Then, I figured out the top cross in the puzzle and everything clicked. 9-Down, [Feature visible on a tree stump], solves to GROWTH RING; 45-Across, [Literary recommendations], solves to MUST READS. These two runs of circled squares do harmonize, I think, especially when seen in situ:
T
H
S T R E A D
I
N
G
Notice what happens if you take a turn at the crossing letter — say, from straight down to the right, and from straight across to straight down. This gives you THREAD and STRING. For confirmation, I ran the same script at the first cross I figured out — sure enough, I wound up with CABLE and YARN.
At this point, my mind’s eye saw it: I saw that the letter where the two entries cross is like the spot you put your finger to hold ribbon or twine in position as you (or a gift-wrapping accomplice) turn the ends 90 degrees to make a bow. That’s how we get to the puzzle’s perfect title, “I Think Knot.” I also understood the two hints at 3- and 15-Down. [Devices worn by informants … and what can be found inside three pairs of answers in this puzzle], at 3-Down, solves to HIDDEN WIRES; [Bit of embroidery … or what’s depicted literally three times in this puzzle], at 15-Down, solves to CROSS STITCH. These are both correct (and clever) answers, but I only picked up on them in the rear view mirror of this solve.
Tricky Clues
21A. I love this clue, [Group that works for only a few seconds at a time], probably because the answer didn’t occur to me at all, at first. It’s a reference to the PIT CREW that changes the tires on a racecar at an absolutely blistering speed.
30A. This entry hasn’t been in the puzzle for 20 years and I can’t recall ever hearing it in real life, which is a shame because CATTISH, for [Feline], is a delightful word. It immediately reminds me of “coquettish,” which is etymologically irrelevant (and derives from a different animal — a male chicken).
79A. Here’s another surprising, and also charming, answer: [Oxford institution, familiarly] solves to OLE MISS, which is in Oxford, Mississippi, y’all.
