See the 11 answer words debuted by Kavin Pawittranon.
G | O | S | L | O | W | A | B | C | S | A | S | H | ||
A | R | E | O | L | A | S | E | A | U | P | T | O | ||
P | E | L | L | E | T | D | I | S | P | E | N | S | E | R |
S | O | L | A | N | T | I | T | E | M | S | ||||
B | A | B | Y | C | A | G | E | |||||||
G | H | O | S | T | O | F | A | C | H | A | N | C | E | |
R | O | A | S | T | S | L | S | A | T | I | L | L | ||
I | N | N | E | R | S | I | E | B | E | T | A | S | ||
F | E | Y | O | M | A | R | C | A | R | R | I | E | ||
F | R | U | I | T | O | F | T | H | E | L | O | O | M | |
C | U | B | E | A | L | L | S | |||||||
S | N | E | E | R | W | I | N | M | Y | B | ||||
W | A | K | A | F | L | O | C | K | A | F | L | A | M | E |
A | P | E | X | A | R | E | M | A | L | I | C | E | ||
B | A | S | E | O | D | E | P | A | C | M | A | N |
For us, constructing and tying down a themed crossword is so time-consuming but is so rewarding when all the themers come together in such a clever way. WAKA FLOCKA FLAME has got to be one of our all-time favorite themers. When coming up with themers related to PACMAN, the Shakira song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) was first in mind. Obviously, it didn't work, but coming up with Waka Flocka after that was a no-brainer. It was so clever and so funny that we had to submit it.
At first glance, the connection between PACMAN and WAKA FLOCKA FLAME isn't as clear-cut as the other themers, but the theme is tied together in such a clever way that when the realization hits, it pops out like a jump scare.
We constructed this crossword in early 2022 and have been talking about it since. It's been a real fight mentioning the crossword to our friends and family and not revealing any spoilers, so we cannot wait to see it published finally.
F | O | Y | E | R | C | L | I | C | K | |||||
C | E | R | A | M | I | C | H | A | D | O | N | |||
W | O | R | D | S | A | L | A | D | E | X | I | L | E | |
I | N | R | E | G | E | N | E | R | A | T | O | E | ||
F | A | I | R | S | D | A | T | A | P | L | A | N | ||
I | N | S | U | L | T | R | E | S | T | A | R | E | A | |
P | A | R | T | Y | S | C | H | O | O | L | S | |||
O | C | T | M | A | E | T | A | R | D | S | L | |||
F | R | E | U | D | I | A | N | S | L | I | P | |||
F | A | R | F | A | L | L | E | S | L | I | E | S | T | |
P | I | O | N | E | E | R | S | L | E | V | E | R | ||
I | L | Y | C | R | A | V | E | S | R | O | P | E | ||
S | O | A | V | E | F | E | E | L | S | O | K | A | Y | |
L | A | K | E | R | S | P | I | E | G | E | L | |||
E | D | I | T | S | S | T | A | I | D |
NIJAH: When checking how many Black crossword constructors were featured in The New York Times this month, I was shocked to see that answer was none. I'm delighted to be the first Black person published during Black History Month this year although it is nearly halfway through. I love being Black.