How come my comment shows up on "Oldest" first, but not on "Newest" first? Even after toggling back and forth (which used to roust out all the hidden comments).
btw, that should read 'Mr. WOOlf', not 'Mr. WOOL'
Sticky F-key.
Didn't we just have an entry and some thoughtful discussion about Shanghaiing? Guess I'm somewhat surprised that I-Ihasn't caught someone's attention before this, what with the RADII and TORII we see on a semi-regular basis. Not to mention the occasional outtake of SHIITAKE.
Still a mystery why the double-vowel thingy caught Mr. WOOl's attention in the first place...
After that clever start with SUNNI ISLAM, did anyone think it an Easter egg for the centerpiece to read MOOS LEM?
A top-drawer Monday, Mr Woolf. And how nice that today's COM arrives bare of DOT_DOTUK!
1
Late today! Enjoyable, good clues. Family divided: Son would not let me put TRUMP as Orange-yellow. I liked NOWISER crossing 3 of the 4 double eyes. A mystic touch with SUFI, Father and Holy Ghost, MYTHS, although no AURA.
What’s an Yao? I had URN first, thinking a Ming dynasty vase,
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O108680/jar-vase-unknown/
and when I got YAO from crosses, I Googled and the first hits were about this baseball player. I kept scrolling down...aha!moment in google. TIL about YAO Ming , from China to NBA, early retirement from injury, now the president of the Chinese Basketball association!
Good Monday!
1
Laura, did you happen to notice that Yao Ming signed a 9-year contract with the Houston Rockets, so he was able to URN just over $10 million a year.
That's about $11,111 per inch of Yao. And worth every penny.
1
Thanks for giving me a hint that YAO was a sports reference.
I thought my ignorance about the clue/entry was because of my ignorance about Chinese pottery.
1
Thanks, Caitlin, for the Simpsons clip. The line about Will Shortz was laugh-out-loud hilarious!
3
A little chewier than most Mondays, which makes today a special treat.
Thought about the double Is when I saw SUNNI ISLAM, and was confirmed with SETI INSTITUTE. I'm more familiar with the latter than the former, but both were close-to-gimmes.
Figured LISA because she is one of the recurring Simpsons that I can remember, but didn't know DAN or ASTRO.
Liked the wintry mix of ICY ROADS, SKATED, and SKI INSTRUCTOR.
Thanks to all.
4
I'd like to thank Contact (1997) with Jodie Foster for centering around the SETI INSTITUTE, that was the only double-I clue I knew without context clues
1
Not an especially difficult puzzle, but consistently interesting.
First heard about GIMBAL from "Apollo 13." Still love that film.
Also love ancient MOSAIC, so thank you, Caitlin, for that photo!
FWIW, for a photo of the MOSAIC from our dig:
http://kinneret-excavations.org/?p=1788
3
My five favorite clues from last week:
1. Setting for Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (12)
2. iPhone 8? (3)
3. High Points? (6)
4. Opposite of stiff (3)
5. It's not in the bag (8)
GLOBE THEATER
TUV
UMLAUT
TIP
LOOSE TEA
11
For those of you who “pretty much know we are not completely alone”, you look great in your tinfoil hats. We don’t have a shred of hard evidence that suggests we are not alone. And SETI isn’t the answer. In fact it’s lunacy. Anything we could receive from a purported intelligent ET is literally millions of years old. And for us to send a signal to them would take the same amount of time and could be nothing more than a dinner bell call. As a nativist – who opposes ILLEGAL immigration - I for one am in favor of barring that immigrant from making an appearance.
1
If I recall correctly from my college astronomy class, radio waves travel at the speed of light. The diameter of the Milky Way is ~150,000 light-years. I'm not a mathematician, but that would seem to cap the length of time it would take a radio signal to reach the earth, if it originated in our galaxy of 200 billion stars. How do you arrive at a timespan of millions of years?
4
Hmmm. If an alien made the journey through space and time to visit Earth what would make him/her/it/them illegal?
3
I believe all those silly physicists arre now wearing aluminum foil, not tinfoil, hats.
1
Easy Monday for me. Got 17A and 24A without much trouble and was off to the races.
Caitlin, thanks for the Simpsons clip, but as Deb frequently reminds us, one should never assume. Based on my sole attempt, I still maintain the activity referenced in 52A should be called "falling," not "skiing." OTOH, I'll gladly watch any TV program about extraterrestrial intelligence, be it real or pseudoscience (got my DVR set to record the next episode of "Ancient Aliens").
