[Wel]COME TO THE [constructors' s]TABLE, Dr. Bloomer!
You had a lot on your plate, knocking off your bucket list, but what you served up was just my cup of tea. The long entrees -- oops, I mean entries -- were delicious, and the non-themers were pure gravy.
I almost naticked (on a Monday!) with two guessed letters in the KENAN/SADE/INT. I guessed the football thing might be "interference" or the like. Then I thought the SADE/KENAN cross square was almost certainly a vowel (although I was a bit leery, given how rappers and others (mis)spell their (non)-names. Thought E and A were my best guesses, and got it on my first try! Mr. Pencil was beside himself with glee.
For the rest, too many yummies to mention individually, both entries and clues.
I'm only sad that it took you so long to start constructing, Dr. B. I suppose you had your hands full, what with med school and healing the sick and all that. But we'll be looking for more.
For now, I've given Jessica her evening meal, and it's now my turn.
Thank you.
1
Deadline,
SADE is hardly a rapper, and you may recall hearing at least the refrain of "Smooth Operator."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TYv2PhG89A
2
"Moo goo gai pan pan" is my new favourite clue - if not for how cute/fun it is to say, but for how ridiculous it is. I laughed out loud when I solved it, so thanks to Dr. Bloomer for the laugh!
7
Very nice first NYT puzzle Dr. Bloomer. The dinner table theme was fun.
Some of the nonthematic fill (KEELSOVER and CANTS) was interesting. I really liked the cluing for WOK, OGLE, PUTSONAIRS, TONAL, and RUNNY.
Looking forward to more from the good doctor!
:-D
3
GAG ME WITH A SPOON!
Loved that themer, as it brought back memories of the song "Valley Girl" by Frank Zappa and his daughter, Moon, whose voice perfectly fit the part. The lyrics were peppered with phrases including the themer.
All we need now is for someone to figure out how to get GRODY TO THE MAX in a crossword.
Mike
1
Mike M,
Did you happen to read the Wordplay column?
Great find! A huge step up from Jim, erm, gym Bloomers I remember from HS days. No bloopers in this delightful debut, which is notably Amelia-rated with an opening spoonerism.
Although it's a bit early for a 'clothing remark':
https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/02/bloomers-pantsuits-brief-history-womens-dress-reform/
Can't think of a Monday with richer possibilities combined in theme and constructor. Thank Deb for having Kathy Bloomer call us to order, with the menu love, I'm sure. Loved the deft handling of the theme progression: I couldn't guess what would follow FORK and SPOON. And then Hospitalist Kathy blew me out of the water with GOUNDERTHEKNIFE, although I'm just 3 months out myself.
Of course, I thought having OBIS crossing GOUNDERTHEKNIFE definitely indicated a Caesarean section; I'd call nothing if not surgical placement.
[Hope nobody thinks it's too early for a little GYN joke]
Returning to the safety of table settings and etiquette, shall just say I thought SUCKERS was the last straw, while having NAIRS on LEGO was really smooth.
And of course, runny noses and egg yolks made me laugh.
Come back soon, Kathy Bloomer, floral our sakes.
11
A sweet Monday puzzle. Nuff said.
My five favorite clues from last week:
1. Group that's well financed? (4)
2. High-occupancy vehicles? (9)
3. Gambler"s spot (3)
4. What sharks take interest in (5)
5. Getting to the point? (8)
OPEC
CLOWN CARS
PIP
USURY
TAPERING
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@Lewis I think that #2 was my personal fave!
2
@Lewis
Thanks for your weekly lists. I missed the OPEC pun before, but it jumped out at me today!
“... [oil] well funded...”
;-0
2
Is there other evidence that today's constructor is an MD beyond the notes? I can read that as she was an RN, or an administrator, or some other role. It is weird to see commenters fall over themselves to gloss her "Dr." As if not calling an MD "Dr." is the greatest form of disrespect ever.
Also will back the editors on DEET as a brand. In my family, and practically everyone I knew growing up called bug repellant DEET. In the Army we were issued almost pure DEET and called it such. It is not exactly like Kleenex or Dumpster, as it is an ingredient not a brand as such, but it is ubiquitous enough to have reached brand status.
2
@Michael Brothers
From the M.-W. dictionary:
Definition of hospitalist
: a physician who specializes in treating hospitalized patients of other physicians in order to minimize the number of hospital visits by other physicians
3
https://doctor.webmd.com/doctor/kathleen-bloomer-f051d507-5016-4826-99da-494a1025a46c-overview
I did wonder why Deb used "Ms. Bloomer" rather than "Dr. Bloomer." My guess is that our constructor is modest as well as talented.
2
Oops. Probably not the same Cathy Bloomer. We're abloom in Bloomers.
Fun puzzle but I got stumped on the crossing of KENAN and INT. GAG ME WITH A SPOON was new to me. Not my generation.
I remember how valley girl talk irritated me. Ending declarative sentences with a rising tone made the speaker's thought sound tentative or unsure.
Nice finish of your bucket list,Dr. Bloomer.
2
@Meg H.
" Ending declarative sentences with a rising tone made the speaker's thought sound tentative or unsure."
Or whiny.
1
@Deadline
I find it charming.
What could be more significant than a Monday puzzle on a national Monday holiday ?
A Monday puzzle double natick, that's what ... had two blank squares at 55 across.
Moomph.
1
No Monday Night Football for you!
2
@Barry Ancona
You got that one right also.
1
@Barry Ancona
Hey!!! I thought the QB's error would be an INComplete pass. As I have no reason to favour a T-BALL over a C-BALL, I wouldn't INTerfere.
3
I love that Dr. Bloomer's puzzle not only sets the table but also sets a marvelous, saucy mood for this Monday!
I was actually a Valley Girl for the first seven years of my life, but unfortunately wasn't old enough to be around when colorful Valley Speak was born. I did this puzzle late last night and was gobsmacked seeing GAGMEWITHASPOON in the staid Gray Lady. Audacious and so much fun! Good for you Kathy Bloomer for sparking things up!
Congratulations on your debut, Kathy. Enjoy your fame today!
5
@Johanna My first 3 years were in the Valley, but that was way way WAY before Valley Speak!
An enjoyable Monday, with a colorful, lively theme and no junk. The revealer took me by surprise, though. I'm wondering if the FORK, SPOON and KNIFE walked to THE TABLE together as good allies should, or if each one came alone, carrying an umbrella? Don't think that the cutlery would "come" to the table. They'd be "brought" there or "placed" there. Yes?
Actually I was expecting a different revealer -- one that I would have clued obliquely:
"A horseshoe from the Lone Ranger's horse, and a hint to..."
But I'm just having fun with you, Kathy B. Your puzzle was quite enjoyable, if fairly easy.
@Nancy "They'd be brought there or placed there."
Not if they were magical dancing utensils! (See: Disney's "Beauty and the Beast").
1
@Nancy, I think your para 1 idea links to the concept of 'comestibles', which may have begun with the alt-spell of 'comestables'. See how easy that turns out to be?
otoh, I lost you on the ref to the Lone Ranger, as well as the horse he rode in on.
1
Works for me. The horses name is Silver, and some horseshoes are called plates, as in racing plates, so we get SILVERPLATE. Although we surely prefer STERLING.
2
I am surprised that the deet "brand" error wasn't caught along the way. Also, I always prefer that knowledge of pop culture trivia is not key to solving (or not solving)
a puzzle, as it was today for me with the cross of KENAN and SADE, especially in a Monday puzzle.
2
@Judith Yogman
It actually appears as a brand on more than one dictionary site. Which appears to be wrong.
Very cute! After Sunday's Tour de France, it was like riding a tricycle with training wheels.
But I loved the theme of fork, spoon, knife, and table. I wish the NRA weren't in it, but KENAN would find a way to laugh that off.
1
@Mary
NRA?
1
Some folks cannot get over the fact that the NRA exists and that the puzzle validates that existence. So much so they never fail to mention it.
2
@Michael Brothers
Clued differently, it could be National Restaurant Association, which sort of fits with the theme.
5
Congrats, Kathy, on your sparkling NY Times Crossword debut.
It's very cool that it a Boomer, and a Bloomer, scooped the Gen-Xers and Millennials by introducing STICK A FORK IN IT and GAG ME WITH A SPOON into crossword history.
Let's have some more.
5
@Mike R
OK to add "stuff a sock in it"? This is pre-millenium, but not exactly sure when.
@Dr W
I'm thinking it was "Put a sock in it" and that it was Ralph Kramden.
1
Terrific way to start the week, and a new avocation for you, Dr. Bloomer!
I would love to know what adeventure is next on your bucket list.
1
Fine, fresh, and clever debut, with a splash of attitude, taking expressions with mildly negative overtones (STICKAFORKINIT, GAGMEWITHASPOON,GOUNDERTHEKNIFE) and turning them into laugh lines. For a puzzle like this, I will COMETOTHETABLE every time!
7
With a spoon, gagged Tom gracelessly?
Was completing my internship at a small Psychiatric Hospital in Van Nuys when valley speak washed over us. 33A was borne of bulimia when young "vals" would attempt to slim down by barfing up. The domino effect meandered its way to depression landing the aforementioned vals at my doorstep.
The clues in this puz suggest Ms. Bloomer MD is a boomer.
Thanks Kathy, very pleasant Monday
2
dk,
"When I retired from my Seattle pediatric hospitalist job in 2014..." in the Constructor Notes would seem to confirm that Bloomer is a boomer.
@Barry Ancona
As a constructor however, she would seem to be a late Bloomer.
1
Congratulations on a fantastic and fun debut, Dr. Bloomer!
You really gave our Monday some flair. Favorite answers: Who knew?, Keels over, the cleverly clued Lego, and Uhura.
Well done!
5
SB 54/179
1 pangram and Bingo!
E 3 (5x2, 9x1)
L 8 (4x5, 5x3)
M 18 (4x8, 5x5, 6x3, 7x1, 8x1)
N 6 (4x5, 5x1)
O 6 (4x4, 6x1, 8x1)
T 12 (4x7, 5x3, 6x2)
X 1 (5x1)
Lots of 4-letter words today. Nothing too unusual, except for a linguistic term we've seen before, a chiefly British spelling and an alternative spelling for a food item. Enjoy!
8
@qatburger
If you're talking about the weighty British spelling, it may not be a strictly British spelling, but rather what we used to call a metric (insert "less-British" spelling).
@qatburgerGrrr. Must stop playing Bee with my iPhone. I swear I’d entered two easy words early on that were keeping from finishing. Thanks for your list. It helped me isolate and go back and reenter them. (I did the rhyming words in succession early, I am certain!)
At the beginning of this Bee, I was fixated on the x. With all the other letters so common, I had difficulty unseeing the “x”. Not helpful because it plays such a small role in the list.
I found this one pretty tedious as a consequence of letter set.
1
@qatburger That pangram was a weird one! I spent quite a while sticking suffixes to things. I'm at 41/148 and am simply stopping and patting myself on the back.
2
Congratulations to Kathy (Dr. Kathy?) on a lovely debut! I may have missed it, but I was sure we would have a few late bloomer comments.
FYI, the print version of the NYT which is delivered to me outside of NYC has the EMOJIs but in black and white. I have a new appreciation for EMOJIs because new CarPlay feature reads my texts to me and describes each EMOJI in hysterical detail.
Deb, you have inspired me with the photo of Vanessa Friedman's beautiful table setting. I have fifteen coming on Thanksgiving and I can use a little inspiration.
3
Very nice Monday puzzle with sparkling theme answers. I had to get some down crosses before I really got going, so that made for an enjoyable solve as well. Several nice bonus answers beyond the theme, too.
Even if it's not on her bucket list, I hope we'll be seeing more from Dr. Bloomer in the near future. Could be a new calling.
Oh, and I knew what a 'hospitalist' was but it's never appeared in a puzzle (spell check doesn't like it either). I wonder what the reaction to that would be.
2
@Rich in Atlanta
HOSPITALIST is what I used to refer to as a "house doctor" in a hospital. I often wondered if Dr. House (Hugh Laurie's tour de force) was a play on "house doctor."
2
@Steve L
There's as well-known ENT specialist group associated with the name "House", herewith:
https://www.houseclinic.com/about/history
Don't know if this connects.
