FRIDAY PUZZLE — It has been only two years since her New York Times debut, but Katie Hoody has already established herself as a superb clue writer. She has a knack for original clues that seem opaque on the first, second and maybe seventh read but that, when they’re finally cracked, are airtight in their logic (the clues at 18-Across and 11-Down, for instance). She excels at hiding a clue’s indicators — the words signaling that the answer is an abbreviation (like at 24-Across) or a non-American word (30-Across). And she lays fiendish traps that even the most seasoned solvers unwittingly fall into (16-Across’s diabolical clue).

While those stylish misdirects and clever concealments are the showstoppers, she brings the same skill to more straightforward clues. I won’t spoil 10-Down, but its clue, [“The most beautiful river on earth,” per Thomas Jefferson], solves to a word that has appeared hundreds of times in the Crossword, though never with this fresh angle. Ms. Hoody is also the fact-checker for the Midi, so perhaps her commitment to research and her nose for fun facts aren’t surprising. “She’s been known to call tourism boards and local municipalities to confirm clues,” Ian Livengood, a Times puzzle editor, wrote to me. “The same level of care spills into her own.”

Tricky Clues

16A. If you read [Track event won by the fastest four legs] and wrote “relay race,” you were almost right. But as the saying goes, “almost” counts only in horseshoes. Fitting, because the answer is HORSE RACE, which is indeed held on a track.

26A. Apologies to the Parrotheads, but the [Band at a Jimmy Buffett concert?] is not the Coral Reefer Band. It’s a LEI, a band you would have probably seen at Mr. Buffett’s tropical rock shows.

30A. [With whom one pools pounds for quarters] solves to FLATMATE, not roommate, sneakily signaled by the word “pounds,” the British currency. Leveraging the fact that “quarters” can mean coins or lodging makes the misdirect even stronger.

38A. [Boundaries between areas with different amounts of coverage] is a minefield. There are so many words in this clue with more than one meaning across contexts. But its logic is undeniable: The answer is TAN LINES.

43A. The clue [One who’s left at the polls, informally?] refers to a left-leaning Democrat or, more informally, a DEM.

55A. There are a few ways sport leagues prevent teams with big markets and deep pockets from simply signing the best players every year. One is to implement a [Penalty for exceeding a payroll threshold, in sports lingo], or a LUXURY TAX, which M.L.B. uses. This year, the Los Angeles Dodgers will pay an estimated $183 million luxury tax for their star-studded roster. They’ll also be watching the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays — who both spent far less money on their players — in the World Series instead.

11D. The clue [One may sit near a bench marking time] is referring to a piano bench, so the answer is METRONOME. I’m guessing that “stopwatch” will be a common incorrect answer; it has the same number of letters. Brutal!

54D. Another mark of a stellar clue writer is the ability to turn three-letter, flyover answers into highlights. The [Kind of joint associated with smoking, informally] suggests marijuana, but today we have to say no to drugs. The answer refers to the kind of restaurant in which you’d see a meat smoker: a BBQ joint.

Constructor Notes

Even though I came to crossword constructing rather late in life, it’s easy to identify seeds from which the endeavor has grown. Quite a few of those seeds were planted by Uncle Tim, my mom’s younger brother, who would enthusiastically play almost any game with his nieces and nephews … and never pulled any punches. It was years before I was able to beat him at Scrabble, and the wait made my eventual victory all the sweeter.

Uncle Tim wrote letters to me when he was in medical residency, always signing off with a rhyming phrase such as “I love you tons and tons of hot dog buns” or “I love you lots and lots of tater tots.” I delighted in coming up with rhymes for the letters I wrote back to him.

After he and his wife had children of their own, our families vacationed together regularly. Uncle Tim brought fun and joy to every day and wrote parody songs to commemorate our travels. I still remember the opening lyrics to one of the songs: “Hello, Basket Lake, you dirty mess / We thought that we were going to get the best / But when we got there, what a shock / A muddy lake, a rickety dock / The whole darn lake is full of rocks.” (Can you find the SLANT RHYME in that verse?)

In addition to being a skilled game player, Uncle Tim is a shining example of how to play the hand you’re dealt in life with grace, courage and wisdom, and how, when the world seems dark, you may find within yourself the light you need to illuminate your path forward.

Thank you, Uncle Tim, for nurturing me in so many ways throughout my life. I love you slews and slews of crossword clues!

Improve Your Crossword Solving

Work your way through our guide “How to Solve the New York Times Crossword.” It contains an explanation of most of the types of clues you will see in the puzzles and a practice Mini at the end of each section.

Need a little more help? Subscribers can take a peek at the answer key.