Jacob Stulberg author page
34 puzzles by Jacob Stulberg
with Constructor comments
| Total | Debut | Latest |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 12/25/2013 | 6/21/2021 |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Rebus | Circle | Scrabble | Fresh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 10 | 1.60 | 40% |
| A | D | D | U | P | S | C | A | M | S | T | E | W | ||
| M | A | R | T | A | H | E | R | A | T | A | M | E | ||
| B | R | E | A | D | I | N | C | H | E | X | I | T | ||
| L | I | G | H | T | E | R | T | H | A | N | A | I | R | |
| E | N | S | H | A | T | T | A | D | ||||||
| G | A | S | I | R | M | A | C | R | Y | |||||
| H | O | L | I | E | R | T | H | A | N | T | H | O | U | |
| B | E | A | U | I | C | E | H | E | L | M | ||||
| L | A | R | G | E | R | T | H | A | N | L | I | F | E | |
| Y | D | S | L | A | Z | Y | E | O | N | |||||
| I | L | L | J | A | Y | L | A | Y | ||||||
| I | T | S | A | L | L | R | E | L | A | T | I | V | E | |
| J | A | I | L | I | O | U | S | L | O | B | E | S | ||
| O | G | L | E | E | D | I | T | T | O | R | R | E | ||
| B | O | L | T | D | E | N | S | O | K | A | Y | S |
The top half of this puzzle changed slightly between submission and publication: SCAM/HERA/INCH was originally SHOD/COPE/ASAP, and MAHATMA was originally DEPALMA.
Thanks to Will and Sam for the new clues at HERA and RHEA, the latter of which I'd clued as "Flightless bird."
| M | C | S | S | A | M | B | A | L | E | I | C | A | W | O | R | M | ||||
| C | H | E | A | L | A | R | M | A | N | N | U | M | F | I | X | U | P | |||
| G | R | A | F | F | I | T | I | P | R | O | O | F | B | U | I | L | D | I | N | G |
| R | O | S | I | E | S | O | L | O | I | S | S | U | E | D | ||||||
| A | M | O | R | C | E | L | S | O | C | E | L | O | I | R | T | |||||
| W | A | N | T | S | T | H | R | E | E | B | L | A | D | E | R | A | Z | O | R | |
| O | H | I | S | E | E | A | R | A | L | E | N | E | M | Y | ||||||
| A | S | P | D | E | C | S | O | R | R | Y | B | I | S | T | R | O | ||||
| S | P | E | L | L | C | H | E | C | K | E | R | H | E | N | C | E | ||||
| C | I | N | D | E | R | R | A | I | D | L | O | R | D | E | J | I | B | |||
| A | C | E | S | E | L | U | D | E | F | O | R | G | E | M | O | N | A | |||
| P | E | R | T | T | O | P | S | K | L | E | E | T | O | O | B | A | D | |||
| R | H | E | T | T | S | N | O | W | B | O | A | R | D | I | N | G | ||||
| S | P | E | E | D | S | S | T | I | E | S | V | I | A | N | E | E | ||||
| S | P | U | D | S | W | A | I | F | B | A | L | L | O | T | ||||||
| A | U | T | O | M | A | T | I | C | R | E | D | I | A | L | B | R | E | W | S | |
| G | N | U | U | S | E | R | S | S | U | C | H | T | R | E | O | |||||
| P | E | R | O | N | I | M | E | A | L | C | I | V | I | L | ||||||
| A | L | J | A | F | F | E | E | O | F | M | A | D | M | A | G | A | Z | I | N | E |
| L | O | O | T | S | T | S | A | R | S | A | A | R | O | N | E | E | L | |||
| E | B | B | S | S | T | R | A | T | M | S | D | O | S | W | R | Y |
The idea for today's theme came to me while I was constructing a different puzzle and looking for a fun way to clue AL JAFFEE. That puzzle never came to fruition, but my search led me to Mike Sacks' entertaining interview with Jaffee in a 2009 collection called And Here's the Kicker, where Sacks mentions Jaffee's uncanny knack for predicting real-life inventions.
Thanks to Will and Sam for the additional MAD-themed clues at 44-Across and 50-Down. (For the record, the latter's clue was originally the same as 65-Down's.)
| J | O | I | S | T | B | E | B | O | P | P | B | J | ||
| A | P | N | E | A | A | L | O | N | E | H | O | E | ||
| P | E | T | E | S | D | R | A | G | O | N | O | N | E | |
| E | N | O | T | R | O | N | C | A | T | E | R | |||
| B | E | A | N | C | A | I | R | O | ||||||
| C | H | R | I | S | T | S | C | O | L | L | E | G | E | |
| Y | A | H | O | O | O | L | E | S | E | A | M | |||
| T | R | I | F | O | R | S | A | K | E | N | G | O | ||
| E | D | N | A | W | I | E | P | R | I | E | D | |||
| G | O | D | S | L | I | T | T | L | E | A | C | R | E | |
| C | H | E | S | S | W | O | E | S | ||||||
| T | H | E | D | A | T | E | R | I | M | A | D | |||
| C | A | R | H | E | A | V | E | N | S | G | A | T | E | |
| B | R | O | A | R | N | A | Z | T | A | L | O | N | ||
| Y | E | S | G | R | A | D | E | S | L | E | P | T |
Today's theme came together fairly quickly once I confirmed that there were no common phrases starting with GOODNESS', PITY'S, or OLD TIMES'. (Or with a certain "spicier" option.)
Favorite clue: 56-Down, which also could have been "Like Erskine Caldwell, as I learned while making this puzzle.
| S | H | O | D | S | I | C | K | O | B | O | A | |||
| L | E | V | I | A | M | A | I | N | R | U | M | P | ||
| I | R | A | N | V | E | R | N | E | A | R | E | S | ||
| P | O | L | I | C | E | D | O | G | H | I | N | G | E | |
| N | A | M | B | A | R | I | S | T | A | S | ||||
| M | O | N | G | R | E | L | L | O | C | I | ||||
| U | B | O | A | T | E | F | F | S | N | A | S | H | ||
| S | O | I | L | A | G | O | R | A | G | L | U | E | ||
| S | E | R | F | S | A | G | E | U | T | T | E | R | ||
| R | O | I | L | D | O | S | H | O | T | S | ||||
| F | A | C | E | O | F | F | S | W | E | E | ||||
| A | W | A | S | H | O | P | E | N | S | F | I | R | E | |
| N | A | R | C | C | R | A | T | E | L | O | O | M | ||
| T | I | V | O | A | C | T | O | R | A | T | O | M | ||
| A | T | E | T | E | E | N | S | G | A | M | Y |
I constructed and submitted this puzzle in 2016 without even considering the then-upcoming anniversary of its subject. Four years later, I'm glad to see it appear on such an apt day.
