David Distenfeld author page

Oh no you didn't, David! My kids have been singing BABY SHARK off and on for years now, and I would usually pay through the nose to knock it out of my head AT ANY COST, POST HASTE. Although, as with everything else, Ted Lasso has provided the answer, Jamie Tartt repurposing the song in such a ridiculous way that it now makes me smile.

The term YANKEE SWAP isn't quite as colorful as white elephant exchange, but it still evokes all sorts of imagery. I'm hopeful that our Mariners somehow can steal Jose Trevino from the Bronx Bombers.

What I'm even more hopeful for: one day having a Dirty Santa party.

Don't (Aaron) Judge me.

Most constructors focus their clever cluing on their feature entries, but it's just as effective in helping regular ol' boring short fill stand out. Usually, you use entries like DYE, HAW, DATE, MILK because they do their job: they don't make a solver hitch. DYE pulls so much weight, though, with a beautiful [What might address a gray area] clue. And I wouldn't hem or HAW about a HAW being found near a hem.

For those unaware of various matchmaking apps that require swiping right and left, a side-swipe might get you a DATE. Finally, I don't have to give a spoiler alert here since there's already one of sorts on MILK cartons — the "best by" DATE!

These four short answers could have been simply fine, but with such brilliant clues, they inject freshness and fun into the solving experience.

Well-constructed themeless, with some strong debut entries and outstanding work in clever cluing.

It's unusual to have a vowel progression focused on short vowel sounds, because long vowel sounds make it so much easier to realize what's happening. I enjoyed the change of pace ... PACE, PEACE, PICE — dammit!

This genre is so well-mined in crosswords that it takes something extra to help a theme rise out of the muck ... MACK, MECK — blargh!

Drastic spelling changes can help, although that's a double-edged sword. I tend to field many "what is this theme?" questions for some big VMs. Without a revealer to explain what's going on, you depend on your five words to get the idea across.

A more straightforward approach like PACK animal, PECK on the cheek, PICK six, POCK marked, PUCK handling makes the theme abundantly clear, but it's so dull that solvers would pack it in.

Lewis Rothlein and I tried to do something completely different in this genre, riffing on BLANDER, BLENDER, BLINDER, BLONDER, BLUNDER. Although not a blunder, it was blander than I'd hoped.

Mondays rarely bring wordplay joy in clues, so I was ecstatic to be treated to a POGO STICK as a device for someone who's "hopping mad." My kids are yo-yo mad right now, and I fear the emergency room visits when POGO STICK mania arrives.

I usually don't notice (or care about) abbreviations in a grid, but an editor recently asked me to reduce my usage, as they can be seen as inelegant. TLDR, with a plethora of IPOS IPA OMG INPJS SCOTUS CIA DKNY, I can see the point.

Although the theme didn't wow me, David did so well working in SPIN JOB, SUNDIAL, DR SEUSS, YOGI BERRA bonuses for those tired of this AbstEmIOUs genre. And his comments always crack me up!

Standard "stair-stack" themeless layout, with the central triplet of SHABBAT SHALOM / PEOPLE WATCHES / NOT DOING SO HOT serving as a solid foundation. A close friend of mine is Jewish, so his crossword-crazy mom will love seeing that first entry today. PEOPLE WATCHES is already a great entry, and its clue makes it even better. That odd hyphen in "tourist-spots" — making it a verb — is brilliant.

And NOT DOING SO HOT is hardly not doing so hot, especially with the funny "on the struggle bus" clue. I've never used the term before, but I sure enjoyed digging into its origins. Do yourself a favor, and don't look up its definition on Urban Dictionary. I wonder if some troll is laughing at me right now.

The layout looked familiar, partially because so many themelesses these days get built on the "stair-stack" framework, but also because there's this anal website that makes it too easy to figure out topologically similar — or in this case, identical — grids. There's nothing wrong with copying someone else's layout, but I appreciate variety.

That's totally a first-world constructor problem. Much more important is how much pizzazz a themeless delivers, and David did well with so many strong long entries. TINSELTOWN is shiny, HALF SIBLING made me do a double take with the [Brother from another mother] clue, and BEST OF SEVEN is loaded with imagery for us basketball nuts.

ESSENTIAL WORKER! Neat to see our pandemic heroes get a shout-out. I also enjoyed the marvelous symmetry of MRS MAISEL and MR SANDMAN. Now that's a show I would watch!

Not as sure I'd tune in for a DOCUSOAP. I get that it's a cross between a documentary and a soap, but I'd be almost as embarrassed to use the term as to admit to watching "Jersey Shore."

I wish there had been more juice packed into the corners — REVERENCE and TREE-LINED are fine entries, but not as jazzy as a Friday calls for. Along with SAD SONGS, REEDITS oddball, and a patch of green MOULD, I had some hesitations. Neat triplet of central Across features, though.

Debuting with a themeless offering is quite a feat. Acceptance rates are at an all-time low, averaging roughly 4%, and themelesses are the most supply-glutted category. Bravo to David for making the cut!

The grid contains so much colloquial fun — NOW MORE THAN EVER, THINK AGAIN, CAN WE NOT, OK BOOMER, DIG THIS — WELL DAMN is right! I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of an old hippie saying DIG THIS, with Gen Alpha collectively giving an OK BOOMER.

Neat grid layout, too. At first glance, it looks like three mini-puzzles — NW, center diagonal, SE — but there was more than enough connectivity to maintain solving flow.

The innovative grid design did cause some problems, notably in the south region. That's understandable, given how constraining it is to weave TEST PILOTS / NOW MORE THAN EVER into LEMONADE / COVER STORY. There was a high price to pay in the awkward IS RED and tough STERE.

Considering how challenging it is to get an acceptance, I'd have suggested revising. Perhaps a black square at the D of BORED could have opened up possibilities.

Great misdirect on the "Britain's first family of harmony" clue. I used to be a big Wade BOGGS fan so that B had to start BEATLES. THINK AGAIN is right!

Too much RANDD BIERS oddballs for today's ever-rising themeless standards, but such fun in the spoken-word entries.