When I was 13, I was doing… not this. Impressive solo debut!
For solvers who have been been enjoying puzzles since before the software era, in my case 30+ years, the name Walden is magic. To paraphrase Will Shortz, if you see the name Byron Walden on a puzzle, doesn't it make you shudder? Hopefully Byron's devilish constructs and cluing will rub off on Harrison. It's probably impossible for today's solvers to grasp the enormous effort that went into constructing before the software era. Manny Nosowsky, a personal favorite of mine along with Byron Walden, said one puzzle took him 100 hours to complete. The thrill was always to be taken to the edge of hopelessness and somehow to be brought back to finish. If you want to study the magical properties of intuition, to experience yourself solving with a mysterious capacity that goes beyond the everyday brain, to come to solutions "out of the blue," crosswords are your obvious choice. Carry on, everyone!!!
@William Cambridge I still miss Manny Nosowsky... My other favorite, Charles M. Deber, has likely also "gone to his reward." Yesterday's puzzle, which caused a stir, reminded me a little of those idols...
@William Cambridge Yes, the how-did-I-know-that? moments are mysterious and magical.
"You know, cars didn't always have automatic transmission." "Sounds shifty to me." (I gear up for these puns.)
Mike, We can always count on you for a clutch comment.
@Mike Re verse, Mike, while this one sticks with us, wheel be looking forward to more poetic license.
@Mike When you're spinning your wheels, sometimes you have to read the manual. If you get my drift.
@Mike These puns drive me nuts. Perhaps they're just geared to a different sense of humor. Then again, I'm not exactly neutral on the subject.
@Mike By any chance do you drive a little Nash-Rambler? (Beep-Beep, Beep-beep! The car went Beep-beep-beep!)
No revealer, that’s pretty shifty for a Monday! And clever too. Congratulations, Harrison, on being one of the youngest constructors ever. With such drive you are sure to go far in life.
@Anita Wow I misread "shifty" really badly the first time through and thought your comment was going drastically in the opposite direction! I completely agree with your (as written) thoughts ( :
I saw the constructor’s name and wondered if he was any relation to Byron Walden, master constructor – polished grid technician with a talent for clever and often vicious cluing, making those kind of clues that you think about and think about, and then at some point the answer hits you and your jaw drops over how remarkable the clue was. And now I see it’s his son – I remember the Sunday puzzle they co-constructed in 2020, clever, worthy and fun. I just looked over their notes for that puzzle. In it, Byron said that Harrison played a large role in choosing words for the answer set, and coming up with theme answers – this at age eight, mind you. Congratulations on your first solo NYT offering, Harrison. Your grid is so clean and your theme elegant. My heart smiles at the promise shown here, should you continue making puzzles. Thank you for making this!
@Lewis Ah, so it’s in the genes. That makes me feel slightly less worthless.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Matches or watches (4) 2. Accrue annual leaves? (4) 3. Premium computers (9) 4. Circles on the ice (5) 5. Next in line, if you will (4) SEES RAKE ACTUARIES PUCKS HEIR
@Lewis Pucks aren't circles. I'll die on this hill. 😊
The constructor is 13? Wow. Respect! Harrison Walden, you just impressed a jaded, middle aged Polish man who is rarely impressed by anything. There was quite a lot of stuff I did not know today, but crosses took care of that - just as it should be on Monday. Sweet. Now do a Saturday 🤩
EYELENS? No, seriously. EYE LENS ?!
Grumpy, Eye lens. Eyepiece lens. Ocular lens.
@Grumpy Guess you never heard of eyelens in the sky. ??
@Grumpy Yeah, it's clunky. Normally, they are called "eyepieces". Perhaps the constructor went that way because it's hard to clue those vision focuser thingies in your head without saying "eye". Who knows?
@Grumpy It did give me pause. I put in EYE and waited. As another solver has pointed out, more sophisticated equipment can indeed have a viewing LENS that is separate, so this entry gets a pass. I still recall my confusion when I saw my first such 'scope.
@Grumpy I’m not saying it’s worth much, but that Y was the last letter I filled in. I wasn’t sure of the spelling of Ms. Edebiri’s first name. I’ve worked with microscopes and telescopes my whole life, have owned many, and have purchased parts for these. TCS maybe? That said, Ingrid’s cite is the first I’ve ever seen this term. I give the constructor a pass as maybe he hasn’t taken a high school biology class yet. The editors? No pass. Eye lens = green paint. Maybe what they removed/replaced when they did my cataract surgery would have been a better clue.
