FRIDAY PUZZLE — It’s Friday, and while I’m ready to start my weekend, Rafael Musa and Geoffrey Schorkopf are clocking in. Mr. Musa seems to like working the late-week shift; of his 27 previous puzzles for the New York Times Crossword, 15 of them have appeared on Fridays. This time, he’s joined by Mr. Schorkopf, whose byline was also last seen on a Friday. That puzzle was a collaboration with, you guessed it, Mr. Musa.
Like their first team-up, this twisty-turny themeless puzzle is packed with lively fill. It also features some harmonious entry symmetry, fun trivia and lots of deceptive cluing. I put some serious mileage on my pencil eraser when I solved this on paper.
Tricky Clues
17A. When pondering clues that end in question marks, look for words that have multiple meanings. In the clue [One away from one’s duties?], the keyword is “duties,” which can mean responsibilities or taxes. “Tax dodger,” my first thought, doesn’t fit. The answer is TAX EXILE, someone who moves from one country to another to avoid paying taxes. It’s a term I wasn’t familiar with, but it has appeared in the Crossword before.
18A. [French exit] is referring to the French word for “exit,” SORTIE — not the act of leaving a gathering without saying farewell, which is sometimes called a French exit. Apparently, in France, to commit this act is filer à l’anglaise, or to leave English style. I call it an Irish goodbye, but maybe that’s my ancestral bias talking. Whatever you call a furtive departure, can we agree that the Dutch have the best term for it? They refer to it as de rattentaxi nemen, or taking the rat taxi.
48A. A three-letter word for [Mammoth’s home, for short], may stymie solvers who don’t follow the N.H.L. The clue refers to the league’s newest team, the Utah Mammoth, whose first postseason appearance came to an end recently at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights.
49A. What word in the English language has the most definitions? The answer depends on whom you ask, but “run” is certainly a contender. (A lexicographer for the Oxford English Dictionary calculated that the word “run” has no fewer than 645 meanings.) That significant ambiguity is what makes this clue, [Where to go for a run], so difficult. Is it a jog? A bank run? A run in a pair of stockings? Today, it’s a run on the slopes: The answer is SKI AREA.
57A / 35D. This puzzle offers two entries for the price of one very fun clue. [“I’m this-a way!”] solves to the crossword stalwart PSST on the eastern side of the grid and YOO-HOO in the southwestern corner. It also sounds like something Mario would say in therapy: “It’s-a my negative thought patterns!”
64A. Crosswords have conditioned me to read a clue like [Feeds the kitty, say] and think of “antes.” A clue with “kitty” is always playing on poker slang for the pot, right? Not this time. The answer is CAT SITS. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
3D. I filled in “dent” for [Ding thing?], but the crosses didn’t add up. Here, “ding” isn’t a light nick, but the sound of getting a TEXT.
5D / 30D. [First gear?] is a tight, snappy clue at 30-Down that’s not describing a setting for a car or bicycle. It’s referring to the initial equipment you might purchase when picking up a new hobby: a STARTER KIT. If you seek further guidance — for a different kind of activity — check out its mirror at 5-Down, clued with [Books that go into intimate detail?]. Its answer is SEX MANUALS.
9D. A fun clue can liven up even the most ordinary entry. [All slam dunks] is a fresh, evocative way to hint at its comparatively plain answer, TWOS, which is the number of points all slam dunks are worth, no matter how gravity defying they may be. Personally, I think that if you shatter the backboard it should count for something.
28D. This is an expertly crafted clue and my favorite one in the puzzle. There is not a single extraneous word in [Where to see fresh coats of white?] — each one contributes to the answer. “Coats of white” seems to suggest paint, but it also describes white lab coats. The word “fresh” hints that these work clothes are for those new to their job, or perhaps for those still learning in MED SCHOOLS.
51D. This spelling of the Ukrainian capital, KYIV, is transliterated from the Ukrainian language. The Times updated how it renders the name in 2019, and that version last appeared in the Crossword in 2021.
Constructor Notes
Rafael Musa: This collab came about differently than our last, because I made the entire grid this time and Geoffrey wrote all the clues. I was going to list out my favorite Geoffrey clues in this puzzle, but I would end up just retyping the entire list of clues. Instead, I’ll say this: Geoffrey is a dream collaborator, and it continues to be one of my life’s greatest privileges to get to know all the amazing people in crosswords. Stay tuned for more from us!
Geoffrey Schorkopf: Rafa is such a generous friend and bravura gridder. He brings as much care and precision to the marquee entries as he does to the sometimes overlooked mid-length fill (in this puzzle, see 1A, 23A, 62A and 45D, just to name a few standouts). Collabing with him is always a joy, down to every little corner of a grid!
Improve Your Crossword Solving
Work your way through our guide “How to Solve the New York Times Crossword.” It contains an explanation of most of the types of clues you will see in the puzzles and a practice Mini at the end of each section.