New York Times, Saturday, March 7, 2020

I typically fall back on a few basic grid designs, but this triple-stack layout is a new one for me — though in keeping with my usual style of packing in many long multi-word entries. Don't be surprised if you see it again (and again) from me. No quibbles on the clues; many are mine, and those that aren't are an improvement over what I submitted. The only one I'm disappointed that didn't make the cut was my clue for PAYPHONE: "Anathema of free speech advocates?". Free speech/pay phone… get it? Ok, I admit it, some of these jokes are just for me.

This is my 25th puzzle in the New York Times. Reflecting on this quadranscentennial (yes, I googled it) milestone, I realize that what began for me ten years ago as nothing more than a whim and an intellectual challenge is today a central part of my identity. I'm so glad to be part of the wonderful community of crossword constructors, solvers, and editors, and I look forward to many more years of arranging black and white squares and moving letters around for the amusement of others.

Finally, it's an honor to be included in this week highlighting women constructors. Thanks to Will and the team for making it happen, and three cheers to my fellow constructors whose puzzles ran this week. And to all the women who might now be inspired to begin constructing: I look forward to solving all your puzzles in the years to come!

There's a lot to like about this latest Weintraub creation. Robyn has a knack for picking marquee answers that delight, and HOME SWEET HOME hit the mark. The statement is so loaded with relief, with joy, with a huge smile, evoking images of coming home to your loving family.

Or to two kids screaming that JAKE HIT ME NUH-UH TESS MEAN MUGGED ME!

Same difference.

How does a three-year-old know what mean-mugging is (and I don't), anyway?

FISH TACOS makes my mouth water. They're even more tempting with a delightfully obfuscating clue in [Seafood in shells]. Not lobster, not crab, not crawfish … what could it be? That's a perfect misdirect leading to a wonderful a-ha.

PAPER AIRPLANEs going over students' heads, heh. So good! Although Drax would catch them. Probably demolish them into atoms.

JELLO SHOTS is another in that vein. I wonder, though, if some solvers won't figure out why JELLO SHOTS are "set for a wild party." Set out in a tray? Because JELLO SHOTS love to party, a la the foods in "Sausage Party"? Nope, the clue is getting at "set" in the sense of Jell-O needing to set in the fridge. Some might see it as clever, but it took away from the fun for me because it took me so long to figure out the intention.

I'll explain a couple more that could get missed:

• [Small cardinal] — I thought I knew what a "cardinal" number was, but it turns out they're not quite the same as "integers." The Wikipedia article confused me further. I still enjoyed the clue, but I fear that math haters are gonna hate.
• SYN is short for "synonym," so [Individual, for one] means that "individual" is a synonym for "one."
• HOLEY is [Well-ventilated] ... yes, but "holey" is usually an undesirable accident, while "well-ventilated" is purposeful. I think the clue needs a question mark.
• I'm not a fan of AGUE as a crossword entry, bringing back the Maleska days. Trying to play on it with "sweater" = "a person who sweats" ... yikes!

Along with more crossword glue than I'm used to from Robyn — AGOOD WIS SYN CUTTO AGUE — it's not my favorite of hers. Still, I did enjoy many of the feature entries, and I appreciate Robyn venturing away from her usual construction style, into stair-stack territory. Pushing oneself is a good thing.