"One Step Forward, Two Steps Back," by Will Nediger

Constructor's Comments

As I often do, I set this puzzle aside once I finished the grid and then came back to write the clues a few days later.  A mistake in this case—I wrote clues for CODER and COMPLETES before I remembered that those were actually theme entries, so they were really CODE RED and COMPLETE SET.  Luckily, I realized my mistake before sending the puzzle off.

I'll also take this opportunity to do some shameless self-promotion:  I recently released a suite of themeless puzzles designed to showcase 16-letter entries that don't get much play in normal crosswords.  Check out my website for more details/to purchase it.