Conor Sefkow author page
1 puzzle by Conor Sefkow
with Constructor comments
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| P | E | R | S | N | E | E | A | G | L | E | T |
When the pandemic shut down my UCLA dorm in the middle of my freshman year, I didn't think I'd be coming back, a year and a half later, with a New York Times crossword on my résumé. But with a sudden abundance of free time, I decided to make the leap from solver to constructor—how hard could it be?
Pretty hard, it turns out. A massive thanks to my test-solvers (i.e., my parents) for putting up with my quizzing them on Icelandic monetary units and Pakistani provincial capitals as my construction skills developed. Originally, I had FRENCH FRIES paired with DOUBLE DUTCH, but the change for consistency (having all of the nationalities as the first word) fortunately freed up the grid a bit and let me work in some much-needed revisions.
I'm pleased to put ESPORT and AUTO SHOP in the NYT for the first time — both related to hobbies of mine, although my original clue for the latter [Where one's body may be worked on?] may have been a little too devious.
The working title for this puzzle was "La La Land". I hope you enjoy it!