Lively, lovely debut!
What especially struck my fancy:
* No putting on airs here; a Rabelaisian vibe, with the gagging, fork-sticking, surgical body piercing, and keeling over. The raw down-to-earthness, the starkness, brought me to life, and that liveliness for some reason made me feel so good that I didn't even find IGLU uglu.
* I usually complete Mondays in a splash, but today there were a couple of pleasing hiccups.
* AGOG/ACERB/ALOU. Say them together real fast so it sounds like one word. I want to use this word with a straight face, but I can't think of the right situation. Any suggestions?
9
@Lewis I see it as something that people search for, which consumes their entire life, but it's existence has never been proven. "He spent many years around Loch Ness, convinced that the serpent of that lake was indeed real, but on his death bed realized that he had been consumed by his own personal Agogacerbalou."
10
@Lewis I think it comes after do-si-dos
4
Remember "The Ballad of Cat BALOU"? I believe this comes up in the sequel. I've heard it's real Tintoretto.
In fact, don't many Turkish surnames end in o/ALOU? It might be in the Istanbul phonebook...
2
A great way to make an easy Monday more interesting is to have fun long entries, so this was a fine debut for Kathy. I didn't actually know the first two theme answers, but easy enough to guess with the crosses. Never heard of the Valley Girl; should I ask my parents, Deb?
I always like a few foreign fills, NYET, ETATS, LAGO (reminding me of holidays in by the Italian lakes)
Well done, Kathy. Come back soon.
8
@suejean Valley Girl was a huge mainstream hit for the usually controversial Frank Zappa (one of my personal heros). Here's a great Wikipedia article about the song.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Girl_(song)
2
@Steve Faiella, thanks , now I just have to remember it for the next time it comes up
Kathy Bloomer spoons it out, and it goes like a hot knife through butter. You can stick a spork in it (or something like that). Good tines!
9
Congratulations, Ms. Bloomer on a fin debut puzzle. Very enjoyable.
2
I woke up too early at 5am (GMT), started the crossword, fell back asleep. I achieved WADE, BEEF, and a few more while half-awake.
CANT in the sense of 'tilt' wasn't one I knew. But it's in the OED under cant, v.2, meaning 2a.
ERGS, WNBA, TBALL and INT (55A) were all new. I liked the theme - great phrases. Some of the answers seemed a little forced (HOER) or crosswordy (IGLU, ACERB). I think that's why it tlook me longer than usual for a Monday. Nonetheless, I loved moo goo gai pan pan, which caught me out at first, and "Like some noses and egg yolks". Indeed, at this time of year in the northern hemisphere, lots of RUNNY noses.
6
It appears to be Dr. Bloomer. Hospitalist was intriguing to me so I had to look it up. I feel I should be familiar with the word but even spellcheck thinks it deserves a squiggle. Lovely introduction and congratulations on finishing your entire bucket list!
2
And now that she has retired, she makes excellent house calls!
2
Hi Tristan!
The references to “Ms. Bloomer” are not a lack of respect for her position, but Times style. We refer to people by professional titles if it has something to do with the story being written. For example, if I had interviewed her for a story about medicine, I would refer to her as Dr. Bloomer.
7
@Deb Amlen
I wonder if the members of the NYT editorial board would call her "Ms. Bloomer" rather than "Dr. Bloomer" if they were speaking to her face-to-face.
1
I don’t understand why I’m getting little messages of encouragement (halfway!) sometimes in the puzzle now. Can someone explain this to me? I do them every night on my iPad.
And congratulations to Ms. Bloomer for her fun first puzzle. I liked that it was full of names. Nice job!
3
@LLW There's supposed to be a setting that turns those off.
1
LLW,
You're getting them because The Times recently added that feature to the program. As K Barrett has noted, you can turn it off.
1
SHOW MILESTONES turned off. It was so dang annoying. Thank you!
1
I solved the puzzle on paper first — thanks Cathay Pacific for free copies of the New York Times onboard! — so I noticed the clues for 52D are different in the print and online crosswords.
“Smiley face with hearts for eyes, e.g.” is the clue in the print version,
“(smiley face with hearts for eyes) or (thumbs up)” EMOJI in the app.