Taking up Sam's ask for more words in the puzzle that might be driving-related, It was TRAGIC when I took my driver's test for the first time, in my girlfriend Denise's testy Tesla that she affectionately called Tess (it would stall on occasion, for starters). For one thing I'm not very adroit. As we drove around the oval, I forgot to keep in mind the rule about not having anything in your hands while driving. I was holding an icee in my left hand and trying to complete an etrade with my other. The instructor sat in the rear, praying to God and clutching his rosaries. Suddenly a dog ran across the road in front of me. "Don't ram Lassie!" he shouted. But as I said, it was tragic. There was a piece of the pug here, an eye lens there, and all sorts of stuff, like a gel mixed with what looked like acai berries. "At least he is at ease now," I told the instructor, turning on the several radios for the stereo effect. First there was an ad for Etna Insurance, then one for ROTC, then an episode of Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason, like we were back in another era. Despite this, the instructor was in low spirits. Did I mention they're going to evict me from the country? I'm taking an airplane to Geneva, I just hope their ATM has a Euro or two for me. It's better than France. I just hope they have SNL on TV there. Anyway, it'll suit me just fine. Anyone want to visit? I'll send some evites!
@john ezra Really, really amusing and amazing!
Congratulations on your solo debut, Mr. Walden! It’s challenging to put a fresh spin on a theme that has been done before, but you’ve met that challenge well. I especially appreciate how you got the theme answers in the correct PRNDL order. I’m sure we’ll be seeing many more puzzles from you. Thanks!
@Eric Hougland I didn't even get that there was a theme! (I had to look up PRNDL! LOL) Just yesterday mentioned to DHubby how I miss driving my VW station wagon (stick shift)... sigh. Loved that car. You could load up two adults, two children in car seats, and a boxed dryer in the rear, no sweat.
Nice solo debut, Harrison! Thanks for taking us for a spin!
17A should have been amended to something like, "Rare sights in Yellowstone or Yosemite"...gotta stay current, eh, Will? On the other hand, 52A was perhaps a little too close to home...as was 61A. Where is LOKI when we need him? As a quilter, I'm a fan of 37A; they help 'The Brights' pop. About the only sense in which I'm NEUTRAL... The only slightly challenging clue/entry was 45D, where I thought AGILE, ADEPT, ADROIT, one-two-three, the end. 1D Sticky tree stuff....ha ha....evokes a memory: PhysicsDaughter was riding her tricycle, and we had mandated limits to how far she could pedal around the corner before she was to turn around and head back up the sidewalk to the front of the house....so, when she didn't appear as expected, I went around the corner to see what was up. She was not on the trike; she had found a big puddle of SAP, dripping down thanks to the tree-trimming city workers....and she was having a great time splashing in it. "Sticky" is not a strong enough word. I practically had to bathe her in acetone--it was in her hair, her soaked clothes, on her shoes and braces... just epic. It's only been 40 years...I'm sure I'll get over it eventually.
Totally missed the theme, but very much enjoyed the fill! I was having a feeling of deja vu between the answers on Sunday's and Monday's, but I think it was just because of EASE and NOD(S). It's a pretty flimsy connection considering how common those words are. BUT it did make me think about another common word, ERA. Which has appeared in the NYT crossword 1,582 times since it started! Between Feb 1942 and Nov 1993 - 844 times. After that - 738 times. Much more than EASE and NOD(S) I totally get why. Just thought it was interesting and thought I'd share in case anyone else would think it was interesting, too.
