Puzzle Notes

Dear solvers,

We're delighted to bring you a debut cryptic this week from #crypticcluecontest regular Jeff Slutzky.

From Jeff: I'm a legal editor and I live with my husband in Manhattan. Among other things, I'm a history buff, Disney geek, and obituary nerd. I'm thrilled to be publishing my first cryptic crossword -- it's something I've wanted to do for ages! Thank you to Nate Cardin for his terrific mentorship, Steve Mossberg for his invaluable feedback, and Stella for her careful and thorough editing. I'm on Twitter at @tinmanic -- say hi!

Jeff has a rainbow flag emoji in his Twitter profile and we think this puzzle shows his pride beautifully. We hope you enjoy it!

Be well,
The AVCX Cryptic team