New York Times, Friday, September 5, 2014

As groundwork for this puzzle, I created various Morse code palindromes — first noting that letters E, T, I, R, S, O, P, M, K, X, and H are symmetric in Morse code while letter pairs A/N, D/U, G/W, B/V, L/F and Q/Y are mirror images. But only nonsense emerged: NUN AWAITING NADA; WAIF GO HOWLING; TEAR IN HAIRNET; RING OF SLOW AIR; NET LOSS OF TEA; SEQUIN SAID YES. Really goofy stuff.

So I abandoned the thematic-entry approach and looked toward grid art using black squares to spell out a simple Morse code palindrome: WAITING, FOOTSTOOL or TOP SPOT. I devised numerous odd-sized grids that mostly wouldn't fill before stumbling upon the present grid which would.

Somewhere in the whole process I decided it wouldn't be fair to expect solvers to even know Morse code to get 20-Down, so I double-clued it. As such, the puzzle has only the slightest hint of a theme: one might describe it as more of a themeless with a post-solve conversation piece. (This seems to be one of my signature constructing styles). So, hopefully a few solvers are enticed to ponder the subject of Morse code palindromes for an extra bit of amusement.

Finally, a few words about fill. Given the fixed nature of the grid, it was important to me to introduce as much novel content among the 11- and 15-letter entries; I also wanted the 3- and 4-letter entries to be common stuff. Plus, I wanted all easy content in the vicinity of 20-Down. So, I hope these mini-objectives helped me achieve my goal of an interesting yet smooth solve overall.

I have a feeling today's puzzle won't be liked by some of the crossword bloggers, as the grid's vocabulary isn't the most scintillating, and it has a lot of three-letter words. Still, the fill is solid, and 17A, 38A, 25D, 26D and 43D are quite nice, so to me this is worthy. Most of all, the gimmick with the black squares is just ... wow!

Joe continues to impress me with his experimentation in constructing. If you haven't noticed, he's recently given me commentary on his older puzzles, which I've found fascinating. Joe falls on one end of the spectrum, using all the software at his disposal to execute on his very creative puzzles, and I've picked up some neat tips by reading through and learning more about his approach.

I hear grumbling every now and then about constructors relying too heavily on software, but why wouldn't you use all the tools at your disposal? Sure, you need to exercise care as you lay out and fill a puzzle to make sure it's clean and snappily filled, but computers make that so much easier. Trying out dozens or even hundreds of grid arrangements is invaluable. And if software enables new developments and directions, I'm all for it.

My experience today started out mixed. I like triple- and quad-stacks, as they're a visually stunning sight. But we've had so many of them that I apply normal criteria to them these days: snazziness plus cleanliness. So when I ran into a smattering of ETH, ITT, the old-timey ALDO / POLA next to each other, HOTL / ANGE, I was a little disappointed, truth be told.

But when I finally hit that WAITING entry, I paused, thinking that there was no way someone could spell out a word in Morse code through the black squares. Impossible! I grinned as I checked the Morse code chart and saw DOT DASH DASH in row four corresponded to W. Joe pulled off something new, different, and cool yet again.

Granted, some people will point out that this is more a puzzle for constructors than solvers. And I wish that the word WAITING had instead been MORSE CODE or even something meta like DOT DASH, but that does seem impossible. I imagine that very few words would fit into a crossword grid like WAITING did. A CHALLENGE TO YOU ALL: is there anything even remotely thematic to Morse code that one could form out of a symmetric grid?

I love seeing these puzzles that push the boundaries. If you have a chance, go back and read Joe's other Constructor's Notes. Even if you don't like some of the puzzles, I would find it difficult not to admire his pushing of the envelope.