tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351150612024-03-19T08:05:59.203-04:00Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword PuzzleA Crossword BlogRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger6469125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52381521998090458212024-03-19T05:34:00.003-04:002024-03-19T08:02:12.551-04:00Milk curdler in cheesemaking / TUE 3-19-24 / Parent dressed up at a pride parade, perhaps? / Oklahoma city named for a Tennyson character / Musical based on a comic strip / Starchy tropical root / Lentils, on an Indian menu / Capital wheeler-dealer, informally <span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Lynn Lempel</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy-Medium (Easyish but extra-wide (16x))</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzVFM6yCFr6mU6NvUoW-2tW_63aTcm7DxUq5NHEwXqSQ-cYH54UxneJAn0EqV6dbFcjP_R756Peg8CsMnwV5G06cF_B6MuzlAk_AZOmcRbb0VKUt_ne8gZDzxzPXzC6-pQ3cUPXAKyrchODoctJnZYCRifHCoP0jowgKWsuqrsKGDF0hQ0UKLrA/s976/Screenshot%202024-03-19%20at%204.10.26%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="974" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzVFM6yCFr6mU6NvUoW-2tW_63aTcm7DxUq5NHEwXqSQ-cYH54UxneJAn0EqV6dbFcjP_R756Peg8CsMnwV5G06cF_B6MuzlAk_AZOmcRbb0VKUt_ne8gZDzxzPXzC6-pQ3cUPXAKyrchODoctJnZYCRifHCoP0jowgKWsuqrsKGDF0hQ0UKLrA/w400-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-19%20at%204.10.26%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> HALFTIME (63A: Game break ... or a hint to interpreting the first parts of 17-, 26-, 36-, and 52-Across)</span> — four-letter words at beginning of theme answers must be cut in "half" in order for the answers to makes sense for their wacky clues:<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">MAIN DRAG => Ma in drag (17A: Parent dressed up at a pride parade, perhaps?)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">DOOR NAILS => Do or nails (26A: Choice between a haircut and manicure?)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">BEAT THE CLOCK => "Be at the clock" (36A: "Meet me under Big Ben"?)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">GOON SQUAD! => "Go on, squad!" (52A: "Continue with your routine, cheerleaders"?)</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> ENID </span>(<b>32A: Oklahoma city named for a Tennyson character</b>) —<div>
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<blockquote><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Enid</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (</span><span class="rt-commentedText nowrap" face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/iː/: 'ee' in 'fleece'">iː</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'d' in 'dye'">d</span></span>/</a></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling">EE-nid</i></a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">) is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. state of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Oklahoma">Oklahoma</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. It is the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_seat" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="County seat">county seat</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield_County,_Oklahoma" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Garfield County, Oklahoma">Garfield County</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. As of the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_census" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="2020 United States census">2020 census</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, the population was 51,308. Enid was founded during the opening of the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Outlet" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Cherokee Outlet">Cherokee Outlet</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> in the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Run_of_1893" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Land Run of 1893">Land Run of 1893</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, and is named after Enid, a character in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Lord_Tennyson" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Alfred, Lord Tennyson">Alfred, Lord Tennyson</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">'s </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idylls_of_the_King" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Idylls of the King">Idylls of the King</a></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. In 1991, the Oklahoma state legislature designated Enid the "</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_martin" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Purple martin">purple martin</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> capital of Oklahoma."</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> Enid holds the nickname of "Queen Wheat City" and "Wheat Capital" of Oklahoma and the United States for its immense grain storage capacity, and has the third-largest grain storage capacity in the world. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfq9TIZTM9cfqGOB3iBBZrSwdc0Lx_M82WnAjsiJ2j2wBSCBQue0Q01Ufyx9x2WQMsjrUqnXGHTPWZuRQYCY6Y5urI7dqDk1NIsu1EiAxuv6woT7y3S4a7uHWTY1VX8jMaFcmoie5EyS0tugmva-kRIhGvlcwG6e-hvLEyPQlS5gxJyljz3Os66w/s170/Beat_the_Clock_logo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="170" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfq9TIZTM9cfqGOB3iBBZrSwdc0Lx_M82WnAjsiJ2j2wBSCBQue0Q01Ufyx9x2WQMsjrUqnXGHTPWZuRQYCY6Y5urI7dqDk1NIsu1EiAxuv6woT7y3S4a7uHWTY1VX8jMaFcmoie5EyS0tugmva-kRIhGvlcwG6e-hvLEyPQlS5gxJyljz3Os66w/s1600/Beat_the_Clock_logo.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>Nice to see Lynn Lempel's name back on the byline. Decades of experience making clever, solid, primarily early-week puzzles. When I wrote "decades" just now I thought "I'm pretty sure I've been seeing her name for two decades, at least, but I better confirm that." <i>Two</i> decades? Ha. I was off by over two decades! This is her 100th NYTXW puzzle in the Shortz Era* and her 102nd overall—her debut was a Sunday puzzle in 1979! I had no idea she'd been constructing so long, probably because even though she has aged (as we're all wont to do), her puzzles never seemed to get old. Anyway, congrats to her on yet another worthy effort. My only disappointment today was that the revealer wasn't snappier, or more apt, somehow. Specifically, the "time" part of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HALFTIME</span></b> doesn't appear to be doing anything. I guess that when it comes "time" for you to make sense of the answer, you have to break that first answer in "half," but that seems pretty tenuous. I was looking for something ... timier to be going on. For instance, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BEAT THE CLOCK</span></b>, which sits dead center, seems to be begging you to think about time. In music, you keep time by following the BEAT. And, well, CLOCK's connection to time is obvious on its ... face. So I thought maybe there was going to be some "time" concept built in, but I can't see it. If the TIME in <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HALFTIME</span></b> is doing something I can't see, I apologize. The fact that those four-letter words break perfectly in half to create wackiness, that's plenty of pizzazz for a Tuesday theme. I'm just not sure that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HALFTIME</span></b>, as a revealer, sticks the landing.<div><br />
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</div><div>Took me a half-beat to figure out the concept today. I was like "oh, she's punning on DRAG, OK, cool ... how is a parent 'MAIN'? One of the 'MAIN' ... people ... in your house?? That seems wr- ... ohhhhh, it's MA! <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MA IN DRAG</span></b>! Ah, cool. Good for Ma." I don't think of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DOORNAILS</span></b> as real things—I think of them existing solely as a metaphorical point of comparison, something for people to be as dead as. But I suppose doors must once have had nails, and anyway, "dead as a doornail" makes it a familiar enough term. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BEAT THE CLOCK</span></b> is a general expression for making a deadline, but it's also the name of a long-running game show that has had many incarnations since the early days of television (1949!), the most recent being a kids show in 2018-19, but it's heyday was the '50s.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>The fill ran a little on the stale side, but nothing made me cringe except <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SPOOR </span>(8D: Wild animal's trail)</b>, and that's just because I'd rather not have animal droppings in my puzzle. You know, if it can be avoided. Huh, looks like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SPOOR</span></b> is <i>any</i> evidence left behind, anything that leaves a track, trail, or scent. Not just droppings. It's just that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SPOOR</span></b> ... I mean, it's got "poo" built in, so it <i>feels</i> like dropping. The word just has a mild ick factor for me. What "moist" is to some, "spoor" is to me. Then there's <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGLARE</span></b>, which is one of those "a-" words I never quite believe exist anywhere outside of antiquated poetry (<b>46D: Shining brightly</b>). I had AGLEAM in there at first—that's one hell of a kealoa**. If AGLOW had fit, I might've considered that as well. Or AGLIMMER. Is AGLAZE a word? My software is not red-underlining it, which troubles me. Phew, looks like it's a proprietary wax of some sort, and not an actual word, so do <i>not</i> add that to your list of potential six-letter AGL- adjectives. That list holds steady at 2. ABLAZE and AFLAME remain words. Lots and lots of luminescence in the "a"-prefixed adjective category, who knew?</div><div><br />See you tomorrow.<div><br /></div><div>Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. I'll be reminding you all week that <a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/campaign/these-puzzles-fund-abortion-4/c561096">These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4</a> is now available. Here is my description of the details (from this past Sunday's write-up):</div><div><a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4"></a><blockquote><a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPELgDnLcem6844W4gT4JZDvI-opFf0EYox3lGbl0X-bULNVoc2vWiV11UhI_IPZMrVWVHJ88Gvue_QCY1qn34jnOj9Xfe4t3xJZzAuoXTO8H96aN4HeEwYOmENzlIOssOYJpmmCe301rhytBVbE1qF02ejnKQWo13aXwB3nlJJ_hW2VSch-7q1g/s400/i4f6YAw-_400x400.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPELgDnLcem6844W4gT4JZDvI-opFf0EYox3lGbl0X-bULNVoc2vWiV11UhI_IPZMrVWVHJ88Gvue_QCY1qn34jnOj9Xfe4t3xJZzAuoXTO8H96aN4HeEwYOmENzlIOssOYJpmmCe301rhytBVbE1qF02ejnKQWo13aXwB3nlJJ_hW2VSch-7q1g/w204-h204/i4f6YAw-_400x400.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4 (four!) just dropped this past week—over 20 original puzzles from top constructors and editors—and you can get the collection now (right now) for a <a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/give/561096/#!/donation/checkout">minimum donation of $20</a> (donations split evenly among five different abortion funds—<a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/campaign/these-puzzles-fund-abortion-4/c561096">details here</a>). You can check out a detailed description of the collection and a list of all the talent involved <a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4">here</a>. I not only guest-edited a puzzle, I also test-solved puzzles. I have now seen the finished collection, and it's really lovely, across the board. General editors Rachel Fabi and Brooke Husic and C.L. Rimkus put in a tremendous amount of work ensuring that it would be. The attention to detail—test-solving, fact-checking, etc.—was really impressive. Anyway, donate generously (assuming you are able) and enjoy the puzzle bounty!</blockquote></div><div>P.P.S. here’s one commenter's explanation of the "Time" element of this theme—if it makes sense to you, fantastic!</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTpPbZXBWDTxqEs8puoO7jaF3ed0KBysl9QiHRuoaBna5m7nJgixgHpCphYYjfHJhD-8Dc_fdQJqHg97qAqslq2M4PxcypaeLmgLr4VlYnRgo-gqqv_-2nz8W2QGvURk2Asttkoa_n7SKp3gGSFAjI17pgCWeElRSugYqVljSpL0HdQfAu2RrsQ/s1340/IMG_9533.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTpPbZXBWDTxqEs8puoO7jaF3ed0KBysl9QiHRuoaBna5m7nJgixgHpCphYYjfHJhD-8Dc_fdQJqHg97qAqslq2M4PxcypaeLmgLr4VlYnRgo-gqqv_-2nz8W2QGvURk2Asttkoa_n7SKp3gGSFAjI17pgCWeElRSugYqVljSpL0HdQfAu2RrsQ/s320/IMG_9533.jpeg" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[I see the 2/2, but not the 4/4 — there’s only one 4 🤷🏻]</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>*Joel Fagliano is the interim editor, but it's still Shortz's Era until I hear differently</div><div><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">**kealoa = a pair of words (normally short, common answers) that can be clued identically and that share at least one letter in common (in the same position). These are answers you can't just fill in quickly because two or more answers are viable, Even With One or More Letters In Place. From the classic [Mauna ___] KEA/LOA conundrum. See also, e.g. [Heaps] ATON/ALOT, ["Git!"] "SHOO"/"SCAT," etc. </span></p>
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[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div></div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6836840756885326232024-03-18T00:00:00.045-04:002024-03-18T00:00:00.287-04:00Clothing ensembles, slangily / MON 3-18-24 / "Star Wars" droid, familiarly / Hotly contested area in a U.S. election / Unruly '60s hairdo / In Europe, it's known as a "twin town" <span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Trent H. Evans</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Medium (normal Monday)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2W0UOoayBBUXdIn0Fmmytrj9vZMdIM_GlxPaexSxCouM930T2GHZRFNhz7ZGNnlSB1UixzsdzUDzsgEaG9MCAwie7ykwoN4WYQ5boUGzKoIdpTmTn0_fNekwYvMvForjX8gkaKNFYNsRUBeDNJO5f2xlaxX-fjpdSwQvTp4H7gwn0r4-ZjEPfQ/s976/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%207.13.38%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="916" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2W0UOoayBBUXdIn0Fmmytrj9vZMdIM_GlxPaexSxCouM930T2GHZRFNhz7ZGNnlSB1UixzsdzUDzsgEaG9MCAwie7ykwoN4WYQ5boUGzKoIdpTmTn0_fNekwYvMvForjX8gkaKNFYNsRUBeDNJO5f2xlaxX-fjpdSwQvTp4H7gwn0r4-ZjEPfQ/w375-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%207.13.38%20PM.png" width="375" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> moving to a bigger place ...</span> — theme answers end with geographical areas of increasing size:<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><b>SISTER <u>CITY</u> (17A: In Europe, it's known as a "twin town")</b></li><li><b>PURPLE <u>STATE</u> (29A: Hotly contested area in a U.S. election)</b></li><li><b>HOST <u>COUNTRY</u> (45A: France, for the 2024 Olympics)</b></li><li><b>ALIEN <u>WORLD</u> (60A: Extraterrestrial's home, to us)</b></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> ABBIE Hoffman </span>(<b>1A: 1960s activist Hoffman</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhF7ExMYNO2X4BQW31s-ioAdd6QdOtqFKUS0wUleOTxBSq9d5oqwH8NWuF9EKFDuvZb5TSu7K2yuG0xbGePCIEOcPQsCCD-8pPMkiA1WuF81qENzxt0a0zu6ed1UbQ9SsLAbET0auYVw99Vo-4O45NLDFNuXaXP7S4__-Ecch_d5Mncj2dorunzQ/s1000/51POQAOc4EL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="612" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhF7ExMYNO2X4BQW31s-ioAdd6QdOtqFKUS0wUleOTxBSq9d5oqwH8NWuF9EKFDuvZb5TSu7K2yuG0xbGePCIEOcPQsCCD-8pPMkiA1WuF81qENzxt0a0zu6ed1UbQ9SsLAbET0auYVw99Vo-4O45NLDFNuXaXP7S4__-Ecch_d5Mncj2dorunzQ/w156-h255/51POQAOc4EL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="156" /></a></b></div><b>Abbot Howard Hoffman</b> (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_International_Party" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Youth International Party">Youth International Party</a> ("Yippies") and was a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Seven" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Chicago Seven">Chicago Seven</a>. He was also a leading proponent of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_Power" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Flower Power">Flower Power</a> movement.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">As a member of the Chicago Seven, Hoffman was charged with and tried―for activities during the 1968 Democratic National Convention―for conspiring to use interstate commerce with intent to incite a riot and crossing state lines with the intent to incite a riot under the anti-riot provisions of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1968#Title_X:_Anti-Riot_Act" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Civil Rights Act of 1968">Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1968</a>.<sup class="reference nowrap" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><span title="Page / location: 4"> </span></sup> Five of the Chicago Seven defendants, including Hoffman, were convicted of crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot;<sup class="reference nowrap" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><span title="Page / location: 8"> </span></sup>all of the convictions were vacated after an appeal and the U.S. Department of Justice declined to pursue another trial.<sup class="reference nowrap" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><span title="Page / location: 9"> </span></sup> Hoffman, along with all of the defendants and their attorneys were also convicted and sentenced for contempt of court by the judge; these convictions were also vacated after an appeal.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">Hoffman continued his activism into the 1970s and remains an icon of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Vietnam_war" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Anti-Vietnam war">anti-Vietnam war</a> movement and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960s" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Counterculture of the 1960s">counterculture era</a>. He died by suicide with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenobarbital" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Phenobarbital">phenobarbital</a> overdose in 1989 at age 52. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhYiUobpCbkx0pyb51bkSYk3HZTN2r2VNDgk5xOXU9mqiWnrXl4uwRYU3R4nUqnzYyigZ64DwyYmY4YBxz4b9y4AH5QbCUVBANlpeY80JgSSN6xzPCZUFTADOb8kQ-_QM8eA7p6g2UX5nFH_3MAQ7u4x3nw53OgVxDjHQpYjUOy1YbuBZVlNqzg/s540/e610f25607999cbb623f6dd24c48ec35.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="540" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEhYiUobpCbkx0pyb51bkSYk3HZTN2r2VNDgk5xOXU9mqiWnrXl4uwRYU3R4nUqnzYyigZ64DwyYmY4YBxz4b9y4AH5QbCUVBANlpeY80JgSSN6xzPCZUFTADOb8kQ-_QM8eA7p6g2UX5nFH_3MAQ7u4x3nw53OgVxDjHQpYjUOy1YbuBZVlNqzg/w247-h182/e610f25607999cbb623f6dd24c48ec35.png" width="247" /></a></div>Well this is about as plain as it gets. Even says so, right in the middle of the grid: <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PLAIN</span></b>. Totally rudimentary progression here. Might've been more interesting if the geographical areas had been more metaphorical, less on-the-nose. "FIST CITY," ALTERED STATE, COW COUNTRY, WALLEY WORLD, that sort of thing. But these are just literal cities, states, etc. Ho + hum. It'll do, but it doesn't do much. Not bad, just straightforward to the point of dullness. Basic. Could be better, but also could be worse. The thing that's actively annoying about today's puzzle is the fill, which is lazy and stale, especially in the east and southeast. Just cruddy from <b><span style="color: #351c75;">KRONA</span></b> through <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ATT ASAP BAA</span></b> down to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ARTOO</span></b>. Overfamiliar <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STYES</span></b>, overfamiliar <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALOE</span></b>. It's a glut. Just no attempt at all to clean or spice things up. It's all gettable, no one's really gonna balk at anything down there, but the overall quality of the fill could and should be better. Constructors just don't put in the time to get it from "acceptable" to "good," and if the theme "works," the editors clearly only care that the fill reach "acceptable." So people come to accept mediocrity. If you cared about making the grid actively good, you'd tear out <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALOHA PARTY</span></b> (the weakest of the long answers, and the long answer to which the most weak short stuff is attached or adjacent) and rebuild. The "H" and "P" from <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALOHA PARTY</span></b> are kinda forcing you into <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ETHEL</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ASAP</span></b>, respectively, and the rest of the gunk pretty much falls into place from there. Therefore, aloha, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALOHA PARTY</span></b> (which seems to be more of a <a href="https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/aloha_party#English">welcome party</a> than a farewell party, but ... I guess, like "aloha" itself, it can go both ways?) (<b>32D: Farewell celebration for those leaving the Hawaiian Islands</b>). <div><br />
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</div><div>This was on the easy side where Downs-only solving was concerned, but I got pretty significantly held up by a colorful long answer that, sadly, turned out to be a long wrong answer. I say "sadly" because I really liked my long answer, which was BUTTINSKIS (for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BUSYBODIES</span></b>) (<b>3D: Meddling sorts</b>). It's perfect for the clue, and like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BUSYBODIES</span></b> (as you can see) starts with a "BU-"! So once I inferred <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ABBIE</span></b> from AB-IE and then ran the vowels at DRINK / DRANK / <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DRUNK</span></b>, I caught sight of that "BU-" combo and though "aha, BUTTINSKIS! Good one!" But no. They were phantom BUTTINSKIS, alas. Those BUTTINSKIS kept me from seeing <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SISTER CITY</span></b> for far too long. I was staring down SITTER-something, which seemed impossible. I thought maybe these were gonna be wacky wordplay theme answers, but once I got <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PURPLE STATE</span></b>, I knew the theme answers were gonna be regular answers, which means I had an error. Really resisted pulling BUTTINSKIS because ... I mean, BUTTINSKIS, you can see how I'd be attached! But finally I pulled it, and that made all the difference. Rest of the puzzle was a comparative breeze.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>I also had trouble with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STYMIES </span>(9D: Hinders)</b>, in part because I'd gone with POPTOP over <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MOPTOP</span></b>. I knew that it *could* have been <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MOPTOP</span></b>, but I figured it's Monday, the can opener answer is probably more likely than the vintage Beatles-esque answer. But no (<b>22A: Unruly '60s hairdo</b>). Also, in a Downs-only situation, ABE- could be either <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ABE<u>T</u></span></b> or ABE<u>L</u> (theoretically it could also be ABE<u>D</u>, or even ABE<u>S</u>, but not when the last letter is preceded in the Down by an "S"). And <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FITS</span></b> could've been FATS, so I ended up having to juggle what seemed like a lot of possibilities. But once "Y" was solidly set, and I reconsidered <b><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>M</u>OPTOP</span></b>, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STYMIES</span></b> leapt into view. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>That clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FITS</span></b> is likely to be slightly baffling for some older solvers (<b>26A: Clothing ensembles, slangily</b>). I feel like "fit"'s currency (short for "outfit") is relatively recent. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Nobody said "fit" when I was young, is what I'm saying. "Fit check" is used on social media when someone wants to show off their outfit (or call attention to someone else's). Anyway, solving Downs-only, I never had to deal with that clue. Not much else to say about this one except ... I have questions about the "In Europe" part of <b>17A: In Europe, it's known as a "twin town"</b> (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">SISTER CITY</span></b>). First of all, "In Europe," they don't speak English, so on its face "twin town" seems dubious. Also, "In Europe" they speak A Lot Of Languages—does every country "In Europe" really call it a "twin town"? Google is telling me that Spain uses "ciudad hermanada," which is essentially "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">SISTER CITY</span></b>," and since Spain is "In Europe," again, I dispute this clue. It seems generally true that "twin(ned) town" is the most common translation of the equivalent phrase in France and Germany, and possibly elsewhere, so there's no big foul here. I just like clue phrasing to be precise and accurate. Also, this puzzle is so <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PLAIN</span></b> that there's not much to focus on, so I'm focusing on this. In the interest of not going further into the weeds, I bid you good day.</div><div><br />
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. I'll be reminding you all week that <a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/campaign/these-puzzles-fund-abortion-4/c561096">These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4</a> is now available. Here is my description of the details (from this past Sunday's write-up):</div><div><a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4"></a><blockquote><a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPELgDnLcem6844W4gT4JZDvI-opFf0EYox3lGbl0X-bULNVoc2vWiV11UhI_IPZMrVWVHJ88Gvue_QCY1qn34jnOj9Xfe4t3xJZzAuoXTO8H96aN4HeEwYOmENzlIOssOYJpmmCe301rhytBVbE1qF02ejnKQWo13aXwB3nlJJ_hW2VSch-7q1g/s400/i4f6YAw-_400x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPELgDnLcem6844W4gT4JZDvI-opFf0EYox3lGbl0X-bULNVoc2vWiV11UhI_IPZMrVWVHJ88Gvue_QCY1qn34jnOj9Xfe4t3xJZzAuoXTO8H96aN4HeEwYOmENzlIOssOYJpmmCe301rhytBVbE1qF02ejnKQWo13aXwB3nlJJ_hW2VSch-7q1g/w204-h204/i4f6YAw-_400x400.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4 (four!) just dropped this past week—over 20 original puzzles from top constructors and editors—and you can get the collection now (right now) for a <a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/give/561096/#!/donation/checkout">minimum donation of $20</a> (donations split evenly among five different abortion funds—<a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/campaign/these-puzzles-fund-abortion-4/c561096">details here</a>). You can check out a detailed description of the collection and a list of all the talent involved <a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4">here</a>. I not only guest-edited a puzzle, I also test-solved puzzles. I have now seen the finished collection, and it's really lovely, across the board. General editors Rachel Fabi and Brooke Husic and C.L. Rimkus put in a tremendous amount of work ensuring that it would be. The attention to detail—test-solving, fact-checking, etc.—was really impressive. Anyway, donate generously (assuming you are able) and enjoy the puzzle bounty!</blockquote>
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53745980243214517042024-03-17T00:00:00.093-04:002024-03-17T07:21:37.372-04:00Voicer of Olaf in "Frozen" / SUN 3-17-24 / Colonized, as bees might / Music genre that emphasizes the offbeat / Comedian Jimmy with a self-described "schnozzola" / Literary friend of Sam, Merry and Pippin / Insurance company whose name contains a diphthong / Seller of over a billion Huggable Hangers on TV / Fictional archaeologist with a whip, familiarly<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Simeon Seigel</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Medium (never saw the gimmick, so I don't know what was supposed to happen)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ4Nhhz9IHAyNjhDriodc9_JLeaVzp46Fl8PYTGatyNxJRM5A6q4dQsOalD72SzoJDUPk7A6DunLezHs_PI2guA8_-Fn-5hnI7OFNK0seVbIdw4rEZP-CArxmQsbFJ-T5xEPzHDY0RB4bbk8peQfD-g5ibaxRGTx7tEZhbcMMmfR48FmirN38jg/s1334/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%207.23.25%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="1334" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ4Nhhz9IHAyNjhDriodc9_JLeaVzp46Fl8PYTGatyNxJRM5A6q4dQsOalD72SzoJDUPk7A6DunLezHs_PI2guA8_-Fn-5hnI7OFNK0seVbIdw4rEZP-CArxmQsbFJ-T5xEPzHDY0RB4bbk8peQfD-g5ibaxRGTx7tEZhbcMMmfR48FmirN38jg/w400-h384/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%207.23.25%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> "All Over the Map"</span> — different U.S. attractions that you can find in ... all parts of the U.S. The revealer is THE -O-TH --ST (<b>69A: Locale of this puzzle's attractions (really, all eight of them!)</b>), where the blanks can be filled to make NORTHEAST <i>or</i> NORTHWEST <i>or</i> SOUTHEAST <i>or</i> SOUTHWEST (I ended up with SOUTHEAST—what did you end up with?):<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">OLD FAITHFUL (2D: </span><b>Attraction in 69-Across that's part of America's first national park)</b></li><li><b>NIAGARA FALLS (28A: </b><b>Attraction in 69-Across that once froze over for 30 hours in 1848)</b></li><li><b>LADY LIBERTY (37A: </b><b>Attraction in 69-Across that withstands dozens of lightning strikes a year, familiarly)</b></li><li><b>CRATER LAKE (4D: </b><b>Attraction in 69-Across that's almost 2,000 feet deep)</b></li><li><b>FOUR CORNERS (104A: </b><b>Attraction in 69-Across overseen by the Navajo Nation)</b></li><li><b>EVERGLADES (80D: </b><b>Attraction in 69-Across where crocodiles and alligators uniquely coexist)</b></li><li><b>EPCOT CENTER (73D: </b><b>Attraction in 69-Across designed to be a "city of the future")</b></li><li><b>AREA FIFTY-ONE (116A: Attraction in 69-Across on the Extraterrestrial Highway)</b></li></ul><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(80, 11, 0); color: #500b00; font-weight: 700;">Theme answers:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>70D: Division for a tennis match (<span style="color: red;">N</span>ET or <span style="color: red;">S</span>ET)</b></li><li><b>56D: Word before fly (HO<span style="color: red;">R</span>SE or HO<span style="color: red;">U</span>SE)</b></li><li><b>59D: "No," in a certain dialect (NA<span style="color: red;">E</span> or NA<span style="color: red;">W</span>)</b></li><li><b>66D: Touch gently (P<span style="color: red;">A</span>T or P<span style="color: red;">E</span>T)</b></li></ul></div>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> OFFERTORY </span>(<b>20D: Collection during a church service</b>) —
<blockquote><span class="OoNk445te7MEusWxZIjw" face=""LFT Etica", arial, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(37, 37, 40); color: #252528; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">noun,</span><span face=""LFT Etica", arial, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(37, 37, 40); color: #252528; font-size: 18px;"><span class="luna-label italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">plural</span> <span class="luna-inflected-form bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;">of·fer·to·ries.</span></span><div class="_bzA3f8_vqmJSIKsgOar" style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(37, 37, 40); color: #252528; font-family: "LFT Etica", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5;"><ol start="1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding-left: 38px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 8px 8px;"><div class="ESah86zaufmd2_YPdZtq" data-type="word-definition-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">(<span class="luna-label italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">sometimes initial capital letter</span>) the offering of the unconsecrated elements that is made to God by the celebrant in a Eucharistic service.</p></div></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 8px 8px;"><div class="ESah86zaufmd2_YPdZtq" data-type="word-definition-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><span class="luna-label italic" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">Ecclesiastical</span>. </p></div><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: lower-alpha; padding-left: 20px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 8px 8px;"><div class="ESah86zaufmd2_YPdZtq" data-type="word-definition-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">the verses, anthem, or music said, sung, or played while the <a class="luna-xref" data-linkid="nn1ov4" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/offering" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--dictionaryblue); text-decoration: none;">offerings</a> of the people are received at a religious service.</p></div></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 8px 8px;"><div class="ESah86zaufmd2_YPdZtq" data-type="word-definition-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">that part of a service at which <a class="luna-xref" data-linkid="nn1ov4" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/offering" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--dictionaryblue); text-decoration: none;">offerings</a> are made.</p></div></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; padding: 0px 0px 8px 8px;"><div class="ESah86zaufmd2_YPdZtq" data-type="word-definition-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.5;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">the <a class="luna-xref" data-linkid="nn1ov4" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/offering" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--dictionaryblue); text-decoration: none;">offerings</a> themselves. (dictionary.com)</p></div></li></ul></li></ol></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvImPeSqgD3oLIko7yV6nbnGHw5BJR6Va1MTSvOulWp7LyiwGWKjdzYRKluCzCaMgbndgDpaZhYp-MwE1M7S9gXNn2IrTwpd3CWmyvPYtBNsal5u6dRZkFkUIv7Ao12IqreexZZgynzuY1tRxXsqsbwqsOJKp1B2japjCQKFCxr3Clz5olL-u_Q/s275/Unknown.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvImPeSqgD3oLIko7yV6nbnGHw5BJR6Va1MTSvOulWp7LyiwGWKjdzYRKluCzCaMgbndgDpaZhYp-MwE1M7S9gXNn2IrTwpd3CWmyvPYtBNsal5u6dRZkFkUIv7Ao12IqreexZZgynzuY1tRxXsqsbwqsOJKp1B2japjCQKFCxr3Clz5olL-u_Q/w210-h139/Unknown.jpeg" width="210" /></a></div>I don't know what this puzzle was trying to do, exactly. That is, I don't know what it thought the solver (i.e. me) was gonna do. I have no idea what you were supposed to do in order to get the puzzle accepted as "correct." I guess I was supposed to somehow see all the variable squares and know they were variable ... yeah, no hope of that. I had the center answer filled in as <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOUTHEAST</span></b>. All the crosses worked. I looked in the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOUTHEAST</span></b> corner of the grid for some help, but nope, nothing there. Well ... <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EPCOT CENTER</span></b> <i>was</i> in the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOUTHEAST</span></b> corner of the grid. "That's got the whole world in it, right? So maybe all these 'attractions' are also there ... somehow?" I've never been to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EPCOT CENTER</span></b>, so my understanding of what it entails is shaky, obviously. Anyway, had no idea how <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOUTHEAST</span></b> was supposed to work (because it wasn't, it seems). I finished the puzzle and didn't get a "Congratulations" message, so I checked Every Single Cross. But nothing. No errors. And yet, no "Congratulations" message. So I hit "reveal -> all" and saw the "trick." There is no shrug I could possibly shrug that could embody how much shrugginess I felt about this revelation. All my answers were correct. I know, I know, the title is "All Over the Map" and the "Attractions" in question obviously aren't (all) in the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOUTHEAST</span></b>, but there was nothing to indicate where I was supposed to look for the answer. I have no idea how this "played" for all of you, or where you ended up, or whatever. But for me it felt like a waste of time, esp. the time I spent trying to find my mistakes (when there weren't any). There has *got* to be a better way to do this theme, if you really feel you need to do it—some way that lets the solver (i.e. me) in on the gimmick in a friendlier way. But I gotta say, even knowing the gimmick, seeing it now: I just don't care. It's a stunt puzzle with no solver payoff. Totally self-indulgent. There's one neat trick, which is that the "attractions" all appear in the parts of the grid that correspond to their position on a U.S. map (roughly). That is, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NIAGARA FALLS</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LADY LIBERTY</span></b> are in the NE, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FOUR CORNERS</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AREA FIFTY-ONE</span></b> are in the SW, etc. But none of this had anything to do with solving. It's a flourish for you to ooh and aah over, post-solve (assuming you notice it). But as for the 4x dual-letter "gimmick"—no hope. Admittedly, I didn't think about it for very long because I didn't care. Also, I had slightly more than one drink tonight (very atypical), which may be affecting my processing power. But if I hadn't hit "reveal all," I don't know how long it would have taken me to see the "gimmick." In the end, aside from as an architectural feat, I just don't see how the theme is all that impressive, even if you *did* "get" it. Eight random U.S. "attractions" with trivia clues. I dunno. Seems underwhelming.<div><div><br />
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The fill was awkward and gangly, starting with that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MADEA / BAATH</span></b> cross and extending out from there. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TEENER</span></b>!? (<b>85A: Typical sock hopper</b>). Come on. Please, please, come on. How in the world do you use this? Also, how in the world do you use "sock hopper"? What even are you doing? Further: <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HIVED</span></b>?! (<b>126A: Colonized, as bees might</b>). LOL, what? Esoteric apicultural terminology? Wow. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">IRAIL</span></b> (!?!?!). Is that Apple's railway system? Did you know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">IRAIL</span></b> didn't appear for fourteen years between 1997 and 2011? We call those "The Good Years." But back to the puzzle. We've got the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">O'LEARYS </span></b>as ... a couple?? It's <i>Mrs</i>. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">O'LEARY'S</span></b> cow. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">O’LEARY’S</span></b>, singular possessive. Since when did we start giving Mr. O'Leary a credit? Is "short hedge" a business term? I've heard of "hedge funds" and "hedging bets" and "short-selling," but not "short hedge," so I didn't get the wordplay, and it took some time to figure out that (answerwise) the "short" meant "abbr." and the "hedge" meant "qualification" (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">OTOH</span></b>, "on the other hand"). There's something superawkward about the parenthetical "on" in <b>91A: Deliberated (on) (<span style="color: #351c75;">TOOK TIME</span>)</b>. I don't know that I'd use "on" with either phrase. Anyway, they don't seem exactly equivalent, or rather <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOOK TIME</span></b> seems very general, whereas [Deliberated] feels specific (i.e. "Deliberated" = <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOOK TIME</span></b> ... doing a very specific thing). <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OXO</span></b> is a kitchenware brand (or a short-lived pop act from the '80s who I saw open for Hall & Oates in '83). [<b>Tic-tac-toe loser</b>] is never, I repeat never, ever a welcome clue, but it's <i>especially</i> unwelcome when the answer could've been clued as something real. The idea that you would steer *into* the [<b>Tic-tac-toe loser</b>] clue ... baffling.</div><div><br />
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</div><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">114D: Insurance company whose name contains a diphthong (<span style="color: #351c75;">AETNA</span>)</span> — wow, this is *not* the meaning of diphthong that I know. Primary definition of diphthong is “<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;">a sound formed by the combination of two </span><span class="AraNOb" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration: underline;"><a class="rMNQNe" data-ved="2ahUKEwj44tbE__mEAxVXAHkGHZ2mD5QQyecJegQILhAO" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=90831218f7071c15&rls=en&q=vowels&si=AKbGX_qTCvK6ifvkUBYDz4foaFZiXofmOGqCKEtAMFp-FKTb1CeU0QeEMVykU1uMKzTTVyy_oA6yDX2p_ub1FG6bYrAe1ihlwQ%3D%3D&expnd=1" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="0">vowels</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;"> in a single </span><span class="AraNOb" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration: underline;"><a class="rMNQNe" data-ved="2ahUKEwj44tbE__mEAxVXAHkGHZ2mD5QQyecJegQILhAP" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=90831218f7071c15&rls=en&q=syllable&si=AKbGX_qNq0Y8zql7SxzZAf2-HTTO2_HejjKES37taH3YZAoY_d0IdLse1wtvoH5LE_d7ls2wQNPXIR06K30cE5S9zW3qdctiSAjjc8LpqKNZW_gun2fJKkg%3D&expnd=1" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="0">syllable</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;">, in which<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the sound begins as one </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="AraNOb" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration: underline;"><a class="rMNQNe" data-ved="2ahUKEwj44tbE__mEAxVXAHkGHZ2mD5QQyecJegQILhAQ" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=90831218f7071c15&rls=en&q=vowel&si=AKbGX_qy882wphGEk_Dxwohm5Oan3R1_r81TAB0Pm9ucCBrarNX9rkBNtJffk9ZfIWAl5Ce4UNbzpY6sko9JCPoZvvsH5jNuoA%3D%3D&expnd=1" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="0">vowel</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;"> and moves toward another (as in <i>coin</i>, <i>loud</i>, and <i>side</i> )</span>"</span> (google / Oxford Languages). Obviously <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AETNA</span></b> does not fit that definition. But definition 3. is "<span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;">a compound vowel character; a </span><span class="AraNOb" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration: underline;"><a class="rMNQNe" data-ved="2ahUKEwj44tbE__mEAxVXAHkGHZ2mD5QQyecJegQILhAU" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=90831218f7071c15&rls=en&q=ligature&si=AKbGX_qNq0Y8zql7SxzZAf2-HTTOAnS6CNRTQwo6a5PqluFnKtd_-VvtUar9k__QLnhK8Y3pvAXEspXSFU-HIyeXh3l7UVzYYgYnq9VxaFk5W9tj2iepRVo%3D&expnd=1" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="0">ligature</a></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;"> (such as <i>æ</i> ).</span>" So there you go. And yet ... since you don't / can't enter Æ in the grid as a "compound vowel character," I dunno, man ... Hmmm, looks like definition 2. is "<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;">a digraph representing the sound of a diphthong or single vowel (as in <i>feat</i>)," and since a "digraph" is a "combination of two letters representing one sound, as in </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;">ph</i><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;"> and </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124;">ey<span style="background-color: white;">,</span></i>" maybe *that* is how this clue "works." Seems like the clue could've gone a clearer / more interesting route.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">102D: Seller of over a billion Huggable Hangers on TV (<span style="color: #351c75;">HSN</span>)</span> — Home Shopping Network. I categorically refuse to look up what "Huggable Hangers" are.</li></ul><div>
