MONDAY PUZZLE — It’s not easy to make a Monday puzzle. Because they are known as the “easiest” puzzles of the week, there is a tendency to assume that constructing them is just as easy. Or at least that they’re a lighter lift than a theme-less late week puzzle, with its long entries and maddening clues. And then they have to write clues that are fun, but again, they need to show restraint and keep the clues as easy as possible. In crosswords, answers must match their clues in tense and language, so an Italian clue requires an Italian answer.

Source: New York Times February 14, 2021 22:52 UTC