New York Times, Monday, October 8, 2018
| Author: | Jacob Stulberg |
| Editor: | Will Shortz |
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.")
Beautifully tidy, orderly puzzle. What do you look for when you're at the AIRPORT? Which TERMINAL you're leaving from, the GATE number, ROW number, and SEAT assignment — this sequence contains everything you need, laid out in perfect order. Ready for takeoff, captain!
BATTERY TERMINAL isn't going to win any awards for snazziness – it's often the clue for the common crossword entry ANODE – but it's decent. Thankfully, the other themers were strong, at least for this Bay Area native. The GOLDEN GATE logo on the Warriors' jerseys, woop woop!
I appreciate that Jacob didn't try to do too much with the grid. Since he needed five themers, it's a solid decision to work in two pieces of long fill – the excellent WINE COOLER (anyone else think of Bruce Willis singing that Seagram's song?) and the amusingly-named LIMP BIZKIT (rock group). After that, he kept his focus solely on making the grid super-smooth.
Uncomplicated Monday themes ought to have uncomplicated Monday grids, and this does the trick nicely. My my my my!
A couple of great clues, too. You have to be careful for a Monday puzzle, making sure that clues aren't so clever as to go over too many newbs' heads. But an ELBOW being something up one's sleeve? Yes! A great piece of trivia in TYLER referred to as "His Accidency"? That's the way to do it.
Tidy. Ordered. And a little interesting. Can't ask much more from a Monday puzzle. Well executed; up for POW! consideration.
1 E | 2 L | 3 B | 4 O | 5 W | 6 F | 7 R | 8 O | 9 M | 10 T | 11 W | 12 I | 13 T |
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14 B | E | E | N | E | 15 R | A | V | E | 16 R | I | T | A |
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17 B | A | T | T | E | 18 R | Y | T | E | R | 19 M | I | N | A | L |
20 S | H | A | H | 21 E | I | S | N | E | R | 22 E | L | K |
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23 E | 24 R | I | N | 25 T | 26 A | C | I | T |
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27 G | 28 O | 29 L | D | E | N | G | 30 A | 31 T | 32 E | 33 C | O | C | O |
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34 I | W | I | L | L | 35 S | O | A | 36 S | T | O | ||||
37 G | E | M | 38 A | 39 I | 40 R | P | O | R | T | 41 L | 42 P | 43 S |
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44 P | 45 R | Y | N | N | E | 46 A | 47 D | E | L | E |
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48 T | 49 C | B | Y | 50 C | A | N | 51 N | 52 E | R | Y | R | O | W |
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53 I | L | I | E | 54 D | 55 O | P | E | N | ||||||
56 P | E | Z | 57 I | 58 L | 59 L | 60 I | N | I | 61 A | 62 M | 63 P | 64 S |
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65 T | A | K | 66 I | N | G | A | B | A | C | 67 K | S | E | A | T |
68 O | V | I | D | 69 B | R | I | M | 70 A | T | A | R | I |
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71 P | E | T | S | 72 T | A | S | E | 73 T | Y | L | E | R |
| Across | Down | |
| 1. Something up one's sleeve? : ELBOW 6. To's opposite : FROM 10. Fool : TWIT 14. Fashion designer Geoffrey : BEENE 15. Four-star review : RAVE 16. "Lovely" Beatles girl : RITA 17. Anode or cathode : BATTERYTERMINAL 20. Onetime leader of Iran : SHAH 21. Former Disney C.E.O. Michael : EISNER 22. Antlered animal : ELK 23. Land for O'Connor or O'Casey : ERIN 25. Unspoken but understood : TACIT 27. Iconic San Francisco bridge : GOLDENGATE 33. Chanel of perfume fame : COCO 34. Response to "Who wants to go?" : IWILL 35. In order that one might : SOASTO 37. Jewel : GEM 38. Where to find the ends of 17-, 27-, 50- and 65-Across : AIRPORT 41. Vinyl records, for short : LPS 44. Hester of "The Scarlet Letter" : PRYNNE 46. "Water Under the Bridge" singer, 2016 : ADELE 48. Frozen dessert franchise : TCBY 50. Steinbeck novel set in Monterey : CANNERYROW 53. Admission of perjury : ILIED 55. Daytime store window sign : OPEN 56. Candy from a dispenser : PEZ 57. Urbana-Champaign students : ILLINI 61. Rock music boosters : AMPS 65. Letting others occupy the spotlight : TAKINGABACKSEAT 68. Roman poet who wrote "Ars Amatoria" : OVID 69. Hat's edge : BRIM 70. Pioneering name in video games : ATARI 71. Garfield and Odie, for two : PETS 72. Subdue through electric shock : TASE 73. 1800s president nicknamed "His Accidency" : TYLER |
1. ___ and flows : EBBS 2. Jacob's first wife, in the Bible : LEAH 3. Software version for testing : BETA 4. Discreetly, informally : ONTHEDL 5. Tiny : WEE 6. Cooking in a pan with oil : FRYING 7. "Confound it!" : RATS 8. Place to cook a turkey : OVEN 9. Only : MERE 10. The first "T" of TNT : TRI 11. Relative of alcopop : WINECOOLER 12. Like tilted type : ITALIC 13. Address, as a listener : TALKTO 18. Bridle strap : REIN 19. Action star originally known as Laurence Tureaud : MRT 24. Team race : RELAY 26. Make a scene? : ACT 27. Band's booking : GIG 28. "You ___ me one" : OWE 29. Rap rock band with the 7x platinum album "Significant Other" : LIMPBIZKIT 30. "Quaking" tree : ASPEN 31. Excessively : TOO 32. Distinctive feature of Mr. Spock : EAR 36. Look that might "shoot daggers" : STARE 39. Abbr. ending a company name : INC 40. Genetic stuff : RNA 42. West Bank-based grp. : PLO 43. Make clothing : SEW 45. Ingredient in a manhattan : RYE 47. China's Ming or Manchu : DYNASTY 48. Pinnacle : TIPTOP 49. Synonym for both "adhere" and "split" : CLEAVE 51. Undistinguished : NONAME 52. "Beowulf," e.g. : EPIC 54. Loud noise : DIN 58. Pride parade inits. : LGBT 59. Actress ___ Flynn Boyle : LARA 60. Long-legged wader : IBIS 62. Offering now discontinued by most discount carriers : MEAL 63. Cut (down) : PARE 64. Keep the sauce from congealing, say : STIR 66. Passports et al. : IDS 67. Kit ___ bar : KAT |
Answer summary: 1 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Shortz Era but used previously.
Found bugs or have suggestions?