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</div><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">46A: Either end of America? (<span style="color: #351c75;">SCHWA</span>)</span> — a "letteral" clue, where the answer is a letter in the clue itself, in this case, the "a" on either end of "America." Was surprised, the last time <b><span style="color: #351c75;"><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schwa">SCHWA</a></span></b> appeared in the grid, how many people seemed never to have heard of it. I learned it in elementary school. It's basically an unstressed "uh" sound, represented by an upside-down "e" (that is, "<span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(42, 60, 66); color: #2a3c42; font-size: 14px;">ə</span>").</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">11D: Person living in London (<span style="color: #351c75;">ONTARIAN</span>)</span> — I once drove from Ann Arbor to Hamilton, Ontario to speak at a conference at McMaster University. I remember driving past London, Ontario on the way. That is my London, Ontario story.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">111A: Noted name in 2005 news (<span style="color: #351c75;">KATRINA</span>)</span> — yeah, maybe don't get cutesy with a disaster of this magnitude. Everyone goes looking for the name of a person, but ha ha, joke's on you, it's a lethal hurricane, sucker! There are other <b><span style="color: #351c75;">KATRINAs</span></b>, is what I'm saying.</li><li><b>105D: Profitability metric, for short (<span style="color: #351c75;">ROI</span>)</b>— "Return on investment." Give me the French king any day. Vive le <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ROI</span></b>!</li><li><b>60A: General meeting place (<span style="color: #351c75;">WAR ROOM</span>)</b> — i.e. a meeting place for (military) generals</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">98A: Caribbean music genre (<span style="color: #351c75;">SOCA</span>)</span> — neither my wife nor I had heard of this. Her: "They already have <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SKA</span></b>? (<b>50A: Music genre that emphasizes the offbeat</b>). Did they really need another Caribbean music genre in this puzzle?" Me: "Oh my god ... are <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOCA</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SKA</span></b> related? They sound the same. I mean, take out the 'O' and you've basically got <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SKA</span></b> and ... SCA..." Relatedly, we've both been drinking (<a href="https://punchdrink.com/recipes/mezcaletti/">Mezcalettis</a>! So good!). Turns out <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOCA</span></b> has nothing to do with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SKA</span></b>. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOCA</span></b> seems to be a kind of portmanteau, from "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soca_music">the Soul of Calypso</a>," and it originated in Trinidad and Tobago.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">53D: Small role for Paul Rudd (<span style="color: #351c75;">ANT MAN</span>)</span> — Rudd has the <i>starring</i> role, but "Small" here refers to the fact that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ANT MAN</span></b> is ant-sized, i.e. literally tiny.</li></ul></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8GAiBjFN5c7PtPtiYPDDen9ssqFgCq17Oi92-9u3LF9qzl1ltcQDsK1axyQsOpMmNW0CUzHzCofu7Ei7uLZ_mAI2f94Idst4G4TbmUrjnXIwNOaJaiMJl-7jT93KVzZXAp6zwpRHWGfyf6U7upX6iwVhDwSEOKpLtYlw-CctmvO1tMhQqoIVyA/s2560/c54291b8-c84a-11ee-9ba8-0e2b4447ec07.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8GAiBjFN5c7PtPtiYPDDen9ssqFgCq17Oi92-9u3LF9qzl1ltcQDsK1axyQsOpMmNW0CUzHzCofu7Ei7uLZ_mAI2f94Idst4G4TbmUrjnXIwNOaJaiMJl-7jT93KVzZXAp6zwpRHWGfyf6U7upX6iwVhDwSEOKpLtYlw-CctmvO1tMhQqoIVyA/w400-h225/c54291b8-c84a-11ee-9ba8-0e2b4447ec07.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Hey, you wanna do some good puzzles? A lot of good puzzles? One of which I guest-edited? And support abortion rights in the bargain? Yes, yes you do. Or you should. The point is: <a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4">These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4 </a>(four!) just dropped this past week—over 20 original puzzles from top constructors and editors—and you can get the collection now (right now) for a <a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/give/561096/#!/donation/checkout">minimum donation of $20</a> (donations split evenly among five different abortion funds—<a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/campaign/these-puzzles-fund-abortion-4/c561096">details here</a>). You can check out a detailed description of the collection and a list of all the talent involved <a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4">here</a>. I not only guest-edited a puzzle, I also test-solved puzzles. I have now seen the finished collection, and it's really lovely, across the board. General editors Rachel Fabi and Brooke Husic and C.L. Rimkus put in a tremendous amount of work ensuring that it would be. The attention to detail—test-solving, fact-checking, etc.—was really impressive. Anyway, donate generously (assuming you are able) and enjoy the puzzle bounty! I think I'll do a separate short post about my guest-editing experience later this week, and link to it next week, so look for that as well. That's all. Take care, everyone. See you next time.</div><div><br />
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. Just found an envelope that's been sitting on my desk for a while. It was empty so I couldn't figure out why I had it or what had been in it. It's from a reader, postmarked Reno, and it probably contained a postcard and a nice note, but the return address is partially effaced ... <u style="background-color: #ead1dc;">so if your last name is ... looks like "Brenner" maybe, and you live on "-enton Trail" in Reno, now you know why I never wrote you back</u>. Sorry. The USPS has certain mauling tendencies that make snail mail ... an adventure (it's part of the charm!)</div><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. it's early Sunday morning now and someone has already sent me a picture of their <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOCA</span></b> cassette! As someone newly into cassettes, I am fascinated / jealous!</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyLSYalZLEiYIXww_r-2gy0DKVr6f0dRwm3NOwlMNIZlZAFl6o5TL8U-Qfh2xG0slO5rLI1AOPIcRPPKvfr68dq_Rr5G_eiTQRDM-r75ZDKti8g7-Ox_bw9tBJVq5WCetwDKr3FYBbUOFr-wziXCVbjwfqkbolyTAq9xANAX3-po935oz7vIQhQ/s320/IMG_0791.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyLSYalZLEiYIXww_r-2gy0DKVr6f0dRwm3NOwlMNIZlZAFl6o5TL8U-Qfh2xG0slO5rLI1AOPIcRPPKvfr68dq_Rr5G_eiTQRDM-r75ZDKti8g7-Ox_bw9tBJVq5WCetwDKr3FYBbUOFr-wziXCVbjwfqkbolyTAq9xANAX3-po935oz7vIQhQ/s1600/IMG_0791.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="text-align: center;">Bro Resistance! I need to hear Bro Resistance! OMG I just found him on a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jthbcG6ME_w&list=OLAK5uy_nSw5pVHJPO4ZWq6bD_X0SPwRxVf_7aSZA&index=12">compilation of kaiso music</a>. There's your next [<b>Caribbean music genre</b>], constructors: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiso">KAISO</a>! Don't say I never gave you anything. Anyway, here is the lead track on this <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOCA</span></b> cassette: "Afrika Is Burning" by Safi Abdullah: </span></div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tb_Ibhkf8hs?si=SAtJcOD4vm5Ktv_F" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>Aha, and here's that Bro Resistance track: "Ring De Bell." [The Internet, really coming through for me today!]</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIr2MNBNo5o?si=ixm02UbKn9yDyBFI" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center></div><div><br /></div>
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com163tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9537452298919260872024-03-16T05:28:00.013-04:002024-03-16T06:52:12.012-04:00First part of an ancient Greek ode / SAT 3-16-24 / Fluffy toy, familiarly / Flag carrier of Panama / Go for it, slangily / Ren Faire rides / Small bit of mint? / Accessories that sound like a snack brand <span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Carly Schuna</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy-Medium</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEPSc1TUwyQ0YmX-kNJujfX-thRFI-AP_kP3viTjkvV5BZZUzanjq0ze7TITcAuUDW_kneP8vgUpuHDA3yfFLJuGzrbtSc5a303G5jK1hpTev6Ek68AI1c0woy46Ria_jS7k11_-FEtBlF79g06Vy3NpdAXNLFJNhQ8AkTnLXiN04iHwWuoNSRw/s962/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%204.06.33%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEPSc1TUwyQ0YmX-kNJujfX-thRFI-AP_kP3viTjkvV5BZZUzanjq0ze7TITcAuUDW_kneP8vgUpuHDA3yfFLJuGzrbtSc5a303G5jK1hpTev6Ek68AI1c0woy46Ria_jS7k11_-FEtBlF79g06Vy3NpdAXNLFJNhQ8AkTnLXiN04iHwWuoNSRw/w376-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-16%20at%204.06.33%20AM.png" width="376" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> none</span> <br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> flag carrier </span>(<b>49A: Flag carrier of Panama = <span style="color: #351c75;">COPA</span></b>) —
<blockquote><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbl9jCL9SKYbCyReLSHnkkHQoaTz6_bBfBcG-EwVN_UF8q6uNefVflCAJ4KNaLIfn_9GDq7x5e5W_OknP7FLvGkyCTPf4cvsQ3IzZ1opSBnjakhkCmYYlN5CvdVhgKUy-PkHHmPAMENTXVyeHEtfAL96-lAvvvpivgTa90iuuiShzvm3vIPLnQEA/s1024/FreeVector-Copa-Airlines.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1024" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbl9jCL9SKYbCyReLSHnkkHQoaTz6_bBfBcG-EwVN_UF8q6uNefVflCAJ4KNaLIfn_9GDq7x5e5W_OknP7FLvGkyCTPf4cvsQ3IzZ1opSBnjakhkCmYYlN5CvdVhgKUy-PkHHmPAMENTXVyeHEtfAL96-lAvvvpivgTa90iuuiShzvm3vIPLnQEA/w200-h141/FreeVector-Copa-Airlines.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">flag carrier</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> is a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Transport">transport</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> company, such as an </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Airline">airline</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> or </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Shipping">shipping</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> company, that, being locally registered in a given </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_state" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Sovereign state">sovereign state</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. (wikipedia) </span> </blockquote><blockquote><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A.</b><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, (commonly referred to as</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Copa</b><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">and branded simply as "</span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Copa Airlines</b><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">")</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">is the</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_carrier" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Flag carrier">flag carrier</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">of</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Panama">Panama</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. It is headquartered in</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_City" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Panama City">Panama City</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, Panama,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">with its main hub at</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocumen_International_Airport" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Tocumen International Airport">Tocumen International Airport</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. Copa is a subsidiary of</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Holdings" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Copa Holdings">Copa Holdings</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">and a member of the</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Alliance" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Star Alliance">Star Alliance</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">The airline is also the main operator and owner of Colombian airline AeroRepública, currently known as</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingo_(airline)" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Wingo (airline)">Wingo</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, previously known as</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Airlines_Colombia" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Copa Airlines Colombia">Copa Airlines Colombia</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. // </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">Copa was founded in 1947 and it began domestic operations to three cities in Panama shortly afterwards. The airline then abandoned its</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_flight" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Domestic flight">domestic flight</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">in 1980, in favor of international flights. In 1998, Copa formed a partnership with</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Airlines" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Continental Airlines">Continental Airlines</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, adopting a similar brand image and using the airline's</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Airlines#OnePass" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Continental Airlines">OnePass</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequent_flyer_program" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Frequent flyer program">frequent flyer program</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByiftkhfz2I556kB4Oy4ORD22N46LOxkVgjO8W8v4U0BSvjgv2u-iXsXlJcV9TTeHiNx0uDwHj6Q8SyvcrBl3D1iS0UPhHzzYDqvZJVzXKONfqYRaDmxL5LHRN5nD9XxGbvKgkqV98pbt0Muo4r-_WsgRNl663Kv-4UB2oD67z_YYlV-99oHeiQ/s1305/199611Reader.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="1007" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByiftkhfz2I556kB4Oy4ORD22N46LOxkVgjO8W8v4U0BSvjgv2u-iXsXlJcV9TTeHiNx0uDwHj6Q8SyvcrBl3D1iS0UPhHzzYDqvZJVzXKONfqYRaDmxL5LHRN5nD9XxGbvKgkqV98pbt0Muo4r-_WsgRNl663Kv-4UB2oD67z_YYlV-99oHeiQ/w189-h245/199611Reader.jpg" width="189" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Buddy!]</i></td></tr></tbody></table>A much smoother experience today, with far fewer grimaces. This one has the kind of sparkle and whooshiness that I associate with the better Friday puzzles. The longer answers really shine, all over the grid, and the grid itself is built for zooming around—lots of access points for every section. The whole experience started out pretty crummy, with a twin-cluing scheme that I didn't particularly care for: <b>1A: Word of elaboration (<span style="color: #351c75;">ALSO</span>)</b> x/w <b>1D: Elaborate (<span style="color: #351c75;">ADD</span>)</b>. I guess the clues there work OK, but when my first dip into an empty Saturday grid feels like a cutesy ambiguity trap, I get put off. You ever get stuck on an inscrutable "?" clue, check that answer's first cross, only to find yourself staring at <i>yet another "?" clue</i>, and you're like "Why lord why!? Make it stop!?" That's how I felt. "[<b>Word of <i>elaboration</i></b>]? That's kind of vague, let me check the cross ... aw, [<i><b>Elaborate</b></i>]!? Really? Come on ..." And then my first answer in the grid was the always-unloved <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SESH</span></b>, so as I say, takeoff was pretty bumpy, but I managed to go from <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SESH</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SHOOT</span></b> (no idea what followed) <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PASTE POM MELODIC CAGE EGAD</span></b> ... and then I wanted <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DEBUNK</span></b> (<b>42A: Prove false</b>) but wasn't too sure about that "K" and so held off and went down the grid with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EYE TESTS</span></b> instead. That's top of the grid to bottom of the grid, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SESH</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EYE TESTS</span></b>, with hardly a pause. From there I had traction. I worked from <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EGAD</span></b> back to the top of the grid, and from there, the long answers started to pop, colorfully, into view: <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SHOOT YOUR SHOT! DEEP FAKE! BRIOCHE BUN</span></b>, mmmm. Good stuff.<div><br />
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</div><div>After that initial struggle in the NW, the NE ended up being Monday-easy. OK, maybe Tuesday-easy, but easy. Set a match to it and whoosh, up in flames and then to ashes, as fast as I could blink (give or take). So like yesterday's puzzle, this one had some difficulty unevenness, but overall, since there weren't any real "WTF?" sticking points for me, I made consistent progress and so didn't <i>feel</i> the unevenness so much. Couple of names I didn't know (the writer, the airline), but the surrounding fill took care of those answers, no problem. The cluing felt pretty properly Saturday today, if a little on the easy side. Vagueness and ambiguity made for a few puzzling moments. I had O--YED in place and *still* had to think about what the answer was supposed to be at <b>6D: Let through (<span style="color: #351c75;">OKAYED</span>)</b>. I asked my brain for help but it was like "Look, we've got OBEYED, and that's all we got." "But that doesn't make sense." "Man, we've got what we got, don't blame me. You want OBEYED or not? Oh hey wait ... [pushes some boxes out of the way in the warehouse of my mind] ... looks like there's this <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OKAYED</span></b> sitting here. It's dusty and the box is kinda dented, but ... you want it?" "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, brain." Also wanted BAE before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BOO</span> (38A: Sweetie)</b>, ATLAS before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">US MAP</span> (19D: Geography classroom staple)</b>, DEAD before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">REAL</span> (30D: Very, informally)</b>, and ACUTE before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ASKEW</span> (22D: Word that, when searched, causes Google to display all results at an angle)</b>. Initially thought the [<b>Metalworker's union</b>] had something to do with WE<u>LD</u>ING, but neither WELDER or WELDED made sense. Then I remembered (vaguely) that a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOLDER</span></b> was a thing. My daughter occasionally builds stage sets and knows how to weld. I don't know if she knows how to ... sold? Is that a thing? A verb? No. A <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOLDER</span></b> is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder">alloy used to join metal</a>, or (as a verb) the act of doing said joining.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Loved the clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FOOTREST</span> (14D: Dog park?)</b>. You park (rest) your dogs (feet) on a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FOOTREST</span></b>. Nice. Didn't love the clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COPA</span></b>, partly because it felt like niche trivia, but mostly because ... I just think you shouldn't pass up any chance to Manilow your grid. Missed Manilopportunities make me sad. This puzzle <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RAN LOW</span></b> on Manilow. You don't have to go straight at the song, if that seems to obvious for a Saturday. Why not, [Cabana entrance?], something like that. Speaking of "entrance" clues, <b>59D: Entrance or exit of Target?</b> is a "letteral" clue—the clue points not to something else but to itself, specifically a letter in one of the words in the clue. In this case, the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TEE</span></b> at both the beginning ("entrance") and ending ("exit") of the word "Target." Just want to reiterate one last time how good this grid looks. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BEDHEAD PLATELET HOTSAUCE</span></b>! The friendliness of "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">GLAD TO DO IT</span></b>!" alongside the surliness of "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">NO ONE CARES</span></b>." That's some peanut butter and chocolate magic right there. All that and Nic <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CAGE</span></b> to boot!? Yes. I'll take it. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>See you next time.</div><div><br />
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. the [<b>First name in children’s literature</b>] is <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SHEL</span></b> Silverstein. He was a writer and illustrator and songwriter, a very familiar name from my childhood. Just learned that he wrote the 1969 Johnny Cash hit “A Boy Named Sue” (!)</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrA19Uzw3SUjW2lHdqjYvU52Mr5WSraMf8ETn_dtZpligJ7SG8sxWV-QHj2uWJowKDubSHK0PwWChrWwdAAVpLPuUHLeENlUq8L3y24t0TD49qvVYNuZ1KpY3OgKfTGPoyp0YrdgtKgGD9j0Y-Eez4R2Xmp-z8uCvk7Fv2RX6Ez0wKJr_HHkKTA/s1000/IMG_9524.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="787" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrA19Uzw3SUjW2lHdqjYvU52Mr5WSraMf8ETn_dtZpligJ7SG8sxWV-QHj2uWJowKDubSHK0PwWChrWwdAAVpLPuUHLeENlUq8L3y24t0TD49qvVYNuZ1KpY3OgKfTGPoyp0YrdgtKgGD9j0Y-Eez4R2Xmp-z8uCvk7Fv2RX6Ez0wKJr_HHkKTA/w252-h320/IMG_9524.jpeg" width="252" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com86tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47500608475926815802024-03-15T05:54:00.005-04:002024-03-15T09:21:41.623-04:00Swing-era bandleader ___ Cates / FRI 3-15-24 / Dom maker / Region of Italy that lends its name to a pepper / Words from a paper pusher? / Bill originating in Texas / Vegetable whose name comes from Igbo / Bacteriologist Walter who conducted Yellow Fever research / Fish named for a weapon / Opposite of rubicund<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Daniel Grinberg</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Medium if you knew PHILLIS WHEATLEY, Challenging if (like me) you didn't</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PtX-YCO9f7nfMQ5JquRTYkIecUOttreg8DLHDvYFwEINPHvZwHUR2gfp2kjI2WXix6pZ0Bj1vAIrybWLNXQVV7cgSQfANsrYM6Fr8s-Z9LNQf3zq0f4Cxp6WSJAIOD45OdQX6jPLUqGSrJDcuOiDeoa4cf4RhVWE9KYSSyo85OuuayheRYYH9Q/s962/Screenshot%202024-03-15%20at%204.16.14%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PtX-YCO9f7nfMQ5JquRTYkIecUOttreg8DLHDvYFwEINPHvZwHUR2gfp2kjI2WXix6pZ0Bj1vAIrybWLNXQVV7cgSQfANsrYM6Fr8s-Z9LNQf3zq0f4Cxp6WSJAIOD45OdQX6jPLUqGSrJDcuOiDeoa4cf4RhVWE9KYSSyo85OuuayheRYYH9Q/w376-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-15%20at%204.16.14%20AM.png" width="376" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> none</span> <br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> PHILLIS WHEATLEY </span>(<b>17A: "On Being Brought From Africa to America" writer, 1768</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUhk5xX6w8MqkqR64ZJ-NN29dwUFiWsk3FgrqKlSVBNMzPIOsdADgaMax254Msfbgo0s9MJR5Eat1-iWxZd-eT2mpBpGNuTog2Z9ahh_ONCdPwEl98XEU0_AZ8Di6B7pVvpqtUlPfhtqJ5dI-BYZhpEgdziIDF-xSuRNX1cFfxur1rJYJiazNnw/s450/9780140424300.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="294" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUhk5xX6w8MqkqR64ZJ-NN29dwUFiWsk3FgrqKlSVBNMzPIOsdADgaMax254Msfbgo0s9MJR5Eat1-iWxZd-eT2mpBpGNuTog2Z9ahh_ONCdPwEl98XEU0_AZ8Di6B7pVvpqtUlPfhtqJ5dI-BYZhpEgdziIDF-xSuRNX1cFfxur1rJYJiazNnw/w146-h224/9780140424300.jpeg" width="146" /></a></b></div><b>Phillis Wheatley Peters,</b> also spelled <b>Phyllis</b> and <b>Wheatly</b> (<abbr style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="circa">c.</abbr><span style="white-space: nowrap;"> 1753</span> – December 5, 1784) was an American author who is considered the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_firsts" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="List of African-American firsts">first African-American author of a published book of poetry</a>. Born in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Africa" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="West Africa">West Africa</a>, she was kidnapped and subsequently sold into slavery at the age of seven or eight and transported to North America, where she was bought by the Wheatley family of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Boston">Boston</a>. After she learned to read and write, they encouraged her poetry when they saw her talent.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">On a 1773 trip to London with the Wheatleys' son, seeking publication of her work, Wheatley met prominent people who became her patrons. The publication in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="London">London</a> of her <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poems_on_Various_Subjects,_Religious_and_Moral" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral">Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral</a></i> on September 1, 1773, brought her fame both in England and the American colonies. Prominent figures, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="George Washington">George Washington</a>, praised her work. A few years later, African-American poet <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Hammon" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Jupiter Hammon">Jupiter Hammon</a> praised her work in a poem of his own. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZV1yyTjT5QXyoA31pRc3uqA2FDDSg4_Ej3qUyLNTuIachoahd0ZJS3KuS8ajX_uYFm7xBfPkmaTfrGhoA0HVZ3Cxy7pmKz2T_bsWLfzkdw8AgEyxAE_IldeZVrOwFSjLOY-EE-igOHvohoe86JBqznZU8fa007Ck6PcyM75ODApuUW5Amz61mg/s1600/ZGHNHmAeEKny73AkgfjtzVBra8ZZDH_large.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1288" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZV1yyTjT5QXyoA31pRc3uqA2FDDSg4_Ej3qUyLNTuIachoahd0ZJS3KuS8ajX_uYFm7xBfPkmaTfrGhoA0HVZ3Cxy7pmKz2T_bsWLfzkdw8AgEyxAE_IldeZVrOwFSjLOY-EE-igOHvohoe86JBqznZU8fa007Ck6PcyM75ODApuUW5Amz61mg/w186-h231/ZGHNHmAeEKny73AkgfjtzVBra8ZZDH_large.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Where my brain went when asked<br />for an Italian pepper]</i></td></tr></tbody></table>This is a solid grid, but the editing felt off. The biggest issue for me (in fact the only answer I really remember now) was the way the puzzle handled <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PHILLIS WHEATLEY</span></b>. She's a worthy answer, but when you have a name that a lot of people are simply not going to know, you have to be careful how you cross it. My main gripe with crossword editors, across the board, is that they aren't careful enough with their proper nouns. No matter what sphere or time period they come from, names that are not universally famous can be dangerous—they're gimmes for some and total blanks for others, and so already have the potential to create a very divided solving experience. So it's crucial that the less famous, and the more unconventionally spelled, the name is, the more you have to ensure that every cross is fair. <u>To be clear, I think it's great to put names in puzzles that have never been there before, names that maybe aren't household, but that are of clear historical and artistic significance, which definitely applies to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PHILLIS WHEATLEY</span></b>.</u> And I have no way of knowing exactly how many people know her name, but if I, who have spent my whole life around teachers of poetry, have only a dim recollection of her name, then it seems reasonable to think that some significant number of solvers won't know her at all, and so ... crossing her with a "Swing-era bandleader" who's even *more* obscure than she is? I do not understand that decision (<b>5D: Swing-era bandleader ___ Cates</b>). I also don't understand putting <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PHILLIS WHEATLEY</span></b> <i>right next</i> to the answer describing what she is, but giving us nothing but a crossreference clue for help (<b>15A: 17-Across, for one</b>). If I don't know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PHILLIS WHEATLEY</span></b>, then I sure as hell don't know she's a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">POET</span></b> (I can tell she's a writer from her clue, but <b><span style="color: #351c75;">POET</span></b>, no). Her name also crosses a region of Italy / pepper I've barely heard of (<b>11D: Region of Italy that lends its name to a pepper</b>), an absolutely brutal clue for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AT HOME</span> (8D: Familiar (with))</b>, and a flat-out incorrect clue for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ESP</span> (19D: Unlikely gift)</b>—that "gift" is not "unlikely," it's nonexistent, please stop cluing <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ESP</span></b> like it's real. There's also the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OLE</span></b> / RAH dilemma up there (<b>12D: Scream for a team</b>), and then a clue on <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>ROSTRA</b></span> (ugly word) that had me writing in RISERS (<b>21A: Campaign platforms, perhaps</b>). That whole area from <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OPIE</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CALABRIA</span></b> was a Saturday+-level hornet's nest. The rest of the puzzle was pretty standard, difficulty-wise. So you can add "unevenness" to the problems created by not handling <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PHILLIS WHEATLEY</span></b> crosses skillfully. <div><br />
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</div><div>The worst editorial decision was the absolute lie of a clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CARELESS MISTAKE</span> (32A: Forgetting to finish this clue, for examp)</b>. The attempted cuteness is absolutely murdered by the dishonesty. Nobody "Forgot" To Finish This Clue, It Is Unfinished By Design, There Is No Mistake At All, Let Alone A Careless One. Honestly, if you'd just changed "this" to "a," or went with something like [Forgetting to proofread a crossword clue, for exmpale?], you'd have something. But because you said "this" clue, boo, no. There are no <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CARELESS MISTAKEs</span></b> in "this" clue. "This" clue knows exactly what it's doing, which makes the clue disingenuous, which makes it <i>cutesy</i>, as opposed to cute.</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/izGwDsrQ1eQ?si=HiT6Z1pyEWOzcOCg&start=12" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>The grid itself has a lot of sparkle. Not big on three EXTRAs in a row (two is the gold standard, three seems excessive) (<b>10D: Words from a paper pusher?</b>), and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ESPRESSO MARTINIs</span></b> are an abomination, but <b><span style="color: #351c75;">REWRITES HISTORY, HALFTIME REPORTS</span></b>, those have some pop. As usual, bizspeak and commercial stuff don't do for me what they apparently do for other people, so <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HITRATE</span></b> (<b>27A: Proportion of customers that make a purchase, in business-speak</b>) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">UBERED</span></b> (<b>36A: Got taken for a ride, in a way</b>) were more <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EWW</span></b>! than <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OLE</span></b>! for me. The clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TAX TIP</span></b> has kind of grown on me, though, in the past half hour or however long it's been since I finished solving (<b>47A: Bit of deductive reasoning?</b>). And I'd totally forgotten about <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LIV TYLER's</span></b> existence, so even though I think the "LOTR" franchise is a bloated self-important mess, I enjoyed seeing her name pop up (<b>18D: "The Lord of the Rings" actress</b>). </div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AmIlUKo4dQc?si=QXZ2Hv7o1Lzz5O0s&start=12" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br /><span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b><span style="color: #660000;">Non-PHILLIS WHEATLEY-related trouble spots</span></b></span><b style="color: #500b00;">:</b></span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">47D: Common additive to white rice (<span style="color: #351c75;">TALC</span>)</span> — wow, you got me there. I had SALT. Why is there <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALC</span></b> in the rice? To make it whiter? Hang on ... huh. I guess it was (and in some places still is) used in processing the rice, as a preservative, though a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/08/us/talc-coating-on-rice-called-peril.html#:~:text=%27%27%20Talc%20was%20used%20as%20a,rice%20after%20the%20sea%20journey.">1981 NYT article on the subject</a> says that "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(54, 54, 54); color: #363636;">While processors say that talc helps preserve rice, consumer groups argue that the coating is merely cosmetic</span>" (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALC</span></b> + glucose somehow makes the rice look shiny). </span>Looks like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALC</span></b> is no longer a "common" additive in US rice, but some imported rices still contain it. There were health concerns about <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALC</span></b> as a possible risk factor for stomach cancer, but studies don't seem to have borne that out.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">56A: iPhone command (SYNC)</span> — totally legit, but because of the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALC</span></b> fiasco ... I wanted SEND, but then I had SALT instead of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALC</span></b>, so I went with SENT (!?!), which is not a "command," so I just had holes down there for a while: S-N- for SYNC and -AL- for <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>TALC</b></span>.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">49D: *grimaces, sticks out tongue* ("<span style="color: #351c75;">EWW</span>!")</span> — tried recreating this face as I was solving, in hopes that it would lead me to some kind of feeling, but it didn't help. Also, I had <u>M</u>ELTS instead of <b><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>W</u>ILTS</span> (52A: Can't stand the heat, say)</b>, so my first thought for this "grimace" was O<u>M</u>G, which seemed (and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WAS</span></b>) wrong.</li><li><b>22A: Ground rule? (<span style="color: #351c75;">NO TV</span>)</b>—<b><span style="color: #351c75;">JEEZ</span></b>, that is a stttrreettcchh, and absurdly hard to boot (I guess the idea is that when you are "ground<i>ed</i>" you might be subject to the "rule" "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">NO TV</span></b>!"). If you want to put a "?" clue on otherwise bad short fill, it's really gotta land.</li><li><b>29A: More trifling (<span style="color: #351c75;">MERER</span>)</b> — how would you even use this "word"? A comparative adjective? No. I got a bunch of crosses and then considered this "word" but then laughed at the idea because of how much of a non-word <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MERER</span></b> is. Then it ended up being correct. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MERER MERER</span></b> on the wall, what's the dumbest answer of all? <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MERER ERSE</span></b> is not a place I'd willingly revisit.</li></ul>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. from the OED’s June 2021 update:</div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: #fbfbfb; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;"></span><blockquote><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: #fbfbfb; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">Our earliest example of </span><em style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><a href="https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/53367" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #215fa6; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;">to do a person dirty</a></em><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: #fbfbfb; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">, meaning to treat someone unfairly or badly, comes from evidence given in a court case heard in Texas in 1879, while </span><em style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><a href="https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/19936" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #215fa6; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank">t</a><a href="https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/19936" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #215fa6; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;">o</a><a href="https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/19936" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #215fa6; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"> put the blast on someone</a></em><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: #fbfbfb; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;"> (referring to criticism or reprimand) is first recorded in a story by Damon Runyon published in 1929, with the now more familiar </span><em style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;"><a href="https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/19936" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #215fa6; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;">to put someone on blast </a></em><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: #fbfbfb; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">popularized by Eminem in his 2000 song </span><em style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-break: break-word;">The Real Slim Shady</em><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: #fbfbfb; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">.</span></blockquote></div><div>P.P.S. another editing issue</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNhzJ8E96iyTTnPFy7GviRfV3x9KuArT3fKF7y8js3u4is35eFqPkLYXOfnMeNpz3YCeToVzROYhGBhdyhCFYNQ1ERggHj15tVNw-t1tCFMmmWgpdwwVjFRFUwIk2eJL54I3awM2GYnV1wtLHIaowZel0B3D8nIA14v86252Fo4zeLGs_Ps76ug/s1830/IMG_9504.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1830" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqNhzJ8E96iyTTnPFy7GviRfV3x9KuArT3fKF7y8js3u4is35eFqPkLYXOfnMeNpz3YCeToVzROYhGBhdyhCFYNQ1ERggHj15tVNw-t1tCFMmmWgpdwwVjFRFUwIk2eJL54I3awM2GYnV1wtLHIaowZel0B3D8nIA14v86252Fo4zeLGs_Ps76ug/w256-h400/IMG_9504.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div>
