Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
TUESDAY PUZZLE — I’ve found that superstition — defined loosely as any belief inconsistent with the known laws of science — comes in all shapes and sizes. I can step blithely onto cracks in the sidewalk, but knock wood whenever discussing danger. The same friends who balk at astrology are wont to put their faith in spilling salt over their left shoulders. So, even if you refer to yourself as a skeptic, you might find you have at least something in common with today’s crossword.
Don’t believe me? I suppose my proof will be in the putting … of pen to paper. Let’s demystify this wonderful debut puzzle by Matthew Linzer.
Today’s Theme
The revealer at 17-Across counsels us on “What to do when [we] see” the entries that make up today’s theme set at 23-, 37-, 39-, 48- and 60-Across. We’ve little hope of deciphering it without more context, so we might as well have a hand at cracking a few of the other theme entries first (which, I’ll be honest, required more than a few crossings to do).
23-Across is described as “this streaker in the night.” No, it’s not a reason to call your local 311 number — it’s a SHOOTING STAR. At 37-Across, “this stray bit on your face” seems specific enough to guess at: an EYELASH.
Now we can deduce our task from the revealer. These are things we tend to MAKE A WISH on, along with other novel occurrences like seeing a LADYBUG “crawling by” (39A) or ELEVEN-ELEVEN “on a clock” (48A).
Reveal the final themed entry below, if you’re huffing and puffing at it to no end:
Tricky Clues
35A. At first, I had no idea what to make of “Rows #13-#16 in a theater” — do they have some kind of specific section name, like the nosebleeds? Once my crossings helped me out, I saw what I was meant to see: M-N-O-P are the 13th-16th letters of the alphabet, and would thus represent those lettered rows in a theater. (Yes, many theaters have a few AAs and BBs up front; let’s not make a scene about it.)
44A. Today’s crossword is chock-full of names, which may daunt most solvers even as it thrills select trivia buffs. I’ve chosen to share one whose name stood out to me because of our shared nationality: ELISHA “Cuthbert of TV’s ‘24’” is a fellow Canadian.
2D. You might have made the same faulty association that I did here, assuming that “Fail, with out” was related to academics and should solve to “drop.” This kind of failure, though, refers to an appliance or physical item, which CRAPs out.
25D. The fact that “I like that a LOT!” solves to a three-voweled OOOH has woken the resident crossword curmudgeon who lives in my head, and whose purpose is to complain about the slippery slope of vowels in “ooh” and “aah\” entries.
29D. At the discovery of the entry for this “Little laugh,” I let out a rather large one: a guffaw, in exchange for a TEEHEE.
35D. A crossword clue that has an oddly specific choice of words and ends with a question mark? Cue the pun, please. “Things that might have kids going off on a tangent?” are MATH EXAMS.
42D. As a longtime subway commuter, this “Car expense that’s often reimbursable” was Greek to me. Now I know: Employers often cover a portion of the MILEAGE spent commuting.
Constructor Notes
Originally from Takoma Park, Md., I’ve lived in San Francisco for 18 years. The first portion of my life was spent as a professional ballet/contemporary dancer. I now work as a designer and creative in many disciplines such as art direction, graphic design, scenic and prop building, costuming, art — and now, puzzle making. My grandmother Sylvia was my first introduction to the New York Times Crossword, which she would complete every day in pen. As a kid, I would sit at her kitchen table and help her with the more modern clues; she would educate me on all the silent movie stars. I dedicate this puzzle to her.
The puzzle’s inspiration came from a song called “Butterfly Blue,” off the 2022 debut album of that name by Mallrat. (The album happens to be one of my favorites of last year — give it a listen!) After I had submitted numerous puzzles, this one was selected. How appropriate that I’ve always wished to have a puzzle published in The Times. Thanks to the puzzle editors for all their help, to my dad for editing and to my partner Beaux and our dogs, Beamer and Nova, for their continued love and support. Follow me at @mattlinzer.
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