FRIDAY PUZZLE — Well, this is one slick puzzle, I thought to myself as I waded through an increasingly fast-moving river of puns. This Patti Varol character seems to know what she’s doing, notwithstanding the able and amiable influence of Doug Peterson. In fact, Ms. Varol is a veteran of the puzzle world, a prolific constructor and editor who presented the “Women of Letters” puzzle pack a couple of years ago, and who is often thanked in other constructors’ notes in this very column. Please read this particular column’s notes, by the way — they’re further evidence of this pair’s good cruciverbal chemistry.
There’s a lot of music in this grid, a lot of female luminaries represented, and some of that quirky humor that sneaks up on you (and taps you on one shoulder and disappears in the other direction).
Tricky Clues
It’s not a Natick, which requires one insolvable square, but I went with “Fagan” and “Neil,” going 0 for 2 on Donald FAGEN and NEAL Stephenson. I also liked “flops” instead of PLOPS, which kept me invested in “daffy” instead of CAMPY for a while, which did make figuring out 1-Across sweeter. (The constructors’ original clue for this is hilarious.)
1A: I can’t help picturing a grizzled old rustler of dogies by the fire, reminiscing on his years as a CATTLE THIEF (or hers, I suppose). I also imagine burger-bound steers getting rustled off to freedom in some verdant hidden valley, which is extremely unrealistic.
12A: This is the first of those little shoulder taps that spun me around. A lot of beliefs have a lot in common: monotheism, Judaism, Buddhism, erm, nihilism … I could go on with the ISMs for days.
29A: I did not know that FANDANGO — one of those companies that once came to mind quickly, and presumably will again — was behind Rotten Tomatoes (movie reviews by regular viewers). The experience of being packed into a movie theater is really one I never thought I’d miss, but here we are!
37A: If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, months “6-9,” or June-September, technically include all of SUMMER. Another sneaky one for me that might have been instant and plain to see for some — “File extensions,” right below this, which are analog: TABS.
53A: The debut of (all of) GRETA GERWIG, with a nice reminder of “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” (99 percent and 95 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively). Stacking Greta on NATALIE COLE is terrific, too.
7D: It’s been over 20 years since we’ve seen THE CONGO in the puzzle (I know, I know, it’s the THE). Any avid cryptozoologist dreams of this mysterious waterway and its resident dinosaur, Mokele Mbembe. I think they’re pretty close to proving this one!
23D: No doubt everyone here is “om”-ing away by now and has no problem thinking of a MANTRA. Mine is “Mokele Mbembe,” coincidentally.
47D: One last tap! Unless this was obvious to everyone: A “wooden leg” can be an old prosthetic, but it’s also a STILT. These might come in handy on your dinosaur expedition!
Constructor Notes
Patti: I’ve been waiting a long time for a New York Times byline, and I love that it’s on a collaboration with Doug — even though this is our first NYT together, it is the ninth themeless we’ve co-constructed. Subscribers to Crosswords Club, which I edit, may know our joint puzzles appear under the name “Helena Buchanan,” a pen name that hints at one home state and one favorite novel. (Montana, and Gatsby? Or William Ard’s Buchanan Series? — Caitlin)
I’m sad our clue to 1A didn’t survive, which was [One who has no brand loyalty?]. And I’d clued 37A to reference an actress on “The Magicians,” which is my favorite train wreck of a TV show. That … was probably a good clue change.
Doug: It’s always a pleasure to work with Patti on a puzzle! She loves the part I don’t love (writing the clues), so we make a great tag team. We’re like the original Hart Foundation, but with 95 percent fewer suplexes. (Is this what constructing this puzzle might have looked like, even with just 5 percent as many suplexes? — Caitlin)
