Paul Coulter author page
5 puzzles by Paul Coulter
with Jim Horne comments
| P | A | C | E | L | A | P | S | M | A | R | T | S | ||
| A | R | O | D | E | P | E | E | U | S | U | A | L | ||
| W | E | A | K | S | A | U | C | E | L | I | B | B | Y | |
| S | A | L | O | O | N | S | Y | L | L | A | B | L | E | |
| C | L | I | O | O | U | I | E | A | R | |||||
| N | O | T | H | I | N | G | B | U | R | G | E | R | ||
| I | S | R | G | R | U | K | A | V | N | E | R | |||
| P | L | A | S | M | E | R | R | N | E | E | D | Y | ||
| S | O | I | R | E | E | M | O | E | C | I | E | |||
| N | O | G | R | E | A | T | S | H | A | K | E | S | ||
| M | O | W | A | M | S | S | C | A | T | |||||
| A | C | R | O | B | A | T | S | A | Z | O | R | E | S | |
| L | E | E | R | Y | H | A | P | P | Y | M | E | A | L | |
| T | A | C | E | T | E | L | S | E | I | N | T | O | ||
| A | N | K | L | E | R | E | A | D | C | O | S | T |
| L | A | P | C | A | T | A | R | G | O | T | V | S | ||
| I | T | H | A | C | A | W | H | E | W | R | I | O | ||
| O | V | E | R | T | H | E | M | O | O | N | A | N | N | |
| N | S | A | I | D | A | E | S | I | G | N | ||||
| S | I | T | T | I | N | G | P | R | E | T | T | Y | ||
| I | M | A | D | E | I | T | O | U | S | T | ||||
| D | E | N | I | M | E | S | C | P | A | P | A | |||
| O | N | T | O | P | O | F | T | H | E | W | O | R | L | D |
| L | A | S | T | P | E | C | W | I | R | E | D | |||
| B | Y | E | S | G | U | I | N | E | A | S | ||||
| I | N | G | O | O | D | S | P | I | R | I | T | S | ||
| D | E | O | X | Y | I | N | S | T | O | T | ||||
| L | A | B | O | N | C | L | O | U | D | N | I | N | E | |
| E | T | A | M | O | U | E | L | O | A | N | E | R | ||
| S | O | D | A | W | E | S | A | G | E | G | A | P |
| F | A | U | L | T | M | A | N | E | C | A | R | T | S | W | A | M | ||||
| L | U | N | A | S | A | L | O | N | E | A | R | I | A | H | E | R | A | |||
| O | D | D | S | A | N | D | E | N | D | S | B | E | A | N | E | R | I | E | S | |
| E | R | I | T | R | E | A | O | U | T | S | A | L | T | M | A | R | S | H | ||
| A | D | E | A | M | E | N | R | A | T | R | I | P | ||||||||
| D | S | T | T | O | O | B | I | G | T | O | I | G | N | O | R | E | ||||
| B | R | A | P | E | P | A | O | R | E | C | R | E | N | E | L | |||||
| F | A | D | E | I | N | S | T | U | F | T | E | D | E | L | E | N | A | |||
| F | R | A | N | K | S | I | N | A | T | R | A | I | D | S | D | E | T | |||
| A | M | I | E | E | L | I | E | S | T | A | R | A | W | E | ||||||
| A | D | D | I | N | S | U | L | T | T | O | I | N | J | U | R | Y | ||||
| A | N | N | R | O | T | S | S | I | L | L | P | O | S | T | ||||||
| B | O | D | N | E | T | P | A | R | A | L | L | E | L | B | A | R | S | |||
| O | M | E | G | A | B | R | E | W | E | R | E | D | I | B | L | E | S | |||
| M | A | V | E | N | S | A | N | T | S | A | W | N | E | K | E | |||||
| B | R | E | A | K | I | N | G | A | S | W | E | A | T | A | K | A | ||||
| R | E | N | E | A | N | T | L | E | R | Z | E | D | ||||||||
| P | L | A | C | E | N | A | M | E | I | D | O | P | D | J | A | M | E | S | ||
| H | A | B | A | N | E | R | O | S | L | O | N | G | O | V | E | R | D | U | E | |
| I | V | E | S | R | E | S | T | S | W | A | R | D | N | I | E | C | E | |||
| L | A | T | E | S | R | T | A | S | L | U | E | S | A | N | E | R |
| D | A | R | N | S | I | S | M | S | L | A | S | S | ||
| O | R | I | O | N | S | T | E | P | O | W | E | N | ||
| B | I | G | C | O | M | P | A | N | Y | V | E | G | A | |
| B | O | O | H | O | O | G | U | I | D | E | D | O | G | |
| S | T | R | E | T | C | H | N | U | S | |||||
| H | A | I | R | G | R | E | A | S | E | |||||
