Games

Billy Bratton opens our solving weekend.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — We’ve talked about crossword stacks in the past, and how constructors must make sure that the entries crossing these stacks are interesting fill as well. If you try to stack entries as a newer constructor, there is a chance that you will run into issues as you build out the rest of the puzzle around the stack. You may find yourself resorting to less than desirable fill, such as obscure acronyms or crosswordese. If you are not sure what crosswordese is, you can learn more about these words by taking our quiz.Billy Bratton, who constructed today’s puzzle, has mastered the fine art of stackery. His 10-letter stacks in the northwestern and the southeastern parts of the grid are lively reading across, and their crossings aren’t plagued by obscure and dull fill. (I allow for one or two whiffed entries. I’m not a monster.) The same goes for the stair-step stacks in the southwest and northeast.I learned a bit from Mr. Bratton’s puzzle, too, which is always a good thing. More on that in the Tricky Clues section.Tricky Clues15A. The clue [Musician’s pitch?] sounds as if it refers to how well a musician hits the notes, but this is about a marketing pitch. Musicians who are looking for work in advertising and television pitch their work via DEMO tapes. Up-and-coming artists post their work on social media and send out DEMOs. Source: My ex-husband, who is in the music industry.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

Choose your battles carefully while solving Grant Boroughs’s puzzle.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — Grant Boroughs has had two very entertaining crosswords published in The New York Times, but today’s puzzle, his third, might just put him on the map of constructors to keep an eye on.Not many constructors attempt this type of puzzle, which is sad, because I happen to enjoy them — and the whole New York Times Games enterprise is about entertaining me specifically, right?Even if the creation of our games is not all about me (I maintain that it is), crosswords with this sort of theme are rare because of how difficult they are to put together. And if a constructor manages to tie this theme into a clever revealer, as Mr. Boroughs does, the result is even more elegant.Today’s ThemeHave you ever solved a Schrödinger puzzle? If you are relatively new to solving, it’s possible that you may not have encountered one before.A Schrödinger puzzle — named after Dr. Erwin Schrödinger and his famous thought experiment about a cat — is one where certain squares accept more than one letter, and using either letter is considered correct. That means a Schrödinger puzzle accepts both versions of a changeable entry, even though there is only a single clue.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

Jeffrey Lease is struck by inspiration.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesWEDNESDAY PUZZLE — Crossword themes often play on patterns in the English language. Desirée Penner and Jeff Sinnock’s Monday grid, for instance, pointed out that the word “time” could be applied to each word of two-word phrases: “slot machine” became “time slot” and “time machine,” and so on. Themes that hinge on visual or symbolic patterns rather than on verbal ones are far rarer — a reason I think that Jeffrey Lease has accomplished something special in today’s puzzle.Mr. Lease offers us a few ways to appreciate the symbol at the heart of his theme. He combines straightforward themed entries with a revealer that doubles as instructions for a quick game of connect the dots, which then reveals the symbol’s shape traced throughout the entries. The result of this combination is nothing short of electrifying.Today’s ThemeEven without corroboration from our as-yet unknown revealer, we can safely assume that the [Character with a 37-Across on his forehead] must be HARRY POTTER (56A). What other characters are known for having something on their foreheads? Charles Manson, maybe, but a) He’s not a fictional character and b) I’d prefer not to see him in my morning crossword, thank you. In any case, this points us to the likeliest solution for 37-Across: LIGHTNING BOLT.That symbol is, indeed, associated with the CAMERA FLASH [Photography option] (18A), the Los Angeles CHARGERS [N.F.L. team] (23A) and GATORADE (50A). An added flourish: A LIGHTNING BOLT is [formed by connecting this puzzle’s circled letters from A to F and then back to A]. It also appears for digital users as an overlay that follows the completion screen.Tricky Clues4A/22A. We refer to [Self-assurance] as APLOMB because the French expression from which the word derives means balanced and upright. Does this mean that one who lacks this quality will appear [Like Igor’s posture] HUNCHED?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

Justin Werfel edges toward the endgame.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTUESDAY PUZZLE — I know I talk a big game about my disapproval of puns — a result of having spent too many years in the competitive punning circuit, which is a real thing. But deep down, I’m still a sucker for good ones. The witty revealer of today’s crossword, constructed by Justin Werfel, actually made me laugh out loud. (I did not laugh at any of the regular entries’ puns, mind you. I have standards.)Speaking of big game, did you come across any while hunting for this puzzle’s theme? I certainly did. And I admit that, even as a staunch vegan, it was impossible to turn up my nose at Mr. Werfel’s carnivorous punchline.Today’s ThemeYou can’t make a theme-let without cracking a few puns. Is that something? I mean that you should prepare to groan through a few entries before getting to the gimmick in today’s grid.[“Beware of this sausage!”?] solves to FEAR THE WURST (17A). If you describe something as being [Like unshorn wool?], you might say it’s still ON THE LAMB (31A). To [Breed beef cattle?] is to RAISE THE STEAKS (38A). You may be losing hope that this puzzle is going anywhere, but at 62A, there’s a [Summary of the phonetic puns 17-, 31-, 38- and 45-Across?] that makes the whole thing worthwhile.The summary is MAKE ENDS MEAT because each of Mr. Werfel’s jokes ends with a kind of meat. WURST, LAMB, STEAKS. If you’re too full of puns to try the final themed entry, you can reveal it below. Get it? Re-veal? I resent myself for that 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

