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Nathan Hale’s puzzle is fully loaded with fun.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — When it comes to crossword themes, every part of a puzzle grid is fair game. Black squares and borders can serve as visual representations of concepts, like language “barriers” and state lines. They can even be arranged to represent architectural wonders.In today’s crossword, Nathan Hale is especially 9-Down in his use of black squares to represent a themed phrase, timed to (nearly) coincide with a certain American sport’s opening day. Let’s root, root, root for the answers together, shall we?Today’s Theme“Waiter, there’s a hyphen in my clue!” Don’t send back the puzzle — this just means that the clues’ entries are part of a longer phrase that begins in a separate place. I’ll give you an example: At 19A, the clue reads [“I’ve done this before”]. To the right, 20-Across is just [-]. The phrase that solves 19A extends through 20A: NOT MY FIRST RODEO. Hang on, you may be thinking. I don’t see the word FIRST in the grid. That’s because it’s represented by the black square between 19A and 20A.Repeat the exercise at 25A, and you’ll find that [Not so sure about a wedding, say] solves across the [-] at 27A to HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS. Once again, the word SECOND seems to be missing, replaced by a single black square.This is where the revealer clue comes in handy: To [Take care of everything] is to COVER ALL THE BASES (40A) — which is exactly what four squares in this puzzle do. Now that we’ve identified first and second bases, you should have an easy time determining the remaining phrases: One uses the word “third,” and the last uses the word “home.”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

Bob Benson makes his New York Times Crossword debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — In 2021, AMC released a melodramatic ad to encourage people to return to movie theaters. Nicole Kidman starred in the ad, and she has yet to outlive the jokes about her opening line: “We come to this place for magic.”Whether or not you seek magic in movies, you may be enchanted by today’s crossword, constructed by Bob Benson in his New York Times debut, which plays cleverly on certain film titles. As I invite you to solve it, I’d like to paraphrase Ms. Kidman: Shall we go somewhere we’ve never been before, to be not just entertained but somehow reborn, together?Today’s ThemeWhen you can’t find a revealer clue — which usually describes the puzzle itself — it means that the theme is somewhat plain to discern. In this grid, the pattern is made up of movie descriptions that double as common expressions. You might refer to [“The Lego Movie”?] (17A), for instance, as a PLASTIC FILM, while [“Star Trek”?] (23A) is a SPACE PROGRAM.I won’t spoil the fun by giving away the full answers, but here’s a hint if you’re stuck: Each entry uses a word that can also serve as a synonym for “movie” or “TV 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

Victor Schmitt makes his New York Times Crossword debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — Geography has never been my strong suit. In fact, there are few things more terrifying to me than being asked to identify a country by its shape. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to be able to solve today’s crossword, constructed by Victor Schmitt in his New York Times debut, which takes us around the world in 225 squares (or in however many minutes it takes you to solve it).Now, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my travels to countries whose shapes I cannot identify, it’s to never be shy about asking for directions. So if you’re still stuck on the crossword after reading today’s column, ask away! I’m giving you the, ahem, latitude to do so.Today’s Theme[Here, there and everywhere], as a figure of speech, is ALL OVER THE MAP (57A). In today’s puzzle, the expression also hints at the fact that the ends of 20-, 33- and 41-Across are elements of a physical map. [Something you might step on before or after a shower], for instance, is a BATHROOM SCALE (20A). A [Set of ethical standards] can be referred to as a MORAL COMPASS (33A). And you might call a [Person who has reached near-mythical status] a LIVING LEGEND (41A).Once I cracked the final entry, a phrase that ETTA (36A) James is known for came to mind: “At laaaaas(t) … ”Tricky Clues13A. If the question mark at the end of [Major or Minor in astronomy?] didn’t tip you off, then the choice to capitalize “Major” and “Minor” should have: URSA Major and Minor are constellations.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

Boaz Moser and Jacob Reed’s puzzle adds some zip to our Friday.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — Some crossword constructors try to limit the number of black squares they use in order to make room for those long, exciting entries that delight and surprise us when we solve them. I don’t know about you, but I smiled when I filled in 2D and 10D, both 15-letter grid spanners. The rest of the fill was very lively as well.Boaz Moser and Jacob Reed collaborated on today’s puzzle, and they make a good team. Mr. Moser constructed the grid and Mr. Reed wrote the original clues, although many were changed by the puzzle editors, as he mentions in his constructor notes. That’s a very common occurrence, and I think the larger collaboration between the constructor and the editors makes for a very nice way to open our solving weekend.Tricky Clues21A. A gratuity, or TIP, is generally not expected in Japan in the same way it is for servers in the United States.23A. When baseball coaches say [It’s a short walk from home], they are referring to FIRST BASE.43A. I wasn’t sure what MO-CAP stood for when I used the crossings to fill in MO-CAP SUIT as the answer to [Attire often used in filming C.G.I. scenes, informally]. It is a shorthand way of referring to a motion capture suit, which looks like this.47/48A. The liquid droplets called ICE RAIN and its cousin, sleet, reach the Earth in the same way: They both fall through a layer of warm air into a layer of freezing air that hugs the ground. If that freezing layer is thick, the droplets have time to freeze before impact and are called sleet. If it is thin, the droplets do not have time to freeze and become ICE RAIN.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

