TUESDAY PUZZLE — Sam Koperwas and Jeff Chen make a solid constructing team. This is their fourth crossword collaboration for The New York Times, and I’ll add that those newer to the crossword habit might consider working with a friend to solve it. I’ve seen commenters describe trickier-than-usual Tuesday puzzles as “toughened-up Tuesdays” — did I coin that, or get it from one of you? — and this, in my opinion, meets the bar for description.
The entries themselves are common fare, but the way that they’re clued leaves ample room for wrong turns and misinterpretation. But, as always, your mileage may vary. (Depending on how much you enjoy being wrong, your “smileage” may vary, too.)
Today’s Theme
Forget a revealer clue: All that’s needed to appreciate this theme is a sense of humor. The themed entries at 17-, 24-, 39-, 51- and 63-Across are common phrases that contain heteronyms, words that are spelled the same but mean different things when pronounced in certain ways. Since the phrases are familiar, the pronunciation required to solve them is counterintuitive — hence, the laugh is in the reread.
For example, [Kleenex?] at 17A solves to, ahem, TEAR SHEET. The term generally refers to a page torn from a magazine or journal, but in this case, the “tear” refers to what flows from the eyes. [Important female deer?] at 24A solves to DOES THAT MATTER … in which “does” serves as the plural of “doe,” rather than as a conjugation of “do.” And so on.
Tricky Clues
19A. The “hitch” to be corrected in [Correct, as a hitch] is not a figurative obstacle, but a kind of knot. The answer is RETIE.
48A. One tends to hear [Not very bright] used in reference to someone’s intelligence, but this clue describes vibrancy, where the opposite of bright is DRAB.
59A. If you asked me to think of a poet named “John” who was famous for writing about beauty, my reflexive answer would be KEATS. And that fits here. Alas, it’s wrong: The [Poet John who wrote “Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies”] was DONNE.
10D. As one who doesn’t gamble — except, perhaps, when it comes to tasting food that’s past its expiry date — I was unfamiliar with this [Exuberant cry at a craps table], LET IT RIDE.
35D. One rarely thinks of playing the PIANO (3A) as a form of exercise, but it’s true: An ETUDE is a [Finger workout that may involve pedals].
49D. [Puts on], as a figure of speech, can be used in several ways: One can put on airs, put on a play or put on clothing. Here, “puts on” is a synonym for ADDS, as in weight.
Constructor Notes
Sam Koperwas: Man, this went through so many iterations! But that’s the norm when working with Jeff, who generously takes on the role of both partner and mentor in guiding our collaborations to the best possible outcome.
Looking through my notes, I see that we started with “minute steak” as a [Meager T-bone], and then brainstormed through just about all words that are spelled alike but have different pronunciations, until finally agreeing on this set.
Hope you find the puzzle as satisfying as we did in putting it together!
Jeff Chen: I enjoy spending many a minute minute working with Sam. This theme didn’t feel that interesting, until I got inspired by yet another Kleenex I had to pull out for my snot-laden kids. See, they’re good for something!
Improve Your Crossword Solving
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