New York Times, Tuesday, May 31, 2022

BRAD: Sam and I have been published as a team elsewhere, but I'm proud to be part of his first collab in the Times. I feel enriched by working with someone of his talent and also by having some glimpses into his life as a history teacher and a dad since my late father taught high school social studies.

Having this puzzle reach print is especially satisfying because there were so many levels of decision-making for us. Since we ended up with drafts at two different word counts, did the additional black square help or hurt our chances? Should the revealer be a grid-spanner, or something shorter like "PUT A PIN IN (IT)"? If we kept to the most obvious definition of pin, would the tautness be congratulated, or would the editorial team respond more positively to a variety of pins?

When Sam proposed we flesh out this idea together, he had a worksheet with many senses of "pin." Ultimately, we submitted a version set entirely in the realm of pins as fasteners, so when Will asked us to revise the bottom half of the puzzle and swap in BOWLING LANE and ATM MACHINE for our original DRESS DUMMY and BOUTONNIERE, we had to laugh at the déjà vu.

Another interesting note: After we had this puzzle tentatively accepted, it took us a while as a team to get our revision in shape. Tracy was kind enough to check in on our progress and let us know that since our submission THREE other puzzles had come in with our PIN theme. She would send regrets on those as long as we still planned on finalizing ours. Amazing how the crossword hivemind works!

"What connects these random things?" themes are among my favorites. It's so much fun to slap yourself in the head when there's a simple one-word revealer that clarifies the connection. It's even better when there's a great phrase that serves that purpose. LET'S PUT A PIN IN IT is fantastic, helping solvers realize that one might put a pin in a VOODOO DOLL, CLOTH DIAPER, or a BOWLING LANE.

And I loved the expanded thinking, putting a P.I.N. into an ATM. That's the kind of creativity that makes me stand up and clap.

I enjoyed the theme so much that I daydreamed about what other things you could put a PIN in. JEWELRY BOX would work. WRESTLING RING … not so much.

How about PASTRY DOUGH, with a rolling PIN? In golf, the flag in a hole is called a "pin." These two might have dulled the a-ha moment though; tougher to make the connection to a PIN.

Today is a rare case where I'd have liked "less is more." An ideal presentation would give three or four vastly different PIN meanings, followed by (LETS) PUT A PIN IN IT. Starting off with VOODOO DOLL and CLOTH DIAPER using similar types of pins, unveiling the revealer, then following with new definitions of PIN … I'm not sure if it's genius that it kept me guessing, or if it's inelegant.

I also wasn't wild about some of the compromises that five themers demanded. There wasn't anything egregious, but the pile-up of minor ACU ELO WTS kind of glue became noticeable. Reasonable trade-off to get the delights in POOL PARTY, HUMAN RACE, ONION RING, but it left me with a slightly MALADROIT sensation.

Fantastic idea; would have gotten my POW! with a few different choices.

An historic performance of The Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore: