Worst puzzle ever
2
I enjoyed this one, although there were lots of tricky spots where I was waiting for the words to emerge from the fog in my mind. The DECEPTICON/WIIMOTES cross was on of those spots.
Then there was the entry for the Emmy-winning Orange is the New Black actress. My internal dialogue was, “Is it that one OITNB Emmy-winning actress whose name I probably won’t spell right, or is it the other OITNB Emmy-actress whose name I probably won’t spell right?” Thank heavens I had an easier time with the crosses.
1
Why is 55D CAT (clue: hipster)?
1
This would be a "hipster" from the middle of the 20th Century, LS, who might be a [cool] CAT.
1
@Barry Ancona thanks, I didn’t realize the word hipster reached back pre-2000. Live and learn.
End of a decent streak because of the Natick WIIMO_ES/DECEP_ICON. I suppose I could've done an alphabet scan (online), but just stuck to my choice of V.
Agree with Steve L that there were just too many video game / Transformer clues in one area (NE). I was pleased in correctly guessing CGI and SIMS, but crossing WIIMOTES and DECEPTICON? Sam, no!
I was also pleased with getting REGALEMENT, which I didn't think was even a word until I looked it up. Clever clue for CEREAL, btw!
Was unfamiliar with UZO ADUBA, but got her from the crosses (not sure about ARES, though).
Whew! Agree with Hildy Johnson about the "too-easy Thursday" folk. Hope you got your comeuppance today! ;)
Now on to Saturday's challenge. Can it be even worse!?
3
Muddled through mostly, bit died a thousand deaths in the northeast. Bloodied, I await Saturday.
3
Had SEEDSYSTEMS even though I knew it couldn’t be right because I thought it had to be system. Had DISCS before DISCO and AMOM before AMOR. It took me way too long to figure that out but I persisted.
1
Is it Saturday yet?
3
Hmm about this puzzle! It was frustrating but fun! I actually got the WIIREMOTES ILIKEIKE UCONNand IKEACATALOG but was baffled for most of the rest. Transformers? OITNB? anyhow... I had to google a few but kept the streak alive :-)
@Andy
I think you mean WIIMOTES.
Good solid puzzle for a Friday. A wee bit hard in spots, but satisfyingly done.
The Transformer clue brought back a memory. My sons played with Transformers when they were young. My then 3 year old, got mad at his older brother (then 5), and attempted to flush Optimus Prime down the toilet. It wedged in very tightly and required a high-dollar weekend plumber to remove it only by by breaking the lower part of the bowl. Yes, a new toilet was required. Optimus Prime (a robot that transforms into an eighteen wheeler) survived his ordeal and the following lengthy bleach soak.
:-/
9
What’s a RACEBIB???
And why two “n’s” in 13D clue? Wining and dining is proper.
SteveG,
The RACEBIB has your number on it in the marathon (and also your country in the Olympics).
In what format do you *not* see "Wining and dining?" That's what I see "in the paper."
Ah, thanks, Barry. Never thought about marathoners. Makes sense now.
I download and print the puzzle (iMac or iPhone to HP printer). I like to solve it in pencil while eating breakfast. That way, I eat slowly and enjoy both.
I looked again, this time after cleaning my reading specs. OOPS! I goofed and misread, and that mistake cost me time and confounded me.
Your reply was most helpful. Thanks once again.
2
@STEVE Goldstein - Race bib numbers are rare and highly sought-after here in Boston every April.
1
Newbie that definitely had a tough time with this one. I’m probably revealing my age that SHEEPLE and SIMS were gimmes for me, though I didn’t know the OITNB actress and WIIMOTES took me a while because I was trying to think of a gaming system rather than an accessory.
Hi everyone - first time posting. I realized this week was my 1 year anniversary doing these puzzles so thought I'd say hi after reading all of your brilliant and often comforting commentary every day (and feeling like I've gotten to know a lot of you!).