Favorite answer: GAMY, whose clue acquired its last four words en route to publication.
| P | A | L | L | M | U | F | F | A | G | E | ||||
| I | D | E | A | S | E | S | A | I | B | R | A | G | ||
| S | H | A | R | K | M | A | R | G | A | R | I | T | A | |
| M | O | N | D | A | L | E | T | R | A | D | E | D | ||
| O | C | T | O | S | C | A | R | I | I | |||||
| O | B | I | T | R | U | E | N | A | I | F | ||||
| L | A | T | E | N | T | E | K | E | L | I | S | A | ||
| G | R | E | E | K | A | A | S | B | E | R | E | T | ||
| B | E | N | E | W | C | S | M | O | S | S | E | S | ||
| T | A | T | A | E | E | E | E | A | S | T | ||||
| T | S | A | R | D | O | M | R | O | E | |||||
| C | O | H | E | I | R | D | O | G | B | E | R | T | ||
| C | H | E | R | R | Y | P | I | E | P | E | A | C | H | |
| T | I | E | S | O | H | N | O | A | D | M | A | N | ||
| V | O | L | F | I | N | N | E | S | S | O |
Today's puzzle owes its inspiration to my fifth-grade health class, where we spent several days learning about dinner-party etiquette from the 1961 volume Tiffany's Table Manners for Teenagers. (Years later, I still remind myself to not hold my soup spoon like a mashie niblick.)
A few theme answers that didn't make the cut: CH[EF][ICKEN] and WHI[TERUSSIAN][SKEYSOUR].
| E | L | B | O | W | F | R | O | M | T | W | I | T | ||
| B | E | E | N | E | R | A | V | E | R | I | T | A | ||
| B | A | T | T | E | R | Y | T | E | R | M | I | N | A | L |
| S | H | A | H | E | I | S | N | E | R | E | L | K | ||
| E | R | I | N | T | A | C | I | T | ||||||
| G | O | L | D | E | N | G | A | T | E | C | O | C | O | |
| I | W | I | L | L | S | O | A | S | T | O | ||||
| G | E | M | A | I | R | P | O | R | T | L | P | S | ||
| P | R | Y | N | N | E | A | D | E | L | E | ||||
| T | C | B | Y | C | A | N | N | E | R | Y | R | O | W | |
| I | L | I | E | D | O | P | E | N | ||||||
| P | E | Z | I | L | L | I | N | I | A | M | P | S | ||
| T | A | K | I | N | G | A | B | A | C | K | S | E | A | T |
| O | V | I | D | B | R | I | M | A | T | A | R | I | ||
| P | E | T | S | T | A | S | E | T | Y | L | E | R |
The Northern California mini-theme in today's puzzle is sheer coincidence. I couldn't pass up the chance to name-drop my adopted hometown via CANNERY ROW, and GOLDEN GATE just happened to have a matching length.
Another coincidence: today's puzzle may be the first to contain the first names of both its constructor and its editor. (Neither was in the version I submitted: 34-Across was originally STILL, and 2-Down was clued as "Rebecca's daughter-in-law.")
| I | D | T | A | G | A | B | S | R | A | S | T | A | ||
| F | O | R | C | E | M | E | W | E | A | T | O | N | ||
| F | R | E | E | T | R | A | D | E | F | R | O | N | T | |
| Y | A | K | B | O | S | S | E | S | P | O | S | H | ||
| B | U | D | S | T | H | E | D | I | E | |||||
| C | H | E | E | S | E | D | E | A | D | C | A | L | M | |
| C | O | M | F | Y | T | O | N | G | U | E | S | |||
| S | O | B | E | N | A | M | E | S | L | I | F | E | ||
| A | L | R | O | K | E | R | S | E | D | A | N | |||
| B | U | R | L | I | V | E | S | S | P | R | E | A | D | |
| I | N | K | G | A | S | P | L | A | Y | |||||
| A | W | E | D | S | A | V | I | O | R | L | E | O | ||
| N | O | D | U | H | B | I | L | G | E | P | U | M | P | |
| C | R | O | N | E | O | N | E | M | E | R | I | T | ||
| A | N | N | E | X | W | E | D | E | W | E | R | S |
Today's grid underwent one small change between submission and publication: 35-Across was originally REBA, clued as "Sitcom that starred a country singer." (I'll have to assume that there's an unwritten one-country-singer-turned-actor-per-puzzle limit.) Favorite clue: 10-Down.
| A | S | T | E | R | I | R | A | T | E | S | L | U | N | G | C | B | S | |||
| S | H | O | N | E | L | O | M | A | X | T | O | S | E | A | A | L | A | |||
| H | O | W | T | H | E | Y | W | O | N | T | H | E | W | E | S | T | J | O | B | |
| E | R | E | A | L | A | S | G | R | O | P | E | D | E | M | O | T | E | |||
| S | T | R | E | S | S | A | L | A | R | M | B | A | Y | L | O | R | ||||
| T | H | A | T | D | O | E | S | N | O | T | A | M | U | S | E | U | S | |||
| P | A | D | Y | A | K | M | I | L | O | E | S | T | ||||||||
| A | R | P | G | O | R | Y | F | E | W | N | O | V | E | L | ||||||
| N | O | O | N | E | H | A | S | R | A | T | E | D | T | H | I | S | F | I | L | M |
| D | F | L | A | T | S | P | I | T | S | A | W | A | E | C | V | A | T | |||
| H | A | L | T | S | F | A | L | L | R | E | C | S | A | D | O | B | O | |||
| O | N | O | I | S | O | K | A | I | S | E | R | S | P | O | R | T | S | |||
| W | E | I | N | C | L | U | D | E | D | N | O | B | A | T | T | E | R | I | E | S |
| A | K | I | R | A | Y | E | N | V | O | L | E | E | S | A | ||||||
| G | N | P | C | A | N | E | S | A | G | A | S | T | ||||||||
| P | E | O | P | L | E | M | A | D | E | M | I | S | T | A | K | E | S | |||
| I | N | N | E | E | D | I | L | O | S | T | R | A | P | P | E | R | ||||
| G | O | U | D | A | L | A | T | E | S | T | I | R | I | S | A | P | E | |||
| P | E | P | P | A | S | S | I | V | E | R | E | S | I | S | T | A | N | C | E | |
| E | S | L | A | M | A | T | O | Y | I | E | L | D | E | X | T | O | L | |||
| N | E | E | T | E | T | O | N | S | A | L | E | S | R | E | S | T | S |
Of all the puzzles I've constructed, this one may have yielded the longest list of rejected theme answers. Among my favorites: SOMEONEHASCASTTHEDIE, ISANYONESERVINGYOU, and PLEASESEDATEME. My first choices for a revealer were VOICEACTIVATION or VOICEACTIVATED, but fitting them into the grid was a challenge, so PASSIVERESISTANCE finally won the day. (As will happen.)
