Jesse Goldberg author page

Plenty of regular solvers Y-ne about simple single-letter addition or subtraction themes, but this is far from simple. You probably noticed that "Why? Why Not?" hints at some themers having a Y inserted for kooky results, and some using a deletion.

Check out the positions of those critical Ys, though. For example, the Y in BELLY BOTTOMS has risen directly up from where the Y in COMBAT READ(Y) would have been! That extra level helps to make this one rise (sorry) from the pack.

I wish more of the themers had made me laugh. COMBAT READ came closest, what with the major change from READY to READ. Others didn't exhibit nearly enough transmogrification (CAMP and CAMPY having similar meanings), or fell flat (SLUMBER PART is dull), or made little sense (BELLies have BOTTOMS?).

Having the Y rise exactly two squares makes things difficult to grid around. Not only does that severely limit the Y options you can use, but once you find a pair that you can grid around, you have to do it again on the opposite side to obey crossword symmetry.

I also wondered, why rise two squares? The title doesn't get at that notion at all.

I appreciated the efforts to jazz up the clues. Who among us computer users hasn't been infuriated by a [Server error]? Brilliant misdirect away from a tennis FOOT FAULT.

Smart to use the largely unconstrained upper left and lower right to inject extra spice. SRI RACHA is so appropriate.

Although the solver in me wasn't wowed, the technician thought the consistent two-square Y rise was an interesting rule to adhere to.

ADDED NOTE: This moron completely biffed. I missed WISE UP TO, which is absolutely perfect rationale for moving Ys up two squares! That makes my appreciation rise by a factor of two!

I'm not much of a cook — my lunches are usually "things my kids refused to eat, crammed together into a bowl" — but JULIA CHILD is so charming that I've followed several of her recipes. My wife cajoled me into watching some of her old shows, and to my surprise, I couldn't get enough. Her lack of rigidity and sense of playfulness came shining through in today's puzzle. I've heard all the quotes before, but I laughed at each one of them all over again.

I did get confused right off the bat by starting with BON APPETIT. Shouldn't that come after all the cooking is done ... at the end of the puzzle? (I wish I had recorded Jim Horne's cackles of laughter at my inanity when I mentioned this.)

Seriously though, I didn't drop into the pattern — the theme clues giving the first half of the quote, and the grid delivering the punchline — because BON APPETIT started me on the wrong foot. The first theme answer usually sets the tone and expectations for the rest of the—

Let's pause, so we can wait for Jim to stop snorting and wiping away his tears of mirth.

I'm impressed with what Jesse has done with Crosserville. It's still early in its life cycle, but I've already worked with a few new constructors using it. Crossword Compiler and Crossfire have some advantages still, though I wouldn't be surprised if Crosserville takes a chunk of market share. Great to see yet another barrier to entry broken down for new constructors.

I enjoyed some of the bonuses, like EMAIL ALERT and AL MICHAELS's "Miracle on Ice" commentary. I could have used more spice — this is JULIA CHILD, after all — and less drop-the-lamb A DARN / OR TEA / EAT NO / GO GET. (Rich Norris at the LAT hard-caps partials at two.)

Moving REALLY JUST A MEETING and EVEN PUT IT IN THE FOOD one row closer to the center would have helped with spacing. Note how tightly the first three themers are squeezed together. That often causes filling difficulties, especially when you weave in another long Across like OVERPOWER.

Some issues with layout and execution, but joy prevailed in my solving experience. I'm putting Julie & Julia on my list of feel-good movies to watch again.

I hadn't heard of the STONEWALL Inn until five years ago. Horrifying, that raid leading to so much violence against members of the LBGT community, but it's inspiring to see all the pride parades that have cropped up since then. A subject well worth commemorating for Pride Month.

The theme might elude some folks — those who nod that yes, there are HEADs in a graveyard, and that the centerpiece of a ring is a GEM. Nope! Well, yes. Sort of. Let me explain already!

This is a "perimeter puzzle," where all the answers around the edge are affected the same way. In today's case, the word STONE is implied at the end of each theme entry. Not HEAD, but HEADSTONE, not BIRTH, but BIRTHSTONE, etc.

These puzzles are notoriously difficult to fill since you end up working inward from four corners and have to knit those sections together in the middle. More often than not, one corner refuses to cooperate with the merge, and you have to start all over again.

This is even more difficult when you feature a central revealer like STONEWALL. Solid debut work, with a lot of interesting fill — HYSTERIA, OPEN A TAB both echoing the STONEWALL Inn and riots — and not too much BOL CRAT DTS stuff.

I would have liked a revision in the middle, though, with SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) crossing FATWA crossing FEN. Verges on unfair.

Will usually doesn't allow corner black squares on perimeter puzzles, so the SW and NE corners don't feel as elegant as they could have been. Additionally, CHERRY (STONE) isn't worth the price of the tightness Jesse mentioned. OLIVER or BAKING would have been much better.

Overall though, a solid entry in the annals of Pride Month puzzles.