Jump to: Today’s Topic | Tricky clues
THURSDAY PUZZLE – I’ve never really played a game that involved betting, unless you count the time I bet Crossword and Spelling Bee editor Sam Ezersky that he could eat a whole plate of Halloween puzzles. Candy that was lying in the office, couldn’t eat and still be able to successfully solve a crossword puzzle. Apparently Mr. Ezersky tolerates sugar much better than I expected, and I lost that one. I wouldn’t even think of betting against him when it comes to his caffeine consumption.
In today’s crossword puzzle, Colin Ernst gives us some dubious advice on making bets. That’s not even a spoiler, because half the fun – and I mean half – is figuring out how to place them. No pun intended. OK, maybe just a little intentional.
Today’s topic
First of all: Yes, this is a rebus puzzle, and if you’re solving it electronically (as opposed to printed), here are instructions on how to enter more than one character in a square.
I realized something unusual was going on when I came across the note “‘___ an idiot not to do that!”‘ at 52A. The answer was obviously that it would be me, but there were only three squares. Based on the intersections at 52D and 53D, I’D was written with a letter in each square and BE was squeezed into the last square.
This gave me a tingle when solving Spidey, and I wondered what the entry that started the rebus was supposed to be [BE] at 54D could be. The clue for 54D was “Risk it all,” and it was clear that the answer was a topic post because the clue was in italics.
My next step was to try to complete the entries under 54A. At 58A it turned out that “certain volleyball players” were SE[TT]ERS, with the Ts in a single square.
Okay, now we’ve reached our destination, I thought. I realized that this down entry was most likely a phrase, but it had to be read from top to bottom in each square. In the end I found this for 54D:
ID [BE]
SE[TT]ERS
IN [HE]RE
AS [FA]ST
HE[RM]IT
BET ON THE FARM. This is a good synonym for “Risk it all”.
Let’s do one more. My next win was solving 11D, thanks to actor Abe VIGODA at 9A, because every time you see the clue “Actor Abe” in a New York Times crossword, the answer is inevitably VIGODA.
The clue at 11D was the italicized “Risk it all,” so I knew the GO in VIGODA belonged there. I entered the rest of the actor’s last name and ended up with [GO] [FO][R B][RO][KE].
So why do we double the letters in the down entries, you ask? Because at 57D, Mr. Ernst encouraged us to “play boldly” or, as the entry says, to DOUBLE.
Tricky clues
15A. “To take off at great speed?” means “to take off,” but in Mr. Ernst’s puzzle the verb is actually a proper noun, referring to USAIN Bolt, the Olympic sprint champion.
43A. The reference “Does anyone hang out in a kennel?” That was a bit of an exaggeration in my opinion because it’s not the entry that actually hangs in the kennel, but here’s the logic: A dog tag hangs around a dog’s neck, and if that dog If the dog is in a kennel, the tag is also there.
46A. I’m sorry, what are you trying to say? The presence of LIN-Manuel Miranda in the crossword puzzle requires a song from “Hamilton”? I can only agree.
56A. This is not a misspelling of the word “or” in your puzzle clue. “California or Nueva York” is correct. And since the reference is in Spanish, the answer must also be: Each is an ESTADO or state.
67A. If you’re just starting out with us, you should be wary of signs like this. “What’s in the middle of a plum?” doesn’t ask about the pit in the fruit. The “center” refers to the middle of the word “prune,” and that is a LONG U sound.
70A. The “end notes?” in this puzzle are CODAS.
3D. “Considered?” means confirmation, but can also mean that the money is deposited in a bank.
31D. Sure, you’re laughing now, but companies are becoming more and more involved in the lives of their employees, and I could definitely imagine companies asking their employees – in short, as part of an “internal review?” – to undergo a mandatory MRI.
41D. Read this notice carefully. “How did English poets used to write?” can refer to the writing techniques that English poets used in the past. In this case, we should think about how these poets wrote the word “before.” The answer is ERE.
Designer’s notes
I’m excited to be back at The Times with a challenging Thursday puzzle that really tested my skills as a designer.
I found two errors in Crossfire for Mac when using multiple rebuses. The first mistake is a 10 rebus limit. After that, Crossfire no longer recognizes them and labels obviously fillable areas as unfillable.
The second reason – which Crossfire’s author says is intentional – is that any strings created as rebuses are no longer available as fill elsewhere in the puzzle. This is useful for rebuses with three or more letters and prevents these words from accidentally appearing again in the puzzle. However, this is not necessary for two-letter strings, and 23 pairs removes so many word options that no grid would be fillable.
So my workaround was to start with a grid of 18×15 squares, insert the topic answers as individual letters, and add black squares as needed to remove later (see diagram here). Then once I had the filling I liked, I converted it to a 15×15 and added the rebuses. It worked, but my brain exploded several times in the process.
Hey, designers, can other programs do this better? Anyone want to collaborate on a new program for Mac? Have fun puzzling!
Join our other gaming discussions
Want to join the New York Times Games discussion or get help with a particularly tricky puzzle? Here are:
Spelling Bee Forum
Wordle review
Connection companion
Subscribe to the Easy Mode newsletter to receive more accessible clues for Friday’s Crossword.