Laura Taylor Kinnel’s New York Times crossword, “Step on It!” —Nate’s write-up

It’s our second Sunday NYT puzzle in a row made by a solo lady constructor – I may get used to this! There’s one thing buggy about this puzzle, although… let’s have a look:

12.11.22 Sunday New York Times Crossword

– 23A: PYTHAGORE(AN T)HEOREM [Hypotenuse-finding formula]
– 40A: ABOVE REP(ROACH) [Having an impeccable reputation, say]
– 43A: DESI(GNAT)ED DRIVER [One drinking soft drinks at a party, perhaps]
– 67A: CEL[TIC K]NOT [Symbol of Irish heritage]
– 89A: INSPECTOR C[LOUSE]AU [“The Pink Panther” character]
– 92A: IN LIKE [FLY]NN [Having successfully made it, slangily]
– 110A: LUDWIG VAN [BEE]THOVEN [Composer who studied under Joseph Hadyn]

Each of our themers incorporates a squashed bug, represented as a single-square rebus. It’s a enjoyable theme that allowed for solidly in-the-language theme entries and a reasonably clear grid stuffed with enjoyable bonus entries like PATOOTIE and WATERMELON. I don’t know that the puzzle wanted a bug-killing title when some play on trapping these bugs might need additionally labored, so apologies to everybody on the market who enjoys their bugs alive!

In lieu of my random ideas, I’ll give attention to a private word about 99A:

I used to be a part of the preliminary official cohort of take a look at solvers for the NYT puzzle a yr or two again. As a part of that stint, I as soon as reviewed a puzzle that had this puzzle’s similar clue for SON, [Prince but not a princess]. I wrote the enhancing group and requested if they may change the clue, provided that once I was a younger SON, I so desperately needed to be a princess myself. I do know I’m not alone amongst queer males in that feeling. That such an innocuous entry and seemingly innocent clue may take a knife proper to the center of my younger queer self (whilst I push 40) was fairly the shock. I used to be so pleased after they agreed to vary the clue in that puzzle… so think about my coronary heart once I noticed it pop up once more in right this moment’s puzzle. There are a jillion methods to clue SON and none of them require reinforcement of nonsense inflexible gender binaries that do actual harm. I do not know the place the clue originated (my hunch is that the constructor had a special clue right here), however it’s in the end as much as the editors on which clues make the ultimate lower. I hope they do higher sooner or later.

That mentioned, I nonetheless assume the constructor did an excellent job constructing this easy grid, and I loved fixing it (99A apart).  Congrats, and right here’s to many extra, Laura!