You won’t know which way you’re going with Daniel Grinberg’s puzzle.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — All I can say is, “Wow.” Normally, I don’t appreciate someone who pushes personal boundaries, but, by all means, please push crossword construction boundaries. And that’s exactly what Daniel Grinberg, the constructor of today’s puzzle, has done. This is a very elegant execution inside a 15×15 grid, a seemingly impossible feat to pull off without sacrificing much of the fill.On most Thursdays, the constructors and editors can let their collective hair down after a few days of relatively straightforward puzzles and present crosswords that make us use our lateral thinking skills. Lateral thinking is a form of creative problem solving and, when applied to puzzle solving, is best demonstrated when we ask ourselves, “What else could this clue or entry mean?”This is Mr. Grinberg’s eighth crossword in The New York Times, and he really impressed me with this one. I’ll wait until the theme section to spill the beans, but a word of advice: Once you’ve solved this puzzle, go back and look at it again. There’s more to it than is apparent.Today’s ThemeI’m going to discuss Mr. Grinberg’s theme, but first a story.Once upon a time (i.e., after 1993, when Will Shortz became editor of the Times Crossword), there were maybe two Schrödinger puzzles in The Times’s archive. In a Schrödinger puzzle, each theme entry can have two possible correct answers in the same slot that differ by one or more letters, and the crossing answers work with either entry. They were difficult to make, so not many constructors bothered with them.On Nov. 5, 1996, Jeremiah Farrell had a puzzle published that somehow magically predicted who would win the United States presidential election, but the puzzle would be correct no matter who won. And everyone who had solved the puzzle collectively lost their minds.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

Evan Park and Jeffrey Martinovic connect with us on the astral plane.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — I go back and forth on my feelings about outer space. On the one hand, there is the terrifying unknown of what lies beyond our solar system, the infinite vastness of which makes me feel about as significant as a dust mote. On the other hand, planets are neat.Today’s New York Times Crossword, constructed by Evan Park and Jeffrey Martinovic, tipped the scales a little further in favor of the cosmos. The grid features a witty visual representation of a certain celestial event. It was tricky to identify, but all the more satisfying once I’d done so.Today’s ThemeStarting a crossword puzzle in the top-left corner is generally a decent solving strategy. But in this puzzle, that quadrant contains the most frustrating parts of the theme.We begin with a tricky rebus square at the intersection of 16A and 3D: A [Place to take a break] should be a REST AREA, and [Skills of the past] would normally be LOST ARTS. But we don’t have enough spaces for either of these entries unless we extract and condense the word STAR to the confines of that rebus square. (Here’s a quick how-to on entering more than one letter in a square.)So the cluster of four circled squares at 23-/27A and 5-/21D should contain similar rebuses, right? Wrong. They’re just plain circles, spelling S-T-A-R. But this inconsistency isn’t an oversight — it’s the beginning of a [Chewy fruit-flavored candy … or a description of what’s depicted visually in this puzzle]: STARBURST (10D).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

Larry Snyder and Jonathan Kaufman make their collaboration debut.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — There’s wordplay inherent in the French expression “faux pas,” which came to mind as I cracked the theme of today’s crossword puzzle. Indulge me in a brief digression: Faux pas translates to “false step,” and usually refers to behavior that violates social etiquette — as in, it’s something you shouldn’t do. I often think about how it would have the same figurative meaning if it were spelled “faut pas,” which translates to “should not (do).” Don’t you think that’s neat? I do. And I can’t think of an idiom in English that does this kind of homophonic double duty. (If you have one to share, I’d love to hear it in the comments section!)You’ll find nothing gauche about today’s puzzle, which was constructed by Larry Snyder and Jonathan Kaufman in their collaboration debut. It’s a fun and flawless solve — and for a Tuesday, I’d say it really fits the bill.Today’s ThemeSo, technically, [Knocking over someone’s drink, e.g.] would be referred to as a PARTY FOUL. But it’s party fowl you’ll find flapping around today’s grid at 17-, 27-, 39- and 54-Across. There’s a DISCO DUCK (17A), clued as [1976 #1 novelty song by Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots]. Not far away, you can nab a SILLY GOOSE (27A) — [“You goofball!”] — and just below that, spy the [Dance fad of the 1970s]: FUNKY CHICKEN (39A).Can’t “quack” the last clue on your own? Click to reveal it below.54A. [Bourbon brand whose name originated from a hunting expedition]WILD TURKEYTricky Clues34A. “Perhaps” is a loaded word in crossword clues. It’s not an indication of wordplay, but it tells us not to trust our first instincts. So [First-year college student’s assignment, perhaps] is not, as it may seem at first, a homework assignment but a DORM.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

Kathy Lowden gives her all.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesMONDAY PUZZLE — If I ever wake up in a funk, I can trust a crossword puzzle by Kathy Lowden to pull me out of it. I’ve had the pleasure of writing about two of Ms. Lowden’s recent puzzles, both of which were so blithely whimsical that I hardly knew what to do with myself after I’d solved them. Dozens of cousins! Flip-flop flaps! I was left smiling ear to ear.This crossword theme is more observational than experimental in its humor. It’s a timely nod to a certain group that’s honored each March.Today’s ThemeI sensed we were in wordplay territory after solving [Emmy-winning actress for “Hacks”] to JEAN SMART (17A): If a name contains a common noun, it’s likely that the theme is going to use it to some witty effect. And indeed, a pattern emerged shortly thereafter: The [Only person in the arts ever to be named Time’s Person of the Year] is TAYLOR SWIFT (24A), and the actress who [played Serena on “Gossip Girl”] is BLAKE LIVELY (49A). Smart, swift, lively … what might all of these complimentary (and possibly complementary) adjectives mean?The revealer tells us that a certain [Slogan that celebrates a young woman’s confidence and independence] doubles as a hint to the above entries. That phrase is GIRL POWER, which plays on how the last names of the women in those entries express powerful traits.There’s one more name to solve, split between 40- and 41A. If you don’t think you have the power to get it on your own, you may click to reveal the answer below. (But I believe in you!)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