John Ewbank author page

The XWord Info Finder was very helpful in searching for entries for this puzzle, as you can just bung in [SCARLET] multiple times. That said, I did have to comb through the possibilities manually to find entries that contain every letter of SCARLET, which was quite time consuming. Being able to code would have been helpful, but I can't (be bothered). The only other possible entry I found was TELECASTER, which is either a broadcaster or a classic Fender guitar, but the other entries seemed better.

It's nice to debut both IM ALL IN and GOOD LOSER in the same puzzle, since they usually go hand in hand whenever I play $0.05/$0.10 Texas Hold-em online (unless my aces get cracked, in which the GOOD bit may be less obvious).

This puzzle started life with ALCOHOL-FREE BEER down the middle, but that rightly got poured away and was replaced by EVEREST BASE CAMP, which has slightly friendlier letters. The juxtaposition of TIME TRAVEL and SPACE OPERA is quite nice, and I'm already planning a Donnie Darko / Source Code doubleheader.

My British-leaning clues usually get edited out, but a couple snuck through this time through sheer weight of numbers. I started writing an explanation for why the British army isn't "Royal", but it quickly turned into the world's dullest essay, so I suggest you Google it if you're interested. It's something to do with the Corps Warrant. Plod for policeman is a bit easier — that comes from Enid Blyton's "Noddy" books, in which Police Constable Plod keeps the villains of Toyland in check.

The technical term for these kinds of phrases is "anapodoton," defined as when the main clause of a phrase ("Do as the Romans do") is not stated but implied by a sub-clause ("When in Rome…."). It can also be used in threats ("If you do that one more time…) or statements ("If you think I'm going to stand for your insults…).

Wikipedia tells me that it's common in classical Chinese; for example, "A frog in a well…" is short for "A frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean," a saying by philosopher Zhuangzi which essentially means that you should get out more. Every day's a school day, even Sunday—end lecture.

This was my first attempt at a Sunday puzzle — it was frankly terrifying, and at times I despaired of finding a fill. But where there's a will…

JOHN: To prepare for this puzzle coming out, I created a Spotify playlist featuring the best of STING, DRAKE, ADELE, and LORDE. It's called 'Stindradelorde' (catchy right?) and to be honest, it's not half bad. When things are getting a bit mournful (I'm looking at you, Lorde), you can rely on Drake or Sting to pop up and lighten the mood slightly before you're blown away by Adele's extraordinary vocals. It's certainly never boring, and I hope the crossword wasn't either.

Best regards from an Englishman in [The] New York [Times]. Have a great week.

As an interloping Brit more used to setting cryptic crosswords, venturing into the world of American puzzles during lockdown has been both fun and challenging. This puzzle actually owes its origins to British-style cryptics, since cryptic clues often contain words that indicate a single letter of the answer. Anything from the phonetic alphabet (Charlie = C), to the periodic table (potassium = K), to Roman numerals (ten = X) is fair game for cryptic setters, and so that got me wondering about the various things XXX can mean.

Fun fact: XXX can also indicate a turkey (three strikes in a row in bowling) and features on the official flag of Amsterdam — though this has nothing to do with that city's famous red-light district.

I hope you enjoyed the puzzle and I wish you all the best for 2022, with plenty of BOOZE and KISSES on New Year's Eve.

XXX