We declare this puzzle open for solving. This week’s puzzle was constructed by Brandon Koppy and edited by Hoang-Kim Vu. Brandon lives in Dripping Springs, Texas, just outside Austin, with his wife and two little girls. You can also find his puzzles in The New York Times or on his blog, see17across.com.
A note for our newer solvers: So far, we've stayed away from “tricksy” puzzles, the kind that might feature rebuses (multiple letters in a single square) or Schrödinger elements (clues with more than one correct answer). Brandon's puzzle has neither of those, but consider it a “tricksy” puzzle for beginners and a heads-up to expect more in the future. As your solving skills improve, we want to keep you challenged!
Defector crosswords, launched in partnership with our friends at AVCX, run every Monday. If you’re interested in submitting a puzzle to us, you can read our guidelines HERE.
