Hemant Mehta author page
8 puzzles by Hemant Mehta
with Jeff Chen comments
| S | K | I | L | L | W | A | I | T | M | I | S | T | ||
| I | N | D | I | E | B | A | N | D | S | U | M | N | O | |
| G | O | O | U | T | O | N | T | O | P | S | P | I | N | |
| H | T | S | M | O | D | E | L | G | E | O | D | E | ||
| B | E | T | A | A | P | L | U | S | E | S | ||||
| S | P | A | R | E | S | B | T | E | A | M | S | |||
| T | E | L | E | X | K | E | E | P | S | T | I | M | E | |
| U | S | M | A | P | I | R | R | S | O | B | E | R | ||
| F | O | O | T | L | O | N | G | S | T | U | L | S | A | |
| S | H | A | R | K | S | D | U | R | E | S | S | |||
| H | O | T | M | I | C | S | T | O | M | S | ||||
| A | D | D | I | N | H | B | O | M | B | M | I | Z | ||
| U | D | O | N | B | A | R | R | E | L | R | A | C | E | |
| T | E | N | T | I | M | I | S | S | E | D | Y | O | U | |
| E | R | E | S | D | E | M | O | R | A | I | N | S |
| N | I | K | E | S | D | A | N | A | C | R | A | M | ||
| S | C | I | E | N | C | E | L | A | B | H | O | P | E | |
| F | E | L | L | I | N | L | O | V | E | E | K | E | D | |
| W | E | T | D | O | T | T | Y | F | E | U | D | S | ||
| L | E | T | S | C | M | A | S | |||||||
| L | A | H | O | R | E | C | A | B | L | E | C | A | R | |
| E | R | A | S | E | T | I | D | A | L | W | A | V | E | |
| G | O | D | I | M | R | T | E | B | E | G | I | N | ||
| I | M | O | N | A | D | I | E | T | A | D | E | L | E | |
| T | A | N | G | R | A | M | S | M | C | G | R | A | W | |
| S | K | Y | E | B | A | K | E | |||||||
| I | D | O | L | S | S | C | A | M | P | I | D | O | ||
| N | O | S | E | C | T | R | L | A | L | T | D | E | L | |
| H | O | L | E | R | E | A | D | S | A | H | E | A | D | |
| D | R | O | P | U | R | N | S | N | E | A | R | S |
| T | V | C | A | M | B | A | E | C | H | A | P | |||
| B | O | O | T | Y | C | A | L | L | S | R | I | D | E | |
| S | T | U | F | F | Y | N | O | S | E | I | D | L | E | |
| P | E | P | A | C | N | E | D | A | N | D | E | R | ||
| R | U | L | E | B | A | N | G | E | R | S | ||||
| S | P | O | I | L | E | D | R | O | T | T | E | N | ||
| H | I | H | A | T | B | A | R | E | S | F | B | I | ||
| A | K | I | N | B | O | N | E | S | J | E | A | N | ||
| G | E | T | F | L | O | A | T | O | P | E | D | S | ||
| S | H | O | O | K | T | H | I | N | G | S | U | P | ||
| A | M | O | U | N | T | S | E | R | A | S | ||||
| S | I | N | G | T | O | A | C | E | R | P | D | F | ||
| T | A | N | G | U | P | T | O | N | O | G | O | O | D | |
| O | T | O | E | T | I | N | S | E | L | T | O | W | N | |
| R | A | W | R | C | O | T | L | O | R | D | Y |
| H | E | R | A | P | B | J | M | A | M | I | E | |||
| O | M | E | N | C | H | E | E | T | O | D | U | S | T | |
| L | A | D | Y | L | O | T | T | O | B | A | L | L | S | |
| A | S | S | D | O | N | S | R | I | P | L | E | Y | ||
| C | O | L | O | N | Y | B | R | U | T | |||||
| T | U | L | A | N | E | D | A | I | S | B | R | O | ||
| I | L | O | S | T | W | O | R | D | S | A | L | A | D | |
| P | A | C | E | R | A | G | E | T | R | A | C | I | ||
| S | T | U | D | E | N | T | I | D | R | I | M | E | S | |
| Y | E | P | M | O | E | T | B | I | S | E | C | T | ||
| D | I | O | R | H | O | P | E | S | O | |||||
| A | S | C | E | N | D | T | E | A | S | T | U | B | ||
| F | I | E | L | D | G | O | A | L | S | M | O | R | E | |
| A | N | D | I | M | E | A | N | I | T | U | R | S | A | |
| R | E | E | S | E | T | K | O | D | M | E | D |
| O | M | A | N | I | S | E | G | A | S | N | U | B | ||
| V | E | R | Y | C | L | E | V | E | R | C | O | D | E | |
| A | M | I | T | O | O | L | A | T | E | H | I | D | E | |
| L | O | L | M | I | L | L | S | P | O | S | E | R | ||
| P | E | N | S | B | A | L | L | E | R | S | ||||
| H | U | B | R | I | S | N | O | M | A | A | M | |||
| A | P | R | O | N | M | E | R | C | Y | R | U | L | E | |
| S | T | U | M | P | A | W | E | E | S | S | A | Y | ||
| H | O | T | D | E | S | K | E | D | R | H | I | N | E | |
| E | R | A | S | E | R | C | H | I | C | K | S | |||
| A | F | F | E | C | T | S | S | L | A | P | ||||
| P | R | O | S | E | L | I | M | I | T | B | O | A | ||
| A | I | R | S | N | O | T | O | N | E | W | O | R | D | |
| R | A | C | E | O | V | E | R | G | R | A | Z | E | D | |
| T | R | E | S | M | E | M | E | S | H | O | O | S |
Hemant got game! Those crossings he mentioned are so full of personality. Don't forget POSER, NOISE MUSIC, and MERCY RULE interlocking with PLAYER HATERS, too. That vibe might create some haters today, but those old Chappelle sketches are hilarious.
Is PLAYER HATERS still in current use? Been a long time since I've heard anyone say it. Along with the controversies around some of Chappelle's sets, I didn't enjoy the atmosphere of that region as much as I would have ten years ago.
Clever cluing is a tricky business. [Nonmelodic genre] might have been aiming for something creative (one of my kids is entirely tone-deaf), but I was too busy trying to figure out what NOISE MUSIC was.
On the other hand, PROM DRESSES could have been such a great source of cluing pizzazz. Something as simple as [Wear for a queen] would have injected so much fun. The dictionary-ish [Some formal attire] doesn't drag things down to prom fail level, but it takes away all the sparkly sequins.
So much to love about the grid if the specific vibes hit you right. With some extra work to add more VERY CLEVER cluing, it could have been the prom queen.
| U | M | S | M | A | L | A | L | A | F | I | G | S | ||
| P | R | O | M | O | C | O | D | E | S | O | P | E | C | |
| S | H | R | I | N | K | W | R | A | P | O | R | N | O | |
| H | Y | D | R | A | B | E | D | F | L | E | U | R | ||
| O | D | I | E | C | A | P | T | O | S | S | I | N | ||
| T | E | D | M | A | T | S | H | O | G | U | N | |||
| D | O | N | T | L | I | E | T | O | M | E | ||||
| F | O | R | C | E | D | S | M | I | L | E | ||||
| I | U | N | D | E | R | S | T | A | N | D | ||||
| S | T | A | R | R | Y | E | G | G | B | A | R | |||
| S | A | U | T | E | S | S | R | I | M | O | V | E | ||
| H | I | R | E | D | M | A | C | S | A | W | E | D | ||
| I | D | I | D | N | O | V | I | S | I | T | O | R | S | |
| P | S | S | T | O | N | E | T | I | M | E | U | S | E | |
| S | O | T | O | G | O | D | Y | E | S | T | E | A |
| D | C | B | A | S | E | D | K | E | E | P | T | O | ||
| A | L | I | S | T | E | R | S | O | R | L | E | A | N | |
| G | O | T | T | A | C | A | T | C | H | E | M | A | L | L |
| A | V | E | R | Y | G | I | R | L | S | S | K | A | ||
| M | E | M | O | T | I | C | O | S | C | A | I | N | ||
| A | R | E | R | I | N | K | S | C | A | N | E | D | ||
| B | O | O | T | Y | S | H | O | R | T | S | ||||
| K | I | N | G | O | F | B | E | E | R | S | ||||
| M | E | D | I | A | C | I | R | C | U | S | ||||
| G | O | T | O | N | O | N | E | H | R | B | E | T | ||
| O | V | E | N | P | U | G | E | T | M | A | L | E | ||
| O | I | L | B | A | R | E | D | D | A | M | N | S | ||
| G | E | O | C | E | N | T | R | I | C | O | R | B | I | T |
| L | A | N | C | E | D | S | N | O | W | C | O | N | E | |
| E | D | E | S | S | A | G | O | D | H | O | O | D |
Hemant got caught by a few years, GOTTA CATCH EM ALL debuting back in 2017. Pokemon Go was all the rage back then … is it still popular? This, coming from a guy who still clings on to the heyday of Clash Royale, still playing it out of a combination of inertia and sheer stupidity.
