David Steinberg is mapping things out for us.
Jump to: Tricky Clues | Today’s Theme
THURSDAY PUZZLE — David Steinberg considers himself lucky — read his notes below — but I think he’s a veteran constructor with well-developed skills. You don’t become the editor of a crossword like Andrews McMeel Universal in your early 20s if you can’t make a really good puzzle.
A lot of skill was needed to make today’s theme. You may feel as if you’ve been given the runaround, but you’ll come out just fine in the end.
Spoiler alert: There are pictures of Mr. Steinberg’s grid with entries in them in the “Today’s Theme” section. The photos are a visual explanation of how the theme works.
Tricky Clues
9A. A “Concrete example?” in the figurative sense is something that is real or specific. In this puzzle, however, the clue refers to the concrete used in construction, and the answer is SLAB.
32A. DAPPER Dan is indeed an “iconic couturier,” to paraphrase the clue. The New York Times recently covered his life in New York.
45A. The “history listings” in this clue are the URLS in your browser history.
52A. The Powerpuff Girls were indeed a TRIO, made up of Buttercup, Bubbles and Blossom.
2D. In crosswords, the word “top” can also refer to the head or a hat. “Top of the holiday season?” isn’t a greeting with that question mark. It’s SANTA’S HAT.
47D. The “Note that sounds like a musical genre” is SOL, a homophone for soul.
51D. How you deliver a speech is important. The “Delivery specialist?” in this puzzle is an ORATOR.
58D. “First class, informally” could refer to the priciest section on an airplane, but how would you say that informally? This clue is hinting at school classes. The “first” class is freshmen, which may also be called FROSH.
Today’s Theme
Everyone belted up? Good, let’s take a drive through Mr. Steinberg’s puzzle.
There are four traffic roundabouts in the grid.
We are to approach each one in a CAR. The CARs are at 5D, 26A (read from right to left), 66D (read from bottom to top) and 54A.
Each of these CARs has a clue with three exits, labeled “first,” “second” and “third”: to the right, facing the roundabout (first exit), straight ahead (second exit) and to the left (third exit). Solvers need to put the two entries (CAR +?) for each exit together in order to answer the clue.
For example, at 5D, the clue reads as follows:
“First exit: Floor covers • Second exit: Addition signs? • Third exit: Checking the IDs of”
A visual may help.
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The “first exit” combines 5D and 19A (read backward) to make the CARPETS, the answer to “Floor coverings.”
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The “second exit” drives around the circle and exits straight ahead, to make CARETS, the answer to “Addition signs?” at 23D.
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The “third exit” drives three-quarters of the way around the circle and exits at 20A (DING), which combines with CAR to make the word CARDING, the answer to “Checking the IDs of.”
Remember, you must always start by facing the roundabout as the word CAR is spelled, and the first exit in the puzzle is always to the CAR’s right.
Don’t worry, I didn’t see it either at first. But then I used my most reliable trick to figure the theme out: I stared at the grid and turned my laptop 360 degrees until the theme made sense to me.
Constructor Notes
For themes that involve breaking up long words, I prefer when the resulting short words are legitimate, so I brainstormed theme answers with this constraint in mind. Getting ROUNDABOUT ROUTE to run through the four thematic arrangements might just top the list of lucky moments in my crossword construction career.
I decided to clue all the short words, since I figured having 12 unclued answers might make for a frustrating solving experience. I thought this puzzle might run on a Wednesday, given the lack of resistance that the unclued short words would have provided, though I’m always happy to be published on my favorite day of the New York Times Crossword week.
Want to Submit Crosswords to The New York Times?
The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system, and you can submit your puzzles online.
For tips on how to get started, read our series, “How to Make a Crossword Puzzle.”
The Tipping Point
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Spoiler alert: Subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.
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