See the 31 answer words debuted by Jennifer Nutt.
S | K | A | O | M | A | H | A | P | R | I | Z | E | ||
T | O | N | U | R | G | E | S | O | A | S | I | S | ||
R | A | Y | T | I | E | D | T | H | E | K | N | O | T | |
A | L | T | O | S | D | O | O | E | T | N | A | |||
W | A | I | V | E | C | H | A | R | G | E | S | |||
M | E | T | O | O | S | L | I | M | E | S | ||||
U | B | E | R | B | O | S | S | I | N | A | N | E | ||
S | I | N | S | H | E | L | L | L | O | X | ||||
S | T | O | U | T | A | C | A | I | R | O | S | Y | ||
R | E | W | R | A | P | I | L | I | A | D | ||||
C | U | R | R | A | N | T | S | C | O | N | E | |||
L | E | A | H | I | O | U | A | K | R | O | N | |||
E | D | D | I | E | M | U | R | P | H | Y | O | R | D | |
A | G | E | N | T | T | A | L | E | S | U | S | O | ||
D | E | N | S | E | S | L | O | M | O | S | E | W |
This puzzle was inspired by childhood summers at the beach in Cape May, New Jersey. Many thanks to my son and test solver, Nick Diamant, who caught a few errors.
H | I | P | A | R | C | S | A | S | S | E | S | |||
A | M | I | D | Y | O | L | K | B | L | U | N | T | ||
T | A | P | E | D | E | L | A | Y | C | A | S | I | O | |
S | C | E | N | E | L | U | R | E | C | H | A | R | ||
S | C | I | S | S | O | R | S | K | I | C | K | |||
M | O | V | E | O | N | C | A | P | E | |||||
A | M | O | R | T | E | A | K | O | R | A | N | G | ||
L | E | I | B | O | X | S | E | A | T | V | I | I | ||
I | N | D | I | A | E | A | T | S | R | O | L | F | ||
C | R | O | C | S | P | I | N | E | T | |||||
P | A | P | E | R | T | R | A | I | N | E | D | |||
O | L | A | F | T | A | F | T | S | E | N | S | E | ||
S | I | L | L | S | B | O | W | S | T | R | I | N | G | |
S | A | M | O | A | L | U | A | U | S | N | U | G | ||
E | S | S | E | X | E | L | S | E | A | B | S |
I didn't necessarily think of this puzzle as a holiday crossword, but the editors saved it for this week. One of the hardest parts in making it was figuring out where to fit "gift," given all the space taken up with wrapping supplies.
F | A | K | E | D | B | B | C | D | E | C | A | F | ||
I | C | I | E | R | L | E | O | O | R | A | T | E | ||
J | E | L | L | Y | R | O | L | L | G | A | M | E | R | |
I | D | O | O | B | I | T | S | T | E | I | N | |||
H | O | U | S | E | S | I | T | R | N | S | ||||
A | S | S | O | R | T | N | A | D | A | |||||
R | E | P | R | O | P | U | B | C | R | A | W | L | ||
T | A | R | A | A | T | R | I | A | M | O | O | D | ||
M | I | C | S | T | A | N | D | L | A | R | V | A | ||
N | E | A | T | R | I | S | K | E | D | |||||
E | G | G | C | A | K | E | W | A | L | K | ||||
N | O | T | C | H | E | L | E | C | W | O | E | |||
A | F | I | R | E | B | A | B | Y | S | T | E | P | S | |
C | A | D | E | T | A | T | M | P | O | P | U | P | ||
T | R | E | E | S | B | E | D | A | N | T | S | Y |
Jeff recently wrote about theme types that got popular and then faded away. A few months ago, I submitted a first-words-are-synonyms puzzle. Turns out there are a lot of those already on file . . . So here is a "sequential progression" theme instead.
Besides, babies are cute!