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[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com140tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18103283171339959632024-03-14T05:36:00.003-04:002024-03-14T06:07:06.536-04:00Origin story in Genesis 11:1-9 / THU 3-14-24 / An irrational reason to celebrate? / Geocaching necessity, in brief / Something read by a chiromancer / Carolina NHL'ers, informally / System that ended in 1917 / It may be thrown by a vaquero<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Jeffrey Martinovic</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsMaeN5EW4JNh1cnpxoglY0pixLQoPaZeAQ5SlgmZsDHk4T2-cRt9JOYIMD6vu9-UJq31OOLFBrOLqwXBZejPLDOmjnkxMgQfnyHbyNfOWsq0Uh055UNFsEl7i88ztA-d9bPIvCiQ_LnzpLZJNqWnr9fCSGUNsQ5eVn5p4tzeH-KkSo1P07k5sQ/s910/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%204.07.30%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="906" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsMaeN5EW4JNh1cnpxoglY0pixLQoPaZeAQ5SlgmZsDHk4T2-cRt9JOYIMD6vu9-UJq31OOLFBrOLqwXBZejPLDOmjnkxMgQfnyHbyNfOWsq0Uh055UNFsEl7i88ztA-d9bPIvCiQ_LnzpLZJNqWnr9fCSGUNsQ5eVn5p4tzeH-KkSo1P07k5sQ/w400-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-14%20at%204.07.30%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> PI DAY (33D: An irrational reason to celebrate?)</span> — I guess it's <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PI DAY</span></b>? Black squares at center of grid form (roughly) the "π" symbol. There are a couple of mathematicians in here (born and died on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PI DAY</span></b>, respectively) and then it's all tied together by ... the dimensions of the crossword grid (?!?) (<b>7D: First digit of this puzzle's subject whose next four digits are the number of rows and then columns of the grid</b>) (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREE</span></b> [point] "14" "15") <br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Some scientists [🤷🏼♀️]:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">ALBERT EINSTEIN (11D: Scientist who was notably born on 33-Down (1879)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">STEPHEN HAWKING (3D: Scientist who notably passed away on 33-Down (2018)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">EULER (is he part of this???) (29D: Mathematician known for the constant "e" (2.71828))</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> WPA </span>(<b>18D: New Deal org.</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTYZinRg-dYD98tr2tjPI7BYtF85lINEgz3yR1HHak0VMeuJ_UULS71FLonIIXlp5E2RJgspIRP4Z-26zSfWx63e17SaWw0dD-2FTFVRfd4YNw7U2lapffoKWVRzMZB1HbA1HRxIBVi0C6BfYNIZZQE2FOV2a3hTSwSCCPcucn2glMVqoOQOl6Q/s1800/WPA-Poster-Women-Work-1940.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1230" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTYZinRg-dYD98tr2tjPI7BYtF85lINEgz3yR1HHak0VMeuJ_UULS71FLonIIXlp5E2RJgspIRP4Z-26zSfWx63e17SaWw0dD-2FTFVRfd4YNw7U2lapffoKWVRzMZB1HbA1HRxIBVi0C6BfYNIZZQE2FOV2a3hTSwSCCPcucn2glMVqoOQOl6Q/w166-h242/WPA-Poster-Women-Work-1940.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>The <b>Works Progress Administration</b> (<b>WPA</b>; renamed in 1939 as the <b>Work Projects Administration</b>) was an American <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal_agency" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="New Deal agency">New Deal agency</a> that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educated" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Educated">educated</a>) to carry out <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_works" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Public works">public works</a> projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. It was set up on May 6, 1935, by presidential order, as a key part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_New_Deal" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Second New Deal">Second New Deal</a>.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">The WPA's first appropriation in 1935 was $4.9 billion (about $15 per person in the U.S., around 6.7 percent of the 1935 GDP). Headed by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Hopkins" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Harry Hopkins">Harry Hopkins</a>, the WPA supplied paid jobs to the unemployed during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_the_United_States" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Great Depression in the United States">Great Depression in the United States</a>, while building up the public infrastructure of the US, such as parks, schools, and roads. Most of the jobs were in construction, building more than 620,000 miles (1,000,000 km) of streets and over 10,000 bridges, in addition to many airports and much housing. In 1942, the WPA played a key role in both building and staffing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Internment of Japanese Americans">internment camps to incarcerate Japanese Americans</a>. [...] </p><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">In one of its most famous projects, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Project_Number_One" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Federal Project Number One">Federal Project Number One</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, the WPA employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in arts, drama, media, and literacy projects.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> The five projects dedicated to these were the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Writers%27_Project" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Federal Writers' Project">Federal Writers' Project</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (FWP), the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Records_Survey" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Historical Records Survey">Historical Records Survey</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (HRS), the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Theatre_Project" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Federal Theatre Project">Federal Theatre Project</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (FTP), the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Music_Project" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Federal Music Project">Federal Music Project</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (FMP), and the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Art_Project" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Federal Art Project">Federal Art Project</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (FAP). In the Historical Records Survey, for instance, many former slaves in the South were interviewed; these documents are of immense importance to American history. Theater and music groups toured throughout the United States and gave more than 225,000 performances. Archaeological investigations under the WPA were influential in the rediscovery of pre-Columbian Native American cultures, and the development of professional archaeology in the US. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQtXNLic7_Pbl5peKdagBErB-eVfcQiy7AbRFJZ9AMilwwNkj5b8NtjzRAEPJFtayd5v0ZUlsx9fkQ1j2YIzEIaupsrxu_1sxauBYmPJSDzMePaUFAzxBcbV_F4txktQemQlNowUGdsPFWpty2_U6zy0W8egd7V4ALJm-jNRfN3dnBxWlOzBTSw/s318/Drift_2023.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="220" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQtXNLic7_Pbl5peKdagBErB-eVfcQiy7AbRFJZ9AMilwwNkj5b8NtjzRAEPJFtayd5v0ZUlsx9fkQ1j2YIzEIaupsrxu_1sxauBYmPJSDzMePaUFAzxBcbV_F4txktQemQlNowUGdsPFWpty2_U6zy0W8egd7V4ALJm-jNRfN3dnBxWlOzBTSw/w154-h223/Drift_2023.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[2023, co-starring <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>ALIA</b></span> Shawkat]</i> </td></tr></tbody></table>"... oh, we're doing <i>this</i> again?" That was my first and only reaction to this puzzle. Not sure how many <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PI DAY</span></b> puzzles I've seen in my life. I've definitely seen two in the NYTXW alone (<a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2007/03/wednesday-mar-14-2007-peter-collins.html">here</a>, <a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2012/03/1863-speech-opener-wed-3-14-12.html">here</a>). It's weird how many puzzlemakers like this day and think it's funny to make crossword themes about it, when it's not a day at all, nothing happens, no one cares, it's Thursday. But have fun enduring the "pie" puns! This puzzle has nothing to show us at all. A black-square picture? So what? Two scientists whose names happen to be the same length, and who (coincidentally) were born or died on this day? That's trivia. So what? What do they have to do with pi, exactly? Make "π" do something, anything! Justify this concept, please. There's no *puzzle* reason to do this, except to show us a rudimentary picture of "π." The revealer is ... <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREE</span></b> (!?!?!). And then you want me to be impressed by the fact that the grid is 14x15!? It's 15x15 <i>most days</i>. You just took a row away and you want me to, what, clap? No dice. On top of this anemic "theme," you want to give me jocular American fake-Spanish ("No <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BUENO</span></b>") <i>and</i> the *&%^ing <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NRA</span></b>? Absolutely not. What a waste of a Thursday puzzle.<div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LVfe6rdHRKI?si=ozqYMa8SZiZlrSDq&start=12" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>The one day the puzzle decides *not* to do the double-clue thing and it's the one day they really could've used it—you know that, in addition to the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WPA</span></b>, the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NRA</span></b> is *also* a [<b>New Deal org.</b>] (National Recovery Administration). No idea why constructors (editors) are still going with this garbage gun org. It's an unforced error, tonally. There's no reason to use the gun org. That corner that it's in isn't even strong. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OPEN ERA? TSARISM? APSE? URSA? </span></b>Try harder! Why am I having to tell the NYTXW two days in a row now to just do its job and fill grids professionally, in a reasonably pleasing way. I like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THE TOWER OF BABEL</span></b> (<b>17A: Origin story in Genesis 11:1-9</b>) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PURPLE PROSE</span></b> (<b>20A: Colorful language?</b>) fine. If this were a themeless, and the rest of the grid were similarly bright, I would be happy. But instead I get random famous scientists and a picture of one of those plastic doohickies that keeps the pizza box from collapsing onto your pizza and then I get to count rows and columns, which are almost the same in number as they are any other day of the week. And what is with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EULER</span></b>? Is he thematic? The clue says he's known for a "constant" (<b>29D: Mathematician known for the constant "e" (2.71828)</b>) and "π" is a "constant," so I thought maybe <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EULER</span></b> was being roped into this clown show. But then he has no symmetrical counterpart (except the great Dr. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOAMI</span></b>) (<b>28D: "Same here"</b>). Dr. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOAMI</span></b> keeps insisting that he, too, is a mathematician, but I'm not inclined to believe him.</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0Yy7A74o8gQ?si=UgByr58ckZm6goTq&start=12" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>No trouble with this one at all except the trouble I made for myself, most notably botching the [<b>New Deal org.</b>]. My brain got stuck somewhere between <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NRA</span></b> and TVA and I ended up writing in NEA, which is a teachers union, not part of the New Deal alphabet soup of orgs. That NEA kept the two long answers up top from coming into view as quickly as they should've. Stupid of me to write the org. in at all, as there are roughly 4,033 three-letter New Deal orgs. (give/take). I didn't know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SWAY BAR</span></b> right away (<b>47A: Component in a car's suspension system</b>), but that's about the only other answer I had any trouble with. Oh, except "No <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BUENO</span></b>," which ... again, why would you do that to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BUENO</span>? (35A: "No ___" ("Unacceptable")).</b> Unacceptable, indeed.</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F6ZQgxhl5sc?si=tuw6ZItI1SQSQKee&start=12" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Additional notes:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">9D: Apply, as sunscreen (<span style="color: #351c75;">RUB ON</span>)</span> — had PUT ON. Then DAB ON.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">25D: Carolina N.H.L.'ers, informally ('<span style="color: #351c75;">CANES</span>)</span> — as in HURRI-...</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">32D: Starting point for a slippery slope argument (<span style="color: #351c75;">GRAY AREA</span>)</span> — I don't think of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GRAY AREA</span></b> as having any necessary, or even tight, connection with "slippery slope arguments." People just extrapolate in implausible or logically untenable or extreme ways. Don't need an area to be particularly gray in order to do this. </li></ul><div>I liked how the clues leaned into cinema today (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">ETHAN</span></b> Hawke and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALIA</span></b> Shawkat and "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALIEN</span></b>" and the horror film character who is home <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALONE</span></b> (or is she!?)). But that's small consolation today. Can we have a moratorium on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PI DAY</span></b> puzzles now. This one's clever revealer clue (<b>33D: An irrational reason to celebrate?</b>) wasn't even original (it was first used in a <a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2021/07/tv-journalist-baldwin-fri-7-9-21.html">2021 Robyn Weintraub puzzle</a>). I can handle all the corny mathiness you've got if I just get something properly *puzzle*-y to work through on Thursdays. This one had zero puzzle juice. Very disappointing.</div><div><br /></div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div>
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com105tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-65678705003845094802024-03-13T05:36:00.004-04:002024-03-13T06:05:03.796-04:00Famed art patron Henry / WED 3-13-24 / Listing near a museum door, perhaps / N.B.A. great nicknamed "Diesel" / "O" in W.W. II radio lingo / Jeff Bridges's "Big Lebowski" stoner role, familiarly / Overhead features on sports cars / Literary character who cries "You're glumping the pond where the Humming-Fish hummed!" / Manhattan hoops venue, in brief<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Drew Schmenner</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy-Medium</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpyHOMREFjWgDkTOV_185Ckifoeb45H2ssctL7jeN4IKS2l3vnLf8ukYmc59AmgePThaprvV5WLhhQgL9k2-p1CzIQMrUmIbLf-WTd8l7xofFDgrqSMDnXn7KbF8xVA4QrkKWyFOB6jDgD81yPWgWlfMC9TvSvVIyuYsBg34uuY8xWvig1WGS8w/s976/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%204.08.47%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="908" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpyHOMREFjWgDkTOV_185Ckifoeb45H2ssctL7jeN4IKS2l3vnLf8ukYmc59AmgePThaprvV5WLhhQgL9k2-p1CzIQMrUmIbLf-WTd8l7xofFDgrqSMDnXn7KbF8xVA4QrkKWyFOB6jDgD81yPWgWlfMC9TvSvVIyuYsBg34uuY8xWvig1WGS8w/w374-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%204.08.47%20AM.png" width="374" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> FINAL FOUR (61A: March Madness component that's a phonetic hint to 18-, 23-, 38- and 50-Across)</span> — four answers end with the sound of "-FOR" (spelled <u>four</u> different ways):<div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><b>SEMAPHORE (18A: Flag-waver's specialty)</b></li><li><b>MIXED METAPHOR (2</b><b>3A: "When the going gets tough, the early bird gets the worm?," e.g.)</b></li><li><b>CHIWETEL EJIOFOR (38A: Best Actor nominee for "12 Years a Slave")</b></li><li><b>AS NEVER BEFORE (50A: In an unprecedented manner)</b></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> CHIWETEL EJIOFOR </span>(<b>38A: Best Actor nominee for "12 Years a Slave"</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b>Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor </b>[...] (born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Chiwetel_Ejiofor" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="List of awards and nominations received by Chiwetel Ejiofor">various accolades</a>, including a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Academy_Film_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="British Academy Film Award">British Academy Film Award</a>, and a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Olivier_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Laurence Olivier Award">Laurence Olivier Award</a>, with nominations for an <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Academy Award">Academy Award</a>, two <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primetime_Emmy_Awards" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Primetime Emmy Awards">Primetime Emmy Awards</a> and five <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Globe_Awards" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Golden Globe Awards">Golden Globe Awards</a>.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLd7YXUekcmqBaCH3x3aQNHYxs8h5vYyf9NI-g7UrMayK0Hn_gk-RPwvjYmcbbcyZOnFu5_0Tvdvom3gt93Jnfns05QlATIE0dwhyphenhyphenn2SGWpHLLKF7mWPzQyQag3sUtujXiTxCivWxHCb_VfRh_BxfsrGkXxFeJHHHZ6VfsSF90zq2KAsWlUQGxw/s1080/20200709-hype-cover-08.jpg.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPLd7YXUekcmqBaCH3x3aQNHYxs8h5vYyf9NI-g7UrMayK0Hn_gk-RPwvjYmcbbcyZOnFu5_0Tvdvom3gt93Jnfns05QlATIE0dwhyphenhyphenn2SGWpHLLKF7mWPzQyQag3sUtujXiTxCivWxHCb_VfRh_BxfsrGkXxFeJHHHZ6VfsSF90zq2KAsWlUQGxw/w167-h167/20200709-hype-cover-08.jpg.webp" width="167" /></a></b>After enrolling at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Youth_Theatre" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="National Youth Theatre">National Youth Theatre</a> in 1995 and attending the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Academy_of_Music_and_Dramatic_Art" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art">London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art</a>, at age 19 and three months into his course, Ejiofor was cast by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberg" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Steven Spielberg">Steven Spielberg</a> to play a supporting role in the film <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amistad_(film)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Amistad (film)">Amistad</a></i> (1997) as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Covey" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="James Covey">James Covey</a>. [...] </p><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">For </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">12 Years a Slave</i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, Ejiofor received </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Academy Awards">Academy Award</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Globe_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Golden Globe Award">Golden Globe Award</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> nominations, along with the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAFTA_Award_for_Best_Actor_in_a_Leading_Role" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role">BAFTA Award for Best Actor</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. He was nominated for a 2014 </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primetime_Emmy_Award_for_Outstanding_Lead_Actor_in_a_Limited_Series_or_Movie" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie">Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> for his performance on </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_on_the_Edge_(TV_series)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Dancing on the Edge (TV series)">Dancing on the Edge</a></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> In 2022, he played the lead role in the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showtime_(TV_network)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Showtime (TV network)">Showtime</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> science fiction television series </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Fell_to_Earth_(TV_series)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Man Who Fell to Earth (TV series)">The Man Who Fell to Earth</a></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div>Checked out of this one early. Very early. Right about here.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcgc3HbRb9LdfYev9Bg5spkS93u2TBysCzsMbzBSK6-IgEHWith-bsP72Qefovey-CWG-V7nr2jip88sC9sJzAGeSVALGiCKNlPogkoTQ9zhc9OQVqGTNUjLAyT1O-JlCu3kfH-y1SCdVhYGVmcxW3iE7YM6mlyDBbMRWWeMIU16iGTcPsVewQg/s508/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%204.02.38%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="508" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcgc3HbRb9LdfYev9Bg5spkS93u2TBysCzsMbzBSK6-IgEHWith-bsP72Qefovey-CWG-V7nr2jip88sC9sJzAGeSVALGiCKNlPogkoTQ9zhc9OQVqGTNUjLAyT1O-JlCu3kfH-y1SCdVhYGVmcxW3iE7YM6mlyDBbMRWWeMIU16iGTcPsVewQg/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%204.02.38%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>And then <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGAPE</span></b> in that same small corner? Nah. I don't have patience for a simple grid that is not filled more cleanly than that. Archaic song title partial + oldschool crosswordese + archaic quaint adjective ... you gotta try harder. A lot harder. This feels almost autofilled. The theme concept is fine, but it's Monday-level and ultimately kind of dull. I guess it's timely, in that March Madness starts later this month, but March Madness is frequently exciting and this ... was never that. The most "exciting" part was probably the (for me) never-not-an-adventure experience of trying to spell <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CHIWETEL EJIOFOR</span></b> correctly. In fact, that's probably the one answer that definitively turns this would-be Monday puzzle into a Wednesday. I still think the cluing should've been eased up a little and this should've run on a Tuesday, at the latest, but shrug, it is what it is, and what it is is mainly a shrug. Disappointingly flat, for sure.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>The puzzle appears to be "toughened" up, made Wednesday-worthy, but some truly awkward and occasionally inscrutable cluing. The <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DUO</span></b> clue was bizarre (<b>26A: What's needed for a "Who's on First?" routine</b>), in that I just assume that the people doing the routine need something, not that ... the people themselves are needed. Also, I think one person could probably do both sides of that routine if they really wanted to, in which case you wouldn't really need a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DUO</span></b> at all. I also did not get the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DONOR</span></b> clue at all (<b>33A: Listing near a museum door, perhaps</b>), since "listing" made me think of a list (of <i>multiple</i> names?), and "museum door" evoked absolutely nothing for me. Like ... the front door? The door to a specific exhibit? The bathroom door? "Near a museum door" couldn't be more No Place if it tried. The whole museum feels like it's theoretically "near a museum door." The clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SEA</span></b> also doesn't work (<b>44A: Whatever floats your boat!</b>). It's trying for cute wordplay, but the clue says "Whatever" floats my boat, and the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SEA</span></b> is not "Whatever." It's a specific thing. Other bodies of water float boats, so the clue is invalid on its face. "Whatever," my eye. I didn't love [<b>Web attachments?</b>] for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">INSECTS</span></b>, either—seemed a grim way to be wacky—but at least that one works on its surface (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">INSECTS</span></b> do become "attached" to spiders' "webs"). [<b>"Why are you in such a rush?"</b>] completely fails to capture the tone and tenor of "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">SO SOON</span></b>?" first by being a complete sentence (when "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">SO SOON</span></b>?" is not), and then by being so painfully literal-minded and prying. There's no demand for an explanation in "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">SO SOON</span></b>?" Also, "What are you in such a rush?" has no conversational bounce to it. Sounds like the interrogator is annoyed. Also, just because someone has to leave doesn't mean they're in a "rush." There's a reason "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">SO SOON</span></b>?" (19 Shortz-Era appearances!) is overwhelmingly clued as ["Already?"] or ["Leaving already?"]. Those are spot-on. This clue, in trying to be "original" (I guess), just gums things up.</div><div><br />
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</div><div><b><span style="color: #351c75;">RARED</span></b>? (<b>53D: Stood on hind legs, with "up"</b>) <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RARED</span></b>!? I refer you back to the first sentences of this write-up. I just can't believe the fill is so weak throughout. And isn't "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">RARED</span></b>" just a folksy term for "reared"? Here's me searching [define rared]</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCY3azzT6DXV0lylU8CVwttrhppkthmS0CDgaE6rD9Ruhm6a6-tN1xsbYyUJTmrzwZzxH61pP3rsifHQ_fG-oyBgyj35yZWC-aX41IAYZgdAD0dGEPGxiYocS3uiZ7PLYOUWKRzq0P_NYM4L9z-ehUo1-LbtuelMP2m5dXLEhgKzJv0ZvFniYFg/s612/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%204.48.07%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="612" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCY3azzT6DXV0lylU8CVwttrhppkthmS0CDgaE6rD9Ruhm6a6-tN1xsbYyUJTmrzwZzxH61pP3rsifHQ_fG-oyBgyj35yZWC-aX41IAYZgdAD0dGEPGxiYocS3uiZ7PLYOUWKRzq0P_NYM4L9z-ehUo1-LbtuelMP2m5dXLEhgKzJv0ZvFniYFg/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-13%20at%204.48.07%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I don't know what I mean, Google. I'm sorry. As clued, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RARED</span></b> is definitely a form of "reared," which gives you a pretty significant dupe down there at the bottom of the grid, with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">REARS</span></b> just a few columns over (<b>55D: Derrières</b>). <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ACH ADE ODE ETH ESTEE ENSLER ONEAL OLE INRE ETUDE SERTA</span></b> ... this one was really struggling to keep its head above the crosswordese water, all grid long. For a theme this simple, you need a much more polished and lively grid than what you've got here. <div><br />
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</div><div>Despite some sloggy cluing, there weren't any significant trouble spots today. Wrote in MIXED MESSAGES for that first themer (<b>23A: "When the going gets tough, the early bird gets the worm?," e.g.</b>) (a terrible example of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MIXED METAPHOR</span></b>, btw—the metaphor is supposed to be merely "mixed," not "intentionally and implausibly butchered for extremely low-level comedic effect"). I had some trouble getting <b><span style="color: #351c75;">G-FORCE </span>(49D: Sensation on a roller coaster)</b>. Had the "G" and wanted a word that started with "G," as one might. Never considered the "G" might be a standalone letter. But none of these struggles were true struggles. Merely snags that I hit (<b>32D</b>), and then got past relatively quickly. Really hoping for a saucy Thursday puzzle tomorrow. Something with a little life in it, even if it ends up driving me nuts. Fingers crossed. See you then.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>Additional notes:<br />
<br /><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">MSG</span></b> = Madison Square Garden</li><li>Henry <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TATE</span></b> = sugar magnate and eponym of a network of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate">four London museums</a> (including the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_Modern"><b><span style="color: #351c75;">TATE</span></b> Modern</a>) </li><div><br /></div>
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-73932659635384938222024-03-12T05:22:00.008-04:002024-03-12T08:22:39.865-04:00Pancakes sometimes served with caviar / TUE 3-12-24 / Anonymous creator of a painting sold at auction that subsequently shredded itself / Fictional land ruled by Aslan / Not playing any songs, as a radio station<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Andrew Kingsley and Garrett Chalfin</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Medium (i.e. normal Tuesday)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieGCP9pZvKh8XGFKaJEaZfza4uV5ls3XNugSYpYjL2SSvw93OJeRyoWi_nzMKnmQs5voZfw4LgtR8EhksL6rLFrGP3r82WenelLeivOMumvYMwaxQdNz-Zkt9QQxkj93-_-VsdV9RhQC7W_JPEa_WH6lr6HnJXqyCqCgcyNRv9fDtVGVkfUSIYg/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-12%20at%204.07.00%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="908" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieGCP9pZvKh8XGFKaJEaZfza4uV5ls3XNugSYpYjL2SSvw93OJeRyoWi_nzMKnmQs5voZfw4LgtR8EhksL6rLFrGP3r82WenelLeivOMumvYMwaxQdNz-Zkt9QQxkj93-_-VsdV9RhQC7W_JPEa_WH6lr6HnJXqyCqCgcyNRv9fDtVGVkfUSIYg/w385-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-12%20at%204.07.00%20AM.png" width="385" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> READ MUSIC (33D: Follow a composer's notation ... or a hint to interpreting four clues in this puzzle)</span> — clues contain musical notation, specifically what appear to be notes (i.e. single letters) followed by ♭or ♯ symbols, that must be read as the [letter + "flat" (or "sharp")] in order to be understood:<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">APARTMENT (17A: A♭) (i.e. a flat)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">LIE DOWN (38A: B♭) (i.e. be flat)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">LOOK ALIVE (63A: B</span><span style="font-weight: 700;">♯) (i.e. be sharp)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">TECH SAVVY (11D: E♯) (i.e. E- (electronic???) sharp)</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> AVRIL Lavigne </span>(<b>31A: Rocker Lavigne</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedIQd7KOxaEphuwlv4YYBO7M746HjC4X7MeTC6aVFYKSYW8xuDH-go7Q7F-BUWO1Zpj0_K9VQGelCNBse9vaTpBmf3AvX3R8wPIXJnGHFu92O5YJroIMxHUapD08dEmyNIML23LAjRu300xkggI32z2gYRRLMjzEweoK9-z6cenHWjFjjkzb3sw/s318/Sk8er_boi_cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="318" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedIQd7KOxaEphuwlv4YYBO7M746HjC4X7MeTC6aVFYKSYW8xuDH-go7Q7F-BUWO1Zpj0_K9VQGelCNBse9vaTpBmf3AvX3R8wPIXJnGHFu92O5YJroIMxHUapD08dEmyNIML23LAjRu300xkggI32z2gYRRLMjzEweoK9-z6cenHWjFjjkzb3sw/w175-h172/Sk8er_boi_cover.jpg" width="175" /></a></b></div><b>Avril Ramona Lavigne</b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/æ/: 'a' in 'bad'">æ</span><span title="'v' in 'vie'">v</span><span title="'r' in 'rye'">r</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span></span><span class="wrap" style="white-space: normal;"> </span><span style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span><span title="/ə/: 'a' in 'about'">ə</span><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'v' in 'vie'">v</span><span title="/iː/: 'ee' in 'fleece'">iː</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span></span>/</a></span></span> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><i title="English pronunciation respelling"><span style="font-size: 12.6px;">AV</span>-ril lə-<span style="font-size: 12.6px;">VEEN</span></i></a>, <span class="IPA-label IPA-label-small" style="font-size: 11.9px;">French:</span> <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="fr-Latn-fonipa" style="white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/French">[avʁil<span class="wrap" style="white-space: normal;"> </span>ʁamɔna<span class="wrap" style="white-space: normal;"> </span>laviɲ]</a></span>; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She is considered a key musician in the development of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-punk" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Pop-punk">pop-punk</a> music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early 2000s. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Avril_Lavigne" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="List of awards and nominations received by Avril Lavigne">Her accolades</a> include eight <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Grammy Award">Grammy Award</a> nominations, among others.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">At age 16, Lavigne signed a two-album recording contract with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arista_Records" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Arista Records">Arista Records</a>. Her debut studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_Go_(Avril_Lavigne_album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Let Go (Avril Lavigne album)">Let Go</a></i> (2002), is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_of_the_21st_century" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="List of best-selling albums of the 21st century">best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist</a>. It yielded the successful singles "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complicated_(Avril_Lavigne_song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Complicated (Avril Lavigne song)">Complicated</a>" and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sk8er_Boi" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Sk8er Boi">Sk8er Boi</a>", which emphasized a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skate_punk" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Skate punk">skate punk</a> persona and earned her the title "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorific_nicknames_in_popular_music" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Honorific nicknames in popular music">Pop-Punk Queen</a>" from music publications. Her second studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_My_Skin_(Avril_Lavigne_album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Under My Skin (Avril Lavigne album)">Under My Skin</a></i> (2004), became Lavigne's first album to reach the top of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_200" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Billboard 200"><i>Billboard</i> 200</a> chart in the United States, going on to sell 10 million copies worldwide.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">Lavigne's third studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Damn_Thing" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Best Damn Thing">The Best Damn Thing</a></i> (2007), reached number one in seven countries worldwide and saw the international success of its lead single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girlfriend_(Avril_Lavigne_song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne song)">Girlfriend</a>", which became her first single to reach the top of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Billboard Hot 100"><i>Billboard</i> Hot 100</a> in the United States. Her next two studio albums, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye_Lullaby" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Goodbye Lullaby">Goodbye Lullaby</a></i>(2011) and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avril_Lavigne_(album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Avril Lavigne (album)">Avril Lavigne</a></i> (2013), saw continued commercial success and were both certified gold in Canada, the United States, and other territories. After releasing her sixth studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_Above_Water_(album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Head Above Water (album)">Head Above Water</a></i> (2019), she returned to her punk roots with her seventh studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Sux" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Love Sux">Love Sux</a></i> (2022). (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK23FGl-IEtpcTEfy10irvjaojBQ7iWAYIg_eEtvhtKTc01Jh7zDu2Nc4kqoYMdNeUy37aHCL1GiTjCw5aozrybbbH_IkJJOSCnMS87wwUo9ixIn1v-LXeysf7lZyP4zbkoFwNVrRyt07nWKhxbcJgAJt-NXC5avGO96pi62I_FWW2tMjDHozAOA/s1000/51I7sJyzwxL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK23FGl-IEtpcTEfy10irvjaojBQ7iWAYIg_eEtvhtKTc01Jh7zDu2Nc4kqoYMdNeUy37aHCL1GiTjCw5aozrybbbH_IkJJOSCnMS87wwUo9ixIn1v-LXeysf7lZyP4zbkoFwNVrRyt07nWKhxbcJgAJt-NXC5avGO96pi62I_FWW2tMjDHozAOA/w227-h227/51I7sJyzwxL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>I can see why this idea would be tempting, but in practice, the results are rough. Uneven. Which I guess is what "rough" means, now that I think about it. The smallest issue I have is that <span>B</span><span style="font-weight: 700;">♯</span>and E<span style="font-weight: 700;">♯</span> aren't commonly known that way. That is, a B♯ is just a C and an E♯ an F. Yes, yes, it's "<a href="Yes, E sharp and F natural are actually different notes. In music theory, E sharp is the enharmonic equivalent of F natural, which means they are played or sung at the same pitch but have different names. This distinction becomes important in certain musical contexts, such as when following key signatures or when discussing harmonic relationships.">more complicated than that</a>," but tonally, they're the same. In isolation like this, they seem strange. If you wanted a specific note, you'd ask someone to play an F, not an E♯. But this isn't a problem with the theme <i>per se</i>, just an odd (and, to my ear, slightly annoying) little feature. The problem is ... well, there are several. First, [<b>A♭</b>] wants me to read the "A" as ... what, an indefinite article? But you never use indefinite articles in crossword clues. [Flat] = <b><span style="color: #351c75;">APARTMENT</span></b> all on its own. That "A" is completely redundant. Unless ... we are supposed to (somehow?) understand the "A" as the first letter of the word, and are supposed to interpret the clue as [Word meaning "flat" that starts with "A"], which seems implausible, to say the least. If the other clues had worked that way (not a bad idea, frankly), then OK. But that is not how the other clues work. Having <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LOOK ALIVE</span></b> as the answer for [<b>B♯</b>] was odd because the most common phrase anyone can make out of any of those words is LOOK SHARP. I actually wrote in LOOK SHARP, but then remembered that "flat" wasn't in any of the earlier theme answers, so "sharp" probably wasn't in this one. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LOOK ALIVE</span></b>! is a fine phrase, but ["Be sharp!"] doesn't sound right as an equivalent. The worst thing about the theme, though, was [<b>E♯</b>] = <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TECH SAVVY</span></b>. I don't get it. That is, I guess if you really lean upon the "?" nature of the clue, you can say "E-" is like the "E-" prefix in "EMAIL" or "EBOOK," that it just refers to All Things Electronic, and so a person might who is <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TECH SAVVY</span></b> might be said (by some overambitious quipster) to be E-SHARP. But none of the other clues have that bent quality to them—once you change the musical notation to the word "sharp" or "flat," the other theme clues are quite literal and ordinary. Whereas "E-sharp" is (<a href="https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095428154#:~:text=Abbreviation%20for%20As%20Far%20As,A%20Dictionary%20of%20the%20Internet%20»">afaict</a>) a totally made-up thing. As I say, rough.<div><br />
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</div><div>The fill is less than sterling today as well. Lots of repeaters. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AÇAI AGHA ATEAT IWIN</span></b> etc., the (very) worst of which is <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ABRA </span><span>(49A: Start of a spell)</span></b>, a ... partial incantation (?) that absolutely positively does not want to stand on its own and always give me a nails/chalkboard feeling when I see it (which, thankfully, is rarely) (oof, not rarely enough—56 times in the Shortz Era???). Looks like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ABRA</span></b> is sometimes an ["East of Eden" girl] or a <a href="https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokedex/abra">Pokémon</a>. Can't say that helps. Maybe the grid really needed <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ABRA</span></b> in order to pull off <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BANKSY</span></b>, which is easily the most interesting thing in the grid today (<b>50D: Anonymous creator of a painting sold at auction that subsequently shredded itself</b>). That whole SE corner is nice actually, from <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BANKSY</span></b> into the old-fashioned but somehow endearing "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">AND HOW</span></b>!" into the equally exclamatory "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">OY, VEY</span></b>!," which slots in alongside the cleverly clued <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HAIKU</span></b> (<b>53D: A kind of poem / Found within this crossword clue / Serendipity</b>) (the only problem with this clue is ... that not exactly what "Serendipity" means—there's an element of chance to "Serendipity," whereas this clue is a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HAIKU</span></b> by <i>design</i>). </div><div><br />
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<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">22A: "Hello," in Mandarin (<span style="color: #351c75;">NIHAO</span>)</span> — I was driving past a <a href="https://www.nihaoteahouse.com">bubble tea cafe</a> this weekend called <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NIHAO</span></b> and actually thought to myself (possibly even said out loud to myself), "it's weird that you don't see <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NIHAO</span></b> in the puzzle more often ..." and then <u>Bam</u>, here it is. <i>That's</i> serendipity (I think).</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnx4h23iXwF0X8Aoe1qwq-iMY2VACy1tHp_1udWqNO-o1nZmlwGNzg0JFvGX4GMeByjyMmCtdZjd1ycSKSFUlWMXxiG4mwkQs-TaVDisZE7UdxUdkuOOCkpN6LI5TAPQzMVLH6dnwf6WW0wVpK0RzfuGFpSN0ihhjnnFwakJD8L4mqhcZQ7L_Hg/s348/348s.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="348" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnx4h23iXwF0X8Aoe1qwq-iMY2VACy1tHp_1udWqNO-o1nZmlwGNzg0JFvGX4GMeByjyMmCtdZjd1ycSKSFUlWMXxiG4mwkQs-TaVDisZE7UdxUdkuOOCkpN6LI5TAPQzMVLH6dnwf6WW0wVpK0RzfuGFpSN0ihhjnnFwakJD8L4mqhcZQ7L_Hg/s320/348s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">51A: Liquid-ate? (<span style="color: #351c75;">MELT</span>)</span> — hmmm. I see what this clue is trying to do (emphasize the "liquid" part by breaking off the "-ate"), but the clue, as written, looks like you want an answer meaning [Ate liquid] ... so, DRANK? Something like that ...</li><li><b>28A: Not playing any songs, as a radio station (<span style="color: #351c75;">ALL TALK</span>) </b>– what a dull way to clue this otherwise colorful colloquial phrase. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALL TALK</span></b> is the counterpart of "no action," if it's anything. [Like someone who brags about what they're <i>gonna</i> do but never does it]. But <i>this</i> clue ... I wanted DEAD AIR.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">1A: Discontinue (<span style="color: #351c75;">DROP</span>)</span> — welcome to 1-Across, the hardest part of the puzzle for me. Why? Because I went with STOP ... And then crossed it with STAGE (<b>1D: Field of play?</b>). Man, did that feel right on both counts. STOP / STAGE before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DROP / DRAMA</span></b> absolutely gummed up the works (for fifteen seconds or so, probably, but on Tuesday, that's an eternity).</li></ul><div>That's it. See you tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com75tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-83988913398903101592024-03-11T00:00:00.001-04:002024-03-11T00:00:00.130-04:00Washington's official state sport since 2022 / MON 3-11-24 / Sturdy shoe, or an Irish accent / Spiral-shelled mollusk / Guide to navigating an internet resource / Beanbag-tossing sport / App craze of the early 2010s, familiarly / Mattel offering with cards for making "hilarious comparisons" <span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Rebecca Goldstein and Rachel Fabi</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy (Easy-Medium to Medium if you were solving Downs-only, as I was)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVtDQNCNnVzF8kbe8tKkxyl6WKRm24_6G2s5dkIscfZ2weB-kdkc-ZFGJ768t9mPv7hBI22QxVZ6OvSKIGqapwbkQ5GNbYIG3ZgS5gRVszGVrt8oVn_CYJRzs7bwQZPWS4qd3rAUc82Mi5lgEoOZ_1Vgwo5dqMU6eDY5UcUbhVhNNSK8RCk2VLg/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-10%20at%207.30.55%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="848" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVtDQNCNnVzF8kbe8tKkxyl6WKRm24_6G2s5dkIscfZ2weB-kdkc-ZFGJ768t9mPv7hBI22QxVZ6OvSKIGqapwbkQ5GNbYIG3ZgS5gRVszGVrt8oVn_CYJRzs7bwQZPWS4qd3rAUc82Mi5lgEoOZ_1Vgwo5dqMU6eDY5UcUbhVhNNSK8RCk2VLg/w359-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-10%20at%207.30.55%20PM.png" width="359" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> THE HUNGER GAMES (55A: Dystopian novel/film series ... or what the answers to the starred clues are?)</span> — games with foods in their titles:<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">APPLES TO APPLES (16A: *Mattel offering with cards for making "hilarious comparisons")</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">PICKLEBALL (23A: *Washington's official state sport since 2022)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">CORNHOLE (35A: *Beanbag-tossing sport)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">CANDY CRUSH (46A: *App craze of the early 2010s, familiarly)</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> APPLES TO APPLES </span>(<b>16A</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><i><b></b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqudhkGC5g429uXALtlu1bxQD3uz1mQwkOOaDi1nlM2ADTDO1xHKGuHGAtJD4Jv1uT-XB29T3E3KK9lodw124OafB2YiD0o09PYnGXVUBMK36omAz5nB3PfS7LOISlnI6mCpJBUGWL1grf4JDCTtBp-TpZvcosZI2i9GfEBnreBP9yHnzMkCmMTw/s203/Apples_to_Apples_cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqudhkGC5g429uXALtlu1bxQD3uz1mQwkOOaDi1nlM2ADTDO1xHKGuHGAtJD4Jv1uT-XB29T3E3KK9lodw124OafB2YiD0o09PYnGXVUBMK36omAz5nB3PfS7LOISlnI6mCpJBUGWL1grf4JDCTtBp-TpZvcosZI2i9GfEBnreBP9yHnzMkCmMTw/w148-h150/Apples_to_Apples_cover.jpg" width="148" /></a></b></i></div><i><b>Apples to Apples</b></i> is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_game" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Party game">party game</a> originally published by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Box_Publishing" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Out of the Box Publishing">Out of the Box Publishing</a> Inc., and now by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattel" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Mattel">Mattel</a>. Players start with a hand of seven "red apple" cards, which feature nouns. A player is selected to be the first judge, and that judge plays a "green apple" card, which features an adjective. The round is won by playing the "red apple" card that the judge determines to be the best match for the "green apple" card. The role of the judge rotates, and the number of rounds is determined by the number of players. The game is designed for four to ten players and played for 30–75 minutes.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><i>Apples to Apples</i> was chosen by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensa_International" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Mensa International">Mensa International</a> in 1999 as a "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mensa_Select_recipients" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="List of Mensa Select recipients">Mensa Select</a>" prizewinner, an award given to five games each year. It was also named "Party Game of the Year" in the December 1999 issue of <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games_(magazine)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Games (magazine)">Games</a></i> magazine and received the National Parenting Center's seal of approval in May 1999. The popularity of the game led to an increased interest in similar card-matching/answer-judging party games. On September 8, 2007, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Box_Publishing" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Out of the Box Publishing">Out of the Box Publishing</a> sold the rights for <i>Apples to Apples</i> to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattel" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Mattel">Mattel</a>. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div><div><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TggKqoYIyXQMDWBHEQxQ3Az8dMSh3nvKlKM2slvxRCkdYK5vASkCWp8-pzCxvRUlmcNkcaKyEx6iYabRvaK8jk1gE_GEw1ezQ8wy_YMHfdHoizgPfNsF_BDElDMwmWQJ7MqoV08jVDWKhxX5dy9NAjCuFepp6r_hIgHKBc1ipAYhGrSVfNyKMw/s1200/s-l1200.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TggKqoYIyXQMDWBHEQxQ3Az8dMSh3nvKlKM2slvxRCkdYK5vASkCWp8-pzCxvRUlmcNkcaKyEx6iYabRvaK8jk1gE_GEw1ezQ8wy_YMHfdHoizgPfNsF_BDElDMwmWQJ7MqoV08jVDWKhxX5dy9NAjCuFepp6r_hIgHKBc1ipAYhGrSVfNyKMw/w184-h245/s-l1200.webp" width="184" /></a></div>Hey, I know these two people. Rachel is my good friend and neighbor to the north (Syracuse!), and Rebecca is a prolific constructor Whose Puzzle (co-constructed with Adam Wagner) I Just Finished Guest-Editing for the the soon-to-be-released <a href="https://fund.nnaf.org/campaign/these-puzzles-fund-abortion-4/c561096">These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4</a> collection! (More on that collection in this coming Sunday's blog). Nobody I know ever tells me when they have puzzles coming out, so it's always a delightful surprise. Is this the debut of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PICKLEBALL</span></b>!? No. That credit goes to David Steinberg, who debuted the word almost a year ago now. My primary care physician (whom I adore) is ... I wanna say state <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PICKLEBALL</span></b> champion in her age group? I may have that wrong, but I do know that she competes For Real, and it always cheers up hypochondriacal me to hear her talk about her <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PICKLEBALL</span></b> adventures. She's such a calm, reassuring, optimistic person, but you can tell she would kill you on the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PICKLEBALL</span></b> court. I just know she has a ruthless streak in her somewhere, underneath that kindly exterior. Anyway, whenever I see <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PICKLEBALL</span></b>, I think of Dr. Yu, my doctor for 20+ years, just The Best. I've never played <b><span style="color: #351c75;">APPLES TO APPLES</span></b> or <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CANDY CRUSH</span></b>, but I'm aware that they exist. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CORNHOLE</span></b> is kind of a standard family get-together game around these parts. I haven't played in like a decade, since my kid was much much younger, and before our friends and neighbors Dave & Diane moved away (I'm sure I played it elsewhere, but my only specific memories of playing it involved playing it at their house, just around the block from us). It's fun. You throw beanbags. At a hole. Not sure where corn comes into it, but ... good times. I like that all these games are so different from one another. Digital, tabletop, court-based, backyard-based. It's kind of a leap from food to HUNGER (I kept thinking "huh, food games, wonder how they're gonna tie this all together..."), but not <i>too</i> big a leap. Cute theme. Thumbs up.<div><br />
