New York Times, Monday, September 27, 2021

A few months ago, the Times ran a Mario Brothers themed crossword, and it was pretty clear that the impetus for the puzzle was Muriel BOWSER. Here the credit goes to Ray TELLER, with POLE VAULT running a close second.

In the interest of preempting criticism, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS and BOTTLE DEPOSIT don't quite change the meaning of the last word to the same extent, though they're colorful enough and were necessary to make the symmetry work. Another nit to pick would be that the more idiomatic phrase is "money in the bank", though that obviously wouldn't land as a revealer.

I'd love to take the credit for premiering PENN AND TELLER, but both Byron Walden and Frank Longo beat me to it with "X and Y" themed puzzles in the past — though I'll say that this is officially the first time that Teller is the main event. As an aside, Teller wrote and narrated an off-Broadway horror-themed magic show titled "Play Dead", which happened to be one of the first dates for me and my (then future) wife back in 2010. Things took a turn when she was pulled on stage by Todd Robbins and briefly disappeared, but we got her back in one piece at the end of the night.

Speaking of Broadway, it's back! So go get vaccinated and show the theater crowd some love.

I'm obsessed with Money Heist on Netflix, down to the level of wondering what city code name I'd choose for myself. Considering I'd be one of the lackeys melting down the gold while everyone else got all the glory, I'll have to go with Peoria.

Put today's puzzle IN THE BANK, because it worked so well as a newb-friendly crossword, featuring things one might see in a BANK: a VAULT, TELLER, some SAVINGS and DEPOSITs. I initially glossed over POLE VAULT as I focused on SAVINGS and DEPOSITS, so it was a treat to go back and discover that was part of the theme. Almost all of them were so well disguised, that it wasn't until I hit BOTTLE DEPOSIT that I figured out what was going on.

It's a shame BOTTLE DEPOSIT isn't as sparkly as the other themers. Perhaps MINERAL DEPOSIT would have at least disguised the concept of a monetary transaction.

It's been so long since I stepped into a bank, I'm not sure what else I'd see. I like that Zach covered all the major items, making this a tight set. Adds a touch of elegance.

Touch of pizzazz, too, what with SELF PITY and NFL TEAMS as standout bonuses. Excellent use of mid-length slots, too, with AGE OLD, Bob MARLEY, CREOLE, CT SCAN, ATTILA the Hun, NONFAT — that's a ton of solid material.

Not wild about ESSO or DYS, but those are minor shorties. The river LETHE isn't as featured in Greek mythology as the Styx, but the crossings are reasonable.

An extra layer can help a puzzle stand out in today's ultra-competitive crossworld, with the NYT accepting about 4% of submissions. A dynamite phrase can serve that need, the colorful IN THE BANK helping this one (warning, terrible pun ahead!) gain interest.