This web browser is not supported. Use Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox for best results.

New York Times, Monday, January 9, 2012

Author:
Michael Dewey
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
64-Across : Slept lightly
TotalDebutLatest
71/9/20129/14/2022
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0304000
CircleScrabDebutFresh
11.722333%
Michael Dewey

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 38 Missing: {J} Spans: 1 This is the debut puzzle for Mr. Dewey. Monday freshness: 49%
Michael Dewey notes:

This puzzle marks my first successful foray into the competitive world of NYT crossword publication. I am indebted to two other cruciverbalists who supported my puzzle solving and constructing over the years. The first is Molly Jackson, a grandmotherly friend who encouraged my intellectual curiosity as a child and reviewed my weekly attempts at solving the Sunday puzzle. The second is a friend and former colleague, Kristian House, who showed me the ropes of crossword construction, gave me a copy of Patrick Berry's Crossword Puzzle Challenges for Dummies, and patiently critiqued my early clunkers.

Having endured about twenty prior rejection emails, the puzzle represents a "Eureka!" moment for me as a novice constructor. FLYLIKEANEAGLE was the inspiration for the theme (thanks to the Psalms and the Steve Miller Band). SINGLIKEACANARY, a wonderful expression I first heard watching a Bugs Bunny cartoon parody of old gangster films, became the perfect central entry with 15 letters. My dilemma was to find a third entry exactly 14 letters long to offset the first symmetrically on the grid — not easy. There are only so many birds and far fewer "(act) like a(bird)" phrases out there, so unearthing WATCHLIKEAHAWK was a godsend.

Finally, editor Will Shortz taught this bird-brained NEOPHYTE about including more interesting fill words, especially in the longer entries of the grid. This was true in the northwest corner where I replaced some utterly forgettable word with the always interesting SCALAWAG.

In the end, I am both honored and proud as a peacock to have my work appear in the Times.

1
W
2
O
3
E
4
S
5
W
6
A
7
V
8
E
9
A
10
F
11
T
12
E
13
R
14
O
P
E
C
15
E
X
I
T
16
T
R
A
D
E
17
L
A
N
A
18
A
L
S
O
19
T
U
L
I
P
20
F
L
Y
L
21
I
K
E
A
N
22
E
A
G
L
E
23
A
C
E
S
24
T
R
A
25
D
26
A
27
R
W
I
N
28
S
29
H
H
30
L
31
A
32
B
33
S
34
I
S
A
A
C
35
S
P
A
I
36
N
37
D
E
L
38
S
I
N
G
L
39
I
K
E
A
C
A
40
N
A
R
Y
41
C
A
T
42
E
R
I
C
S
43
R
E
P
E
L
44
S
N
O
45
B
46
I
N
K
47
K
N
O
T
T
Y
48
U
49
S
S
50
S
L
I
P
51
W
52
A
T
C
H
53
L
54
I
K
E
A
H
55
A
56
W
57
K
58
Q
A
T
A
R
59
U
T
E
P
60
Y
E
A
R
61
E
C
O
N
O
62
N
E
W
T
63
T
O
R
I
64
D
O
Z
E
D
65
A
M
S
O
66
E
N
D
S
© 2012, The New York Times1/9/12 ( No. 22,707 )
Across
1
Misfortunes : WOES
5
A surfboard rides it : WAVE
9
"... lived happily ever ___" : AFTER
14
Oil ministers' grp. : OPEC
15
Lighted sign near a stairway : EXIT
16
Swap : TRADE
17
Actress Turner : LANA
18
Too : ALSO
19
Dutch bloom : TULIP
20
23
They're worth 1 or 11 in blackjack : ACES
24
___-la-la : TRA
25
"On the Origin of Species" author : DARWIN
28
"Quiet!" : SHH
30
Science class sessions : LABS
34
Nearly sacrificed son of Abraham : ISAAC
35
Barcelona's land : SPAIN
37
Tierra ___ Fuego : DEL
38
Tell everything to the coppers : SINGLIKEACANARY
41
Lynx or puma : CAT
42
Rockers Clapton and Burdon : ERICS
43
Turn away : REPEL
44
Better-than-you type : SNOB
46
Tattoo fluid : INK
47
Gnarled, as a tree trunk : KNOTTY
48
Navy vessel initials : USS
50
Faux pas : SLIP
51
Carefully guard : WATCHLIKEAHAWK
58
Doha is its capital : QATAR
59
Lone Star State sch. : UTEP
60
Number after a © symbol : YEAR
61
Money-saving brand prefix : ECONO
62
Politico Gingrich : NEWT
63
Doughnut shapes, mathematically speaking : TORI
64
Slept lightly : DOZED
65
"Are not!" playground retort : AMSO
66
Finishes : ENDS
Down
1
"The Three Little Pigs" antagonist : WOLF
2
October birthstone : OPAL
3
"___, meeny, miney, mo" : EENY
4
Rapscallion : SCALAWAG
5
Undermine : WEAKEN
6
Car rods : AXLES
7
MasterCard rival : VISA
8
James Bond's school : ETON
9
Fragrance of roses : ATTAR
10
Penny-pinching : FRUGAL
11
Like Dubai's Burj Khalifa : TALL
12
Emmy winner Falco : EDIE
13
Member of the House: Abbr. : REP
21
One with a freezing point? : ICICLE
22
Moral standard : ETHIC
25
The chocolate parts of Oreos, e.g. : DISCS
26
Like about 60% of the world's population : ASIAN
27
Totaled, as a bill : RANTO
28
Particle : SPECK
29
Actor Lukas of "Witness" : HAAS
31
Evolve (per 25-Across) : ADAPT
32
French cap : BERET
33
With cunning : SLYLY
35
Dermatologist's study : SKIN
36
Fantasy realm of C. S. Lewis : NARNIA
39
Dubliners, e.g. : IRISH
40
Beginner : NEOPHYTE
45
Gas in lighters : BUTANE
47
Thief, in brief : KLEPTO
49
Catch of the day, say, in New England : SCROD
50
Distorts, as data : SKEWS
51
Baylor University's home : WACO
52
The gamut : ATOZ
53
Goddess of the moon : LUNA
54
Thingy : ITEM
55
Very long time : AEON
56
Fend (off) : WARD
57
Kringle or Kristofferson : KRIS
58
Math proof ending : QED

Answer summary:
2 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later.

Found bugs or have suggestions? Please let us know.

Like this puzzle? Please share this page on social media to help spread the word about XWord Info. Thanks!

XWord Info Home
XWord Info © 2007-2024, Jim Horne
74 ms