Phil Ruzbarsky author page
2 puzzles by Phil Ruzbarsky
with Constructor comments
| G | L | O | M | T | I | B | I | A | L | A | D | S | ||
| A | U | D | I | O | R | A | N | G | E | W | O | W | ||
| S | A | D | D | L | E | S | H | O | E | S | A | B | E | |
| H | U | M | M | E | D | I | N | S | P | I | R | E | ||
| A | A | A | H | A | L | T | E | R | T | O | P | |||
| M | A | N | Y | D | E | I | S | R | I | |||||
| I | P | O | T | E | A | R | S | G | A | W | K | S | ||
| S | P | U | R | O | F | T | H | E | M | O | M | E | N | T |
| O | S | T | E | O | H | O | P | E | D | L | E | E | ||
| C | T | N | S | O | T | C | L | E | M | |||||
| B | I | T | O | H | O | N | E | Y | J | A | I | |||
| E | N | S | N | A | R | E | F | A | U | L | T | S | ||
| B | S | A | C | R | O | P | C | I | R | C | L | E | S | |
| O | E | R | H | I | N | T | A | T | U | B | E | R | ||
| P | T | S | E | S | S | A | Y | S | S | E | N | S |
This is my second NYT puzzle, but it's been since 2009 since the first. This really simple little puzzle really took a lot of practice to achieve, mostly in favorable grid design, but I've been building word lists and applying theory like maximizing the freshness of my long non-theme entries. TALLINTHESADDLE was actually the seed of this puzzle that didn't persist because, unlike the present set of five, the theme word in the idiom is at the end and it doesn't change meaning from riding gear.
I really wanted to use ALLHOPE instead of AIRHOSE in the triple-crosser central entry. Fancying myself as a bit of classicist, I felt freshness in this entry that has been around for thousands of years. I thought my clue of ("It should be abandoned by "ye who enter here") made it stronger. In retrospect, I agree it's not recognizable or strong enough to warrant a seven-letter partial phrase. My initial grid also had IATRO and PDR in it. As a physician, these seemed to me to be "in the language." My wife tells me "not so much." This has always been a stumbling point for me — recognizing that just because I love it doesn't mean anyone else will.
It was great to be allowed input in the editing process by Will. In a couple of volleys, he expertly nixed the above as well as the foul fill PTL and BCS. BCS allowed HOTCHICKS instead of TOOTHACHE, but so goes the reality of crossword construction.
| T | E | N | D | P | A | T | H | O | S | T | D | S | O | B | J | E | T | |||
| I | T | O | O | E | B | E | R | T | E | R | I | C | L | O | E | S | S | |||
| P | R | E | S | S | E | D | T | H | E | F | L | U | S | H | G | R | A | T | E | |
| J | A | X | S | L | U | R | L | A | I | N | M | A | G | N | E | T | ||||
| A | D | I | M | E | C | A | S | C | A | S | E | A | U | N | E | S | ||||
| R | E | T | E | I | T | S | P | A | S | T | M | Y | B | U | D | T | I | M | E | |
| R | U | N | S | A | C | H | E | A | M | O | R | E | S | |||||||
| N | A | I | V | E | N | Y | T | R | I | A | U | R | U | |||||||
| B | U | T | T | E | R | B | U | S | I | N | E | S | S | B | U | R | E | A | U | |
| R | G | T | A | T | E | M | O | S | A | K | A | T | I | N | S | |||||
| E | G | A | D | S | B | E | E | F | E | A | T | E | R | W | O | R | L | D | ||
| D | E | C | O | O | R | I | E | L | D | A | L | I | M | O | A | |||||
| T | H | E | U | M | P | I | R | E | S | T | R | I | K | E | S | B | A | C | K | |
| S | R | I | C | E | L | E | E | N | T | H | I | N | K | |||||||
| T | B | O | N | D | S | N | A | S | L | T | A | I | L | |||||||
| W | O | R | K | S | W | I | T | H | O | U | T | A | N | U | T | B | E | L | T | |
| A | P | O | A | L | O | E | S | A | X | O | N | V | O | T | E | R | ||||
| S | P | I | F | F | Y | P | L | U | S | B | N | A | I | C | M | A | ||||
| A | L | L | I | E | T | H | E | L | I | T | T | L | E | R | E | D | H | U | N | |
| B | E | E | N | E | B | A | N | A | E | W | E | L | L | P | E | E | N | |||
| I | S | R | E | D | A | T | E | N | L | A | S | S | O | I | D | L | Y |