New York Times, Saturday, November 13, 2021

I first encountered the phrase CLEAN PLATE CLUB in the YouTube cooking show Binging With Babish, finding it so evocative and fun that I couldn't help but add it to my own dinner-table lexicon. But I didn't think to put it in a crossword until I encountered it in, of all places, an episode of The Handmaid's Tale. So I figured, either Binging With Babish is big in Gilead, or the phrase is a thing. (spoiler: it's a thing.)

I have a soft spot for grids that feature 14-letter entries since they have so much sparkle potential but are so often overshadowed by their 15-letter brethren. So I was thrilled to build this grid around the seed CLEAN PLATE CLUB and one of my favorite shows ever, STRANGER THINGS! Also thrilled to debut the "correct" spelling of DURAG in the crossword, at least according to the New York Times. (obligatory shoutout to Thundercat and his Dragonball Durag!)

Incidentally, of the seven Times puzzles I've had published since starting college, this one is the first one published while I'm at school and not on break. Rest assured, Mom, I'll be partying responsibly!

Great quantity of long slots, and even better utilization. With 16 long slots (8+ letters), it seemed like I was uncovering goodies everywhere I went. Almost every one of these entries was excellent to memorable, too. The CLEAN PLATE CLUB has one member in my household — hey, don't throw away that perfectly good apple core! I didn't know STRANGER THINGS, but now I want to try it out because of the clue. Why would it spur on a surge in Eggo sales? I can't wait to find out.

DEBATE TEAMS is a strong entry in its own right, and [Groups with lots of issues to talk through] had me thinking about support groups. There's so much potential for clever cluing, and Aaron took full advantage of it.

I found the TIMOTHEE / EDIE cross challenging, but Chalamet is potentially the brightest male star of his generation? No pressure there! I'm glad the clue referenced the upcoming "Dune," as I'll have even more reason to see it.

A couple more not-so-familiar words in DILI and DURAG. World capitals ought to be all fair game, and although East Timor isn't the largest country, it's still relevant. I ended up loving the clue for DURAG. I enjoyed the article. Spelling it DORAG always seemed odd, too, given its pronunciation.

Great Saturday themelesses are marked by stellar fill and, even more so, by stellar cluing. Wordplay like [Not-so-big shot] is magic. Not only do you mislead toward a singular instead of plural BBS, but it's such a creative way to repurpose "big shot."