It is Saturday and the NYT Crossword has reached its peak. Unfortunately, we are looking at a maze-like puzzle whose long entries threaten to devour you as you try to find your way out of the riddles. Of course, there is good news: this puzzle is themeless, so you don’t have to look for a revealer or clues related to it.
I should warn you: this crossword is hard and you may find yourself feeling helpless. However, you shouldn’t worry because I am here with the NYT Crossword analysis Feb 7 to be your torch in this maze. Join me to review some of the trickiest clues in today’s grid.
Tricky Clues of NYT Crossword Feb 7
14-Across (Homo sapiens, e.g.) is a scientific question, but I cannot help but link it to episode 3 of season 3 of Friends when Joey asks about “Homo Sapiens.” I don’t want to spoil the joke in case you haven’t watched the show yet (though I think that is almost impossible!).
Oh, I almost forgot. The answer to 14A is GENUS AND SPECIES, the two ranks in biological classification used for naming organisms. For example, a human is Homo sapiens.
42-Across (Isle of Sappho) is about the birthplace of the Greek poet Sappho which is LESBOS. She is known for her lyric poetry. I know it may not seem like one of the trickiest clues. But when I encountered it in the grid, I decided to put it in the analysis to remind you never to ignore archaic literature which is a rich source and the starting point for much of today’s literature.
At a surface level, the 7-Down clue (Long shot practice) seems easy. Therefore, you make a lot of guesses and think you are on the right track. However, you’ll find that it is far beyond what you initially thought, and you’ll find yourself stuck in the maze. This is exactly what happened to me.
In fact, without the help of crossing entries, it would have been impossible for me to reach MISSILE TEST. Believe me, it was harder than it looks!
20-Down is about a beautiful, yet scary animal. The clue is even more interesting: “Reptile with a colorful name.” For someone like me who is not interested in reptiles (because I am scared to death of seeing them), this question didn’t make sense at first. However, when I saw a picture of a ROSY BOA, I changed my mind. This creature is so beautiful that I can’t stop watching it move.
1-Across (Breakfast bar item) and 12-Across (Summer picnic side dish) are two “food” entries whose long (and delicious) answers are hard to reach. They are the first entries of the grid if you are checking the clues one by one. 1A solves to WAFFLE MAKER and 12A’s answer is MACARONI SALAD.
Did you find your way out of the Saturday maze or did the “MISSILE TEST” leave you stranded? Saturday themeless puzzles are all about endurance. Share your favorite long entries and your final solving times in the comments below!
If you need the answers for daily crossword puzzles like the NYT Crossword or the NYT Mini, make sure to check Daze Puzzle every day to find the solutions you need in record time.