@Meme Where did you get that info? I this morning I idly wondered how often SNL appears. It seems to be in almost every puzzle…
@Graphic <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Finder" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Finder</a>
A wonderful Monday. Fairly smooth solve for me. Working the crosses made everything come together and then... had to pause and review when I was done before the theme trick dawned on me. Just a great 'aha' moment. Back on a one day streak. And... my solve time was 11:11. Maybe I should go play the lottery today. And my puzzle find today. A Monday from September 26, 1994 by Sidney L. Robbins. Three fifteen letter theme answers all straightforwardly clued. Those answers: TENCOMMANDMENTS HUNDREDYEARSWAR CASTOFTHOUSANDS And the clue for that last answer referenced the first answer. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/26/1994&g=56&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/26/1994&g=56&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta Oh... and one more puzzle find. This one was quite amazing. A Sunday from January 2, 2011 by David Levinson Wilk with the title "Works in translation." Some theme clue/answer examples: 1934 novel "Maw'id" APPOINTMENTINSAMARRA 1968 hit song "Nazad" BACKINTHEUSSR 1985 hit song "Neung Keun" ONENIGHTINBANGKOK 2003 film "Érase una Vez" ONCEUPONATIMEINMEXICO And the last theme answer: 1943 novel "Whaddya Tink? A Sapling Stays a Sapling Fuhevah?" ATREEGROWSINBROOKLYN Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/2/2011&g=38&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/2/2011&g=38&d=A</a> I'm done. ...
@Rich in Atlanta Oh... one more puzzle find. Pretty amazing, but hard to describe. Three 'theme' answers in that one and then 9 rebus squares. One 'reveal' theme answer and clue was: "1971 Oscar-winning film whose title is hinted at nine times in this grid" THEFRENCHCONNECTION And the other one: "Landmark inaugurated 3/31/1889 whose shape is suggested by nine squares in this puzzle's completed grid :" EIFFELTOWER And one other theme related answer: ANAMERICANINPARIS And there were 9 rebus squares with ET as the rebus. And... guess what shape those squares represented. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/29/2009&g=26&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/29/2009&g=26&d=A</a> ...
Forget the low spirits, Harrison, and remember to keep in mind that when you finally do get the wheels and you're cruising the block, having your first go at being a park ranger looking for a slot, don't pop over any eyelens. We all have to drive in sane. Cool solo debut—thanks! Looks like you're going to be a long haul constructor.
Nice solo drive, Harrison! It's good to see you back here. <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/21/2020" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/21/2020</a>
Congratulations to Harrison on a fabulous solo debut! A terrific puzzle with smooth fill and creative theme answers. Well done.
Impressive debut! I was on my way to a PB when my usually standoffish calico cat Callie decided she wanted some pets and "make mud pies" on my tummy. How could I refuse? 19A. I always get flubbed up on him.
Surely you can't be serious! Fun and quick puzzle! A good way for me to EASE into the work week! Congratulations on a nice debut, Harrison Walden! Now if only I did the puzzle on paper and someone asked me what I make of it: This? Why, I could make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl…
@HeathieJ Thanks for today's smile. I have that reaction when asked, "How do you feel?" With my hands, of course. :)
About the mini...Elvis may have made use of those blue suede shoes, but he borrowed them from Carl Perkins.
When your parents pair their wedding announcement with an absolutely lovely and loving crossword on the Times, you're destined to be a great constructor! It's a great solo debut. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next :)
@Cousin Itt It's interesting what you say about Harrison's parents announcing their wedding in a crossword. On a much sadder note, Araucaria (real name John Galbraith), for a long time the senior crossword creator at the Guardian, announced his terminal illness and then that he was on a nil-by-mouth regime via crosswords in the paper. Another compiler, Donald Manley, managed to get crosswords in multiple newspapers in the UK on the same day. All of which celebrated a round-number birthday. (Can't remember if it was 60 or 70) This was easier to do in the UK where newspapers tend to use only a small number of compilers each.
I didn’t get the theme so will blame it on having to give up driving a few years ago because of poor eyesight. That didn’t keep me from joining everyone in being impressed and delighted by Harrison’s puzzle and definitely look forward to more.
Although I have resigned myself to never being a speed solver, sometimes on Mondays or Tuesdays I will make a conscious effort to see how quickly I can finish. Of course, since I do these puzzles on my phone, this strategy can actually result in a longer time than usual, due to an increased number of typos which need to be corrected. Such was the case today, and I especially regret my attempt, since I totally missed the nice implementation of the theme. Congratulations, Harrison, on the debut… does this make you the youngest ever solo constructor to be published in the NYT? If I continue to procrastinate on attempting puzzle construction & submission, perhaps I will be able to claim the distinction of being the oldest first-time contributor? But then, should I ever succeed in garnering an acceptance, I would run an increased risk of a posthumous publication…. Perhaps the early success of this young constructor will drive me to rev up my efforts… right now I seem to be stuck in neutral!
