New York Times, Wednesday, February 2, 2022

When I was making this puzzle, I thought back to elementary school and remembered a worksheet I had done in my third-grade class (hi Ms. Daniels!) where the design of the words was a hint to a longer phrase (e.g., "bang theory" in large font = Big Bang Theory). I had loved the assignment — the fact that I can still remember it all these years later is proof! I'd seen variations of this type of theme in other crosswords but wanted to try my hand at a fresh, fun version.

This is my first puzzle with the New York Times. During the early months of the COVID pandemic, I was home more than ever and did a lot more crosswords. I wanted to be more creative and decided to try constructing. My first attempt was an ancient Egypt themed puzzle where the black squares made pyramid shapes. Looking back, it had way too many black squares, but I loved the process of constructing, so decided to keep going.

I live in Seattle, WA, with my husband and two boys. I spend my days working on the business side of software, exploring local hikes with my family, and deciding what book to read next.

Shoutout to my brothers and Stanford freshman dormmates for sharing my love of crosswords over the years.

NIFTY gridwork, especially for 1.) a debut, and 2.) a tricky layout. Working with stacked themers is rarely easy, and four sets make for a potential minefield. Meredith did a great job separating the themers from each other, allowing each pair of entries to breathe.

Note the perfect symmetry, too. BENDS (over) BACKWARDS is opposite from WATER (under) THE BRIDGE. A CUT (above) THE REST on the east, and HITS (below) THE BELT on the west. That's a nice touch.

I worry when seeing long adjacent Downs, like ADOLESCENT and LOST CAUSES, because it's so tough to come up with entries that sing while keeping glue out of your short crossing entries. Such a solid result in the upper right! Nothing flashy, but nothing needle-scratching. I appreciate that trade-off.

INHIBITIVE felt slightly off in the opposite corner — who uses that ridiculous word?! — but I didn't find it painfully inhibitive.

Drat.

Constructors, be aware that one person's glue is another's treasure. A few years ago, Will Shortz asked me to redo an entire Sunday grid because he didn't think OBO ("or best offer") was fair if you'd never heard of it. Other editors disagree (and Will may well have changed his mind by now).

The "X literally Y" genre is overdone but underappreciated. Just like with other mature theme categories, there's usually room for an example with outstanding and elegant execution, and this strong debut qualifies.