David Harris author page

★ I've brainstormed with so many people on BACK TO SQUARE ONE concepts, running through such a vast range of potential implementations. I'd never considered going to back to 1-Across for Across themers AND 1-Down for Downs! Clever way to flesh out the concept and to avoid the problem I always worried about: repetitiveness. After FACET(IOUS) and SPEC(IOUS), I might have stopped solving, but then PASS(IOUS) didn't make sense. My frustration flipped to delight when I realized it was PASS(IONS).

Why IOUS and IONS? As David mentioned, they 1.) have numerous Replacement Finds and 2.) start with the same letter. In the past, I've even considered using IOUS at 1-Across, but I worried that solvers would wonder, why that particular entry? Turns out that having both IOUS and IONS crossing at the I — the Roman numeral for one! — made me forget about asking why; my critical brain simply clicking off to enjoy the experience.

Why not have all the themers symmetrically placed, though? Although there's only one strong seven-letter IOUS find in CONTENT(IOUS), you could use mirror symmetry and even delay the revealer to the bottom of the grid—

Sorry, I'll stop my TED(IOUS) why why why and simply say that David managed to create something that I could not. I'm both envious and pleased for NYT solvers who got treated to so much fun.

Great visual for MONKEY (IN THE) MIDDLE. I couldn't remember the rules of the game, so I looked it up. Ah, right. Two bullies tossing a kid's backpack over his/her head, playing keep away. This kind of thing used to happen to a kid I was a Big Brother for. It's tough — you know you should take the high road and talk to the bullies about the consequences of their behavior. It's so much easier to punt their kickballs onto the roof.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

I liked the attempt to elevate the standard "hidden word" theme type, which Will Shortz is tiring of. It's easy enough to work APE into many CHEAP EATS, AP ENGLISH, ALASKA PENINSULA phrases. Much harder to do that around a non-trivial visual element.

Ah! I didn't even notice the APE literally stuck in the middle. Unfortunately, this APE isn't broken across two words, like Will usually requires, but it is a nice touch. Perhaps orienting that APE vertically would have been even more evocative, the poor creature trying to jump for his backpack. That could have also allowed MONKEY, MIDDLE, and the middle APE to be in the same row, rather than the way he's levitating now.

Wait. Why are the APEs all around not helping their brethren in the center? They're taking part in the bullying? Cue Charlton Heston!

BANANA PEEL is such an apt phrase for this puzzle. Even more pleasing to see it strategically placed under one of the bullies. You go, my APE friend!

For a Kalish production, there's an unusually high amount of short entries that would get called out on editor's spec sheet, ANAP, EDS, TSO, maybe HMO and ISP too. I did love the clue for TSO, his good name being "battered." And for a strong visual element, the trade-offs can be worth it.

All in all, an audacious debut for David and another one in the books for Evan, but the mixture of literal and visual elements didn't gel together that well.