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</div><div>Downs-only would've been easier if I could've just remembered Megan <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RAPINOE's</span></b> name. I could see her face, but then ... blank. Should've been a gimme. Wasn't. When I (finally) got it, I had a big "D'oh!" / headslap moment. But for a while there, the NW looked dicey; I had <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GLADES</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MALT</span></b>, but neither of the 7s in between. Had to wait for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">APPLES TO APPLES</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EPIPEN</span></b> to (eventually) give me the letters I needed to make sense of those longer Downs. I also struggled a bit to get the 7s in the NE. And the 6! <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LASTLY</span></b> was oddly hard (<b>12D: "In conclusion..."</b>). I had ELL- in the cross at 30A and was considering only "E" or "A" as a last letter there, not "Y." Not sure I would've ever gotten <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALL TALK</span></b> if I hadn't had DOR-Y at <b>33A</b> and reasoned (reasonably) that it had to be <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DORKY</span></b>. That "K" made all the difference in that NE corner. Elsewhere, the only other issue I had was with <b>37D: Apt rhyme of "caches" (<span style="color: #351c75;">STASHES</span>)</b>. I was hearing it as "cachets" ("cachés"?) and so wrote in SACHETS!!! But the themers eventually came along and helped me correct that error. </div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mBidZgnWw-w?si=59-2Wp9vgc19y9o_" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>OK, I gotta run along now. This Daylight Saving baloney (abolish it! Standard Time Forever!) has me behind schedule. I've got a (virtual) meeting in 25 minutes, so ... bye!</div><div><br />
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com73tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-3644971220771610442024-03-10T00:00:00.006-05:002024-03-10T07:46:52.033-04:00Cyrillic letter pronounced like the "zz" of "pizza" / SUN 3-10-24 / TikTok star Gray / Syrupy covering for ham / Negative Boolean operator / Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of war, takes the form of one / Letter that rhymes with the letters before and after it / Birds with deep booming calls / ___ Olution 2002 rap album<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Enrique Henestroza Anguiano and Matthew Stock</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrO_4KrlKTvb2a6GOTd4wpGP5ts3p_N8-KlTxuDddaQpgwuBEfZYWWISpnbfZ0whroZ4BF3t-O8LQIZTWnfUhsyNQwZrmIVUvPniMv3GfiZzCNmQ5Gzn_02Odo7J5SYE26vmsWuRGQvnp-u8jKklhjjIZEOPKgzhS88RFQ2GC9EcavioDCAbSvQ/s1104/Screenshot%202024-03-09%20at%207.07.10%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1096" data-original-width="1104" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrO_4KrlKTvb2a6GOTd4wpGP5ts3p_N8-KlTxuDddaQpgwuBEfZYWWISpnbfZ0whroZ4BF3t-O8LQIZTWnfUhsyNQwZrmIVUvPniMv3GfiZzCNmQ5Gzn_02Odo7J5SYE26vmsWuRGQvnp-u8jKklhjjIZEOPKgzhS88RFQ2GC9EcavioDCAbSvQ/w400-h399/Screenshot%202024-03-09%20at%207.07.10%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> "Rack 'Em Up"</span> — Scrabble-themed puzzle where blue squares represent <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TRIPLE LETTER SCOREs</span></b> (<b>65A: Scrabble bonus seen six times in this puzzle</b>), i.e. in the Across answers, you have to count that letter three times). The blue squares spell out POINTS, which is ... a Scrabble-related term (of no particular relevance to how the theme actually works): <br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">IN-A<span style="color: red;">PP P</span>URCHASE (22A: Extra lives or additional gems, for a freemium game)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">"I'M T<span style="color: red;">OO O</span>LD FOR THIS NOW" (31A: "The kids these days have gotten way better than me")</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">HAWA<span style="color: red;">II I</span>SLANDERS (48A: Former minor-league team that played at Aloha Stadium)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">C<span style="color: red;">NN N</span>EWS HEADLINE (84A: Something delivered by Jake Tapper or Anderson Cooper)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">KRISTIN SCO<span style="color: red;">TT T</span>HOMAS (98A: "The English Patient" actress)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">BUSINE<span style="color: red;">SS S</span>ENSE (115A: Executive's acumen)</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> EVE </span>(<b>29A: "___-Olution" (2002 rap album)</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKssO_sENZCdW3wbS24pTp_yo0RH3PYmfa4Nm9VTt8zk46KG3AhGhc6NNZvZLXMKD9ZzGSHcUNp5dvCfcZiX0Dy1rZqYcGVcDfyBDNGVUaEdw5ZCK4MtNoIL6WHWr-29A1fQzzr67mgPT3VjAfTz3lHMSvsGXzjGpasNrheFomBuk5rtEGLCUnOQ/s316/EveOlution.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="316" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKssO_sENZCdW3wbS24pTp_yo0RH3PYmfa4Nm9VTt8zk46KG3AhGhc6NNZvZLXMKD9ZzGSHcUNp5dvCfcZiX0Dy1rZqYcGVcDfyBDNGVUaEdw5ZCK4MtNoIL6WHWr-29A1fQzzr67mgPT3VjAfTz3lHMSvsGXzjGpasNrheFomBuk5rtEGLCUnOQ/w208-h208/EveOlution.jpg" width="208" /></a></b></div><b>Eve Jihan Cooper</b> (<span title="Name at birth"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_name#Maiden_and_married_names" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Birth name">née</a></span> <b>Jeffers</b>; born November 10, 1978) is an American rapper, singer, and actress. Her debut studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_There_Be_Eve...Ruff_Ryders%27_First_Lady" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady">Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady</a></i> (1999) reached number one on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_200" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Billboard 200"><i>Billboard</i> 200</a>—making her the third female rapper to accomplish this feat—and received <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_certifications" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="RIAA certifications">double platinum</a> certification by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_Industry_Association_of_America" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Recording Industry Association of America">Recording Industry Association of America</a> (RIAA). The album spawned the hit singles "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Ya_Want" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="What Ya Want">What Ya Want</a>" (featuring <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokio" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Nokio">Nokio</a>), "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Is_Blind_(Eve_song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Love Is Blind (Eve song)">Love Is Blind</a>," and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotta_Man" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Gotta Man">Gotta Man</a>." That same year, she guest featured on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roots" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Roots">The Roots</a>' <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Grammy Award">Grammy Award</a>-winning single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Got_Me_(The_Roots_song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="You Got Me (The Roots song)">You Got Me</a>" as well as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missy_Elliott" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Missy Elliott">Missy Elliott</a>'s single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Boyz_(song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Hot Boyz (song)">Hot Boyz</a>," which peaked within the top ten of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Billboard Hot 100"><i>Billboard</i> Hot 100</a>.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">Eve's second studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion_(Eve_album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Scorpion (Eve album)">Scorpion</a></i> (2001) was released to similar success. Its lead single, "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_Me_Blow_Ya_Mind" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Let Me Blow Ya Mind">Let Me Blow Ya Mind</a>" (featuring <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwen_Stefani" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Gwen Stefani">Gwen Stefani</a>) won her and Stefani the inaugural <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Melodic_Rap_Performance" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance">Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration</a> and an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Video_Music_Awards" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="MTV Video Music Awards">MTV Video Music Award</a>, while peaking at number two on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100. Her third album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve-Olution" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Eve-Olution">Eve-Olution</a></i> (2002) found continued success and yielded the single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangsta_Lovin%27" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Gangsta Lovin'">Gangsta Lovin'</a>" (featuring <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Keys" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Alicia Keys">Alicia Keys</a>), which likewise peaked at number two on the chart. The album also spawned the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Dre" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Dr. Dre">Dr. Dre</a>-produced single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisfaction_(Eve_song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Satisfaction (Eve song)">Satisfaction</a>," which, along with her 2007 single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambourine_(song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Tambourine (song)">Tambourine</a>" and guest performance on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_High" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="City High">City High</a>'s 2001 single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramel_(City_High_song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Caramel (City High song)">Caramel</a>," peaked within the top 40 of the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100. She also guest featured on Gwen Stefani's Grammy Award-nominated 2004 single "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Girl_(Gwen_Stefani_song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani song)">Rich Girl</a>," which received double platinum certification by the RIAA. After parting ways with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interscope_Records" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Interscope Records">Interscope Records</a>, Eve released her fourth studio album, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lip_Lock" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Lip Lock">Lip Lock</a></i> (2013) as her first independent project.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">As an actress, she starred as Terri Jones in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_drama" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Comedy drama">comedy drama</a> films <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbershop_(film)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Barbershop (film)"><i>Barbershop</i></a>, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbershop_2:_Back_in_Business" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Barbershop 2: Back in Business">Barbershop 2: Back in Business</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbershop:_The_Next_Cut" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Barbershop: The Next Cut">Barbershop: The Next Cut</a></i>, and played the lead role of Shelley Williams on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPN" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="UPN">UPN</a>television sitcom <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_(American_TV_series)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Eve (American TV series)">Eve</a></i>. Eve also had supporting roles in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_(film_and_television)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Drama (film and television)">drama</a> film <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woodsman_(2004_film)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Woodsman (2004 film)">The Woodsman</a></i> (2004), the comedy film <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cookout" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Cookout">The Cookout</a></i> (2004) and the horror film <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_(2014_film)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Animal (2014 film)">Animal</a></i> (2014). From 2017 to 2020, she co-hosted the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_Daytime" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="CBS Daytime">CBS Daytime</a> talk show <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Talk_(talk_show)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Talk (talk show)">The Talk</a></i>, where she was nominated for two <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_Emmy_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Daytime Emmy Award">Daytime Emmy Award</a>. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmB_xjZdWsE2VLikG_lp9j1LJc7ZHsJkdiLC-H5dR3gn1cuHLlpBAm4R-5dzfVs6FlpkFH93NqicZxcdTKvuCvDrOq_vxARZMJgKBZn2rjgSuhWT4Hw0zQu6ARqVCuVAS_bywob2jCbW-o8lUhos7xksbDQ2C5ckW4L8J-7NwLlYJF-XQtdcDkA/s1147/90.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="800" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJmB_xjZdWsE2VLikG_lp9j1LJc7ZHsJkdiLC-H5dR3gn1cuHLlpBAm4R-5dzfVs6FlpkFH93NqicZxcdTKvuCvDrOq_vxARZMJgKBZn2rjgSuhWT4Hw0zQu6ARqVCuVAS_bywob2jCbW-o8lUhos7xksbDQ2C5ckW4L8J-7NwLlYJF-XQtdcDkA/w170-h244/90.jpeg" width="170" /></a></div>Scrabble themes. They ... won't go away, apparently. I don't enjoy Scrabble, but still I'm vaguely aware of how it works, and I don't quite get what "SCORE" (or "POINTS") has to do with the theme. You have to triple the blue letters in order to make sense of the Across answers in which they appear, but there's no "SCORE" involved. No scoring. Are the values of the letters involved relevant? If you triple the point values of the actual Scrabble tiles involved, do you ... get something? Do you unlock the secret of the universe? Is the total 42? The revealer clue says that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TRIPLE LETTER SCORE</span></b> is a "bonus seen six times in this puzzle" but I don't see the SCORE part. Seems like the clue should have a "?" on it. You mean (I think) that there's a "triple letter" involved. Maybe "SCORE" is being used very very loosely here. Like, you have to "score" the letter (i.e. "interpret" it?) as three letters. I dunno. The whole thing felt very basic, and the blue-letter revealer (POINTS) felt extremely anticlimactic [<i>note: obviously you “score” POINTS in Scrabble, but I just can’t see how POINTS is sufficiently tight as a revealer—way too general a word</i>]<i> </i>Maybe the idea is that any letter on a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TRIPLE LETTER SCORE</span></b> triples your POINTS for that square, and technically “POINTS” (in blue squares) is <i>tripled</i> in the Across answers. OK. That does work. Still, something “thud” about mere “POINTS.” Again, maybe there is some numerological stuff going on and I'm just not seeing it because I don't play Scrabble and don't care. If that's so, I'll add something to the write-up later about how there's math I didn't get. Wouldn't be the first time I'd missed some aspect of the theme. <div><br />
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</div><div>I started the puzzle in Black Ink (my solving software of choice) but the notes said something about "blue squares" and I could see no blue squares in my grid, so I dutifully switched over to the NYTXW website in order to solve the puzzle. I didn't really need those blue squares—that is, the puzzle seems like it would've been easily solvable without them, but with them, it was a cinch, especially once you picked up on the gimmick. My main issue with the theme execution is how made-up some of the themers seem. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HAWAII ISLANDERS</span></b>? Does anyone know what that is? Who the hell knows former minor league teams that well. It was easy enough to piece together, but generally I think that if the answer wouldn't fly in a non-thematic context (and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HAWAII ISLANDERS</span></b> definitely wouldn't), it doesn't have much business in the puzzle as a themer either. I gave serious sideeye to "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS NOW</span></b>" as well. The "NOW" part is ... struggling. Very forced. "I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS" works great on its own. Add the "NOW" and you've got an obvious case of "I had to make this answer match the length of corresponding theme answer, for symmetry's sake." What I really wanted to write in was "I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS S***!" (mostly because that was how I was feeling as I solved yet another Scrabble-themed puzzle—live long enough, and they just keep coming at you). <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CNN NEWS HEADLINE</span></b> also feels entirely made-up. Like, yes, that is a thing, but it's not nearly enough of a thing to be a standalone answer. I mean, by definition, the thing they say is a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CNN NEWS HEADLINE</span></b> because they are CNN NEWS anchors (???). Bizarre. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>Had BUSINESSSAVVY before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BUSINESSSENSE</span></b> and was much happier that way. SENSE was yet another anticlimactic moment. Why couldn't you make SAVVY work there. It's a much snappier word than mere SENSE. Sigh. There were some answers I did enjoy. I think <b><span style="color: #351c75;">KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS</span></b> is the best of the themers. I enjoy her in anything I see her in, the latest thing being the Apple TV series "Slow Horses." I also like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SWEET CORN</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BRUSCHETTA</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MAPLE GLAZE</span></b>, yum. And overall, I thought the quality of the fill was pretty strong, or at least solid. I don't recall wincing very much, if at all. Oh, that clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TSE</span></b>, yipes (<b>97A: Cyrillic letter pronounced like the "zz" of "pizza"</b>). I might've winced at that. The most obscure clue, and you put it on the absolute worst bit of fill you've got? Why? Why would you do that? Don't put a flashing neon sign on the bad stuff. Just let people get it with the most ordinary of clues and Move Along. Cyrillic letter!? LOL, no. You've already got another foreign (Greek) letter in the grid (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">ETA</span></b>), you don't need more.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Not many trouble spots today. Struggled with both <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DNA</span></b> (<b>35A: Two-million-year-old discovery in 2022 in the frozen soil of Greenland</b>) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MOP</span> (41A: Shaggy hairstyle)</b>, but thankfully <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DMITIRI</span></b> Mendeleev came to the rescue. Had LEASH at <b>1A: New dog owner's purchase (<span style="color: #351c75;">CRATE</span>)</b>, but discarded it as soon as I realized I couldn't get any of the crosses to work. After that, no wrong guesses that I can recall. Oh, nope, spoke too soon. I definitely had "NOT SO!" before "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">BUT NO</span></b>!" at <b>11D: "Au contraire!"</b> but <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BTS</span></b> came to the rescue (weird how I can know virtually nothing about a band and it will still come to my rescue—solve crosswords long enough and you get very friendly with answers you actually know nothing about!) (<b>11A: Pop group with an "army"</b>). This puzzle added to my store of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EMU</span></b> lore, which is nice. They're tall, they run fast, they're from Australia, they lay big green eggs ... and they have "deep booming calls." I'm curious, now, about what that means. Let's see if we can find out ... ah, cool, here we go. And this video contains even more lore—two sets of eyelids, what!?</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/27Ih4V27RLM?si=g97zUj_rRyGSRBIo" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>Speaking of birds ... check out this Sri Lankan money someone sent me earlier this year, during my annual $$$-raising week! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mEXeyfu_5XFlXQD5vPBEg-xeNZH0TbeQARZDxRQThEVCgU1Fd63H72I6KgXJuKLm5vzEGPeHf3Pr61gXBRwUerkuOLm-skdRNJLDsP1BNX8IGkLLGY_WCqDNGPwcstbDHxGY402wEQCexb3ADh4fMQvmZ59kdW46hj72HroIyFipP391fx-wrw/s4032/IMG_9442.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mEXeyfu_5XFlXQD5vPBEg-xeNZH0TbeQARZDxRQThEVCgU1Fd63H72I6KgXJuKLm5vzEGPeHf3Pr61gXBRwUerkuOLm-skdRNJLDsP1BNX8IGkLLGY_WCqDNGPwcstbDHxGY402wEQCexb3ADh4fMQvmZ59kdW46hj72HroIyFipP391fx-wrw/w300-h400/IMG_9442.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I can't really spend it, but I can admire it. I wish we had birds on our money. Besides the eagle, I mean. Wait, is the eagle even on our money, or is that just the quarter? Oh yeah, there it is, right across from the loopy one-eyed pyramid on the $1 bill. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPMUbpnGT6UJDN4RtMerhVmnjbzPtHPtG1Lk6NkFc_e6NaQbrD0sljHPrDzPkXT1CeQ9Mg4nvyxEjxFOhWt5s4W3zgDEepDVQJ3EQgpHMTowLJRzScaaH6aEOaa5BD2FOeLoWkL5LCWQibxTKKp6q8pr1nJjvYLuioFV9Mq24_s3P1Llg8xYgyg/s1200/United_States_one_dollar_bill,_reverse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1200" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPMUbpnGT6UJDN4RtMerhVmnjbzPtHPtG1Lk6NkFc_e6NaQbrD0sljHPrDzPkXT1CeQ9Mg4nvyxEjxFOhWt5s4W3zgDEepDVQJ3EQgpHMTowLJRzScaaH6aEOaa5BD2FOeLoWkL5LCWQibxTKKp6q8pr1nJjvYLuioFV9Mq24_s3P1Llg8xYgyg/w400-h178/United_States_one_dollar_bill,_reverse.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Still, though, we can do better than an oddly splayed eagle. Realistic portraits of different birds are so much nicer than portraits of dour old white guys. And why do we still have monochrome money!? So boring. Now that no one uses cash anymore, I say it's time to mix it up. I want orange crows, blue owls, purple condors! We've had this off-green crap long enough. </div><div><br />
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com93tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51043200332972653512024-03-09T05:36:00.011-05:002024-03-09T06:36:15.857-05:00Widespread rumors, in a portmanteau / SAT 3-9-24 / MacGyvering / "Thanks a lot!," in intentionally butchered French / Remington of 1980s TV / Ananda Mahidol became its king at the age of 9, while living in Switzerland / Branch of causality that comes from the Greek for "study of the end" / Gem used in intaglio / They are felt every April<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> John Guzzetta</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Medium (potentially skewing harder)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN2j05eJIWzuj6E4Cn2glgc2f9Rq8DYD2abgWpoavQ2QqoI-P7AA23dI6tO3JLpmhednG0VY42E1hAHYFbMBP-FxCrsseYZ0VnDK6NwQodcHb4Tlfb5-IHb9VV5jOsmF0pQoM3PDy7jOhTo1W9IKyPgTUS3HI1VrpSjK8uj2qd-SDJKQhTed4qw/s964/Screenshot%202024-03-09%20at%204.08.18%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVN2j05eJIWzuj6E4Cn2glgc2f9Rq8DYD2abgWpoavQ2QqoI-P7AA23dI6tO3JLpmhednG0VY42E1hAHYFbMBP-FxCrsseYZ0VnDK6NwQodcHb4Tlfb5-IHb9VV5jOsmF0pQoM3PDy7jOhTo1W9IKyPgTUS3HI1VrpSjK8uj2qd-SDJKQhTed4qw/w375-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-09%20at%204.08.18%20AM.png" width="375" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> none</span> <br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> intaglio </span>(<b>64A: Gem used in intaglio = <span style="color: #351c75;">ONYX</span></b>) —
<blockquote><div class="vg-sseq-entry-item" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: #212529; display: flex; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 19px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="vg-sseq-entry-item-label" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; min-width: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">1</div><div class="sb has-num has-let ms-lg-4 ms-3 w-100" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 743px;"><div class="sb-0 sb-entry" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="sense has-sn has-num" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="letter" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; display: inline-block; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a</span></span><div class="sense-content w-100" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 723.515625px;"><span class="dt" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="mw_t_bc" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span>an engraving or incised figure in stone or other hard material depressed below the surface so that an impression from the design yields an image in relief</span></div></div></div><div class="sb-1 sb-entry" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="sense has-sn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="letter" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; display: inline-block; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">b</span></span><div class="sense-content w-100" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 722.96875px;"><span class="dt" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="dtText" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="mw_t_bc" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span>the art or process of executing <a class="mw_t_a_link" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intaglios" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0074cc; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">intaglios</a></span></span></div></div></div><div class="sb-2 sb-entry" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="sense has-sn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="letter" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; display: inline-block; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">c</span></span><div class="sense-content w-100" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 725.21875px;"><span class="dt" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="mw_t_bc" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span>printing (as in die stamping and gravure) done from a plate in which the image is sunk below the surface</span></div></div></div></div><div class="vg-sseq-entry-item-thread-anchor" style="background: linear-gradient(rgb(187, 213, 224), rgb(222, 234, 239) 17.8%, rgb(222, 234, 239) 81.87%, rgb(187, 213, 224)) repeat; border-radius: 4px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; height: calc(100% - 37px); left: 9px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 33px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 3px;"></div></div><div class="vg-sseq-entry-item" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: #212529; display: flex; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 19px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px 0px 8px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="vg-sseq-entry-item-label" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #303336; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; min-width: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">2</div><div class="sb has-num ms-lg-4 ms-3 w-100" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px !important; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 743px;"><div class="sb-0 sb-entry" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="sense has-sn has-num-only" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sn" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div class="sense-content w-100" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 733px;"><span class="dt" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="mw_t_bc" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span>something (such as a gem) carved in intaglio (merriam-webster.com)</span></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1_e92YqdBdw6tyDW1fcCP1cAYcyzZkFMcDfYlLkpDPPfRNXeoQ6M8snyNGUMwaWg_6kL5njkq2_QiQFd0e-GItqDxT9gkmjzegjON_G5MbbhtGfF-6TsTWoTjclmprjQc1bsJzhw9GuTRQOkrbpEsXb8ZyCkPTyAVcBO13iCVFKHUxf5X4tz8A/s2000/431114.jpg.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1225" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1_e92YqdBdw6tyDW1fcCP1cAYcyzZkFMcDfYlLkpDPPfRNXeoQ6M8snyNGUMwaWg_6kL5njkq2_QiQFd0e-GItqDxT9gkmjzegjON_G5MbbhtGfF-6TsTWoTjclmprjQc1bsJzhw9GuTRQOkrbpEsXb8ZyCkPTyAVcBO13iCVFKHUxf5X4tz8A/w150-h245/431114.jpg.webp" width="150" /></a></div>This one has a lot of ... trying to think of a neutral term here ... energy? It's very lively. It's trying very hard to be lively. I think I half-enjoyed the liveliness. In fact, I might've more-than-half-enjoyed it, but some of the non-liveliness really brought me down. The proper nouns in this thing were obscure (to me), so that over and over (that is, three times, for sure) I got clues that were essentially "man's name" or "woman's name." Some TV actor, OK, once per puzzle, maybe, but today, twice!? (<b>45A: Actor Fitch of "This Is Us" / 56D: Actress Kirke of "Mozart in the Jungle"</b>), and then a Mr. Olympia to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BOOT</span></b> (!?!?). Do people really keep track of the Mr. Olympias? I mean, besides participants in the contest itself, and (presumably) avid bodybuilders? <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RONNIE</span>? (4D: ___ Coleman, eight-time Mr. Olympia)</b>. Really could've used a "presidential nickname" there or something. Anyway, name, name, name, from TV show I don't watch, TV show I don't watch, competition I know nothing about. Again, I expect to get hit with one or two of these in a puzzle, but by the third I was weary. Thank god I knew <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AUGIE</span></b> March cold, and my condolences to those who didn't. If that name seemed obscure to you, I get it, and I sympathize, but at least Saul Bellow won the dang Nobel Prize—that alone makes him far more crossworthy than non-Arnold Mr. Olympias and TV actors of probably considerable talent, but no great fame (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TO DATE</span></b>). OK I just discovered that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NILES</span></b> Fitch is a. adorable b. younger than my daughter, so I'm pro-<b><span style="color: #351c75;">NILES</span></b> Fitch now. But while I was solving—not so much.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKZz06J2Myw8WgPHdAcbvteYdMbx22v0YC4Ko4L59cd_4nqX2_JjIauwj0g4pFrmf1ltuzA3NCd6RBsu4HJ5KDAH7-PPCD33Z6dBGxuVzFkq3SoV4kYKxhpwGk3BWgqmYOxFQZm3WFOreXnYgCvlgvC00edhp19N6b6LMat7IKyyaIAyC8QJx-w/s498/Niles_fitch_2019.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKZz06J2Myw8WgPHdAcbvteYdMbx22v0YC4Ko4L59cd_4nqX2_JjIauwj0g4pFrmf1ltuzA3NCd6RBsu4HJ5KDAH7-PPCD33Z6dBGxuVzFkq3SoV4kYKxhpwGk3BWgqmYOxFQZm3WFOreXnYgCvlgvC00edhp19N6b6LMat7IKyyaIAyC8QJx-w/s320/Niles_fitch_2019.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[<b><span style="color: #351c75;">NILES</span></b> Fitch]</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>But back to the puzzle's weird high energy. Really felt like the puzzle was out here just shouting random made-up terms, or slang terms, or whatever popped into its head. "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">INFODEMIC</span></b>!" (<b>13A: Widespread rumors, in a portmanteau</b>) Uh, that's ... not a thing. "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">NEW NORMAL</span></b>!" (<b>16A: Post-crisis baseline</b>) Ooh, yeah, I like that, but maybe go back to normal words now? "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">STRIPY</span></b>!" What!? I said "normal." Do you even spell <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STRIPY</span></b> like th-? "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">MERCY BUCKETS</span></b>!" (<b>6D: "Thanks a lot!," in intentionally butchered French</b>) OMG slow down ... Not sure how I feel about dopey fake Fr- "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">LIGHTEN UP</span></b>!" <i>You</i> lighten up. "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">DIGITAL DETOX</span></b>!" Yeah OK, good, now you're back on the right tr- "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TAX BITES</span></b>!" Huh. So <i>not</i> SEX BITES, then? Good to know, I thought April Fools' was getting a little kinky there. Don't love this in the plural, but- "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TELEOLOGY</span></b>!" (<b>33D: Branch of causality that comes from the Greek for "study of the end"</b>) Alright, now you're speaking my language, but I don't know if it's gonna be <i>everyone's</i> lang- "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">AUGIE</span></b>!" Well, yes, see my <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TELEOLOGY</span></b> comment, above. {End scene}.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>I think [<b>MacGyvering</b>] was my favorite part of the puzzle. I use that term all the time. Sometimes when I'm teaching. Then I have to explain the '80s to kids who have no memories of anything before the Obama Era. It's awkward. But actually "MacGyvering" seems to be a concept that has transcended <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGyver">its TV origins</a>. And since I already had the "JU-" in place when I looked at the clue, whoooosh, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">JURY-RIGGING</span></b>! The puzzle had its other colorful, whooshy moments. "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">MERCY BUCKETS</span></b>" is godawful as a phrase, please don't say it, ever ... but as a <i>crossword answer</i>, I have to give it points for originality. And <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DIGITAL DETOX</span></b> is very good, very current, even if I could not for the life of me remember the word that was supposed to follow DIGITAL ("Diet? ... Fasting? ... Time out? ...") I kinda sorta knew it alliterated, and that still didn't help. But when I got DETOX, I recognized its validity right away. Speaking of validity—you may be wondering how <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FIT</span></b> is a valid answer for <b>33A: Meet</b>. Yeah, I thought they were verbs too. But they're not.* They're adjectives, and both mean (roughly) "proper" or "appropriate." Merriam-webster.com defines "meet" (in this sense) as "<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: #212529;">precisely adapted to a particular situation, need, or circumstance </span><span class="mw_t_bc" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: #212529; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: #212529;">very proper." </span>So the answer is <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FIT</span></b> as in "fitting." That meaning of "Meet" is borderline archaic. In fact, Merriam-Webster has it as "archaic & dialectical British," so if you didn't know it, don't feel too bad<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Really hate the pithy-saying-type clue, since they never compute for me until I've got nearly every cross, and today... we get two! Descartes on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DOUBT</span> (50D: "The origin of wisdom," per René Descartes)</b> and Denis Leary on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COMEDY</span> (19A: "The ultimate form of free speech," to Denis Leary).</b> I don't know why it's "per" René Descartes but "to" Denis Leary. Is Leary not fancy enough for a "per?" Also, why are we being told it's <i>René</i> Descartes, specifically? Is there some other Descartes? Jimmy Descartes? Typically, Descartes is a one-name dude. If you don't know him as Descartes, then "René" is not gonna help you.</span></div><div><br />
