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I've been saving this puzzle since June. The theme is slight — just one answer (37A) and its four numerical crossings. But it's fun and timely. I like the fact that all the numbers change spelling in the other direction — 2 to "too," 0 to "Oh," 1 to "won," and 4 to "for."

– puzzle by Peter A. Collins

Sometimes I think every possible Thursday gimmick must have been used by now ... but, no. Great new ideas, like today's, keep showing up. That's one reason I maintain an "open submissions" policy at The Times, unlike many British papers, which limit crossword submissions to a select few. Todd Gross is only an occasional contributor, and if he weren't on that hypothetical roster of approved submitters, he wouldn't have sent me this beautiful puzzle. In addition to the four long theme entries, I love the bonus one at 32A.

– puzzle by Todd Gross

Before the Internet, I don't think constructors in different places (McLean, Va., and Houghton, N.Y., in this case) ever teamed up to construct a crossword together. Now co-constructions have become fairly common. We live in a wonderful age. My favorite entries here are PETIT-FOUR, ST. PETER, FOREVER STAMP, PAIN-FREE, BEANBAG, and TWITTERVERSE. There's lots of other good stuff, too.

– puzzle by Barry C. Silk and Brad Wilber

"Jersey Shore" cast members Snooki and The Situation have both appeared in Times crosswords before (Snooki four times), but this is a debut for DJ PAULY D (6A). With new episodes of the MTV series not being made anymore, I'm guessing this is the last such debut. Besides 6A, I admire the entries GREAT BEAR, PARK RANGER, THE CAPITOL, STONEWALL, and ADORKABLE (which was new to me, but I like).

– puzzle by Kyle Dolan

I debated for a long time whether or not to "explain" the significance of the puzzle's Roman numerals (M-M-X-I-V) in the clue for 67A ... and decided against. For one thing I couldn't think of a smooth way to do it. Also, most Times solvers are smart enough to get the point of the puzzle without a sledgehammer from me (right?).

– puzzle by Zhouqin Burnikel

In the "old days" three or four theme answers were sufficient to carry a daily puzzle. Nowadays the bar has been raised. Here Mark manages six theme answers, which is pretty impressive. The only fill I don't like is IT RIP. Otherwise, a pretty solid construction.

– puzzle by Mark Bickham

Sam and Vic aren't the NYT co-constructors with the widest age difference (that would, famously, be Bernice Gordon and David Steinberg, born 83 years apart). But 43 years is still quite a difference. Sam is one of several young constructors whom Vic has mentored. Besides the theme here, I especially like YO TE AMO, BE MINE, RAN OUT ON, NOSEBAG, NEW ISSUE and NUT JOB.

– puzzle by Sam Ezersky and Victor Fleming

Of my three main test-solvers for the Times crosswords, one "loved" this puzzle and two "hated" it. No one was lukewarm about it! Mindful of possible negative reactions, I eased up a few of the Down clues in the ninth column, to make the gimmick easier to see. I hope these changes bring a few more solvers into the fold. Notice the one-letter answer (T) at 65A — a first, as far as I can remember.

– puzzle by Caleb Emmons

I hold Patrick Berry in such awe that (I hope he doesn't mind my telling you this) I was flabbergasted to find he'd misspelled the answer at 7D. The 1990s rap duo, known for wearing their clothing backward, is spelled Kris Kross. KRISS KROSS, with two doubled S's, is the name of the skeleton/fill-in puzzle in Dell puzzle magazines, popular since the 1930s. I'm glad I was able to save this answer with a new clue, because the middle area of the grid was not going to be "fixed"!

– puzzle by Patrick Berry

I love a puzzle that has supersmooth fill. But at times I also like to see how far the English language can be pushed, even if there are a few compromises as a result — as long as the overall effect is good. Martin Ashwood-Smith is a master of quad-stacks, and this construction is gorgeous.

– puzzle by Martin Ashwood-Smith

In 2002 I published a crossword by Patrick Berry in which the only vowel in the entire grid was A, so I wasn't so impressed here that just the theme answers are univocalic. But the twist of the theme clues also having A as the only vowel? Love it! Fourteen theme entries in a Sunday puzzle is impressive, too.