A personal note: this puzzle appears shortly after my wife and I welcomed our first child, Cecily Judith. With that happy occasion in mind, I'll close with another theme-answer candidate: SHEGIVESBIRTHTOASTAR.
| H | E | F | T | S | D | T | S | O | A | S | I | S | ||
| A | L | L | O | T | I | O | U | B | L | I | N | I | ||
| S | L | A | V | E | N | U | E | V | O | L | E | O | N | |
| H | I | S | R | E | A | R | L | E | A | G | U | E | ||
| S | H | A | N | G | R | I | L | A | N | E | T | S | ||
| L | I | S | A | S | O | D | A | |||||||
| C | P | A | S | D | A | T | A | P | A | S | T | A | ||
| A | I | M | L | E | S | S | T | R | E | E | T | O | P | |
| R | E | P | E | L | A | C | H | E | T | R | O | T | ||
| S | O | M | E | T | O | N | I | |||||||
| P | A | I | D | R | I | V | E | R | B | A | N | K | ||
| O | F | N | O | T | E | I | L | Y | A | G | N | U | ||
| R | O | A | D | B | L | O | C | K | M | I | T | E | R | |
| T | O | N | G | A | P | H | I | A | L | I | E | N | ||
| S | T | E | E | R | T | E | N | S | L | E | D | S |
The original version of today's puzzle contained TURNPIKE, hidden in UTURN and PIKESPEAK. Will suggested replacing those entries so that all four hidden answers would be local roads - hence DRIVE. I also originally clued STRINGTIE as "Attire for Colonel Sanders," hoping impishly that a few solvers might enter WHITESUIT.
| A | T | A | N | A | N | G | L | E | A | S | S | E | R | T | |
| T | A | C | O | S | A | L | A | D | D | E | A | L | E | R | |
| L | E | T | I | T | P | A | S | S | O | E | U | V | R | E | |
| I | S | A | A | C | S | M | G | M | L | I | O | N | |||
| R | E | V | E | R | S | I | R | I | S | E | R | O | D | ||
| A | K | A | A | L | E | R | T | R | A | T | S | ||||
| M | E | T | A | B | O | L | I | C | R | A | T | E | |||
| S | E | X | A | N | D | V | I | O | L | E | N | C | E | ||
| E | N | T | R | E | P | R | E | N | E | U | R | S | |||
| K | A | R | L | H | I | R | E | S | R | I | O | ||||
| E | R | A | D | E | F | Y | H | E | A | V | E | N | S | ||
| B | A | N | Q | U | E | T | C | A | L | L | E | D | |||
| A | B | O | U | N | D | M | O | D | E | L | S | H | I | P | |
| B | L | U | I | N | G | A | R | E | C | A | P | A | L | M | |
| S | E | T | T | E | E | L | A | S | T | N | A | M | E | S |
| H | A | S | O | A | F | S | G | R | O | W | U | P | ||
| O | R | C | F | R | A | T | M | A | R | I | N | A | ||
| F | D | A | F | O | R | E | C | H | E | S | T | S | ||
| F | O | R | T | S | U | M | R | S | I | D | E | S | ||
| A | R | E | A | S | A | N | T | A | D | O | N | E | ||
| S | T | E | M | A | S | S | A | M | A | |||||
| N | E | W | T | O | M | O | P | E | E | B | B | |||
| A | R | I | E | S | T | I | S | T | I | T | L | E | ||
| S | N | L | C | R | U | X | A | S | H | E | N | |||
| E | L | G | A | R | T | A | R | T | S | |||||
| A | S | I | A | S | U | I | T | E | U | N | T | O | ||
| S | T | A | M | P | M | T | E | R | E | B | U | S | ||
| T | I | M | B | O | W | P | I | K | E | C | T | A | ||
| I | N | L | I | N | E | E | R | O | S | T | S | K | ||
| R | E | L | A | Y | S | L | E | F | T | V | I | A |
Today's theme began as an attempt to create a "meta-rebus" puzzle—i.e., a rebus puzzle in which every rebus square contained the letters REBUS. While searching for potential theme answers, I happened upon MT. EREBUS and realized that it could serve as a tricky revealer in its own right. Favorite answer: GROWUP, whose original clue, "Response to a playground insult," appropriately aged into "Response to a sophomoric joke" en route to publication.
| W | A | T | T | F | L | A | P | S | S | T | A | N | ||
| E | L | O | I | S | E | R | G | E | W | A | C | O | ||
| L | O | W | E | T | O | T | A | L | E | X | A | M | ||
| T | U | N | D | R | A | A | F | L | C | I | O | |||
| C | Y | P | R | E | S | S | H | I | L | L | ||||
| H | A | R | E | M | M | A | A | G | U | I | L | E | ||
| E | R | I | S | B | O | R | N | E | P | N | I | N | ||
| A | C | E | M | A | T | A | D | O | R | I | E | D | ||
| T | H | R | E | E | R | I | N | G | C | I | R | C | U | S |
| T | R | I | O | R | E | D | O | |||||||
| A | N | C | U | N | I | O | N | K | E | R | ||||
| D | N | A | E | M | A | N | U | E | L | S | O | W | ||
| E | D | G | E | R | L | D | S | A | S | S | A | I | ||
| G | R | I | F | T | L | I | E | T | W | E | R | P | ||
| S | E | N | S | E | Y | E | S | H | E | S | S | E |
| S | P | E | N | T | M | I | C | A | N | A | R | C | O | V | A | T | E | |||
| P | O | L | A | R | A | C | L | U | O | V | E | R | N | I | G | E | L | |||
| R | I | F | L | E | R | O | O | T | P | O | N | E | S | L | U | N | K | |||
| A | S | I | A | N | L | O | N | G | H | O | R | N | E | D | B | E | L | E | ||
| Y | E | N | C | E | O | S | O | S | O | I | L | S | A | |||||||
| C | H | A | N | T | R | A | B | B | I | T | T | N | O | R | A | |||||
| F | O | U | R | C | R | E | R | S | K | L | I | D | O | S | C | O | P | I | C | |
| A | T | S | E | A | D | E | L | L | M | O | O | R | A | V | A | S | T | |||
| S | H | E | A | T | H | K | Y | O | T | O | B | A | L | K | S | |||||
| T | E | R | M | A | S | K | F | O | R | T | B | A | L | L | ||||||
| S | R | S | N | A | T | I | O | N | A | L | A | R | C | I | E | P | C | S | ||
| E | S | S | E | X | D | O | N | A | T | E | C | A | R | E | ||||||
| D | E | T | O | X | L | E | A | N | N | S | T | O | N | E | D | |||||
| I | N | E | P | T | A | A | R | E | M | I | D | I | O | R | A | T | E | |||
| S | Y | M | P | T | M | T | L | O | G | Y | C | O | S | M | O | R | M | E | R | |
| C | A | P | O | U | N | C | T | I | O | N | N | O | O | I | L | |||||
| N | A | V | E | S | K | I | S | P | O | T | T | S | A | |||||||
| V | E | G | E | T | A | B | L | E | S | H | O | R | T | E | N | I | N | G | ||
| A | M | O | N | G | I | L | Y | A | S | A | K | E | A | I | D | A | N | |||
| G | O | T | T | I | M | E | E | T | A | M | E | N | S | C | A | R | E | |||
| O | B | E | S | E | E | S | S | E | N | U | D | E | Y | E | L | L | S |
| F | A | D | C | A | R | P | S | I | A | M | ||||
| I | P | O | S | L | I | E | U | T | H | I | N | E | ||
| V | E | N | T | O | M | A | R | H | E | I | G | L | ||
| E | X | T | O | R | T | L | E | G | A | L | I | S | T | |
| T | O | E | S | M | E | L | T | I | T | S | ||||
| T | R | A | L | A | L | A | D | I | S | C | I | |||
| A | O | K | P | I | K | E | M | O | O | I | N | G | ||
| I | B | E | T | B | E | B | O | P | T | I | E | R | ||
| L | E | T | S | B | E | B | A | S | S | I | R | A | ||
| H | O | Y | L | E | T | E | R | R | I | F | Y | |||
| A | P | E | P | E | R | C | H | T | O | I | ||||
| L | A | B | R | A | D | O | R | C | A | V | I | A | R | |
| T | R | A | I | T | D | E | M | O | E | I | R | E | ||
| A | M | I | S | H | E | D | E | N | D | I | L | L | ||
| R | A | T | E | S | O | L | E | J | O | Y |
When several letters will work in a given square, I'll often choose the one with the higher Scrabble value, which tends to make for a more interesting grid. In today's puzzle, though, I deliberately broke this rule at the intersection of 41A and 30D. PIER/COP would have worked, but solvers might have (rightly) wondered why a PIER was intersecting the "fishing line" halfway down the grid. (As for CAVIAR, consider it a bonus theme answer.)