Nina SIMONE recorded the jazzy standard "My Baby Just Cares For Me" in 1958, but the song took 30 years to become a hit, after it was featured in a perfume commercial. This clever Claymation video, produced by Aardman Animation (the studio behind Wallace and Gromit) helped it reach #5 on the UK charts in 1987.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYSbUOoq4Vg
4
Ohh, what a discovery! I'd heard the song, of course, but had never seen this animated video. Amazing work. Nina Simone!
3
Wasn't it just yesterday that Nina Simone was inducted into the R&R HOF?
XXX
2
A little spacey today with SETI INSTITUTE/ASTRO/LEM/EAGLE/ROGER.
Apollo 16 launched on this day in 1972.
7
1. Oh no! There is nothing musical about ONO.
2. I was a ski instructor and never taught an S-turn, parallel, stem christie yes, S no. And while I did shout PIZZA (vs. snow plow), I never tossed in a “slice”.
3. Nativism isn’t necessarily ANTIIMMIGRATION. It is however pro residents’ interests over immigrants (and is done everywhere in the world except here). And, yes, it is ANTI ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. I suggest Woolf, Schultz and the NY Times post its PC opinions in the op-ed section and not in the puzzles I pay for.
1
"Nativism isn’t necessarily ANTIIMMIGRATION."
The puzzle didn't say it was, tenace. Please remember that these are "clues," not "definitions."
10
4. And don’t get him started on whether the clued cabinet department is concerned with schools.
2
I Intuited It Immediately.
Immensely Imaginative.
Intricate? No
2
I would have gotten it without a hint if I put ICY ROADS instead of ICE ROADS. Maybe I just need to pay more attention to the world of fashion. (Sorry TYRA, TERA sounded fine to me)
1
A little spacy today with SETI INSTITUTE/ASTRO/LEM/GIMBAL (“gimbal lock” from Apollo 13 movie)/EAGLE (Apollo 11 LEM)/ROGER.
Apollo 16 launched on this day in 1972.
6
Yes, this was a slower Monday than usual. I think IGLOOS was my first entry but I filled most of the bottom of the puzzle in one sweep. The double "I"s really appealed to me. Caitlin, thanks for the video of Lisa Simpson and crossword puzzles.
My one gripe with some cruciverbalists is the emphasis on speed solving. Much of the fun is in the slog, the slow realization that one is on the right track, the syllable humming away in the head that finally erupts into the answer.
21
Agree ... I do wonder if it would be a more enjoyable solve, without the clock ticking away!
1
I ignore the clock though I do check it when I'm done. I don't have great confidence in the stats. It shows that my best Saturday was 4.37 minutes. No way! My average Saturday is listed as 49.17 and you can be sure there are some look-ups involved to get even that.
1
"I do wonder if it would be a more enjoyable solve, without the clock ticking away!"
Print the PDF.
Try it; you'll like it.
2
This puzzles gets a strong aye, aye from me!
Original theme idea with the perfect reveal.
But was anybody else surprised by how much -- 1/3 of the fill -- was changed, including the 15 across the center, without Mr. Woolf knowing about it?
Regardless, the end result made for an interesting Monday puzzle. Great start to the week!
4
My kind of puzzle! The SW corner was last—i kept trying to suss it out, going from SLIDED to SKIDED to SKIIED, finally to SKATED. And i too had LAO, sure it was correct and congratulating myself for dredging that bit of information from the depths of my mind and trying to figure the revealer as elec-something.
Very satisfying!
1
This fell about halfway between my best and my average Monday, (although I have a habit of leaving my app open and unattended when interrupted, inadvertently adding to my time). Some surprisingly resistant entries for a Monday. (I'm looking at you GIMBAL). I would have liked to see 67A clued as "Moon vehicle", mirroring the 49A clue. As noted elsewhere, 58A was a misdirect and should really have had a ? at the end. ;-)
Some surprisingly resistant entries for a Monday. (I'm looking at you GIMBAL).
Enough maritime reading made this, my *third* GIMBAL, a gimme. My first was GIMBEL Brothers, the department store that competed with Macy's, the second was GIMBLE, from Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. And yes, I pronounce all three identically; you?
1
I never was sure about Lewis Carroll's GIMBLE. I pronounce gyre with a soft G, and figured the two words should be alliterative. But I would have trouble justifying that, (though gin helps my case).
