Walks in the Park (2024)

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THURSDAY PUZZLE — I know some of our readers like to figure out why a given photo was chosen for the top of each column, so if you are curious, it’s because of the headline — the parade is walking through a park. Also, I am currently bingeing the Scottish television show “Outlander,” so bagpipes and kilts are top of mind.

Now that we have that settled, let’s talk about Royce Ferguson’s puzzle. Keep your voices down, though. You never know who is listening in.

Today’s Theme

When you start solving past the early week puzzles, you begin to see the revealer in places where you might not expect it. In Mr. Ferguson’s crossword, the revealer is in the central Down entry, at 7D. The clue reads “‘Shh! People may be listening’ … or a hint to eight squares in this puzzle,” and the answer is THE WALLS HAVE EARS.

The WALLS in this grid are the left and right borders of the puzzle, and they certainly do have EARs — eight in total. And yes, they are rebuses, or entries where you need to write more than one letter in a square. If you are just joining us and are not sure how to do that on your device, here is a handy clip-and-save article that will help.

Each long Down entry on either side of the grid has two EAR rebuses. For example, the answer to “Routine damage” (1D) is W[EAR] AND T[EAR], and the answer to “Open and honest conversation” (36D) is H[EAR]T TO H[EAR]T. The rebuses also work with the crossing entries: “One paying taxes” (14A) is an [EAR]NER, for example.