Michael Lieberman author page

I won't mince words … but today's Next Level Constructor sure will! We've had some excellent creations so far, but they pale in comparison to today's when it comes to unorthodox thinking. BALSAMIC VINEGAR with chopped (spread out) LIVER? Wild (cryptic hint to anagram) RICE inside a MONTE CRISTO sandwich? Perhaps the strangest pairing of all in Split PE AS on PEACH MELBAS?

My instinct to split is overwhelming.

Thankfully, we end the tasting menu with a refreshing WESTERN OMELETTE, with a LEMON turnover (reverse LEMON into NOMEL). That still is an odd pairing, but at least I didn't have to split the PE AS out of my dessert.

Bonus points to Michael for selecting not just one but two classic theme types — words within phrases and cryptic hints — and attempting to combine them into something entirely different. I can't say all of the flavor combinations worked, but for sure, a memorable set of Next Level Constructor moments.

Repeat after me … again! Again!!!

TABOOBOOBOO looks like a BOO BOO, but it sure is fun to say.

This concept has been around for a long time, but I hadn't seen any of these specific themers. QATAR TARTAR made me laugh with its sheer ridiculousness, and although I couldn't remember the word for a Russian villa, the theme helped me piece together DACHA.

The "repeated syllables" genre is tricky. Old hands will have seen variants of it so many times, that after the first themer, they can jump down and fill in the other themers right away. Newer solvers may not have seen it though, and let me tell you, there's not much more intriguing than trying to make out what's said during a LEMUR MURMUR.

Just as long as these cute little animals aren't plotting something most foul in their whisperings — no LEMUR MURMUR MURDERs for me, thank you very much.

I usually favor multi-word bonuses for their color, but DECADENT is a decadent one-worder. Broccoli is a staple of my growing plant-based diet, and it's not every day that you see the word FLORETS in a crossword.

After yesterday's [What did the fish say …] = DAM, we get the acorn saying "Gee, I'm a tree!" I almost reflexively made an excuse to go into the other room to get away from my joke-telling kids, but it's never too early to get the next generation hooked into the crossworld.

It's tough to emerge from the deep well of repeated-syllables puzzles, but Michael's efforts made me smile.

Paired literalisms, a solid phrase describing a word spread out within another solid phrase. Some neat finds, especially FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES cluing MATES, which is contained within MOUNTAIN STATES.

GET BACK IN SHAPE is so apt for a New Year's Day puzzle. RECTANGULAR PRISM … it's definitely a shape, but it's more a dictionary definition than a colorful entry. Give this math nerd a KLEIN BOTTLE or HYPERCUBE any day! Still, given the constraints of the theme, it's incredible to find the word RECLAIM spread out within any shape, period.

Seven themers are tough to grid around. Eight is not for the faint of heart. Strong craftsmanship, threading several quality bonuses like ESTROGEN, POUR IT ON, and POSES NUDE, through three themers. It's so much easier to squeeze a full glass of juice out of a long Down that goes through only two themers: COLLABORATE is a nod to the rare triple-constructor occurrence, and ITS NO BIGGIE is my favorite entry in the entire grid.

I'll probably hear from astronomers lobbying for ENCELADUS as the best entry, but this sixth-largest moon of Saturn demonstrates the difficulty of working through three themers.

As much as I admire the overall quality of the themer pair discoveries, it wasn't enough to hold my attention over an entire 21x21. Jumping from the bottom half to the top four times chopped up my solve as well.

I would have adored this puzzle if it had used only the first phrases (the ones with embedded circles) in the grid, with the second halves as clues. Several of the ones the guys mentioned are awesome; super creative! And given that the X IN Y pattern is so broad, there surely have to be even more.

Did the puzzle enTAUNT you? I propose calling an entente then because there's a lot of clever thinking going on. This theme isn't simply "add two common letters (EN)." It's not a fusty old sound change, either. Michael combines these two overdone genres into something better, adding the "än" sound but also employing homophones. SQUARE ROOT into SQUARE EN ROOT en route to SQUARE EN ROUTE.

I wasn't sure about the marquee central entry initially — it's the only one that fudges in an added space, but the sheer audacity of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY to EN GARDE, IANS OF THE GALAXY! made me snort. Consistency be damned, this was a lot more entertaining than something like EN GARDE HOUSE [Chez The Three Musketeers?].

