NYT Crossword Answers for Aug. 28, 2023

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Brian Callahan makes his New York Times debut.

By Sam Corbin

Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues

MONDAY PUZZLE — Well, puzzlers, I’m back. Did you miss me? Did you notice I was gone? Do you know who I am? Wait a sec — do I?

To catch up, let’s spend some time together on today’s crossword. I was especially delighted by the witty approach that its constructor, Brian Callahan, took to the wording of his clues; he managed to elicit more than one chuckle from this grizzled old pun veteran. His theme is a flourish — while unnecessary for cracking the rest of the puzzle, it’s enjoyable all the same.

Congratulations to Mr. Callahan on his New York Times debut. Now, shall we pull it apart and see what makes it go?

My first interpretation of the revealer at 64-Across — “Disconnects … or what’s found in the answers to the four starred clues?” — was an overreach. I solved it correctly, with UNCOUPLES, but thought this must mean I should be looking for pairs of countries in the U.N. (United Nations). That’s what I get for training up on common crossword abbreviations.

In reality, the revealer was simply pointing out that each themed entry was made up of pairs of words with the letters U-N in them. For example, at 52-Across, the “Weekend occasion for avocado toast and mimosas” is SUNDAY BRUNCH; at 39-Across, one who is “Seriously hammered” is said to be AS DRUNK AS A SKUNK. (I have never seen skunks exhibiting any behavior that warrants this expression. If anything, it’s my reaction to them that’s erratic.)

14A. Remember that the New York Times Crossword often revels in the multiple meanings of a single word: a “Feature of an Uber ride … or an Uber Eats order” is FARE.

62A. The windmill-like “Subway entrance fixture” through which riders pass after paying their fare is known as a STILE. Its etymology is Old English — derived from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “to climb” — and you can find it as a pre-subway fixture in the pages of classic texts like Jonathan Swift’s 1726 novel “Gulliver’s Travels.”

10D. “Ones with season tickets to football, baseball and basketball games, perhaps” are SPORTS NUTS. I was going to make a joke here about the bagged peanuts served at stadiums, but I guess those are technically sports legumes.

29D. To “Deteriorate … as sledders do?” is to GO DOWNHILL. You’ll permit the wordplay, since sledders don’t deteriorate as they go — unless I’m the sledder in question. I begin my ride with optimism, until I’m inevitably ejected from my vehicle halfway down the hill and end up facedown in the snow.

40D. An adjective that describes “some bike locks and magnets” is U-SHAPED. The only place I’ve seen a U-shaped magnet in action is in a “Looney Tunes” cartoon, but I’m willing to believe they come in handy elsewhere.

53D. “We agree” is a sneaky spoken clue, as the “we” could indicate that the singular you is in agreement with the person you’re speaking to, or that you and multiple others agree with an opinion being put forward. The case here is the plural, so the answer is US TOO.

My grandma Myrn used to do the Sunday New York Times puzzle every week. She was really good at crosswords, but she could never get it 100 percent complete without using a dictionary or Google. There was always a square or two left blank. After years of grinding away at the grids, one week everything fell into place: She completed it without any help. To commemorate the occasion, she cut out the puzzle, framed it and kept it at her desk. I’m sure she would have gotten a kick out of seeing this byline.Obviously, I’m excited to debut in The New York Times! Special thanks to Katie Hale for all of her advice and mentorship over the past year. Shout out to the folks at Crosshare.org for solving my mini- and midi-size creations.Thanks to my wife, Caroline, for listening to all of my half-baked theme ideas. Lastly, thanks to the G.O.A.T. test-solving tandem: my parents, Phil and Betsy. I don’t think I’ve ever created a puzzle that they didn’t like.

Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, will send a weekly Friday crossword with more accessible clues right to your inbox if you sign up for the Easy Mode newsletter. This extra bit of goodness is for those who would like to try the Friday puzzles but have heard all about how hard they are.

Take a look at the difference between the regular and easy-mode clues below. The links are a small sample of the clues from the Friday puzzle. When you click on them, you will see the version that will run in the regular puzzle as well as the easier version.

(Warning: The following are spoilers for the Friday puzzle.)

43A.

Friday clue: “Eponymous Belgian town”

Easy-mode clue: “Place for a ‘me day’”

49A.

Friday clue: “Light up?”

Easy-mode clue: “Twinkler in the sky”

6D.

Friday clue: “Building installations that work with beams”

Easy-mode clue: “Sun-absorbing gadgets”

Not so tough, right? You can definitely solve Friday puzzles. You may just need some practice before you’re conquering them on your own.

To sign up for the Easy Mode newsletter, click here.

The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system, and you can submit your puzzles online.For tips on how to get started, read our series “How to Make a Crossword Puzzle.”

Still feeling adrift? Subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.

Trying to navigate to the main Gameplay page? You can find it here.

Sam Corbin writes about language, wordplay and the daily crossword for The Times. More about Sam Corbin

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