Christina Iverson and Nick Offerman make a handy collaboration debut.

WEDNESDAY PUZZLE -- In the field of sociolinguistics, researchers refer to the observer's paradox, which describes how efforts to observe natural speech patterns are inevitably influenced by participants' awareness that they are being studied. I posit the solver's paradox with regard to today's crossword, constructed by Christina Iverson and Nick Offerman (yes, that one) in their collaboration debut: Impressions of the puzzle will inevitably be influenced by an awareness of who constructed it.

This really is a terrific puzzle. I can't prove that hiding the puzzle makers' names wouldn't change my assessment -- but this isn't a sociolinguistic experiment. It's a crossword. And I loved it.

Today's Theme

The themed clues in today's puzzle begin with words of praise. 17A asks for a [Really spectacular drill component?] and 36A hints at a [Truly awesome implement for ensuring stability?]. The first clue solves to QUITE A BIT -- yuk, yuk -- and the second solves to BOSS LEVEL. This, on its own, would make for a satisfying and classic theme format: a pattern of common terms and phrases cleverly played upon by their clues.

But Mr. Offerman and Ms. Iverson didn't stop there. They gave us a punchline, at 59-Across, using an insult that reads like a compliment: [Something you might exclaim when talking about 17-, 24-, 36- or 50-Across?] is WHAT A TOOL.

I trust you can solve the remaining entries with the tools you have available. But if not, you can reveal them below.

Tricky Clues

21A. Gamer-speak makes the occasional appearance in the Times Crossword, but this is only the second time we've seen the term for [Hobbled, in gamer slang]: NERFED.

34A. As if I weren't already cackling about the themed entries: This [Noted chairman?] isn't a distinguished member of committees or political groups. He's just a notable maker of chairs, EAMES.

63A. One rarely has the occasion to wield a word like AEGIS, which refers to the [Protection] of a governing body, unless it is in discussion about the shield of Zeus. Lord knows we're all discussing the shield of Zeus!

10D. A jazzy bit of 1920s slang for a [Lockup] is the POKEY. No "hokey" was involved in the making of such lockups, as I presume you couldn't just put your whole self in and take your whole self out of them.

33D. If you see a word like "head" or "leader" in a clue that ends in a question mark, you're probably looking for the "head," i.e., first letter, of the clue word itself. The [Llama's head?] is a pair of ELS.

Constructor Notes

Nick Offerman: Look, friends, I'm crazy about reading books and the news and doing puzzles of every stripe, if only to stave off the entropy as long as possible, but I'll admit I'm not amazing at crossword puzzles. I'd much rather lay out a Greene & Greene-inspired deck railing for your Craftsman bungalow or walk you through my chipotle/brown sugar dry rub for a pork shoulder butt. But as a participant in this current age of burgeoning ignorance, I am keen to polish my own recipe of vocabulary and light whimsy in my writing, right up to and including the occasional, much-maligned pun. A man of 55 years, I by now know 11 words for sausage, and yet still nothing could have prepared me for the absolutely mind-bending task of building this crossword puzzle. They made the theme woodworking. They gave me a sherpa named Christina Iverson. They mollycoddled me with every possible easement.

Christina: We need a three-letter mammal ending in O-G.

Me: Frog.

Christina: ...

Me: Gob?

Christina: Good job. Let me run this past Will Shortz.

Me: (smiling, shaking head with relief) Phew. This is no joke.

You might think I'm throwing up a shield of false modesty; a flimsy carapace of humility since, after all, I am able to love and deploy the word carapace. You would be mistaken. The way these puzzles are constructed is powerfully fascinating, and it's a task that requires an intellect that I did not quite have available to hand. Christina legitimately threw me over her shoulder and hauled me and my feeble gray matter to each individually blazed tree on the path to this (hopefully) successful Wednesday effort, whereupon she would point to the arrow and say, "What do you think, should we try that direction?" Each time, I would peep my assent, wet-cheeked with gratitude. Anyway, I really had a great deal of fun as I learned the ways of the puzzle masters, and I sincerely wish that you will also enjoy our efforts.

Dog! Dammit.

Christina Iverson: For the 75th anniversary of the Crossword a few years back, we ran a series of celebrity collaborations. Occasionally, the other editors and I talked about how it would be fun to do something like that again, but there weren't any concrete plans being made. So, I thought it couldn't hurt to just ask one of my favorite celebrities if he'd make a puzzle with me. I had a decently long list of people who I knew solved crosswords, and started at the top -- I found the contact info for Nick Offerman's publicist. I'm a huge fan of "Parks and Recreation" (Ron Swanson is, perhaps, the funniest character in TV history!) and have also loved his comedy and writing. I was shocked when, within hours, she passed my email along to other people on Nick's team, and then within a couple of days I had received an email: "Nick's in!"

It was great fun to work with Nick, and he had the best attitude and absolutely no ego. I hope you enjoyed our collaboration!

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NYT Crossword Answers for Oct. 15, 2025