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Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Body Art
发布日期:2024-12-23 20:21:37
浏览次数:774

There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Body Art

Constructor: Kareem Ayas

Editor: Jared Goudsmit

Comments from Today’s Crossword Constructor

Kareem: Sometimes you have a theme you really love, but none of your theme entries are symmetrical, and that makes you sad, so you give up on it for a few months… Until you find out that USA Today doesn’t mind asymmetry and you’re suddenly very happy to send that theme you love out into the world. Thank you Amanda and Jared, and thank YOU for solving!

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

BODY ART: The second word of each theme answer is a general ART form. The addition of a BODY part as the first word results in the description of a specific ART form.

This is a fun theme. I appreciate the fact that SINGING, WRITING, DANCING, and PAINTING are all ARTs. The addition of BODY parts adds specificity, but the final theme answers are also all forms of ART. As Kareem discussed in his notes, this puzzle's grid is asymmetrical – a necessity to accommodate the fact that the theme answers have lengths of 13-, 11-, 12-, and 14-letters. The majority of crossword puzzles have symmetrical grids. While 180-degree rotational symmetry is the most common (meaning if you turn the puzzle upside down the grid shape is the same), puzzles also use mirror and diagonal symmetry. The main reason crosswords feature rotational symmetry is that Margaret Farrar, the first crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times, set this rule in place, and other publications adopted it. USA Today is one of the few mainstream crossword publications that allows asymmetrical grids, a practice it began a few years ago. I admit that in general I am a fan of symmetry (not unlike Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot). However, asymmetry in crosswords doesn't bother me, particularly when it allows us to have themed puzzles we might have missed out on. Thank you, Kareem, for this delightful puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

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