New York Times, Tuesday, May 26, 2020

I was inspired to write this puzzle last year while watching the first season of The Masked Singer; I thought that Ricki Lake was the Raven. (I was right!) I observed that her last name was a body of water and thought this could be the start of a straightforward puzzle theme. In particular, I liked the use of "body" to refer to both water and a person.

Unfortunately, I could not find a way to fit Ms. Lake into the puzzle while maintaining the symmetry of theme answers and including the revealing theme entry. For consistency's sake, I also kept surnames in the singular, so no Joan Rivers or Garth Brooks. Billy Ocean played more nicely than Frank Ocean when I worked to complete the grid. That's how I ended up with these particular bodies in the puzzle.

My friend and fellow crossword constructor Chris King pointed out to me a couple of weeks ago that the most common clue in The New York Times crossword since Will Shortz started editing the puzzle is [See 17-Across], and that I was the most recent constructor to include it in a puzzle (October 25, 2018). With today's puzzle, I am now also the most recent constructor to include the second most common clue: [Jai ___]. It's unintentional, and just indicative of my inability to find a better early-week clue for ALAI.

Years ago, my (identical twin) brother and I saw "The Waterboy" with my sister-in-law. Alex and I cackled our heads off the entire way through, making Adam Sandler's crazy noise for days afterward. On the other hand, Kate attempted to travel back in time so she could personally see to it that the director, producer, and every key grip was never born.

I like the basic concept today, celebs with last names doubling as BODIES OF WATER. Kicking things off with FIRTH did make it difficult for me to figure out, considering WTF is a "firth"?

Ah. The dictionary defines it as …

(When you have to use that intro …)

Then came ARTHUR LAKE. Talk about fishing for a themer!

A few weeks ago, Matt Gaffney, a top crossword maker, commented that central revealers felt odd, since he grew up on the traditional principle of always putting revealers at the end — that's Always, with a capital A. The theory is that if you put it anywhere but the end, you spoil the a-ha moment way too soon. I don't 100% agree with that, but I do think that if you reveal a theme halfway through, the a-ha moment has to have a delightful click. Otherwise, what's the point of finishing the puzzle?

BODIES OF WATER? It works, but it's not the most fun revealer I've ever encountered. More a dictionary definition than artful wordplay.

ADDED NOTE: I completely missed Neville's double-duty use of BODIES until I read his note. That does buoy the revealer.

Would WATERBOYS have been better? Maybe. It's not precise since these celebs aren't ten years old, but WATERBOYS could be clued "what these celebs were when they were young." It would have felt tighter, too, acknowledging that all the featured celebs are dudes.

Just like Alex vs. Kate re: "The Waterboy," I wonder if this puzzle will be polarizing. There is a BARBIE running for President in the puzzle, but she hardly represents feminism. It'd have been nice to change the scope, adopting a different approach to use a more interesting set, perhaps with folks like RUSSELL WESTBROOK / MINNIE DRIVER? Or give RICKI LAKE her due, orienting all themers vertically to pair her with WATER DOWN? Would have been fun to brainstorm.

Many people (me included) were surprised that "See 17-Across" is the most common clue in NYT crosswords — 242 times, including pre-Shortz!

Here's the Modern Era most frequently used clues list, including an explanation for that odd winner.