Approximately in the Middle

A Collaborative Puzzle by Wendy L. Brandes and Sally Hoelscher, Edited by Amanda Rafkin

Introduction

Greetings, puzzle enthusiasts! As you may have discerned from the title, this puzzle delves into the realm of "approximately in the middle." Before delving into the specifics, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Amanda Rafkin, whose insightful suggestions greatly enhanced this puzzle, and to the esteemed team at USA Today for their invaluable assistance in bringing it to fruition.

Origin and Collaboration

The genesis of this puzzle can be traced to a collaborative effort between two seasoned constructors, Wendy L. Brandes and Sally Hoelscher. In their email exchanges, they habitually greet each other with a cheerful "Happy Tuesday!" (or the corresponding day of the week), serving as a playful reminder of the relentless march of time.

On this particular Tuesday, Sally extended an invitation to Wendy to join her in crafting a puzzle centered around the concept of EST, an abbreviation for "estimate." This term resonated with Wendy, as it echoed the nature of puzzle-solving itself, often requiring an approximate approach to reach the desired solution.

Thematic Core

The puzzle’s central theme revolves around the placement of the letter string EST within the theme answers. EST, as a synonym for "approximate," serves as a subtle indicator of the theme. However, Wendy and Sally imposed an additional constraint upon themselves, ensuring that EST occupied the exact middle position within each theme answer.

This constraint led them to meticulously search for suitable phrases that not only contained EST but also adhered to the requirement of having EST precisely in the middle. After careful consideration, they arrived at three theme answers that satisfied these criteria: BARCODE STICKERS, ELAINE STRITCH, and COLLEGE STUDENTS.

Editorial Enhancements

Once the theme answers were finalized, they were presented to Amanda Rafkin, the puzzle’s editor. Amanda’s keen eye and editorial prowess further refined the puzzle, ensuring both its accuracy and its appeal to a wide range of solvers.

Conclusion

We hope that you have found this puzzle to be an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. As always, we welcome your feedback and encourage you to share your solving journey with us. Thank you for choosing our puzzle and for your continued support of the crossword community!