"Internal Conflict," by Jeffrey Wechsler

"Shakespearean Shenanigans," by Jeffrey Wechsler

Constructor's Comments

One of my favorite crossword theme gimmicks is the addition of a word of three or more letters into an existing phrase to create a new (and hopefully humorous) phrase.  It's nice when a phrase presents itself unexpectedly as such a source, and THERE'S THE RUB popped into my consciousness as potential theme material.  For me, inserting three or more letters into a phrase is more interesting and challenging than adding just one or two letters—and when it works, it's quite satisfying.  I hope solvers also receive satisfaction from this puzzle.

"Extended Play," by Jeffrey Wechsler

Constructor's Comments

It's fun to play around with the conventions of crossword construction, and this puzzle's gimmick derives from a frequently seen convention:  the addition of a preposition within a clue to define it accurately.  One example is the clue [Ascend, with "off"] for the answer TAKE.  It occurred to me that an interesting twist on this procedure would be to take the "with" literally, creating answers that needed the letters in the preposition to complete the answer.

As I was finishing the puzzle, I got the odd feeling that someone might have done something similar before.  Searching my imperfect memory, I recalled a puzzle (perhaps by the late, great Henry Hook) that I believe used a very common clue addition—with "the."  Every answer needed the added letters THE to make sense, although I think the answers in that puzzle simply suggested that THE was missing; it did not create complete words in the puzzle with "the"—for example, THEIR would simply become IR in the answer.  I am pleased that I was able to find several reasonable, stand-alone phrases that allowed the addition of a short preposition to create a humorous new phrase, with each answer using a different preposition.

[Ed.:  The earlier puzzle Jeffrey refers to was indeed by Henry Hook and appeared in The New York Times on April 7, 2011; it can be seen here on XWord Info.]

"Make a Stink," by Jeffrey Wechsler

Constructor's Comments

To some individuals, the theme of this puzzle might seem a bit off-putting—or, to be even more blunt, rather malodorous.  As a constructor who enjoys devising themes involving the addition of letters to existing words, the letters PU offered a way to use a two-letter insert leading to an unusual, and hopefully humorous, twist within the revealer.  Of course, there is a decidedly mixed editorial tolerance for such themes, and I knew this one was going to trigger the apocryphal "breakfast test" for crosswords—the limitation of what falls within the boundaries of acceptable taste (or, in this case, smell).  Indeed, as I feared, this puzzle was deemed too offensive for another not-to-be-named crossword outlet.  Therefore, it is with great pleasure and respect that I praise David Steinberg for his open-mindedness for accepting this puzzle without holding his nose.  David saw the theme for what I think it is:  not at all offensive but, rather, funny—in effect, an exercise in crossword sensory slapstick.

"Up Top," by Jeffrey Wechsler

Constructor's Comments

I assume that most crossword constructors have developed a sort of sixth sense (complete with mental antennae!) that suddenly converts random phrases and words into potential crossword themes.  It is not an inherited trait; it comes in response to environmental stimuli—the multitude of verbal or written words that appear around us constantly, and the pressing need to come up with another darned theme idea!  Every so often, a phrase strikes the brain as usable puzzle material.  I have no recollection of where or when I encountered or thought of the term "high five," but upon consideration, the implications of the phrase came to the fore (or five).  If I could think of two pairs of phrases starting with "five," which, when the "five" was removed, left entries of equal length, I could place them vertically, so that the "five" was "high."  Leaving out the "five" added some challenge (and hopefully some fun) to the puzzle.

Because this is my first puzzle to be published in David Steinberg's new editorial venue, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate David on creating a new puzzle outlet that is already clearly among the best out there in crossword world.

Editor's Comments

Jeffrey may be best known for his letter insertion themes, but he's also constantly pushing the envelope with ideas like this one.  All four theme entries here are excellent, and I also like how you can literally give the grid a high five to complete the theme entries (with 23- and 26-Down as the thumb and pinkie).  Two other miscellaneous observations:  (FIVE) O'CLOCK SHADOW is positioned at 5-Down, and (FIVE) AND DIME STORE is positioned at 10-Down, though perhaps that's coincidental.  The fill is also impressively smooth given the high theme density.  Jeffrey is one of the few constructors in the business who fills grids by hand, and he does it so well that he gives the software developers a run for their money!