Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Brava, Ms. Schechtman

The New York Times has a wonderful crossword today on the subject of GRADEINFLATION (aka “56-Across”). The constructor, Anna Shechtman, is a sophomore at Swarthmore College, majoring in English and minoring in art history and interpretation theory. From an interview at the Times’ Crossword Blog:

Constructors, especially young constructors, are mostly male. Any thoughts on why?

Considering my school and my minor, I suppose I should say something about the phallocentrism of language and the Symbolic Order. Either way, it’s a shame and a trend that I am proud to challenge.
The themed answers in this puzzle change Bs to As. For instance, 29-Across, “Monk’s karate blows?”: LAMACHOPS. Smart, funny stuff.

[No spoilers here. Highlight the empty spaces to read. If you do the Times puzzle in syndication, you’ll need to wait until July 7 for this one.]

A related post
Grade inflation in the NYT crossword

comments: 0