Today’s puzzle suggests that our crossword skills may stem from early childhood.
Some people can’t stand baby talk. My partner, for example, takes personal offense at the sounds of the diminutive suffixes associated with DoggoLingo, the internet language for dog lovers that propelled words like “heckin’” and “pupper” to viral status.
Such was my unbothered mind-set when I discovered the “Preschool teacher’s mantra” at the heart of today’s crossword, constructed by Chloe Revery and Alissa Revness in their second collaboration for The New York Times. It drew an already delightful puzzle together with a flourish — and it’s sure to delight solvers of all ages.
Today’s Theme
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be a clear thread between the entries in today’s theme. The “Job for a coxswain with rowdy rowers?” (17-Across) is TAMING OF THE CREW, which puns on the title of a Shakespeare play. But the “Review for a so-so bakery?” (23A) — NO GREAT CAKES — just quips on an idiom. And what the heck is a GIFT COP (38A)?
It’s not until 60-Across that a “Preschool teacher’s mantra” gives us a “hint to the answers to the starred clues.”
SHARING IS CARING isn’t about sending today’s crossword to a friend — though I’d encourage you to do that, too — but a cue to letters in the theme entries that have been swapped out for one another. “SH” has become “C” in common expressions, creating the oddball ones we see in the grid. Thus, a GIFT shOP becomes a GIFT COP. And one who “Completes a superhero transformation?” (49A) GETS INTO CAPE, instead of shAPE.
Tricky Clues
20A. “What’s tolerated by every body?” is TYPE-O blood, because it can be universally donated. I’d initially interpreted this entry as the word “typo,” and was ready to explain it as an oblique reference to the space between “every” and “body.” When my colleague, Deb Amlen, pointed out my mistake, she said, “There, there,” as if I were a rescued duck covered in oil in one of those dishwashing liquid commercials. And inside, I was.
41A. The first two words in “Check box of last resort” sound like a directive. Here, however, a “check box” is a choice
