New York Times Crossword June 3 2024 Answers

Jump to: today's subject | Difficult evidence

Monday Puzzle – I'm sure many of you, being puzzle lovers, have already stumbled upon a New York Times game called Strands. It's a word search that has become tricky and relies on wordplay in its subjects. The current version is still in beta, but I'm mentioning it here because the evil spirit that makes its puzzles so fun is present in spades in Today's Crossword, created by Alana Platt.

Ms. Platt's topic entries, much like the hidden phrases in a word search puzzle, are not easy to see. Even after dissolving the detector, I wasn't quite sure what I was looking at. But after the “aha!” At this point, I wandered around the net again just to admire the craftsmanship of the finished product. Congratulations to Ms. Platt on her dynamic debut. I hope to see more of her soon.

today's subject

Although I don't eat any “artfully arranged meat” (35A), this was the only objective evidence that jumped out immediately. The answer should be CHARCUTERIE – although there is another version of this arrangement that could be called a “girl's dinner.” The pin's “cousin” (32D) wasn't so obscure either: THUMBTACK.

The phrase “help run a non-profit, for example” (56A) tells us, in a subtle way, “where to find” the above entries. ON THE BOARD describes where to find THUMBTACK – a bulletin board, anyway – and how to submit CHARCUTERIE. WOOD GRAIN (10D), “a cross-section texture of wood”, was found on the floorboard. I don't need to tell you where to find the chess piece (17A).

I love that the grille also serves as a kind of canvas, making Mrs. Platt's detector more than just a wink.

Difficult evidence

19 a. How novel is it to have a crossword clue that looks like the puzzle: “What's black, white, and wet everywhere?” ORCA. Other answers that don't fit the grid include: photographs in a dark room, wet newspaper, or a nun after a water balloon fight.

32 A. A trip abroad sounds like a hard way to say “get high on acid.” But what do I know? Probably the closest experience I've ever had was watching “Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles.

40 a. When a trivial guide requires trial and error, as in the case of “about 37 million people shop there every day, roughly equivalent to the population of Canada,” there's no harm in letting your imagination wander a little. I tried Wegmans first (people love this supermarket) and then Sephora (people love makeup) before the crossings led me to the correct entrance, WALMART.

60 a. Ogden Nash's line “They flew through a glitch in ___” begins with a pattern of alliteration, so there's a good chance this entry begins with FL-. And he does! The answer is Flo.

1D. The most common phrase to describe a 'quick visit' is probably 'visit' – did you try that first too? – But dealing with “in relation to supply” is what guides us to the correct answer, DUCK IN. In other words, there is a difference between a rapid stop and a rapid decline.

4D. I can't remember the last time I put two “L-shaped fingers” to my forehead to call someone a loser. Maybe I never did. But the reference lives on forever in “All Star” by Smash Mouth. Who says I'm not a fan of “Shrek”? (In fact, there were a few commenters in a recent column.)

35 D. If you come to this column complaining about the “iced coffee substitute,” come sit with me. The difference between iced coffee and COLD BREW is more than just a nominal distinction, although the two terms are often used interchangeably: While most iced coffee is first brewed hot, COLD BREW is made by steeping ground coffee in room temperature water for Up to 24 hours. Then dilute the concentrate.

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