Delightful result in THE ROYAL ENNUI, too. ÄN + WE = ENNUI is fit for a queen, and there's a reason why monarchs employed all those court jesters. THE ROYAL ENNUI amazingly gets at a real phenomenon.

Not all of them landed as strongly. HOW EN SUITE IT IS … not quite a two-flusher, but something's not fully going down. MAKE UP ENTRÉE gets dinged on Will Shortz's criterion that you shouldn't have to clue each part of the entry separately — there's nothing that naturally connects a replacement and a food entrée.

If these two are your weakest themers, that's still a lively set.

The more I studied the themers, the more my admiration grew. It's not easy to come up with EN___ words or phrases where the EN is pronounced with the "ÄN" sound. Heck, that entente / enTAUNT joke — which doesn't even make much sense — took me half an hour to figure out. That gave me even more appreciation for the work Michael put in.

★ Not only is SHONDA RHIMES an incredibly talented producer, show-runner, and writer behind such mega-hits as "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal," and "How to Get Away with Murder," but she has a name that's perfect for crosswordplay? SHONDA RHIMES with FONDA, WANDA, and HONDA — awesome!

The only shame is that she doesn't play the new Black Panther. WAKANDA Forever!

I enjoyed that this is a "tight" set, i.e., there are few other possible themers. RONDA ROUSEY might want a cage match with Michael for her exclusion. There are some three- and four-syllable options, like WAKANDA FOREVER, LUANDA ANGOLA, and the ANACONDA PLAN, but those don't fit the sing-song FONDA WANDA HONDA pattern.

WANDAVISION adds freshness to the puzzle, too. That series got confusing and draggy in parts — it sure could have used some busta Rhimes — but it passed pandemic lockdown time pleasantly enough.

There's so much to love in the bonuses. TRANSITIONS / SEASHELL / GUERNICA / CINCO DE MAYO are so wisely spaced apart, leaving flexibility to achieve smooth short fill. Partials like A TO often irk constructors, but they're relatively easy for newer solvers to fill in, often more so than a foreign word like TOV (I've seen people misspell it TAV).

Perhaps GUERNICA could be challenging for newer solvers, but note that Michael was careful not to cross it with any proper names that might create ambiguity. It's a fantastic painting, too, crossworthy to say the least.

Crossword themes based on rhymes are too overdone to even be considered much these days, but using a RHIMES spin elevates this one to a POW!

P.S. If this review seems like a shameless plug to get Ms. Rhimes to hire me to do basically anything she wants, it is.

A one-trick pony is still entertaining if it has enough horsepower. Fantastic idea today, "with 1 Across" (note that there's no hyphen, as per the usual "with 1-Across"!) sneakily indicating that you have to add ACROSS to SHOT THE BOW to form SHOT (ACROSS) THE BOW. Although it was too easy to fill in the rest of the themers once I figured out the trick, it was a strong enough deception to be memorable.

Also memorable: an amazing amount of grid color without resorting to much short glue. With four themers, I expect at least four great long bonuses, and Michael overdelivered. The adjacent Downs are fantastic, DISASTERS / I CAN'T EVEN worked in so smoothly. Way to use those mid-length slots, too, with NEW GIRL (I binge-watched it early in the pandemic) and MANHUNT.

And great cluing to boot?! I circled nine standout clues today, way more than average for a Thursday. The question mark ones were entertaining — [Stretch for the stars?] is not much of a stretch for LIMO — but [Places to find dishes of different cultures] nearly won this a POW! on its own. What a wickedly clever misdirect toward food, away from bio LABS.

Although the puzzle felt anticlimactic after the first minutes of solving, Michael did a fantastic job working in more than enough to keep me filling in squares.

This puzzle … IT'S THE PITS! No, not like that. Each of GREEN OILVE, CASINO FLOOR, NASCAR TRACK, and CONCERT HALL has a pit. Neat how different the PIT of an olive is from that of a concert hall.

I enjoy "what connects these seemingly disparate themers?" puzzles. The best ones draw from four or more vastly different concepts. Today's didn't floor me as others have, because the sense of "pit" for CASINO FLOOR, NASCAR TRACK, and CONCERT HALL are all on the same track; their meanings largely in concert.