| O | P | T | S | B | A | L | E | S | M | U | G | |||
| F | O | R | E | A | X | I | S | A | W | A | R | E | ||
| F | L | I | P | R | E | N | T | C | O | N | A | N | ||
| C | O | F | T | H | E | S | E | A | C | O | U | N | T | |
| B | E | A | U | X | T | O | E | N | A | I | L | |||
| S | A | C | M | A | N | N | E | R | S | L | A | Y | ||
| A | L | T | A | M | O | E | E | S | T | |||||
| P | L | A | Y | C | W | H | Y | C | W | I | R | E | ||
| E | R | A | R | E | P | O | N | E | S | |||||
| N | A | P | U | N | T | U | N | E | D | S | N | L | ||
| A | T | L | A | N | T | A | N | O | V | A | E | |||
| S | K | E | I | N | N | O | S | P | R | I | N | G | C | |
| S | I | D | L | E | D | A | T | A | R | E | A | M | ||
| A | N | G | E | R | E | T | A | L | U | S | D | A | ||
| U | S | E | D | M | S | G | S | S | T | E | P |
The initial idea for today's puzzle involved intersecting theme answers: chickens for the acrosses, roads for the downs. That might have worked if I'd been able to find examples of well-known fictional chickens beyond FOGHORNLEGHORN and CHANTICLEER, or well-known breeds beyond RHODEISLANDRED and CORNISHGAMEHEN. A pity, since there are plenty of colorful and evocative breed names that deserve to be better known. (AUSTRALORP, anyone?)
Favorite clues: [Polish target] and [Stable stuff]. Clue I was saddest to see not make the cut: [It's hit by horse enthusiasts] for both 2- and 3-Down.
| H | A | H | A | R | A | M | P | S | G | A | M | E | ||
| E | T | A | S | A | T | A | R | I | A | M | I | S | ||
| L | T | R | S | M | A | D | E | T | O | L | A | S | T | |
| L | E | D | S | I | L | L | Y | V | I | T | A | E | ||
| O | N | T | H | E | S | L | Y | J | U | L | E | P | S | |
| D | O | I | N | C | O | M | E | U | P | |||||
| B | A | S | E | S | A | L | A | R | Y | E | R | R | S | |
| A | N | T | E | M | P | T | Y | F | O | R | ||||
| M | C | A | L | L | I | S | T | E | R | S | O | P | S | |
| E | R | I | E | R | A | P | T | O | R | |||||
| A | S | B | E | S | T | O | S | P | A | R | T | I | I | |
| S | H | O | S | A | P | P | Y | L | A | B | A | N | ||
| K | E | A | N | T | R | I | O | S | O | N | A | T | A | |
| M | E | R | E | A | A | N | D | P | G | L | E | N | ||
| E | T | D | S | S | H | E | A | F | E | L | S | E |
In the version of this puzzle that I sent to the Times, each of the "foolish" answers had its own clue — e.g., [___ straw] for SILLY. INANE was clued as [Synonym for four of this puzzle's answers...or, with two spaces, how those answers are arranged]. Even after sending in the grid, I was uncertain whether Will and the solvers would accept SENSELESS as a synonym for INANE, so I was glad to see the final version elegantly sidestep this issue.
(Fun fact: the quotation in 24-Down's clue follows the line "I am too childish-foolish for this world.")
| J | E | A | N | C | H | I | L | I | W | H | E | Y | ||
| A | X | L | E | T | O | N | A | L | H | A | L | E | ||
| V | A | S | T | A | B | B | I | E | O | W | N | S | ||
| A | M | O | N | G | B | A | N | D | B | A | I | M | ||
| E | R | R | E | D | U | R | S | I | N | E | ||||
| B | O | R | G | I | A | S | E | D | I | T | I | O | N | |
| O | N | H | A | N | D | A | M | I | G | A | ||||
| B | O | O | T | I | N | D | I | A | N | A | D | A | ||
| I | N | C | A | S | B | O | D | I | E | S | ||||
| L | A | T | V | I | A | N | A | L | L | U | R | E | S | |
| A | S | W | E | L | L | S | L | E | E | P | ||||
| S | P | A | E | L | V | E | S | O | G | D | E | N | ||
| T | I | N | A | E | A | T | A | T | U | R | G | E | ||
| E | R | G | O | F | L | I | C | K | Y | O | G | A | ||
| D | E | S | K | T | E | N | E | T | S | P | O | T |
The first version of this puzzle contained the theme answers RADICALLEFT, NOTNEGOTIABLE and HECTORBERLIOZ. Will suggested replacing BRO with a longer synonym, so I decided on ILEDUDIABLE after searches for *PAHC* and *EKOLB* fell short. If a suitable 12-letter answer containing EDUD had turned up, NETNEGATIVE might have been OFTNEGLECTED. (That said, there may well be another puzzle theme in Canada's FUDDLEDUDDLE incident.)
