by Lucy Howard & Ross Trudeau
[.puz][PDF][Solution] Difficulty: 3.5/5
I started making crosswords with Lucy in spring of 2020. Since then we’ve published multiple puzzles together (including a particularly saccharine Times Sunday), shared countless geeked-out afternoons talking grid, gone on wine tasting Zoom double dates, and, well. We’re friends. And just a month ago, Lucy and her husband Ryan welcomed a brand new prospective puzzle head into the world, one Henry Jordan Howard, 7 lbs. to the oz.
Today’s puzzle is for Henry. You’ll appreciate why after you solve. Thoughts and spoilers below.
Well, it’s a quip puzzle. These ones divide opinion probably more than even rebuses. Perhaps you recall this recent one from the Times. The thing about a quip puzzle: either you know the quip or you don’t. And the conventional wisdom about single trivia answers in crosswords is that you can render them fair and perhaps satisfyingly educational with a good clue and fair crossings. But quip puzzles? Well, there are seven (7!) associated theme answers here, which will necessarily slow down even seasoned solvers who aren’t familiar with the subject matter.
That said, the satisfying element of a quip puzzle, for me, is the symmetry of the layout and the sentiment of the message. And in the case of Dr. Seuss, the symmetry becomes less incidental than with other quip puzzles in that he was writing in verse, and perhaps even with page layout in the back of his mind.
Anyway! We do hope you enjoy this one. And do drop Lucy, Ryan, and little Hank some love in the comments.
Happy solving, friends!
-Ross