A great revealer also can help elevate within this tried-and-true genre, and IT'S THE PITS almost gets there. It jarred me, though, since the grammar is tortured. I'd have preferred simply THE PITS as the revealer, which also might have opened up room for something related to a barbecue PIT. Maybe BBQ JOINT? PIG ROAST?

Kicking off a grid with ESTE — foreign words is a category on most editors' specs sheets — isn't great. Several editors have also made me shy away from using TSETSE since it feels like a partial without fly. I did appreciate the bonuses of ARE YOU OK / WARZONE, NANNYCAM, HOT DATE, RAISMAN, but I'm not sure the prices were worth it.

I did laugh at BOOB AMA (short for Reddit Ask Me Anything). Will Shortz is letting all sorts of envelope-pushing entries go through these days!

Oh. BO OBAMA? I knew that.

Not my favorite example of this genre because the meanings weren't different enough, but it was still a fun solve.

X UNDER Y phrases, expressed literally as YX. I like the vertical nature of the themers; so appropriate for this concept. Four fantastic phrases, too: LIVING (UNDER) A ROCK, CRACK (UNDER) PRESSURE, DRINK (UNDER) THE TABLE, and TESTIFY (UNDER) OATH.

Vertically-oriented themers can be difficult to build around — specifically, it's challenging to make the grid shine with sparkly bonuses. Many editors won't allow long Across bonuses in a puzzle like this, because they muddle what is theme and not. Great decision today to go hog-wild with POTHOLDER, PRIME VIDEO, OK CORRAL, PARKOUR, PINKY TOE, GO FOR A WALK, BOOTY CALL all horizontally flashy. I'll gladly accept a bit of EFTS SYST GBS as a small price to pay.

Quantity/quality of bonuses is essential when considering veteran solvers who have seen literalism themes dozens of times over the years. Even if you've encountered THE TABLE DRINK before, at least there's a wealth of rich bonuses to uncover.

I'd have preferred some extra layer to elevate this concept — perhaps linking the four themers by subject matter? Making a story out of them? There are dozens of X UNDER Y phrases out there, so there's enormous room for brainstorming a way to make this stand out from the pack. Great effort to inject spiciness into the solve, though.

Talk about repeat offenders! Interesting concept, taking a word that can be split into two words, then tagging on each half again to make a kooky phrase. I enjoyed ELON ELONGATES GATE most, because it reminded me of a variation on a theme. Seems like we should see an Elon Gate pretty soon, given all the kooky stuff he's up to.

At first blush, it felt too easy to come up with hundreds of possibilities, making this theme not that impressive. Digging into the weeds, though, it's a tough task. Coming up with words that can break into two valid parts is easy, but sifting through all the possibilities would be a huge time-suck. Look at the criteria themers must meet:

1. Target word must be a verb.
2. Both halves of target word must be nouns.
3. The entire sentence must make some semblance of sense.
4. The entire sentence ought to elicit a laugh.

All of Michael's themers hit at least criteria 1-3.

Thankfully, I did grin at many clues — easy to tell that Michael spends time crafting his clues, keeping in mind how he has to entertain solvers through a huge Sunday canvas. Three beautiful clues:

• CEVICHE as a "raw deal," that's perfect!
• The CYCLOPS in The Odyssey sure had a critical eye for Odysseus to poke out.
• Perfect repurposing of "dead giveaway" to point to a person's ESTATE. It's a bit morbid, but it was so spot-on.

The theme pattern seemed vaguely familiar, but I doubt many people will remember that old puzzle.

The repetitive nature of the theme made it too easy to fill in the themers and risk people not bothering to finish the rest of the puzzle. It'd be a shame if people did that because Michael showed some strong gridsmanship. Not a flood of bonuses, but enough BEATS ME CAMPARI CONGRATS material to easily outweigh the minor ANON ANS ESSes. That's an accomplishment, for a 21x21 140-word grid.

(The answers to the clues mentioned in Michael's notes: REP REPLACES LACES, ANN ANNOUNCES OUNCES, and BRO BROACHES ACHES.)

ADDED NOTE: Unfortunately, the detail-oriented NYT editors "fixed" the clue for 70-D, MISSPELLED, in the print version. Many people consternated to see the correct "fuchsia and turquoise"!

If you've never played the "Name That Theme" game, give it a shot! I find it amusing to stare at the longest Across answers (excluding the revealer) and see if I can put together the pieces:

LITTLE ROCK

State capitals! Little to medium to big progression!