| S | H | O | C | K | S | S | M | U | T | T | Y | |||
| T | O | U | P | E | E | S | T | E | A | T | R | E | E | |
| A | R | T | I | E | S | T | O | X | T | A | I | L | S | |
| R | R | R | P | E | S | P | T | T | E | L | ||||
| D | I | E | T | A | E | R | O | S | P | O | P | E | ||
| O | F | A | S | P | I | T | A | N | O | T | ||||
| M | I | C | H | A | E | L | H | O | P | P | E | R | S | |
| C | H | E | C | K | E | R | E | D | P | A | S | T | ||
| T | H | E | C | O | M | E | T | S | ||||||
| V | C | R | A | H | B | O | S | M | O | P | ||||
| I | H | O | P | S | A | B | R | A | T | O | L | L | ||
| C | A | M | T | S | Y | N | P | I | D | A | ||||
| A | L | A | M | O | D | E | I | C | E | T | R | A | Y | |
| R | E | N | A | M | E | S | N | O | R | I | E | G | A | |
| S | T | O | P | B | Y | G | U | S | S | E | T |
Of all the puzzles I've sent to the New York Times, today's may have had the shortest time to publication: submitted in July 2016, returned for revision in October, and accepted later that month. A tip of the hat to Will for lending a current-events angle to MICHAEL and ROBBY, which were originally clued as "‘Peter Pan' character" and "Steinhardt of Kansas." (Had I constructed this puzzle slightly later, my clue for HBO might well have been "‘The Young 24-Across' airer.")
| O | V | E | R | T | H | E | M | O | O | N | D | S | L | |
| C | A | M | E | R | A | R | E | A | D | Y | C | E | O | |
| T | I | P | S | O | N | E | S | H | A | T | C | A | V | |
| A | N | I | O | N | S | S | U | M | J | O | S | E | ||
| N | E | R | D | A | N | Y | A | L | U | M | N | I | ||
| T | R | E | P | R | O | A | E | O | L | I | A | N | ||
| D | I | P | S | O | S | W | I | C | K | S | ||||
| A | M | E | S | I | L | L | E | A | S | E | ||||
| C | R | Y | P | T | L | E | E | A | N | N | ||||
| A | M | P | L | I | F | Y | E | T | D | T | S | K | ||
| S | C | R | O | L | L | S | P | F | S | H | U | E | ||
| T | H | E | Y | A | L | T | I | M | P | E | D | E | ||
| O | A | T | A | G | E | O | F | R | E | A | S | O | N | |
| F | I | T | B | O | W | L | A | S | T | R | I | K | E | |
| F | R | Y | U | N | D | E | R | T | H | E | S | U | N |
| D | E | B | U | T | T | S | K | G | R | A | F | |||
| E | L | I | Z | A | U | P | I | C | R | E | D | O | ||
| F | L | L | I | N | G | F | L | T | R | A | G | E | S | |
| C | E | L | S | O | T | S | P | O | P | U | P | S | ||
| E | N | Y | A | F | S | H | I | O | N | P | L | T | E | |
| M | A | R | S | W | E | A | R | |||||||
| P | R | E | E | N | S | O | L | E | G | U | M | |||
| G | R | A | N | D | F | T | H | E | R | C | L | U | S | E |
| A | S | S | J | I | M | S | A | S | Y | E | T | |||
| Y | O | W | I | E | A | B | S | |||||||
| P | A | R | F | I | T | G | L | S | S | O | M | A | R | |
| A | R | I | S | T | A | P | A | Y | S | A | T | E | ||
| G | O | D | O | T | F | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | L | |
| E | M | E | R | Y | I | N | D | T | R | Y | S | T | ||
| D | A | R | T | R | D | S | S | K | A | T | E |
Special thanks to constructors Byron Walden, Robin Schulman, and Daniel Landman, whose "IDOIDOIDOIDOIDO" and "ITSAMADMADMADMADWORLD" puzzles inspired today's theme and revealer. A few answers that didn't make the cut: INFANTFORMULA, FASHIONABLYLATE, and FLAGSOFOURFATHERS. I also considered LALALAND for 50-Down, but 13 LAs in one puzzle would just be silly.
| P | E | G | S | A | T | O | P | C | O | E | D | S | ||
| A | L | O | E | D | O | V | E | E | R | N | I | E | ||
| B | I | N | D | O | R | A | N | G | E | Z | E | S | T | |
| S | H | E | A | F | C | L | I | O | O | R | C | A | ||
| T | U | R | K | I | S | H | T | A | R | G | O | T | ||
| A | S | P | R | E | D | E | Y | E | ||||||
| N | A | S | H | A | M | A | N | M | A | T | E | S | ||
| T | H | E | J | O | Y | O | F | C | O | O | K | I | N | G |
| H | A | N | O | I | S | T | E | N | T | C | O | T | ||
| D | E | L | T | A | S | C | E | L | ||||||
| A | R | F | S | R | I | D | E | L | I | G | H | T | ||
| L | O | O | K | E | C | R | U | Y | A | L | I | E | ||
| C | O | R | N | R | E | L | I | S | H | B | O | N | N | |
| O | F | T | E | N | A | L | T | O | L | O | D | E | ||
| A | S | H | E | S | W | E | S | T | E | M | I | T |
One week after Andrew Zhou's clever "NONKOSHER" theme, I'm DELIGHTed to dish up a few MOSAICLAW-friendly alternatives. It's sheer coincidence that the non-theme answers also include HAMAN, PENITENCE, and the part-TURKISH Neil SEDAKA. Favorite clue: 16-Across. (Can you guess the other co-host?)
| O | G | L | E | S | C | S | I | W | R | U | N | G | ||
| F | L | O | A | T | R | O | O | E | A | S | Y | A | ||
| F | A | N | T | A | A | C | T | I | N | G | O | U | T | |
| E | R | G | N | Y | G | I | A | N | T | S | ||||
| D | E | S | A | D | E | A | S | T | O | F | O | X | ||
| T | R | O | W | E | L | R | V | P | A | R | K | |||
| J | E | A | N | A | L | A | E | L | L | I | E | |||
| C | O | M | B | O | S | U | P | R | O | L | O | S | ||
| A | D | M | I | N | T | B | S | T | W | I | N | |||
| P | I | E | C | E | D | R | E | D | H | E | N | |||
| T | E | D | S | U | Z | I | H | E | D | G | E | D | ||
| S | H | O | W | C | A | S | E | D | W | I | ||||
| S | T | A | T | E | S | E | A | L | D | R | O | O | P | |
| P | O | D | I | A | I | N | S | G | A | W | K | S | ||
| A | W | A | R | D | G | T | O | E | E | N | S | Y |
From the start, I was determined to keep SOCIALLUBRICANT as one of this puzzle's theme answers. Others that fell by the wayside included STANDONCEREMONY, COMMONKNOWLEDGE, and LONGLIVETHEKING, the latter from an ill-fated attempt to put FALLINGDOWN in the central column.
