I don’t think I’m giving anything away by telling you there’s a theme in this week’s The Nation cryptic. It’s pretty well executed. I also solved the New York Times puzzle today.
I don’t feel a habitual need to do the Times puzzle, but if I get my hands on a copy (which I did while I was on my morning walk) and the puzzle looks interesting, I'll give it a go. Usually, “interesting” means some kind of theme or bonus, or an unusual grid or some other gimmick. There are enough straight crosswords out there that a constructor needs to catch your eye to have you solve his or her puzzle and not someone else’s.
There are probably others whose habits are the inverse of mine: they have a daily straight crossword they solve habitually, and variety puzzles won’t get solved unless there’s something attractive about them.
What kind of puzzles jump up and say “Solve me!” to you? Share your comments and maybe some of those constructors will see your comment and give you more of them!
Link to puzzle: http://www.thenation.com/article/205577/puzzle-no-3161
Degree of difficulty (by standards of this weekly puzzle): easy
Agility factor: low to moderate. Clues were driven by the theme, so there weren’t the usual opportunities to be playful.
Back with the solution on Monday. In the meantime, how about cluing the word ATTRACT? Share your clues in the comment section.
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