SNOOZEFEST

Trenton Charlson, 25, is a full-time crossword constructor in Columbus, Ohio. He loves words with unusual letter combinations, like 63-Across here, which he's been trying to use in a puzzle for years. He says, "I value the sort of ‘x-factor' that makes a puzzle feel playfully and distinctly ‘human'" — the fill included.

With advanced crossword software and databases available now even to first-time constructors, it takes special effort, like Trenton's, to display a personal style.

The idea of interpreting FORTY WINKS as forty Z's is one that I'd had for a few years, but I just couldn't get it to work (imagine that). It's funny how sometimes the simplest of solutions can be the most elusive — somehow, I don't think I even considered the possibility of using a Sunday size grid until last year! After abandoning a mostly completed grid for a few reasons --- using both FREEZING DRIZZLE and FROZEN PIZZA, what I suspected was too high of a word count even for a 22 x 21 grid (151), and some obscure answers — and doing some rejiggering, I found a grid that ended up working out much better than I had anticipated. Once I had a layout that could accommodate my symmetrically paired long answers, it was smooth sailing… other than the fact that I still had to work 13 extra Z's into the puzzle.

The upper-right area presented the most difficulties, and though there are some compromises, that actually might be my favorite part of the grid — EVZONE is one of my favorite Scrabble words, YREKA has a fun clue, GULLIVER and JAZZ DUET make for nice bonuses, and despite some tough vocabulary, I think the crossings are all ultimately fair. Of course, the biggest highlight for me is finally being able to work ZIZZER-ZAZZER-ZUZZ into a puzzle (after more than a few attempts).

Hope you thought this puzzle sizzled more than it fizzled :) Happy solving!

It takes a lot of confidence to give your puzzle a title like "Snoozefest." Years ago, Will Shortz asked Ellen Leuschner and me what we thought about naming one of ours This Puzzle Sucks. While I thought that was hilarious, we didn't relish the idea of thousands of solvers biased against the puzzle — even if only subconsciously — from the start.

This one smashed the record for Zs, clocking in at 40; appropriate for FORTY WINKS. Not a surprise that the previous record-holder also used FUZZY WUZZY and RAZZLE DAZZLE. I used to love the former, until Barbara Lin alerted me to its troubled legacy.

Rare letters add spice to a puzzle, but where's the beef? As much as I love cinnamon or cardamom or cumin, eating them by the spoonful doesn't hold much appeal.

That said, it is an impressive feat to jam in so many Zs. The technician in me looked long and hard at various sections, admiring how Trenton worked in some of them. It'd be such an interesting challenge to dive into the optimization of color and cleanliness, while adhering to exactly 40 Zs.