WEDNESDAY PUZZLE — This puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld made for an interesting solving experience. It felt like I had solved two different puzzles, and I enjoyed the second part more than the first. Your mileage may vary.

Tricky Clues

1A: A HAJJ (also spelled “hadj”) is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that every adult Muslim is expected to make at least once in his or her lifetime.

10A: If you are having a battle of the verses, you might be taking part in a poetry SLAM.

19A: Thought this was going to be inflammatory, didn’t you? The answer to the clue “Dem. or Rep., e.g.” is asking solvers to figure out which category Dems and Reps belong to. In this puzzle, they are in the category of ABBReviations.

53A: The French comic book character ASTERIX has appeared in the New York Times Crossword only once before, so I wasn’t that familiar with him. But the plethora of characters in the series fascinated me, so I went down the rabbit hole (I swear, I’m doing this for you). The series has been published in English since 1969. I might have to go in search of some of the books.