John Kugelman makes the grade.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesSUNDAY PUZZLE — The New York Times Crossword gets harder every day of the week through Saturday. On Sundays, though, we face off against a giant 21×21 grid that’s roughly on par with a Wednesday in terms of difficulty.Daunting as they seem at first glance, Sunday puzzles are soft at heart, and their themes expansive. I love the sense of achievement I feel after solving a Sunday puzzle — and not just because it’s usually the only thing I accomplish between waking up and going back to sleep that day.John Kugelman, a software engineer and musician from Gainesville, Va., constructed today’s crossword, and it has something of an academic theme. The puzzle is a delightful solve in any format, but you’ll get an extra kick — bonus marks, one might say — if you nab the print edition.Today’s ThemeEach of the seven themed clues in today’s puzzle has a grammatical error (made clear by underlining, which we’ve omitted here). The entries represent a teacher’s corrections to these errors, in the form of common phrases. At 22A, for instance, we have [Mrs. B you’ll die when you hear what happened to “me” this summer.] The word “me” is underlined because it doesn’t need to be between quotation marks — and that’s exactly what the entry, DON’T QUOTE ME ON THIS, points out.Another example, at 37A: [So we’re at the convenience store and WOW I find a 5$ dollar bill on the floor]. The issue here is the formatting of “5$ dollar,” which our imagined teacher wittily addresses by saying YOUR MONEY’S NO GOOD HERE.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

Natan Last goes toe to toe with us in this challenging puzzle.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesSATURDAY PUZZLE — My memory is not what it once was. At any given moment, I am either losing my house keys, my wallet or my train of thought. So all I can say is that, as far as I can remember, today’s crossword puzzle, constructed by Natan Last, contains some of the wittiest clues I’ve ever seen. (My personal favorite is 17-Across.)The grid’s design is also satisfying as all get out. I mean, just look at that neat diagonal stack of nine-letter entries moving through its center. There’s enough open space for Saturday-level difficulty, but a few sneaky nooks in each corner that make it easy to build outward.Though a successful solo constructor, Mr. Last also regularly submits group puzzles created in a crossword class he teaches at JASA (the Jewish Association Serving the Aging). Several of them have made the cut for publication in The New York Times, so keep your eyes out for those, too.Tricky Clues17A. Tell me you didn’t gasp when you found that [Pitches low and inside?] solved to SUBWAY ADS — the ads being the pitches, and the subway a low, inside locale for them. Brilliant, no notes.30A. You’ll need a basic knowledge of boat lingo to solve this one — which, unfortunately for the landlubbers, might be said about many Times clues (you might say we’re naval-gazing). [What shells can be filled with] are CREW TEAMS. “Shell” is the term for a row crew’s notably lightweight racing boat.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

Zhouqin Burnikel opens our solving weekend.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — Zhouqin Burnikel arrived on the New York Times Crossword scene in 2012, and her smooth, lively puzzles soon earned her the nickname “queen of the early-week grids.” (That distinction is shared with fellow constructors Andrea Carla Michaels and Lynn Lempel.)The puzzles created by these three women have two things in common: They make you feel as if you could solve the puzzle from start to finish without stopping because the clues are both clear and fun. And while you are cruising through the grid, it delights you with interesting junk-free fill.Ms. Burnikel has now published 80 crosswords in The Times and has had at least one puzzle published on each day of the week. Watching her star rise has been a pleasure because she is a truly good person (not really relevant but nice to know) and I love solving her puzzles.Tricky Clues5A. The [Tablet that’s impossible to swallow?] is an IPAD.15A. [Fair sight] sounds vague unless you interpret it as “something you might see at a fair.” The answer is BOOTH.31A. Something that has its [Pluses and minuses, e.g.] has both good and bad qualities, but the addition of “e.g.” means that we are really looking for a category in which the pluses and minuses belong. They are mathematical SIGNS.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

Rena Cohen makes her New York Times Crossword debut, and that’s the truth.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — One of the benefits of writing Wordplay columns is the opportunity to get to know how certain constructors’ and editors’ brains work. Once I have worked a few crosswords by a particular constructor, I can solve fairly quickly, because it’s easy to predict where the puzzle is going: Even though the grids and themes are all different, every constructor has a recognizable voice and style. Being able to race through a puzzle with this familiarity is a great ego booster.Then a new constructor comes along and I feel like a beginner again. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I hope I maintain the ability to look at the world through a beginner’s eyes, because that state of mind is how I learn the most.Rena Cohen is a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis, and she was a member of the third Diverse Crossword Constructor Fellowship. ”She picked things up really quickly,” Christina Iverson, one of the puzzle editors who mentored Ms. Cohen, said. “She has a lot of ideas, and is clearly very passionate about puzzles.”Today’s puzzle is her debut, and I offer her kudos, because she stumped me until I entered my last answer. I thought I understood the theme until I realized that I didn’t.Therefore, I am proud to bestow upon Ms. Cohen’s puzzle the 2024 “Ohh, That’s What She Meant!” Wordplay award.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