![]() Warning: There be spoilers ahead, but subscribers can take a peek at the answer key. The Tipping PointĪlmost finished solving but need a bit more help? We’ve got you covered. So! My next submission will be a 1 x 225 (or 225 x 1?). With the new format, the fill breathed better and, as a bonus, I could make a few more fill entries complement the theme. I had not known that a nonsquare grid was even allowed, but I was happy to comply. The next set of entries was better, but obviously still had too many dings for the editors, as they suggested fitting the theme into a 16 x 15 (or 15 x 16, in matrix-speak, i.e. The editors liked the basic idea of the theme, but thought some of the theme entries weren’t lively enough (and, what’s more, objected to ‘paper tape’ as a lexical phrase having done some house painting recently, I have quite a supply of the item). My first version of this puzzle was 15 x 15. How many crossword grids has The New York Times published that are not square (not counting acrostic puzzles)? I have to admit I have not solved enough New York Times crosswords to even make a guess … I hope they each found a mate and made it onto the boat. I see a SHEEP, a BISON, a COW, an AHI tuna, a CAMEL, a KOALA and, if we are feeling generous, some YETIS. There are a few loose singletons roaming around Ms. The revealer at 13D lets us know where the animals are going: They are marching up the gangplank onto the ARK. The shaded squares in each theme phrase spell out the name of an animal, and those animals come in pairs: At 18A, for example, the phrase M AN TO M AN TALK contains a pair of ANTs. Bérubé offers us a set of five theme entries that contain pairs of multiple shaded squares (if you are solving in Across Lite, these squares will be circled). He charmed everyone as Noah, the biblical patriarch of a family struggling to save the animals before the great flood and, while the musical ultimately flopped, 10-year-old me was thrilled beyond words. Kaye looked much different than the perennially distracted Walter Mitty or the court jester Hubert Hawkins he had played decades ago, but he dazzled the audience with his personality and energy. I’m still not sure how they put the money together.īy 1972, Mr. My parents would take me to see him live and in person. Kaye was coming to Broadway in a musical called “Two by Two,” my 10th birthday present was set. My mother had raised a movie fanatic, however, heavy on the Danny Kaye films from the 1940s, so when we heard that Mr. ![]() I grew up on the outskirts of New York City in proximity to the lights of Broadway, but show tickets were beyond my parents’ budget. Those who are not quite as sentimental can simply consider it value added. If that makes me the Marie Kondo of crossword puzzles, so be it. I think it’s important to savor that experience and to appreciate the puzzle for that extra bit of warmth. Clever clues and exciting entries are great, but occasionally a theme or an entry will trigger a nice tangential memory. Sometimes the enjoyment of solving a crossword extends beyond the puzzle itself. TUESDAY PUZZLE - Spoiler alert: I’m going to talk about the theme of Julie Bérubé’s puzzle up front, because I want to make what I believe is an important point about solving.
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