My second puzzle accepted by the NYT Crossword editing team has been published!

It feel amazing to have even gotten one themeless puzzle accepted with the Times, but I have to say, the second one is prettyyyy pretttttty nice too. My first one was published on a Friday the 13th (June 2025), this second one is also a Friday the 13th.

I started the puzzle sometime around or before September 2024, it’s hard to say exactly when because I switched computers and lost some files in the process. It was accepted on Friday, December 13. SRSLY–the Friday the 13th connection is strong with me.

I was able to find an Apple Note with some random clue ideas and a bunch of different iterations of the puzzle. I’m a little strapped for time these days so I figured I’d just post the note here, without any commentary. Why not! And as always… enjoy the solve, babes.

SPOILERS BELOW!

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Also, for what it’s worth, I included MINNESOTA NICE in the puzzle because it’s a fun entry, not because of any political reason. I once dated a guy from Minnesota and he was, in fact, very nice.

The full note PDF is here.