Saturday Puzzle — Hey, it’s Saturday and we all know you’re going to have to wrestle with crosswords for a while, but this one definitely ends with shaking your hand or taking you out to lunch. It will be. It’s very friendly. This is the first Times collaboration between two construction veterans, Christina Iverson (now puzzle editor here) and Doug Peterson (who previously created 55 puzzles for us) .
What confused me? Mainly a ton of misdirection in the top half of the grid and some unfamiliar trivia. But what struck me was the wide range of pop culture references, none of which were boring or dull, and some seriously goofy puns included. .
tricky clues
15A. This clue “geographical inspiration for Strauss” is specific enough to imagine the lineage of “An der schönen blauen Donau” Op. 4. 314, better known as the Blue Danube. It becomes pleasant solution music. My only problem was that his 4D thought the “long part of the bouzouki” was the “nose” and not the neck. lute with hunting dog.
34A. This is Puzzle’s featured entry and (of course) its debut. “Drag Queen Bianca Del Rio’s Declaration of Rebellion” first appeared on NOT TODAY SATAN, “rupaul’s drag race”
14D. On Saturday, when a strange word comes to mind from a clue, I choose it. Therefore, I chose chamois leather, which I wrote about with confidence, as my car wash product. Instead, we use the less exotic WET RAGS.
36A/38A. This is a classic highbrow Saturday combination. 36A, “the bulk of the British forces at Agincourt” battle in the hundred years war It was fought between French troops armed with swords and far fewer British archers. Immediately below this entry is his 38A: “The Noisy Goddess of the Hunt from Homer’s Iliad.” This comes down to Artemis, who is also the Greek goddess of archery. Often depicted holding a bow and arrow.
26D. “What You Might Hear Before the Collapse” is interesting. It reminded me of a police sting operation. “Hands up!” — it didn’t fit. Then the stock market crashed. This reference actually refers to casinos and is the last thing a gambler might say before losing everything: “Hit me.”
31D. Sorry to be flattering, but this is a great entry. The grainy “boot licker’s specialty” is “KOWTOWING”, which is a loanword from Chinese.bump your head”, like when you say it under your breath.
36D. Holy deja vu, Batman: This entry marks his third time appearing on Saturday in recent years. I was still confused by the phrase “pillar of the superhero community.” It sounds like a person, but it was actually a bat pole (there are two different sizes).
Constructor notes
Christina: Doug and I previously worked together on the Los Angeles Times Crossword. There, I was an associate editor with Patti Varol, and he was (and still is) the fact checker. I now work at the New York Times, and I still send regular emails about crosswords and Duolingo quests.
We have created several puzzles together in other mediums, but this is our first time collaborating on the Times. We debated which seed entry to use and considered EMBIGGENS or NOT TODAY SATAN. Then I said, “I don’t get it, why not both?” So I ended up using all three 🙂 This puzzle is the only one I’ve ever created. I completed it faster than a non-themed puzzle.
Would you like to submit your crossword to the New York Times?
The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system that allows you to submit your puzzles online.
Read our How to Make Crossword Puzzles series for tips on how to get started.
Can’t confirm?
Subscribers can: Take a look at the answer key.
Want to go back to the puzzle page? Here.
What did you think?