Sunday April 28th 2019, NY Times Crossword

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Time: 40:53
Sunday Average: 47:09
Best Sunday: 21:55

Title: Words of Introduction

Unless I’m missing something, this theme seems to be lacking approximately one element to make it really click for me. The title stands in lieu of a revealer, telling us that the capitalized words before the word “words” end up being acronyms for phrases or, in one case, a proper noun. As much as I enjoyed that nonsense sentence, I think giving examples will explain better.

  • “KIND Words?:” KOH-I-NOOR DIAMOND. As you can see,we’re starting off with a bit of a stretch, in that it’s the only proper noun (one of the largest cut diamonds in the world and part of the British Crown Jewels). Something about coming out with Persian words right off the bat, especially ones that can be written in English in various ways, FEELS a bit rough.
  • “HAS Words?:” HEART AND SOUL. H-A-S, the first letters of each word. Get it? 
  • “BIG Words?:” BELIEF IN GOD. I guess this is a phrase.
  • “ROOT Words?:” RUN OUT OF TOWN. I’m not saying this is what I want to do to the constructor, since I enjoyed the puzzle, but the theme just isn’t making me happy.
  • “SAFE Words?:” SET A FINE EXAMPLE. I’m starting to see the fun that the constructor had making this puzzle. First you have to think of phrases with “Words” and then you get the fun of thinking of phrases that fit. But somehow the solving experience is less fun as you just grasp for the specific thing that the constructor thought of.
  • LAST Words?:” LIKE A SORE THUMB. For a while, I was thinking that “Life’s a sore thumb” was a phrase; that was when I thought that the clue actually related more directly to the answer.
  • “BAD Words?:” BEYOND ALL DOUBT. Not a feeling I experienced during this puzzle.
Strangely, the themers didn’t give me much trouble in the end, but instead a couple areas in the SW and the |SE. I knew neither the airport nor the nail polish ORLY and the cross with an unfamiliar bible figure in REUEL (Moses’ father-in-law?) made it so I was mostly guessing on that last square. The SE also gave me fits for no particular reason. Maybe it was the not particularly ?-ness of “Card carrier?” for WALLET. 

Beyond that, I would have been thrilled with this puzzle as a themeless, but I’ve come around a bit on the theme while writing this entry. 

We’re beyond the last frost date here in Indiana, so tomatoes and peppers are in the ground. This year, I plan to be ever so slightly less chaotic in my gardening. I may finally have become ruthless enough.

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