Thanks for reminding me of Gimbels. I was sure there was such a store, but I Googled it with the Gimbals spelling, and finally figured that I was mistaken and must have been thinking of Kimball's (pianos).
But the nautical term was not in my wheelhouse.
"But the nautical term was not in my wheelhouse."
So to speak.
3
A puzzle written for an April Monday in Western WI. We have skiing, skating and ice covered roads.
As a former instructor pizza slice was the wedge. My preference, to the dismay of our lead instructor, was to tell kids to ski like a zombie. The raised arms kept their weight balanced over the skis whereas a pizza slice keeps your weight to far forward. Lesson two was how to turn with your big toe.
As others have written. Harder than average Monday. Twice as hard if my time is an indicator.
3
I have to chuckle reading this, since I am among those for whom skiing translates to "which way to fall while breaking bones in the name of 'fun'?"
4
To my great dismay, I have never had the oppportunity to go skiing, and I think I'm a little past it now.
The description of "pizza slice" in the column, though, sounded like a downhill version of what I remember being described as the "herring-bone," which we were told was how skiers got to the top of the hill to go back down. (This was when I was a kid, and I don't think ski lifts were all that common yet.)
1
A very SMOOTH Monday, but not the kind that is over in the blink of an EYE -- or two! This one definitely took a couple of extra minutes to enjoy. Thank you to David Woolf for an appearance by "his dog" ASTRO.
1
So, there is no line about "his dog" ASTRO. ASTRO never even makes it into the theme song. I have been remembering it incorrectly for 50 some-odd years. Apologies. I still love ASTRO.
3
CS, I also tried hearing the Jetsons' theme song in my head. Got Elroy and Jane, but forgot Judy. Finally convinced myself that the dog wasn't in the song and ended up getting it from a couple of crosses.
..
1
More-than-anybody-really-wants-to-know department: The phrase "ruh-roh" originated with Astro, but many people mistakenly associate it with Scooby Doo.
Although it's clear that both dogs worked with the same diction coach in acting school.
5
A little stiffer than a typical Monday for me. I did a lot of skiing as a kid but never heard the term 'pizza slice;' Also couldn't recall the Jetson's dog and was unsure of a couple of other answers, so got stuck around SKIINSTRUCTOR for a bit. Also had some trouble sussing out the reveal. Thought it was very clever once I got it.
17a and 37a roused my curiosity, so I went and did some research. There are 83 mosques in the greater Atlanta area. 6 are Shia and 2 'non-denominational;' the rest are SUNNI. Not surprisingly the largest is here in Clarkston. When it was founded 22 years ago, there were 7 mosques in the Atlanta area. I'm willing to bet that most of the rest were founded by one-time residents of Clarkston.
Moving on to 37a. I think I've mentioned before that my spouse helps out with ESL classes. This hasn't made the news yet as far as I know, but she's hearing lately that ICE has started taking many of the legal refugees here to court. For what purpose is not entirely clear, but it's forcing them to hire lawyers and questions include things like "why don't you have your citizenship yet?" Wonder where that is heading.
On a happier note: I always make a point of being outside as dawn breaks so I can hear the birds erupt in song; was out there not long ago. Here's TITO and brothers with an old favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-OteAgvINc
..
9
That's horrifying, RiA, if not surprising.
I hope your area has a good network of pro bono immigration lawyers.
2
Not quite as easy for me as Monday usually is, so good fun. I spotted the double I I in 17A and was pleased to see it repeated in 24A. At that point I though the reveal might be something to do with aye aye, but the EYE CONTACT was much better. I had one possible Natick at square 51, but guessed correctly the first time.
5
sj, I think "aye aye mate" (or similar) would have made an excellent revealer. Every bit as good as EYE CONTACT IMHO.
2
I wanted AYE AYE MAAM as the revealer.
(All ahead slow to bring the anchor APEAK).
2
Gah, doing it across-only took over 22 minutes, about 15 minutes of which was spent staring at the revealer, wanting to somehow fit in a word related to elocution or electricity, thinking 63D was probably LAO. After that hurdle the themed answers fell pretty easily, tho kicking myself for not having SETI from the beginning; I was stubbornly holding onto REALMS/REALLY and ALLOTS for its down crossers.
and Elke
fun EDGY puzzle. Made me think of the Inuit WiFI Installer, who SKATED along the ICY ROADS *, not via LEM, to get to the IGLOOS to facilitate ordering on-line and SushI INGESTION ....
