As much as I liked the idea, the Times rejected the puzzle in April 2012, with the brief response that the theme just didn’t excite Will Shortz enough. That may have been in part because I tried to reveal the theme with the answer SMALL CHILD in two separate five-letter slots, which even at the time I didn’t feel was a strong enough phrase for what I was attempting to do. I don’t remember why I originally thought of the idea; it wasn’t because I had kids of my own, nor was I thinking I would even become a parent soon. It may have been because my niece Aurora was born in November 2011, but I’m not sure it came from anything other than a desire to combine a Schrödinger puzzle and a rebus puzzle into one. Whatever the case, I’d always remembered it and held onto it in case one day I could use it for a more pertinent reason.
Fast-forward to March 2023, and suddenly I had that reason: My wife, Vicki, and I found out she was pregnant. And then a few weeks ago, we learned that our baby would be arriving earlier than we expected, so if I were going to publish the BOY/GIRL puzzle that I’d first attempted 12 years ago, now was the time. It’s different from its original incarnation, and it is now 19×19 in size, but the core idea is the same: Pairs of phrases that can start or end with either BOY or GIRL, and an isolated BOY/GIRL Schrödinger rebus square in the center.
- 8A: [Retriever in foul territory] can be either BALL BOY or BALL GIRL.
- 20A: [Archetypal neighbor in romantic stories] can be either BOY NEXT DOOR or GIRL NEXT DOOR.
- 36A: [DC Comics protagonist] can be either SUPERBOY or SUPERGIRL. Hopefully you didn’t fall into a SUPERMAN trap here, although the crossing MANFRIENDS at 37D probably wouldn’t sound right.
- 50A: [Enthusiastic devotee] can be either FANBOY or FANGIRL.
- 82A: [Alex or Morgan, e.g.] can be either BOY’S NAME or GIRL’S NAME.
- 12D: [Sitcom with the characters Cory and Topanga] can be either “BOY MEETS WORLD” or “GIRL MEETS WORLD.”
- 20D: [Time to grow up] can be either BOYHOOD or GIRLHOOD.
- 37D: [Some significant others] can be either BOYFRIENDS or GIRLFRIENDS.
- 40D: [Parent’s phrase of encouragement to their young child] can be either “THAT’S MY BOY” or “THAT’S MY GIRL.”
- 53D: [Group whose members earn badges] can be either BOY SCOUT TROOP or GIRL SCOUT TROOP.
I threw in a revealer of sorts at 98A: [Child represented in six squares in this puzzle (in either of two different ways)] is LITTLE KID. Functionally the same idea as SMALL CHILD, but LITTLE KID is more in-the-language.
The note above the puzzle contains its own announcement: Next week’s crossword will be my last puzzle of the year, and the remaining puzzles of 2023 (Nov. 5 through Dec. 31) will be published by a group of guest constructors. Actually I should clarify that the Oct. 29 puzzle is not going to be a new one; it’s a rerun from a few years ago that I particularly liked, but I absolutely needed to take a break on writing a new puzzle for that date. You can probably guess why — it’s right in the middle of the puzzle:
- The center square at 60: [“It’s a ___!” (either one of two celebratory birth announcements shared by new parents)] is simply either BOY or GIRL.
And now I can say it officially: Our baby was born on Monday, Oct. 16, at 10:28 p.m. Six pounds, 8 ounces of happiness, fright, wonder and joy, all built into an amazing, complex little being.
I threw in plenty of child- and baby-related clues throughout the puzzle to give it more of the flavor it needed. Though I’ve been a parent for only a few days, I have already experienced what many of my readers already know: It’s both very rewarding and incredibly exhausting, with each day bringing new concerns but little victories as well, and Vicki and I are learning a lot as we go. The puzzle may have been more challenging than a normal crossword, but then, raising a newborn baby is challenging. I just feel extraordinarily lucky to be doing it with someone as wonderful and patient and understanding as Vicki Jones.
Finally, this puzzle is one that could hopefully apply to any parent, but if you were wondering which of the two rebus options applies to Vicki and me …
Meet my son Elliot James Birnholz. His first name ELLIOT appears at 13D: [Young Billy of a musical].
I hope you enjoy next week’s rerun puzzle, and I’m really excited for you to solve the guest-constructed puzzles in November and December. I’ll see you all with new puzzles in January.