J | A | V | A | P | U | P | A | L | S | P | A | M | |||
O | P | E | N | A | P | O | L | O | S | L | A | T | E | ||
Y | E | T | I | P | O | R | E | S | H | A | R | E | S | ||
M | O | U | N | T | V | E | S | U | V | I | U | S | |||
A | R | I | A | N | A | E | S | P | N | S | P | Y | |||
F | O | R | T | U | N | E | P | U | T | T | |||||
O | V | E | R | S | R | A | B | I | D | U | S | E | S | ||
R | E | N | O | F | A | V | O | R | S | N | E | A | L | ||
E | D | E | N | I | S | I | T | I | R | A | N | G | E | ||
S | A | L | E | T | H | E | B | O | L | D | |||||
S | E | C | S | E | R | B | I | N | U | R | E | S | |||
P | L | I | N | Y | T | H | E | E | L | D | E | R | |||
R | E | T | I | E | E | A | R | E | D | G | A | Z | A | ||
I | N | E | P | T | A | D | A | G | E | E | K | E | S | ||
G | A | D | S | D | Y | S | O | N | R | A | N | K |
This puzzle was inspired by an exhibit on Pompeii at the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix. Accounts differ, but Pliny the Elder probably died trying to rescue his friends from Herculaneum. As Pliny's vessel approached the shore, volcanic debris began to fall on him and his crew. The helmsman advised a retreat, but Pliny replied, "Fortune favors the bold."
T | H | E | M | G | R | O | G | Y | A | C | H | T | ||
I | O | T | A | E | A | V | E | A | G | R | E | E | ||
D | A | H | L | T | H | E | N | E | R | E | I | D | S | |
E | X | I | L | E | D | R | E | N | D | S | G | T | ||
O | S | L | O | S | O | L | A | C | E | S | ||||
G | A | P | K | N | E | W | K | I | L | O | S | |||
U | N | I | X | E | X | A | M | I | N | E | ||||
S | N | A | R | F | I | D | A | E | X | P | A | T | ||
A | U | S | T | E | R | E | A | O | N | E | ||||
B | R | Y | C | E | S | X | S | W | S | O | N | |||
L | E | A | S | H | E | D | T | O | T | E | ||||
A | H | I | S | T | E | M | U | N | R | I | P | E | ||
C | A | S | S | I | O | P | E | I | A | I | D | O | L | |
E | V | I | T | A | O | M | A | R | C | O | P | S | ||
S | E | N | D | S | T | O | N | Y | K | N | E | E |
I considered other constellations for a puzzle theme, but Cassiopeia won out because it has only has five main stars. Soon after this puzzle got accepted, Jeff Stillman's May 22 Ursa Major crossword was published, and I thought it would be a good long time before this one appeared.
A | S | C | O | T | H | U | S | H | F | I | B | |||
G | L | O | B | E | P | A | L | E | O | I | D | O | ||
R | A | D | I | A | T | O | R | C | A | P | L | E | O | |
A | W | E | U | P | P | E | R | M | E | A | N | |||
W | I | N | D | S | O | R | C | A | S | T | L | E | ||
B | O | N | G | O | H | I | D | |||||||
P | A | R | L | O | R | C | A | R | D | E | R | B | Y | |
O | L | D | E | S | H | Y | E | R | G | A | L | E | ||
V | I | S | A | S | I | N | D | O | O | R | C | A | T | |
G | R | E | S | W | E | E | T | |||||||
L | I | Q | U | O | R | C | A | B | I | N | E | T | ||
A | G | U | E | M | O | X | I | E | R | A | T | |||
I | L | E | K | I | L | L | E | R | W | H | A | L | E | |
R | O | E | E | N | T | E | R | E | M | C | E | E | ||
S | O | N | N | E | S | S | T | O | K | E | N |
This puzzle was inspired by Paula Gamache's 3/8/17 crossword, which included the entry "indoor cat." I noticed the hidden "orca" and started looking for other "orca" phrases. There aren't many, but it turns out that six (including five orcas plus the "killer whale" revealer) is enough for a small pod. And, luckily, both "radiator cap" and "killer whale" contain eleven letters.
