THURSDAY PUZZLE — Today we have a terrific debut from McKay Fritz, who has pulled off a doozy of a Thursday trick that’s subtle enough to look as if it might not even exist until — whammo! I was looking sideways at the whole thing for half of my solve, wondering why so many clues seemed a little sloppy. So consider me hornswoggled.
Today’s Theme
There’s a terrific novelty to the presentation of this grid. Most theme puzzles contain sets that are visually identifiable to solvers because of either the arrangement of their entries or an uncommon clue feature like italics or brackets. Today’s theme is asymmetrically placed and appears in entries of varying lengths. The clues do share a trait, but it’s so common that solvers must be forgiven for reading over it until they solve the revealer entry at 55-Across, buried in the lower right corner of the grid.
That’s the traditional region for a revealer entry, since it’s the last place solvers reach as we work from the top down and left to right. I usually go even further and avoid a puzzle’s revealer, hoping to figure out a theme on my own. This time, I accumulated only a few examples of strange fill and a growing sense of desperation. I noted 1-Down, for example, as slightly off: [_____ breathers] solves to DRAGONS. This doesn’t make sense, but I also couldn’t put my finger on what was needed here. [Sure ____], at 20-Across, solves to GUARANTEED, which works as an answer for “sure” but oddly without any additional words in the clue.
I reached two crossing entries in the lower left corner, 64-Across and 46-Down, and something clicked. [Cease ____], at 64-Across, solves to TRUCE, which almost works as a definition of “cease,” on its own. HEARTH, at 46-Down, is clued as [____ place], and then I realized what all of these clues had in common. It’s explained at that revealer, 55-Across: [One way to start a race … or a hint to understanding seven clues in this puzzle]: FIRE BLANKS.
In other words, each fill-in-the-blank clue can be completed with one word: “fire.” 1-Down, [_____ breathers] becomes [Fire breathers], for example. DRAGONS makes more sense now, since they’re “fire breathers.” That makes [Ceasefire] the clue for TRUCE, and [Fireplace] the clue for HEARTH.
Did this theme burn you, too? I think it was easy to be lulled by these types of clues. I still don’t know how I didn’t catch on to all those missing “fires,” though.
Tricky Clues
4A. This was chewy musical trivia for me, at least: The [Key of Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag”] is A FLAT. This piece was an instant hit, known for its blistering pace and complex syncopation. I can hum it, but I had no idea of its key.
28A. [What “!” is used for, in coding] is a reference to NEGATION. In many programming languages, the exclamation point basically means “not.”
21D. [Eavesdrop from afar, maybe] sounds like some kind of tech surveillance or wiretap, and I got a kick out of the right answer. It’s READ LIPS, which I guess you can do from afar (but not from too far).
50D. This clue and the game it refers to are all Greek to me: The [Card that’s the source for “blue mana” in Magic: The Gathering] is the ISLAND card.
Constructor Notes
This is my debut! I’m a copywriter by trade, and I love movies, music, reading, running and cuddling with my cat Spud (when he’s not being a lunatic). I’ve loved words and puzzles since I was a kid, so my eventual crossword obsession was a foregone conclusion. Shout out to my little brother, who gifted me a New York Times Games subscription back in 2023 and began my journey to constructing. Also want to shout out the fine folks behind the Ingrid app who make construction so accessible. And, finally, a shout out to my wife: I love racing you in Connections!
Improve Your Crossword Solving
Work your way through our guide “How to Solve the New York Times Crossword.” It contains an explanation of most of the types of clues you will see in the puzzles and a practice Mini at the end of each section.
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