– puzzle by Andrew Chaikin

For someone solving this crossword from top to bottom, the puzzle's structure is like a joke. You wonder where the theme is going and then … boom! the punchline comes at the end (58A). Very pretty. As always, Lynn's construction is gorgeous, too.

– puzzle by Lynn Lempel

An 82-word construction is four words over my usual maximum for a daily puzzle, but this is done to accommodate — count 'em — 16 theme answers. They're all nice ones, too. A very elegant construction.

– puzzle by Tim Croce

The thing I like most about this puzzle is that every one of the six I's in the grid has D-O-T immediately over it. In other words, there are no I's left "undotted."

– puzzle by Elizabeth A. Long

Kevin Der makes a crackerjack themeless. Entries here I like include HOTEL BARS, ANIMAL FAT, AS I RECALL, GYM CLASSES, DIME STORES, BEETHOVEN, STORM DOOR, HONEYBEE, OPEN MIKE, NO BOTHER, BLACK OPS, OP ARTIST and EYES ON ME. That's a lot of nice stuff! Nothing really bad either.

– puzzle by Kevin G. Der

David Steinberg, who turned 17 in November, was the most published constructor in the Times last year. He had 15 puzzles published in 2013, nosing out Ian Livengood, who had 12.

– puzzle by David Steinberg

11D and 29D in this puzzle both run through two horizontal theme entries. I appreciate it when a constructor takes the time and effort, as here, to find lively answers for these important spots.

Liz, btw, is the first Times constructor to benefit from the paper's new pay rate — $300 for a daily puzzle. That's still not a lot, considering the amount of time and skill it takes to create a first-class crossword. But it's a lot better than the $40 that The Times paid when I started in 1993. And it's much more than any other daily newspaper currently pays. I will keep working to increase the rate further, because the contributors deserve it.

– puzzle by Elizabeth C. Gorski

Todd's grid ended up with a lot more crossword-y stuff than I like — especially WILE E, OBER, OR ME, ORNE, UP AS, AGRO, A-WEE, ISE, ADRIP, and A TRIP. But a theme like this, with fixed answers around the perimeter, is difficult to pull off, and I think the result here is worth the compromises. On the plus side, I like KEY WEST, CAR WAX, NEWSWEEK, and especially WE MADE IT.

– puzzle by Todd Gross

Constructor Jared Banta of Superior, Colo., makes his debut today with a very clever theme idea. Generally solvers (especially new ones) don't expect a rebus element on a Wednesday, so I'm girding myself for complaints about the lower-left and upper-right corners.

– puzzle by Jared Banta

This is the second day in a row in which a Times constructor is making a debut. Michael Hawkins hails from Gastonia, N.C. The print and online versions of his puzzle necessarily have different numbering. The print version is the first puzzle I can remember in which the solver is supposed to number some of the black squares — either present or (as in this case) missing!

– puzzle by Michael Hawkins

Not surprisingly, Ian's puzzle is the first Times crossword ever to have the entry MILE-HIGH CLUB. The term was probably a little too racy for my predecessors. But how to clue it? Ian's clue was "Group getting some air play?" I liked the misdirection of this, but the usage of the word "play" here felt too loose — and maybe too racy for the Times audience. Another clue I considered was "Group whose membership qualifications are up in the air?" — but that felt too easy. And "Set of screws on an airplane?" was just too rude. So I finally settled on what you see here.

– puzzle by Ian Livengood

I accepted today's puzzle by James Mulhern in August 2012. A few weeks ago, just as I was editing it, he wrote me again out of the blue that he wanted to improve the construction. Was there time, he wondered? Well, yes. Good timing. And he made the grid better, too. I admire James's attention to quality.

– puzzle by James Mulhern

While "words that go with" sorts of themes have become quite common, this one is a cut above the rest, in my opinion, because the shared word, TIME, connects with both halves of the other theme entries. That's elegant. Also, there are five theme examples, besides the "revealer," which is a lot. And the revealer itself is fun.

– puzzle by James Tuttle

Themes like today's that work phonetically are usually funnier than ones that go by spelling. And going by my funnybone, all four theme answers today are good.

– puzzle by Jeff Stillman