32 d. A “practically synonymous noun” is Roget, author of the well-known thesaurus. It was originally published in 1852 under the incredible title “A Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, Compiled and Arranged to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and to Aid in Literary Composition”.
61 d. I will admit I gulped a bit at the “Covid-19, unofficial” idea of RONA. I’m not sure I’m personally ready for coronavirus nicknames while the pandemic rages on, but I’ve certainly heard it used before.
today’s subject
This puzzle features four lines from the classic children’s book GREEN EGGS AND HAM (“a colorful meal in a Dr. Seuss story”), plus SAM-I-AM, the name of the main advocate for the meal. Each theme entry is a way in which GREEN EGGS and HAM are served by a SAM-I-AM and later rejected by the picky central book eater, until (spoiler alert!) it actually tries and realizes it does, in fact, like GREEN EGGS and PHOTOS .
The first is in the rain (“one way is served 38 – across”), followed by on a boat, in a tree and with goats. In the book, each of these entries chimes in another way one can eat green eggs and pigeons (like boat and goat). And that’s pretty much it! This isn’t the most complex of themes, but it is a nice homage to a childhood classic.
Let’s hear from Mrs. Bosco about her experience building crossword puzzles.
Creator Notes
This is the first puzzle! It was my second attempt, and I’m so happy I can’t quite believe it. I hope to get a better job in the future. My father, David, has solved New York Times crossword puzzles religiously for many years. And maybe my husband is more fanatical about solutions, so there are many crossword puzzle discussions in our family on the topic of brainstorming, filling in, and hinting. Oh, and my best friend promised to make a T-shirt out of any New York Times puzzle of mine ever published, so I’m totally looking forward to my new (nerdy) wardrobe!
I’m a lawyer by training – general counsel for a private biotech firm in the Bay Area – but the “prism crossword generator” sounds even cooler!
This puzzle includes a tip of the hat to our 11-year-old son, Connor, who is a huge fan of Dr. Seuss.
Want to submit a crossword puzzle to the New York Times?
The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system, and you can submit puzzles online.
For tips on how to get started, read our series, How to Make a Crossword Puzzle.
