Gameplay|Contents of a Pizzeria Shaker
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2024-04-30.html
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wordplay, the crossword column
Michèle Govier has us dwelling on the details.
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By Sam Corbin
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
TUESDAY PUZZLE — The board game Clue was invented in the 1940s and was intended chiefly as a wartime distraction for Britons experiencing air-raid blackouts. Since then, however, it has developed significant cultural influence: A 1985 film of the same name is a cult classic; tropes of gameplay are the subject of contemporary satire; flashes of the board’s campy dinner-party theatrics have appeared in more recent films such as “Knives Out” and its sequel, “Glass Onion.”
It might be said that today’s crossword, constructed by Michèle Govier, contains its own nod to the game. The stakes of this puzzle, by contrast, are thankfully benign, but solving it makes for delightful detective work. We should dive in posthaste, though — I’m so eager to explain the grid that I already have “flames, flames on the side of my face.”
Today’s Theme
Looking at the grid, solvers may note that each vertical cluster of circled letters seems to zig and zag ever so slightly. At 62-Across, we’re told that these circles represent a certain expression meaning “Space to maneuver.” I recommend cracking a few entries elsewhere in the grid before returning to this clue since the circled terms we’re looking for are spread among so many entries, both Down and Across.
In the bottom left corner, the circles spell PANTRY. Toward the bottom right corner, we answer a handful of clues to get ATTIC. At this point, I became fairly confident that the second word in the revealer was ROOM. And what do these strings of circles do? They WIGGLE. Ha! See if you can uncover the remaining WIGGLE ROOMs (62A) on your own: There’s a PARLOR, LOUNGE and STUDY left to find.
Tricky Clues
10A. In clues like this one — “Self-care?” — always mind the question mark. It tends to indicate a different interpretation from the one that’s most obvious. Here, the clue refers to a state of caring purely about oneself — i.e., EGO.
31A. Longtime members of the gig economy may be less accustomed to seeing the abbreviation that means “Since Jan. 1, on pay stubs”: Y.T.D. is short for “year to date.”
42A. “Musical speeds,” more often than not, take the Italian plural form in puzzles. They are TEMPI here, as opposed to tempos.
46A. Don’t get thrown off by the digital lexicon suggested by “Auto setting.” This clue is simply asking for a place with cars. It’s a STREET.
68A. Only with the help of crossing entries did I manage to make sense of “This + vertical line = dollar sign.” A vertical line strikes the letter ESS to form the $ symbol.
3D. At some point, every new solver learns the unspoken Law of Crosswordese, which dictates that the constructor may add suffixes like “-er” or “-ed” to just about any word. “One doing impersonations” apes, and is therefore an APER.
7D. The “Romanian currency” is the LEU, though the country has contemplated adopting the euro.
21D. “‘Still ahead …’ and ‘Coming up next …’” are examples of TEASES “in broadcast lingo,” often heard between news segments.
Constructor Notes
Hello, I am excited to have my second puzzle in The New York Times. This one is pure silliness, but I really liked the wiggle motion of the circled letters.
It was a little trickier than expected to construct, given that, to avoid duplication, I could not use the many — many! — rooms with the word “room” in them. So I had to dig a little deeper into the category (playing Clue as a kid helped).
Join Our Other Game Discussions
Want to be part of the conversation about New York Times Games, or maybe get some help with a particularly thorny puzzle? Here are the:
Spelling Bee Forum
Wordle Review
Connections Companion
Improve Your Crossword Solving
Work your way through our guide, “How to Solve the New York Times Crossword.” It contains an explanation of most of the types of clues you will see in the puzzles and a practice Mini at the end of each section.
Want to Submit Crosswords to The New York Times?
The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system, and you can submit your puzzles online.
For tips on how to get started, read our series “How to Make a Crossword Puzzle.”
Tips, in the App, with a Key?
Solve the mysteries of today’s puzzle: Subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.
Trying to get back to the main Gameplay page? You can find it here.
Sam Corbin writes about language, wordplay and the daily crossword for The Times. More about Sam Corbin
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