Normally, in North American–style crosswords, every letter in the grid is expected to be “checked”—which is to say, used in more than one clue. That way if you can’t get a letter one way, you can get it another way. It’s a pretty clever idea. But lately I’ve been thinking about what exactly it means for a letter to be used in more than one clue. Here’s another experiment along those lines.
Also, do what you want to make the puzzle more fun—reveal a few letters, google something, whatever. I want my puzzles to be challenging to get on your own, because I like a good chewy NYTimes Saturday–style puzzle, but there’s no wrong way to solve a puzzle. But I like it when I finish a puzzle and want to find out more about something I encountered there, and I’ll put a few (spoileriffic) links below the puzzle if you’re curious.
For more information (these are all spoilers for the puzzle): 24-Across (but more importantly). 33-Across. 34-Across. 47-Across. 13-Down. 38-Down (and then this!).
