I was feeling a little low recently, when the thought struck me—maybe I hadn’t been spending enough time and energy on self-congratulation! It’s a main theme of my remarks on this web site, of course, and I don’t stint on it during my daily routine, assuring myself, as I read the news especially, that my impulses are purer, my thoughts nobler, my opinions more righteous, than most anybody else’s. But lately that just hasn’t been enough. So I began this week’s puzzle with a self-congratulatory title, and then, with every theme answer I devised (having imposed stricter limits on myself than other constructors, and having arrived nonetheless at cleverer answers), with every word I added to the fill (having given due attention to deserving people and resolutely ignored their undeserving counterparts), with every clue I wrote (having alluded to many things that the average solver will feel uncool for not knowing), I shouted, “Ta da!” I invite you to join me in this exercise, and shout “Ta da!” (in your heart, if you aren’t alone) with every word you solve. We’ll all feel better about ourselves, and that’s what crosswords are for.
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