| N | A | M | B | A | S | T | E | E | A | R | E | D | ||
| S | C | A | L | A | F | I | G | S | T | O | L | E | ||
| F | A | R | A | D | U | S | E | R | S | D | A | N | ||
| W | I | C | K | E | D | N | I | N | E | |||||
| E | G | O | T | A | G | A | L | O | G | |||||
| M | A | K | E | G | O | O | D | D | E | F | U | S | E | |
| U | B | E | R | F | R | O | Z | E | N | O | N | C | E | |
| S | I | R | I | U | S | N | A | T | O | G | A | S | ||
| E | T | R | E | S | O | A | P | S | T | E | R | E |
Editors work mostly in the background, so we rarely know for sure what their contributions are. They select which submitted puzzles get published (the vast majority don't), they choose the day to run the puzzle on, they vet every clue.
Whether puzzle brilliance comes mostly from constructors or from the editor himself, at least we know that the editor has approved of the various decisions, and the decision today of how to reveal the theme is brilliant. Maybe.
"Megacorporation? [1996, 1970]" turns out to be BIG COMPANY. That's likely to be the first theme answer you uncover, but whatever does it mean? A quick scan shows there's no classic "revealer clue." There are lots of big companies and some probably have something to do with the listed years, but, uh, what?
If you love musicals, you'll get about halfway through the grid before the penny drops. Each theme answer is a combination of two one-word musicals, and the numbers are the years of their respective Broadway debuts. That revelation sneaks up on you and, if the light goes on, it's very satisfying. It's also a great nudge that the unnumbered GUIDE DOG and MAKE GOOD are not thematic.
But, if you're not a theater geek and you never make the connection, the puzzle won't be satisfying, and that's the crucial editorial choice. How do you balance a satisfying aha moment for drama nerds against the certainty that some solvers will be confused? Today, Mr. Shortz decided on the brave route. There will be letters.
Before I leave BIG COMPANY, those are both worthy of comment. Maltby & Shire's BIG was based on a hit film, but the play was a BIG BUST. Ah, but there's life after Broadway, and touring companies and regional theaters have turned it into a favorite.
COMPANY debuted to mixed reviews, but time has shown it to be one of the most popular and significant musicals, even plays, in American theater. Broadway tunesmiths had tended toward escapism, but Stephen Sondheim's musical (book by George Furth) took a gritty look at real people with real problems in real relationships. Once you open that Pandora's box, it's impossible to go back. I've seen at least a half-dozen different productions of this musical; all different, all revealing, all engrossing. A new gender-reversed production starring Patti LuPone recently opened. And now "Barcelona" is stuck in my head.
| B | O | Z | O | D | E | A | N | J | I | L | T | |||
| A | R | E | S | E | L | M | O | W | A | D | E | S | ||
| T | E | S | L | A | C | O | I | L | E | B | O | O | K | |
| H | O | T | O | I | L | D | E | L | L | |||||
| E | S | S | D | A | B | S | I | L | E | N | T | I | ||
| H | A | R | R | I | S | O | N | F | O | R | D | |||
| C | I | I | E | E | C | N | O | F | O | O | L | |||
| M | A | N | G | Y | W | E | E | W | I | S | P | Y | ||
| O | N | A | H | O | P | U | P | I | G | E | E | |||
| L | I | N | C | O | L | N | P | E | N | N | Y | |||
| T | O | E | S | H | O | E | E | D | U | C | P | A | ||
| O | P | E | C | I | D | C | H | I | P | |||||
| S | E | T | T | O | D | O | D | G | E | B | A | L | L | |
| A | L | O | E | S | B | O | N | O | E | S | A | U | ||
| T | I | R | E | E | T | A | S | R | E | F | S |