Rachel Simon author page
1 puzzle by Rachel Simon
with Jeff Chen comments
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Most editors have now turned their backs on "words that can follow X" themes. Getting one past the NYT's 4% acceptance rate takes something special. Today's debut does a lot toward doing just that.
The most notable feature is the tightness of the PICKUP theme. How many other words besides LINES, GAMES, TRUCKS, STICKS, can you think of that can fill in "PICKUP ___"? I banged my head for 30 minutes but could only dig up JOINTS and ARTISTS. That limited set creates a sense of elegance.
There are other elements that help the theme pick up steam. (PICK UP STEAM doesn't fit the theme because "pick up steam" isn't a noun.) Note that Rachel was careful to put all her keywords in plural form for solid consistency.
A couple of fantastic clues, too. [Record holder] is a Friday-level wordplay clue that so innocently misleads. Thanks to the easy crossings, newer solvers experience the joy of figuring out that a record SLEEVE is the answer; nothing to do with an Olympic record holder.
A few FAULT LINES, like the central diagonal nearly splitting the puzzle in half and an ANNEE / LEA crossing could trip up newer solvers. However, Rachel did a lot to elevate her puzzle. I don't want to see more than one or two "words that can follow X" puzzles in a year, but this is the type that I welcome.