New York Times, Thursday, August 30, 2018

I don't remember where the idea for today's theme came from. Possibly from my frustration with a few other gimmicky themes I'd been working on that had constraining requirements for theme answers. All that I had to do for this one was find phrases that contained "AD," which is a far from uncommon combo, and made it possible to include some interesting answers. I've wanted to put "ADULTING" into a crossword for ages, because it's a modern slang-y word not much used outside millennial subculture, but that I think we can all relate to (it's pretty hard to do!).

As a huge nerd, I'm always excited to sneak a video game reference into a crossword (a true classic with great music--MEGAMAN!). If you want a great workout song, look up "Mega Man 2 - Dr. Wily's Castle"--which is one of the best video game songs of all time in my mind.

This is my second puzzle in the NYT with a third on the way, and I'm just realizing that each one has a gaming clue, so maybe that's my lucky charm. Video games aren't the most easy-to-access knowledge base for many crossword puzzlers, but I also see crosswords as a sort of educational collection of human culture and knowledge, so the chance to educate anybody a little bit about something I care about is exciting. That alongside including an answer that's never been in the Times puzzles before (NERDS ROPE, a candy I sold to kids all summer in the snack shack at camp) is pretty cool, too.

I also wonder if POPUP will confuse anybody. It seems like it would be related to the theme, but it isn't. Hopefully, some people will appreciate the little red herring.

Talk about fresh grid entries! I'd expect nothing more from the young Grant, who's well outside my own generation. It made me feel young(er)(ish)(kindasorta) to encounter ADORKABLE, ADULTING, and the MANSPREAD.

Don't understand that last one? Think about when you were on a plane last, when the annoying dude next to you let his legs flop all over, invading your personal space so much that you had to secretly poke him with a sharp mechanical pencil when he wasn't looking and then you flinched as well, looking around, pretending that whatever jabbed him just jabbed you too?

I blamed elves.

I wondered if the puzzle was TOO fresh-feeling overall. I must admit I guessed SEGAMAN — bzzt! NERDS ROPE is a thing? And I couldn't imagine that the NYT would use BUTTLOAD. That last one did amuse me, but overall, the puzzle didn't have the usual stately, higherly edumacated feel the NYT puzzle is known for.

Is that bad? I don't necessarily think so. But I did get the feel that Grant's voice in the puzzle was more targeted to the solving audience of the American Values crossword.

I would have liked the AD theme answers in the corners to be more interesting — HOT HEAD is fun, but ADDRESS and SALAD and ADAMS are more workmanlike. But that's the price you pay for having so much colorful theme material in the middle of the puzzle — a BUTTLOAD of it!

Overall, a solid puzzle with a fun idea, several memorable entries, and nice gridwork. You're bound to need some long fill in puzzles like these, and LESS IS MORE and AT ONE'S PEAK were much appreciated.