Hi everyone! Today is my New York Times crossword construction debut! To say I am excited would be a massive understatement. I hope you all enjoy solving this crossword as much as I did constructing it! If you have any questions about the puzzle or construction process, please feel free to ask!
@Killian Olson Great job. Congratulations. The theme was clever and the solving smooth.
@Killian Olson Congratulations on your debut! It was a fun puzzle and completely apt for a Tuesday.
@Killian Olson What a fabulous debut. Fresh and fun theme with the right level of bite for a Tuesday. Really looking forward to your next puzzle.
@Killian Olson At first, this puzzle was driving me crazy, but it has really groan on me!
@Killian Olson Congratulations on the puzzle. I agree with others in that it was very well suited for a Tuesday. Any reason for the two McDonald's clues? Just wondering
@Killian Olson Congratulations! Great debut. Fun and clever. Glad you didn’t give up. More, please!
@Killian Olson Great job with this puzzle, a really smooth and clever theme.
@Killian Olson Awesome puzzle! As a fellow constructor, I have a few constructing questions: - What software do you use? - The fill is immaculate here; what did you do to have such a refined dictionary/word-list? Thanks
@Killian Olson WHOOP WHOOP! Very nice job. Everything flowed smoothly, the clues all made sense, and the solving was fun. What more could you ask for? Congratulations on a successful debut.
@JBW Good for you. I liked it, more challenging and interesting than most Thursdays and very crunchy theme fill
@Killian Olson Congrats on the puzzle! As a foreign solver I often face particular challenges when solving American crosswords, but I found yours to be a perfect Tuesday: a mildly challenging and very enjoyable puzzle, with a nice blend of straightforward and slightly tricky clues. Hats off to you 👒, respect!
@Killian Olson Brave of a constructor to dive right into the comments! (Like an author braving their own Goodreads reviews…) But happy to give you 5 Stars! Congrats on the debut!
@Killian Olson to paraphrase Monty Python, if we enjoyed solving the puzzle just half as much as you enjoyed constructing it, then you’ve enjoyed it twice as much as us 😉😂🤓 .:.:.:.:. .:.:.:. .:.:.
@Killian Olson A real treat to hear directly from a constructor. I really enjoyed your puzzle. A slight qualm about sliest, which I had to look up, but it’s legit, so IM IN. Send us another one soon.
@Killian Olson. Thanks! I enjoyed this puzzle. A key test for me is whether or not I need to put the puzzle down for a few hours… after which I come back and almost by magic see some more answers. This one… I needed to do that. Like many old folks I don’t follow current TV so ENDOR, the moon in ROTJ seemed right.. and Dev was just a person unknown to me who developed EPPS. Finally saw APPS and learned about ANDOR.
@Killian Olson How lovely that you’ve joined us here! Constructor in da house! Fantastic debut. Congratulations. Keep ‘em coming! Thank you!
@Killian Olson Always a treat to hear from our creators, especially one with a "master plan" to turn out punny perfect puzzles. Well done and thanks.
@Killian Olson Fun puzzle, Killian! I love it when constructors stop in on the comments--it's so self-referential. Greetings from the Eastern, car-centric side of the state!
@Killian Olson I too very much enjoyed the nice clean puzzle you came up with for us today. But I’m also quite impressed you were able to be the first commenter last night. Usually a bit of competition there. Nice job. Did the comment section open before 10 PM ET?
@Killian Olson Congratulations, thank you, and Go Blue! I was at your graduation, because my niece was in your class. It makes me feel much better about getting older that people like you and my niece are here in the world to make it better after I'm gone. No pressure - there are lots of you promising young people, not just two of you saving the world. Keep up the great work!
@Killian Olson Starting your own tribute thread? That's a GUTSY move. I do appreciate when constructors interact with us solvers, though.
The puzzle reminded me of stuff I have to do. I will probably be vacuuming today, as our old lab Jorge is SHEDding like you wouldn't believe. The temperatures are dropping and roads are beginning to get ICY at night, and I still haven't had tires on our cars changed to winter ones. I was late to book a date at the tire garage, so I have to take extra care on the road for another week. We also finally have to make concrete arrangements to have our apartment comprehensively renovated, but after a recent visit to a home decor center and seeing all the wonderful styles and materials on offer I'm actually RARING TO GO. Our new kitchen will be so nice you could film a cooking show in it 🤣 Also, the puzzle was full of words, expressions and abbreviations I have learned from NYT crosswords over the past 18 months. In June of 2023 I would probably have struggled to fill a grid like today's. I appreciate how much my English and familiarity with American culture have improved in such a relatively short time, and I thank you all for contributing to that with your answers to my many questions 🙂
@Andrzej I, for one, have enjoyed your posts and our occasional interactions. Thank you for your presence, we have both learned things from our experiences.
