle for you all — or yinz, as their regional dialect goes.Today’s ThemeThis one takes some thinking, so let’s walk through it slowly. The revealer at 62A hints at a certain [City that had the final letter of its name removed in 1891, only to be restored in 1911]. This reversal seems to align with the way that the themed clues are written: The first part of the clue is crossed out and rewritten, then crossed out again, and restored to its original. (I’ve put the crossed-out parts of the clues in bold for easy reference.)16A’s [Nonviolent protest A farewell to artist Chagall? Nonviolent protest] solves to PEACE MARCH, which fits with protest but not with Chagall. 30A’s [Endure Display some humorous posters? Endure] solves to PUT UP WITH. This definitely works with “endure,” but not so much with displaying posters. What gives?The answer to 62A is PITTSBURGH, which means that the letter H was removed and restored. If we do the same to our themed entries, we discover why their clues are written the way they are: Without the letter H, 16A would read PEACE MARC — a cute farewell to the artist Marc Chagall. At 30A, the entry would read PUT UP WIT, as in display humorous posters.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

The air is sweet in Enrique Henestroza Anguiano’s crossword.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — Some puns roll right off the tongue, light as air and witty as anything. Others feel so heavy-handed and strained that you almost resent yourself for understanding them. Today’s carnival-themed crossword, constructed by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano, walks the tightrope between these two extremes. The wordplay that solves the puzzle is certainly silly — I might even call it pure fluff — but the grid is well worth the groan.Today’s ThemeThe circled letters represent a certain [Carnival confection … or, when re-parsed, a hint to what appears three times in this puzzle]. We’ve got to solve a few regular clues in order to fill those letters in (emphasized in bold here). 18A’s [Orange-colored fruit pastry] is an APRICOT TART, and a [Mistake in logical reasoning] at 21A is called a FALLACY. Solve another pair of stacked clues, like 49A and 52A, and you’ll see that the pattern repeats itself. A [Dairy product with curds] is COTTAGE CHEESE and [Looks that might send a chill down one’s spine] are ICY STARES.What could these strange little cones of COTT/CY mean? Get this: The carnival confection at 62A is COTTON CANDY. When re-parsed, it explains how the letters C-O-T-T can be found ON top of the letters C AND Y.I prefer to call this treat “candy floss” because the second part of the term reads as a dentist’s caveat for the first.Tricky Clues58A. Since when is a [Disposable coaster at a bar] not called a coaster? Today I’m learning that it can also be called a BEER MAT. I’ve heard of a bar mat. Are we sure we’re not talking about that?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

Wishing you all a very happy Robyn Weintraub Friday!Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — It would be easy to assume that today’s column is about physics based on the headline alone, but it isn’t. I just admired the clue for 24D. I think you will, too.A great clue-answer pairing isn’t totally unexpected, of course. This is a Robyn Weintraub puzzle, and while I try not to play favorites with the constructors, I think we can all agree that she makes some of the zingiest crosswords in the community. Look at the lively phrases with which Ms. Weintraub has salted her grid — I liked 14A, 17A, 25A, 40A, 51A, 55A, 6D, 24D, 11D and 27D.Try not to race through this one. Savor the entries by saying them out loud. Stop to admire the wordplay-packed cluing. I promise that you will enjoy the experience that much more if you really look at the grid you’re solving.Tricky Clues14A. The answer to the clue [Gatsby or Hamlet] is TRAGIC HERO. I’m unsure whether Jay Gatsby and Hamlet are really heroes, given their moral ambiguity, but they certainly are tragic.17A. For [Sides of circles?], I employed my well-known “stare at the grid until the penny drops” method of solving. I mulled over the meanings of the word “sides” until I realized that Ms. Weintraub was referring to side dishes, and that the circles were ONION RINGS.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 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