Over the last couple of years, I’ve largely switched from NYT crosswords to The New Yorker’s. They seem to have attracted the best of the NYT’s puzzlers, notably Liz Gorski, and they have a much better gender and ethnic minority balance than the NYT ever managed. They also have much more fanciful and imaginative clues than the rigid NYT allows, and more entries from current and minority cultures, while mostly avoiding too much “pop” culture (especially rap and electronic group names that eschew proper spelling, and vowels, respectively).
Unfortunately, I’ve decided to end my New Yorker subscription due to the ferocious anti-Russian and anti-Chinese xenophobia the magazine has exhibited over the last year, especially since the start of the NATO/Russia proxy war in Ukraine. I had expected better from them.
Meanwhile their five-day-a-week online crosswords are excellent (though I find their Thursday “beginner” crosswords too simple). Here are some of the clever clues they’ve had in some of their recent puzzles. I’ve included only the vowels for the answers to each clue, in case readers want to take a stab at guessing the answers when partially filled in. Some of the clues had, or should have had, a wry “?” at the end of the clue to indicate a play on words.
If you just want to see the answers, I’ll include them in a comment to this post:
The answers:
Secretly espouse — ELOPE
Word derived from Hindu for ‘massage’ — SHAMPOO
Construction specs — SAFETY GLASSES
Acrobat launcher — ADOBE
Mythical diamond overlords — THE BASEBALL GODS
Ultraconservative movement — ZERO WASTE
What Georgia has that Geneva lacks — SERIFS
Grounds for divorce — COURT
Refuse to grant joint custody — BOGART
Load-bearing device — DRYER
Junk drawers — GO COMMANDO
What may go off when someone’s not straight with you — GAYDAR
News casters — PAPER BOYS
Writings by gifted authors — THANK YOU NOTES
Takes a big leap — SKY DIVES
Newly engaged folks — HIREES
Tech support — TELETHERAPY
Paper stars — COLUMNISTS
Military trials — BOOT CAMPS
Sub commander — DOM
Not definitely going to happen — EVITABLE
Legal vowelless scrabble play — NTH
Underground places with bats — DUGOUTS
Provider of child support — KNEE
Dog days of winter — IDITEROD
Self expression — COGITO ERGO SUM
Where bills pile up — TILL
Something consumed with a cracker — WALNUT
Where to find the latest poop — LITTER BOX
It might have a ‘pets’ section — LEASE
Target of some body work — DENT
Pre-overtime statistic — BASE PAY
Work from a folder — ORIGAMI
Thanks for waiting — TIP
Dugout propeller — OAR
Not remotely — IN PERSON
Tireless racer — SLED
Iconic 60s female TV role played by a male — LASSIE
Marine mammal related to an elephant — MANATEE
Facebook follower — META
Hour indicator — LITTLE HAND
Tool for a cobbler — APPLE CORER
Things so bright they gotta wear shades — LAMPS
Unorganized — NON-UNION
Hair style that circles the head — HALO BRAID
Cosmetics used to create wings — EYELINERS
Feature of some tanks — BUILT-IN BRA
Holder of a pair of aces, perhaps — COCKPIT
The clues are very clever and humorous, but based on these examples I doubt that I will ever try a New Yorker crossword. It might be easier to do them without looking at the clues at all.