Adrian Johnson and Christina Iverson combine forces on a vibrant, themeless challenge.
SATURDAY PUZZLE -- Christina Iverson, one of The New York Times's puzzle editors, is responsible for the Easy Mode newsletter on Fridays and other games. She is also a prodigious crossword collaborator: Adrian Johnson is her 18th constructing partner to date, and they've made an excellent grid together. Below, Ms. Iverson notes the presence of one of Mr. Johnson's trademarks, stacks of four longish entries in opposite corners, which are always a workout and drove solvers crazy on a few Fridays this year (in January, April and June).
There's also great stuff to ponder in this puzzle's Down entries. I particularly noticed and appreciated the ancient history trivia, a nice break from trendy factoids, and the wordplay here is subtle and good-natured.
Tricky Clues
19A. The question mark in this clue, [Parent whose child is taking steps to improve?], indicates wordplay, but the joke went right over my head. The answer is DANCE MOM, which is a debut puzzle entry in The Times (although "stage mom" has appeared several times).
25A./28A. No question marks here, but these clues are still quirky. At 25A, the [Components of some brick buildings] in question are tiny (and painful, if you happen to step on one): They’re LEGO SETS. 28A, [It might be living on the edge], is so off-kilter I wondered if I was missing something. No risk-taker here: It solves to SHRUB, which I think is just a bush at the border of a property in this case.
54A. Another puzzle debut, this [Part of a high-tech security system] is a LASER MAZE, which is used to protect jewels and art from marauders, unless they know capoeira (in the movies, at least).
4D. [Punk] here solves to something that surprised me: PSYCH OUT. This may make solvers think of "Punk'd," a television show that featured pranks played on and by various celebrities; there aren't many other usages of "punk" as a verb, except in sports lingo (describing a thorough thrashing by one team of another, which can be pretty demoralizing).
11D. [Crib alternative] doesn't refer to a blingy domicile (which some people might have thought of after seeing 4D), unless it's for an infant. The answer here is a CO-SLEEPER, a little bed that attaches to a big bed so everyone has their own space.
12D./48D. Both of these entries involve early human-made symbols that are still being discovered and decoded amazingly. 12D, [Classic rock?], is a pun clue for a RUNESTONE; one of these relics of early civilization depicting a boat with passengers and a series of characters was found in Ontario in 2015. 48D, [_____ Lines (ancient Peruvian geoglyphs)], solves to NAZCA -- the desert where five years ago the discovery of a winsome cat on a hillside made international news.
23D. I misread this clue, [Kind of contest with multiple chances to participate], and thought of tournaments with consolation rounds for participants who might have otherwise been eliminated. The answer is BONUS ENTRY, which you can earn by doing various activities like sharing clues on social media and so on.
Constructor Notes
Adrian: I'm thankful to fulfill any constructor's dream and share a byline with Christina! Since my family moved into her neck of the woods, I've made it a priority to say hi when I come to town. I also love pushing the boundaries of themeless design and found Christina to be the perfect partner to try this offset quad layout. Her top entries and my bottom stack meshed superwell into one harmonious whole :)
Christina: Adrian and I first met in person a couple of years ago. His parents moved to Ames, Iowa (less than two miles from my house!), and we met up for coffee with another local constructor. We decided to make a puzzle together, and it felt natural that we'd make a puzzle with a quad stack, which Adrian is rather famous for making. I'd never attempted one before, and I don't know that I will attempt one again!