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<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Bullet points:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">52D: Asparagus, essentially (<span style="color: #351c75;">STEMS</span>)</span> — went with SPEAR here at first, which I'm just gonna assume was a common error</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">27D: Concupiscent one (<span style="color: #351c75;">EROS</span>)</span> — I didn't know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EROS</span></b> himself was "concupiscent" (he's often depicted as a mischievous child or adolescent boy). I thought he just made ... you ... that way (i.e. horny) ("concupiscence" is <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concupiscent">strong desire, esp. sexual desire</a>)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">2D: Reluctant to join? (<span style="color: #351c75;">INERT</span>)</span> — ah, chemistry jokes, who doesn't love those!? (besides me). Per wikipedia: "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">The noble gases (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Helium">helium</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Neon">neon</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argon" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Argon">argon</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krypton" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Krypton">krypton</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenon" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Xenon">xenon</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Radon">radon</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;">) were previously known as 'inert gases' because of their perceived lack of participation in any chemical reactions. </span></span>"</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">10D: Pay for a crime, say (<span style="color: #351c75;">SERVE TIME</span>)</span> — an ordinary phrase, but for some reason I could not come up with the first word. Had TIME and after "DO TIME" I was out of ideas. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SERVE TIME</span></b> is rather formal. But it's not wrong.</li></ul><div>OK, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">I GOTTA RUN</span></b>. Coffee and cats are calling. This one was more good than bad. Irksome in parts, but enjoyable overall. See you next time.</div><div><br /></div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>*a commenter suggested that “Meet” and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FIT</span></b> could in fact be seen as verbs, in the sense of “meeting/fitting the criteria.” This is probably how most people will interpret the clue. Seems valid. <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com117tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76858375303428490502024-03-08T05:47:00.001-05:002024-03-08T06:13:52.229-05:00Hunger hyperbole / FRI 3-8-24 / World leader associated with the justicialism movement / Manette woman in A Tale of Two Cities / Needle on a thread? / Balanced, as some molecules / Flotsam once in Boston Harbor / Bread with charred brown spots / Hot rods popular in the '60s / "Herb" ... or a lead-in to herb<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Jackson Matz</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy Medium (started Medium, then really sped up)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAZlmrY2yo48Cue7L8Xnu4EC43YW_z8V-9M3dGJemhrs8HpGlbk-bOT7WNklyO9zdaLkIkOlGpEP_e0qpzFr-iY62woROVWbSRIIgDrvrYpRD5hsLmI4j8X0gjIa6sQSGrGqJBaOt0sB-WYHylyxfNY8zvhVHLYD1uHO1RpdnLM8MGQjIDyYrUw/s964/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20at%204.08.55%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAZlmrY2yo48Cue7L8Xnu4EC43YW_z8V-9M3dGJemhrs8HpGlbk-bOT7WNklyO9zdaLkIkOlGpEP_e0qpzFr-iY62woROVWbSRIIgDrvrYpRD5hsLmI4j8X0gjIa6sQSGrGqJBaOt0sB-WYHylyxfNY8zvhVHLYD1uHO1RpdnLM8MGQjIDyYrUw/w375-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-08%20at%204.08.55%20AM.png" width="375" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> none</span> <br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> justicialism </span>(<b>42D: World leader associated with the justicialism movement = <span style="color: #351c75;">PERÓN</span></b>) —<br /><blockquote><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eCdyagdifaZzlr79VASEK9NirkOEgnB_Irrf-Mmuh-eeAw47C6WVxAAnIVILK_VMKFsnu2bC6VXVSRW_4-KBMaT_ezjQFu2z7p4wknl-5yvIWTdhqDXfgOZwSYLlxqu7wuPC7OE90utmcQdfOxB_LcjWdxjAY06TARXANu864bMceb7BX6347Q/s597/440px-Evita_y_Pero%CC%81n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="440" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eCdyagdifaZzlr79VASEK9NirkOEgnB_Irrf-Mmuh-eeAw47C6WVxAAnIVILK_VMKFsnu2bC6VXVSRW_4-KBMaT_ezjQFu2z7p4wknl-5yvIWTdhqDXfgOZwSYLlxqu7wuPC7OE90utmcQdfOxB_LcjWdxjAY06TARXANu864bMceb7BX6347Q/w135-h184/440px-Evita_y_Pero%CC%81n.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Peronism</b><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">also known as</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">justicialism</b><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">is a labour</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">and left-leaning</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of Argentine ruler</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Per%C3%B3n" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Juan Perón">Juan Perón</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">(1895–1974).</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">Since 1946, Peronists have won 10 out of the 14 presidential elections in which they have been allowed to run. </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">// Ideologically</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populist" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Populist">populist</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">Peronism is widely considered to be a variant of</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_populism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Left-wing populism">left-wing populism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">although some have described it as a Latin American form of</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Fascism">fascism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">instead.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">Others have criticized these descriptions as too one-dimensional, as Peronism also includes many variants, including</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirchnerism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Kirchnerism">Kirchnerism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">and</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Peronism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Revolutionary Peronism">revolutionary Peronism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">on the left, and</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Peronism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Federal Peronism">Federal Peronism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">and</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Peronism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Orthodox Peronism">Orthodox Peronism</a> <span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">on the right. Peronism is described as socialist by some political scientists,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">while other scholars evaluate Peronism as a</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternalistic_conservative" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Paternalistic conservative">paternalistic conservative</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">ideology,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">with a mixture of militant</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laborism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Laborism">labourism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">and</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_conservatism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Traditional conservatism">traditional conservatism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">However, proponents of Peronism see it as socially</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressivism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Progressivism">progressive</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">The main Peronist party is the</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justicialist_Party" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Justicialist Party">Justicialist Party</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">whose policies have significantly varied over time and across government administrations,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">but have generally been described as "a vague blend of</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Nationalism">nationalism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">and</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labourism" style="background: repeat; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Labourism">labourism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">",</span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">or populism. [...] </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">The pillars of the Peronist ideal, known as the "three flags", are social justice, economic independence, and political sovereignty. Peronism can be described as a </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_position" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Third position">third position</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideology" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Ideology">ideology</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> as it rejects both </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Capitalism">capitalism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Communism">communism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. Peronism espouses </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatism" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Corporatism">corporatism</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and thus aims to mediate tensions between the classes of society, with the state responsible for negotiating compromise in conflicts between managers and workers.</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZmXFe5s8txhUVAkqucghF8XmVR-prAn5_wohvox2_zpkm9inzeJk0PlJWRwpaiJmfOpczGfhPmRrUK02HRXnQivFRN19_K8utXWlVxX1AH3mudOyOob6yTKsvclRqs6U_N9xqkl-6NNNl-_0dh1Ua5f0QSG2x9HFdTfYwBps7i1oB7UcVflckA/s1600/s-l1600.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZmXFe5s8txhUVAkqucghF8XmVR-prAn5_wohvox2_zpkm9inzeJk0PlJWRwpaiJmfOpczGfhPmRrUK02HRXnQivFRN19_K8utXWlVxX1AH3mudOyOob6yTKsvclRqs6U_N9xqkl-6NNNl-_0dh1Ua5f0QSG2x9HFdTfYwBps7i1oB7UcVflckA/s320/s-l1600.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Loved this one, except for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SELF-DRIVING CARS </span><span>(31A: Things going beyond your control?)</span></b>, which are a menace and yet another step toward humankind's complete acquiescence to, let's see, the automotive industry, big tech, A.I.—all the things entities that have made life on this planet such a glorious, non-soul-crushing experience. The Great Utopian Vision of "Convenience!" (dubious) and "Safety!" (elusive) all so we can't have basic, nice things like functional public transit (because that would be Communist and anyway I hear the subways are full of crime and we need to send in the military—all my white neighbors who don't actually live in the city are saying so!). OK, anyway, loved this puzzle, and actually, as an answer, as a term that exists and is fairly modern, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SELF-DRIVING CARS</span></b> is not bad. Just ... when I see the term, my brain makes a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WHOOPEE CUSHION</span></b> noise (<b>13D: Butt of a joke?</b>).<div><br />
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</div><div>Lots of whoosh-whoosh today ... or ... more like two big Whooshes, first down the west coast, and later down the east coast, with a connecting whoosh in those damned <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SELF-DRIVING CARS</span></b>. Love the feeling of getting a grid-spanning entry off the first few letters, and that happened ... well, every time I encountered such an entry today. "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">CARE TO ELABORATE</span></b>?" off the CAR-, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WHOOPEE CUSHION</span></b> off the WHOO- (though I spelled it WHOOPIE CUSHION at first, which still looks more right to me, even though my blogging software is underlining it in "red" like "nope, buddy, it's wrong"). With the long answers in the east, I actually worked out their middles first using the crosses, everything from <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DEB</span></b> down to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HEP</span></b>, but didn't even bother looking at the clues on the long answers at that point (I don't like to look until I think I've got enough crosses to give me a good chance of getting it). Oh, actually, I must've looked at <b>11D: Jewelry gift for a 25th anniversary</b> because I remember writing BRACELET in and then figuring I'd just head north and fill in the NE corner to figure out what metal was involved. Anyway, I held back on the whoosh feeling until I went up and worked out that NE corner, and then wheeeeee ... down I went via "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I COULD EAT A HORSE</span></b>" (fun ... grim, if you think about the answer too much, but fun if you don't!). The momentum from that blasted me right through the SE corner, and that was that. Done at <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NAAN</span></b>, wishing I could get on the ride and do it again.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>The difficulty today was all in the short stuff. That <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LESS LAND LIFT</span></b> trio made for a thorny little passage from North to West (<b>21A: What some consume on a diet / 21D: Secure / 24D: Steal</b>). Speaking of "trios" ... that is the word you want when speaking of the Jonas Brothers: trio. They're a trio. They're a trio far more than they are a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREESOME</span><span> (15A: The Jonas Brothers, e.g.)</span></b>. I know, technically, trio means <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREESOME</span></b>, but I was disappointed that the puzzle passed up the spicier clue there, both because ... spice, who doesn't like spice!? ... and because the clue they went with is dull and inapt. I was happy today to remember things I didn't think I was going to remember. Like that a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STEM</span></b> is a small part of a watch (the part on the side that you pull out and twist when you want to change the time or date or whatever), and that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MONACO </span></b>was a very small place, and that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BARN</span></b> could go before "door" or "dance" (I'm usually so bad at the "word that can go before/after"-type clues, so it's stunning to me that I got one this easily, especially one so <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RURAL</span></b>). I had a nice experience with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BALLER</span></b>, in that I thought "huh, B-BALLER doesn't fit ... oh wait, I think it's just ... is it? ... yes, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BALLER</span></b>!" Stumbling into correct answers! What a feeling!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0fugqbSejtAGqdSl5-gcTma4J2kkGCBzh0aHLc8zO5epcLgroG7SKuQH48GKa6QWjNud3Ra7ysVi8Gz-MQgaC0Byz0NlPkCnEm2a1Mk8MHPnfS5o58R74o0WxuB6QbovPNq0V-b-toMRf2uKYPpWbjMhO5vnVQz89ELb-hl6w-dSMGAGnyzjMw/s1000/51mDlN+A+6L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="664" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0fugqbSejtAGqdSl5-gcTma4J2kkGCBzh0aHLc8zO5epcLgroG7SKuQH48GKa6QWjNud3Ra7ysVi8Gz-MQgaC0Byz0NlPkCnEm2a1Mk8MHPnfS5o58R74o0WxuB6QbovPNq0V-b-toMRf2uKYPpWbjMhO5vnVQz89ELb-hl6w-dSMGAGnyzjMw/w266-h400/51mDlN+A+6L._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[they're laughing at the Jonas Brothers clue]</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Bullets:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">16A: Needle on a thread? (TROLL)</span> — a very hard "?" clue. A <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>TROLL</b></span> is a person who tries to "needle" people in an internet thread (or, say, a comments section). Nothing makes me happier than deleting <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TROLLs</span></b>. Every day. Pew pew! Buh-bye! Trying to stir up shit? Don't know the difference between disagreement and being a dick? See ya. Go cry "freedom of speech" to your mama, sad boy.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">26A: Practice squad? Abbr. (<span style="color: #351c75;">DRS</span>.)</span> — another hard "?" clue. Doctors often work together in orgs. called "practices," so there you go. At least I hope that's the logic. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">36A: Student enrolled in courses like Contracts and Civil Procedures (<span style="color: #351c75;">ONE L</span>)</span> — slang for a first-year law student. Ancient Crosswordese. Stunned to see that from 1997 to 1999 (when crosswordese would've been much more rampant), <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>ONE L </b></span>made just one appearance a year. It's made two already this year (though <a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2024/01/things-that-scratch-scratching-post-tue.html">in the last case, it was the actual theme of the puzzle</a>, so no penalties for crosswordese were incurred). </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">28D: "That's what I just said!" ("<span style="color: #351c75;">JINX</span>!")</span> — these do not feel equivalent. You don't say "<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>JINX</b></span>!" when someone repeats what you said (which is what "just said" implies). You shout it when you say something <i>at the same time</i> that someone else says it. I feel like this exclamation, in some regional variants, also involves various rituals, like punching the other person in the arm, or possibly adding "you owe me a Coke!" Where am I getting that last bit from? Did we just make that up as kids? OMG <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/o1x8ys/whats_the_origin_of_jinx_you_owe_me_a_coke_was/">there's a whole reddit thread about this</a>, of course there's a whole reddit thread about this... The following is from user "Kelpie-Cat"</li></ul><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-size: 14px;"></span><blockquote><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-size: 14px;">According to the OED, the first documented use of jinxing as a children's game is in 1973. An article called "The Jinx Game: A Ritualized Expression of Separation-Individuation" by Jerome D. Oremland was published that year in </span><em style="caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-top: 0px;">The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child</em><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-size: 14px;">. Oremland describes the jinx game as "a sophisticated, stereotyped ritual". The version of the game he analyzes uses only the cry of "Jinx!" without any reference to soda or another reward. That the game may be much older is suggested by its equivalents in other linguistic environments: "Though the Game is played in a remarkably identical manner in various geographical areas, the word used to induce the spell varies widely, e.g., Israeli children shout, </span><em style="caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Ain</em><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-size: 14px;">, the Arabic word for ghost or evil eye". There is also a French variant called </span><a class="relative pointer-events-auto" href="https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chips_(jeu)" rel="noopener nofollow ugc" style="color: var(--color-a-default); font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; pointer-events: auto; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Chips</a><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-size: 14px;">, although it's unclear whether this is derivative of the English "jinx".</span></blockquote><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-size: 14px;"></span></div><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">29D: Good name for a last-minute planner? (<span style="color: #351c75;">EVE</span>)</span> — yet another "?" clue that I had no clue about. I'm not sure this is a good name for a last-minute planner. RUSH might be a better name for such a person (though why anyone would name a human being RUSH, for reasons other than spite or malice, is beyond me).</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">34D: Pre-algebra class calculations (<span style="color: #351c75;">SLOPES</span>)</span> — I got this easy enough but didn't really get the "class" part. Why isn't this just [<b>Pre-algebra calculations</b>]? "Pre-algebra" <i>is</i> the class that you would be in when making such calculations, so "class" seems redundant.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">25A: A mover ... but not a shaker, one hopes (<span style="color: #351c75;">VAN</span>)</span> — does one hope that, though? Seems like some people enjoy a shaking van. Or so I read.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ3algj-OPSCnHbhJQsVXruwh6quL1mg3H2d9JC8ePCCDwykAmAWvlrrOB9sbnZj3vl-ApOWtDHbESLUAoS65-BQ852urZ3hIDhxu_tJsPMeNIO1jgcIBME80ITMIM6DWhAzpa0ZBjWT7DxJCD3ycD2lP8rHR5zICbGNSgb7WPaHx8D0n5yZiUw/s400/s-l400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ3algj-OPSCnHbhJQsVXruwh6quL1mg3H2d9JC8ePCCDwykAmAWvlrrOB9sbnZj3vl-ApOWtDHbESLUAoS65-BQ852urZ3hIDhxu_tJsPMeNIO1jgcIBME80ITMIM6DWhAzpa0ZBjWT7DxJCD3ycD2lP8rHR5zICbGNSgb7WPaHx8D0n5yZiUw/s320/s-l400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-37006159405424859142024-03-07T05:51:00.006-05:002024-03-07T07:41:51.777-05:00Modern reimagining of a Robert Frost classic / THU 3-7-24 / Culture setters? / Rapper ___ Gravy / Actor J.B. of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" / Word shortened to its last letter by texters <span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Joe O'Neill</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> well this is going to vary</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCKJX94fLvCGlK1bNUMgbZkVFyAucpCRfokeMcJXCXWpzxXmoNtr45Z3nVoY8A7ZJ27TP1Mna7-idzChCgCJ5Ony1KCYILKt0w3dqED5bvkU7cYb_v2qATu2d6A7ORlQm5cEsAC3hItqlCv9KTcqsFN7RYign6FcWIK7POfbpEziMXgF-ex_dog/s964/Screenshot%202024-03-07%20at%204.16.02%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCKJX94fLvCGlK1bNUMgbZkVFyAucpCRfokeMcJXCXWpzxXmoNtr45Z3nVoY8A7ZJ27TP1Mna7-idzChCgCJ5Ony1KCYILKt0w3dqED5bvkU7cYb_v2qATu2d6A7ORlQm5cEsAC3hItqlCv9KTcqsFN7RYign6FcWIK7POfbpEziMXgF-ex_dog/w375-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-07%20at%204.16.02%20AM.png" width="375" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> a "modern reimagining" of Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"</span> (<b>17A: Modern reimagining of a Robert Frost classic, part 1 </b>[followed by parts 2 through 4])—<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">I KNOW WHOSE WOODS</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">THESE ARE. MY HORSE</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">IS RESTLESS. I HAVE</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">A LOT TO DO. GIDDYUP!</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400;">Here's the original poem:</span><div style="border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"></div><blockquote style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: 400;"><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">Whose woods these are I think I know. <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">His house is in the village though; <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">He will not see me stopping here <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">To watch his woods fill up with snow. <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">My little horse must think it queer <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">To stop without a farmhouse near <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">Between the woods and frozen lake <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">The darkest evening of the year. <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">He gives his harness bells a shake <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">To ask if there is some mistake. <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">The only other sound’s the sweep <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">Of easy wind and downy flake. <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">The woods are lovely, dark and deep, <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">But I have promises to keep, <br /></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; text-indent: -1em; vertical-align: baseline;">And miles to go before I sleep, <br /></div><div><span face="adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif" style="font-size: 20px; text-indent: -1em;">And miles to go before I sleep. (<a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening">poetryfoundation.org</a>)</span> </div></blockquote></span></div>Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> YUNG Gravy </span>(<b>66A: Rapper ___ Gravy</b>) —<div><div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0C5sXLc5Csd6KE8bMMDMT1kQtdcX5d8ZLijJeDSoredrcs17f7iww3_6O_z6Zso3s4LhjlhDRsxQpY70Q8DzqHBQ0kTzp6w0EON_BD6DGukC4wTBsKWUtSJ7JEuEdUV5KljYgcmS3YznmYRQYg0TcN-ZgDi0DDGoQCiCR-IwFuH7arAAmcsr0xg/s660/Yung_Gravy_2023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0C5sXLc5Csd6KE8bMMDMT1kQtdcX5d8ZLijJeDSoredrcs17f7iww3_6O_z6Zso3s4LhjlhDRsxQpY70Q8DzqHBQ0kTzp6w0EON_BD6DGukC4wTBsKWUtSJ7JEuEdUV5KljYgcmS3YznmYRQYg0TcN-ZgDi0DDGoQCiCR-IwFuH7arAAmcsr0xg/s320/Yung_Gravy_2023.jpg" width="213" /></a></div></div><blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b>Matthew Raymond Hauri</b> (born March 19, 1996), known professionally as <b>Yung Gravy</b>, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester,_Minnesota" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Rochester, Minnesota">Rochester, Minnesota</a>. He first gained recognition for his 2017 songs "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Clean_(song)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Mr. Clean (song)">Mr. Clean</a>" and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Thot_2_Thot_Red_Thot_Blue_Thot" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="1 Thot 2 Thot Red Thot Blue Thot">1 Thot 2 Thot Red Thot Blue Thot</a>", both of which gained traction on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundCloud" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="SoundCloud">SoundCloud</a>and received <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA_certification" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="RIAA certification">platinum</a> certifications by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_Industry_Association_of_America" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Recording Industry Association of America">Recording Industry Association of America</a> (RIAA). His 2022 single, "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_(Get_Money)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Betty (Get Money)">Betty (Get Money)</a>" marked his first entry on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Billboard Hot 100"><i>Billboard</i> Hot 100</a> at number 30 and likewise received platinum certification.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">His discography consists of one mixtape, four albums, and seven extended plays. Yung Gravy is often associated with the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundCloud_rap" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="SoundCloud rap">SoundCloud rap</a> era as well as Canadian rapper <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bbno$" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Bbno$">bbno$</a>, with whom he has released two collaborative albums. He has collaborated with artists including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil_Baby" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Lil Baby">Lil Baby</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juicy_J" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Juicy J">Juicy J</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Pain" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="T-Pain">T-Pain</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lil_Wayne" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Lil Wayne">Lil Wayne</a>, as well as television personality <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Stewart" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Martha Stewart">Martha Stewart</a>. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLbMiGr3HxpucGKAXWYtA4nO5sSwENCGXYPMnj63UXf6mYUAkcuE6HbQBJT0plbAD2DgWpLYLC499jFDaXqWSB4qzbxr40_cLE_XUgx0_fPx-h3AZLkhyphenhyphens8WjQOfuW02LVQDlSwAIe5Fu5Y1WbHMWnNNyGFOxUrCulESHC5Lq0oTEdYCrP6bGVQ/s480/hqdefault.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghLbMiGr3HxpucGKAXWYtA4nO5sSwENCGXYPMnj63UXf6mYUAkcuE6HbQBJT0plbAD2DgWpLYLC499jFDaXqWSB4qzbxr40_cLE_XUgx0_fPx-h3AZLkhyphenhyphens8WjQOfuW02LVQDlSwAIe5Fu5Y1WbHMWnNNyGFOxUrCulESHC5Lq0oTEdYCrP6bGVQ/w213-h159/hqdefault.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Well, this puzzle *is* exceptional, in that it's easily the worst puzzle I've done this year. Imagine writing a puzzle that a. assumes the vast majority of solvers will know this damn poem well enough to paraphrase the whole thing, b. has such a terrible, off-the-mark sense of what "modern" means (or what paraphrase entails), and c. makes zero reference to "sleep" in a poem where the speaker, famously, <i>repeats</i> the need for sleep at the poem's conclusion. There are four stanzas to the poem, but we get three ... sentences? Or four lines, I guess, if this is supposed to be "modern" poetry, with each line a "line," and rhyme and meter not a factor. Anyway, two whole stanzas about the horse condensed to "MY HORSE / IS RESTLESS." Brilliant. If this is "modern," why are you even on a horse in the first place?! Use the GPS on your ATV, you idiot. This puzzle manages to be an insult both to poetry and to puzzles. Guessing at the phrasing of the "modern" version was torture, in the sense of (occasionally) "hard," but primarily in the sense of "actually physically painful to accomplish because the 'poem' was so completely tin-eared." </div><div><br />
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</div><div>I liked one thing about this ... or at least respected one thing, and that's the final GIDDYUP! It's so stupid, so <i>Not</i> a part of the original poem, so unexpected and goofy, that I have to give it at least a golf clap. The rest of the poem was so punishing that the GIDDYUP! at the end actually managed to alleviate a bit of the pain. But then that GIDDYUP! corner was filled with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">YUNG</span></b> (oof, kinda sorta heard the name, but still, yikes) and the dumbest clue ever on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PEG</span></b>, brought to you by (drumroll) the ultrastupid twin-cluing convention that I'm always saying results in at least one of the clues being bad. This is the bad clue. The clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PEG</span></b>. [<b>Throw</b>]? Just ... [<b>Throw</b>]? You can peg someone with a ball—throw it at them and hit them with it. (You can peg someone in other ways, but we'll save that discussion for ... maybe never). But just ... [<b>Throw</b>]? I'm sure there's a 4b. or lower dictionary definition that will support this, but when your theme already consists of you just making *&$% up, why not keep your cluing in the realm of normal human discourse? Also, is it POSH or BOSH, who can say!? (<b>64A: "Codswallop!"</b>). Oh, it's <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOSH</span></b>!? Oh ... fan *tas* tic. Total winner. Well, at least that other [<b>Throw</b>] clue actually <i>worked</i> for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CAST</span></b> (which provides the "T" cross on "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOSH</span></b>!").</div> <div><br />
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</div><div>Last line of the "modern" poem was definitely the hardest to parse. A LOT TO DOGID- was making me think I had an error. "A lot to dog? A lot to do gid- ... but nothing starts with 'gid'!" Turns out I was wrong there. One thing starts with 'gid." The other trouble spot, for me, was the northern section. Just brutal clues on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OCEAN </span><span>(15A: "___ of wisdom" ("Dalai Lama," in translation)),</span><span style="color: #351c75;"> CEOS </span><span>(7D: Org. chart figures)</span><span style="color: #351c75;">, RAS</span></b> (!?!?!?) (<b>8D: ___ Tafari</b>), and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MOWS </span><span>(5D: Makes shorter, in a way)</span></b>. I wanted <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MACRO</span></b> (<b>5A: 14-Across subfield</b>) but it kept "not working" (i.e. I couldn't get the crosses to work). I also had the stupid poem as reading, "I KNOW THOSE WOODS!" That didn't help. And please don't tell me "I KNOW THOSE WOODS!" is any worse than anything else in this godawful non-poem. Now I'm mad because in the original poem he only <i>thinks</i> he knows them. If the goal here was to get me to appreciate Robert Frost, mission f***ing accomplished. I'm now desperate for poetry. Real poetry. Anything with more grace and musicality than the "poem" in this puzzle. I'll take whatever you got. A 1984 Right Guard commercial? Sure, why not?</div><div><br />
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</div><div>That's better. Faith in verse, restored! See you next time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. In addition to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">YUNG</span></b>, I'm guessing <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SMOOVE</span></b> is going to throw a lot of people today (<b>30D: Actor J.B. of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"</b>). I know the guy's name and it still took me many crosses to remember it. If you've never heard of him ... that would make the puzzle considerably harder.</div><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. [<b>Culture setters?</b>] is so bad as a clue for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LABS</span></b>. It's not even a pun. [<b>Culture setters?</b>]? Is that supposed to sound like "trendsetters"? It doesn't. And as far as the connection to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LABS</span></b>—"setters" is not a plausible stand-in for "sett<i>ings"</i> (which I think is what you mean? <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LABS</span></b> are where you might find "cultures," in the bacterial sense?). Or do <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LABS</span></b> "set" cultures? Is that the verb you use when cultivating cells? It's like this puzzle has a vendetta against language.</div><div><br /></div><div>P.P.P.S. <b><span style="color: #351c75;"><u>ONE</u> DAY / TRY <u>ONE</u></span></b> 😭</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com212tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91185805784759768642024-03-06T00:01:00.005-05:002024-03-06T00:01:00.321-05:00 Berth place / WED 3-6-2024 / Snack whose name comes from the Quechua for "dried meat" / Rathskeller offerings, informally<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Brad Wiegmann</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Hard :( 11:46</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH7-6-cMCVrgXZv1wyWLcE_7Of63msFuE4-L7-rgU8v-HbHwNsyL6G_Qs_DLXu5yoXo_yNOVNZu5DKzG3qQ0N1lSDCy8WanJZrXiZTedH0cw1TPY4WwSBuFCZ4bYi7roFvBlLZfVngw7wvGUNzjGx3kPicDukk8nFvSKldS-yQh5ydZHLR_dZf1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="1092" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhH7-6-cMCVrgXZv1wyWLcE_7Of63msFuE4-L7-rgU8v-HbHwNsyL6G_Qs_DLXu5yoXo_yNOVNZu5DKzG3qQ0N1lSDCy8WanJZrXiZTedH0cw1TPY4WwSBuFCZ4bYi7roFvBlLZfVngw7wvGUNzjGx3kPicDukk8nFvSKldS-yQh5ydZHLR_dZf1g=w355-h355" width="355" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Famous men / numbers / letters...</span> — The entries describe the men literally, including their letters, and the descriptions go from 1-4<div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li>[Nicholson and Nicklaus, e.g.?] for <b>ONE-EYED JACKS</b> (They're both <i>Jacks</i> that only have one "i" in their names.)</li><li>[Soren Kierkegaard and Chris Isaak, e.g.?] for <b>DOUBLE AGENTS</b> (They're both <i>gents </i>that have double "a"s in their names.)</li><li>[Percy Bysshe Shelley and Billy Ray Cyrus, e.g.?] for <b>THREE WISE MEN</b> (They're both <i>men</i> that have three "y"s in their names.)</li><li>[Henry the Eighth and Hubert H. Humphrey, e.g.?] for <b>FOUR-H LEADERS</b> (They're both <i>leaders </i>that have four "h"s in their names.)</li></ul><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> ADONIS </span>(Persephone's lover) —</div><div><blockquote>The myth goes that Adonis was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip and died in Aphrodite's arms as she wept. His blood mingled with her tears and became the anemone flower. Aphrodite declared the Adonia festival to commemorate his tragic death, which was celebrated by women every year in midsummer. During this festival, Greek women would plant "gardens of Adonis", small pots containing fast-growing plants, which they would set on top of their houses in the hot sun. The plants would sprout, but soon wither and die. Then the women would mourn the death of Adonis, tearing their clothes and beating their breasts in a public display of grief. [Wiki]</blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Hey there, faithful solvers! Today's a Malaika MWednesday, and as always I am excited to share my thoughts and see what y'all have to say. If you'd like to get in the mood (the Malaika Mood, if you will), you can put on the same music I was listening to while I solved, which was "Bridge Over Troubled Water." More on that in the P.S. Onwards!</div><div><br /></div><div>I really struggled with this puzzle. In retrospect, I have heard of both of the men in the first clue, but when presented with just their last names, I didn't get what I was looking for. At the next clue, I didn't know either of the men and literally sighed in a "Oh no, it's one of these puzzles," fashion. With the men in the third clue, there seemed to be more hope, but the men in the fourth clue threw me again-- I briefly got Hubert H. Humphrey confused with Hugh Hefner (yikes) and then Humbert Humbert (double yikes).</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpW1FBI31M6zbmC-waFU8URSePSJvBeEzPcjDZv0zDy9Y7cynx8O_Q8D2q-XqnWhbjVC7F689dagHtQ1McRmwbzoKTF8E6qF1qtkmXwyZv-qfZywWmRiJxFrVE1ODcqKKw6L7m3jGyn72qN32sRQLrjYqesKy1NgVVeAB2ONuXQBQ9xxAAJTO4PA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpW1FBI31M6zbmC-waFU8URSePSJvBeEzPcjDZv0zDy9Y7cynx8O_Q8D2q-XqnWhbjVC7F689dagHtQ1McRmwbzoKTF8E6qF1qtkmXwyZv-qfZywWmRiJxFrVE1ODcqKKw6L7m3jGyn72qN32sRQLrjYqesKy1NgVVeAB2ONuXQBQ9xxAAJTO4PA=w361-h203" width="361" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>On top of that, I didn't know two of the theme entries themselves-- <b>ONE-EYED JACKS</b> and <b>FOUR-H LEADERS</b> were both new to me. The latter was incredibly hard to parse. The bottom left, where there was a pile-up of short multi-word entries (<b>I FOLD</b>, <b>NO LIE</b>, <b>SUE ME</b>) also caused me some problems. (I liked the food-filled corner opposite, though-- with <b>PAPAWS</b>, <b>JERKY</b>, and <b>SALSA</b>.)</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi10Q1adhnGgxUrPB4AyjdNPI71XuOw3kVzMjrbQl0xVTSPO_MXiV39TN2dt0bRAE4RbsED5ZffX_pkF8Bm0B8Qu-M8UHSTrx47AdPP6q_JkTeK7WTAiBXeS8KAYatgGe_9mL2OswbdkQOoCkPJfvBfBdLKmRhEHMPWPSnowHz2lnVdgPghxXWK1g" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi10Q1adhnGgxUrPB4AyjdNPI71XuOw3kVzMjrbQl0xVTSPO_MXiV39TN2dt0bRAE4RbsED5ZffX_pkF8Bm0B8Qu-M8UHSTrx47AdPP6q_JkTeK7WTAiBXeS8KAYatgGe_9mL2OswbdkQOoCkPJfvBfBdLKmRhEHMPWPSnowHz2lnVdgPghxXWK1g" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In college sometimes I would eat jerky for dinner :)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>I don't consider myself a huge stickler for parallelism in themes but here it leapt out at me-- you simply do not count by going One, Double, Three, Four! If it were entries that started with various mismatched numerical terms, like one, double, trio, quarter, I'd have less of a problem with it, although that would obviously be harder to work into the clues. The more I reflect on the cleverness of the parsing, the more this grows on me, but while solving I found it a bit of a slog, and even afterwards I wouldn't say I'm dazzled. Curious to see how you all feel!</div><div><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Bullets:</span>
<ul><li><span>[Rathskeller offerings, informally] for </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">BREWSKIS</span> — I've heard of "brewski" for beer, but always figured the plural would be "brewskies." I think this entry is supposed to be the actual German word though, not the American slang, which is hinted at by using (apparently) the German word for "bar" in the clue.</li><li><span>[Frog transformer] for </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">KISS</span> — I thought this was very cute :)</li><li><span>[Convex navel] for </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">OUTIE</span> — I cracked up laughing at using the mathematical term "convex" to describe a belly button. But, they're not wrong!!</li><li><span>[Gooey sandwiches, informally] for </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">PBJS</span> — Idk why but this grossed me out!! A sandwich should not be "gooey!!" Do not describe a sandwich to me as gooey!!!! </li><li>[Lighthearted refrain] for <b>TRALA </b>— This is one of those entries that I would like to see totally phased out, along with <a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2023/12/heat-center-of-2000s-wed-12-6-23.html" target="_blank">"tec."</a> I'd be more sympathetic if it were Captain Underpants' "tra la la" but with just two syllables it sounds so lacking.</li></ul>
xoxo Malaika</div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. On Twitter, people have been discussing the prompt "thirteen albums to know me." The idea is that it's un-ordered, and off the top of your head-- don't agonize over the decision!! Here were mine, if you're interested in knowing me: </div><div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Pure Heroine (Lorde)</li><li>Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morissette)</li><li>Let Go (Avril Lavigne)</li><li>Come Away With Me (Norah Jones)</li><li>Lemonade (Beyonce)</li><li>Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)</li><li>ANTI (Rihanna)</li><li>SOUR (Olivia Rodrigo)</li><li>Speak Now (Taylor Swift)</li><li>Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)</li><li>Tapestry (Carol King)</li><li>Wildheart (Miguel)</li><li>19 (Adele)</li></ul></div>
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[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>malaikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01381324600874755097noreply@blogger.com85tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21164512681639338862024-03-05T05:40:00.001-05:002024-03-05T10:26:02.051-05:00Cattle-catching weapon / TUE 3-5-24 / Spring-loaded office device / Weightlifting item for a biceps routine / Flo Rida hit with the lyric "Champagne buckets still got two tears in it" / Fellow bringing a dozen roses, maybe<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Christina Iverson</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy (an undersized 14x15, so times should be fast)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0yKMRH7cH4OQYzeInVivcaqbSkCr1a4KT6Qc9AOetQ8wd7cm5fJ8wre3Mb5uhwKS07xHxyOCEEYDl6D3B5kKRuuKj9D4HWTknTuNm1PeI4t8etdjVVB3Vyld1NaI3D4-zfVGs80de3FxOceT6Oq8Iv9cnPqu-AMVbEJGSMJkgWenoW7ccO-tKQ/s964/Screenshot%202024-03-05%20at%204.07.59%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="852" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0yKMRH7cH4OQYzeInVivcaqbSkCr1a4KT6Qc9AOetQ8wd7cm5fJ8wre3Mb5uhwKS07xHxyOCEEYDl6D3B5kKRuuKj9D4HWTknTuNm1PeI4t8etdjVVB3Vyld1NaI3D4-zfVGs80de3FxOceT6Oq8Iv9cnPqu-AMVbEJGSMJkgWenoW7ccO-tKQ/w354-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-05%20at%204.07.59%20AM.png" width="354" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> THREE-HOLE PUNCH (54A: Spring-loaded office device ... or a collective hint to 16-, 26-, 34- and 41-Across)</span> — the four theme answers could be described (respectively) as "Hole," "Hole," "Hole," and "Punch":<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">LOGICAL FALLACY (16A: Flaw in an argument) ("Hole" 1)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">EMPTY SPACE (26A: Void) ("Hole" 2)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">PIG STY (34A: Messy living area) ("Hole" 3)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">FRUIT DRINK (41A: Many a beverage ending in "-ade") (... and the Punch)</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> "my b" </span>(<b>5D: Like "b-boy" and "my b"</b>) —
<blockquote><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "helvetica neue", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(10, 10, 10); color: #0a0a0a; font-size: 20px;">A phrase used as an abbreviation for "my bad"; utilized by a person claiming that the fault is his own, that he screwed up; commonly used in a casual environment such as when playing games with family and friends. (<a href="https://slang.net/meaning/my_b">slang.net</a>)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbW8q-XCTIr6UsuUS0ou_OO_9rEJX5xHCkT0XKWrBriusXWXNoPab_GkSxR5ykLPMDlsK0CPDQYl4daEeYZFlt00ukf8VLgdGmgqPdOAG1o4PApTze6JoIwPao7rlHQVYAO429jOIWnAytHNGqxWqfKUJf56SOniidY3OssHPCAsTcz5AvrHkog/s1186/One-Punch_Man_TV_Anime_Key_Visual.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="848" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbW8q-XCTIr6UsuUS0ou_OO_9rEJX5xHCkT0XKWrBriusXWXNoPab_GkSxR5ykLPMDlsK0CPDQYl4daEeYZFlt00ukf8VLgdGmgqPdOAG1o4PApTze6JoIwPao7rlHQVYAO429jOIWnAytHNGqxWqfKUJf56SOniidY3OssHPCAsTcz5AvrHkog/w166-h232/One-Punch_Man_TV_Anime_Key_Visual.webp" width="166" /></a></div>Saved by the revealer, for sure. This one was lackluster as hell until I got south of the equator and finally <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BARN DANCE</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GO LIMP</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DWEEBY</span></b> gave me something to live for, and then <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREE-HOLE PUNCH</span></b> swooped in like "ta da!" and honestly I just like the way that answer looked, right off the bat. Had no idea what it had to do with the theme at first—ran right through it and finished up the puzzle—but I did think "now that's a proper long answer! Can't wait to see how the hell it relates to the boring answers above!" And then, once I'd finished, I went back to read the revealer clue all the way through and yes, yes, this is the stuff. This goes past corny into straight-up loopy. Most early-week themes are content to stop at corny—insipid puns and what not. But this one is like "I Have Given You Three Holes And I Have Given You A Punch! Are You Not Pleased!? I Do Not Care, For I Am <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREE-HOLE PUNCH</span></b>, King Of Themes! Look On My Holes, Ye Mighty, And Despair!" Just some borderline dadaesque ridiculousness, and I am here for it. Really wish the grid had more life to it, especially up top, but themewise, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREE-HOLE PUNCH</span></b> is what you call "sticking the landing." Great phrase on its own, even better revealer. Missed opportunity, though, with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EMPTY SPACE</span></b>: could've gone with BLANK SPACE and then tied it to TayTay / TSwizzle / Her Swiftness there at <b>42D: Swift to fill a concert hall? (<span style="color: #351c75;">TAYLOR</span>)</b>:<div><br />
