Erik Agard collaborates with Wendy L. Brandes, who makes her New York Times Crossword debut.
FRIDAY PUZZLE — We’ve been floating along this week — solving some gloriously happy debuts — and this is another one, at least for one of the constructors. Wendy L. Brandes makes her New York Times Crossword debut in a challenging Friday collaboration with Erik Agard, who now serves as the editor of the USA Today crossword.
The first entry I filled in was the marvelous full name debut of GRETA THUNBERG, Time magazine’s 2019 Person of the Year. Some puzzles send a message to solvers, and placing Ms. Thunberg in the center of their grid is an exciting entry for those who admire her courage and persistence.
There is a lot of great stuff in this puzzle, particularly I’M OLD, LEASE TO OWN, IDLE CHATTER, JUICE BAR, I’M FREE, RIFFED ON, GO WILD and FIRELIT. NOT BAD AT ALL, Ms. Brandes and Mr. Agard.
And an administrivial note: I will be off for the rest of the year in an undisclosed location (my house), but Wordplay will be in the warm and supple hands of Caitlin Lovinger and Helen Verongos. I wish you all a happy, healthy and safe holiday season. See you on Jan. 4.
Tricky Clues
6A. “Joins hands?” makes this clue sound as if it is looking for a word like “clasps,” but the answer is CLAPS. Technically, the constructors are not wrong.
49A. Summers, or ETES, end in “septembre.” Remember, different language in the clue, different language in the answer.
59A. Tricky one, that “Perfect score … or half of one.” The answer is TEN, which is a perfect score in some games, as well as half a score of years (as in “Four score and seven years ago …”).
7D. The word LOBO, which can also mean “wolf” or be a mascot at the University of New Mexico, has appeared in the New York Times Crossword 124 times. This is the first time it has been clued to basketball Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Rebecca LOBO. Congratulations, Ms. LOBO.
21D. I love clues like this. The “Labor leader?” in this clue refers to someone who helps women through labor and birth, and can be of assistance afterward. The answer is DOULA.
29D. Yes, ASHES to ASHES is a biblical reference, but … David Bowie.
42D. “Toy associated with France” sounds like a gizmo you can play with, but that’s not where this clue is going. The “toy” is a French POODLE.
Constructor Notes
Wendy: Everything that the crossword community says about Erik being generous, kind, patient and brilliant is all true. I would also say that the standards he sets for himself are an inspiration. What I learned from Erik while working on this themeless: how to use the Crossfire software properly, that pluralizing uncommon names isn’t a great idea, that using words with “un-” or “re-” as prefixes can drag down a puzzle, and that only the most common abbreviations are acceptable.
The first seed entry that came to mind was GRETA THUNBERG — because, well, she’s Greta Thunberg! For me that is the highlight of the puzzle.
This is my first New York Times crossword. Without my great friend, the brilliant Martha Jones, with whom I’ve written a number of puzzles, I would not have taken the plunge into constructing. Patrick Merrell, an amazing constructor, spent time teaching me and Martha the basics of construction. Laura Braunstein, Tracy Bennett, Rebecca Falcon, David Steinberg and Robyn Weintraub also helped, supported, taught and encouraged me. And, of course, Erik is, hands down, the best in the business with a heart to match.
Erik: Honored to be involved with Wendy’s New York Times debut, and looking forward to many more from her. I will steal “generous, kind, patient and brilliant,” because they’re all perfect adjectives to describe her. You can show her some love on Twitter.
The Tipping Point
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Warning: There be spoilers ahead, but subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.
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A Perfect Score … or Half of One - The New York Times
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