New York Times, Monday, November 25, 2019

Hello solvers, this is my third published NYT crossword, and my first Monday. You probably won't be shocked to learn that the spark for this one was the realization that SNACK ATTACK and CRACK IS WACK had the same double-rhyme and the same number of letters. Plus, just repeating "ack" a whole bunch of times sounds inherently funny to me, so there was my theme. The original version I submitted was rounded out with BACKING TRACK and RACK AND STACK, and was rejected because it turns out the latter phrase, though fairly common in my line of work, isn't actually something most people have ever heard. However, Shortz et. al. indicated they'd be interested if I could replace that last themer. Couldn't find another 12-letter entry, so it needed a significant rewrite, but it worked out, and here we are.

Since my other published puzzles were a Wednesday and a quite tricky Thursday, I'm excited more people will be able to tackle this one!

A few notes:

• I learned while constructing this puzzle that Haring's "Crack is Wack" mural visible today at Harlem River Park isn't the original, which was initially painted without city permission, later defaced, and then painted over, after which a new version was promptly commissioned by the NYC Parks Department. Lots more to the backstory, it's worth a look. And coincidentally, the mural has been out of sight since 2015 due to road construction, but was restored over the summer of 2019 and unveiled just a few weeks ago!
• The editing team changed a few entries, one of which — ONE NO — I would have needed every single cross to fill in (originally I had CREMA there, clued as "feature of a well-pulled espresso"... as for bridge, I know precisely nothing). The section at 40/41-Down was also replaced in editing.
• 10-Down: shout-out to my lovely wife's home state!
• Of the clues that hit the cutting-room floor, the only one I miss was for 59-Across: "T. ___ (distant relative of a parakeet)" 🦖

Homage to Cathy today, the no-nosed wonder twice as irked as usual — ACK ACK indeed. (Cathy and Voldemort both having no nose ... things that make you go hmm!)

Today is a perfect example where a revealer — some word or phrase explicitly explaining the theme — would have been fantastic. The puzzle works as is, since the themers follow a clear pattern that's not hard to spot. There wasn't a sharp a-ha moment, though, more a slow realization that each themer has two instances of ACK.

What could have been a good revealer? How about ACK itself, clued to Cathy's quaint cry? That's getting there, but it doesn't explain why there would be two ACKs.

ACK ACK (clued to the gun) would have been better, opening the eyes of even the greenest solvers. It's not a great crossword entry in itself, but it would have been a spot-on explanatory phrase.

Speaking of green solvers, this isn't the most welcoming early-week solving experience. Too many names (especially tough ones) can make a crossword feel like a trivia contest — IDINA, REX, ELTON, ANN, AUDI, ALEXIS, ROKU, AGRA, ANI, DYAN, SARTRE, GAYLE, NASHUA, OTIS. There's no hard and fast threshold for how many names is too many, but this crossed well into dangerous territory.

There weren't any glaring grid skeleton problems — it's a fine layout — but further iteration would have helped smooth out some of the inelegancies. Aside from the slew of not-everyday names, something like NES / ATA / SCI atop each other should trigger a revision.

Overall though, I did enjoy the bonuses — DEAL ME IN, NEW CAR, SABOTAGE are great — and it was fun to see so many *ACK *ACK phrases. You can use our Finder with the search string *ack*ack* to get lots of others, like HACKY SACK, WACKY TOBACKY, QUARTERBACK SACK.