June Bonus Puzzle
Every month, The New York Times publishes a bonus crossword puzzle for subscribers. The puzzles are designed to have the difficulty of an early week puzzle and to use the theme throughout. The theme of this month’s puzzle, by Christina Iverson, a puzzle editor, and Bianca Del Rio, a stand-up comic and performance artist, is drag. If ever there was a worldwide run on sass, the first place to check would be the coffers at Bianca Del Rio’s place of residence. A costume designer turned comic, Del Rio sashayed her way to a resounding win on Season 6 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Hailing from New Orleans, she worked a sort of Southern charm in reverse on the judges, ditching niceties for clever barbs and wowing with her quick wit and sharp tongue. I was first introduced to “Drag Race” in college, by my then roommate and now dear friend Dakota; incidentally the same person who helped me foster a love of the New York Times Crossword. We used to solve it sitting side-by-side atop my twin XL mattress. In close quarters, I would catch snippets of the fierce competition — in all ways — at the heart of “Drag Race” as he watched from his laptop. When I messaged him this month asking how he would describe Del Rio, the response was instant, no text bubbles needed: “the Joan Rivers of Drag.” That’s a title this very newspaper actually coined in a 2014 profile by my colleague Jacob Bernstein. A self-proclaimed “insult comic,” the honorific fits Del Rio like a custom evening gown. While her lip-syncing and glam skills are certainly no less exemplary, it’s that signature biting and, dare I say, “drag her” energy that truly sets Del Rio apart. Her continued success as a stand-up comic and screen star can no doubt be traced in part to the buoyancy of this bit; its jagged edges reminding of drag’s scrappy and subversive history as an art form. Perhaps unlike Rivers, though, Del Rio manages to imbue the insults that spring from her proverbial “Rolodex of hate” with enough of a winking quality that they never feel truly cruel (well almost never). Christina Iverson, resident “Drag Race” superfan among the puzzle editors, told me that Del Rio was at the top of her list of queens to collaborate with for a crossword. She was “surprised” but delighted when she got an easy yes, and the two met twice to build this month’s grid. Like a well-painted face, the dazzle is in the details for June’s bonus. With punchy nods to the show, and a title taken from the lips of RuPaul herself, it’s truly a fabulous solve. I hope you have as much fun with it as I did. Solve the Puzzle.
Try This Clue11-Down: [Oiled-up features of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” assistants]
How are we doing? Thanks for playing! Subscribe to New York Times Games. If you like this newsletter, you can tell your friends to sign up here. The answer to the clue is ABS.
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