@Andrzej If I don't have time to read all the comments, yours is one of the names I search for. Always interested in what you have to say. Plus it's easy: I just have to search for "rz". ;)
I auto think of another car pun, but that'd take a wheely long time. (I'll steer clear of them.)
@Mike Don't choke. Give yourself a boot, put on your bonnet, and head for the saloon.
@Mike Spare us! No, I really don't mean that. I don't get tired of them. In fact, I'll axle for more. I like a good joke and a good pun, but in the end, what's the differential?
@Mike You've already come through as a clutch hitter, so you might as well take a brake. If emus don't like autos, are the car beraters?
Long time player, first time commenter. After several years of regular NYT cross wording I finally stumbled onto this blog a couple weeks ago. What a joy I was missing! Love the little hints and also background on the theme and note from the constructor. A great debut for the constructor, really enjoyed this puzzle!
@Kate J Welcome, Kate! What was tomorrow like?
@Kate J Welcome! So happy you’ve chimed in. I look forward to your thoughts and contributions, if you feel like sharing! And oh, how I wish we were “coming into summer”… *sigh*
@Kate J Don't get spoiled; it's relatively rare for the constructor to make an appearance, although I think it's always welcome. As are you! Don't be a stranger.
Oh, I very much liked the punny revealer and the liveliness of the theme answers. I also liked that EDGE begins on one. But what I really really liked – loved, actually – was [Afraid not?] for GUTSY. Yes, it’s a lovely pun on a common phrase. But it also immediately reminded me of another “afraid not” pun that immediately came to mind when I saw the clue – a joke punchline, as in the following: A piece of string walks into a bar and walks up to the counter. The bartender says, “Sorry mate, we don’t serve pieces of strong in here, get lost. Upset, the piece of string walks out the door. A sudden thought strikes him. He ties himself in a knot and messes his hair up. He walks back into the bar and approaches the counter. The bartender says, “Aren’t you that piece of string from before…?” “No,” says the piece of string. “I’m a frayed knot.” So, this simple clue/answer of [Afraid not?] for GUTSY thrust me into a dizzying pun whirlwind – a phrase famously punned upon being used as a pun itself! – which had me wowing for a spell. Thank you for that, Killian, congratulations on your debut, and what a great springboard for the day your puzzle was for me!
Enjoyed the puzzle overall, but am I the only one who thinks 44D suggests ICE rather than ICY?
@Matt R. Agreed. I didn't think the clue and answer quite fit. Someone will probably correct me but ice seemed to be good for a drink but not for a drive. Icy?
@Matt R. This former figure skater agrees. Had ice till almost the very end, but 51 across finally put me right.
@Matt R. No, you are not! That answer bothered me as well, as the crossword editors are always so precise. Cute puzzle but I think it was a bit too much for a Tuesday.
@Matt R. Like y'all I had ICe for quite a while, but I have no problem with ICY. I was looking for a noun when what was wanted was an adjective. An ICY surface is indeed [Good for skating but bad for driving]. Clue is fine, and crosses were fair. But a wee bit tricky for a Tuesday!
@Matt R. I agree, ICE fits better. I had that in for a while before realising GUTSE really wasn't a word.
What a masterly debut from someone who started solving the NYT crossword just two years ago. Killian even knew to search for entries with the “autos” hidden across multiple words. And three of the themers and the revealer are debuts. Very impressive! This was a fun theme with a perfect revealer and even a bit of crunch (I got slightly hung up in the ANDOR PEELE section). And very meta to include a “Cars” clue at 47D. Congratulation, Killian, on your debut. I look forward to more from you in the future. You are clearly on the road to success.
This was a crossword aria. Simply dazzling. And I’m so glad someone has finally discovered what it is that connects eggmcmuffins and concreteslabs.
@Peter G. And here I thought it was discarded paper wrappers.
Fantastic debut. Really enjoyed this one. When our boys were 6 and 7, we took them out of school for half of the year to go cross-country in a Winnebago. It was 2004, so we had one flip-phone, a tiny TV/VHS player and a portable CD player. We bought a few new CDs before we left, and one of them was Mark Knopfler’s Shangri-La. I remember the four of singing very loudly to “Boom Like That,” a song about Ray KROC. <a href="https://youtu.be/0sYK2RwH5E8?si=N9b2KYogpV3OSIo5" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/0sYK2RwH5E8?si=N9b2KYogpV3OSIo5</a> Fantastic song, gorgeous album. It was one of a few that were the soundtrack of our months living in a big car with our boys, seeing tumbleweeds for the first time, campfires, hotels, science museums, and listening to coyotes as we fell asleep. Happy Tuesday all!
