New York Times, Friday, November 8, 2019

When I reopened my original manuscript in preparation for this write-up, I immediately regretted not being in the know enough at the time to clue 27-Across as the slang term. Fortunately, the editing team and I are apparently on the same wavelength, as they updated my tired STAN Lee clue for something a little more this decade.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this one. There's a good number of interesting compound phrases, ranging from a 19th-century botanist to an over-the-top NBA arcade game. Hope everyone enjoys!

Another meticulous construction from Peter Wentz, a master at the 68-worder. It's so difficult to put one of these together without any crossword glue, but I couldn't find a single dab. Such unyielding craftsmanship is rare. There's only one other person who comes to mind — the great Patrick Berry.

A couple of excellent feature entries, too. CLAYMATION always brings me back to the first time I saw the "Wallace and Gromit" series. So delightful! Crossing that with NBA JAM — I still say "Boom shakala!" much to the chagrin of my friends, who then pretend they don't know me — makes for a fun middle.

And BANJO PICK crossing BIONICS! Think of what a great musician Steve Austin could have been if he'd only applied himself.

Not as much color as I'm used to out of a Wentz grid, though. PEA JACKET and ASA GRAY sounded vaguely familiar. PLASMA TV got pulled down by the "obsolescent" tag in its clue (really, these are outdated already?). ON ITS END took up a valuable long slot, and I tilted my head and gave it the side-eye.

A CLAW HAMMER isn't just called a hammer?

I struggled mightily with SVEDKA, too. I'm not much of a drinker, but SKYY, Absolut, Finlandia, Grey Goose, Ketel One — I see those in bars frequently enough. Maybe Svedka's marketing team has been hitting the bottle a bit too much.

I loved the clue for DEBT. A matter of great interest, indeed — get it, interest? As in, interest you have to pay when you take out loans? Huh. I worry that this one won't interest as many people as it should.

Sometimes I worry that my critiques, always pushing for cleaner grids, have made some constructors go too far the other way. I'm all for a bit of imperfection here or there if it means more color and pizzazz in a solving experience.