6D. Maybe it’s because the intro looks like “asteroids” at the beginning and end, but it was difficult for me. “Galaxies, for example,” solves ANDROIDS; This is brand trivia covering the Samsung line of smartphones that use it the operating system in question.
25D. I needed every letter from the link entry “Rafael ______,” the Red Sox’s All-Star third baseman. This is not my experience, and this is the first time Raphael DEVERS has entered a Times puzzle. A major leaguer since 2017.
35D. “Unreal?” solves with a cute, memorable pun: ON A DARE. (Talk about Pavlovian! I thought of a game of Truth or Dare at a summer camp I attended last century, though I have no idea if anyone will be playing it in 2024.)
Constructor notes
I’m so excited to be back at The New York Times! Thanks to everyone who tested and solved this puzzle and made it possible.
This puzzle, like my last one, is built around the 1-Down and 15-Across toggle switches. Expression in 1D was my main seed entry, I thought one day last summer and felt it would be particularly network worthy. I decided to try diagonal symmetry for fun, and I was very pleased with how it turned out.
Among the clues that made it into the final puzzle, my favorites were 41A, 25D, and 48D, which I’m glad the editors kept. Of the tips they changed, I liked the 19A the most and the 10D, which I thought was particularly clever.
On a personal note, I’m turning 21 in a little over a week, so I’m seeing this puzzle as an early birthday present to myself. Thanks for the solution and I’ll be back soon!
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