I especially wanted to REGALE Deb for the "How to Solve the NYT Crossword" article she wrote a little over a year ago - I read it on vacation a week or so after it was published and it completely demystified the crossword for me; as I approach 40, I had always been too afraid to even try a crossword even though I was curious, and the tips and mini-games therein made the crossword seem doable. But the key for me was when she noted that a crossword is a game that is meant to be enjoyed. With the permission to simply try and play in a way that made it fun, and use things you don't know as a means for learning, all of a sudden it all made sense. I haven't been able to stop since! So thank you Deb and Caitlin for your amazing columns every day and this whole community for having fun with all of this.
As for today, I really enjoyed Sam's puzzle and not surprisingly given my generation found it much more doable than a lot of the other weekend puzzles - but as I've discovered, my wheelhouse is going to be different from others, and I'm sure I'll be thrashing around for the name of a 1930's opera tomorrow! Thanks everyone.
33
@Aaron
Welcome, Aaaron, and I hope you will be a regular contributor to Wordplay.
I really like your attitude: following Deb's advice about doing the puzzles the way that is the most enjoyable for you, learning as you do, and appreciating the general wheelhouse differences rather than sneering at the things you don't know.
11
@Aaron, Welcome! I rarely post here, but I was happy to see you bravely enter the fray/play of crosswords and Wordplay. I made a similar discovery about mystery novels: I don’t have to figure out “who did it” every time to enjoy reading them.
7
Adding my recco to Aaron's, couldn't express my thoughts any better than Deadline did, and also hope JR comments more often
4
I hope all of you people who complained about Thursday being too easy are happy with yourselves - you brought karma down on our heads in the form of Sam Trabucco and this brain-bender.
Had to Google Uzo Aduba and Decepticons, and ended up with SEED SYSTEMS (what, it could be a thing) which left me with DISCS and AMOM for far too long.
Had maybe two gimmes my first pass through. Thereafter it was chip, chip, chipping.
Feeling rather chuffed at having (finally) finished; overall a tough but fun Friday.
5
Thank you, Mr. Trabucco, for answering for me the question about the origin of REO Speedwagon! I can’t fight this feeling of happiness; I guess I’ll take it on the run.
6
This one scores very low on my fun scale; too many answers that can't be sussed out.
10
There’s a lot of people complaining about WIIMOTES and DECIPTICON, or even UZO ADUBA. To whom I must say: get off your high horse.
Transformers was one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons of the 80s and 90s, with a modern resurgence. Autobots and decepticons are hardly obscure.
Neither are WIIMOTES. My gran knows what a WIIMOTE is.
UZO is an Emmy winning actress for a very popular show. She may not be a household name but it’s not like you were asked to name some random cameo in a show nobody heard of.
You don’t hear me, as a Brit with no interest in basketball, complaining about UCONN. Or that my younger age means I’m far less likely to get I LIKE IKE. Crosswords have something for everything. Stop trying to gatekeep, and get on with it.
13
@Chris Finlay
Yikes!
3
@Chris Finlay
I think that you missed the point, Chris. The point is that there was too much on the same wavelength in one specific area of the puzzle, i.e. the northeast.
I don't mind things that are outside my wheelhouse, but when all of the same type of stuff is jammed up in one corner, it can be a problem.
You're supposed to be able to solve things you don't know by crosses, but at least one of every cross should be well-known by everyone, or at least about to be figured out.
Anyway, Chris, I'm glad you're not complaining about UCONN (19th appearance). We get ETON often enough, too (801 appearances). (A prep school, no less, not a university.)
6
I sat staring at a mostly blank grid, and then that one answer that gets me off to the races fell. It was embarrassing that it took me a while before it hit that 40A was UCONN, considering I hear about both the women's and the men's team pretty much every day.. heck I even know the names of the coaches and half the players! Things were going well until I hit a wall at 30D and 42A, as well as the answers for 5D and 29A. I tried several things but no luck, so I implemented my standard weekend strategy of going away for a few hours and then coming back. It's crazy, but that seems to work for me *every time* ! I thought about alternate meanings for "Grease" and "Grease someone's palm" popped into my brain... Bingo! BRIBE (and from that RACEBIBS). Spent some more time looking at 23D, which I had as ISh (Made sense with "Real Close?" as the clue. Then it hit me - not close with an "S" sound but close with a "Z" sound! ABOMB went in and the Happy Music played. Thanks for the Friday Challenge Sam and Will!
2
@Steve Faiellaback in the day when i still had solid knees i collected several drawers of t shirts fron races, and had a world of numbers but race bibs is a new one for me, but i am assuming that all those babes born since my legs gave out 20 years ago now wear bibs. Hate that was my first hang up of 2018
2
mike,
Runners were wearing race bibs long before your hung up your track shoes. Here a piece from over 50 years ago:
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2017/03/28/heres-why-the-bib-number-261-at-the-boston-marathon-is-so-significant
1
@Steve Faiella, "Real close" could be a problem no matter how you pronounce 'close'.
I had my Friday hat on, so figured out the trick, but still went for REAL-ITY and then REAL-IST before REAL-ISM.
Just one of those times when it's hard to say whether 'close' is or is not a cigar.
3
Quite a poor puzzle. Rather contrived clues, evidencing lack of skill and depth.
1
@david g sutliff ouch, tough crowd
Wow, that was HARD! I finally got a toehold in the SE, with UCONN (a sports clue!! Wow, can you believe it??) and SURE BETS. I scratched out section after section, finally left with the evil vertical in the NE. RNS? MD? CCS? MLS? I even had a moment of regret that I eschew movies like "Transformers," but I got over that.
No clue about the WII, no clue about the computer game 'family,' no clue about the slang...until I caught on about the Total CEREAL. The clue for SKI LESSONS was questionable (Higher? Not necessarily) but it was the only thing that fit. I was going to give up, but I sussed out DECEPTICON and REGALEMENT. Sam Trabucco, from now on, will be known to me as DECEPTICON The Cruel.
I'd say more, but we have friends coming over this evening for REGALEMENT. (Hmm.)
6
@Mean Old Lady Totally agree on the clue for SKILESSONS. In fact, I left out the "I" until almost the end in case anything else came to mind.
@Steve Faiella
Like what? SKY LESSONS?
2
Where I come from, ski lessons are given at about 8,000 feet elevation. I'd say that's higher education.
1
This Fri. enigma was anything but DOPE; rather it left me feeling like one. Was I going to solve without a few lookups? NOT A CHANCE. DECEPTICON, deschlepticon. And SHEEPLE? That bit of lunacy laced lexicon gave me the creeples...WII MOTES nowadays are voice activated. Key entry is so last week. I used to have to get off the couch, cross the room and manually ‘touch that dial’ to get all 7 channels on my tv. I won’t even go into tin-foil wrapped rabbit ear adjusting for clearer reception...All kiddin’ aside, the tough and unfair nature (kiddin’ agin) of the puzzle left me with only one more comment: I LIKE, (I L) IKE!...U2’s “DISCOthecque” sold over a million records in ‘97.
https://youtu.be/flxHKtc-Z0A
AIR X’s & O’s,
Bru
4
@brutus
So are the older campaign ads or today's more annoying?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmCDaXeDRI4
2
For all the groans it elicited, I actually enjoyed this one. Like many others, I had trouble in the NE. For a long while, I was Totally Taken In. And I had to run the vowels to get WIIMOTES. But, as others have said, puzzles are supposed to be a challenge. Thanks for the challenge, Sam.
2
A look at the completed puzzle made it seem so much less difficult than I found it during my solve. And I found it very, very difficult.
Perhaps it was because I couldn't concentrate, having just learned -- and tried to deal with the fact -- that my Amazon account had been hacked by someone in Rumania.
{Take deep breath. Think puzzle.}
Or at least as likely it was because I was so unfamiliar with so many things in the puzzle: "Transformers"; WII; D&D; OITNB; basketball. Plus missteps.
The "Transformers," WII, and D&D stuff I'd never have gotten without many crosses. OITNB is on a channel I don't get. I thought the [hoops powerhouse] would be one of those cutesy nicknames for a player.
HOECAKE before ASHCAKE; COLD before DOPE; BIG before AIR KISS; ADMIRE before ESTEEM. Knew the term but not the spelling of SHEE/oPLE. Knew R.E. Olds made REO cars, but had to guess he made buses too. Thought PATRON SAINTs were just regular saints with specific portfolios, so wanted Joseph to be something special. Didn't know the cloths with numbers them on pinned to the fronts of marathon runners had a name.
At least I LIKE IKE was a gimme. And SIT-IN.
I do like a strenuous XWP workout, and I sure got it today!
Thanks Sam, Will, et al.
I'm going to go lie down now.
9
@Deadline
I recommend enabling two-step security for Amazon:
Your Account › Login & security › Advanced Security Settings
That should go a long way toward protecting your Amazon account. As is often the case with things security related, it's a trade off between security and convenience, so expect to be slightly inconvenienced.
2
@Wen - your reply cracks me up! Online. Secure. Ha ha ha ha ha.
1
@Wen
Amazon and I are working on it as we speak. It also involves changing some other passwords. Apparently I caught it before my Rumanian alter ego was able to buy everything in sight.
What could have been a good puzzle -- nay a great puzzle -- unnecessarily made truly unlikeable for those of us who don't play computer games or know the first thing about "Transformers." I might have loved this puzzle, but ended up wanting to throw it against the wall. There's only one thing worse than a pop culture clue you didn't know yesterday and you won't know tomorrow. And that's a pop culture clue with an absolutely ridiculous spelling that you don't know. UZOADUBA???? DECEPTICON????
And then there are the plethora of computer clues. The WII MOTES and the SIMS and the CGIs. You're hearing a loud hissing sound from me, Sam, and it's not an AIR KISS.
And yet there was so much in this puzzle that was really, really good. All those triple stacks -- both the Acrosses and the Downs. The great clues for CEREAL (21A), A BOMB (29A), OVAL (2D) and CEO (36A). The delightful fill: MUNCHIES and SHEEPLE. So why did you ruin this puzzle, Sam, with all that gobbledygook junk? Why?
12
@Nancy You know Uzo Aduba is a living, feeling human person, right?
3
@Kelpurnia
Great riposte, @Kelpurnia, and very, very funny in a sad sort of way. I hadn't thought of it like that and am now consumed with guilt for my thoughtless insensitivity. But I actually didn't know poor Uzo at all. He (or she, I have absolutely no idea) could have been Uzoa Duba or Uzo-Ad-Uba or even (Joe or Jane) Uzoaduba. Forgive me, Uzo, whoever you are. I'm sure you're a lovely guy (gal?), but the spelling of your name is not puzzle-friendly
2
As a pair of vaguely under 40 women, the Roommate and I killed this one in nearly record time. It fell in line with the pace of the rest of the week.
We're pop culture consumers and eat games at every meal. As the younger set says:
We stan this puzzle.
The NE was made for us: CGI and TRANSFORMERS and SHEEPLE and SIMS. AIRKISS, AIDESDECAMP, JPGS and MUNCHIES came to us like the wind. The SW went fast with our combined geekdom (HAN, ORC) and her southern roots (ASHCAKE and PEE DEE).
The rest? Hal from NY has it spot on. We always burn through the Acrosses, then the Downs, only making detours to fill in what pops out at us along the way
Excellent puzzle - just tricky enough to make us work, pitched right over the plate thematically and timeliness and some great fills from out in left field (SHEEPLE is my favorite fill of all time, thus far.)
4
@Adeline W. As an over 60 guy who knew all of those references, I take exception to your comment! JK... but really, some people never stop learning about pop culture well into their golden years... don't count us out yet! :-)
1
@Adeline W.
Your modifier "vaguely" under 40 fascinated me, and I had trouble getting past your first sentence. Does vaguely under 40 mean not definitively under 40? Or does it just mean reluctant to state a specific age? I'm wondering if at 62 I could be considered vaguely over 60, although for me vagueness seems to be something that is increasing not decreasing with age.
2
Like a Nolan Ryan fastball up under the chin, the NE corner of this puzzle knocked me down.
But I've gotten back up, dusted myself off, and tomorrow morning I'll step back up to the plate.
5
As with so many others, it was the northeast section that completely stymied me. It was eventually filled only with Caitlin's help.
I liked OVERZEALOUS and IKEA CATALOG. Our house sports many IKEA shelves in closets and basement.
2
I thought I was going to fail on the northeast, but my husband helped me get going again with UCONN. I had UC and was stuck on California schools (unsuccessfully, obviously). I also had SEGA instead of SIMS to start with. But somehow I was able to pull the rest of it together eventually. The clue for CEREAL was fantastic, once I finally got it.
2
If I had literally been tearing my hair out while trying to solve this one, I'd be bald right now.
DECEPTICON/REGALEMENT/SHEEPLE/SIMS/CGI did me in.
How wonderful that I got WIIMOTES, REOS and SKILESSONS.
I loved MUNCHIES crossing CEREAL.
So a dnf today thanks to the evil-minded Sam Trabucco.
On the upside, Saturday's puzzle should be a breeze after this beast!
Thanks, Sam, I always appreciate a challenge and today you delivered in spades!
3
Remembering I LIKE IKE elicited this contemporary update:
I LUMP TRUMP
Like it or lump it...
10
@Andrew
There are many other letters that you could replace that L with. D, ST, SL, CH, H (well, no, eww, same with J),
5
@Andrew
You should play bridge and take every opportunity to bid:
ONE NO-TRUMP REDOUBLED
6
23D "Real close?" is an awesome clue!
4
@Michael Brothers Revealing tremendous ignorance here, but would you explain this clue to me, please? What am I not seeing? How is ISM "real close"?
Kieran,
ISM is a "real close" in the word realism.
(Ducks)
1
@Barry Ancona
'Real close' amn't even good English. You should want to say 'ISM' is a 'real closer' or a 'real ender'.
As is IST or ITY (if we are allowing sentence fragments).
Among the most enjoyable experiences working a puzzle is when I get an entry using only crossing words and still don't understand the clue... until I do. (Doh!) That happened for me twice in this puzzle: 2D You might make one in your lap: OVAL. Huh? It took me a while to get that this "lap" wasn't for knitting sweaters. 48A Partner for life: LIMB. Maybe I was hung up on the spousal kind of partnership because I'm getting married next Friday. (Yes!)
I also put a smiley next to the teleport pair PEE DEE because I and my fellow North Carolinians probably got that one pretty quickly; others may not have. (We can also claim ELON University and Cape FEAR, although I suppose it's been years since either of these stumped an experienced solver.)
I don't know what other people call it, if anything: I call an entry a 'teleport' if it opens up a new part of the grid by connecting remotely to another part, like PEE DEE.
Two nice portmanteaus one atop the other: SHEEPLE, WIIMOTES,
An altogether superb puzzle. Thank you Mr Trabucco!
12
@Floyd - Teleport, I like that.
1
@Floyd
Congratulations and best wishes on your coming nuptials.
3
@Floyd
I just couldn't figure out 2d OVAL either. The use of "Lap" was pretty good misdirection, but after "your lap" it was hard to imagine anything other than, well, my lap - and somehow making an oval in it. Great riddle, that clue.
I got some of the long answers with only a few letters which helped to make up for the squillions of unknowns, mostly already mentioned. When alphabet runs failed in that tough NE corner I actually just went for reveal for 3 of the letters. I'm not complaining, just commenting on my experience.
I had no trouble remembering the I LIKE IKE buttons, worn by some people in my high school.
3
Wow, that was a tough nut to crack. My slowest Friday in ages. Saturday worthy puzzle easily!
Went astray in the SW corner for the longest time. We call them "HOECAKES" in my part of the South. I never heard of an ASHCAKE. I may hold a grudge here. I resorted to using the check function after a while to cede that hoecakes were wrong. That corner fell eventually but slowly.
Laughed when I figured out "WIImotes".
Struggled to remember Decepticon -- Megatron was stuck in my brain, but it fell eventually. Embarrassed to have even known that.
5
Grumbled over Caitlin's opening photo: Try to order a short beer in the US!
