Tuesday, February 27, 2024, Nate Cardin

I should never question the NYT crossword editors. Yesterday's Monday puzzle felt a trifle hard for the first day of the week. So today, we get the inverse, a Tuesday that played easier. I'm sure there's a reason they placed them in this order rather than the opposite. Regardless, get ready for a ton of Ks!

Because today's theme are phrases built around the letters -INKY. Six of theme, inside of a 15 x 15 grid! That's a lot. And as a bonus, the last answer is RINKYDINK, getting an extra -INK in place. I ran through the alphabet and came up with only Tinky-Winky from the Teletubbies as another possibility. And since WINKYFACE is already in the grid, that would have been duplication. There are also the double-consonant starts, like with SLINKYDOG. The only one that I could imagine is what my wife and I call adult beverages: a "drinky-poo." But that's not common parlance.

Can you think of any others?

I'm going rogue!

I count 11 Ks in the grid, which is a definitely a lot. There are 3 outside of the theme, in SKYPES, TUSK, and YUCKY. One long answer has to encompass two of the themed Ks, and so we get PUNKROCKER (excellent). The other long down answer is ASYMMETRIC, also a great word. 

There are literally no tricky clues in this grid, which contributed mightily to my getting a sub-3 minute time on a Tuesday. But it's a fun theme, well-executed.

- Colum