What an incredible mix of evocative debauchery in today's middle! BOOTY SHORTS / KING OF BEERS could cause a MEDIA CIRCUS, all right. And if you're not careful, those CROSS BREEDING STICKY FINGERS might DRAG you INTO COURT. This is the crossword equivalent of "The Hangover" crossbred with "Ballers." I couldn't look away even if I wanted to.
Some rough patches — note all the constructor-friendly Es in EEC ERES EDESSA — and I had a tough time figuring out why GEOCENTRIC ORBIT's clue is technically correct. Not surprising that this chronic overthinker spent an hour drawing physics diagrams to prove that a geosynchronous orbit doesn't go around the world, but stays over a fixed point of the Earth. Let's start with a discussion regarding frame of reference—
Never fear, Jeff has been DRAGged INTO COURT for being too much of a TALKIES.
64-word themelesses are notoriously difficult to fill with both color and cleanliness, and trade-offs are almost always required. Not the smoothest low-word-count grid I've seen, but it's hard to top the sheer, unadulterated debauchery in today's center.
| I | M | H | O | T | O | S | S | S | I | T | E | |||
| N | O | O | B | S | A | L | A | D | H | O | O | D | ||
| C | U | T | S | P | R | I | C | E | R | A | N | G | E | |
| A | N | D | C | O | P | R | P | E | R | S | O | N | ||
| S | T | E | E | D | S | O | I | L | U | P | ||||
| S | N | O | T | F | L | O | P | W | H | O | ||||
| J | O | K | E | W | R | I | T | E | R | N | E | A | T | |
| C | H | I | L | D | I | S | H | G | A | M | B | I | N | O |
| T | I | N | Y | K | N | E | E | B | O | A | R | D | S | |
| S | O | G | J | E | T | T | L | O | A | D | ||||
| L | A | S | S | O | E | D | G | E | R | S | ||||
| B | L | U | E | M | O | O | N | S | E | D | A | N | ||
| B | O | C | A | B | U | R | G | E | R | N | O | N | E | |
| O | W | L | S | T | R | U | C | E | T | U | D | E | ||
| Y | E | A | H | Y | E | O | W | S | T | I | R |
The good cop from "Lethal Weapon" goes by "Danny," and is now known as the CHILDISH GAMBINO? Huh! I suppose I could have pieced that together, given that "childish" could be an ironic moniker for an old guy, and "Gambino" is an infamous name in crime — another ironic name for a guy who played a cop!
While madly reading up on Donald Glover so I wouldn't seem as idiotic as usual (Danny vs. Donald is my failed attempt at using humor to cover up my ignorance), I came across an interesting piece of trivia: CHILDISH GAMBINO came from a Wu-tang Clan name generator. Out of curiosity, I tried it, the site giving me the name MIGHTY GENIUS. Seems (ironically) appropriate.
I enjoyed the craziness of the grid layout, a 68-worder chock full of entertaining long entries. SLIP OF THE TONGUE, WEIRDED OUT, PR PERSON, JOKE WRITER — great stuff.
Usually, editors prize multi-word phrases since they're more colorful than one-word entries, but I love SACRILEGE and OBSCENELY. The latter risks negative connotations, so I'm glad it was clued in the meaning of "an obscene amount of money."
I did get a bit weirded out by STRIKES OUT and WEIRDED OUT at consecutive down positions. I don't mind a lot of small-word duplications, but this stuck out. I also bugged out at ___ SORRY, knowing that it was likely some hip slang like SORRY NOT SORRY. ISN'T SORRY looks fine now that I study it, but during my solve, I couldn't imagine what it might be.
Similarly, I don't mind more minor glue like TSP, but JCTS, SOG, and co. = hmm.
Overall, not as polished as I like for a 68-word puzzle. An admirable debut effort, though, dipping a toe into the depths of the 68-word deep white sea.