New York Times, Saturday, January 28, 2023

This puzzle started with JUNETEENTH in the NW corner. The first time I heard that phrase, I knew it was crossword puzzle gold.

I put POST MALONE in the NE corner because my son Tim liked him at one point.

I placed WAYMO in the middle because I wanted at least one 5-letter debut entry in that area. ("Debut" means never previously appeared in an NYT crossword.)

I started the SW corner with EVIL DEAD. That movie is a classic because it's so funny and cheesy.

I did the SE corner last. I had to decide which entry I liked the best in the 38-Down spot. Once I chose PORE OVER, I liked that I could put ON THE FENCE at 61-Across and clue it with the single word "Torn."

I got an enormous amount of help with clues for this puzzle. Brendan Quigley did a zoom call with me to talk about overall philosophy for writing themeless clues. Byron Walden and I emailed back and forth a lot. I also got help from Trent Evans, Jules Markey, Julian Lim, both Tracy's (Bennett and Gray), Michael Dewey, and Robyn Weintraub. Thank you all very much!

Constructing a 72-word themeless is like performing a forward somersault in Olympic diving. It's a low difficulty level, but if you have perfect form and your landing is splash-free, you can still rack up an excellent total score.

On the technical side, Kevin did well to feature 16 long slots (8+ letters). A typical 72-word themeless has about 14, so this creates more potential for artistry. It does so at the cost of mid-length entries — note that there are only two 7-letter entries in the entire grid — but eight-letter slots have so much more potential for zing than sevens, which often COARSEN with neutral material.

Artistically, some long entries shine. Fans of "The Simpsons" might love having their favorite dive bar featured. JUNETEENTH debuted in the crossworld back when it became a national holiday two years ago, but it still makes for a memorable 1-Across. And music fans could post about POST MALONE or feel forever young about a throwback to ALPHAVILLE.

Perhaps some could ding URAL (crossing ARI) and FENS, but the Russian judge takes offense to the former and the Canadian the latter. Otherwise, hardly a splash upon entry into the water; super clean.

There's some unfulfilled potential in the ESTHETE, SETS EYES ON and SLEEPING IN slots — most add-a-preposition phrases don't shine, though MOOCHED OFF is more colorful than others — but overall, a solid WAYMO for Kevin to dip his toe into the Saturday waters.