Opposites Attract

Derrick Niederman, of Charleston, S.C., is a former teacher of mathematics at the College of Charleston. Currently he's finishing a statistics textbook that incorporates puzzles.

Derrick is one of the longest-running crossword contributors to The Times, spanning 39 years from 1983 to now. This puzzle started when he noticed the curiosity of 114-Across, followed by 24-Across. The other theme examples are the result of a methodical search.

Although crossword solvers only see the finished product, most puzzles leave behind a cutting-room floor, sometimes one of substantial proportions. In this case, my search for opposites led me to places from which I would have to recede as gracefully as possible — so the cutting-room floor included such entries as WESTERN BOW TIES ("Neckwear for Wyatt Earp"), CLOSE WINDOWS ("End a PC session") and PAJAMA PANTS ("Bottoms at bedtime"). I guess the first two were considered a bit forced, while PAJAMA PANTS led to the philosophical question of whether MA and PA are opposites or merely counterparts. (Having just visited my parents this past week, I would say "both.")

But I was thrilled that KARLA BONOFF was not relegated to the discard pile . . . although I wonder whether I'll hear from solvers who think she should have been! (Note to those solvers: You're wrong. Just have a seat in your family room and listen to Linda Ronstadt's Someone to Lay Down Beside Me.)

Getting deeper into the weeds, the elimination of WESTERN BOW TIES left me with a 14-letter entry (HEART OF ROMAINE) that had no counterpart, leaving me temporarily flummoxed until the editors suggested that I make the puzzle 21 x 22. Wow — my first non-square puzzle ever! (Here's the part where I confess that I would never have thought of that. I was too busy lamenting that the 15-letter entry HEARTS OF ROMAINE wouldn't work!)

But I don't think I'll take the non-square route very often. I was stunned by just how out of balance I was for the remainder of the construction. Amazing. I already knew that crossword construction was finely calibrated, with 138 words for a 21x21 puzzle wildly different from 140 words, etc. But adding an extra column left me dazed, confused, and without any confidence that the construction would have a happy ending. At least, I think it did, and I hope that solvers agree.

Amanda Yesnowitz got scooped!

Some delightful finds today, THEM / US in FACE THE MUSIC the big winner. I thought I had the puzzle figured out after the NO YES of ALFRED NOYES, but it was quite the opposite when I got stumped — how are THE and MUS possibly antonyms? It's so neat that THEM/US spans the words of a great phrase, incorporating a mystifying space change as it does.

ENDODONTICS might not be the most interesting themer (unless you're dentist Mark Diehl!), but that's an impressive way to hide the DO/DON'T pair. Much more accessible than ZALAMBDODONTA, anyway.

Others like FIX BREAKFAST and POOR RICHARD were less awe-inspiring, because they're easier to spot.

Is AND the opposite of OR? This Vulcanerd argues that NAND is more logically the opposite of AND; similarly NOR and OR. I'm sure RAGGEDY ANN AND ANDY will rag on me just as much as my usual readers, though, for being out of OPERATOR NORM.

I was curious to see what other possibilities a methodical search could turn up. With the help of some lists of opposites and our Finder (in ascending order of WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, JEFF?!:

• NAME YOUR POISON
• I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN
• ARNOLD NEWMAN
• WHATS UP DOWN UNDER
• MELLOWHIGH
• SEAL AND SERPENT

Hardly a BOUQUET OF ROSES, this bunch.

Although the themers landed with mixed results, I loved the concept. It's rare for a Sunday theme to pique my interest to the point of wanting to know how the search was done, much less diving right in, and some of the discoveries will definitely stick in my head.