![]() ![]() In that universe, the grid is probably somewhat easier to fill. and then do the same on the other side of the grid for symmetry's sake. Imagine the initial "E" in ESTREET and the the second "A" in GALA turned black, and the adjacent black squares turned white. In an alternate universe, there's a grid with these same themers but with a more conventional staircase of 5-letter answers through the heart of the grid. I want to say something also about the way the grid is built, because it is actually a bit bold and daring. Just what I want to begin my solving week. ![]() Burnikel's work reminds me of Lynn Lempel's: prolific, disciplined, artful, playful. Instead, we get the a solid stand-alone phrase with a clue that ties everything together Perfectly. We don't get just DANGER as our revealer, we don't get some other phrase ending in DANGER with some other weird revealer pointing to the anagramminess of it all. Further, the cluing on the themer makes it perfect. There's nothing wobbly about any answer in this set. ![]() Next, look at those themers-all real things. If every one of them hits the mark, then you've got the pleasure of a satisfying, complete-feeling theme *and* you've got breathing room to make a clean, even enjoyable grid. Now, with this theme, the number of themers is kinda locked in, but still, there is something to be said for a very tight theme in just three or four theme answers. But there are a couple of features to this puzzle that I want to highlight, because they are the difference between this puzzle's being adequate and boring, and this puzzle's being what it is, which is delightful. I've seen "last-words-anagrammed"-type puzzle before. This puzzle is simple and elegant, and it's the latter bit that people might not notice, given how easy the puzzle is, and how basic the theme concept seems. If it's a Monday or a Tuesday, I want her on the job. Maybe even more than the word "ticked" suggests. She has a long track record of solid puzzles, and lately, in the past year or two, I feel like the quality of her work has ticked up significantly. This is one of the best NYTXW puzzles I've done in a while, and I'm only just realizing today how much seeing Zhouqin Burnikel's name on a puzzles feels with that increasingly rare feeling of hope. The district is divided by the main thoroughfare of Long Acre, north of which is given over to independent shops centred on Neal's Yard and Seven Dials, while the south contains the central square with its street performers and most of the historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and with the Royal Opera House, which itself may be referred to as "Covent Garden".
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