Laugh at myself moment (LAMM) was wondering how CEREAL might mean taken in... Then little gray cells glimmered, gushed Tom gleefully.
Thanks to Louise Penny I am back to brie, baguette and bacon for breakfast. Should be able to double as Santa any non-GYMDAY now.
Thanks Sam
2
@dk
Thanks for the Louise Penny reference. It reminds me to look for her latest book.
@Al in Pittsburgh I just reserved it at the library. I'm only 120th on the waitlist!
@Al in Pittsburgh
I'm up to book 5 of the Chief Inspector Gamache books. My Daughter-in-Law got me started on those and I love them.
2
Actually thought I might finish this one at one point. Chipped away and managed to work out the bulk of it, with one failed check: With YSTE in place for 59a, combined with the clue, I was sure that had to be SYSTEMS and got stuck for while before I finally checked it.
And then there was the NE as several others have mentioned. Not just tough - impossible for me. Sort of a mega-natick. Still enjoyed the rest of it. Liked the confluence of Catch-22 and Catchy 52. Nice to see the alternate clue for 4d. Either ORR is okay with me.
I actually read Catch-22 while I was a GRUNT. A friend and I each always had 2 or 3 books that we carried in plastic bags in one of the big side pockets of our pants, and we would trade them. That was by far the most discussed novel. The closest we came to anything like a 'Catch-22' involved a place that we ended up naming 'Re-up hill' (we even put up a sign). You don't want to know about it, but on the off chance that anyone decides to do a search, I would note that it was a battalion wide event with different details by company. I was an alpha male.
7
Brought three books in-country:
Catch-22
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Iliad
There it is.
3
@Rich in Atlanta
I remember reading about 'Re-up Hill'.
1
@Leapfinger Yikes. That means I probably brought it up before.
I need to stop talking about that stuff.
I managed to precall (opposite of recall?) or intuit the 21st century entries (I'm looking at you, WIIMOTES and DECEPTICON). I'm unhip enough to not know the Orange actress (even though a regular extra on the show is one of my wife's friends), but the crosses were all there. This one did take a bit of puzzling (The horror!). My peeve for today was 26D: I get the virus/viral and fear/scare wordplay, but I still wanted the "Viral fear" to be the VIRUS, not the SCARE. Five crosses set me straight. Heading for the PEEDEE to have some ASHCAKE.
2
Picking nits I am, Barry. DECEPTICON was 20th century. 1980s, specifically. I watched many hours of the Transformers cartoon growing up (Channel 11 WPIX in NYC)
1
Wen,
Pick away. It could have been 19th Century for all I knew!
1
@Barry Ancona
What Wen said. The Grandboy (now 22) contracted a serious case of TransformerDependency in his younger days. I remember getting a wish-list for one birthday with about 14 seriously desired NTTs. The favourite cost over $80.
Save me some ASHCAKE. Are you heading for the Little PEE DEE or the Great PEE DEE. The area around Fort Retch is surprisingly nice.
Nice Friday with a major diagonal and minor ones in the grid, along with the stacks, giving an open and airy feeling. NE last to fall for me with CEREAL/SHEEPLE/WIIMOTES/SIMS. Revelatory with the "S" at the end of AIDES (of course). I SEE PEE DEE, it's right in front of us. Reminds me of "Arrival" with the intro lecture on why Portuguese is so different from the other Romance languages: it developed as an art form.
2
SPELLING BEE:
38 words, 125 points, 1 pangram (perfect), bingo.
Not a hard one today.
Trying something @David Connell suggested - gradually more specific/detailed hints, starting with the vaguer ones first.
Hx7, Lx6, Mx13, Nx2, Tx7, Yx1, Ox2
4x21, 5x11, 6x2, 7x2, 8x2
Grid:
Tot 4 5 6 7 8
Tot 38 21 11 2 2 2
H 7 3 2 - 1 1
L 6 4 2 - - -
M 13 6 5 - 1 1
N 2 1 1 - - -
T 7 5 1 1 - -
Y 1 - - 1 - -
O 2 2 - - - -
The most unusual word (to me, anyway) might have been the adjective involving an insect.
5
@Wen. Delightful fast bee today.
