NYT Tuesday 06/10/25

Constructor: Zachary David Levy

What a doozy! I began this puzzle at 11PM, unable to sleep. Looking for a distraction I picked the Tuesday because I knew it would be doable even in a state of low brainpower. I was mistaken.

This grid's fill is insane. PLOTZED crossing ZILLIONTH? TEHEE instead of "teehee"? DASBOOT!? Talk about unexpected. Some of my stumbling points may have been my own fault (DIANE, PEREC), but others are just plain cruel.

Despite the fill, I can't remember the last time that I so easily cruised the themers. I plonked 3/4, only taking a couple more cycles to finish WEDDINGRECEPTION (where reception is obvious, but what kind remains to be seen). I had finished all of the themers and the revealer before I had progressed halfway through the grid. Perhaps the easy theme encouraged the constructor to go ham on the fill?

The theme itself is "words ending in a quality of cell service", with the revealer GOODCALL. It's OK. A little uninspired, perhaps.

I struggled on some of the easier corners for reasons I can only attribute to late-night brain. "It helps give a car traction" stumped me for longer than I like to admit. Although, even as I write this the answer REARTIRE feels like an understatement; a rear tire doesn't "help" the car any more than literally satisfy a minimum requirement for the vehicle to be driveable!

Anyway if the goal was to distract myself long enough to fall asleep, I failed miserably. There I was some thirty minutes later browsing the crossword Reddit to find some validation. I'm not the only one who struggled here, right? Guys?

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