New York Times Publishes June 30 Crossword Review for John Liber's 1st Puzzle
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 30
New York Times Publishes June 30 Crossword Review for John Liber's 1st Puzzle
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 30
Summary
John Liber made his New York Times Crossword debut in the June 30 Tuesday puzzle, which the review called satisfying and tightly constructed.
50-Across, EMPTY WORDS, serves as the revealer: spoken aloud, it sounds like “M.T. words,” signaling themed two-word answers with M and T initials.
The review highlighted 3 across entries—MAGIC TOUCH, MEAL TICKET and MISTER TOAD—as examples of the theme’s concise wordplay.
It also flagged tougher clues including 1A SLAM for a wrestler’s takedown and 21A MADS for “makes angry, old-style,” underscoring the puzzle’s trickier fill.