My original clue for 56-Across (STATE SEAL) was "Idaho's is the only one designed by a woman." As a recent transplant to Monterey, I'm happy to give the new clue a certain marine mammal of approval.
| C | O | P | C | A | R | S | T | E | W | P | A | N | ||
| O | R | I | O | L | E | C | O | U | R | A | G | E | ||
| S | E | A | D | O | G | H | A | Y | R | I | D | E | S | |
| T | O | N | E | A | T | O | N | O | N | S | E | T | ||
| O | H | S | T | O | P | M | P | G | ||||||
| C | A | P | O | T | E | E | H | E | E | O | R | S | ||
| O | D | E | S | S | A | D | O | W | D | P | E | T | ||
| M | O | D | E | L | H | I | P | A | L | E | V | E | ||
| I | R | A | O | D | E | A | E | Y | E | D | U | P | ||
| C | E | L | P | U | M | M | E | L | A | C | E | S | ||
| V | E | E | O | V | E | R | D | O | ||||||
| B | A | S | E | D | K | N | A | V | E | L | C | D | ||
| A | P | P | R | O | V | E | D | E | N | D | U | R | E | |
| R | O | A | D | W | A | Y | N | E | W | M | A | N | ||
| S | P | R | I | N | T | S | S | W | I | N | G | S |
Delighted to be making my Monday NYT debut! Among this puzzle's original clues: "Driving range?" for ROADWAY, "Event for those who know the ropes?" for REGATTA, and "Where many shots land" for BARS. Apologies to those who thought the Seinfeld character was named "Neuman" and wrote "DUI" at 61-Down. (Since partial phrases longer than five letters are generally frowned upon in crosswords, I chose not to clue 63-Across as "I feel like a ___!")
| L | I | S | Z | T | A | N | I | T | A | S | A | N | |||
| I | N | T | O | O | L | O | N | G | F | E | L | L | O | W | |
| S | T | I | R | S | I | N | F | I | L | T | R | A | T | E | |
| P | R | E | A | C | H | S | O | F | I | A | R | R | S | ||
| S | O | S | A | O | U | T | C | L | I | M | E | ||||
| L | I | F | E | R | K | I | T | B | A | G | |||||
| T | A | M | E | O | R | U | E | A | S | E | L | S | |||
| P | E | L | E | I | S | O | M | E | R | O | L | L | A | ||
| B | A | T | T | E | N | I | O | S | O | N | L | Y | |||
| A | R | A | R | A | T | D | R | A | I | N | |||||
| S | M | O | R | E | M | U | S | E | A | L | T | ||||
| I | T | O | T | R | A | C | I | M | U | S | T | E | R | ||
| M | A | N | Z | A | N | I | L | L | A | P | O | L | I | O | |
| F | I | T | Z | G | E | R | A | L | D | O | F | A | L | L | |
| N | E | Z | T | E | N | S | E | N | A | S | A | L |
Today's puzzle began with the realization that "INTO EACH LIFE SOME RAIN MUST FALL" consisted entirely of four-letter words. (Apparently, I wasn't the first to notice: three-time ACPT champion Trip Payne built a cryptic crossword around the same realization several years earlier.) I had always assumed that this line was a '60s-era mantra à la "Turn on, tune in, drop out," so it was something of a shock to learn how far back it dated. My only regret: not having enough space for the symmetrical theme answers INKSPOTS/RAINYDAY.
| F | I | A | T | A | C | A | I | C | O | L | A | |||
| E | N | N | I | S | H | O | L | D | O | V | A | L | ||
| M | O | N | T | E | V | E | R | D | I | K | E | E | L | |
| B | R | A | N | O | M | D | E | G | U | E | R | R | E | |
| O | B | L | A | D | I | S | R | I | S | A | T | A | ||
| T | I | E | R | O | D | S | S | T | O | U | T | E | R | |
| T | E | N | F | O | U | R | T | E | S | S | ||||
| O | F | F | E | N | B | A | C | H | ||||||
| E | M | I | L | S | Y | L | L | A | B | I | ||||
| D | A | W | D | L | E | S | E | C | O | N | O | M | Y | |
| I | D | A | C | L | U | E | O | N | T | I | M | E | ||
| B | E | N | E | D | I | C | T | X | V | I | L | E | A | |
| L | I | T | E | S | C | H | O | E | N | B | E | R | G | |
| E | R | I | K | H | O | A | X | G | O | R | S | E | ||
| S | A | N | S | A | R | N | O | Y | S | E | R |
In 1833, Jacques Offenbach moved from his birthplace of Cologne to Paris, where he spent most of his remaining 47 years as (per the New Grove Dictionary) a "French composer of German origin." I never thought that decision would affect me personally, but it had one major implication for today's puzzle: while "Italian composer" and "Austrian composer" would have worked as theme clues, "German composer" would not. In other words, Offenbach is the sole reason this puzzle's theme clues contain the word "born." (For real accuracy, I would have clued the theme answers as "Composer born in territory that's now [Italian]/[German]/[Austrian]," but that seemed like overkill.)
| W | H | I | Z | G | N | A | W | A | L | E | C | |||
| E | A | S | E | R | E | D | O | A | B | A | T | E | ||
| E | H | U | D | B | A | R | A | K | S | E | D | A | N | |
| P | A | P | O | V | U | M | U | P | T | I | L | T | ||
| P | I | L | E | D | T | I | E | D | I | E | ||||
| C | H | O | C | O | L | A | T | E | E | C | L | A | I | R |
| N | O | S | E | R | A | S | T | A | ||||||
| N | E | E | D | S | J | A | M | S | P | E | A | R | ||
| A | L | I | A | S | E | X | P | O | ||||||
| B | I | R | M | I | N | G | H | A | M | B | L | I | T | Z |
| E | N | O | D | T | S | R | O | U | S | T | ||||
| A | F | L | C | I | O | V | A | S | T | V | E | E | ||
| M | U | L | A | N | L | I | G | H | T | N | I | N | G | |
| U | S | I | N | G | O | B | O | E | A | S | I | A | ||
| P | E | N | S | B | E | N | D | M | A | D | D |
A few months before my bar mitzvah, I decided I wanted a Hebrew middle name to go with my Hebrew first name, so I dubbed myself "Ya'akov Barak." At the time, I had no idea that an Israeli parliament member shared this name, or that he would be elected prime minister two years later. (Or that a man with a similar-sounding but unrelated first name would one day be our president.) All this may have distantly inspired today's theme, which occurred to me while I was working on a different puzzle and looking for an interesting way to clue ECLAIR.
Thanks to Will for the 1-Down/2-Down clue pairing and additional details about the BIRMINGHAM BLITZ. On the other hand, I'm glad to see 56-Down's (EGAD) clue remain unchanged, if only so I can call this puzzle a slightly belated tribute to Back to the Future. (Or should I say Foudre?)
| M | A | O | C | M | I | I | A | S | P | C | A | |||
| A | N | S | A | S | S | N | S | A | T | I | R | E | ||
| S | W | A | M | P | G | A | S | A | R | E | N | A | S | |
| C | A | M | P | G | R | O | U | N | D | P | U | P | ||
| R | A | G | U | M | E | A | L | P | G | A | ||||
| N | E | W | S | T | O | P | G | A | P | |||||
| S | I | K | H | V | A | S | T | P | R | I | M | O | ||
| O | N | E | A | A | S | K | E | W | I | R | E | S | ||
| U | T | E | N | N | H | I | G | H | E | L | S | E | ||
| T | O | P | G | E | A | R | G | Y | M | |||||
| H | O | G | S | P | A | S | E | A | R | P | ||||
| D | O | A | P | G | T | H | I | R | T | E | E | N | ||
| W | E | I | G | H | T | L | I | P | G | L | O | S | S | |
| V | E | N | U | E | S | E | R | S | E | I | C | E | ||
| A | P | G | A | R | O | T | O | S | L | I | C |
The first draft of this puzzle contained the theme answer RPG, clued as "Shoulder-launched weapon, for short." Will found that answer "unappealing," so I swapped it out for CRAPGAMES, yielding an aptly vice-filled if somewhat old-fashioned northeast corner. Other theme-answer candidates included UPGRADE, GOSSIPGIRL, and PHILIPGLASS, to whom this puzzle could be considered a stealth tribute.
