Patti Varol author page
1 puzzle by Patti Varol
with Jeff Chen comments
See the 4 answer words debuted by Patti Varol.
Patti Varol is the editor of the Los Angeles Times Crossword.
She is also executive editor at PuzzleNation, managing and editing puzzle content for Crosswords Club, Daily POP crosswords, and the PuzzleNation mobile apps. Her crosswords have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as the Crosswords L.A., Lollapuzzoola, and Boswords crossword tournaments. She is also a founding editor of Women of Letters, a crossword pack featuring the work of women constructors, with proceeds benefiting women-centric charities.
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Patti! She's the editor for the Crosswords Club as well as Rich Norris's assistant at the LA Times. How is it possible that this is her NYT debut?
I'd heard the "taking stock" joke before, but I still got fooled. Great way to kick off the puzzle. CATTLE RUSTLER would have been even juicier, but I'll take stock of a CATTLE THIEF at 1-Across any day.
I also enjoyed the initially mystifying NUMBER TEN. Number ten makes it sound like the British P.M. is "The Prisoner". Apparently the Brits call 10 Downing Street NUMBER TEN for short? Along with the secret-society-feeling AQUA VITAE, that's a delightful pairing for Anglophiles.
I had to look up a couple of entries — Donald FAGEN / GRETA GERWIG ... I GOT A NAME indeed. Proper names can be tricky entries. On one hand, you potentially alienate solvers who finish with F A G E N and say no, that can't be right. On the other, someone like GRETA GERWIG, who directed the wildly successful "Little Women," ought to have her day in the crossword sun. Seeing her will also elate her fans.
Some fantastic clues helped prop up my solving experience, SANTA going through the roof in December, and what better to bear repeating than a MANTRA?
There weren't enough entries that resonated with me to give this puzzle POW! consideration, but I love seeing two of my favorite crossworld peeps on a byline. (Shameless plug: Doug and I have a crossword book coming out soon.)