H | A | N | G | I | M | P | S | B | I | G | O | T | ||
A | L | A | R | M | A | R | E | A | N | O | D | E | ||
V | I | D | E | O | C | L | I | P | B | U | Y | I | N | |
O | B | I | V | O | T | E | T | Y | R | A | N | T | ||
C | I | R | C | U | L | A | R | F | I | L | E | |||
O | L | D | R | K | O | Q | U | O | ||||||
G | I | V | E | T | R | A | I | N | B | U | F | F | ||
T | O | R | E | C | R | A | M | S | R | I | O | T | ||
M | O | O | N | S | H | I | N | E | S | O | P | S | ||
I | N | N | T | E | N | S | K | I | ||||||
S | O | C | I | A | L | P | O | L | I | S | H | |||
R | E | M | A | R | K | N | O | R | A | N | E | O | ||
E | C | O | L | I | I | N | A | I | L | E | D | I | T | |
S | H | O | V | E | R | U | N | T | S | I | Z | E | ||
T | O | T | E | D | E | L | S | E | P | E | E | L |
I am excited about my third NY Times crossword. This puzzle was inspired by a rather fabulous nail buffer that my friend Doris showed me. It has four sides, including "file nail edge," "smooth nail," and "shine nail." I added clip and polish, changed smooth to buff, and tried to think up some good theme entries. I especially like "train buff."
The grid was not easy to construct because the theme entries needed to follow in nail grooming order: clip, file, buff, shine, polish.
Coincidentally (?), this puzzle follows the Times' recent exposé on nail salons. However, Doris's inspirational nail buffer is meant for home use.
I submitted this puzzle in early July 2014, and it was accepted in late August.
G | A | M | M | A | S | P | E | E | D | S | P | A | ||
A | M | O | U | R | N | I | E | C | E | T | A | N | ||
L | O | O | S | E | C | A | N | N | O | N | O | U | T | |
A | S | T | I | A | F | T | I | D | O | L | S | |||
C | A | S | U | A | L | F | R | I | D | A | Y | |||
A | S | P | I | R | E | A | L | O | P | |||||
M | A | Y | A | N | D | E | M | O | E | M | U | |||
B | U | R | N | O | N | E | S | B | R | I | D | G | E | S |
I | L | E | A | L | P | S | R | I | O | T | S | |||
D | I | S | H | N | A | S | S | E | R | |||||
C | A | P | U | C | H | I | N | M | O | N | K | |||
E | X | U | D | E | O | O | P | E | R | O | S | |||
L | I | L | T | V | D | E | T | E | C | T | I | V | E | |
L | A | S | E | C | O | L | E | A | T | T | I | C | ||
O | L | E | A | R | E | S | T | W | E | E | D | Y |
ANDREA:
Jennifer Nutt is a gal I've met here in SF through various crossword functions. She had a puzzle in the LA Times which had LOOSECANNON and CASUALFRIDAY as part of a theme about LOOSE, CASUAL, etc. but while solving, I thought it was going to be about the TV detectives CANNON, Joe FRIDAY, et al. So I approached her about doing one together with that theme, since my idea had been inspired by one of her puzzles. She was very easy to work with. It was the first time I collaborated with someone I didn't know that well.
A | R | A | B | I | C | M | S | G | A | M | A | S | ||
N | I | N | E | T | Y | A | P | E | R | I | L | L | ||
S | C | A | R | E | D | Y | C | A | T | E | D | I | E | |
E | C | C | E | E | O | N | B | A | D | G | E | |||
L | I | T | T | L | E | A | N | G | E | L | A | N | T | |
O | T | S | L | E | E | R | Y | |||||||
D | E | F | E | N | D | R | E | L | E | A | S | E | R | |
E | V | I | T | E | F | E | D | D | R | U | I | D | ||
N | E | S | T | L | E | R | S | S | I | E | N | N | A | |
H | E | I | N | E | L | I | N | |||||||
O | C | T | E | V | E | N | I | N | G | S | T | A | R | |
C | H | A | I | R | T | E | M | M | U | L | E | |||
C | O | I | N | G | R | A | P | E | J | E | L | L | Y | |
U | R | L | S | P | I | T | S | A | L | L | I | E | ||
R | E | S | T | A | P | O | A | L | L | E | N | S |