A “Disrespected Adviser?” (60A) might be described as a TORMENTED MENTOR. To “Become a leading citizen of North Dakota?” (46A), for example, is to GO FAR IN FARGO. Lin has created a series of syllabic palindromes. What is not a coincidence, however, is what makes the above fill and its companion theme entries special: Ms. Sometimes, a series of coincidences is just a series of coincidences. If you solved this past Sunday’s puzzle, and were privy to the uproar surrounding a certain confusion between “tit for tat” and “Tic Tacs” - followed by what seemed like more goading with the TAC entry in Monday’s grid - then I must disabuse you of the notion that any of the New York Times puzzle gods are having a laugh at your expense with the first of today’s themed entries, which is TIC-TAC-TOE TACTIC at 16-Across. Let’s take a look under the big top, shall we? Today’s Theme Even though I’d watched it happen, I couldn’t believe my eyes when it was all said and done. Lin's themed entries come together was like watching a contortionist descend gradually into an impossible pretzel at the circus. Today’s crossword is brought to us by Barbara Lin - who was last seen stacking hamburger toppings into themed entries for a mouthwatering Tuesday puzzle on the Fourth of July - and it betrays her talents in a kind of wordplay I didn’t know existed. And, as many of you know by now, I myself once enjoyed a certain celebrity in competitive punning. One man recently introduced himself to me as “the reigning authority on spoonerisms.” A performer friend of mine leans on his Shakespearean training to write parody songs and sonnets with searing wit. WEDNESDAY PUZZLE - Wordplay is a varied art form, and not all its heroes share japes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |