Jump to: Today’s theme | tricky clues
Thursday Puzzle — Some people enjoy the unique aspects of Thursday’s New York Times Crossword, while others don’t. I definitely fall into the first category.
Solvers who fall into the second category, those who are frustrated by Thursday’s puzzles, can be further divided into two categories. Someone who wants their puzzle to be a grid of simply crossing words like they do the rest of the week. People who need help understanding a subject, but feel like the chain is being pulled because the answer is not what they expected.
I would like to speak to the last group, the solvers who felt they were taken advantage of because the type of puzzle theme was something they had never seen before.
The good news is that the puzzle editor want You will be able to solve puzzles. A lot of work goes into solving each puzzle fairly, even if it’s not easy. (Seriously. I’ve seen them actually sweat.)
The real problem, readers have told me over the years, is that they never know when to expect difficult subject matter and wish the puzzles included some sort of warning or hint. The problem is that this defeats the whole purpose of solving puzzles, which is to enjoy the satisfaction of figuring things out on your own. And for those with more experience, it can ruin the fun.
The key to enjoying tricky puzzles is learning to expect everything from the constructor. You can hardly think about anything other than the laws of physics. (Still. A story that breaks the fourth wall. the answer is here. )
Below is some advice to help you become better at predicting tricks at crosswords.
Generally, on Thursday you will see rebuses and other strange readings. Sometimes you’ll come across these things in Sunday’s puzzles. I’ve seen Rebus on Wednesday once or twice, but that’s very rare.
An answer that doesn’t fit the box or just doesn’t make sense is reason enough to believe that something is going on. It’s a signal that tells your brain to stop, take a deep breath, and proceed with caution. When you return to the puzzle, you may see things you didn’t notice before, so take a break if you need to.
With practice, your predictive ability will improve. We know that when you hear the word “practice” it brings back memories of your childhood piano lessons, but there’s no way around it. The more puzzles you solve, the better you get at finding tricks.
The last point is very important. It may seem almost impossible to understand what is happening today. But if you make it a habit to at least try the puzzle every Thursday, you might find a pattern that helps. And in time, you might find, like me, that Thursdays have become your favorite resolution day.
Today’s theme
Freddie Cheng’s theme can definitely be said to be difficult. This is because the answers you have to fill in are not complete. Your job, if you choose to accept it, is to find the remaining answers. And it’s not as far away as you think.
The answer to 47D’s Reveal Clue (“’The fog is the least!’…or the first two letters, when placed last, is an important part of the seven answers to this puzzle)” is not a clue .
When I started solving Mr. Chen’s puzzle, I was confused because I thought maybe I needed to put the first two letters of the theme answer at the end, but what the old switcheroo needs is the revealer. So the revealer is actually: CLUE NO.
Did you understand that? NO is now an abbreviation for “number”. You need to check the clue numbers to find the beginning of the answer for each theme.
For example, in 30D, the answer we need to write to “NBC Comedy Series Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin” is Rock, but those of us who watched the comedy know there’s more to it than that. Masu. This show was actually called “30 ROCK,” and—oh, wait, look at that! Mr. Chen deftly put his answer into the slot with the number 30 in it.
So, here’s how to read the answers for these subjects:[clue no.] +Entry. ”
Let’s do one more thing. In 39D, the clue reads “1935 Hitchcock’s Thriller, ‘The'” and the written answer is STEPS. Mr. Hitchcock’s film was called “The 39 STEPS” instead of “The STEPS.”
It was difficult, but not impossible, right? If so, instead of getting angry at yourself or the puzzle editor, try to think of a way to solve Thursday. The first step is to start, and then just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Come here to find help when you need it. You don’t have to worry about how other people are solving it. You are doing this for yourself, not anyone else.
You have this.
tricky clues
1A. “November Believers” is OSCAR, not December, because this clue references the NATO alphabet. If you want to learn more about why people used their own words and adapted the alphabet to suit their needs, check out this article by Sam Corbin.
26A. Dennis Rodman, former NBA star and “lifelong friend” of Kim Jong Un, was a “self-appointed peace ambassador” to North Korea.
44A. “Winter Autumn” is SNOW, as in SNOWfall.
50A. In the UK, potato chips are called “CRISPS”.
58A. The canine in the clue “canine location” is a tooth, not a dog. JAW has canine teeth.
36D. “A ‘me’ problem?” It’s not a visual problem. It’s just a homophone clue (eyes vs. me) and the answer is Freud’s ego.
Constructor notes
Of the many (too) weird and (too) quirky Thursdays I’ve posted so far, this one is by far the easiest to do because you can technically solve the entire puzzle without noticing the gimmick. can. The New York Times crossword team was half-considering it Wednesday. Thankfully, it’s been published today so we can finally “start the cycle.” (Wish list!)
In previous Thursday puzzles, builders have tried just about everything they can get their hands on, from what goes into the white/black squares, to the spaces outside the grid, and of course, the clues themselves. Ta. Why not play around with the clue numbers?
Following the clue numbering format, we restricted theme entries to Arabic numerals only. The construction required a lot of trial and error, taking into account the need for symmetry, as the moving black squares affect the numbering order. I wanted to limit the theme rectangle to only one Arabic numeral per entry, but in the end it wasn’t worth the sacrifice for more flexibility.
Kudos to the puzzle editing team for tips 43A and 63A.
Builder’s diary: Submitted and accepted from May to August 2022.
Don’t Fear Friday: About the Easy Mode Newsletter
Puzzle editor Christina Iverson will send weekly Friday crosswords with more accessible clues to your inbox when you sign up for the Easy Mode newsletter. This little bonus is for those of you who want to try out Friday’s Puzzle but have heard a lot about how difficult it is.
See the difference between normal mode and easy mode clues below. The link is a small sample of Friday’s puzzle clues. Click on them and you’ll see the version that runs on regular puzzles and the easy version.
(Warning: The following contains spoilers for Friday’s Puzzle.)