by Katherine Baicker & Ross Trudeau
[.puz][PDF][Solution] Difficulty: 2.5/5
My collaborator on this weekend’s puzzle is the first Rosswords contributor with her own dang Wikipedia page. How cool is that? Kate and I previously worked together on a Universal grid that ran back in November, and she’s become a cherished co-author over the last few months. Please welcome her in the comments section!
If you’re in the mood for Big Crosswords, I wrote today’s Universal Sunday, and I co-wrote this weekend’s WSJ puzzle (“Carbon Neutral“) with my roommate Jessie Bullock and my associate Parker Higgins. Yeah. Been writing a lot of clues recently.
Some thoughts and spoilers for A Well Built Crossword after the jump! Thanks to Mike, Matt, and Debbie for test solving!
Kate: I’m so excited to have this collaboration appear! Like, apparently, everyone else under the sun, I finally took the plunge into constructing last year, filled out a mentor form, and had the unbelievable fortune to get an email from Ross offering to show me the ropes! We’ve now constructed several puzzles “together” (read: Ross patiently redirecting me out of the corners I’d run myself into). I’d like to say that I’m keeping my new avocation from interfering with my day job (I’m a health economist and policy school dean), but . . .
Ross: Every now and then I have the intrusive thought of trying to think of more themers for this conceit. DELTA SQUAD? TRIPLE STRAP? BIOLOGY LAB? Quiet, brain, or I’ll stab you with a Q-tip!
Happy solving, friends!
-Ross