SATURDAY PUZZLE -- This is an unusual phenomenon, as there aren't many themeless collaborations in Times puzzles. It's also Chandi Deitmer's Saturday debut, after six winsome Sundays over the last few years. Hoang-Kim Vu, her collaborator on today's Crossword, has created a handful of weekend themeless grids. I spent three quarters of my solve in a charmed state: What zingy slang! What clever crosses! Then I spent 25 percent in white-knuckled suspense: Am I going to have to peek at this answer key? Is ordering Indian tonight cheating?

Finally, I made some noodles and slept on it, letting the ol' brain do its thing, and successfully tiptoed through that bottom-left corner the next morning. In the end, I think the hardest area of the grid for me might hold my favorite entry. Funny how that works.

Tricky Clues

16A. There's a big dollop of 21st-century idioms in this puzzle, but fortunately none are cringe-worthy, in my opinion. This one probably elicited rueful nods from solvers who have lost a battle with a small child at some point: A [Portmanteau for a moody and strong-willed toddler] is a THREENAGER. I've never heard this term before, and it is a puzzle debut, but it's apt enough to stick in my mind, I think.

19A. Does anything mentioned in this clue -- [Making a car payment, dusting the living room, scheduling a doctor's appointment, etc.] -- arouse a sense of dread in you? If so, then you might cope with ADULTING the way I do. This expression first appeared in a Times puzzle six years ago.

31A/41A/47A. Where did I not go wrong in this area of the puzzle? At 31A, [It's a hole thing], I assumed that "awl" would be the entry; it's common fill, after all. At 41A, [Like i, say], I wrote "lowcase" without much thought or doubt, and for 47A, [Accomplish with precision], I thought of "master."

This mishmash set me up for much confusion in the crossing Down entries and took quite some time to unravel. 31A solves to PAR, a reference to golf (the "hole thing," I suppose). 41A is what I'd consider difficult math trivia: The answer is NONREAL, because i is an imaginary unit, a solution to the quadratic equation x² + 1 = 0. Finally, 47A solves to DO TO A T (I still can't look at this entry and parse it correctly at first try).

1D. I like clues and entries like this, sometimes: not hard enough to frustrate you, but still able to deliver a bit of humor. The [Ride arranged on one's own] here isn't one booked through an app; it's a KIT CAR, which you can buy if you want to build your own brand-new 1933 hot rod, for instance.

10D/22D. According to the constructors' notes below, these are this puzzle's seed entries. They make a great pair, but I also love 10D's juxtaposition with 19A, and even a few of its other crossing entries. 10D, [Something the floundering are said to be on], is the STRUGGLE BUS. This metaphor seems to be circa 2010, when it was popularized by a hashtag. 22D, [Modest reply to a compliment], also reads like something a passenger on the struggle bus might say: I DO WHAT I CAN.

31D. This clue is brilliant. [Producer of black-and-white footage?] has nothing to do with vintage cinema, heliographs or daguerreotypes. It refers instead to the modern world: a PANDACAM, which can stream live footage of giant pandas, usually found at a zoo, directly to your device. Will they eat that bamboo or roll sideways down a small incline? You'll be on the edge of your seat. The Washington Zoo's new bears, Qing Bao and Bao Li, will make their screen debut in January.

Constructor Notes

Kim: Overjoyed to be back in The Times with my great friend Chandi, a lovely collaborator who always approaches life -- including this grid -- with real gusto. This one started with the 10-Down/22-Down mini theme, and went through multiple iterations before we felt we got it exactly where we liked it. My favorite of Chandi's clues include 31-Across, 52-Across and 31-Down.

Chandi: This puzzle surely would not exist without the wonderful Kim, whom I've long admired as a GOAT in the themeless realm in particular. He stunned with the northwest quadrant, and I fumbled around for MONTHS trying to come up with anything that could match his fun, cleverness and cleanliness. He was endlessly patient throughout and lent his very keen editorial eye to this collab -- it is far the better for it. Also, just a great guy to drink beers and share hair clips with. My fave entries of his include 27-Across, 54-Across and 48-Down.

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