Weird Al Yankovic made today's New York Times crossword puzzle and the theme is 'cheese'

The satirical accordion-playing mastermind behind pastiches such as "White and Nerdy," "Another One Rides the Bus," and "Smells like Nirvana" has officially graced the pages of the Gray Lady with his wordplay. "Weird Al" Yankovic made his crossword debut in The New York Times on Wednesday with a "cheese" themed puzzle ... of course.

People were still, well, confused!

"Back in early December I got it into my head that Al would make an ideal addition to the celebrity/constructor pairings that The New York Times has been featuring on its crossword page," wrote Yankovic's co-author, crossword-making veteran Eric Berlin. He added: "Al, to my delight, leapt at the idea, and all of a sudden I found myself in a weeklong many-e-mails-a-day correspondence with one of my childhood — and heck, adult — idols."

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Apparently an early idea for a theme was "the (blank) film festival," to which Yankovic replied "with a long list of cheese/movie puns." Berlin explains: "My very first attempt at the grid included one of my favorites from his list, QUESOBLANCA." Subscribers can take a whack at the puzzle here.