NYT Crossword Answers: Wolff Who Wrote “This Boy’s Life” - The New York Times

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MONDAY PUZZLE — Hello solvers, and blessed Monday! Today’s puzzle was constructed by David Steinberg, who is making his 108th quality successful the New York Times Crossword astatine the ripe aged property of (checks notes) 27.

Mr. Steinberg’s extended experience successful crossword operation and editing is connected afloat show successful today’s puzzle, which has a taxable that operates connected aggregate levels. This taxable is possibly a small much analyzable than what we’d typically spot connected a Monday (as Mr. Steinberg himself acknowledges successful the Constructor Notes!), but I personally emotion to spot much analyzable themes paired with much accessible, early-week cluing. This puzzle is simply a cleanable gateway for caller solvers to acquisition the much breathtaking things that crossword themes thin to bash aboriginal successful the week.

Let’s instrumentality a look astatine immoderate of today’s clues and past research the taxable that gave maine a satisfying “Duh!” moment.

Tricky Clues

20A. “Eww, I didn’t request to cognize that” is the hint for TMI, which stands for “too overmuch information!” This is thing you mightiness accidental successful effect to a peculiarly idiosyncratic disclosure from a friend.

29A. The “Poetic contraction that omits a ‘v’” is O’ER, arsenic in, for instance, the Walt Whitman poem “Gliding O’er All.”

32A. As a lifelong operator of a presumption wagon, I disagree with the puzzle that an “Alternative to a presumption wagon, successful brief” is an S.U.V. Station wagons person a totally antithetic quality and I would not, personally, presumption an S.U.V. arsenic a viable alternate if my beloved presumption wagon were to conscionable an untimely end!

52A. Portugal and Spain are connected the IBERIAN Peninsula, truthful “Portuguese oregon Spanish” is the hint for IBERIAN.

55A. I enjoyed the hint “French connection that sounds similar an English pronoun,” which doesn’t springiness you overmuch to spell connected astatine first. The answer, I realized aft I had a crossing oregon two, is OUI, which sounds similar the English pronoun “we.”

11D. The “Activist who co-founded Black Lives Matter” is ALICIA GARZA — this is simply a timely inclusion successful the puzzle.

19D. HAT is simply a “Word earlier instrumentality oregon tip,” due to the fact that some “HAT trick” and “HAT tip” are communal terms, though they are usually employed successful antithetic contexts.

45D. “Certain restaurants … oregon their customers” are DINERS. The ellipsis calls attraction to a amusive narration betwixt the 2 parts of the clue: The radical who dine astatine DINERS are themselves DINERS.

Today’s Theme

This puzzle’s taxable was not remotely evident to maine during the lick until I reached the revealer. At that point, it deed maine RIGHT BETWEEN THE / EYES (“With 67-Across, successful a abrupt and wholly evident mode … oregon a punny statement of this puzzle’s circled letters”). Each of the agelong Across entries contains a circled missive located close betwixt 2 I’s, and those circled letters spell the connection N-O-S-E, thing that is surely recovered RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES.

The archetypal taxable introduction is SKATED ON THIN ICE, with the N successful a ellipse (“Engaged successful immoderate risky behavior”). Next up is AUDIO INPUT (“Microphone jack, for one”), which contains the missive O close betwixt 2 I’s. Then we person the beauteous conversational introduction THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! (“I’m appalled!”), earlier wrapping up with LIE IN STATE (“Be honored earlier burial”).

Because I had nary thought what the intent of the circles was until I saw the revealer, I thought possibly the circled letters were conscionable spelling the connection NOSE successful a signifier that vaguely resembled a NOSE — but I suspected Mr. Steinberg’s puzzle had to beryllium much analyzable than that, adjacent connected a Monday. When the revealer yet clicked into place, I was gratified that my suspicion had been correct!

Constructor Notes

Nice to beryllium backmost successful The Times again! I was a spot amazed to spot this crossword slated for a Monday —I’d assumed the complexity of the theme, the beingness of a meta reply and immoderate perchance challenging capable would onshore the puzzle successful the Wednesday-Thursday range. But arsenic a longtime solver who’s seldom competitive, I bash admit erstwhile a Monday crossword has a twist. In fact, possibly my favourite Monday of each clip is Dan Schoenholz’s multilayered authorities nickname puzzle from 2016. Enjoy!

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