Jump to: Tricky Clues
FRIDAY PUZZLE — Ernest Lim, a research chemist living in Singapore, makes his debut with an interesting grid: He crosses four lively, 14-letter entries in a basket-weave formation, which is not easy to do while filling the rest of the puzzle well, too. Kudos to you, Mr. Lim.
Another thing I liked, besides seeing the debut of a new voice, was that when Mr. Lim’s initial submissions were not accepted, he turned to published constructors for help, as he mentioned in his notes below. We talk a lot about community here, but we’re usually referring to other solvers. There is a tight circle of puzzle makers as well, and they give their time generously to help newbies learn the art of crossword construction. And those newbies, as Mr. Lim admits below, are generally solvers who have worked enough puzzles to say to themselves, I wonder if I could do that.
If that sounds like you, I highly recommend giving puzzle making a try. It’s a steep learning curve, which is why you want published constructors in your corner, but you may find that constructing is just as addictive as solving. And one day you may be able to say to friends and family, “Look, that’s my byline in !”
Making puzzles does require tools. Here is a list of sites where you can find other constructors, software, online dictionaries and publications with open submission guidelines that can get you started.
Then, once you’ve got the hang of it and start submitting puzzles, come back here and read what Sam Corbin, Caitlin Lovinger and I have to say about your work. We promise we won’t be too hard on you.
Tricky Clues
18A. There are three countries that are [Straddled by Mount Dolent], and the one in this puzzle is ITALY. The other two are France and Switzerland.
49A. The [Development sites?] in this clue have nothing to do with construction. They have to do with human development, and the answer is UTERI.
50A. ROSA PARKS, the civil rights activist, was much more than someone who refused to relinquish her seat to a white person on a Montgomery, Ala., bus. She worked with other civil rights leaders — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. among them — and the N.A.A.C.P. to organize and lead other acts of resistance. She is quoted in this clue as having said, [“From the time I was a child, I tried to protest against disrespectful treatment”].
9D. The commentary on a painting by René Magritte called “The Treachery of Images” reads “Ceci n’est pas une pipe.” I thought for sure that the English translation, THIS IS NOT A PIPE (9D), was going to be a debut, but according to XWordinfo.com, an online crossword database, it was used once in a diagramless crossword by David Steinberg. This is, however, the phrase’s first appearance in a daily Times crossword.
10D. When you see the word “again” in a clue, it may be worthwhile to drop in the prefix “re,” even if you’re not sure of the rest of the word. Also, the use of the word “tone” in [Change one’s tone again?] is ambiguous: Does it hint at color or voice? In this puzzle, the answer is RETINT.
12D. If [Sub stations?] were referring to stations underground or in a submarine, the clue would be one word. Since this one is two words, the answer has to do with submarine — or sub — sandwiches: DELIS.
36D. Don’t stress about the fractions, as I did (momentarily). [One paying half for quarters, say] refers to living quarters, and the answer is COTENANT.
46D. My first instinct after reading the clue [Art accessory rarely used by Jackson Pollock] was to write in “brush,” but then I remembered that Pollock did use a brush to splatter his paint, but with the canvas lying on the floor. The answer is EASEL.
Constructor Notes
Greetings from sunny Singapore! I’ve been doing the New York Times Crossword since 2020 as a break during work (don’t tell my boss) and have slowly graduated from solving Mondays with Auto Check on to completing all the days with some look-ups. I started constructing at the beginning of last year. It’s been a bit of a bucket-list item to give back to the outlet that has provided quite a lot of entertainment, especially during the isolation periods of the pandemic.
I’m glad to say that after a few themed rejections, my first themeless submission has somehow pleased the powers that be enough to be published. Seeing my name on the byline still feels a bit surreal. I’d like to give a big shout-out to the Crosscord Discord for the constructive criticism during the construction phase.
The seed for this puzzle was 9D. Entries with 14 letters feel a bit underrepresented in crosswords, as they’re not as flashy as spanners, and yet there are so many fun ones out there. So, I decided to go with a shape that ambitiously crossed four 14-letter entries.
I faced some challenges while cluing with a primarily American audience in mind, as I’m not very familiar with most of the sports or cultural references that are oh-so-common in The Times. (By the way, this is also an extra challenge as a solver.) The editing team was very helpful with its suggestions and refinements overall, even though a favorite clue of mine that didn’t make the cut was [Contract agreement?] for 39D.
I hope the final result was fun for you all. I’ll continue constructing in my free time and hopefully I’ll get another chance to appear on some other days!
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