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</div><div>Puzzle started inauspiciously with a small corner choked with overfamiliar short stuff, with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BOLA</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ANI</span></b> being decidedly subpar. I should not be feeling "oof" *twice* in so small a space. Also, I just resent <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BOLA</span></b> (<b>1D: Cattle-catching weapon</b>) because I always confuse it with BOLO, a mistake I made again today, which left me wondering if Inventor David Aguilar had maybe built a fully prosthetic and functional ORE out of Legos. That would've been ... something. The middle of the grid gets particularly cruddy, with three (3!) "I"s to go with the "I" we'd already seen in the aforementioned bad answer "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">AN I</span></b>" (<b>4D: What "their" is spelled with, but not "there" or "they're"</b>) So ... four "I"s! "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I CRY</span></b>," "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I'M UP</span></b>," and "There but for the grace of God <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GO I</span></b>," which sounds like a particularly depressing morning litany. I'm just gonna leave to the side the fact that the puzzle also contains the Spanish word for "I" ("<b><span style="color: #351c75;"><i>YO</i> TE AMO</span></b>") and the objective form of "I" ("<b><span style="color: #351c75;">ON <i>ME</i></span></b>") and would've had a fifth "I" if an alert editor hadn't finally said "enough is enough" at <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AMI</span> (37A: French friend)</b>.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>There weren't too many potential pitfalls today. I use a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CURL BAR</span></b> at the gym all the time, but have never heard anyone refer to it by name and so it took me a weird lot of crosses to finally pick up (<b>29A: Weightlifting item for a biceps routine</b>). I kept reading [<b>Void</b>] as a verb, which meant that even after I got EMPTY, the SPACE part was not obvious and took some (small amount of) time to fill in. No idea about the Flo Rida song. He is ... never going away, because of his name parts (FLO and RIDA will haunt crossword grids for some time to come), and now I see that he has at least one "hit" that is probably never going to go away either. At least I got to "hear" the colorful lyric, "Champagne buckets still got two tears in it." It's a cute way to signal that "CRY" is in the title, in case you had any trouble with the crosses, which you shouldn't have. If nothing else, the Flo Rida song led me to this line, from Melissa Maerz's review of the Flo Rida album <i>Wild Ones</i>, on which the song "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I CRY</span></b>" appears:</div><div><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"></span><blockquote><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">"Most bizarre is "I Cry", which speeds up </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Russell" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Brenda Russell">Brenda Russell</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">'s 1988 smooth-jazz cheesefest "</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_in_the_Dark" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Piano in the Dark">Piano in the Dark</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">" until it has all the emotional heft of an </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LMFAO" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="LMFAO">LMFAO</a> <span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">track. You couldn't program a robot to cry to it." (EW, June 29, 2012)</span></blockquote><div>"All the emotional heft of an LMFAO track," LMFAO. Nice.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>Guessed the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">KABOB</span></b> spelling correctly at first pass, which is always a nice feeling (<b>59A: Meat skewer</b>). Spelling on that one is always slippery: aside from the relative common "KEBAB" spelling, there was also a KEBOB back in 2020, and even a KABAB back in 1988, so, you know, probably <i>not</i> gonna be KEBOB or KABAB, but once you know those precedents are out there, they can haunt you. Feels like a dangerous spelling trap, every time.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>My daughter (Ella) was assistant production manager on <i>Oh, Mary!</i>, <a href="https://www.ohmaryplay.com">Cole Escola's dark comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln</a>—which I'm told is fantastic (playing through May 5 at the Lortel Theater in NYC!)—and she texted us after opening night to tell us that "<a href="https://playbill.com/article/photos-comedy-theatre-stars-come-out-to-celebrate-opening-night-for-cole-escolas-oh-mary">famous people</a>" had been at the premiere, as well as at the opening night party. We wondered who? "Do you know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AMY</span></b> Sedaris?" LOL, yes, yes I do, kid (<b>28D: Comedian Sedaris</b>). </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVIC-bYkOHGcpZTjWc4BiWhOqyZ-O9dw84ouMVQwhr286Ybzw348BcsNcVKr7-zqSvlDtW8tCARRqYMPlKR7q3wn8fsqvjaJFfe1DJM82YFj0JWbX1UWt5X3z6opwh_mB7RkqSzjC18Ds-dVwgjB2i3azhVtiagYAlLLZd_ModCSflEnsYLensA/s1670/IMG_9211.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1670" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVIC-bYkOHGcpZTjWc4BiWhOqyZ-O9dw84ouMVQwhr286Ybzw348BcsNcVKr7-zqSvlDtW8tCARRqYMPlKR7q3wn8fsqvjaJFfe1DJM82YFj0JWbX1UWt5X3z6opwh_mB7RkqSzjC18Ds-dVwgjB2i3azhVtiagYAlLLZd_ModCSflEnsYLensA/w281-h400/IMG_9211.jpeg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[photo credit: Rebecca J. Michelson, from playbill.com]</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>See you next time.<br /><br />
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-38884906083402525162024-03-04T00:00:00.214-05:002024-03-04T05:48:18.815-05:00Small vehicle on a railroad track / MON 3-4-24 / "You both swiped right!," on Tinder / Streaming service that dropped th first three letters of its name when it rebranded in 2023 / Film franchise that includes "The Avengers," "Thor" and "Iron Man," in brief<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Samantha Podos Nowak</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Medium (solved Downs-only)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEDr5edTfk39FNk3_3srGAfpYWKA-yQ5QVX09iUlxpg5fzwirIuny4W3hyphenhyphenjkteEEuFgzWhQQ6EhJwoZPzWrNzPNeDEH8ns45VJd5OtgoKr9dAoVSnxq69_iDy4FOyx6QCvLMoMs0IAILixDum8bHHg09Gw0glRNLT1CPPxHzegTmebgWsKdPgdg/s964/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%207.16.25%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="910" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEDr5edTfk39FNk3_3srGAfpYWKA-yQ5QVX09iUlxpg5fzwirIuny4W3hyphenhyphenjkteEEuFgzWhQQ6EhJwoZPzWrNzPNeDEH8ns45VJd5OtgoKr9dAoVSnxq69_iDy4FOyx6QCvLMoMs0IAILixDum8bHHg09Gw0glRNLT1CPPxHzegTmebgWsKdPgdg/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%207.16.25%20PM.png" width="302" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> BANANA SPLITS (35A: With 37-Across, some ice cream confections ... or a hint ot the second, fifth, eleventh and fourteenth rows of this puzzle)</span> — the word "BANANA" is "split" across black squares four times:<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SCU<span style="color: red;">BA / NANA</span>S</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">CA<span style="color: red;">BANA / NA</span>YSAYER</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SUBUR<span style="color: red;">BAN / ANA</span>LOG</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">CU<span style="color: red;">BAN / ANA</span>IS </span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> gimlet </span>(<b>38D: Gimlet or screwdriver = <span style="color: #351c75;">TOOL</span></b>) —
<blockquote><span class="mw_t_bc" face=""Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: #212529; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-size: 19px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </span><span face=""Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(33, 37, 41); color: #212529; font-size: 19px;">a small tool with a screw point, grooved shank, and cross handle for boring holes (merriam-webster.com)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxDQzLbTeyGQAO8XtzhfMlcTv8rMUJIKYttGJLLdkXOx6aZGS8L1HhlZOneU1I8UHAjTqe9lGIEGd0algk__jxPrUf-kKLexKAKvqKNHTXnPzeOlIct1Kg0PGxY0sjGlFoVt4ONrRm9GUY6khOSX3WDGCrnDQ85RucVbtjzS1GIGB_7S_NR9JIA/s1476/couv-3876_v2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="1143" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxDQzLbTeyGQAO8XtzhfMlcTv8rMUJIKYttGJLLdkXOx6aZGS8L1HhlZOneU1I8UHAjTqe9lGIEGd0algk__jxPrUf-kKLexKAKvqKNHTXnPzeOlIct1Kg0PGxY0sjGlFoVt4ONrRm9GUY6khOSX3WDGCrnDQ85RucVbtjzS1GIGB_7S_NR9JIA/w184-h238/couv-3876_v2.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>Now that I see the BANANA gag, I like the theme OK. It's a cute idea. The problem is that there's no real theme material—no theme answer, nothing holding the puzzle together but letters shared between two answers. The only wordplay is in the revealer. It's a virtually non-existent theme until you get the revealer. And the long answers somehow *aren't* involved as theme answers, which makes it awkward. As I was solving, I assumed that the last Across was going to finally tell me what the theme was all about, but when I got "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">IT'S A MATCH</span></b>," I still had no idea. Turns out, "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">IT'S A MATCH</span></b>" isn't even theme material. It's just ... a long Across. Same with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AISLE SEAT</span></b>. So the puzzle is structurally interesting, but it feels oddly put together, and kind of themeless, without any of the upsides of a themeless (namely, lots of longer, sparkly fill). I concede that the concept is clever, but solving it wasn't terribly fun or satisfying. The grid is laden with overfamiliar stuff (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">ESL CCS AHAB YER ABA GAEL ALA NAGANO UTERO UHNO</span></b>), and some of the longer fill just left me cold. Bygone names of streaming services should be scrubbed from your wordlists; I've lost count of how many HBO streaming incarnations there have been: HBOGO, HBONOW, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HBOMAX</span> (4D: Streaming service that dropped the first three letters of its name when it rebranded in 2023)</b>, and now it's just MAX. Why not throw all of them in the garbage? The first three, anyway. And never having used Tinder, "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">IT'S A MATCH</span></b>" felt like a dead-weight phrase to me (<b>56A: "You both swiped right!," on Tinder</b>). I inferred it from crosses, but couldn't think of a context that would make it a worthy standalone answer. I guess that context is Tinder. OK. As I say, the puzzle just didn't resonate <i>with me</i>. If it meant something to you, fantastic.<div><br />
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</div><div>The Downs-only solve was very easy up top and very hard down below. Whole banks of Downs in the bottom half of the grid were blank after my first pass. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ASSIST / QUOTED / ABUSES</span></b>? Nothing. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HANDCAR (?) / "CAN'T BE" / BEAUT</span></b>? Nothing. I stumbled my way to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BEAUT</span></b> in a most improbable way—by guessing "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">UH</span></b> (or UM) <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NO</span></b>" at <b>55D: "Well ... I'll pass"</b> and then guessing that a five-letter word beginning "U" and ending "O" must be <b><span style="color: #351c75;">UTERO</span></b>, which put a "T" at the end of <b>50D: Real gem</b>, and *somehow* <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BEAUT</span></b> leapt to mind. From there I could suss out <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SUBURBAN</span></b>, and then the CAR part of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HAND CAR</span></b>, and then those pesky parts finally fell, but for a bit there it looked my Downs-only efforts were gonna be a bust.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>The big surprise of the day, for me, was realizing that I had no idea that "gimlet" was a <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOOL</span></b>. I assumed, as the clue probably assumed I'd assume, that the "gimlet" and "screwdriver" in <b>38D: Gimlet or screwdriver</b> were cocktails. Bizarrely, I'd just looked up "gimlet" (the cocktail) earlier in the day, during cocktail hour with my wife (every day, five o'clock, like civilized people). I was remembering that Marlowe drank them with Terry at Victor's in Chandler's <i>The Long Goodbye</i>, and Marlowe insisted they had to be half Rose's and half gin (“beats martinis hollow”), but if you've ever tried that (specifically on Marlowe's recommendation, in my case), you know it's way, way too cloying. Those proportions are horrendous. So anyway that’s how I came to look up the "classic" recipe for a gimlet earlier in the evening. I was even reading about the history of the drink and its name, and I think the damn explanation even *mentioned* that the drink might've gotten its name from some tool! Hang on, I'm going to find it. Ah, here it is—this passage from <a href="https://www.liquor.com/recipes/gimlet/">Liquor.com</a>:</div><div><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.1px;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for who first combined Rose's cordial with navy rations of gin, the story gets murkier. Many like to credit Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Desmond Gimlette, a British naval doctor, for popularizing the cocktail. <u>Others say it was named after a tool used to bore holes on ships</u>. Like most pre-20th-century cocktails, particularly one that comes from such a simple template—spirit, sugar, and citrus—it's hard to pin down a single point of origin. (<u>my emph</u>.)</span></blockquote></span></div><div>Which is more improbable? That I was reading this just hours before solving today's gimlet-containing puzzle, or that my reading it helped me Absolutely Not At All? I sat there with --OL at <b>38D: Gimlet or screwdriver</b> and had no idea what to do. Began suspecting I had something wrong, until the SPLITS part of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BANANA SPLITS</span></b> became obvious, and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOOL</span></b> became inevitable. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYoekebT3DJA_iTDQkNtYx1Fg6ncGDN-kdHhmwz97ebkv1n25gdyuneHh7Nigg7wtGaZtt21g60UdE2gYiBBHMN5P9CETxNXT9ij3Vkk0qwehFAp3MU4wtNrveck245sqSeyb2wb6wGyFG9KZ1ppttrT4nHfd1RN6Zm9a2n8KfF7NDszVgvUThw/s1116/b9f88b9a7dac9a32e472399ecbf53b2e.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYoekebT3DJA_iTDQkNtYx1Fg6ncGDN-kdHhmwz97ebkv1n25gdyuneHh7Nigg7wtGaZtt21g60UdE2gYiBBHMN5P9CETxNXT9ij3Vkk0qwehFAp3MU4wtNrveck245sqSeyb2wb6wGyFG9KZ1ppttrT4nHfd1RN6Zm9a2n8KfF7NDszVgvUThw/s320/b9f88b9a7dac9a32e472399ecbf53b2e.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Big shout-out to Will Shortz, who announced yesterday (on the NPR Weekend Edition puzzler segment) that he is recovering from a stroke he suffered last month. Hopefully he's back in action soon, and next month's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament continues as scheduled, with him running the show, as usual. He's gonna get such an ovation ... :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Take care, everyone.</div><div><br /></div><div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-25437068289050505582024-03-03T00:00:00.042-05:002024-03-03T00:00:00.131-05:00Loose-fitting garment / SUN 3-3-24 / Tree with "eyes" on its bark / High times for the petroleum industry / French desserts whose name translates as "small ovens" / Chinese dish eponym / It can be written in scripts known as naskh and ruq'ah / Hush-hush pacts, in brief / Borough of New Jersey noted for its indoor shopping malls<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Hoang-Kim Vu</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy-Medium</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjOoYbCEUUHbIuOMc8JColLmyZZBYA6r28r0VPb-yzLqMybzw7NPCRBgLfgu22IlCrptFNgznhCkFQCwmPPvuniPthFOYieX4563U_4XuQs-oAPEs_1MaTvsIxPl0EryayDHFR0Kpa0jludhHLBd_eZMDnuayjJe_TVxV8OTimQX3cvXkBMm7fQ/s1340/Screenshot%202024-03-02%20at%206.49.40%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1260" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjOoYbCEUUHbIuOMc8JColLmyZZBYA6r28r0VPb-yzLqMybzw7NPCRBgLfgu22IlCrptFNgznhCkFQCwmPPvuniPthFOYieX4563U_4XuQs-oAPEs_1MaTvsIxPl0EryayDHFR0Kpa0jludhHLBd_eZMDnuayjJe_TVxV8OTimQX3cvXkBMm7fQ/w376-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-02%20at%206.49.40%20PM.png" width="376" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> "Countdown"</span> — ten theme answers contain the numbers "TEN" through "ONE" (counting down, starting with TEN at the top of the grid and ending with ONE at the bottom); though the theme answers are Acrosses, the numbers contained within them run Down wherever they appear: <br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers: (</span><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">RED</span><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;"> letters run Down)</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">1A: Loose-fitting garment (<span style="color: red;">TEN</span>T DRESS)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">24A: It might help you keep up with old classmates (ALUM<span style="color: red;">NI NE</span>WSLETTER)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">30A: Carrier of goods by rail (FR<span style="color: red;">EIGHT</span> TRAIN)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">47A: Stop on a publicity tour (PRES<span style="color: red;">S EVEN</span>T)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">61A: Chosen name of five popes (<span style="color: red;">SIX</span>TUS)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">71A: Break for a bit (TAKE <span style="color: red;">FIVE</span>)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">80A: French desserts whose name Translates as "small ovens" (PETIT <span style="color: red;">FOUR</span>S)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">108A: Concern at the end of a space journey (EAR<span style="color: red;">TH REE</span>NTRY)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">115A: "Take it easy once in a while!" ("DON'<span style="color: red;">T WO</span>RK TOO HARD")</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">118A: Sonny and Fredo, for two (CORLE<span style="color: red;">ONE</span>S)</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> SANDRA LEE </span>(<b>89A: TV chef who wrote "Semi-Homemade Cooking"</b>) —<div><div style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rzR98Lx5_mXNZ6a_CRo4SiSSPYttBGT1ebk6WE4eeoDCU0Ev-7B96tpFDKgMBSuPGhG3Wl9By5o7OVJoAeNFGUhV_zSPmFhzEbioWk4YZjXSrBg-Q-FkekyT80mGZapSBLjx1P8e0vJYWi-a2iJEOqRXDi_elkFG_N3NJPSLu0Z1KYLtUxpZCA/s1000/51U02TC3atL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rzR98Lx5_mXNZ6a_CRo4SiSSPYttBGT1ebk6WE4eeoDCU0Ev-7B96tpFDKgMBSuPGhG3Wl9By5o7OVJoAeNFGUhV_zSPmFhzEbioWk4YZjXSrBg-Q-FkekyT80mGZapSBLjx1P8e0vJYWi-a2iJEOqRXDi_elkFG_N3NJPSLu0Z1KYLtUxpZCA/s320/51U02TC3atL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><blockquote><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Sandra Lee Christiansen</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (</span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_at_birth" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Name at birth">née</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Waldroop</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">; born July 3, 1966),</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> known professionally as </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Sandra Lee</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, is an American </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity_chef" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Celebrity chef">television chef</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Author">author</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. She is known for her "Semi-Homemade" cooking concept, which Lee describes as using 70 percent packaged and 30 percent fresh products.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> She received the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_Emmy_Award_for_Outstanding_Lifestyle/Culinary_Show_Host" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Show Host">Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Show Host</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> in 2012 for her work and her show. As the partner of former </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_(state)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="New York (state)">New York</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> Governor </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Cuomo" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Andrew Cuomo">Andrew Cuomo</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, she served as the </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="De facto">de facto</a></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Ladies_and_Gentlemen_of_New_York" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="First Ladies and Gentlemen of New York">First Lady Of New York</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">from 2011 to 2019, when the couple ended their relationship. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoolM99Rf1JuAvgqXJ5xopzKApjv-qimTT_n630wxjCv83IKq2TgDtmDE8Wv3z5srQy-hQTBuvz4NoUwdWO-9yn2VWZgqr5Gwm7ELnXdCjEVaRLlStaoWOZ8bPwdSsFc-JSnMS3WX94cLSs0gk6KqVEMf3hU1fx2fLOIu6dFDHJhFe6GM3yqzSw/s300/Steely_Dan-Countdown_to_Ecstacy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoolM99Rf1JuAvgqXJ5xopzKApjv-qimTT_n630wxjCv83IKq2TgDtmDE8Wv3z5srQy-hQTBuvz4NoUwdWO-9yn2VWZgqr5Gwm7ELnXdCjEVaRLlStaoWOZ8bPwdSsFc-JSnMS3WX94cLSs0gk6KqVEMf3hU1fx2fLOIu6dFDHJhFe6GM3yqzSw/w198-h198/Steely_Dan-Countdown_to_Ecstacy.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>Architecturally, this is reasonably impressive. It's just not that interesting, in the end. What I mean is, I figured out fairly early on how the "Countdown" concept was going to work—that it was going to apply in two senses (i.e. we're counting down from TEN to ONE, and each number in the "count" is actually going to head "down"). It's not too hard to find the numbers—they all have empty Down clues. So once you get TEN and NINE up top, you can just fill in the rest of those Downs with the remaining numbers if you want. I didn't, but I could have if I'd care to. So after you discover the theme, it really has nothing left to show you. There's nothing to discover. There's no wordplay. There's just a bunch of answers with numbers running Down inside them, only those aren't going to trip you up, because you know both where they are and what they are. So you've basically got a themeless puzzle on your hands at that point, and even though this grid has a few winners in it <b>(<span style="color: #351c75;">"HE'S WITH ME," SLUSH PILES, "WANNA TRADE")</span></b>, there's not enough to make a Sunday-sized grid terribly interesting. It's basically a diversion. A fine way to spend 10 minutes or half an hour or whatever, but whatever special magic the theme had to offer is all gone very early, and then it's just a matter of dutifully finishing the job. <div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dxHgEu_o0lo?si=iYDnwnT2K7uU00mh" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><div style="text-align: center;"><i>[<b>35A: Haim of "Licorice Pizza" (<span style="color: #351c75;">ALANA</span>)</b>]</i></div></div><div><br /></div><div>There's one notable issue with the theme execution, but it's a problem that was quite possibly unavoidably—namely, that all the numbers from TEN to ONE are well and truly hidden inside their respective answers. That is, TEN does not appear as the number TEN, but as the letter string T-E-N, and all the other numbers do likewise ... except FIVE. FIVE just cannot hide. It appears as itself, in the answer <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TAKE FIVE</span></b>. It's a tribute to how well, how cleverly the other numbers are hidden, that the FIVE stands out so glaringly. Like, "hi, I'm FIVE, sorry, I don't know how to hide inside other answers, just pretend I'm not here." But what longer answer could possibly contain the letter string "F-I-V-E"? SCIFI VENTURE? WIFI VENDOR? "... IF I'VE EVER SEEN ONE"? That last one is at least a phrase people say. But my point is, there are next to no options. So ... <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TAKE FIVE</span></b>. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>There were some awkward moments while solving this, most notably ... <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SIXTUS</span></b>!!? Five popes actually chose that name, and I've heard of precisely none of them? Wow. I really (really really) wanted the answer to be SEXTUS, which sounds so much more popey, but SEX is not a number (well, it is, in Latin, it's "six," but ... it's not one of *our* numbers). So that was awkward because it was arcane. Then there was <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TINDERS</span></b>, which was awkward because it was an Improbable Plural (<b>71D: Birch bark and pine cones, e.g.</b>). And then <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ASPIRER</span></b>, awkward because no way, not a thing, please stop (<b>111A: Ambitious sort</b>). And something about <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STOLEN ART</span></b> feels kind of "green-paint"-y to me.* You could put anything after STOLEN and kinda sorta justify it, but <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STOLEN ART</span></b> doesn't quite feel strong enough to stand alone. Mostly, though, I thought the fill held up just fine, especially considering the fairly demanding theme. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>The cluing felt sufficiently difficult for a Sunday. Despite the theme's revealing too much of itself too quickly, the grid still had some resistance to offer. Something about the phrasing of the clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COW POX</span></b> made it hard for me—I think it's the "used it" bit (<b>11D: Edward Jenner used it when developing the world's first successful vaccine</b>). Accurate enough, I'm sure, but I'm not used to think of viruses being "used." I had to go through both REAIR and RERUN before I got to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RERAN</span> (31D: Put on the air again) </b>(really should've noticed that "air" was in the clue and so couldn't be in the answer). Had "UH, NO" before <b>"<span style="color: #351c75;">UM, NO</span>" (19D: "Yeah ... pass")</b>. No idea who <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SANDRA LEE</span></b> is, despite the fact that she was apparently First Lady of my state from 2011 to 2019 (!?!?!). SANDRA DEE and SARA LEE, them I know, but <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SANDRA LEE</span></b>—this is the first I'm hearing of her. I had SEETHES before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SEES RED</span> (129A: Rages)</b>. I wish I had more interesting errors. Sorry.</div><div><br />
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</div><div>A reminder that the Boswords Spring Themeless League starts this week, with Puzzle #1 dropping tomorrow, Monday, Mar. 4! There are three different difficulty levels so if you're crossword competition curious, why not give it a go? Here's League coordinator John Lieb with the deets:</div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Registration for the </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boswords 2024 Spring Themeless League </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is open! This weekly event in March and April features weekly themeless puzzles -- clued at three levels of difficulty -- from an all-star roster of constructors and are edited by Brad Wilber. To register, to watch a short video about the league, to view the constructor line-up, and to learn more, go to </span><a href="http://www.boswords.org/" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.boswords.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Also out this week:</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSFAYL_5i9DCk3PLY34LXi2VbnsUFUzBDrlx0yI1vqbjZoKyWI6_MNmfREztmztRfpOmdVEdadQh4jjgtc3c2RBSmMCoMyw_fJDs2O-TtfQbgHJLiPJNkdf7NHtaemGTandRRGDsUVhMKXhTAQ6g9IjMOtKplJk2pnVbfvueCfCgQ7KZzIEn3Xg/s4032/IMG_9386.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSFAYL_5i9DCk3PLY34LXi2VbnsUFUzBDrlx0yI1vqbjZoKyWI6_MNmfREztmztRfpOmdVEdadQh4jjgtc3c2RBSmMCoMyw_fJDs2O-TtfQbgHJLiPJNkdf7NHtaemGTandRRGDsUVhMKXhTAQ6g9IjMOtKplJk2pnVbfvueCfCgQ7KZzIEn3Xg/w300-h400/IMG_9386.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[cat not included]</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>So excited that the world (Crossworld <i>and</i> normal world) finally gets to read this beautifully written, deeply engrossing, and often wryly funny memoir/history about the connections between crosswords and feminism, written by the brilliant Anna Shechtman, crossword constructor for the <i>New Yorker</i> and (as of very recently) Cornell University English professor. Anna writes about her own life in candid, surprising ways, and her research on the roles women have played in the history of the crossword is original and revelatory. <i>The Riddles of the Sphinx</i> is the best writing on crossword puzzles that I've ever read. So treat yourself. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Riddles-Sphinx-Inheriting-Feminist-Crossword/dp/0063275473/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2X73ZSGUD5K1O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OSU3d-lG0XszFNIwa4K5LA.tm82fAao_wnb9QqJbzGMHpZJ4C-WYMGyUva3xd3kl90&dib_tag=se&keywords=anna+shechtman&qid=1709436683&sprefix=%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1">Go get it</a>. And if you can, go see her!:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtF3PairKIK_CsZ6lGZfRzd8uvqmwIRswCH_7RiuZ9FgVMh2TkFzC_SQYG3E89PQmTehlGvV1sYn38DuRLWiqcZnMJFitnmug6oHpNw8xbNCnUy8bIrqJeMNJz8gdzuzeKzeo-WS6WjkrLIRHKWzoAXLz_GYqMRZkkSI_1RonA4S5nB00M33CbQ/s1080/GHcnOGiXgAE4t8M.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtF3PairKIK_CsZ6lGZfRzd8uvqmwIRswCH_7RiuZ9FgVMh2TkFzC_SQYG3E89PQmTehlGvV1sYn38DuRLWiqcZnMJFitnmug6oHpNw8xbNCnUy8bIrqJeMNJz8gdzuzeKzeo-WS6WjkrLIRHKWzoAXLz_GYqMRZkkSI_1RonA4S5nB00M33CbQ/s320/GHcnOGiXgAE4t8M.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. See you next time.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>*"green paint" is a term for an answer you can imagine someone saying, but that doesn't seem strong enough to qualify as a standalone crossword entry</div><div>
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17488951999895250422024-03-02T05:54:00.003-05:002024-03-02T08:13:29.459-05:00Discontinued Mitsubishi sports sedan, informally / SAT 3-2-24 / Currency in the Legend of Zelda / Event of 1/31/2020 / Performance featuring masklike kumadori makeup / Rapper/singer with the 2005 hit "Temperature" / Comedian who played Louie the Lilac on "Batman" / Cute images with captions like "If it fits, I sits"<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Natan Last</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy-Challenging (80% cake ... and then the southeast corner)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFX-IAKt0lWbWzBMXDxYlIsnpDkPR8sg0mNJnHDjGzKCrOcoQaXAcGoaOo7L_dl2TcFlz8rjgz9CMY1uyoSSu060h3h9lE-JU1C_YbBeFYQZHHY8uyeZ9AojBNuY0OfGjoTTjHrRfbB3vINvtWzEWH1OF5JaGur1LFs949MeJmq7_rcW4-fkm8A/s958/Screenshot%202024-03-02%20at%204.17.07%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="906" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFX-IAKt0lWbWzBMXDxYlIsnpDkPR8sg0mNJnHDjGzKCrOcoQaXAcGoaOo7L_dl2TcFlz8rjgz9CMY1uyoSSu060h3h9lE-JU1C_YbBeFYQZHHY8uyeZ9AojBNuY0OfGjoTTjHrRfbB3vINvtWzEWH1OF5JaGur1LFs949MeJmq7_rcW4-fkm8A/w379-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-02%20at%204.17.07%20AM.png" width="379" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> none</span> <br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> ALLIE B. Latimer </span>(<b>2D: ___ B. Latimer, civil rights activist in the National Women's Hall of Fame</b>) —
<blockquote><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Allie B. Latimer</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (born February 16, 1928, in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coraopolis,_Pennsylvania" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Coraopolis, Pennsylvania">Coraopolis, Pennsylvania</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">)</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> was the first woman and the first African American to serve as </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Counsel" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="General Counsel">General Counsel</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> of a major United States federal agency. In her work to bring the government into compliance with the Civil Rights Act, she founded and developed </span><a class="new" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Federally_Employed_Women&action=edit&redlink=1" style="background: repeat; color: #a55858; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Federally Employed Women (page does not exist)">Federally Employed Women</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (FEW) and worked to end gender discrimination in public sector jobs throughout her 40+ year career. According to the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Women%27s_Hall_of_Fame" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="National Women's Hall of Fame">National Women's Hall of Fame</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, “FEW’s many accomplishments and activities have impacted the federal workplace and contributed to improved working conditions for all.” [...] </span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div><div><br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISxCAU63PJEjt-jNwRng5vRfLcrQyF8l4xX-v_D0eUoHEcTQECxImcnHiZ1fnFT5h8fFubfM6HDF-2aF_gqGadtx3m3u-czuiruoo4y9maiCLGGVBpeu8OchjaG7aG6IzNvssEI2sOCLILI4pPtFPr1Ggp4hIV4a9AhwI3pPeseEn4PuVeciDpQ/s4032/IMG_9357.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiISxCAU63PJEjt-jNwRng5vRfLcrQyF8l4xX-v_D0eUoHEcTQECxImcnHiZ1fnFT5h8fFubfM6HDF-2aF_gqGadtx3m3u-czuiruoo4y9maiCLGGVBpeu8OchjaG7aG6IzNvssEI2sOCLILI4pPtFPr1Ggp4hIV4a9AhwI3pPeseEn4PuVeciDpQ/w176-h235/IMG_9357.jpeg" width="176" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>[Don't look at me, Alfie, you're<br />on your own]</i></td></tr></tbody></table>WEDDING RINGS—that's it. That's the story of this puzzle in two words. The tragic story of this puzzle. And things were going so well for me! I was having a delightful spin around the grid, pointing in recognition at so many things I love. "Hey there, poetry! How ya doin'?! Baseball! My man, what is up? Ooh, look, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STUNT DOGS</span></b>, hello buddies! And .. wait ... holy cow, is that ... are those <i>cats</i>!? Sitting in <i>boxes</i>! Oh my god I gotta go say hi to them!" Just enjoying the hell out of myself, frankly. So pleased, so ... well, confident. Once I got a little bit into that fat middle section, I dropped WEDDING RINGS like it was nothing, casually. I didn't even bother following it down to the bottom of the grid to check crosses because, I mean, WEDDING <i>RINGS</i>, what else was it gonna be? (<b>18D: Altar exchange</b>). It was like I put a stake in the SE corner and thought "I'll be back to finish you off later." And so the middle went down and the SW went down and finally I headed over to the SE corner to close things out ... and promptly got flattened. Now, if I'd, say, paid attention to the informal names of bygone sedans (?) or played Zelda, ever (ha) (<b>39D: Currency in The Legend of Zelda = <span style="color: #351c75;">RUPEE</span></b>), or could've pulled the name of the artist on a two-decade-old rap song out of my hat (I had a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sean">different SEAN</a> in my head the whole time, ugh), I might have realized the RINGS problem more quickly, and made a reasonably expeditious if not terribly graceful exit from this puzzle. But no. Instead I invented an informal name for the bygone sedan (the EXO!) (<b>46D: Discontinued Mitsubishi sports sedan, informally</b>), convinced myself that an English word means something it does not mean (EXIGENT!) (<b>48A: Clear</b>), and ... and ... and ... sputtered.<div><br />
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</div><div>It seems hard to believe that I could get so far into the puzzle and not just ... close it out! It's not like I had nothing down there. I was able to guess <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DORSET</span></b> (<b>50A: ___ Horn (British sheep breed)</b>) and drive <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TENANT</span></b> through that section (<b>35D: Lease signatory</b>) and from there pick up <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TSK</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TATA</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">KATY</span></b> <i>and</i> <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STIHL</span></b>!!! (<b>32D: Big name in power tools</b>)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2W9-31ALvLnW8nLyfw_g2l1YPHPyIgDTwcHuKYvAuEAGwogfKkOm3aKqrl_OZr1FwizRCwmjw1aAVQYednXnjiHBeiBSvIXI9Yc2JtUagkPwDXlUFccS7yBBf_rmLSZVduHuR7zO7WggHWTbdgcOyXjCIFLaAVkIjDhiNjNYa_OHTvSc4bz6ug/s562/Screenshot%202024-03-02%20at%204.24.29%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="562" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2W9-31ALvLnW8nLyfw_g2l1YPHPyIgDTwcHuKYvAuEAGwogfKkOm3aKqrl_OZr1FwizRCwmjw1aAVQYednXnjiHBeiBSvIXI9Yc2JtUagkPwDXlUFccS7yBBf_rmLSZVduHuR7zO7WggHWTbdgcOyXjCIFLaAVkIjDhiNjNYa_OHTvSc4bz6ug/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-02%20at%204.24.29%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>But so intractable did the resulting rat's nest of letters prove that I knew I had something wrong. The problem was, I had no idea what, and so, masterfully, I pulled out ... <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STIHL</span></b>! [Exceedingly deep sigh]. If only I could've seen <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TAX CUT</span>!!! (31D: Stereotypical campaign promise).</b> But that was not to be. At some point ... no idea how long it took me ... I started to pull things back to the studs (keep in mind—I thought RINGS *was* a stud). Out went the "X" in EXO/EXIGENT and then by some miracle <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EVIDENT</span></b> sprang to mind for [<b>Clear</b>] and I thought, but it can't be, that would mean RINGS is ... wr- ... RING is wr- ... wrong!? <b><span style="color: #351c75;">EVIDENT</span></b> to ***BANDS*** to all the dominoes falling in quick succession, the end.<div><br />
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</div><div>My main issue with the "spare tire" thing was I didn't really think they were going to make a fat joke. So even though fat-around-the-gut was the first thing I thought of for "spare tire," I kept retreating back to literal, boot-of-the-car spare tire in my mind. But the real problem all along was RINGS. I could blame the rapper or the video game, but all that stuff fell into place when I made the simple (yet nearly impossible) move from RINGS to BANDS. The rest of the puzzle? My joyful romp? It's a misty memory now. Not a false memory, though. It was definitely a good time while it lasted.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sL7-r1JLVNf5u3Ro0dSHZyYWSQb3lm92BggNIUabprmNJZhLvo7-l3KF682G-LmPzOhnLU7is5cfuLVeebGYpaKHN2qi8E1cLUS5dx66dEVco2Z5jiUr1IqsJJ_yGyyV_sG3faeLJswC68cYr8NdJVUOAEXBQLfhcBpjbFPLQAMDI6zY5os6rQ/s1000/41A8ISe4HjL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sL7-r1JLVNf5u3Ro0dSHZyYWSQb3lm92BggNIUabprmNJZhLvo7-l3KF682G-LmPzOhnLU7is5cfuLVeebGYpaKHN2qi8E1cLUS5dx66dEVco2Z5jiUr1IqsJJ_yGyyV_sG3faeLJswC68cYr8NdJVUOAEXBQLfhcBpjbFPLQAMDI6zY5os6rQ/s320/41A8ISe4HjL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[aka <i><u>Civilization</u> and Its Discontents</i>]</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>It did take a little pushing to get into that fat center of the grid. I wasn't entirely sure about <b><span style="color: #351c75;">INSTANT WIN</span></b>, given how the clue was phrased (didn't seem like a "yield" to me, exactly) (<b>6D: Yield of some scratch-off tickets</b>), and so I kinda held back there. I also had BLOOD VESSELS in there before the obvious "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">MAD</span></b>" forced me to reconsider (<b>37A: "We're all ___ here. I'm ___. You're ___": Cheshire Cat</b>). I had some trouble getting all those long central Acrosses from their back ends, but once the STREAMS part of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BLOODSTREAMS</span></b> and the WEDDING part of WEDDING RINGS (argh) went in, I got <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOUND BITE</span></b> and the center toppled over easily. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NUNHOOD</span></b>! Can't decide if that's terrible or my favorite thing in the grid! If you can have PRIESTHOOD, why not <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NUNHOOD</span></b>!?</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V_l7J7aabts?si=hf2UTUqR70gAtJvN" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Bullet points:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">7A: Dock ___, pitcher who claimed to have thrown a no-hitter on LSD in 1970 (<span style="color: #351c75;">ELLIS</span>)</span> — there's an entertaining documentary about this on Netflix. Or there was. Looks like it's not there anymore. You can watch it free (with ads) on Tubi. It's called "No No: A Dockumentary." Recommended.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">23A: Talk trashed? (<span style="color: #351c75;">SLUR</span>)</span> — really thought this clue was insulting people with speech impediments ("you talk like trash, loser!") but then realized that "trashed" here meant "drunk"; when you're drunk you might <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SLUR</span></b> your words. Fair enough.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">38A: Event of 1/31/2020 (<span style="color: #351c75;">BREXIT</span>)</span> — I remember the vote. That happened in the summer some time (2016, I think). The actual Day Of ... total unknown to me. Jan. 31, 2020, you say? I believe you.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">14D: Comedian who played Louie the Lilac on "Batman" (<span style="color: #351c75;">BERLE</span>)</span> — wow, reaching back for this one. I had no idea Milton <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BERLE</span></b> was ever on the Adam West "Batman" TV show! That is the "Batman" we're talking about, right? They didn't bring <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BERLE</span></b> back in hologram form for the 2022 "Batman" movie, did they!? </li></ul><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W77e2NXCxkw?si=Hn3VjO1E4x1wmTNw" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center>
