Today’s Newsday Saturday crossword, by Brad Wilber, seemed easy at first. I started in the northeast corner with 10-A, four letters, “Magician’s accessory.” The clue for 12-D, seven letters, “Admired oneself,” helped me decide which accessory. That corner went quickly. Then to the middle of the puzzle, and then to clues and answers here and there. And all along, 2-D, seven letters, “Simple life,” and 13-A, four letters, “Tahiti sweetie,” had me thinking I’d never get this puzzle right. When I finally saw what had to be (and was) the answer for 2-D, I was happy about solving and impressed (once more) by Brad Wilber’s smarts.
Some clue-and-answer pairs I especially liked:
10-D, six letters, “Shortcuts that take years to complete.” Paradox.
13-D, seven letters, “W-2 addressees.” A helpful reminder to read clues carefully: addressees, not addresses.
17-A, fifteen letters, “Keep-in-touch request.” It felt like a giveaway, and I took it.
22-A, six letters, “Order manager.” I was thinking of shipping and receiving.
46-D, six letters, “Candidates for 10 Down.” Really clever.
55-A, four letters, “It’s in garlic’s genus.” I like it, or them.
My favorite clue in this puzzle: 51-A, eight letters, “How stalactites form.” Dang: do they form on cave ceilings, or on cave floors? Is there a mnemonic for remembering which is which? Is there a mnemonic for remembering the mnemonic? It’s a witty clue, because the difference between stalactites and stalagmites makes no difference to the answer.
No spoilers; the answers are in the comments.