Not too long. A letter set that does not demand the same rote filler list of yesterday.
I don’t see much in the way of omissions of expected words. Mostly the chemistry terms regulars know won’t be taken. I tried NONYL just to ensure that premise remained true.
Won’t get my nose out of joint for a couple of four letter words that are legitimate with a terminal Y that were rejected.
Thanks to the Beekeeper for not emphasizing words starting with that negative prefix. That can be tedious. Spare yourself that effort today!
Off to XW now. As always, thanks for the Bee Thread header which allows me to not see XW spoilers on the way here!
3
@Wen
I was stuck until you pointed me in the direction of the cheery Y.
Thanks!
2
@Wen - there was one rejection (not new to the list) that still seems unjustifiable - you know, the one Cher and Madonna would agree on.
1
I came in with great anticipation, because I've loved Sam's recent puzzles. And yes, I loved an eclectic assortment of answers today (REGALEMENT, ASHCAKE, ADIESDECAMP, and even HALE and CUD), and wicked good clues (OVAL, DISCO, ISM, CEREAL, RACEBIBS), and even a mini-theme of double E's (6).
But the thrill today was the solve itself, where white gradually caved (with accompanying ahas), where Sir Google beckoned and cajoled but I staved him off, and then came the moment of triumph when I changed WII MaTES to its correct form, to successfully complete the puzzle. It felt like crossword GYM DAY after a workout that left me feeling vibrant and happy.
And once again, my anticipation will be high as ever when Sam plays it again.
4
Very proud to have finished this one after what was for me a totally Natick-strewn NE corner (WIIMOTES, SIMS, DECEPTICON and an unfamiliar use for REGALEMENT). Like most Fridays, this is a puzzle to revisit more than once for light to dawn. I was also unfamiliar with ASHCAKE, PEEDEE (DEEPEE?), and Ms. ADUBO but was able to get those fairly easily from the crosses.
Thank you Sam, I am awake now.
1
@audreylm
It's PEE DEE. The clue that says (With [other clue]) is always the first part.
File this one in your mental wordlist; this one comes up a lot.
1
So...I remember the PEE DEE from the crossword that we solved not so long ago, and also that it was flooding during one of the hurricanes (Florence) this year that hit the Carolinas. Went back to look to see which puzzle it was, turned out it was Septermber 22, 2018 https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/22/2018&g=2&d=D
And who do you see is the constructor of that puzzle? That's right, Sam Trabucco again. It seems Mr. Trabucco has an affinity for said vowel friendly river name.
5
Like @Steve L, this puzzle took longer than my Friday average but I proudly finished it on my flight to Houston--with no wifi and hence no Googling of any answers. (Believe me, I wanted so badly a lifeline for 5D--because the only actress from OITNB with whom I am familiar is Taylor Schilling--and for 28A--like @Caitlin and other solvers, I guessed WII MATES and other permutations, never once thinking that the answer might be a portmanteau of "remote.")
Plenty of devilish cluing here, e.g., 21A (Total CEREAL -- clever cross with MUNCHIES!), 42A (RACE BIBS with numbers for running), 46D (DISCO ball club), 48A (life and LIMB), and 52A (HAN solo flying the Millennium Falcon). But what ultimately kept my wheels spinning and the timer ticking were the B at the crossing of 5D (UZO ADUBA) and 29A (A BOMB) (I couldn't get past Trinity as a university where tests are taken) and the O at the crossing of 22D (REOS) (I love the band but never knew the origin of the name) and 28A (WII MOTES).
The other cross I like? GRUNTS and GYM DAY.
2
Oh, while perhaps a bit macabre, there is also the clever cross of CENSUS with EBOLA SCARE.
And yes, my failure to recognize Trinity test as anything but an A-TEST exposes me as post-atomic. But I'm not a millennial, as evidenced by my unfamiliarity with WII MOTES. (SHEEPLE, to my surprise, is not a millennial invention; it appeared in print as early as 1945 in W.R. Anderson's column "Round About Radio.")
