New York Times, Tuesday, August 13, 2019

This idea sat around for years until I finally tackled it the weekend I had to miss the ACPT this past spring. I figured I might as well work on a puzzle.

At first, I tried to put STAR-CROSSED across the middle and got absolutely nowhere. Finally, the lightbulb went off, and I realized I could cross it, appropriately enough. But then finding "star" words that crossed proved harder than I would have thought. There had to be four longish entries and four short ones, and I wanted to make sure there were different kinds of stars without totally repeating any. Like, I wouldn't use both FILM and MOVIE, or MORNING and EVENING. And I couldn't use anything too technical that no one ever heard of. I do remember having to abandon some more interesting choices (for example, FREE-FOR-ALL, instead of LEAST OF ALL, would not work), as well as being stuck with the likes of SOLIDER.

Sometimes we just have to give in.

No one makes SOLIDER early-week puzzles than Lynn. Her formula is tried and true: go up to the max of 78 words (or near it), so that you can pack in some bonuses (EXTERIOR, SEXISM, ON FIRE) while making your short fill as unobjectionable as possible. With just minor blips in ESL ESTA, it's a top-notch early-week product.

I've worked with many newer constructors eager to debut what they consider fresh or cool new short material. That focus on personal ego is opposed to solver satisfaction, so I always appreciate Lynn's unwavering laser-lock onto smoothness.

I wish the theme had been more interesting, though. A puzzle this technically proficient deserves POW! consideration — it's so hard to achieve this level of silkiness. I couldn't give it a nom, because intersecting "___ STAR" words is too easy. There's a lack of elegance when you can think of a ton of other options like GUEST, NORTH, RADIO, POLE, SEA, SUPER, TIN, DEATH, DWARF, etc.

Maybe if Lynn had crossed stars like RIGEL (is URI GELLER a star?), VEGA, SIRIUS? Now that would have been serious!

I did like how the crossers pictorially formed stars (ish) in the four corners of the grid. ROCK and CHILD not as much, but LONE and GOLD resemble what you might see in a quick sketch of the night sky? Sort of? If you squint hard?

Although the theme didn't sparkle, the overall puzzle still worked well as an early-week offering. I'd give it to a rookie solver, with the caveat that it's not exciting, but it is likely solvable.