| S | A | C | S | P | E | A | L | M | A | D | A | M | ||
| H | E | L | P | R | A | T | E | A | R | O | S | E | ||
| O | R | A | L | A | R | E | A | R | I | G | H | T | ||
| V | I | S | A | V | I | S | A | V | I | S | A | |||
| E | A | S | T | E | R | M | E | S | H | J | A | B | ||
| S | L | Y | R | I | G | L | A | T | I | N | O | |||
| A | B | E | L | A | B | E | L | A | B | E | L | |||
| F | L | A | W | A | G | O | L | E | W | D | ||||
| R | I | D | E | R | I | D | E | R | I | D | E | |||
| E | R | A | S | E | R | E | N | O | P | S | A | |||
| T | A | M | B | A | A | S | S | N | O | R | T | S | ||
| P | I | E | S | P | I | E | S | P | I | E | S | |||
| R | A | Z | O | R | P | U | R | R | T | O | N | E | ||
| E | X | I | S | T | E | M | I | T | I | R | O | N | ||
| D | E | P | T | H | N | E | S | S | C | Y | S | T |
When I first saw this puzzle's edited version, 57-Across (PIESPIESPIES) had me genuinely stumped until I figured out the twist Will had added. (My clue: "Movie sequel in which a shipwrecked boy catches sight of baked goods?".)
Also new and welcome was the "Simpsons" reference in the clue for 33-Across (ABELABELABEL), originally the rather nonsensical "President Lincoln, put a nametag on Cain's brother!'?".
For the record, I briefly considered another sitcom-themed answer: IDERIDERIDER (Motto for one heckling "Boy Meets World" actor Strong?).
| T | K | T | O | V | U | M | V | A | C | R | O | P | E | W | A | Y | ||||
| U | N | H | N | A | N | O | D | E | N | Y | A | T | E | D | I | R | T | |||
| L | E | E | C | U | C | A | M | O | N | G | A | G | O | G | G | L | E | D | ||
| I | L | L | T | E | L | L | O | F | T | E | N | L | I | L | ||||||
| P | L | O | Y | T | E | A | R | F | U | L | G | R | E | E | N | I | N | G | ||
| C | P | A | A | N | T | R | O | L | L | I | N | G | G | A | I | T | ||||
| G | R | U | E | L | I | N | G | M | A | S | T | I | F | F | M | N | O | |||
| R | E | S | O | L | D | E | W | E | S | A | L | I | E | N | C | E | S | |||
| A | C | T | A | L | B | R | I | G | H | T | E | N | D | E | A | R | ||||
| B | U | T | C | H | E | R | E | D | Y | A | O | O | A | R | ||||||
| R | R | R | B | R | O | K | E | N | R | I | B | T | L | C | ||||||
| E | O | S | W | I | N | B | R | A | N | C | H | O | F | F | ||||||
| B | E | C | O | M | E | N | A | T | I | O | N | A | L | S | L | R | ||||
| P | R | I | S | C | I | L | L | A | C | T | N | N | O | R | W | A | Y | |||
| I | O | N | D | I | A | G | R | A | M | E | G | G | W | H | I | T | E | |||
| L | I | F | E | I | S | S | W | E | E | T | P | R | O | N | E | L | ||||
| E | L | L | I | O | T | T | S | M | A | Y | I | S | E | E | I | L | L | S | ||
| O | D | D | D | O | N | U | T | S | P | A | N | I | E | L | ||||||
| R | E | W | E | A | V | E | O | V | E | R | A | G | A | I | N | A | A | A | ||
| E | X | E | R | T | E | D | R | E | N | T | S | P | C | A | M | S | N | |||
| C | O | R | S | E | T | S | A | D | D | T | E | S | T | S | E | T |
Shortly after I taught "The Locust Tree in Flower" to a class of undergraduates, it crossed my mind that Williams' thirteen one-word lines might be a good fit for a 15x15 crossword grid. At first, I considered making each word an individual answer on a separate row, but this posed a problem: what to do with that cryptic "of," too short to be a standalone answer? Finally, I settled on concealing all thirteen words inside longer answers, which meant expanding the grid to 21x21. Doing so had the unexpected side effect of opening up just enough room for the title, the poet's name, and all four stanza breaks — a small miracle, or so it felt.
Where possible, I tried to use theme answers unrelated to the poem's words. (Hence MASTIFF instead of, say, STIFFLY.) OVERAGAIN would have been UPAGAINST, but that section just wouldn't fill properly until I shifted AGAIN to the right. Special thanks to Will for his clue at 60-Across, which brought back fond memories of classical-music broadcasting in college. (Never assume you can fake your way through the name "Władysława Markiewiczówna" on live radio.)
| C | H | I | C | H | O | P | E | S | T | A | G | E | |||
| L | A | N | E | L | E | P | E | R | A | H | M | E | D | ||
| E | T | A | L | L | A | T | T | E | T | R | I | M | S | ||
| A | C | N | E | O | D | I | E | L | I | O | N | ||||
| T | H | E | B | O | Y | F | C | R | I | E | D | W | O | L | F |
| R | A | D | O | R | A | L | A | A | A | ||||||
| S | P | R | I | T | B | L | U | E | P | E | N | C | I | L | |
| W | H | E | T | G | U | E | S | S | S | E | I | N | S | ||
| E | A | S | Y | T | A | R | G | E | T | H | E | D | G | E | |
| E | S | E | O | M | N | I | S | A | D | ||||||
| T | E | L | L | M | E | S | O | M | E | T | H | I | N | G | T |
| L | E | T | S | N | O | S | E | N | A | I | R | ||||
| N | U | E | V | O | C | A | U | S | E | E | D | N | A | ||
| I | N | R | E | M | E | R | R | E | D | S | I | S | I | ||
| B | A | S | E | S | L | Y | N | X | S | A | U | L |
The first draft of this puzzle had no rebus squares — just theme answers containing WHO, WHAT and IDONTKNOW, with those letters positioned above the answers FIRST, SECOND and THIRD. Will suggested that the gimmick would work better if the players were positioned consistently and more directly above their corresponding bases. After trying to make this work for longer than I'd care to admit, I retooled the puzzle into a two-way rebus.
