April 23: Hooked on Phonics (Ryan Patrick Smith, Real Puzzling Stuff)
May 5: Untitled (Christina Iverson, Boswords)
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Hooked on Phonics (Ryan Patrick Smith)
Puzzles with theme gimmicks that affect every single clue are rare, and for good reason. Much of the time, the gimmick doesn't add much to the solving experience, so it makes the clue syntax more awkward with no good payoff. (I'm thinking, for example, about those puzzles where the theme is related to the letter S somehow and then every clue also starts with a S. It's like, okay, but to what end?) On the other hand, there are the gimmicks that are integral to the solving experience, like Mike Shenk's puzzle 5 from last year's ACPT, in which the letter C had to be removed from clues for them to make sense. These gimmicks are generally so specific that it'd be nigh impossible (and probably undesirable, anyway) for them to apply to every clue.
"Hooked on Phonics" hits the sweet spot, though. In this puzzle, every clue must be spoken out loud to make sense. The four longest Across entries are thematic: PLAY IT BY EAR clued as [Deftly negotiate a new peace], TALK IT OUT clued as [Approach for descent], READ ALOUD clued as [Utter pros], and LISTEN CLOSE clued as [Frays commanding attention]. These are all excellent, with [Utter pros] in particular reading very naturally. But then Ryan applies the same gimmick to every single clue. My favorite was [Target of attacks in the lead-up to the American Revolution], where "attacks" is really "a tax" and the answer is TEA. But there are numerous delightful finds in every section - [Literary figure known for wailing madly] for AHAB, [Growths beneath tulips] for GOATEES, [It's key when speaking French] for WHO, the list goes on. What makes it work is the fact that every clue is its own unique mini-puzzle, so the gimmick doesn't wear thin over the course of the solve.
Untitled (Christina Iverson)
Few things are more consistent than the Boswords themeless leagues, where the puzzles are reliably excellent. But there's usually a puzzle or two each season that stands out above the rest for me. This season, it was Christina's finals puzzle. In the post-solve interview, Christina mentioned that she aimed to go light on the trivia to make a puzzle that worked nicely at all three difficulty levels. I was a bit surprised by that comment, since GEODESY, LIAR'S DICE, RONCO, PHOBOS, PAD SEE EW, and TOTORO, among others, are know-it-or-you-don't. Not that I was bothered by this - those entries span a wide range of different topics, and they're distributed throughout the grid in a way that makes the puzzle still accessible for those who are stumped by a few of them. But it's true that the puzzle is also chock full of broadly familiar entries that can be clued in myriads of ways, perfect for a Boswords puzzle: BASEBALL, ASTRONAUT, CHOP SHOP, STOVETOPS, EMERALD, SYRINGE, CHARADE, etc. I only solved the Stormy clues, but there were some doozies - [Some budget cuts] for CHUCK ROASTS was the highlight for me (and the seed, evidently), but I also loved [Ride in the 1970s-'80s, e.g.] for ASTRONAUT, [Singer of "Respect," at times] for SPELLER, and [Level in a stadium?] for A GAME (an entry that's particularly hard to clue trickily).