* current weather conditions in NorthEast Canada/USA- nearly one month into what used to be called 'Spring'.
2
If only there was a mnemonic to help us remember that the LOIRE is the LOngest rIveR in francE...
8
Cait, it’s WENT SOFT not BECAME SOFT in the puzzle.
I and pretty much everyone I know would take exception to the clue for 58A. Judge for yourself:
https://youtu.be/HdZ9weP5i68
Corrected -- so messy of me, apologies!
Whenever my question finally appears, I already have the answer.
(Difficult to carry on discussions)
Did Caitlin just correct the column without acknowledging your post, or did you misread the column? It says WENT SOFT.
2
I liked the cluing that didn't insult the intelligence. And how lovely to have four extra pairs of eyes around!
5
I was missing a bunch of letters scattered through SETI INSTITUTE and could not make it into anything that made sense. Finally I realized I was looking at the wrong clue! Looking at the correct clue helped tremendously.
I'm looking forward to visiting Ravenna, Italy, this fall and seeing the glorious MOSAICs there: https://whc.unesco.org/?cid=31&l=en&id_site=788&gallery=1&am...
6
I love beautiful MOSAICS, Liz and enjoyed looking at those and enlarging some of them. Have fun on your trip
2
"Looking at the correct clue helped tremendously."
Laughed out loud and thought, "Oh, good, it's not just me!"
4
Didn't like the Simpsons and Roseanne crossing in the NW, but I guess we have to keep some low-brow stuff in the mix. Otherwise, good effort for a Monday.
When are we going to start cluing NRA as "gun makers' lobbyist", and not "gun enthusiasts' assn."?
27
IMO, Lynn Lempel got the closest, August 6, 2013.
"Big guns in D.C. lobbying?"
12
Don’t know, David, but we’re all grateful for your vigilance in this critical matter.
6
NM: GTYR.
1
I don't know is each day's harrowing news is too much on my mind, but I felt like I was picking up on a strong anti-Trump vibe throughout: LEWD, Orange-yellow, RASH, SUNNI ISLAM, Org. looking for aliens, MYTHS, REFUSE, ANTI IMMIGRATION, SADDEN, O NO, Accused's line a judge might not believe, End of an ERA, Still uninformed, NRA, and SNEER. If it is on purpose, I wonder if I missed some?
12
Seemed fairly objective to me.
You might want to add BLOT and EDGY (the other definition).
I'm sure there are more.
3
How could we miss BRA?
(Stormy weather)
4
Replying to excellent call-out by Marcy of these entries relating to the reason I am almost ready to delete my news apps. The truthful NYT reports events that are frightening and/or disgusting and/or evil and that reflect an appalling descent towards a lowest common denominator for the US of A. For sanity’s sake I am almost ready to give up reading my favorite sources. For some reason this puzzle’s clever clueing at the individual and puzzle levels is a comfort.
2
A little bit of grit for a Monday. Nice. I had SECI due to INComplete for the football clue. Don’t know jack about the sport and that seemed plausible. Looking for the error, that seemed the only likely place. The alphabet merry-go-round began and it was a ways to go. Never heard of SETI INSTITUTE so off I go to learn something knew.
2
For future reference, Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.
Also, INTerceptions are worse than INCompletions!
1
Ahh, interceptions
1
I wondered about the caption for the lead photo, since Kissufim is a kibbutz founded in 1951, and I didn't think the 6th Century Negev would have been referred to as Israel. This is what I found:
http://cojs.org/the_marvelous_mosaics_of_kissufim-_rudolph_cohen-_bar_6-...
3
I don'y know who Orbikon was, but he seems to be promising the camel there are some dates in it for him when they get to their destination.
4
No carrots. Dates or stick.
They still like dates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbowFe1LzvM
1
When I saw the caption I saw a misplaced word. It should have read "A 6th century stone mosaic found at Kissufim, Israel" etc. An overzealous editor somewhere along the way between The Jewish Museum and the NYT. But thanks for the interesting article, Barry.
4
Andl enjoyable puzzle! A bit tougher than many other Mondays. My dad worked on the lighting for the Lunar Excursion Module, so the LEM fits in my as been in my vocabulary since I was about 8. Thanks!
13
It would have been really cool if your dad had put LEDs on the LEM.
My love of the history of the NASA Apollo missions made “Gimbal” an easy get. It also led me to use “LRV” for 49A...
1
Same thing I did!
1
The key links to an old puzzle
Try it now -- there was an old cached link, apologies
1