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Scramble
Eggs are an important part of a balanced breakfast.Credit.Craig Lee for The New York Times
By Isaac Aronow
March 10, 2021
THURSDAY PUZZLE If the grid for this puzzle made you do a double-take when you first looked at it, you’re not alone. This grid uses mirror symmetry, as opposed to the typical rotational symmetry, so it might look strange if you’re unfamiliar with it. Combined with a nice lateral-thinking theme, the puzzle is both elegantly constructed, and an engaging solving experience.
This is Leslie Rogers’s third puzzle for The New York Times, and I’m looking forward to seeing what she has planned next.
They Often Come Out at Night
Simon Marotte makes his New York Times Crossword debut.
The actor Richard Hollick played Dracula during a spectacular light display illuminating the ruins of the historic Whitby Abbey in Whitby, England. The famous Benedictine abbey was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s gothic novel.Credit.Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
March 8, 2021
TUESDAY PUZZLE There is a Bob Newhart standup routine from 1960 in which he played a beleaguered driving instructor trying to guide a new student through a lesson. (Heads up: The sketch is outdated as one from 60 years ago is wont to be and includes the stereotype that women are bad drivers.) During this lesson, he discovers that the student driver has some unique ideas about how to stop the car, one of which includes throwing it into reverse.
The Crossword Stumper
Credit.Caroline Oh/NYT
Published March 8, 2021Updated March 15, 2021
EMO is a genre of rock music. It is heavily influenced by punk rock and features introspective, emotionally fraught lyrics.
The first EMO bands appeared in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s and performed songs that focused more on self-pity and loss than traditional punk bands. In the 1990s, the genre’s influence moved through the Midwest, making its way to the West Coast and slowly became more mainstream. Over time, EMO has evolved into a social and fashion subtype as much as a musical genre.
As EMO evolved, the sound became more radio-friendly, appealing to more popular tastes, and shed some of the profanity that was often found in the lyrics of 1980s punk. The pop-punk bands of the 2000s, including Paramore and Jimmy Eat World, didn’t sound like the technical, indie rock-influenced Midwest EMO bands of the mid-1990s, such as American Football and Cap’n Jazz.
Good Time on Wall Street
Ann Shan makes her New York Times Crossword debut.
A trader wearing party glasses while working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 31, 2012.Credit.Allison Joyce, via Getty Images
March 2, 2021
WEDNESDAY PUZZLE It is always wonderful to welcome constructors when they make their debuts in the New York Times Crossword. Ann Shan joins the club with this puzzle.
Another wonderful thing to see is how often established puzzle makers are willing to encourage and to mentor new constructors. A lot of people like to think that there is cachet in learning to do things like this on their own, but it’s an art form that has many picayune and often unwritten rules. Those rules also evolve, so the fastest way to figure all of this out is to work with someone who can explain the terrain to you and guide you to a publication-worthy puzzle. There’s certainly no shame in that.