4
JC,
Interesting. The City Edition has EMOJIS.
@Barry Ancona
If you mean the newsprint paper version, 52D is clued with image icons.
Mr W (following NYT style),
EMOJIS *are* "image icons."
In the tradition of always learning something new from the puzzle, TIL that igloo can be spelt IGLU.
But, DEET isn't a brand, nor has it ever been, that I can find. It's a common name for the chemical compound diethyltoluamide.
18
Now we just have to let the internet in on the facts. Here's what Google offers for DEET definition:
Deet
/dēt/Submit
nounTRADEMARK
noun: Deet; plural noun: Deets
a brand of diethyltoluamide, a colorless oily liquid with a mild odor, used as an insect repellent.
1
Wikipedia disagrees.
And the plural of Deet is "Deets"? Come on, Google.
1
@Rand Scullard seems Wikipedia wins. Here is a link to the USPTO office's search results for DEET
http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&state=4806%3Aygtnzj.1.1&p_search=searchss&p_L=50&BackReference=&p_plural=yes&p_s_PARA1=&p_tagrepl~%3A=PARA1%24LD&expr=PARA1+AND+PARA2&p_s_PARA2=Deet&p_tagrepl~%3A=PARA2%24COMB&p_op_ALL=AND&a_default=search&a_search=Submit+Query&a_search=Submit+Query
2
Lovely Monday debut, Ms. Bloomer. What a Monday is about -- breezy with fun answers. Well done. We look forward to more.
What a difference a day makes!
7
Great debut!
1
Congratulations, Ms. Bloomer, on a huge accomplishment checked off your bucket list! Here's hoping you will have many years of puzzling to come.
With kids busy & weekends packed, I'm sometimes too slow to give Sunday xwords the time they deserve & the fun goes out of it entirely. Monday on Sunday was perfect today.
Briefly tried GrodytotheMax for GAGMEWITHASPOON, which of course didn't fit, but was fun nevertheless. While we're on the subject of cutlery, STICKAFORKINIT was terrific. Thank you!
3
@Lizziefish
No expert in the genre, but the times I've seen it in print, I recall it spelt 'grotty'. Points for ingenuity, however.
Also am only familiar with "Stick a fork in me; I'm done" but am not averse to expanding the field of cutlery-poking.
Spit spot.
1
Nice Monday puzzle! And the photo of the dinner party table setting looked quite festive. I hope Ms. Bloomer will continue to make puzzles.
4
Re the puzzle: delightful, and congratulations to the constructor! Next time, feel free to make it more challenging.
Re burgers: allow me to mention Beyond Burger, a non-meat version with superb texture and mouth-feel and (per my husband) excellent or (per me) decent taste.
6
Re: 28A
The *name* of the "One-named soccer great" is Edson Arantes do Nascimento; he is *known* as PELE.
GOOOOOOOL!
4
@Barry Ancona
C'mon Barry, you know what they meant.
3
Steve,
I wasn't asking for a correction. It's a perfectly fine clue. It's just not a fact. Boy!
@Barry Ancona Marvelous, thank you. I had no idea of Pele’s full name. If I remember right, it was in the XWD recently that I/we also learned Mr. T’s full name, Laurence Tureaud. I love it here.
1
A fine Monday puzzle with a fun theme (further enhanced by Deb's write up and video). Congratulations to Ms. Bloomer for the debut and for checking something off your bucket list.
Too bad the print andAcross Lite versions don't have the colorful EMOJIS.
3
Wen,
I'm not sure what they'll look like in the paper tomorrow morning, but the EMOJIS in the PDF are in color.
And they are in color in the iPhone app.
Interesting - the regular print version didn't have the EMOJIS. The Newpaper PDF version did have color EMOJIS.
The Across Lite version and non-Newpaper PDF version has instead: "Smiley face with
hearts for eyes,
e.g. "
Nice theme for a Monday, though fairly easy at about 1.5 standard deviations below average time.
@Brian Holy Cow! Where do we get the higher order statistics data from?
Shoe leather. I keep a self maintained spread sheet. At one time I kept control charts (see if the process was shifting easier or harder) but that was a little over-the-top.
4
@Brian
A little.
3