A profile of Doug Peterson, a crossword constructor
Today I’ll be continuing my monthly series on crossword constructors with a profile on one of my favorites, Doug Peterson. Doug and I first met in 2022 when I worked as the assistant crossword editor at The Los Angeles Times, where he is a fact checker for their crossword puzzle team. He had his first grid published in The New York Times in 2006, and has had a total of 59 puzzles published, including variety puzzles. Roughly half of his Times publications have been themeless puzzles, and he’s had at least three puzzles appear on every day of the week. As far as who or what influenced him, Doug said, “I had a subscription to Games magazine when I was in high school, and though I didn’t start constructing until years later, it was a huge influence on me. The puzzles were fresh, fun, and engaging, and I try to bring those same qualities to my work.” When I think of Doug’s puzzles, that’s exactly what comes to mind. His themes tend to be goofy and approachable, and his puzzles always feel thoughtful and handcrafted. His most recent puzzle, a Sunday collaboration with Gary Larson (not to be confused with the cartoonist) typifies Doug’s construction style. The theme was familiar phrases reinterpreted as generational slang. For instance, RIGHT ON TIME was clued [“Great job selecting a Person of the Year!”? (Boomer)] (as in, “Right on, Time!”), and SNACK COUNTER as [One assessing the number of hotties at a party? (Gen Z)]. What I especially appreciated about the puzzle was the thought given to choosing slang terms from every generation. Doug thinks a lot about how the solver will interact with his puzzles. Despite being a speed solver himself (he competes in the top division at the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament), Doug is highly conscious of making puzzles that are approachable for a wide audience. He told me his favorite puzzles to construct are early in the week, because he likes to share them with friends who are not crossword experts. His solver-first approach to puzzle making is something I aspire to.
Solve Friday’s Crossword on Easy Mode!
In today’s Wordplay column, Deb Amlen writes about not admitting defeat when solving a hard puzzle. For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read her column. Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us on the X platform, on Threads or by email. A Quick Cool-DownHow fast can you solve today’s Mini?
Get a ClueMy favorite clue from last week is 1-Down from Saturday, Dec. 6. It’s always fun when a longer phrase gets a question mark clue. 1-Down: Closing statement?
How are we doing? Thanks for playing! Subscribe to New York Times Games. If you were forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up to receive it regularly here. P.S. The answer to Get a Clue is THAT’S A WRAP.
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