@CCNY I hope your kids realize how lucky they were. If I remember correctly, I believe you've indicated that you have ADD and wonder if that informed your decisions around experiential learning.
Cool debut! I like how it came on strong and tough, a little bumpy, then settled down into a nice even idle, like starting a muscle car and waiting for it to warm up. Auto-fill, what a great idea! I was even surprised the clue for ETTE wasn't [Ending for Cor- and towl]. Not one but two McDonald's answers. Yikes. Better watch those carbs and calories there, bub, you want to stay your normal chiseled self, dontcha? Admittedly, I was held up right at the beginning, as I pondered the many things that might be artificial at half of all NFL stadiums. KNEES, I thought, thinking half the people in any given NFL stadium probably had artificial knees. Seemed a little high a ratio. Plus, along came KNEES in the puzzle. Same with NAILS, although I would say that many of the Steelers fans here, especially but not solely the females, have artificial nails. And other parts of their bodies, too, shall we say. Also half the ODORS one smells in an NFL stadium are indeed artificial, sprays, perfumes and colognes, the frying of synthetic foodstuffs in synthetic oil in one of Ray Kroc's outlets. But the other half of the odors make up for it with their natural, organic, reality-based stenches. And half the WHOOP sounds you hear are artificial, just ROTE noises that don't come from a sincere, joyous passion for the game. You don't need ESP to tell a real whoop from a phony one. These thoughts took a while, as I tarried at 1-A. If I was a marathon dancer I'd end up in a heap.
@john ezra Can I get avocado on my EGG MCMUFFINS?
SELF-referral goes straight to the list of my favourite clues/answers ever
@Sonja I like the way it says "Like the clue for 52-Across" instead of "Like this clue".
@Sonja It is one of favorite clues I've written! And, as someone else commented, the entry highlights green when selected which is so great!
Super fun debut! Smooth theme, fun variety of themed entries, great fill (loved FOOD COMA), and clever clueing! Thanks Killian, hope to see more from you soon!
Thanks for a fun puzzle, Killian! I was taken by the marathon dancers at the center of the grid, and remembering the premiere of “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” (the musical) at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts when I was in junior high. Now back to my food coma.
@Justin I didn't know they'd made a musical of it! Can't find much about it online. I was reminded of Kander & Ebb's STEEL PIER. Wouldn't mind seeing that again.
‘They shoot horses don’t they’ was such a good film, set in the depression era. Surprised people are still running them.
@Spmm The novel is especially worth reading, if you can find it. Horace McCoy created the fatigue, the hope, the secret alliances, and the boredom (without being ever being boring), the whole aura of what the desperation must have been like during the Depression to compete for so little.
A very fun puzzle! I got up by having "slyest" for "SLIEST" and "eons" for "ERAS". But I found all the "autos". I hope to solve more puzzles by Killian Olson.
Holy tumbling TUMBLEWEED! I thought this was a fun, fresh debut, with just the right amount of tRIVIA, Not too much.
Amazing puzzle and a really fun workout for me. Tumbling to the trick was a big turning point and just lots of nice 'aha' moments when something finally dawned on me. Looking forward to more from Mr. Olson. Couldn't help but wonder how many other answers could possible have GMC embedded in them (other than eggmcmuffin or just GMC itself). Well - hardly anything else, but that led to my puzzle find today. A Tuesday from June 18, 2019 by Jeff Stillman. Four theme answers in that one: BEINGMCCOY SACRIFICEMCFLY RUNAWAYMCBRIDE ICEMCQUEEN Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/18/2019&g=17&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/18/2019&g=17&d=A</a> I'm done. ..
A puzzle with real drive—auto filled, but not AUTOFILLED (I was thinking it was going to be a different kind of WEED). I liked this puzzle AHEAP and my admiration GREW as I CHISELED out each fill. Enjoyed the solve, Killian. Congratulations on a solid debut.
Happy to say that after a lot of hard work, this [Dev’s Development] is finally live on the App Store! My goal was to create a game that’s easy to play, with simple rules and a consistent experience for users all over the world. Very much inspired by these NYT games, in that way, and that’s maybe what I love most about them: a random stranger can say, “Did you do the Wordle today?” and you’ll either give a knowing smile or dive in at the first chance you get. That shared experience is pretty special. It’s less common for me to find fellow crossword solvers in my circle, which is why I enjoy coming here to spend time with you all. Happy Thanksgiving week, my peeps!