</div><ul><li><b>12A: Place for some nonstarters (<span style="color: #351c75;">BULLPEN</span>) </b>— in baseball, relief pitchers (i.e. non-starters) come out of the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BULLPEN</span></b> (a kind of holding room typically found beyond the outfield, behind the wall)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">13A: Currency that replaced the British West African pound (<span style="color: #351c75;">LEONE</span>)</span> — Crosswordese to the rescue! I have no idea where, exactly, this is a currency, but I know that it *is* a currency because ... crosswords! (It will perhaps shock you, as it did me, to learn that the <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>LEONE</b></span> is the currency of ... Sierra <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LEONE</span></b>)</li></ul>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com92tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-64629874039321125142024-03-01T05:51:00.002-05:002024-03-01T06:59:15.796-05:00Shade akin to peridot / FRI 3-1-24 / First syllable of a rhyming film genre / Arpad ___ creator of an eponymous chess rating system / Of all the noises known to man, it is the most expensive, per an old quip / Challenge for some funny video compilations<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Julian Xiao</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy-Medium</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixADArkaDCk2S0BXHPkdnmXenOf03_ZNknKX0FB0INAV5RIF-ZC7wH-2595J6SUoxJlRrFCig4r-io6hWG1ZESHt1e9dVVGQNx0rphmrlRn2CXKcsr9nkcm9EV0cUiaMlGsEamuqEEUFOO9tU8pWAmsh56Qr2HjvDdwbiHDBMnd_xCTwcnG0Y4xA/s958/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%204.06.54%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="906" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixADArkaDCk2S0BXHPkdnmXenOf03_ZNknKX0FB0INAV5RIF-ZC7wH-2595J6SUoxJlRrFCig4r-io6hWG1ZESHt1e9dVVGQNx0rphmrlRn2CXKcsr9nkcm9EV0cUiaMlGsEamuqEEUFOO9tU8pWAmsh56Qr2HjvDdwbiHDBMnd_xCTwcnG0Y4xA/w379-h400/Screenshot%202024-03-01%20at%204.06.54%20AM.png" width="379" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> none</span> <br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Arpad ELO </span>(<b>22A: Arpad ELO, creator of an eponymous chess rating system</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b>Arpad Emmerich Elo</b> (<span title="Name at birth"><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A9" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Né">né</a></span> <b>Élő Árpád Imre</b>; August 25, 1903 – November 5, 1992) was an American-Hungarian physics professor who created the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_rating_system" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Elo rating system">Elo rating system</a> for two-player games such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Chess">chess</a>. </p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">Born in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyh%C3%A1zaskesz%C5%91" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Egyházaskesző">Egyházaskesző</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Hungary" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Kingdom of Hungary">Kingdom of Hungary</a>, he moved to the United States with his parents in 1913. He was a professor of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Physics">physics</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquette_University" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Marquette University">Marquette University</a> in <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee,_Wisconsin" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Milwaukee, Wisconsin">Milwaukee</a> and a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_master" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Chess master">chess master</a>. By the 1930s he was the strongest chess player in Milwaukee, at the time one of the nation's leading chess cities. He won the Wisconsin State Championship eight times, and was the 11th person inducted into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Hall_of_Fame" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="World Chess Hall of Fame">World Chess Hall of Fame</a>. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhSMToqhdtT9weqIq0si79M9F6jbkW7wf53NS90ewNLIiA02L_lLyQzOCT5_fW7sWoTeflfBhhOtQM63EXAkzi8WsoS4aNTj_y0y68ti304ix_p6tL0h6WWvojYUwg7kR259GjbNvWisl1AnapAZylEIgrPikYFiNO-IqZZ1QVIlUoV5V9vtRRQ/s768/Dragnet-Just-the-Facts-Ma-am-DVD_8b35d6a1-1954-4c0f-b175-a039394f4206.26307f5aea34c259120fa3c3e2711cdb.jpeg.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvhSMToqhdtT9weqIq0si79M9F6jbkW7wf53NS90ewNLIiA02L_lLyQzOCT5_fW7sWoTeflfBhhOtQM63EXAkzi8WsoS4aNTj_y0y68ti304ix_p6tL0h6WWvojYUwg7kR259GjbNvWisl1AnapAZylEIgrPikYFiNO-IqZZ1QVIlUoV5V9vtRRQ/w238-h238/Dragnet-Just-the-Facts-Ma-am-DVD_8b35d6a1-1954-4c0f-b175-a039394f4206.26307f5aea34c259120fa3c3e2711cdb.jpeg.webp" width="238" /></a></div>This one wasn't really showing me much. Kind of a placeholder. It skews a little quaint and old-fashioned ([<b>Canoodle</b>] / <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NECK</span></b>, "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">THEM'S THE FACTS</span></b>," that interminable "old quip" about <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OPERA</span></b>, a host of overfamiliar short answers, etc.), and the cluing was frequently either flat or irksome. The worst part of the cluing was that the awful twin-clue convention was used not once not twice but thrice. The first time, it's used to predictably off and awkward effect, and right up front! Right out of the gate! Why? There's nothing "fun" about a double "conductor" clue that leads to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CIRCUITS</span></b> (?) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CUING</span></b> (?). Yes, you have tapped into that astounding linguistic fact that "conductors" can mean multiple things! But [<b>The works of many conductors</b>] is such an awkward way of cluing <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CIRCUITS</span></b>. What's the idea? Are you trying to misdirect people toward <i>orchestra</i> conductors (rather than electrical conductors)? <i>Composers</i> are the ones with "works," not conductors, although I guess recordings might be considered a conductor's "works." The fact that I'm having to think about this only reinforces my sense that the clue here is trying too hard. And then the puzzle goes and doubles down on the whole "conductor" business with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CUING</span></b>? (<b>1D: Task for a conductor</b>). I mean, yes, conductors do "cue" players in various ways, but <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CUING</span></b> feels forced. Defensible, but not great because it's trying to do something no one actually cares about, i.e. echoing the <b>1-Across</b> clue. You've also got two (2) "word found backward inside another similar word" clues (for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALOHA</span></b> (HOLA) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TUNA</span></b> (NUT))—fine when I saw it the first time, boring when I saw it again. But wait, there's more! You've also got two (2) "let's try to make bad fill interesting" clues (for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SCI</span></b> (Fi) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ROM</span></b> (com)) (both clued as [<b>First syllable of a rhyming film genre</b>]). <div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z9nkzaOPP6g?si=fZzR8e-2HarMxrj4" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>The reason I am focused upon this dumb c(l)uing minutiae today is there's not much to focus on in the marquee stuff, which just isn't marquee enough. The long Downs are all adequate, but not bringing much heat. I guess maybe golfers might chuckle knowingly at <b><span style="color: #351c75;">THREE-PUTT</span> (12D: What might turn you red on a green)</b>. Who knows what golfers will do? I don't care about the game at all, and <i>still</i> that was the most interesting of the Downs for me. As for the long Acrosses, the 8s in the corners are very ho-hum, and then you've got the triple-stack across the middle. "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">THEM'S THE FACTS</span></b>" has its charm, I guess, if you like faux-folksiness (fauxksiness!), and "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">ARE WE THERE YET?</span></b>" is certainly an old (certainly clichéd) backseat refrain, but what the hell is <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TRY NOT TO LAUGH</span></b>??? A "challenge"? Maybe, *maybe* if you'd clued this as an introduction to the revelation of an embarrassing fact, it would be OK. But as clued, it's awful. NOT LAUGHING is (maybe) the "challenge," but "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TRY NOT TO LAUGH</span></b>" is an impossible-to-imagine dare. It's a spoken phrase that needs a <i>darer</i>. Is someone saying this to me as they hand me their phone to show me a blooper reel, or cat videos? Bizarre. Not a phrase that stands alone well at all, and certainly not with this clue.*</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RokyGRQP0no?si=4frmNUteyFQyjdeZ" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>Aside from the initial <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CIRCUITS / CUING</span></b> awkwardness, there was only one part of the grid that offered any pushback, and (tragically) it involves some of the grid's weakest fill—<b><span style="color: #351c75;">GOSEE</span></b> x/w <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ADSPOT</span></b>. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ADSPOT</span></b> is on-its-face bad, a commercial redundancy that only biznessspeak speakers could love (<b>50A: Social media post labeled "Sponsored," e.g.</b>). I thought the clue was gonna point to some neologism along the lines of SPONCON ("sponsored content"), but all I got was <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ADSPOT</span></b>, blech. As for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GOSEE</span></b> ... "modeling lingo"? I had no idea there <i>was</i> such a thing (<b>44D: Open call, in modeling lingo</b>). I believe the clue—that it's a real thing. And the clue is at least trying to make <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GOSEE</span></b> interesting. But in general I'm not a fan of deliberately adding difficulty to the parts of the grid that are least attractive. You want people to linger on the Good stuff, not the bad (in this case, more mediocre than truly bad, to be fair). I think most of what I'm annoyed about today falls under the category of bad <i>editing</i>, not bad constructing (I have to finish editing a puzzle for the forthcoming <a href="https://www.abortionpuzzles.com/tpfa-4">These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4 benefit collection</a> today, so I maybe jinxing myself here ... or just pre-yelling at myself)</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pkh8UtuejGw?si=JHEFLuvBgoz6GBY3" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><div style="text-align: center;"><i>[Saw this same song—with this same clue—in another puzzle this past week, </i><i>which is the only reason I knew it (<b>59A: 2019 #1 hit by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello</b>). I remembered it because in the other puzzle </i><i>I had it as "SEDORITA" and wondered what that might mean ... turns out </i><i>I had SHAVE<u>D</u> where I should've had SHAVE<u>N</u>; the one upside of screwing up is the answers involved tend to stick your brain]</i></div>
<br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Other things:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">38A: Shade akin to peridot (<span style="color: #351c75;">LIME</span>)</span> — I could've told you that peridot was a color, but apparently I could not have told you what that color was, or was akin to. I wrote ROSE here at first :(</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">3D: Nina of fashion (<span style="color: #351c75;">RICCI</span>)</span> — my first answer in the grid. Do you ever feel like your vast storehouse of crosswordese is a form of cheating? That's how it felt to get my first toehold in the puzzle with Nina <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RICCI</span></b>, about whom I know nothing.</li><li><b>8D: One who has ways of making you talk ... (<span style="color: #351c75;">SPEECH THERAPIST</span>)</b> —again, what is going on with the cluing? What is that mysterious ellipsis doing there at the end (...) and why (dear god) would you evoke torture in your clue? Even cartoonish, <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WeHaveWaysOfMakingYouTalk">TV-and-movie-bad-guy torture</a>? </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">35D: Simple bucket (<span style="color: #351c75;">LAY-UP</span>)</span> — they got me here. Was really looking for a bucket-shaped bucket here, not slang for a made shot in basketball.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">18D: Luxury brand ... or a non-luxury option (<span style="color: #351c75;">COACH</span>)</span> — my favorite wrong answer of the day. I had C--CH and decided to go with the non-luxury <i>sleeping</i> option: COUCH. "Hmm, I'm not familiar with the COUCH luxury brand. Do they make handbags? Scarves? Funny that their name is so close to ... hey!" There should be an anti-luxury brand called COUCH. A perfume that smells like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NACHO</span></b> chips, something along those lines.</li></ul><div><br />
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">End of February. There were four 4️⃣ solo woman constructors this month! Four more than last month! Hurray?! 2024 totals now <br /><br />Women 4 <br />Men … 41 <br /><br />🎉😕<br /><br />15 collabs so far this year;those skew M as well, but not nearly as bad, obvs<br /><br />M/W: 8<br />M/M: 5<br />W/W: 2</p>— Rex Parker 🐈🐾☕️🐾🐈 (@rexparker) <a href="https://twitter.com/rexparker/status/1763240009073565977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center>
</div><div>It's the end of February, so it's time for my Puzzles of the Month feature: three of the best NYTXW I solved this month: two themed, one themeless</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #ff00fe;">February 2024 Puzzles of the Month:</span></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Themed</span></b>: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sam Donaldson, "OPPOSITES ATTRACT" (<a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2024/02/dating-axiom-thu-2-8-24-title-role-for.html">Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024</a>)</li><li>Teddy Katz and Rich Katz, "DOUBLE OR NOTHING" (<a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2024/02/controvert-thu-2-15-24-landlord-pays.html">Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024</a>)</li></ul></div><div><b><span style="color: #ff00fe;">Themeless</span></b>: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Carolyn Davies Lynch and Jeff Chen (ROCKET SCIENCE / BRAIN SURGERY) (<a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2024/02/greek-word-for-knowledge-sat-2-3-24-sir.html">Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024</a>)</li></ul></div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>*Someone in the comments said <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TRY NOT TO LAUGH</span></b> is a whole category of video on YouTube, which, if true, makes it more legit as fill, but endears it to me not at all<br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23679050189124075012024-02-29T04:00:00.003-05:002024-02-29T10:23:01.607-05:00Game island represented by hexagonal tiles / THU 2-29-24 / Boldly stylish, in slang / Mideast spice blend / Asymmetrical crustacean / Creature whose scientific name translates to "ice-lover from Greenland" / Pastries usually accompanied by chutney / What the 1660s Pascaline machine, named for Blaise Pascal, could do<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Esha Datta</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gqtV7H1177fzj7ZYUSMptIs8uyfJxduFExJ9RQJ5BM35C-fv1Fi5X63mpsOjuxt24Xz2gYJBOOKIc9J6gYcPOHMTKlPVdmzwAnZNPnypi0Ow5pJQe4x44Z9Vk00c4M___9DvOXCJ-sQJvFIl4dUPOwzuKDRph3KlDKNPcDm6EmFCu1bURXt-MQ/s1082/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.19.41%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1076" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gqtV7H1177fzj7ZYUSMptIs8uyfJxduFExJ9RQJ5BM35C-fv1Fi5X63mpsOjuxt24Xz2gYJBOOKIc9J6gYcPOHMTKlPVdmzwAnZNPnypi0Ow5pJQe4x44Z9Vk00c4M___9DvOXCJ-sQJvFIl4dUPOwzuKDRph3KlDKNPcDm6EmFCu1bURXt-MQ/w399-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.19.41%20PM.png" width="399" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> WILD PITCHES (57A: Mistakes in baseball ... or what 18-, 24-, 34- and 51-Across might produce?)</span> — animals with instruments in their names, clued via pictures of said animals playing said instruments:<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><div><span style="color: #500b00;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #500b00;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJxTs-ZkqJlGvEdZwrPwHmH2bRUal2raXPfuQhqJ9J2bPfK33ZB0BNVdcLzdW4-syzsMBO9A6r4zPJkrZhjRV7khAcyp5qDbeCc1bJyOr9NbIjcYDqLBxAOmVdH3d1Jpdl82ZQzpO5Z-foDhT6MmSdd9M0a5hJTOJH881qznrEnKPy9pdwOymdXg/s1076/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.11%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="1076" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJxTs-ZkqJlGvEdZwrPwHmH2bRUal2raXPfuQhqJ9J2bPfK33ZB0BNVdcLzdW4-syzsMBO9A6r4zPJkrZhjRV7khAcyp5qDbeCc1bJyOr9NbIjcYDqLBxAOmVdH3d1Jpdl82ZQzpO5Z-foDhT6MmSdd9M0a5hJTOJH881qznrEnKPy9pdwOymdXg/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.11%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>FIDDLER CRAB</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcgjrTRkTI765AZI2d6IIcya3voqOhiKI6IeGkD95m9JlnU1yaed_J88gPpW0fP7_Spo_gBS1bg_b3GNQZ6crfTyTwZOq2k9ZZEl4V7RTYpU2EK4Eh7XlHKunttcHMIG0pSII3xDRQdgD39rXVwqTydsrF3cKjh5KBQLenTm8OQNFcH69ISGUig/s1076/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.16%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="1076" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcgjrTRkTI765AZI2d6IIcya3voqOhiKI6IeGkD95m9JlnU1yaed_J88gPpW0fP7_Spo_gBS1bg_b3GNQZ6crfTyTwZOq2k9ZZEl4V7RTYpU2EK4Eh7XlHKunttcHMIG0pSII3xDRQdgD39rXVwqTydsrF3cKjh5KBQLenTm8OQNFcH69ISGUig/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.16%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>HARP SEAL</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mcn5c-p2egGfmXGpHAbeKJ-o-lcIthhi9u5pZeVYzlMmqvirBBdmbJ0edCx9QIe83A4rNIATIaxlxpHFlGirRjBl1Qal0gutZhX2AVTTX7rGUZHIlmJn3ZMrGdjB2be_smWXxlZ-lGNUDAPLlf7n-CDBd_CqnKw6lFRvzv_wi6qtcN4IKB3T3A/s1076/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.22%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="1076" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mcn5c-p2egGfmXGpHAbeKJ-o-lcIthhi9u5pZeVYzlMmqvirBBdmbJ0edCx9QIe83A4rNIATIaxlxpHFlGirRjBl1Qal0gutZhX2AVTTX7rGUZHIlmJn3ZMrGdjB2be_smWXxlZ-lGNUDAPLlf7n-CDBd_CqnKw6lFRvzv_wi6qtcN4IKB3T3A/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.22%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>TRUMPETER SWAN</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7h4R2CgFHDZ_4wlEu4LAUdcbmcndCRjXSmCZuolTkzBcg8-aoGeVfc-LdlvpaBghPhShEqm-tOp-d2oMn_gKetJoBc5Lo0mqSxmw8dIpO9Fm3RK8LIBllNueZKgvPNWQ1sZtFAx3nZZNlPT0sW80-KmX3GB_iZ0RD-OM9rF6b-2cVQyPp6ISvzQ/s1076/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="1076" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7h4R2CgFHDZ_4wlEu4LAUdcbmcndCRjXSmCZuolTkzBcg8-aoGeVfc-LdlvpaBghPhShEqm-tOp-d2oMn_gKetJoBc5Lo0mqSxmw8dIpO9Fm3RK8LIBllNueZKgvPNWQ1sZtFAx3nZZNlPT0sW80-KmX3GB_iZ0RD-OM9rF6b-2cVQyPp6ISvzQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.28.27%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>HORNBILL</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Jhumpa LAHIRI </span>(<b>62A: Jhumpa ___, Pulitzer-winning author of "Interpreter of Maladies"</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1py1gEpBR04vBrr9gbTxfo95WOiSyzbGWcK66fEhLEAfmq0eMWb8YrZ8fu948GVHai1bIeidNeVXKjjYtHUCWaYiP1bClXfHWsuqvJkAJBYHgVB68Mt6lAqGLGJtH-DJA96ieQjDHzg3mFRkopYKNVHLy6SfVDM1aEsAXP8dysOwdS1yzqDxjw/s300/Interpreterofmaladiescover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1py1gEpBR04vBrr9gbTxfo95WOiSyzbGWcK66fEhLEAfmq0eMWb8YrZ8fu948GVHai1bIeidNeVXKjjYtHUCWaYiP1bClXfHWsuqvJkAJBYHgVB68Mt6lAqGLGJtH-DJA96ieQjDHzg3mFRkopYKNVHLy6SfVDM1aEsAXP8dysOwdS1yzqDxjw/w140-h210/Interpreterofmaladiescover.jpg" width="140" /></a></b></div><b>Nilanjana Sudeshna "Jhumpa" Lahiri</b> (born July 11, 1967) is a British-American author known for her short stories, novels, and essays in English and, more recently, in Italian.<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">Her debut collection of short-stories <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpreter_of_Maladies" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Interpreter of Maladies">Interpreter of Maladies</a></i> (1999) won the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Fiction" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Pulitzer Prize for Fiction">Pulitzer Prize for Fiction</a> and the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEN/Hemingway_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="PEN/Hemingway Award">PEN/Hemingway Award</a>, and her first novel, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Namesake_(novel)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Namesake (novel)">The Namesake</a></i> (2003), was adapted into the popular <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Namesake_(film)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Namesake (film)">film of the same name</a>.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><i>The Namesake</i> was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and was made into a major motion picture. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unaccustomed_Earth" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Unaccustomed Earth">Unaccustomed Earth</a></i> (2008) won the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_O%27Connor_International_Short_Story_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award">Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award</a>, while her second novel, <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lowland" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="The Lowland">The Lowland</a></i> (2013), was a finalist for both the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Booker_Prize" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Man Booker Prize">Man Booker Prize</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Book_Award_for_Fiction" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="National Book Award for Fiction">National Book Award for Fiction</a>. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div>This would've been a pretty hard puzzle if they hadn't resorted to child's placemat cartoons for the clues. You wanna see the alternative, text-only clues (which showed up alongside the picture clues in my solving software, somehow)? Here, check it out:<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>18A: Asymmetrical crustacean*</b></li><li><b>24A: Creature whose scientific name translates to "ice-lover from Greenland"*</b></li><li><b>34A: North America's heaviest flying bird*</b></li><li><b>51A: Zazu from "The Lion King," e.g.*</b></li></ul></div><div>Now *those* would've provided a proper Thursday challenge. As it was, I read the note in my software that said there were picture clues, and so I dutifully switched over and solved on the NYTXW website, where (as promised) I got the picture clues and ... yeah, I just filled in all the theme answers with hardly any thought at all (as hardly any was required):</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNT4pavblGEAay6bM7pKmM8yDDichhqB0pFBZ8tyxUoGmHqBDVvvGCRsxuXsaLxtIYjt0l0iialEWBEkxxBQWPnOFkVNri_UErhpDYpWBWvfwU1ueGbVWpYhA2jmnt2LBdhBz1L6T2BTVPkcCu1haNnGko8wOUSf6mNY2YqK392Icof4aieKuhWA/s1188/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.13.24%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1076" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNT4pavblGEAay6bM7pKmM8yDDichhqB0pFBZ8tyxUoGmHqBDVvvGCRsxuXsaLxtIYjt0l0iialEWBEkxxBQWPnOFkVNri_UErhpDYpWBWvfwU1ueGbVWpYhA2jmnt2LBdhBz1L6T2BTVPkcCu1haNnGko8wOUSf6mNY2YqK392Icof4aieKuhWA/w364-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%2010.13.24%20PM.png" width="364" /></a></div><div><br /></div>You should not be able to do that with themers. Not on a Thursday. I can see why people might like the picture clues—they're "new," "fresh," "innovative," "cute," whatever. I don't think they're a <i>flaw</i>. But I hope you can see how someone (namely me) might be disappointed that difficulty was sacrificed for a visual gimmick. The non-theme stuff played like a Wednesday for me, and with the themers practically filling themselves in (faster than I could ever hope to fill in even a set of <i>Monday</i> themers), the puzzle ended up feeling very slight. Toothless.</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1avgEgwjuKQ?si=wrBJmab7XWjYPZEO" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>In retrospect, I would've preferred the written-out clues. But there's at least one substantive reason to prefer the pictures to the written clues. The picture of a bird playing a horn kind of masks or distracts from the anomalousness of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HORNBILL</span></b>. It's the only answer that doesn't have an animal in its name. That is, you have CRAB playing a fiddle, a SEAL playing a harp, a SWAN playing a trumpet, but you do not have a BILL playing a horn. BILL is only a <i>part</i> of the animal playing the horn. A <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HORNBILL</span></b> is a real bird, for sure, but you have to fudge the specific instrument (or instrument player) + animal wordplay of the theme to make it work. It's fine. All the answers are animals with instruments (or instrument players) in their names, and that's sufficiently coherent. But <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HORNBILL</span></b> is, structurally, a bit of an odd-man-out. </div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2yO3cgMTkCU?si=hgeQ1aNlbvYr-4yQ" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>The fill on this one is average to slightly below. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ESO PIA TSETSE AARE AGEE ÉTÉ ATA AVIA AWW</span></b> have this one feeling pretty crosswordesey, and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">IN A TUB</span></b> ... well, you know how awful I think that is, since we <a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2024/02/belligerent-in-british-slang-tue-2-20.html">Just Had It In A Puzzle Last Week</a>. And then there's <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COR</span></b>, which is not only crosswordese, but also adds an extraneous instrument to an already instrument-themed puzzle. For elegance's sake, all instruments should be banished from the non-theme answers, especially ones that are clued Using Words That Are Actually <i>In</i> The Theme Answers (<b>30D: ___ anglais (English <i>horn</i>)</b> / <b><span style="color: #351c75;"><i>HORN</i>BILL</span></b>). There's a doubling of "IT" (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">"I SWEAR IT" / "NAILED IT"</span></b>), which is not that big a deal, and yet I noticed ... it. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ZAATAR</span></b> is pretty spicy, I like that (<b>12D: Mideast spice blend</b>). Seems conspicuously, if not gruesomely, understated to clue <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GAZA</span></b> as simply a "site of conflict" right now. I mean, true, and yet ... kinda euphemistic. There are ways to clue <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GAZA</span></b> that <i>don't</i> point straight at violence ([Largest city of Palestine], [Historic Mideast city where Samson died], etc.). Maybe one of those would've been preferable here. But maybe the clue doesn't matter because the very name <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GAZA</span></b> is going to evoke images of violence right now, no matter how you clue it.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xZ1ivb2JIGE?si=DLbcEGCsT7uEIhrG" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Notes and explanations:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">26A: Game island represented by hexagonal tiles (<span style="color: #351c75;">CATAN</span>)</span> — I had trouble understanding what a "game island" even was. Like, what category of thing is that? Here, it's the title island in the game "Settlers of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CATAN</span></b>" (which is apparently now just called "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">CATAN</span></b>")</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">19D: Pause to play? (<span style="color: #351c75;">RECESS</span>)</span> — I'm not sure what the surface-meaning is supposed to be here (why would you hit "pause" in order to "play" something?), but the clue ultimately wants you to understand the answer as a pause (from school during which children often go outside) to play, i.e. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RECESS</span></b></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">1A: Line just above "total," maybe (<span style="color: #351c75;">TIP</span>)</span> — I had TAX, which had me wondering what kind of [<b>Energizing snack</b>] started with an "X"—maybe an XXTRA BAR ("20 Times The Protein Of Our Regular Bar!") (<b>3D: Energizing snack = <span style="color: #351c75;">POWER BAR</span></b>)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">62A: Jhumpa ___, Pulitzer-winning author of "Interpreter of Maladies" (<span style="color: #351c75;">LAHIRI</span>)</span> — the only thing that really slowed me up today, and it was my own dumb fault—I misremembered her name as LAHARI and never bothered to check the cross, which should be <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HIT</span></b>, but when you've got HAT in the grid, well, HAT doesn't exactly scream "Error!" at you, so ... I had to hunt my error after I was done, and didn't discover it until I'd checked <i>every answer in the puzzle</i> (since LAHARI didn't register as wrong, I didn't see my error til I got to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HIT</span></b>, which is the <i>very last answer in the grid</i>, <b>59D: Popular song</b>).</li><li><b>33D: More quickly? (<span style="color: #351c75;">ETC</span>.) </b>—the idea being that if you want to indicate that there are "more" things in your list, but you want to do so economically (without enumerating every single item), then you use the abbreviation <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ETC</span></b>. It indicates "more" ... quickly (i.e. in a short abbr.)</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">42D: Place for soap? (MELROSE)</span> — kind of a deep cut: this is a reference to the '90s primetime <u>soap</u> opera <i><b><span style="color: #351c75;">MELROSE</span></b> <u>Place</u></i>.</li></ul><div>Please enjoy the rest of your Leap Day.</div><div><br /></div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com79tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9440033279311934282024-02-28T05:50:00.004-05:002024-02-28T09:05:11.128-05:00Spanish sparkling wine / WED 2-28-24 / Bunny first appearing in "Space Jam" (1996) / Franz's partner in old "S.N.L." sketches / Bit of attire that sends the message "I mean business!" / Walled city near Madrid / Comedian Hedberg who said "I'm against picketing but I don't know how to show it"<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Greg Snitkin</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy-Medium to Medium (depending on how you navigated alllll the names)</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBy6NHP3Ouqwu9mB4vSZKWbnP0wc1M1YNDN88e1udJcxPQpXTIfuP6ijptFR2euLCcqLMf5O7UbLSzArZjCmO1Ay1_6JVUQRa9z8a40nkpi07rjVtjyAazFm-xY55lIkCBTWCi8RYguQ7I_siJS0yQ3jiYKWrE8MdomoVtS6Bk-8k-CR2jBgKrIw/s984/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%204.08.30%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="910" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBy6NHP3Ouqwu9mB4vSZKWbnP0wc1M1YNDN88e1udJcxPQpXTIfuP6ijptFR2euLCcqLMf5O7UbLSzArZjCmO1Ay1_6JVUQRa9z8a40nkpi07rjVtjyAazFm-xY55lIkCBTWCi8RYguQ7I_siJS0yQ3jiYKWrE8MdomoVtS6Bk-8k-CR2jBgKrIw/w370-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-28%20at%204.08.30%20AM.png" width="370" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> "WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT" (53A: The main takeaway ... or, when considered in three different senses, a description of 20-, 33- and 41-Across) </span> — this phrase is an apt description of the three theme answers, but you have to understand (or punctuate) "IT" differently each time:<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">COMPUTER SYSTEMS (20A: Things with hardware and software components)</span><span style="font-weight: 700;"> ("I.T.") </span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">SCARY CLOWN (33A: Someone terrorizing kids in a 1986 Stephen King novel) (<i>IT</i>)</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">HOKEY POKEY (41A: Participation dance in which you "turn yourself around") (the "it" in the last line of the HOKEY POKEY verse (namely, "... and that's <span style="color: #351c75;">WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT</span>!")</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> HOKEY POKEY </span>(<b>41A</b>) —<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdCQVszYqGsQhGbN_yahQB5_9wW8wUSrzZ8KeyyjKZ46rNn6wNN26Lfq7PhUMMdoAdqh9jylZqnBEs5jC0HGGTqOI9LgGyba0D60wWAlxy6UMvPkmLaITbTpRK0RR4JRAEOA86yUs6PuZBERDf0YNc7C2l51etzdLlperG0TQnZ_8vB4f8eVTQ/s533/SCCZEN_230316SPLTIPTOP1_1024x768.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="533" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdCQVszYqGsQhGbN_yahQB5_9wW8wUSrzZ8KeyyjKZ46rNn6wNN26Lfq7PhUMMdoAdqh9jylZqnBEs5jC0HGGTqOI9LgGyba0D60wWAlxy6UMvPkmLaITbTpRK0RR4JRAEOA86yUs6PuZBERDf0YNc7C2l51etzdLlperG0TQnZ_8vB4f8eVTQ/w320-h240/SCCZEN_230316SPLTIPTOP1_1024x768.jpg.webp" width="320" /></a></div><div><div><blockquote><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">The </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Hokey Cokey</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, as it is still known in the United Kingdom, Ireland, some parts of Australia, and the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Caribbean">Caribbean</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (now known as </span><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Hokey Pokey</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> in the U.S and Canada), is a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campfire_songs" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Campfire songs">campfire song</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participation_dance" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Participation dance">participation dance</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well-known in English-speaking countries. It originates in a British </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_dance" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Folk dance">folk dance</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, with variants attested as early as 1826. The song and accompanying dance peaked in popularity as a </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_hall" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Music hall">music hall</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> song and novelty dance in the mid-1940s in the UK. The song became a chart hit twice in the 1980s. The first UK hit was by the Snowmen, which peaked at UK No. 18 in 1981. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8Z1l_1ZminoFF57dxZr7k5IKw-kPPa6F3o_0y4-3rGTl_TkHlWJrpnCjCuZzpLHq9OlYhn-sfjxG2xZ3wLPBQlBF-DivRO13kr9-X4YS_R_ZjV4Z4QtQ6awSAyO4xYDNnxtlAl65ZFDFyMxkZthHZD-IbNQy-nmva68noavFcK9bkQ32mkndbA/s3703/1286817982.0.x.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3703" data-original-width="2364" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8Z1l_1ZminoFF57dxZr7k5IKw-kPPa6F3o_0y4-3rGTl_TkHlWJrpnCjCuZzpLHq9OlYhn-sfjxG2xZ3wLPBQlBF-DivRO13kr9-X4YS_R_ZjV4Z4QtQ6awSAyO4xYDNnxtlAl65ZFDFyMxkZthHZD-IbNQy-nmva68noavFcK9bkQ32mkndbA/s320/1286817982.0.x.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Wow, I never realized how completely nonsensical that <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b> song is before. What the hell is "It" ever referring to? All the left hand / right hand nonsense? But no, because you do the left hand right hand nonsense, and <i>then</i> you "do the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b> and you turn yourself around." But The Lyrics Never Describe That Part (i.e. exactly what "do the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b>" means), and also, how can "it" refer to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b>, when "you do the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b> and you turn yourself around / And <i>that's</i> what it's all about"? So ... the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b> is "<i>about</i>" the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b>? And we teach children this rhyme? No wonder my students have trouble with pronoun usage. Pronouns need clear antecedents / referents! The "it" in the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b> song has no idea what it (!) is pointing to. Thank you for attending my new segment, "Rex Parker Critiques Children's Rhymes," join me next time for a thorough take down of "E-I-E-I-O" ("No consonants!? Unlikely ..."). <div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rzQ9K7-J_PM?si=oorUqZr9HOyXHkGP" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>[what in the...?]</i></div></i></div><div><br /></div><div>This is one puzzle where the revealer really rescued the entire theme enterprise. The themers seemed listless (except <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SCARY CLOWN</span></b>, which just seemed bizarre), and the overall fill ran weak (and heavily, drearily name-y; more on that below), and then <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALKAHOLIC</span></b>, ugh, I would've shut my computer right there if I weren't contractually obligated to go on. Just a ridiculous non-word. What's next, GUACAHOLIC?! (mmmm, guacaholism ...). Your acceptable punny -aholic prefixes are SHOP- and CHOC-. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TALKAHOLIC</span></b> is gratingly cutesy and not really used. Never seen it. Never heard it. If people don't use it, you don't use it, that's the rule. Thumbs down, goodbye. But then I worked out <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT</span></b> and looked back at the themers, and suddenly the dull <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COMPUTER SYSTEMS</span></b> could at least be appreciated as a repunctuated "IT," and I could now understand why "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">SCARY CLOWN</span></b>" was clued without naming IT, and, most of all, I could understand what the hell <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOKEY POKEY</span></b> was doing here at all. The revealer instantly evoked that silly rhyme. A true "aha" moment (or at least an "ah" moment). </div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CgugkEB-q_Q?si=aYQxFRrq01i19uio" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>As for the rest of the puzzle, it was gunked up with names to an unusual, and possibly dangerous degree. From <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MITCH</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LOLA</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BREES</span></b> to <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HANS AVILA ELSA LEON ELI</span></b> and especially <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MARADONA</span></b> (<b>44A: Diego ___, one of two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award</b>), who was indeed a very famous soccer player, but whose name crosses (at a vowel) a "Spanish sparkling wine" I've literally never heard of* (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">CAVA</span></b>) (<b>34D: Spanish sparkling wine</b>). There are any number of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WAYS</span></b> to fill that little section, I have absolutely no idea why someone would go with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CAVA</span></b> there, especially given that M-RADONA crossing. <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22619-vena-cava">Vena CAVA</a> is at least familiar to me from biology class. Irene <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CARA</span></b> is familiar to me (as is the Italian adjective "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">CARA</span></b>," as in the phrase "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">CARA</span></b> mia!"). Maybe no one will trip on that cross. But it feels like a hazard that might imperil non-sports folks. My only name problems were <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LOLA</span></b> (who? If you debut in <i>Space Jam</i>, are you even a real part of the BBU (Bugs Bunny Universe)?) and <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>ELSA</b></span> (!?!?!?!?!) (<b>47A: Captain von Trapp's betrothed, in "The Sound of Music"</b>) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BREES</span> (6D: 2020 N.F.L. retiree who leads all QBs with 123 regular-season games of 300+ passing yards)</b> (a "Drew" in this clue would've really helped; stunning how little an impact his career has left on my sports brain—when FAVRE and BRADY wouldn't fit here, I was out of ideas ... sidenote: weird how many QB names are five letters ... FOUTS ... ELWAY ...). I get Drew <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BREES</span></b> confused with ... sigh, OK, one played for the Saints and the other played for the Chargers ... oh *&%^ it's the same guy! <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BREES</span></b> was a Charger ('01-'05), then a Saint '(06-'20). Phew, OK ... this is what happens when you decide, after decades of paying attention to sports, that the NFL is no longer for you—all your carefully amassed knowledge just ... melts into a lump.</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZIsFYK5Is5M?si=1m41G_2mNN_RMgez" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">54D: Fabled slacker (<span style="color: #351c75;">HARE</span>)</span> — this is from the fable "The Tortoise and the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HARE</span></b>"; the puzzle is really leaning into kid's stuff today</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">42D: "We totally should!" ("<span style="color: #351c75;">YES, LET'S</span>!")</span> — also the term for very small "yeses"</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">52A: Knight's "trusty" companion (<span style="color: #351c75;">STEED</span>)</span> — imagining the poor <b><span style="color: #351c75;">STEED</span></b> sitting over there wondering why you'd ironically quote-unquote his trustiness. "Hey, I see your air quotes, buddy! I'm gonna remember that the next time you're running away (yet again!) from a dragon, or a dwarf, or a garden snake, [mumbles] ungrateful simp..."</li></ul>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>*apparently not only have I heard of it, I made it my <a href="https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2011/11/vegas-constellation-tue-11-1-11-nutlike.html">Word of the Day ... back in 2011</a> (<i>which is the last time it was clued this way!</i>)<br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com83tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-16213623019591445602024-02-27T00:13:00.004-05:002024-02-27T04:45:19.844-05:00Wallow moodily / TUES 2-27-24 / Oscar winner Mahershala / Machu Picchu resident / "Defend the rights of all people nationwide" org. / :-(<div><span>Hi, everyone! It’s Clare, here for the last Tuesday in February.
