SUNDAY PUZZLE — The title of this puzzle is awfully of the moment, isn’t it? Today we have a collaboration between two very witty constructors, Caitlin Reid and Evan Kalish, their first puzzle as a team and Mr. Kalish’s Sunday Times debut. Interesting tidbit of the week, from their print edition introduction: Postlandia, Mr. Kalish’s loving discourse and visual record of post offices in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The part of my brain that solved this puzzle is on another plane right now, but I know enough to say that it has a good hook and there’s a lot of diverting fill, so hopefully everyone gratefully enjoyed the solve.
Tricky Clues
Caitlin Reid’s four children may do this puzzle one day and wonder which of them inspired the clues for BRAT and IMP — I was stumped by both clues, and the pun on the first is really quite funny. Other small puns that I love include PGA — “driver’s org.” sent me straight to AAA — and (lettuce turnip the) BEET!
28A: This reference to the SERENA “Slam” has been clued before. I still needed some crosses to remember, though, and somehow the mental connection to her daughter, Olympia, altered my 35D, OLYMPUS, and caused a little confusion.
118A: Great wordplay: What do you “order” for the “4th” of July? FIREWORKS.
29D: Another one that required a third look; the “subject” of a will is an ESTATE.
106D: One more! A “showy basket” makes me think of Easter or a flower girl at a wedding, not a basketball DUNK.
Today’s Theme
There are seven theme entries today, at 22-, 31-, 45-, 63-, 83-, 95- and 109-Across, all answers to riddles. They're phrases that don’t make sense as written or said, but with a vowel tweak they become clear, and that vowel tweak always makes a short little “uh” into a nice, confident long A. Wait, what? Vice versa, actually.
For example, 31A: Someone who is “easily offended by foul language?” is CUSS SENSITIVE. Wut? Wait: Make it “case sensitive” and it’s suddenly decipherable.
At 83A, “prepared for a field trip?” is LOADED THE BUSES, referring, um, to a baseball term. The rest of the terms are plays on theatrical jobs, horses, poker players and Harrison Ford. The double (dayble?) whammy at 109A is probably my favorite, a very satisfying exclamation point to the whole escapade: That’s THE NUMB OF THE GUM, solvers!
This theme made me think of the Fonz.
Constructor Notes
Evan: This puzzle started with the title. My first idea for a theme entry was “ALL ABOUT THAT BUS” — which would be quite the Meghan Trainor song — though for at least two years this idea sat on the shelf. Bringing in Caitlin, whose work I really respect, helped motivate the project forward. She was responsible for getting the grid laid out just right for optimal fill.
My favorite clues of ours that made the cut were the timely 1-Down (MAYA), 30-Down (“SAY HI!”), 59-Across (UFO), and 84-Down (DIMS; I’m a glutton for pun-ishment). Props to Will & Company for 35-Down (OLYMPUS)!
Caitlin: Credit where credit is due — the title/theme idea for this puzzle was all Evan’s. And also props to him for making a Google spreadsheet for brainstorming theme entries and clues (which is way more organized than I could ever hope to be). Brainstorming, gridding and cluing was a truly collaborative effort involving many, many emails and several video chats. It was fun to make, and I hope it is fun to solve!
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November 08, 2020 at 06:00AM
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