Danny J. Rooney author page
1 puzzle by Danny J. Rooney
with Constructor comments
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| P | E | E | L | L | E | A | N | D | E | R | C | A | S | A | N | O | V | A | ||
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| E | R | L | E | Y | O | U | S | U | R | E | S | C | R | A | G | G | Y | |||
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| M | E | R | E | T | O | N | S | A | Y | S | M | E | S | S | N | S |
I'm thrilled to be making my crossword-constructor debut for the NYTimes! This puzzle seems particularly apt as my middle name is James and my surname features a double-O.
I actually didn't set out to create a 007-themed puzzle. I initially began by playing around with "S" to "SH" phrases that sounded humorous. I wasn't even sure it was a Sunday until SHINEDSHIELDDELIVERED came to me and happened to be 21 letters! That was a super fun discovery.
I eventually began imagining the S-SH answers voiced by the legendary SEANCONNERY and got a real kick out of it (also Darrell Hammond's Connery impression from SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy kills me.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that SEANCONNERY matched length-wise with MOVEYOURASH! Then, after a quick search, I learned that his full name began SIRTHOMAS, matching WHATAMESH. SIRTHOMAS was eventually replaced with JAMESBOND, which fit perfectly.
I love when theme-related entries intersect in a grid; it feels like multiple vocal lines coming together in musical counterpoint. Discovering that MARTINI and DOUBLEO could each symmetrically cross two themers was very cool. DOUBLEO prompted me to form the "7" made of "OO"s for added flair. Keeping the "OO" fill to just those seven words in the grid was a challenge, but a worthy one I think.
In the end, omitting Connery's proper title felt a bit disrespectful, so I decided to add a secret theme entry with YOUSURE at 106-Across... a bridge connecting the character with the man who made him an icon. Here's to you, Sir!