That kind of praise sets the bar high for any puzzle, let alone a debut, and today’s slow-talking one-theme doesn’t disappoint. I eventually got to those “ahas,” but not before several “oh-oh” moments when I worried I was missing something. A little suspense makes the solution even better.
Hard facts
47A. Clues like today’s – ‘World Helmet I, Unofficial’ – outnumber a clue like ‘Stereotypical clothing for the paranoid’, which can also define this entry, by 16 to 1 in the Times crossword puzzle. I still think of conspiracy fans when I see TIN HAT (or “The Wizard of Oz”!). 79A. “Google ___” could solve a few things: “documents” or “apps” is possible, as well as the correct entry, MAPS. This is a tool I often use to review hard facts of geography — today I drew a complete blank on IBADAN, Nigeria’s third largest city, and the Gulf of SIDRA. 101A. This is a slightly nebulous indication. “Crystal-clear” made me think of something easily understood before I thought of something really transparent, or LIMPID, like a still pool. That’s such a soothing word, isn’t it? Every possible definition – an even mood, the pure tone of an instrument – is neutral and relaxed. 3D. I am impressed by anyone who has an idea like this right away. I needed crosses. “Jazz singer born Eunice Kathleen Waymon” is NINA SIMONE, who chose her own pseudonym when she started singing in bars to avoid confusion with her mother. 19D. “introductory course” sounds academic, but it’s a culinary reference to SALADS. 61D. This is one of the many clues in the fill that I thought might be in the subject set. “It’s full of X’s” could refer to the letter X, the Roman numeral 10, or possibly a very lucrative treasure map. I did not expect BALLOTS, which, indeed, can be marked with crosses. (Looks dangerous, though.)
Today’s topic
That’s another issue with paired entries — we’ve seen a few of them recently, and they add a nice layer of abstraction to solving, even when the two entries are linked in the clues or digital puzzle presentation. There are six pairs in the theme set and they are all excellent examples of “Letterplay”, as the title of the puzzle suggests. There’s also a neat numerical element that I didn’t notice until I went over things a second time. You’ll probably come across and solve topic entries in random order — I certainly did. The first one I knew for sure was in 42-Across, “Beer named for a founding father”, which is SAM ADAMS and which I assumed was just normal, harmless filler. This clue happens to be very close to its paired entry, which is 52-Across: “DST Start Time … or a hint for 42-Across.” Nothing impressed me there. I got to 90-Across, “Club for farm kids … or a hint at 97-Across” and realized it should be “4-H”. If the entry didn’t have five letters, I probably would have tried HHHH. Instead, I sat on it for a while and tried 97-Across, “Secretive”. Due to some crossed letters, I got this entry right: HUSH-HUSH. Or, I figured, HUSH-HUSH — those four H’s must mean something. Due to the placement of OAHU, QUIT and JACUZZI, I figured 27-Across next. A “Visitor to a website, in analytics parlance”, is a UNIQUE USER. Its companion item is in 71-Across, “23rd in a row… or a hint to 27-Across.” We’re dealing with ‘Letterplay’, so the order that comes to mind is of course alphabetical, but what does ‘W’ (the 23rd letter) have to do with the entry in 27-Across? Aha — UNIQUE USER contains two U or a DOUBLE U. DOUBLE U tuned me in on how to answer 68-Across: “Top credit rating … or a hint for 25-Across.” This credit rating (for corporate bonds) is AAA or TRIPLE A. What does this have to do with 25-Across, “Isn’t it true?” Thanks, crosses! This only made sense when I reverse engineered it. a line that is “not true” or straight, may be AT AN ANGLE. There are your TRIPLE A’s. So what about 90-Across? “Quadruple” doesn’t fit. entry is FOUR H. And what about 52-Across, that “DST start time…”? This is TWO AM, referring to the TWO “AM” in SAM ADAMS. There are two more examples — an excellent pair of puns in 89- and 115-Across and a variant in 54- and 118-Across — that define the limits of the numerical sequence. (It’s almost a sequence, anyway. The “one” or “single” is missing, and instead it goes ZERO — TWO — DOUBLE — TRIPLE — FOUR — FIVE.) This ZERO entry is a coup de grace. 54-Across, “Weightlessness… or a hint to 118-Across” is ZERO G. 118-Across is “Baseball announcer’s call on a home run.” What are they saying? “Is he out of here?” In this case, it is a more suspenseful statement, which spells ZERO THREE, OIN OIN ENA.
Down to a last nerve?
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