Many constructors make puzzles on the side, as a kind of lucrative passion (“hobby” seems inappropriate for a pastime that people feel so strongly about), but they also work a day job. The path to crossword fame and fortune is not without its speed bumps or detours for most people. It's a shame that Andrew got there much later than Paolo, but hopefully NYT tricksy Thursdays will continue to push boundaries in even more creative ways.FRIDAY PUZZLE - Welcome to another edition of First Pass Friday, an occasional feature where you can follow along as I try to break into the first themeless puzzle of the week.
This is the type of envelope-pushing I love to see in Thursday puzzles. Given the fact that constructors come up with identical ideas independently all the time - just like scientists - I shook off my hesitations. Should Paolo's prior art take away from Andrew's debut? Paolo's isn't easy to find, the themers not even showing up on Matt Ginsberg's extensive database, and it ran in a different publication with a different target audience.
So many of the themers have so few options, that if you asked 100 experienced constructors to work up this concept, I bet that out of the 10 who didn't stab their eyes out, 8 or 9 would arrive at something approaching this northwest corner. However, this is almost surely a product of constraints. My frustratingly obsessive brain held me back from giving this an auto-POW!, as it raised a yellow flag, immediately recalling Paolo's Fireball. Such smooth results - with so few black squares in that area, allowing for not just BOLO TIE but also BRUNEI. With PRIDE MONTH lacing through CROWD NOISE and MICROWATT, I'd expect globs of crossword epoxy holding it all together. I especially appreciated the gridwork in the BOLO TIE region, where so many themers interacted. It's not simply four Acrosses, but nine crossing Downs - triplets crammed together! There are so few possibilities containing LION, it's miraculous that any arrangement of SCALLION, PAVILION, A MILLION BUCKS worked. Consider how many themers Andrew had to work with. It's disappointing to know I wasn't the first to this idea! It also seems highly fitting that the theme for both puzzles is GROUPTHINK (and an honor to be in any kind of group with a legend like Paolo). PS: I also want to shout out this similar Fireball puzzle by Paolo Pasco, which I learned about in the lead-up to publication. Meanwhile, I wish I could've avoided PENAL COLONY, MICROWATT, and ANIM.Ī big thank you to Sarah, Mike, and Avery for their great guidance on early versions of this puzzle. The PRIDE MONTH of LIONs is my favorite theme answer and I had fun bringing in some longer rebus entries like CROWD NOISE and DOMINANT HAND. For the revealer, I also considered HERD MENTALITY and the pop band ANIMAL COLLECTIVE. I considered an ESCAPE POD of SEALs for some versions, but ultimately CROW, LION, and ANT proved the easiest to work with. My main construction challenge was to squeeze in three sets of animals that have relatively recognizable group names. This idea was inspired by this cool 2015 puzzle by Jacob Stulberg. Outside of crosswords, my passions include board games, basketball, and public staircases. So excited to make my NYT debut! I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, and recently moved to Oakland, CA, where I work in healthcare analytics.
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