Grant Boroughs author page
2 puzzles by Grant Boroughs
with Constructor comments
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One night back in high school, I was at a concert, and I went to the concession stand to get a Dr Pepper. Looking at the hand-lettered menu on the wall, I confusedly asked what "special ties" were. In my defense, the gap between the "L" and the "T" was quite excessive. And that very minor embarrassment survived in my memory long enough to become the basis for a crossword puzzle theme 20 years later.
I would have preferred to use some longer theme answers, but the pool of words that fit the formula was somewhat limited. I think short theme answers are more constraining on the grid structure than long ones, because all the fill is supposed to be shorter than the shortest theme entry in that same direction, which limits block placement options in the rest of the grid. But I liked having CAMPINESS and MOUSETRAP together, TAMPA on the OCEAN, and PARSECS and INERTIA representing the science category in symmetrical spots. Special thanks to my mom Metah Boroughs for being my test solver!
One of my other hobbies is making music. If you're interested, you can find my albums "Under the Farthest Skies" and "An Incandescent Christmas" on Spotify and most other music streaming services. Thanks!
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| O | F | T | E | N | D | E | A | N | D | E | S | I |
Hello fellow puzzlers, I'm excited to make my NYT debut! I'm glad Will Shortz and company didn't blacklist me after my first dozen or so failed submissions. They provided feedback and encouragement that helped me along my slow climb to acceptability. I also want to thank my mother Metah for being my test solver!
CARPENTER ANTICS was the lone survivor from a very short-lived attempt at a woodworking-themed puzzle. After imagining the Sunday funny pages illustrated by pointillists gave me DOT COMICS, I pivoted to the "add ICS" theme. I had some vague notion of "Icees for dessert" to justify the otherwise seemingly random letters added at the ends of phrases, but I didn't see a good way to work it into the grid and I didn't think it was ultimately necessary. On the fill side, I was happy that AMERICAN and EUROPEAN fit in symmetrical positions.
Outside of cruciverbalism, some of my favorite hobbies are fly-fishing and music. I dabble in recording, and I have an indie folk-rock album called "Under the Farthest Skies" on Spotify and a few other platforms. I've also recently started putting some live takes of new songs on my YouTube page. I hope you enjoy the puzzle and/or the music!