New York Times, Saturday, March 6, 2021

13-letter answers don't get much airtime in 15×15 themeless puzzles because they can result in awkward black square placements, so I was happy to work HIDDEN TALENTS and POTATO BATTERY into this grid. Of course, there was a tradeoff: I only had 12 remaining long slots (of 8+ letters) to work with, and the pressure was on to convert many of them to exciting entries. Nowadays, I aim for 16 to 20 long slots in themeless grids so that more neutral entries like ROUTINES don't feel like they're taking up quite as much space.

The openness of the top-right and bottom-left corners made this grid tougher to fill than a typical 68-worder, but I think it turned out fairly clean. I particularly like that all the 3-letter entries here are common, everyday words. I hope solvers found it to be a smooth and satisfying experience.

After receiving the edited proof for this puzzle, I spent some time thinking about inclusivity and representation in crossword puzzles. The wonderful folks at the Times were gracious to let me voice my thoughts in their daily Wordplay column. If you have a few minutes, and especially if you're interested or involved in constructing crosswords, I'd be very grateful if you read today's post on Wordplay.

I like the innovation in this 68-word grid, spreading out long answers much more than usual patterns. As I solved, I wondered if there might be fewer than average long entries, but no — 14 is just about right. More typical themelesses concentrate all their color in the four corners, so I enjoyed getting dashes of TAG TEAMED, HIDDEN TALENTS, ADOBE READER, CORNY JOKE, OPERA SOLO, POTATO BATTERY, IM SUCH A JERK (great colloquial phrase!), HIGH HORSE spread throughout.

I wondered if non-Trekkers would know BRENT Spiner, who played Lt. Data on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" — great cross-reference for us android fans, perhaps not so pleasant for non-dorks. I asked Jim Horne (who doesn't watch as much sci-fi as me) if he knew Spiner, and he paused before saying something to the effect of "yes, but only because he was in a play I directed." After 15 years of hanging out with Jim, I'm continually amazed.

I also wondered if the crossing of CAROL ALT and RITA ORA (my wife alerted me that this is someone I ought to know since ORA is very useful for constructors) was fair. I like that they come from different walks of life and time, though, increasing the chances that someone will have heard of at least one of them.

I'm usually the one doing the kvetching, but this time, Jim flagged two entries: THE COLTS and CORNY JOKE. Along with several other constructors I know, Jim's not a fan of "THE ___" phrases, as the THE feels superfluous. And CORNY JOKE felt corny to him. He asked me my opinion, and I sheepishly admitted that they were both high on my list of the puzzle's assets! So much of themeless assessment is so subjective.

As always, excellent craftsmanship from Sid. A 68-word themeless presents such a tough task of offering both smoothness and sizzle, and Sid hit on both counts. Next to no dabs of glue while offering a little something for everyone.