Congratulations and thanks for a fun puzzle, Mr. Olson! I'd love to see a Sunday from you one day. In other words, super size me.
First of all, let me nominate TURFS as one of the worst Plurals-of-Convenience of the entire yea Second, don't you already have enough names in this puzzle -- many of them product names -- without also cluing the versatile word ONE with the name of a product? This felt extremely pop-culture heavy while solving -- even though when I went back and counted, it wasn't as bad as I thought. But I didn't have much fun with this puzzle at all. A word about WEBMD. I've always asked myself who he or she actually is and why Google Search keeps foisting this particular site on me. When I want an online answer to a medical question, I always type in "Mayo Clinic" or "Cleveland Clinic" or "CDC" or "NIH". I choose my WEBMDs with the same care that I choose my real life doctors, and I strongly suggest that you all do the same.
@Nancy - as if dictionaries existed! as if!
@Nancy That’s like saying the NFL is a product. I would say Formula ONE is an organization with has a product—auto races—more than a product itself.
@Nancy Big fan of Formula ONE racing, so that was a gimme for me, but if you're not, I could see that as a shampoo brand. Purina ONE, Pepsi ONE, other things I've never purchased. I do have an XBox ONE.
Enjoyed this puzzle, but… a RIFF is not a jazz improvisation. Kind of the opposite really. It’s a prepared and repeated musical snippet or song element, any style of music.
@Kevin Elliott a riff is an improvisation so maybe that's the confusion.
@Kevin Elliott Yes, I see your point. MW calls it, “an ostinato phrase (as in jazz) typically supporting a solo improvisation.” It has appeared more than 50 times in the puzzle, usually correctly clued something like, [A repeated bit in jazz]. The point made by @Andy is good about use of the term in non-musical settings.
@Kevin Elliott (Guitarist here.) Funny, I was just watching a documentary on Stevie Ray Vaughn, and at one point, his older brother* threatens to kick his butt if he ever uses "his" riff again. Or it might have been lick. Either way, a well-practiced musician has a catalogue of them, upon which they may rely when improvising. It's boring to play the same solo every time. *Jimmy Vaughn, of The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Congratulations on an excellent debut, Killian. I hope to see more from you in the future.
There's such a thing as a "competitive punner"? (See Sam's column). I'm wondering, Sam, if I would need any special e-quip-ment to enter one of these competitions? Or will I just be left to my own "D"-vices?
@Nancy Sometimes there have been D-vices, or props , on stage. Here she had a series of photos of male, late night tv hosts. She’s clever, Sam. <a href="https://tinyurl.com/mjzfkpa7" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/mjzfkpa7</a>
Fun crossword for a Tuesday! Unfortunately, I was wide awake at 3:45 am, so I wasn't at my sharpest while filling this one in. Never heard of either 6D or 7D, so it took a minute to sort out that spot. But, I finally prevailed, and then I tried to get back to sleep. The good/bad news is my first CPAP machine arrives today. It will help me sleep by controlling my central apnea (That's when your brain forgets to tell you to breathe, as opposed to obstructive apnea.). If all goes well, I'll be able to sleep through the night, therefore, be able to do the NYT puzzles at a decent hour.
@Mark wishing you good luck and sound sleep!
@Mark These puzzles keep your brain cells active. Here's hoping the CPAP machine does its brain magic as well. Good luck, good sleeping and the sweetest of dreams.
@Mark CPAPs are life changing! Can't wait for you to experience good sleep!
@KandB Thanks for words of encouragement! ✨
incredible puzzle today! it really fell into that sweet spot for me of not too hard and not too easy, which is perfect for early in the week imo; clever little theme too! shoutout to my fave clues--5D and 52A
I briefly thought this was a puzzle by Kaitlin Olson, of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and became unreasonably disappointed when I realized my error. It was a great debut nonetheless. I especially liked FOOD COMA, considering we're two days out from Thanksgiving.
Nothing against Ray (I do love a Royale with Cheese), but I’d love to see Joan B. in the clue for Kroc.
@Justin FWIW, 10/24/2004 Patrick Berry 34A [Late philanthropist Joan]
Oh, I'd have loved the clue for 47D to have involved Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti! But if wished were horses...(I'll OMIT the rest.) Nice Tuesday puzzle.
@Amy I thought I would have liked it clued to Contini, but then I realized that in the original 8-1/2 GUIDO's last name was "Anselmi", making the "Nine" reference a little more obscure. Plus, as someone pointed out, ["Cars" character...] is little thematic easter egg/bonus.