My wonderful, wonderful Liverpool just won the men’s League Cup (a tournament among the English clubs), and it was glorious. This is the last season for Liverpool with the best manager of all time, Jurgen Klopp, so we’re trying to make sure he goes out with a bang. I’m also getting ready for “The Slam,” when Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz play each other in Vegas in a week. (I’ve certainly seen enough ads for it.) I’m still adjusting to being back from Mexico — after eating my body weight in tacos and drinking my body weight in margaritas.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Anywho, on to the puzzle…
</span></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-weight: bold;">Nate Cardin</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-weight: bold;">A great day for personal bests (I checked to make sure I wasn’t accidentally solving a Monday puzzle)</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz76d8Wye-RUEQbj9LQ06Q8WCU4lFPYxWPdVJr8tCtbDne3trIKUcLQgD-RRB-EIfbmoJJWmzId8JnMx32XtbKAOcFeVwP2M3FxttyWbM6kclyNhgI-NDAiu9grdxAtcplvhM2MMob3QaslwZ8_vPU-spNTtI0jAbt-jv05seR0Cc6bwfdoDD/s1086/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%2010.10.43%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1086" data-original-width="1084" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz76d8Wye-RUEQbj9LQ06Q8WCU4lFPYxWPdVJr8tCtbDne3trIKUcLQgD-RRB-EIfbmoJJWmzId8JnMx32XtbKAOcFeVwP2M3FxttyWbM6kclyNhgI-NDAiu9grdxAtcplvhM2MMob3QaslwZ8_vPU-spNTtI0jAbt-jv05seR0Cc6bwfdoDD/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-26%20at%2010.10.43%20PM.png" width="319" /></a><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-weight: bold;">Two-word answers where the first word in each answer ends in -INKY</span> <div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">SLINKY DOG</span> (18A: "Toy Story" dachshund with a springy body) </b></li><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">WINKY FACE</span> (20A: This emoticon: ;-)) </b></li><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">STINKY TOFU</span> (35A: Vegetarian street food known for its distinct smell) </b></li><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">KINKY BOOTS</span> (40A: Tony Award-winning musical with the song "Sex Is in the Heel") </b></li><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">PINKY RING</span> (56A: Little finger adornment) </b></li><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">RINKY DINK</span> (59A: Small-time)
</b></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-weight: bold;">STINKY TOFU</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> </span>(<b>35A: Vegetarian street food known for its distinct smell</b>) —
<blockquote><i>Stinky tofu is a Chinese form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. It is usually sold at night markets or roadside stands as a snack, or in lunch bars as a side dish, rather than in restaurants. Traditionally, the dish is fermented in a brine with vegetables and meat, sometimes for months. Modern factory-produced stinky tofu is marinated in brine for one or two days to add odor. According to a Chinese legend, a scholar named Wang Zhihe hailing from Huang Shan in Anhui Province invented stinky tofu during the Qing dynasty. After failing the imperial examination, Wang stayed in Beijing and relied on selling tofu to make a living. One day, having a huge quantity of unsold tofu on his hands, he cut the tofu into small cubes and put them into an earthen jar. The stinky tofu that Wang Zhihe invented gained popularity and was later served at the imperial Qing Dynasty palace. The dish has now become extremely popular in Taiwan. (Wiki)</i></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
I solved this puzzle so quickly that I didn’t have time to either enjoy it or find it annoying. My solve was the epitome of “no thoughts, just vibes.” I suppose it’s impressive to come up with six words that end in -<b><span style="color: #351c75;">INKY</span></b> and fit them into a puzzle (when there aren’t that many possible words for this)? And it’s impressive to end the puzzle with two -<b><span style="color: #351c75;">INK</span></b> words? But that’s about the best I can do for the theme. The rhyming felt rudimentary, and I was missing some sort of revealer. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #351c75;">KINKY BOOTS</span></b> (<b>40A</b>) as a theme answer was at least fun. It’s an absolutely amazing musical (my sister saw it on Broadway and has a picture at the stage door with Billy Porter). <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RINKY DINK</span></b> (<b>59A</b>) is also a pleasant phrase — makes me think of “co-inky-dink,” which is an objectively fun thing to say. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WAGS</span></b> (<b>13D: Moves excitedly, like a puppy's tail</b>) crossing <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SLINKY DOG</span></b> (<b>18A</b>) was clever, and <b>6D (:-()</b> and <b>20A (This emoticon: ;-))</b> crossed. I also liked <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ALTRUIST</span></b> (<b>45A: One with unselfish motivations</b>) and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ASYMMETRICAL</span></b> (<b>10D: Like a dress with a diagonal hemline, say</b>), as they’re words not commonly in puzzles. I actually wore an <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ASYMMETRICAL</span></b> skirt to work today, so this was especially fitting for me. The hardest part of the puzzle may have been trying to remember how to spell <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ASYMMETRICAL</span></b>. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had a mini theme of musicals in the puzzle with “<b><span style="color: #351c75;">KINKY BOOTS</span></b>,” “Mamma <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MIA</span></b>,” “It’s Raining <b><span style="color: #351c75;">MEN</span></b>” (in the jukebox musical, “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”), <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ANNA</span></b> (of the “Frozen” musical), and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGONY</span></b> (a song featured in “Into the Woods”). If the shoe <b><span style="color: #351c75;">FITS</span></b> could have been a song in “Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella” (yes, I’m reaching). </div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #351c75;">PODIA</span></b> (<b>2D: Speakers' platforms</b>) was maybe the only word that gave me pause. It’s obviously legit, just ugly. I liked seeing the WNBA in the puzzle, but we can probably get a little more creative than the <b>__ Vegas Aces (23A for <span style="color: #351c75;">LAS</span>)</b>, which is about the most obvious clue of all time. I really didn’t like the clue/answer for <b>66A: Top part</b> as <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HEAD</span></b>. The answers for <b>41D</b> (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">YUCKY</span></b>), <b>6D</b> (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I’M SAD</span></b>), and <b>44A (<span style="color: #351c75;">I’M OK</span>)</b> didn’t thrill me. And having two <b><span style="color: #351c75;">I’M</span></b>s in the puzzle seems odd. In general, the blockiness of the grid meant there were a ton of three-, four-, and five-letter words, none of which did anything for me other than fill space and which contributed to the easiness of the puzzle. </div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, the puzzle felt much more like a Monday. It was my fastest Tuesday solve ever, which I suppose counts for something. But there just wasn’t much to it.<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Misc.</span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGONY</span></b> (<b>52D: Ecstasy's opposite</b>) is one of the all-time great songs. The actors in videos of stage performances I’ve seen are great. But this version by Chris <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PINE</span></b> (<b>56D: Christmas tree, often</b>) and Billy Magnussen is everything to me. I can’t see the word <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGONY</span></b> anymore without immediately wanting to sing it out loud dramatically. <iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tvsDObIQFhg?si=PpU8K4QTwAY2SX68" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe> </li><li><b>43D “Wallow moodily”</b> is a perfect clue. 10/10 no notes. </li><li>The answer for <b>43D:</b> <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SULK</span></b> crosses <b><span style="color: #351c75;">USC</span></b> (<b>46A: Trojans' sch.</b>), which is coincidentally what <b><span style="color: #351c75;">USC</span></b> does a lot after they play Cal (obligatory mention for the sake of my sister, who says the initials stand for the University of Spoiled Children) </li><li><b><span style="color: #351c75;">NADA</span></b> (<b>11D: Nothing, in Mexico</b>) was fun in the puzzle coming off the trip to Mexico. I was just thinking about it, though, and I’m not sure that I said <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NADA</span></b> once while I was there, and I spoke a decent amount of Spanish. (Don’t ask anyone how my accent is, though…)</li><li>As long as you insist, here is a clip from Liverpool winning the trophy:)</li><li><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="400"><p lang="en">The celebrations 🏆😍<a href="https://t.co/TB6b35T4RU">pic.twitter.com/TB6b35T4RU</a></p>— Liverpool FC USA (@LFCUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/LFCUSA/status/1761817930986041375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></li></ul>
And that’s all from me! Have a great leap day, and I’ll see ya in March. </div><div><br /></div><div>Signed, Clare Carroll, off to take a DRINKY DRINK of my chai<br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Clare Carrollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18228063923024385630noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89229425909550967952024-02-26T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-26T00:00:00.196-05:00Old coin in France / MON 2-26-24 / Greeting that originated on the Indian subcontinent / Extra-attentive coddling, for short / "Definitely husband material!"<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Joe Marquez</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Medium (solved Downs-only)</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW2gWXKQkqgsmIquLIq_f8qTteL3tuFBwJRDAN53dtLFI9PEqvch0W8qdNWmUfgkgSgQx_yd0EDlOcvZ_2j_G6E0doeRqy2jvSgDS7_Zg55MfmZtty4N96sKoKRjOkT7phwbA52pTdhDV8nmpWDktcRGOEX1MQo7JWJ8NEJoWUtMQjioJ7F1Mug/s973/Screenshot%202024-02-25%20at%206.53.26%20PM.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="902" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirW2gWXKQkqgsmIquLIq_f8qTteL3tuFBwJRDAN53dtLFI9PEqvch0W8qdNWmUfgkgSgQx_yd0EDlOcvZ_2j_G6E0doeRqy2jvSgDS7_Zg55MfmZtty4N96sKoKRjOkT7phwbA52pTdhDV8nmpWDktcRGOEX1MQo7JWJ8NEJoWUtMQjioJ7F1Mug/w373-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-25%20at%206.53.26%20PM.png" width="373" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> "DRINKS ON ME!" (59A: "I'm paying for this round" ... or a literal hint to this puzzle's theme)</span> — three different drinks (found in shaded squares inside longer answers) are each found atop the letters "ME" (found in circled squares):<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><b>RI<span style="color: red;">VER MOUTH</span> (17A: Where silt builds up to create a delta) / RCA DO<span style="color: red;">ME</span> (20A: Former stadium for the Indianapolis Colts)</b></li><li><b>T<span style="color: red;">WIN-E</span>NGINE (28A: Like many small, powerful airplanes) / BLA<span style="color: red;">ME</span> (34A: Culpability)</b></li><li><b>"HE'<span style="color: red;">S A KE</span>EPER" (46A: "Definitely husband material!") / <span style="color: red;">ME</span>LTS (49A: Oven-warmed sandwiches)</b></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> NAMASTE </span>(<b>42D: Greeting that originated on the Indian subcontinent</b>) —
<blockquote><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><b>Namaste</b></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (</span><span class="rt-commentedText nowrap" face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/ʌ/: 'u' in 'cut'">ʌ</span><span title="'m' in 'my'">m</span><span title="/ə/: 'a' in 'about'">ə</span><span title="'s' in 'sigh'">s</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span><span title="/eɪ/: 'a' in 'face'">eɪ</span></span>/</a></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Devanagari">Devanagari</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">: नमस्ते), sometimes called </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><b>namaskar</b></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><b>namaskaram</b></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, is a customary </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindus" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Hindus">Hindu</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> manner of respectfully </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeting" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Greeting">greeting</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and honouring a person or group, used at any time of day.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> It is used in the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinent" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Indian subcontinent">Indian subcontinent</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, and among the Indian and Nepalese </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Diaspora">diaspora</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Namaste</i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><b>añjali mudrā</b></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">; the standing posture incorporating it is </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><b>pranamasana</b></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. [...] </span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">The gesture of folding hands during a namaste is called the </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%B1jali_Mudr%C4%81" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Añjali Mudrā">Añjali Mudrā</a></i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> In addition to </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">namaste</i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, this </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">mudra</i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">is one of the postures found in Indian classical dance such as </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatanatyam" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Bharatanatyam">Bharatanatyam</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">,</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and in yoga practice. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdsqv9pcjb45vZb6-CJMwMjKgFtQ7ioBCTejiB9IhHStHMFYi-FtDxniLGvdysDg-usAWUsgw_ys4vm1NLQu1j9nzrymW1f17g0tsog6r2fmNsJ23vYLdYpuNHLOv9ClBOoe2qFevrvaCXNUOy_6-OjdQLN3ETDC-hNpomyJDwqFq109Ztj7Bkg/s693/tumblr_inline_ovxc376n5a1qcyr71_500.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="500" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdsqv9pcjb45vZb6-CJMwMjKgFtQ7ioBCTejiB9IhHStHMFYi-FtDxniLGvdysDg-usAWUsgw_ys4vm1NLQu1j9nzrymW1f17g0tsog6r2fmNsJ23vYLdYpuNHLOv9ClBOoe2qFevrvaCXNUOy_6-OjdQLN3ETDC-hNpomyJDwqFq109Ztj7Bkg/w180-h249/tumblr_inline_ovxc376n5a1qcyr71_500.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>Well this one was dead in the water for two reasons. The first, smaller reason is that "DRINKS <u>ARE</u> ON ME." That is the phrase. That is what you say, formally or informally. That is the complete sentence, and since the clue is a complete sentence—but more importantly because it's what you actually say—the answer should be "DRINKS <u>ARE</u> ON ME." Also, sidenote, if it was a "next round" situation, you wouldn't say "DRINKS (ARE) ON ME" at all, since the last ones weren't, and the next ones won't be. You'd just say something like "I got this round." Sigh. OK, so there's that. But the bigger issue, for me, the drinker, is that ... these are all wines. These aren't "drinks," they're a subcategory of "drinks," specifically wines. If you're going to do a "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">DRINKS</span></b> (ARE) <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ON ME</span></b>" theme, then mix your drinks up, for god's ... sake (!). Give me a BEER or a GIN or a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju">SOJU</a> or something! Yes, SAKE is <i>rice</i> wine, not grape wine, but ... bah, WINE is so weak as a "drink" here, given that the other two answers Are Also Wines. There's just not enough breadth to the drinks menu. Extremely disappointing. The whole "on ME" part of this theme is kind of cute, but ... make it "DRINKS ARE ON ME" and then lose the "VERMOUTH" answers and get yourself a drink from a different drink family. Something *not* "WINE," preferably. Those changes would've made this theme much more tolerable.<div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mKc_Ej8RiVs?si=yj-atefw1ZP-Y_q7" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>As a Downs-only solve, this one gave me a little resistance, but nothing I couldn't work through, eventually. The longer Downs all came relatively easily, and since those answers are often the killers in a Downs-only situation, I felt lucky. But I ended up having a little trouble with a couple of short side-by-side answers in fairly sequestered parts of the grid, specifically the answers that turned out to be <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGOG / HOSE</span></b> and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LAUGH / ANGLE</span></b>. I wanted EWER (!) for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOSE</span> (13D: Alternative to a watering can)</b>, which tells you exactly how long I've been doing crosswords (A: too long). I also kinda wanted RAPT before <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGOG</span></b> (does anyone ever <i>really</i> want <b><span style="color: #351c75;">AGOG</span></b>?) (<b>12D: Breathless with excitement</b>). As for the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">LAUGH / ANGLE</span></b> part, I had to wait until I got the "HE" part of "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">HE'S A KEEPER</span></b>" before I was able to get any purchase on either of them. I kinda wanted <b>LAUGH</b>, but was not at all sure (<b>26D: Ha-ha-ha</b>) ... until the "H" confirmed it. As for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ANGLE</span></b>, that was just hard without help from crosses (<b>27D: Hidden motive</b>). But with "HE" and then <span style="color: #351c75;"><b>LAUGH</b></span>, it wasn't too tough to pick up <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ANGLE</span></b>. Since I know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">NAMASTE</span></b> primarily as the word you frequently say at the close of yoga practice, the clue didn't help me too much at first (<b>42D: Greeting that originated on the Indian subcontinent</b>), but the SAKE / "ME" bit, plus <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SAFARI</span></b>, gave me enough letters to get there. Only other issues were minor two-letter missteps: ECU for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SOU</span></b> (one of the crosswordesiest kealoas* you're ever likely to encounter) (<b>7D: Old coin in France</b>), and then BROKER (?) for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BANKER</span> (34D: Loan officer, e.g.)</b>.</div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wus1Mu1SiCg?si=D4MNRE6nM_Lvrvdf" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center><br />
</div><div>"<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I KID YOU NOT!</span></b>" is a fantastic bit of flair, liked it a lot (<b>30D: "No joke!"</b>). And as a standalone answer, I think "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">HE'S A KEEPER</span></b>!" is pretty great as well. I wish there'd been more to love. And I love drinks! This theme should've worked on me! Ah well. Maybe next time. See you tomorrow.<br /><div><br /></div><div>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*kealoa = a pair of words (normally short, common answers) that can be clued identically and that share at least one letter in common (in the same position). These are answers you can't just fill in quickly because two or more answers are viable, Even With One or More Letters In Place. From the classic [Mauna ___] KEA/LOA conundrum. See also, e.g. [Heaps] ATON/ALOT, ["Git!"] "SHOO"/"SCAT," etc.</span></p>
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div></div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28964180355654068602024-02-25T00:00:00.013-05:002024-02-25T00:00:00.137-05:00Mathematician Noether / SUN 2-25-24 / Ancient Greek area north of Thessaly / Color-blending technique / Slathered in sauce, in restaurant-speak / Knocking onomatopoeia / Natural decorations on some bookshelves / Home of the 123-story Lotte World Tower / Sorry ass? <span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Scott Hogan and Katie Hale</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Very very easy</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Vnh0bsUmfy7_0JPX3JjdVMn9ovcOdJRfxq6lQ9l1WNCW07iwbvmgt73pML9PxbtLmplLanh2ku2Z2RVE4T3CIltNq6GkKFa2SR-S7MazA4DZGSKkSdKn8FBm41vdaM86-HtSgrEvEfhmQm8SeJQp12yb06_aPiqAazOwNBZUyaiXkTu4pP0e2A/s1330/Screenshot%202024-02-24%20at%207.09.27%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="1254" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Vnh0bsUmfy7_0JPX3JjdVMn9ovcOdJRfxq6lQ9l1WNCW07iwbvmgt73pML9PxbtLmplLanh2ku2Z2RVE4T3CIltNq6GkKFa2SR-S7MazA4DZGSKkSdKn8FBm41vdaM86-HtSgrEvEfhmQm8SeJQp12yb06_aPiqAazOwNBZUyaiXkTu4pP0e2A/w378-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-24%20at%207.09.27%20PM.png" width="378" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> "Special Treatment"</span> — familiar phrases imagined as health care puns :(<br /><br /><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Theme answers:</span><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">22A: I visited the cardiologist, who ... DIDN'T MISS A BEAT</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">31A: I visited the dermatologist, who ... MADE A RASH DECISION</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">47A: I visited a dentist and now I ... KNOW THE DRILL</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">69A: I visited the anesthesiologist and now I've ... LOST MY TOUCH</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">89A: I visited a sleep specialist, who ... GAVE ME THE NOD</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">105A: I visited the radiologist, who ... SAW RIGHT THROUGH ME</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">120A: I visited the podiatrist and now I ... STAND CORRECTED</span></li></ul>
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> EMMY Noether </span>(<b>130A: Mathematician Noether</b>) —
<blockquote><b style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px;">Amalie Emmy Noether</b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> (</span><span class="rt-commentedText nowrap" face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px; white-space: nowrap;"><small style="font-size: 11.9px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="American English">US</a>: </small><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/ʌ/: 'u' in 'cut'">ʌ</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span><span title="/ər/: 'er' in 'letter'">ər</span></span>/</a></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, </span><span class="rt-commentedText nowrap" face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px; white-space: nowrap;"><small style="font-size: 11.9px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="British English">UK</a>: </small><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/ɜː/: r-less 'ur' in 'nurse'">ɜː</span><span title="'t' in 'tie'">t</span><span title="/ə/: 'a' in 'about'">ə</span></span>/</a></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">; </span><span class="IPA-label IPA-label-small" face="sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 11.9px;">German:</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> </span><span class="IPA nowrap" face="sans-serif" lang="de-Latn-fonipa" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/Standard German">[ˈnøːtɐ]</a></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">; 23 March 1882 – 14 April 1935) was a German </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematician" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Mathematician">mathematician</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> who made many important contributions to </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_algebra" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Abstract algebra">abstract algebra</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. She proved Noether's </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether%27s_theorem" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Noether's theorem">first</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether%27s_second_theorem" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Noether's second theorem">second theorems</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, which are fundamental in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_physics" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Mathematical physics">mathematical physics</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> She was described by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Alexandrov" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Pavel Alexandrov">Pavel Alexandrov</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Albert Einstein">Albert Einstein</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Dieudonn%C3%A9" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Jean Dieudonné">Jean Dieudonné</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Weyl" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Hermann Weyl">Hermann Weyl</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbert_Wiener" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Norbert Wiener">Norbert Wiener</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> as the most important </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_women_in_mathematics" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="List of women in mathematics">woman in the history of mathematics</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">.</span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> As one of the leading mathematicians of her time, she developed theories of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_(mathematics)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Ring (mathematics)">rings</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_(mathematics)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Field (mathematics)">fields</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">, and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebra_over_a_field" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Algebra over a field">algebras</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. In physics, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether%27s_theorem" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Noether's theorem">Noether's theorem</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> explains the connection between </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symmetry_in_physics" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Symmetry in physics">symmetry</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;"> and </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_law_(physics)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Conservation law (physics)">conservation laws</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-size: 14.000001px;">. (wikipedia)</span></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUrVxhtocpfVG1pSKmOJgyYsCjSPf4FGdRhI_f-pLNfKH-oN1-ye16XRRSWOmOkrB6_fwJkPaNzQAMZGwcGlp_4_yfZaE1b2ZogMdGL_r5NM0VkaQwAQRCtG5UMJEbYXob75s2eGgbrzWTnM4GfB8P4Olw3D4bS_i5X5lC4THwGVBmAfXBpRrYQ/s622/death-dx-cvr-470x622.jpg.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="470" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUrVxhtocpfVG1pSKmOJgyYsCjSPf4FGdRhI_f-pLNfKH-oN1-ye16XRRSWOmOkrB6_fwJkPaNzQAMZGwcGlp_4_yfZaE1b2ZogMdGL_r5NM0VkaQwAQRCtG5UMJEbYXob75s2eGgbrzWTnM4GfB8P4Olw3D4bS_i5X5lC4THwGVBmAfXBpRrYQ/w166-h220/death-dx-cvr-470x622.jpg.webp" width="166" /></a></div>Wow, this is so painfully corny. Why do people keep making these? I guess because Will keeps taking them. I absolutely Do Not Get It. These long pun stories, they're a time-honored tradition, but they seem like the biggest cop-out. Just a huge non-theme. Ordinary phrases linked by only the most preposterous imagined scenarios, which turn the ordinary phrases into puns of some kind. And the puns aren't even groaners. They're either completely weak (i.e. obvious), like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">DIDN'T MISS A BEAT</span></b>, or they are borderline inscrutable, like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GAVE ME THE NOD</span></b> (are we calling sleep "THE NOD" now?), or they are completely made up—nobody but nobody ever "visited the anesthesiologist." That is not a doctor that you go to. That is a doctor that attends surgeries. I've only ever seen anesthesiologists at my actual damn procedures. I never "visited the anesthesiologist." And what, just to get some numbing drugs? What the hell? That makes no kind of sense. Plus, the idea that anesthesiologists make you lose "your touch," what? You go under. That is losing a lot more than your "touch." Then there's the fact that the themers change tense, and veer back and forth between the doctor doing things and the patient doing things. It's a mess. An old-fashioned, unambitious, uninspired mess. Completely baffling. <div><br />
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</div><div>And there's not nearly enough longer / interesting fill to make up for the cornball theme. In fact, there's hardly any. I'm looking around for literally any answer I was happy to see, and I can't find any. "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">YOU GAME?</span></b>" OK, yes, that's pretty good; that, I approve. That's got something. But the rest of it ... it's not bad, but at best it's just ... there. Taking up space. The theme is all there is today, and the theme ... well, if it's your cup of tea, god bless you. I envy you. I was just hurrying through this thing, grateful that it was easy (so I could be done with it quickly). </div><div><br />
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</div><div>I don't know who this <b><span style="color: #351c75;">JENNA</span></b> is (<b>30A: Partner of Hoda on "Today"</b>) and I had trouble remembering and then spelling Linda <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COHN</span></b> (started with COEN) (<b>93D: "SportsCenter" anchor Linda</b>), but other than that the only trouble I had with this puzzle came entirely in and around the worst of the themers: <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GAVE ME THE NOD</span></b> (again, ?!?!?!). I'm on various social medias, and I don't really know what <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ADD</span></b> is (<b>86D: Button on social media</b>). I "Like" you or I "Follow" you or I "Friend" you, maybe. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ADD</span></b> is ... weak and generic. So it didn't occur to me. The clue on <b><span style="color: #351c75;">WIENERS</span></b> is actually really good (<b>66D: Pack of dogs?</b>) (i.e. hot dogs), but it was hard, and crossed the dumb themer I couldn't get, so it made that section harder. I don't know anyone who decorates their shelves with <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GEODES</span></b>, so that was nowhere near the front of my mind as an answer for <b>77A: Natural decorations on some bookshelves</b>. And for some reason [<b>Have over</b>] was a tough clue for <b><span style="color: #351c75;">HOST</span></b> (for me). Oh, and the "GAME" part of "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">YOU GAME?</span></b>" wasn't readily apparent to me either (<b>59D: "We doin' this?"</b>). So all along the length of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GAVE ME THE NOD</span></b>, I had issues. Elsewhere, zero issues. None. No resistance. Comically easy.</div><div><br />
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<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">1A: Favors (<span style="color: #351c75;">ASKS</span>)</span> — "Favors" here is a noun</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">5A: Slathered in sauce, in restaurant-speak (<span style="color: #351c75;">WET</span>)</span> — I feel like this is specifically burrito-speak. Are there other speaks that apply?</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">57A: Sorry ass? (<span style="color: #351c75;">EEYORE</span>)</span> — I kinda like this clue. He is a sorry ass. I don't <i>so</i> much like that "ass" is also a crucial component of another clue in the puzzle (<b>110A: Rude ... or, without its first two letters, rude person (<span style="color: #351c75;">CRASS</span>)</b>). Feels like a dupe, even though "ass" doesn't technically appear a second time.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">96A: Professional who works a lot (<span style="color: #351c75;">VALET</span>)</span> — so, a <i>car</i> lot.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vn9s8xqoMv5DId1F0lP6URY2-Vsw3iJ5CY7QnTGI4hfLtCPR6IYvdPqsmANDICjZHYd_fGiOpbdZ266OB6SPT4CitNdQkOXNnzyVXa7y__jybLnW7xaWAa4Tn_pe9nWxQyNP6t-F66luznxEHv_7Bj1p_TNSb7JxB1byk_AVTjP4g8S2-VLsjg/s770/s-l1200.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="520" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vn9s8xqoMv5DId1F0lP6URY2-Vsw3iJ5CY7QnTGI4hfLtCPR6IYvdPqsmANDICjZHYd_fGiOpbdZ266OB6SPT4CitNdQkOXNnzyVXa7y__jybLnW7xaWAa4Tn_pe9nWxQyNP6t-F66luznxEHv_7Bj1p_TNSb7JxB1byk_AVTjP4g8S2-VLsjg/w165-h245/s-l1200.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>37D: Behaved like the lion in Oz (</span><span style="color: #351c75;"><b>COWERED</b></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">)</span> — I guess he does that. Some part of me doesn't like this answer because he's the "cowardly" lion, and ... <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COWERED</span></b> is a homophone of "coward," which actually fits the lion better ... I dunno. It's legit, but it's rubbing me the wrong way. Like ... wrong "coward," man.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">67D: Man's name that becomes a distance if you move the first letter to the end (<span style="color: #351c75;">EMIL</span>)</span> — I am usually so bad at these "when you move a letter"-type clues, but damned if I didn't nail this one right out of the box. </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">95D: Knocking onomatopoeia (<span style="color: #351c75;">RAT-A-TAT</span>)</span> — got this off the "R," which isn't that impressive. I think I would've gotten it even without the "R"—it's the only "knocking onomatopoeia" I can think of.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">101D: Ancient Greek area north of Thessaly (<span style="color: #351c75;">THRACE</span>)</span> — I am aware of lots of ancient Greek names without being (very) aware of where any of them go on a map. Still, I was happy to piece this one together quickly.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">103D: Color-blending technique (<span style="color: #351c75;">OMBRÉ</span>)</span> — this is a <i>hair</i>-coloring technique, as I understand it. Where the hair shades from one color into another, often getting lighter toward the tips. I first learned of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OMBRE</span></b> (in crosswords) as an old-timey card game, like Euchre or Whist, whatever those are (I learned them from crosswords too, I think ... or else from the poetry of Alexander Pope, I forget ... yep, sure enough, they play <b><span style="color: #351c75;">OMBRE</span></b> in Pope's "<a href="https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/works/o3695-w0010.shtml">The Rape of the Lock</a>"; weird the things you (kinda sorta) remember from sophomore-year British Literature).</li></ul>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld <br />
<br />
[Follow Rex Parker on <a href="http://twitter.com/rexparker">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rex-Parker-Does-the-NYT-Crossword-Puzzle/163446923723197">Facebook</a>] </div>Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.com115tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67374393154512691702024-02-24T06:22:00.006-05:002024-02-24T07:01:02.547-05:00Pink-headed mushroom in Mario games / SAT 2-24-24 / Hybrid fruit akin to an aprium / Sight on a Hawaiian lava flow / Cousin of a mariposa lily / Period before sunset with ideal lighting for photography / Perfume named after a pop star / The cab's here! / Its influences include the Cuban mambo and Jamaican mento / Basketball player's cry while being fouled on the shot <span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Constructor:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa</span><br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Relative difficulty:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> Easy</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiT-PzECLnqBDTEmpspjtgwFImOfKwm-zUkq0BGENIE3FVKBHfk5KufsXjWL6N6XHA-UCryPKxTLSu4G9Xg7tpLGg2BPxK1vG_6R_gHjLtywyEJhKWnM9vFuYtAqbe1xQI2LgnWqQyG8lxqaqMj3aKqcpPYLiDLlYaK-F_Y48JJLNw-OiyGDZUWA/s964/Screenshot%202024-02-24%20at%204.17.36%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="904" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiT-PzECLnqBDTEmpspjtgwFImOfKwm-zUkq0BGENIE3FVKBHfk5KufsXjWL6N6XHA-UCryPKxTLSu4G9Xg7tpLGg2BPxK1vG_6R_gHjLtywyEJhKWnM9vFuYtAqbe1xQI2LgnWqQyG8lxqaqMj3aKqcpPYLiDLlYaK-F_Y48JJLNw-OiyGDZUWA/w375-h400/Screenshot%202024-02-24%20at%204.17.36%20AM.png" width="375" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">THEME:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> none</span> <br /><br />
<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Word of the Day:</span><span style="color: #333399; font-weight: bold;"> ANAIS Mitchell </span>(<b>64A: Tony and Grammy winner Mitchell</b>) —
<blockquote><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><b></b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2chZ05LoA2lCyIbJEuyIjPiTRTBKSepINOR_etMgeGArcFIjzSo2BTDTLBlLhZ670GcTOBtSlxlkXk1aZngQumxgNT4WUICD530c3Tj41NFxS4iT3GPVImcfjGNQzEPfpCicH3ZzFOMrK8IKYaCsAF5DpCjXyz7uSGBqdjWSl8iFjHjI-ukClw/s300/Bonny_Light_Horseman_-_Bonny_Light_Horseman.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW2chZ05LoA2lCyIbJEuyIjPiTRTBKSepINOR_etMgeGArcFIjzSo2BTDTLBlLhZ670GcTOBtSlxlkXk1aZngQumxgNT4WUICD530c3Tj41NFxS4iT3GPVImcfjGNQzEPfpCicH3ZzFOMrK8IKYaCsAF5DpCjXyz7uSGBqdjWSl8iFjHjI-ukClw/w193-h193/Bonny_Light_Horseman_-_Bonny_Light_Horseman.png" width="193" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[<i>Bonny Light Horseman</i> (2020)]</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Anaïs Mitchell</b> (<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px;"><span title="/ə/: 'a' in 'about'">ə</span><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/eɪ/: 'a' in 'face'">eɪ</span><span title="/./: syllable break">.</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="'s' in 'sigh'">s</span></span>/</a></span></span>; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadestown_(album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Hadestown (album)">Hadestown</a></i> (2010), <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Man_in_America" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Young Man in America">Young Man in America</a></i> (2012), <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Ballads_(album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Child Ballads (album)">Child Ballads</a></i> (2013), and <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana%C3%AFs_Mitchell_(album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Anaïs Mitchell (album)">Anaïs Mitchell</a></i> (2022).<p></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;">She developed her album <i>Hadestown</i> into a <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadestown_(musical)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Hadestown (musical)">stage musical</a> (together with director <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Chavkin" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Rachel Chavkin">Rachel Chavkin</a>), which received its US debut at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Theatre_Workshop" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="New York Theatre Workshop">New York Theatre Workshop</a> in summer 2016, and its Canadian debut at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_Theatre" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Citadel Theatre">Citadel Theatre</a>, Edmonton the following year.</span><span style="font-size: 11.2px; white-space: nowrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;">The show opened at London's </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_National_Theatre" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Royal National Theatre">National Theatre</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"> in November 2018 and then on Broadway on April 17, 2019, at the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kerr_Theatre" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Walter Kerr Theatre">Walter Kerr Theatre</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;">. The </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theater" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Broadway theater">Broadway</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"> production of </span><i style="font-size: 14.000001px;">Hadestown</i><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"> won eight </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Tony Award">Tony Awards</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"> in 2019 including the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award_for_Best_Musical" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Tony Award for Best Musical">Tony Award for Best Musical</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;">. Mitchell received the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award_for_Best_Original_Score" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Tony Award for Best Original Score">Tony Award for Best Original Score</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;">; she was also nominated for </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award_for_Best_Book_of_a_Musical" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical">Best Book of a Musical</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;">. The Broadway cast album of the show took home the </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Grammy Award">Grammy Award</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"> for Best Musical Theater Album in 2020. Mitchell's first book, </span><i style="font-size: 14.000001px;">Working on a Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown</i><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;">, was published by </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plume_Books" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Plume Books">Plume Books</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"> on October 6, 2020. Mitchell was included in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_100" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; font-size: 14.000001px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Time 100"><i>Time</i><span class="nowrap" style="padding-left: 0.1em; white-space: nowrap;">'</span>s 100</a><span style="font-size: 14.000001px;"> Most Influential People of 2020.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14.000001px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;">Mitchell is a member of the band <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonny_Light_Horseman_(band)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Bonny Light Horseman (band)">Bonny Light Horseman</a>, whose <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonny_Light_Horseman_(album)" style="background: repeat; color: #795cb2; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration: none;" title="Bonny Light Horseman (album)">self-titled debut</a> was released in 2020. The band's second album, "Golden Rolling Holy", was released in 2022. (wikipedia)</p></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;">• • •</div>
<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhenHdmBk0RzhGECzFMoMXPDiSe7dgRTTWkh72yj1LFgqe-KngZAFnW_mvtaEeMT8yCVKaLgeG0xXJ7GyuWsLRsG3kDnjxvsrjY8kBB4D-Zu_tvvIMj5kBH5sPv8GjDBcsyhX9erLnMvLIdRQyo9OxNQUKP8BSmsB91dPZQfrmZ_WaojGV4oEPA/s613/SMBW_Toadette.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="558" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOhenHdmBk0RzhGECzFMoMXPDiSe7dgRTTWkh72yj1LFgqe-KngZAFnW_mvtaEeMT8yCVKaLgeG0xXJ7GyuWsLRsG3kDnjxvsrjY8kBB4D-Zu_tvvIMj5kBH5sPv8GjDBcsyhX9erLnMvLIdRQyo9OxNQUKP8BSmsB91dPZQfrmZ_WaojGV4oEPA/w207-h228/SMBW_Toadette.webp" width="207" /></a></div>Once again, I find my beloved Friday puzzle running on a Saturday. Better late than never! This was breezy and bright and loaded with pop and fizz, and with the exception of <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOADETTE</span></b> (!?) felt broadly accessible. Deep cuts from the Greater Mario Universe feel extremely generationally exclusionary, but as long as the crosses are fair (they are), and as long as the puzzle isn't drowning in proper nouns of a similar nature, then whatever, it's Saturday, you can deal. I can deal. I did deal. Sometimes, if you are older and you squawk about gaming terms or YouTubers or whatever, younger solvers retort (!) that "well if I have to know all these <i>older</i> names, then it's only fair blah blah blah" but the difference is, <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOSCA</span></b> (say) or Bjorn <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BORG</span></b> is not a niche name, not a name that only aficionados / players / fans would know. It's not like I'm a damn opera fan—I know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOSCA</span></b> from doing crosswords, not from being Gen X. And <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BORG</span></b> (who will be an unknown to many younger solvers) was just ... on the planet playing <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TENNIS</span></b> when I was alive. These "old" names aren't being set forth as generational markers, as some kind of old-signaling. They're there because they fit in the grid, and are legitimately broadly famous (even if <b><span style="color: #351c75;">BORG's</span></b> fame has mayb faded slightly). Whereas <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOADETTE</span></b> is an absolutely intentional "look at this millennial/GenZ answer I managed to put in the grid!" Which is fine ... in highly limited amounts. Annnnyway, <i>all constructors</i> should be careful with names At All Times, and puzzles should be broadly inviting to all demographics. And I think this one is. Truth be told, I actually kinda like <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOADETTE</span></b>. Makes me slightly happy that younger (than me) people are making puzzles that have their own vibe and that include some things that don't interest me at all. Makes me happy for the state of puzzling. Just give us olds a chance, is all I'm saying... (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOADETTE</span></b> made her debut in 2003, I'm told, in something called <i>Mario Kart: Double Dash</i> (!?), so she's getting on in years herself)<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxdkMZuntw7E2MwUz1bwK6Qpsd3pq6w7gzryPzt9fZekxPHlf-ovuyr7R4lFs4CsLf4u2sj8yfJ09al1Z5BL93wF_EIZDg6K7WHMLVy659XLMG4nVtiuhHbR-FnakK9L0PlxnDtHe-rR4GR_ZEaihfOT8gQpuUvqw964JTsMOBiL1aJZMZIvoTw/s400/s-l400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxdkMZuntw7E2MwUz1bwK6Qpsd3pq6w7gzryPzt9fZekxPHlf-ovuyr7R4lFs4CsLf4u2sj8yfJ09al1Z5BL93wF_EIZDg6K7WHMLVy659XLMG4nVtiuhHbR-FnakK9L0PlxnDtHe-rR4GR_ZEaihfOT8gQpuUvqw964JTsMOBiL1aJZMZIvoTw/s320/s-l400.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>There were other fairly contemporary names in the puzzle as well, but these were mostly recognizable as normal human names (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">LARA, ANAIS, NANCY</span></b>). Then there's actor John <b><span style="color: #351c75;">CENA</span></b>, whom you should just commit to memory, just like actor Michael CERA, who doesn't appear today, but will appear again, someday (it's hilarious that I confuse these two, because if you saw them side by side ... they do not seem confusable). But the lovely thing about this puzzle is that the non-<b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOADETTE</span></b> names in this puzzle are actually short and few in number. What shines forth is the marquee stuff, which is what marquees are supposed to do: shine. <b><span style="color: #351c75;">GOLDEN HOUR</span></b>! Literally shining! <b><span style="color: #351c75;">RUNS POINT, "OH GOD, YES!," RENT STRIKE</span></b>—all strong. My favorite answer of the day, though, is "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">I HATE TO ASK...</span></b>" which I had as "I HAVE TO ASK..." until (completely ironically) <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOADETTE</span></b> came to the rescue! (I didn't know <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TOADETTE</span></b>, but figured TOADEVTE <i>had</i> to be wrong). </div><div><br />
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5CODR5TU8RM?si=l3R1p-7FJLEGhz4Y" title="YouTube video player" width="320"></iframe></center></div><div><div><br /></div><div>The puzzle is fun in part because it's drawing from so many cultural spheres, and seems to take a real delight in language. From the two funky portmanteaus (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">PLUOT, TIGONS</span></b>) to the "go to waste" wordplay in the <b><span style="color: #351c75;">COMPOST BIN</span></b> clue (<b>62A: What may go to waste? No! What waste may go to</b>), to some of the clever short clues (<b>22A: The cab is here!</b>, or <b>50D: Who says?</b>), this puzzle had a playful energy that I really liked. It also has a relatively wide-open and flowing grid, which allowed for a lot of zoom-zooming and not a lot of stuck slogging in dreary sequestered corners. Plus, it had colloquial sass: "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">AW, GEE!</span></b>" "<b><span style="color: #351c75;">COME NOW</span></b>" ... it has the pronoun "I" in it three times, but I ... yeah, I'm pretty sure I don't care. Put as many "I"s in your grid as you want, I won't stop you.</div><div><br />
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<span style="color: #500b00; font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span>
<ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">2D: State (<span style="color: #351c75;">AVOW</span>)</span> — classic kealoa*. I was definitely Team AVER today.</li><li><b>41A: Love scene? (TENNIS) </b>— "Love" is just a possible <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TENNIS</span></b> score, so the "scene" where such a "love" is found ... is <b><span style="color: #351c75;">TENNIS</span></b>.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">10A: Perfume named after a pop star (<span style="color: #351c75;">RIRI</span>)</span> — this is Rihanna </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-d3q3nGnyZofKL3g2DV5ztdwPE6GzEsAxmC2_VsO63dOJynx8Gczoipn3HB3-HUWjrLpe8pFej51kbU5OzY8oJ-PsuA0BZZpiIvF1F9xpkLz2DvE8FG52WbFG3lX4F82v38Yq_Hum8iqhIuaqqwrg12fhX1-BUSZ_L7-qeW9EuIFYZ-gCaiErA/s1500/718Uu5uXOdL._SL1500_1225x.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-d3q3nGnyZofKL3g2DV5ztdwPE6GzEsAxmC2_VsO63dOJynx8Gczoipn3HB3-HUWjrLpe8pFej51kbU5OzY8oJ-PsuA0BZZpiIvF1F9xpkLz2DvE8FG52WbFG3lX4F82v38Yq_Hum8iqhIuaqqwrg12fhX1-BUSZ_L7-qeW9EuIFYZ-gCaiErA/s320/718Uu5uXOdL._SL1500_1225x.jpg.webp" width="261" /></a></div><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">22A: The cab's here! (<span style="color: #351c75;">NAPA</span>)</span> — wanted CURB. Wrong kind of cab! ("cab" here = "cabernet")</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">4D: Basketball player's cry while being fouled on the shot ("<span style="color: #351c75;">AND ONE</span>!")</span> — only if they <i>make</i> the shot. If you're fouled on the shot, it's one free throw if you made the shot, two if you missed it (assuming it's not a three-point shot, in which case you get three free throws).</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">36A: Historic husband of Claudia Octavia (<span style="color: #351c75;">NERO</span>)</span> — "Historic husband" is awkward. Like ... he was historically great at being a husband? Or ... he just ... existed ... in history? You can lose "Historic" and the clue works Just Fine.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">8D: Hybrid fruit akin to an aprium (<span style="color: #351c75;">PLUOT</span>)</span> — I thought the word was PLUCOT, but hybrids (and their names) have apparently <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluot">run amok</a>, so <b><span style="color: #351c75;">PLUOT</span></b> and PLUCOT are both things, but somehow ... different. I saw one of these hybrids in the grid several years ago and was like "WTF is that?" and then went to Wegmans and found out WTF that was, namely, delicious.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">21D: Person who's left, for short? (<span style="color: #351c75;">DEM</span>)</span> — Lotta leftists I know are shaking their heads at this one, but yeah, OK, generally, Democrats are left of center (wherever that is) on the political spectrum.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">46A: Made a sound with a flute (<span style="color: #351c75;">CLINKED</span>)</span> — the "flute" is a champagne glass.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">50D: Who says? (<span style="color: #351c75;">SIMON</span>)</span> — Who says? <b><span style="color: #351c75;">SIMON</span></b> Says. Per the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Says">game of the same name</a>. </li></ul><div>
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</div><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">35D: Adjective that, when its lone vowel is doubled, becomes an advocacy organization (<span style="color: #351c75;">GLAD</span>)</span> — the advocacy org. is GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). I once (long ago, in the twentieth century) wrote an article about <i>Braveheart</i> and the widely divergent responses it occasioned from two organizations in particular—the SNP (Scottish National Party) on the one hand, and GLAAD on the other. And ... yeah, that is the story of how I know GLAAD and what it stands for. Good day!</li></ul>
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld </div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. just noticed the ONE dupe (<b><span style="color: #351c75;">AND ONE</span></b> / <b><span style="color: #351c75;">ONES</span></b>). Not ideal. But they’re on opposite sides of the grid, and I didn’t notice at first, so not a catastrophic misstep </div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*kealoa = a pair of words (normally short, common answers) that can be clued identically and that share at least one letter in common (in the same position). These are answers you can't just fill in quickly because two or more answers are viable, Even With One or More Letters In Place. From the classic [Mauna ___] KEA/LOA conundrum. See also, e.g. [Heaps] ATON/ALOT, ["Git!"] "SHOO"/"SCAT," etc. </span></p>
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