BLACK AND WHITES

Uh, no. ROCK, WHITES … Mica? Pearls? Steve Miller Band fans?

(Bad, Jeff, bad!)

DRESS REHEARSAL

It is the Steve Miller Band!

(Jeff has been severely punished; forced to wear JORTS the rest of the year.)

I learned the term LITTLE BLACK DRESS a few years ago, from (what else?) a crossword. Enlightenment earned me a victory in Name That Theme today! COCO CHANEL for the win.

Enlightenment is a double-edged sword, though. As smug as I felt in piecing together today's theme, guilt and discomfort took over. COCO CHANEL was unquestionably a style icon who created some of the most memorable clothing and accessories in fashion history. There are other facets of her life, though, so seeing her featured not just as a theme answer but the puzzle's central core …

Knowledge is power, yes, but knowledge is also a CATS GAME. (Which I ironically didn't know before today.)

I did enjoy the bonuses of BRIGHT IDEA and LARGE PIZZA, and the southern Z was worked in so smoothly. And even though Seinfeld biased me against the BLACK AND WHITE cookie, I'm making it my mission this week to try one.

Great example of a "words that can follow X" theme. It's been years since Will Shortz declared his moratorium on these, but there's still room for one done well.

What made it stand out: the theme's tightness. How many other words can you think of that complete ROCKY ___? I spent 15 minutes, got only ROCKY Marciano. Not likely you'll find a phrase starting with MARCIANO!

Also neat that the four examples drew from different arenas. An ice cream flavor, a movie title, geography, and a character (from an arena!). I did hitch on ROCKY MOUNTAIN, wanting ROCKY MOUNTAINS, but there are phrases like "Rocky Mountain High" and "Rocky Mountain oysters." It doesn't feel as stand-alone as the others, but it does work.

Generally excellent gridwork, impressive craftsmanship. Five themers should allow for some colorful long down fill, and Mike hit that with PAPER JAM and WAKANDAN / VERTIGO. One could argue that the WAKANDAN / KEA crossing could be tough, but the "Avengers" franchise is a steamroller, and if you're a Tuesday solver, the chances are high that you've run across KEA before.

I paused in the lower-left corner, starting with NAPALM, for the same reasons Mike mentioned. AREOLA is a constructor's crutch, such a friendly combination of vowel-consonant alternation and common letters. BLEAR is bleary. Nothing terrible, but a blemish on an otherwise stellar grid.

Pleasant surprise to enjoy a "words that can follow X" puzzle so much — maybe it's my love for "Rocky" as well as for "Creed." The chemistry between Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone will (sorry) knock you out.

"Name that Theme" felt like it was going to be a breeze today. Kicking things off with SPACE NEEDLE? Yes! It was so great to see our local landmark featured. EIFFEL TOWER next? Ah, this is easy. LANDMARKS, done!

Next is sure to be New York's EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. San Francisco's GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. Sydney's OPERA HOUSE. Along with a revealer of LANDMARK EVENTS! Man, I am so smart!

FERRIS WHEEL?

There's a famous Chicago landmark called the FERRIS WHEEL? Sure, I'll buy that. (Considering I once confused Wyoming and Wisconsin. That was last year.)

Wait. WORLDS FAIRS? More like WORLDS FAILS, in my case.

I like the concept of "iconic architectural features from WORLDS FAIRS." I was so badly expecting a third city landmark, though. I do think it works overall, but FERRIS WHEEL broke the expected pattern in a jarring way. I bet it would have felt fine if the puzzle kicked off with FERRIS WHEEL instead of ending with it.

I overlooked EPCOT until Mike pointed it out. It is billed as a "permanent World's Fair." Strange to have it present but not clued along thematic lines, though.

Such solid debut gridwork! I appreciate how careful Mike was with his short fill. Editors would have a hard time pointing out anything here, except perhaps EWW, which is tough to figure out the correct spelling since there is none. I did wonder about UNFREE, but the dictionary helped free me of my unfree notions. A legit, if not everyday word.

Love the color of BRUTE FORCE (like my coding and writing skills) / ALL TERRAIN and SO-CALLED / NICE IDEA, too. Great use of those long spots. Given Mike's level of care in his short fill, I'd suggest next time attempting a higher level of difficulty. Take out the black square between OLES and WOO, for instance, see if you can work in another pair of sizzlers without compromises.

Strongly executed debut.