Congratulations, Harrison, and thank you for a fun puzzle. Look forward to next time.
Well done Harrison! It's a skill to put names of 'famous' people (that some of us have never heard of) next to nice, easy clues and you have it. We are grateful.l
13!!! OMG, do we have another Pete Buttigieg here? This kid's a genius. I loved this puzzle. It was so much fun to ace it. But I thought that a full-grown adult made it. Thanks for publishing it for our enjoyment. Kudos to the constructor.
Congrats to this young constructor. Making a grid with five themes and one of them being a 13-letter entry right in the middle is always challenging but Harrison made it look easy. So easy this was a PR for me. Didn't get the theme so had to look the puzzle over afterwards and then realized what was going on. Would have been nice to have the word SHIFT in the SE corner (or something to that effect) to tie this all together, but that would also require some grid sacrifices. I didn't balk at EYELENS. Seems legit to me. Will be fun to watch Harrison's career!
I did pretty good but the north east corner I got hung up on 10A 19A and 12D. I was trying to be kind to myself, but alas... I figured out that the polar bear wasn't Coke related from the crosses at least! And while I'm no good at proper names like Ayo and Denise, again saved by the crosses. I love Mondays. I can pretend to be clever! Thanks for a fun solve!
@Linda. ELIs and RAMI are both common NYT xword fodder. Tuck them away in your memory, you will see them again
For 66A, I couldn’t fit Bundaberg Rum into 4 squares, but that’s the drink here with a polar bear mascot/symbol.
@Patrick J. …but when I think about it, a lemon ICEE would make a great base for a Rum Collin’s.
Brilliant work. Fun to solve. Love the theme!
Wow! Great puzzle, looking forward to what you come up with for us in the future Harrison.
Ok, thinking back to 8 and 13 now. At 8, circa 1985, I was constructing Castle Greyskull and playing with He-Man action figures. Lots of slime. At 13, circa 1990, I was fully immersed in Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. The closest thing I had to getting published in the NYT was knowing that the New York Times existed and clipping ads for Les Mis (not Les Miz eff off with that Z), and Phantom and pinning them to my wall like the stage door Johnny that I was. Um. Guess my point is that the fact that the only thing I had to say before reading the article was “kind of hard and a little drunk” but now I’m actually impressed. Um. Kudos to you, constructor.
@Justin He-man! Wow. In the mid 80s I was five-ish and also playing with a He-Man figurine. Not many Western shows and toys were available in Poland back then, but for some reason the censors and economy central planners let He-Man cross the Iron Curtain. Your world back then must have been very different than mine, but some things were similar. I'm not sure I even knew the NYT existed when I was 13 in the early 90s 🤣.
Very nice puzzle from the son of one of my favorite constructors. I foresee more excellent offerings from Harrison. Having the gears appear in order was a bonus.
Flabbergasted and amazed that a 13 year old constructed today's puzzle. Bravo, and keep constructing, please!
Re: 17A Not for long. I got rid of 1000 so far. What could possibly go wrong?
@E.M. We’ve got a reservation to visit Arches National Park in early May. My husband and I have been there many times, but my sister-in-law and her new husband have never been there. May is one of the times when Arches is most popular. I’m looking forward to going back, but a bit worried about what we’ll find.
@E.M. Please stop making these comments. They're not funny. I come here to escape from the news. I do not need anyone shoving it back in my face when I'm trying to enjoy myself.
Good grief. You’re 13? What a feat. A quick Monday but with pleasant fill and a fun theme. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to get your own wheels; you’re responsible for road safety for the rest of your driving life. Well done on a lovely grid. I sense the start of a crosswording career.
@Helen Wright By the way,@Helen Wright, it would be lovely to hear how your darling new alpacas are doing. Hope they’ve settled in well.
Nothing time breaking but a little tricky for a Monday. COKE fit so nicely where ICEE went but I should have known better to fall for that. It's what I get going for speed. Lovely debut!
Fun puzzle and a great debut, Mr. Walden! Only one question-mark clue (do these clues have a name?), but it was worth every EURO! Park Rangers in the NW got me thinking… has there ever been a NYT quadrant themed puzzle? Especially one where geographically knowledge helped solve each of the quadrants?
