Blake Slonecker author page

I originally designed this puzzle with only vertical groups of blocks, which I think is more visually striking than the published horizontal groups. But I feared that all the short across entries would make the puzzle play too fast for those who start on the across clues (most people, right?). Those who start with downs might, on their first pass, wonder where all the long entries are (the longest down entry is only six letters). Downs-only solvers should do acrosses-only to make this one tougher.

I hope the puzzle still plays hard enough with the shorter entries running side-by-side throughout the grid — that's definitely a risk with this construction. The horizontal block groups also means that the number of across entries is low — twenty-one. Maybe this puzzle suggests a new XWordInfo stat category (!) — fewest entries in one direction.

As a themeless puzzle solver, I often get stumped by long proper nouns; as a themeless puzzle constructor, I try not to include them. I'm mostly successful here. AMSTERDAMAVENUE doesn't fit the bill . . . but I appreciate the editorial team's revision of my original clue because it includes info (Dutch roots) that points toward the answer even if you've never heard of that particular Manhattan thoroughfare.

When I started work on this puzzle, I wanted to keep the word count low, place crossing stacks in the center, and maintain 90-degree rotational symmetry. As a newbie trying to break into the themeless rotation, I hoped that combination would set the puzzle apart. I tried various approaches that would also keep the block count low before finally trying the four six-block staircases that made it to the final version. You can't have it all!

This grid is the first time I've used staircases for themeless construction, and it felt like a cheat code. I imagine a statistician could do a deep-dive analysis of exactly how much the format aids in puzzle construction. On this one, at least, the staircases made all the difference in achieving rigid construction goals while keeping the fill (hopefully) lively and fresh.

The puzzle came in at 62 words, and my use of the staircases led me back to the XWord Info list of low-word-count puzzles to see how common the staircase approach has been for similar puzzles. Twenty-seven 62-worders appeared before Patrick Berry's November 21, 2008 puzzle became the first to use four staircase block sets (without any adjacent blocks). Since 2019, six of the ten (and now seven of the eleven) 62-worders have done so. A cool case study for evolving editorial and construction tastes.

This is my first puzzle to use left-right symmetry, and I really came to appreciate the complexities of the form by working my way through this grid. The outward hooks of the theme entries forced me to move the entries one column closer to the center than I normally would have placed them. But the length of the theme entries and their shortening because of the hook shapes meant that they nested easily enough. The gridding challenge came with how to construct the middle sections, especially the longer entries in the top half and the 7-9 stack that crosses two theme entries toward the bottom.

The placement of the revealer was definitely my major hesitation when I submitted the puzzle. With everything going on in the bottom corners, the FISH / HOOK revealer just wasn't realistic down there. I'm grateful that the editorial team allowed the oddity of a split revealer at 1-/11-down.

As for the fill, it's rare for a favorite entry to be of the 3-letter variety. But I was thrilled to get the theme-adjacent DAM centered at the top. Elsewhere, I dig CAT PEOPLE (though despite loving my cat, Puck, I am a dog person) and LAP DESK (which I use a lot). I originally submitted a clue referring to ALASKAN Amber, a beer that is ubiquitous on the West Coast; but I just learned that it isn't distributed east of Ohio, so it makes sense that it didn't make the cut.

I am a history professor at Heritage University, which is located within the Yakama Nation and just outside Toppenish, Washington. I have a 40-minute drive through hop fields and orchards on my way to and from campus (back when I went to campus), and many of my puzzle ideas form on those drives.

This theme arose from brainstorming words that could hint at a rebus theme. When JAM came to mind, NBA wasn't far behind. My prime gaming years were the 1990s, and I played NBA Jam a lot. As an Oregonian, my favorite duo was Portland's Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler (great crossword name).

I originally submitted this puzzle with theme-entry clues that included the names of NBA franchises. Some were naturals: SUSAN B ANTHONY was "Feminist Trail Blazer"; PINBALL was "Game for Wizards." But others were too stretchy, and the gimmick was scrapped. Good luck guessing my clues for CANADIAN BACON and NEWBORN BABIES!