THURSDAY PUZZLE -- There is an internet game involving a particular Christmas carol that will remain unnamed because revealing it will make everyone reading this column immediately lose. The rules are simple, and do not click on the next link if you are playing the game: If you can make it through the Christmas season without hearing this song, you win.
This is not as easy as it sounds. The song is everywhere at this time of year. It's in malls. It's on the radio. It's on TV. Your neighbors may be blasting it 24/7 in the spirit of Christmas cheer. I once incurred the wrath of people playing the game by mentioning the song in a column.
The song also has a tendency to become a persistent earworm, as sweet as it is, which is why I believe this avoidance game was invented.
Apparently, that Christmas-song-that-shall-not-be-named isn't the only one that can have that effect, according to Sam Ezersky, a puzzle editor and the constructor of today's crossword. In his notes, Mr. Ezersky confides that developing the theme of his puzzle caused another holiday song to be stuck in his head for a long time. As far as I know, there is no similar game for this particular carol, but I think Mr. Ezersky deserves a round of applause for taking one for the team.
Today's Theme
The five sets of circled squares in Mr. Ezersky's grid spell words for laughter, such as LOL (16A), HEH (26A) and HA HA (57A.)
What makes this even more entertaining is the buildup to the revealer at 51A using the song "Jingle Bells." Sure, it's easy to assume that 4A, 7D and 21A are merely cross-referenced clues, but they really lead you to the reason we're singing: The words spelled out by the circled squares mean that we are LAUGHING "all the way" through the puzzle.
Extra credit: If you've already solved Mr. Ezersky's puzzle, would you consider this to be two themes in that one is a punchline for the other, or is it a single theme with bonus content?
Tricky Clues
- 12A. All who run are not necessarily runners. In this puzzle, [One who runs, informally] is a politician or POL.
- 40A. The [Letter after three consecutive rhyming letters] refers to the Greek alphabet, and the answer is IOTA (after zeta, eta and theta).
- 41A. The hyphen in [Right-eous path?] is not a typo. It's meant to distinguish between being morally righteous and pointing EAST.
- 48A. For those who have never flown into a New York airport, the clue [JFK or EWR alternative] hints at LaGuardia Airport, or LGA. Those are the codes for the three major airports in the area, and if you have flown into them, we're really sorry.
- 61A. I am not a fashionista, but apparently a designer named LIZ Lange has made great strides in fashion, particularly in maternity wear.
- 63A. At first, I thought that the [Transcript ruiners] were f-bombs, and that made very little sense because I was thinking about the wrong kind of transcript.
Misunderstanding a clue happens to me only on rare occasions, but when it does, I have a reliable method for straightening myself out. I ask the puzzle editors for some help by writing a message in our Slack channel and hitting "send." A nanosecond later, the penny drops and I figure it out myself. Then I hastily delete the message before they have a chance to laugh at me. Works every time. The real answer is that these are academic transcripts, and EFFS -- the phonetic rendering of the letter grade -- will certainly ruin them.
- 11D. I was not aware of the [Vodka-and-pineapple juice cocktail] called the FLIRTINI, which was popularized on "Sex and the City." It sounds delicious, and here's a recipe for it that uses Champagne or Prosecco.
- 30D. When you are looking at a pie chart, the [Sides of the pie slices, essentially] are the circle's RADII.
- 44D. A clue such as [A person] sounds as if we are supposed to think about a specific human being, but here, it’s really a substitute for the word EACH.
- 55D. If you would like to split something [Between you and me] -- and thanks, by the way! -- you might say that it's OURS.
Constructor Notes
Note to puzzle constructors, present and future: If you ever decide to build a crossword around a piece of music, please choose wisely.
It will continue to rattle around your brain when you aren't constructing. Once you've finished. As you attempt to go about your day. For days. Weeks. Months.
Happy holidays! (Please, I beg you: Choose wisely.)