@Adam : did you do 3/17/24? It had some of what you’re describing.
According to <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Youngest" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Youngest</a> , there are only 2 other 13-year-olds who have constructed a NY Times crossword. I don't know when Harrison Walden's birthday is, and he may be the youngest of all.
@BrianB I just emailed Jim Horne to suggest that he add Harrison Walden to his table of youngest constructors as a solo artist. (Hey, if that’s good enough for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it ought to be good enough for xwordinfo.com.)
A very fun and smooth Monday! Harrison's enjoyment of clue writing really comes through: so many were appropriately "Monday", yet subtly more adventurous. [Spades or diamonds], for example. That said, the fill was lovely! I loved the proximity of STYE and STY; the inclusion of both STEREO and RADIOS (crossing each other!); and the range of cultural references through time and space. Kobe Bryant to RAMI Malek, AIRPLANE!(!), Mount ETNA and EUROS, CLEATs and jigsaw puzzles and an NFL clue I could actually answer. There was a very nice rhythm to it all! But the bit that made me smile the most was 100% due to the luck of the draw (or Will Shortz): that beautiful NEUTRAL COLORS smack dab in the middle of the grid. A palate cleanser, if you would, between our Sunday rainbow and the new week!
Wow Harrison! Thanks for a great puzzle - that was fun! Doesn’t this make Harrison the youngest NYT constructor? So impressive! Can’t wait to see what you have for us next!
@SweetsIsMyName Well, xwordinfo lists the ages of young constructors and Harrison had his first (co-constructed with his father) when he was 3,166 days old (8 y 8 m). His solo today comes in, by my calculation, at 4,882 days old (13y 4m 10d) which puts him as the youngest solo constructor by about two weeks.
Great big puzzle from a little guy. Well, maybe little in stature, but a giant at word craft. Here's to a prolific future!
Well done Harrison! Congratulations.
Congratulations on your solo debut! Fantastic! (Also, I’m using a different device as I’ve been locked out of Wordplay! Sent a message, but not sure what I did to get EVICTED. So if I disappear for a bit, it’s not my choice.) Happy Monday all!
@CCNY : the same thing just happened to me. “It” accused me of being a robot. Didn’t even offer me a chance at a Turing test. But now I was able to come back here, so….?
@CCNY I was told the robot thing in the middle of reading the paper this a.m., but I just went on to another article..some sorry of glitch, I guess.
Dang Harrison! You are one talented 13-year-old! I learned to drive at 13. We were supposed to be 14 to take the driver's ed course, but I snuck in early. The instructor was also my physics teacher, who I would regularly DRIVE INSANE by reaching a nearly-correct answer to a problem via the wrong method.
Like everyone else, I stalled briefly as I've only ever heard of a nose lens. "Dude(Dad?)(Doodad?), where's my car?!" Harrison, congratulations on your amazing accomplishments! Apologies for the state of the planet we're leaving you.
Seventh grade. At first I admit to pangs of jealousy for having accomplished so much by the age of 13, when I, in seventh grade, was busy staring at myself in the mirror and trying to see beyond the acne. Then I remembered that my first published piece of writing occurred in seventh grade, and the envy averted its green eyes. Okay, it was not on the level of The NY Times, but it was enough to make my parents proud, and I still have it...somewhere. I enjoyed this puzzle, which was a nice, Monday-level for me, even though I forgot there was a theme until I read Sam's column afterwards. Cute theme! Well done, Harrison! Keep shooting for the cycle!
@Momerlyn Huh! I turned 13 after the END of 7th grade. A fluke, I suppose, of the DOD schools serving "military kids," meant that I was allowed into Kindergarten at age 5. Socially, I was out of step with my grade-mates all through school, graduating HS at age 17. My first published writing was in a Methodist youth newsletter; I was paid $2, if I recall correctly. My grand-dad was so proud of me that he read the little essay aloud at his retirement party. I was 13. Thanks for reminding me, Harrison and Momerlyn !
Harrison Walden, I salute you! Keep it in gear, and take the checkered flag! In HS my main goal was finding a way to get out each day in time to watch the soaps, which started at 1230. I wrote many notes "Signed, Epstein's Mother". You mid-70's kids know.