My old frenemy
Ha, Skep, I never considered that running this blog with you could turn crosswording into a PvP game where I insert red herrings into my posts. I would never do that!
Last post's crossword was fun and fresh, delighting me with such sophisticated answers as ASS. Today's post is... not that. Having resubscribed to the New York Times crossword, I am now remembering how staid and frustrating these puzzles can be... A real hard 180 from the AVCX offerings.
Yes, the AVCX puzzles are easier than their NYT counterparts, but they're also so much less stuffy and moustache-twirling. They demand no knowledge of random sports, European literature, or old-timey celebrity trivia. In short, they target an audience that's decades younger.
Anyway, in the spirit of positivity (as though I didn't just gripe at length about the NYT puzzles), let's get into the one NYT crossword that I've done this week that I enjoyed.
NYT, (Friday) May 22 by Gene Louise De Vera
As I've written elsewhere, and will probably come up again and again, my favourite day of the NYT is Friday. This week's Friday puzzle was fun!
Some answer highlights:
- 18A: ASKING FOR A FRIEND (Qualifier to an embarrassing question) — actually a fresh phrase compared to most of what the NYT lobs up, and for the record let me say that when I ask for a friend I am always asking for a friend and never asking for myself
- 24A: CALL HOME (Consider as one's residence) — this phrase made me smile! gave me a fuzzy feeling
- 37A: KILL WITH KINDNESS (Counteract negativity using lavish generosity) — great phrase and impressive to have fit into the grid
- 30D: OPEN OFFICE (Workplace with few barriers) — another pretty modern phrase, but this one makes me shiver; I think we've all agreed that open-plan offices are terrible
- 31D: LOST LUSTER (Became tarnished) — also an impressive phrase to fit into the grid; also nice phrase in itself, appealing alliteration
- 39D: DEAD (Unexciting, as a party) — fresh! and a nightmare scenario, for someone to describe your event this way
I'm realising that, since I don't pull out the terrible old-fashioned fill, it's hard to see why these phrases are notable. But trust me, they really are amid what you usually get in the NYT.
This puzzle also had some answers that I got pretty easily but seemed niche; if I weren't the exact type of person that I am, they would be hard to get, I think:
- 6D: SIGMA (Symbol used in summation) — yes, I am a math nerd, so I did know this answer, but if I hadn't literally majored in math I don't think I would have had any chance of getting this one; is it fair to expect solvers to know this answer?
- 8D: EARTH-LIKE PLANET (Kepler-22b or Kepler-186f, e.g.) — again, I know enough about space to get this answer easily enough, but I think this knowledge is a bit niche and I hate that I know it
Since I resubscribed to the NYT games this week, I have gone back through the archives and completed almost all of the May puzzles; and what it taught me is that I have a love-hate opinion of the NYT crossword, now that I've seen how much better puzzles could be with the AVCX. Is the NYT a toxic relationship I need to drop? Sound off in the comments.