Yet another very impressive debut, and great fun to have Killian join the comments. I enjoyed the puzzle in spite of not being a car lover, so don’t know one from another. I’m sure we will be seeing more of Killian.
I’d like the throw my hat into the responses to the column and just mention that “beret-ve” is going more than a hair too far. Felt a bit cringey. I suggest we put a cap on these puns.
@Charles Nelson Reilly I thiught it was awesome! 😎
Clever puzzle, and a very nice debut. Congratulations, Killian! I can imagine how tough it was to find car brands that would work, as I know of many that would be either impossible or at the least very difficult to incorporate.
Fun puzzle. I had a hitch in the NE cause of SLIEST. I knew it was SLYEST - just never seen it spelled with an I.
Great puzzle today. Really enjoyed it. The comments section, however, made me eye roll to the nth degree. Everyone thinks they're punny nowadays. It's a pundemic. Basically complete pundemonium out t/here. Apunlogies. I had to. 🫣
Killian, i’ve been trying since late last night to reply to your post, but for some reason it’s not being submitted. It’s not the emus, it isn’t even getting that far. Anyway, I love your debut, and your notes. I won’t try to repeat all the reasons or my anecdotes about tumbleweeds, but I certainly hope we see more of you and thanks for your encouragement to other constructors… That’s not me but it’s so nice to see people building mentorships like that 😍
Quite delightful. I had to reveal a couple of brand names and proper names which weren't easily guessable but I expect that as a foreigner. Interesting that 'wee' has occurred a few times in the crosswords, a term that is used probably several times a day in Scotland but never in England!
@Jane Wheelaghan And I would say the same for different regions within the US. I live in the SE and would be surprised to hear someone from this area say it, but my co-worker from Ohio/West Virginia says wee occasionally.
@Jane Wheelaghan I was going to say I hear and use "WEE bit" fairly often, but it looks like Barry beat me to it, a wee bit quicker than I.
Congrats on this puzzle! Loved the “punnyness” of your clues! I too have been constructing and all of mine tend to have a similar humor. So looking forward to seeing your future submissions.
Such a great theme! Congrats on your debut, Killian!
I am silently applAUDIng Killian's debut effort, even if he is at That School Up North. Sorry, but it will be the Buckeyes in the victory formation come Saturday.
@Grant in full agreement. Fun puzzle, wonderful debut, but go BUCKS!
AS IF it's spelled sliest. Sometimes English is wrong and this is one of those times.
@Scott - as if dictionaries existed! as if!
@David Connell obviously my comment failed to communicate my intended point, that, while sliest is in the English dictionary, it should not be so.
Nice Tuesday, chewy enough to make me work at it a little. Like the car theme, not so keen on the odd spelling of slyest.
@Helen Wright Both spellings are in all the online dictionaries.
I was about to ask for an explanation of Randb when I said it out loud and understood what it meant. It still stopped me from completing the puzzle on my own, very annoying for a Tuesday. Even if I had known the two names cited, I would not have related them to rhythm and blues.
Ettagale, RANDB was a DOOK for you. It happens! But now I'm puzzled. Since you did not know the two names cited, how do you know what you would or would not have related them to if you did know them?
@Barry Ancona Now I’m puzzled because I don’t know what DOOK is. And yes, of course, you are right. I would not have known their genre. I thought of that just after I pushed the submit button.
Definitely crunchier and more fun than the typical Tuesday. Props to the constructor for an elegant puzzle!
I've been out of the software business a long time, so the abbreviation "dev" meant little to me. And I only saw the first three Star Wars movies, so I didn't know Disney's slyest trick in naming its films.
@D Bean I took the trial period offer for Disney+ just to watch "The Mandalorian," but there were glaring continuity issues. As it turns out, you also had to watch "The Book of Boba Fett" to fill in all the blanks. SLyEST of tricks, indeed. I thought the "prequel series" would be ENDOR, as in the Ewoks' home planet. Oh well, I still have a few weeks before I cancel, so maybe I'll watch that next.
Happy to join the love fest for Killian Olson! It’s nice to see this crew unanimous in praise. A great debut highlighted by Killian’s engagement with commenters right from the start. Very generous and, as Sam might say, beret-ve.
This is the perfect example of how you can have a clever theme embedded in a crossword without resorting to gimmicks (read: rebuses).
Wonderful Tuesday and congratulations 🥳! As Monday’s was not too easy for a Monday, this also was good fun for a Tuesday!