New York Times, Thursday, July 13, 2023

The inspiration for this theme was this puzzle from Andrew Ries from February 2021. The PARADOX wordplay was fun, so I tried to see if a puzzle could work with various other PARA-items. I submitted a 21x21 query to another publication with the PARA-formulations as mini-revealers cross-referencing theme answers: PARADIGMS — PA(TEN)(T EN)GINEERING; PARABLES — V(OX) POPULI V(OX) DEI; PARALYZE — IN DRI(BS) AND DRA(BS); PARAKEETS — (JOHN)SON AND (JOHN)SON. The idea was rightfully rejected, but I tried different angles and landed on the successive rebuses you see here.

In this case, the gimmick is the puzzle — if the gimmick doesn't give you enjoyment or eludes you, then you probably will not like the puzzle.

For those constructors keeping track, this puzzle was submitted on January 15, 2022 and accepted on April 7, 2022. The editing team kept 32 clues as written, slightly revised 12 clues, and changed 32 clues. All revised and changed clues were, in my opinion, improvements.

I also want to acknowledge David Steinberg and Amanda Rafkin at Universal Crossword, who worked with me when I first started submitting crosswords for publication. Their extremely helpful feedback was so instrumental in my progress as a constructor. Thank you to them both!

Clever concept; a new and interesting way to play on the old "para words" trope. DIE + DIE = DICE as a phonetic part of PARADISE takes David Kwong's rebus concept one or even two steps further.

The themers, in case you're still mystified:

GANGSTA'S PARADISE

LOGICAL PARADOX

PARABLES OF JESUS

SHIFTING PARADIGMS

If you're not familiar with GANGSTA'S PARADISE, check it out. The lyrics are Biblically poetic.

Being a heathen, I wasn't sure if PARABLES OF JESUS was a term in widespread use. I'm familiar with the Parable of the Sower and such, but apparently this is a general blanket title encompassing all of his storied sayings? Looks like it ... but I'm not convinced enough to use it in a future crossword.

Oh Jeff of little faith!

Given how few phrases include the words PARADISE, PARADOX, PARABLES, and PARADIGMS, it's amazing that Hanh managed to find a symmetrical set at all. It's even tougher given that PARABLES (BULL + BULL = BULLS = -BLES) cannot be singular, so none of the specific Bible parables would have worked.

Well done to thread long Downs through most of the rebus squares, too. ED(DIE)BAUER, SPIN(DOC)TORS, and NEWS(BULL)ETIN are all strong. It's a shame that there wasn't a fourth, through one of the DIME squares ... although, I don't know if that would have been possible, since the special squares come at the ends of three themers and the start of the fourth. If it had been two at the starts and two at the ends, that would have been much easier to achieve. So much inflexibility … you couldn't swap out GANGSTA'S PARADISE for PARADISE LOST, for example, since your themers would no longer pair up by length.

Pesky crossword symmetry!

Well-executed rebus-and-then-some; I appreciated the challenging solve.