New York Times, Thursday, April 2, 2015

TIM: Joe and I found two theme arrangements that allowed us to finish this puzzle. Because we weren't sure which grid Will and Joel would prefer if they liked the theme, we submitted both. Each has its pluses and minuses.

The alternative grid's biggest virtue is that its theme answers are well distributed throughout. The greater length of SHANTIES (8) over CABANAS (6) is another advantage.

There's a bunch of bouncy stuff (TRADE WAR, LIVE AMMO, ROOKIE MISTAKES, TAMPER RESISTANT, RUM RAISIN, SCIENTIST), but there's also a fair accumulation of junk (ADAH, RST, TSE, A KING, ATL, ENGR). From an aesthetics standpoint, SSSS looks much worse than SSS, while the triplication (and crossing) of SEASONED TO TASTE, REASON TO LIVE and TURN TO STONE is hardly ideal. And PARENTIS, a slice of abstruse legalese, might have been the worst submitted entry since the time some nitwit (that would be me) sent in a puzzle containing ADEEM a couple of years ago.

On the other hand, the spacing of themers in CABANAS isn't perfect, even if the placement of a theme answer at 1-A (one of Joe's original, starry-eyed ambitions) helps to make up for it. A few clunkers of its own aside, the overall fill of CABANAS feels a touch zippier, and I think both of us prefer it now that we're removed enough to judge through more objective eyes.

If nothing else, the opportunity to clue SPINAL TAP made this whole endeavor worthwhile.

Cool pattern! Totally brought me back to a Krozel from a few years ago, his famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) LIES puzzle. I was just starting to do the NYT puzzle at the time, and seeing the crazy LIES within the grid (and the clues!) helped hook me into the NYT puzzle and its Thursday trickery.

This one relies on anagramming the T H U S letters formed in black squares:

• CABANAS = HUTS
• SEAL = SHUT
• REAR = TUSH
• ERGO = THUS

Not as memorable a gimmick as the LIES puzzle, but I appreciate the new direction, the attempt to do something different.

Super, super hard grid to fill. I like the touch of no black squares outside of the four "letters," but that sure makes for a rough go. Not only is a triple-stack of 15s required, but another triple-stack of near-15s. I know some solvers will get frustrated with the number of gluey bits; that's to be expected. It's the price to pay for a wacky trick puzzle like this, especially considering that the four "themers" (CABANAS, SEAL, REAR, ERGO) further constrain the puzzle.

Loved so many of the clues:

• [Action of a flipper] had nothing to do with pinball. (A "flipper" is slang for someone who buys houses on the cheap and flips them for profit.)
• The "tag" in [Baseball tag] refers to a tagline. Baseball, America's NATIONAL PASTIME. (It really should be rock climbing, but I'd settle for curling.)
• [Your highness?] made me laugh. "Highness" is a strange way to express ALTITUDE, but it works with a little humor and imagination.
• Perfect that IMDB chooses to rate SPINAL TAP up to 11.

Just as with the LIES puzzles, I imagine some people will love this one as some will hate it. But one thing is hard to doubt — it will be remembered.