Opposites Attract (New York Times 12/8/2020)

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The utmost concern of a constructor should be making a puzzle that is enjoyable for the solver. Why else do we do the crossword? Certainly not for anyone else's benefit. And certainly not in the pursuit of some sort of fame or fortune. No, we do the puzzle because it is enjoyable. The wordplay. The clever clues and devilish answers. The striking moment of clarity when we finally understand what the constructor is toyingly trying to get us to grasp. All for our amusement.

Today's puzzle's doesn't probe the depths of what a constructor can do with a puzzle, but still it succeeds in offering up a slice of pure enjoyment for both the casual solver and the grizzled veteran alike. Today's theme, plainly spelled out in the answer to 37A's "One totally unlike another...[...]" will surely bring a smile to the face of anyone who takes the time to complete the grid. But it's the clever subversion of expectation that the constructor uses to tip his hat towards the daily solvers that make this puzzle stand out.

Take for example the answer to 5D. To most solvers the mere mention of a snake immediately brings to mind the ASP. "Scaly slitherer;" "Greek viper"; "Venomous cobra." But Mr. Enrique Henestroza Anguiano decided instead to clue us toward ADDERS. In the themed clues (which themselves go against the grain of what I expect from a Tuesday puzzle), he references the increasing difficulty of the puzzle with meta clues at 10A and 67A's "Like a Saturday crossword" and "Like a Monday crossword" respectively. In a sly way, this pair of clues also eschews the commonly held belief among non-solvers that the Sunday puzzle is in the fact the hardest of the week. These simple nods let us know that the constructor doesn't just want to entertain us. He wants us to know he understands us, and that he can make us smile in a way that is unique to this subculture of logic and linguistically inclined individuals.

Am I reading to much into this puzzle? Maybe. But like art, one's interpretation and enjoyment of a puzzle is highly subjective. Why else would the daily Reddit poll of how good the puzzle was seem to be scattered? As of this writing the majority consider it 'good' while an even split exists between 'Excellent' and 'Average.' And still there exists not an insignificant minority that considered it 'Awful.' To arrive at a conclusion on the success of the creator to deliver the expected enjoyment, I believe each solver must view the puzzle uniquely through their own experiences. And in making that assessment, they aren't just judging a puzzle, but ingesting and critiquing an art form. And like paintings or sculpture or film, the crossword is able to transcend the mere words arranged just so within the grid to speak to us. With purpose.

Today's purpose was not just to decipher the opposites that hugged the perimeter of the puzzle, although it was admittedly fun. I believe the constructor wanted to convey to us that opposites are in themselves uniquely linked. Solvers and non-solvers. Constructors and consumers. Those that solve on paper and those that have migrated to the convenience of digital. The aging generation that still remembers the first puzzles printed in the 40's and the current generation whose first experience with the puzzle was a jaded grandfather solving the fill with an unfiltered Camel dangling loosely from whiskey cracked lips while blue-gray smoke pooled against the yellow cieling tile.

(Okay, maybe that last one is a personal example, but I'm sure a different take of that very scene exists among many of us.)

What I'm trying to say in this digital vomit-spewing of philosophical nonsense is that while we're all different in our own unique ways, we are more closely linked than maybe we realize. Especially in these times of political divide that threatens to drive a deepening abyss between friends, families and even us solvers alike. And I believe the author of this puzzle made his point Excellently.

Or maybe he just made a fine puzzle, and I'm a nutjob. Both arguments are equally likely!

As a reward for granting me an audience to spill my unfiltered craziness (or brilliance?) here are the answers to today's puzzle: