New York Times, Saturday, September 1, 2018

This one started with IT'S A ZOO crossing NOTHING BURGER, two entries I heard on the same day I started this puzzle. The former was a response to the NYC subways on a particularly bad day and the latter was uttered on cable news at least five times that day, probably by defense lawyers for you know who.

I liked CONTORTIONIST because I had the clue (one who is bent out of shape) in mind for a while. I also really like the clue for CENTRIPETAL (a force of nature). It seems that many themeless puzzles these days don't favor long words instead of phrases or idioms; some think they're not as interesting. I think it's all about the clues — if they're clever, then the solver will enjoy the entry.

MIDSENTENCE occurred to me because I have the bad habit of interrupting others that way. My daughter has recently made a point of that to me. I was surprised to learn that this is the first time that word was in a Times crossword.

I'm pleased that this puzzle is mostly junk-free in a pretty diagram. After all the puzzles I've constructed over the years, I still get a kick out of a good-looking grid with a low word count. The aesthetics of an attractive array of black and white squares is not appreciated by all solvers, but it's a big part of why I like to solve and create themeless puzzles so much.

I often tell constructors how important multi-word phrases are in themelesses — it was one of Rich Norris' major points to me, way back when I first started creating them. Not only do they tend to be more colorful than single words (which can often come across as workmanlike), but it's a neat challenge trying to figure out where the word breaks ought to be.

But as Randy points out, CONTORTIONIST is a strong exception to this rule of thumb. It's not something you hear every day, and what imagery it evokes! Plus, that fantastic clue — someone getting bent out of shape indeed. That's the type of wordplay that makes a themeless entry stand out.

NOTHING BURGER might also be an exception. It is a multi-worder, but I'm not positive it's that well known. (I personally find it amusing when Kevin O'Leary from "Shark Tank" says it.) It's reasonable to expect solvers to learn something new, but then the entry doesn't generate the same level of cleverosity as CONTORTIONIST and its clue.

Solid center of the puzzle, CONAN OBRIEN and CENTRIPETAL acceleration filling things out. So much goodness, I didn't mind a little ME DO / UNOS holding it all together.

I might have tried to rejigger the SW and NE corners, though. Those intersecting triple-stacks of 7s might not look that hard, but I think it's one of the most underestimated challenges in all of themeless construction. Looks so innocuous, doesn't it? But there's a reason why we get SERIO and MSS up top and WILEE and NEER in the opposite corner. All that glue, for what? BIT PART is nice, and this physics geek likes INTERIA, but overall, those corners hold more liabilities than assets.

Generally, I try to avoid this sort of grid pattern. Shifting some blocks around could have broken up at least one of those triple-stacked 7s.

Overall though, still a good Saturday challenge — especially that PROLE / PRIVET / PRADA region, with a ridiculously hard clue for PRADA. I wonder if fashionistas knew that the brand uses the same word as a luxurious Italian house? I was super thankful to guess the PRIVET / PRADA crossing correctly!

ADDED NOTE: Astute reader Mike Knobler pointed out that the PRADA clue meant "house" in the "place of business" sense. D'oh! Went over my head; I should have (eventually) figured that out.