New York Times, Saturday, February 9, 2019

I started this one by playing with a number of options at 32-Across and ended up with SCULPTED ABS working out best, and only then after running through a number of more normal options for 33-Down and ending up with the unusual C SCALE. I don't love this answer as a musician because the scale itself is ambiguous (Major? Minor? Mixolydian?), but it helped pull together the middle. I originally had BAYONETTED for 29-Across before finding that it was more commonly spelled with one T in American English, so I ended up switching to BAYONETING and redoing the NE corner. Unfortunately, there weren't as many stellar fill options here, so I threw in TEA EGG for some interest. I'm sure the critics will love it.

Overall the editing team did a good job tempering my clues, some of which I'll admit were a bit too difficult. I was sad to see a couple of my favorite clues go, including "One-man band?" for ID BRACELET, and "Public display of confection" for DESSERT CASE, but I'm glad they kept my unassuming clue for MEN. Hope you enjoy!

I'm a big fan of Ryan's wide-open constructions. This one, with a football-ish shape in the center, reminds me of another one of his I loved. It's so clean, just an ENDO as a minor dab of crossword glue needed to hold such an audacious construction together. Great craftsmanship.

Some top-notch feature entries, too. Loved TORCH RELAYS and DESSERT CASE crossed by BUSH LEAGUE in the center. ID BRACELET / BOOK REVIEW anchoring the NW, GOLDEN BEAR / ESPY AWARDS in the SE, even a bit of DIATRIBE in the upper right? Nice to get a little something everywhere you look.

Because I'd already seen a similar grid pattern from Ryan, my expectations were pretty high. I had a couple of hitches in TWO TONE CAR — apparently that's a thing, but it doesn't resonate strongly for me — and SCULPTED ABS, which felt not as solid (pardon the pun) as SIX PACK ABS or WASHBOARD ABS. I know that they mean slightly different things and that SCULPTED ABS is a real thing. But the other two phrases sound so much snappier.

A bit of an ick factor with BAYONETING, too. It's a real word. A pretty unpleasant one, though.

A couple of clues elated me, while I felt like some others needed explaining:

• NINE is a small square — three squared, to be exact!
• How is FIVE an orange ball? Hmm ... it's the orange ball on a pool table?
• [Field of flowers] is so innocent, so fun, referring to the field of BOTANY!
• [Off] isn't as innocent for LESS. Yikes is that tough, not in a fun way. I *think* it's referring to the "minus" meaning of both?

Overall, a fine piece of craftsmanship. It didn't hit my ear quite as well as Ryan's last one, but it still made for a satisfying and challenging solving experience.