The next challenge: finding a suitable (and suitably long) theme answer for [IDONTKNOW]. A draft with [IDONTKNOW]HOWTOLOVEHIM crossing THE[THIRD]MAN was rejected as too obscure, but expanding the grid to 16 squares wide solved the problem nicely.
| A | T | O | A | S | T | D | E | L | A | W | A | R | E | |
| N | U | D | G | E | D | E | N | A | M | O | R | E | D | |
| O | P | E | R | A | S | E | S | T | E | E | M | E | D | |
| I | D | E | S | R | U | I | N | O | V | A | ||||
| E | C | O | E | E | N | P | R | E | S | |||||
| A | H | A | E | N | D | B | A | Y | ||||||
| S | U | V | N | E | I | L | E | E | N | S | Y | |||
| A | L | A | T | O | N | G | A | N | S | H | O | E | ||
| U | N | P | E | N | A | S | I | M | O | R | B | |||
| T | E | D | T | A | I | W | E | B | ||||||
| S | A | G | A | P | C | T | C | R | S | |||||
| T | V | A | C | L | A | W | C | A | S | T | ||||
| A | I | R | P | L | A | N | E | T | H | R | E | S | H | |
| R | A | D | I | A | T | O | R | R | E | D | N | O | 2 | |
| K | N | E | E | D | E | E | P | I | D | I | D | S | O |
I can't recall what compelled me to build a crossword around Duchamp's Nude… maybe seeing the painting in a Dada exhibition at the Whitney when I was 12 years old, or listening to Tom Stoppard's radio play Artist Descending a Staircase. In any event, the idea for the "staircase" layout came to me easily enough, though I had a rough time trying to fit NUDEDESCENDINGASTAIRCASE into the grid until I remembered that wasn't the painting's full title. (If you're feeling charitable, consider the "2" my homage to the mustache Duchamp painted on the Mona Lisa.)
The northwest and southeast corners were trickiest to fill, as evidenced by the antique crosswordese at 2-Down. I can only say in that answer's defense that Roald Dahl mentions the TUPI language in Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (alongside, naturally, Tungus and Tulu). On the other hand, it was a kick to discover after the fact that I'd started with ATOAST and finished with a cheeky IDIDSO.
| I | M | R | E | M | R | T | O | A | D | C | A | W | ||
| S | O | A | R | F | I | A | N | C | E | A | D | O | ||
| L | I | V | I | N | G | P | P | E | R | S | R | O | W | |
| A | R | E | T | E | W | O | K | C | H | O | R | E | ||
| S | A | N | R | E | M | O | V | E | I | L | E | D | ||
| E | R | A | B | L | A | N | C | |||||||
| C | O | M | A | H | A | R | O | L | D | C | C | E | R | |
| A | R | C | T | A | H | I | N | I | S | I | L | L | ||
| R | E | G | G | E | R | A | T | E | D | P | D | F | S | |
| I | N | I | T | S | L | U | I | |||||||
| K | A | R | A | T | S | C | Y | C | L | O | P | S | ||
| E | X | A | M | S | E | E | O | L | E | V | E | L | ||
| S | I | S | H | A | L | F | M | E | A | S | U | R | E | |
| H | O | P | O | Y | S | T | E | R | U | L | E | E | ||
| A | M | Y | W | R | E | S | T | S | P | E | S | T |
This is a revision of the first crossword I ever constructed. The original version's theme answers were PINTZCRYSTAL, HAROLDCUPER, OCGILLATION and HALFMEASURES. After polite rejection letters from several publications, it sat untouched for nearly a year until I thought to rework it into a rebus. Keeping QUARTZCRYSTAL in the new grid was a challenge, and I ended up using LIVINGQUARTERS instead ... not ideal, since QUART and QUARTERS share a root, but (I reasoned) less obviously so than something like STRINGQUARTETS.
For those who struggled with GILL, I'll confess that I had no idea the half-cup measure(ment) even had a name until I looked it up while working on this puzzle, though that triggered a dim memory of a "Simpsons" episode where a sneaky gifted student offers to trade Bart "1000 picoliters of my milk for 4 gills of yours."
Favorite answers: the sepia-toned pairing of MRTOAD and TENTSHOW. RIPINTWO was also a fun challenge to clue without using any form of the word "half" (already used in the revealer).
| R | A | W | H | O | I | S | T | W | A | S | T | E | ||
| A | L | A | O | C | C | U | R | I | D | I | O | M | ||
| M | E | X | T | H | E | R | E | S | N | O | T | W | O | |
| E | R | E | C | T | E | M | I | G | R | A | N | T | ||
| N | O | R | A | E | P | H | R | O | N | E | R | S | E | |
| L | A | R | A | R | E | V | ||||||||
| T | H | A | I | I | M | P | I | S | L | E | S | |||
| N | O | N | P | R | E | S | C | R | I | P | T | I | O | N |
| T | I | T | H | E | S | E | W | P | E | S | O | |||
| A | S | K | F | I | F | E | ||||||||
| D | U | E | L | N | O | M | I | N | A | T | I | O | N | |
| O | K | L | A | H | O | M | A | T | E | M | P | O | ||
| W | A | Y | S | A | B | O | U | T | I | T | P | E | T | |
| E | S | S | E | N | D | R | O | V | E | E | R | E | ||
| L | E | E | R | S | O | A | T | E | R | L | A | D |
In the original version of this puzzle, I made the rookie mistake of placing NONAHEDRON at 56A without considering that I'd eventually have to write a clue for it. As I soon realized, there just aren't that many familiar nine-faced objects (and the preferred term is "enneahedron"). The best clue I could come up with was the unwieldy "Pyramid with an octagonal base, perhaps." Thanks to Will for changing 56A to the more clue-friendly NOMINATION, which I wholeheartedly accept.
| C | H | A | D | S | M | U | R | K | A | D | D | S | ||
| H | U | L | O | T | A | S | I | A | F | E | A | T | ||
| I | R | E | N | E | N | U | M | B | O | M | N | I | ||
| S | T | E | E | L | I | E | R | U | P | R | O | A | R | |
| E | L | L | P | E | K | O | E | |||||||
| O | W | L | A | L | P | M | I | S | S | T | E | P | ||
| F | E | A | R | D | U | M | B | E | A | U | D | E | ||
| F | I | V | E | G | O | L | D | E | N | R | I | N | G | S |
| T | R | A | C | E | S | S | R | S | D | I | E | T | ||
| O | S | S | E | T | I | A | S | Y | S | S | R | O | ||
| S | A | C | R | A | N | Y | C | |||||||
| S | H | A | S | T | A | L | A | C | R | O | S | S | E | |
| N | O | R | I | R | U | I | N | I | R | A | T | E | ||
| O | H | N | O | U | S | E | D | A | N | G | E | L | ||
| B | O | O | N | S | O | N | Y | C | Y | S | T | S |
Today's theme occurred to me after I finished David Steinberg's 1/2/13 FROOT LOOPS puzzle and started brainstorming other "circular answer" ideas. Two epiphanies followed: that FIVE GOLDEN RINGS worked as a grid-spanning revealer, and that SLUMBERS wrapped neatly around its middle. Among the other four-letter "rings" I considered were two measurements (HOUR and MILE) and two animals (BEAR and CALF). Favorite answer: Monsieur HULOT, who's usually overshadowed by his alter ego Jacques TATI, at least in crosswords.