I think SHEEPLE was a fast and proud fill for me. And I was pleased as punch to remember DECEPTICON all on my own! I’m not ashamed. I’ll take what I can get on a Friday. Ended up a little under my average solve time. This is seriously one of the best parts of my day!!
2
We have conversations about words and their unintended consequences all the time in this forum, so I will raise my objection to SHEEPLE. Not as clued here or for its inclusion in the puzzle (it is in the vernacular after all), but for its connotations. It is derisive and dismissive and synonymous with many other terms that have been long established; it has no "caloric" content." I don't see it as a natural evolution of the language, but as a deliberate invention in order for some to sound "cool". As evidenced by the usage proffered by Sam, it is a word intended to demean another's point of view and is thus just one more weapon in the divisive nature our culture has developed. Just to be clear, I think Sam was offering it as a witticism. I long for its quick and violent death.
1
Grrrr.
1
Michael,
I won't debate whether another term was needed, and I don't know why this one was created, but SHEEPLE for "people who believe whatever the government tells them" was coined before you and I were born.
1
and Elke
ALAS- indeed I tried, but WIIMOTES , UZO ADUBA, DECEPTICON, ASHCAKES etc. were beyond my ken.
OTOH- I do remember SITINs and I LIKE IKE. MUNCHIES have required GYM DAYs.
AIRKISSES remind me of Dinah Shore (selling Chevrolets not REOS).
The EEK (at the sight of a small rodent ?) means the CAT was not engaging in its preferred MUNCHIES ?
Seems there is a continuation of yesterday's theme : CAT in the SE, IKEA(CAT)ALOG, S(CAT)HE, but no LITTERBOXES , because there is PEE in the SW corner :))
Liked the new word :SHEEPLE- not deplorable.
7
1 AM here. I've conceded defeat after one hour, most of which was spent in the NE. Really wish I'd seen some Transformers films. I was proud of myself for getting UCONN and CEREAL quickly but then ran into the proverbial brick wall. Touche.
One quibble: When E. R. was clued, I thought the fill ought to be R.N. or M.D. Or is there a D.R.? Doctor of Robotics?
1
@Al in Pittsburgh, for 12A I too was looking for RNS or MDS. But it's just DRS, as in Dr. ___, pluralized.
1
@Henry Su Yes, but the punctuation?
Al in Pittsburgh,
Abbreviation in the clue signals abbreviation in the entry, it does not signal or require a similar type of abbreviation.
2
There must be a statistical equation to determine the cause of “Single Letter Failure.”
I am not trying to coin a phrase but I can’t be the only person to work diligently through a puzzle at the edge of my pay grade and get stymied by “REOS / WII MOTES”.
Maybe it is simply fatigue and disinterest but I intuited AMOR, ELAS and UZOADUBA without guessing at vowels, leaving only REAS, no REIS, no REUS oh yeah REO Speedwagon ... anyway somebody should “MONEYBALL” the right frequency of words and jingoistic catchphrases to know just how often a single letter stops the presses.
Thanks Wordplay, another pearl.
2
Knowing it was REO and not REA (actor Stephen) or REI (an outdoor clothing company) may come from
1. Extensive crossword experience.
2. Knowing that REO is the name of an old car company (named for its founder, Ransom Eli Olds, better known for his other car, the Oldsmobile).
3. Recognizing the name "REO Speedwagon", perhaps due to the rock band that had major success in the 70s.
4. Knowing (or figuring out) that the band's name came from the car company's truck models that included everything from dump trucks to school buses.
5. Least likely, actual experience with REO Speedwagon vehicles.
Knowing WIIMOTES may come from
1. Extensive crossword experience, from which you intuit that WIIMOTES sounds like REMOTES , and therefore may be a hand-held gaming device (assuming you got the wacky WII part already).
2. Actual experience with WII systems.
I'll bet that more people have had actual experience with WII systems than REO Speedwagons, but I have neither.
There was a quotation that was popular a while back to the effect of "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence." You're done well to get to the point where you can figure out most of the answers; keep at it and this crossing will be easy peasy. And read all the blogs and columns; they help immensely to broaden and hone your abilities.
5
@Steve L
Two quick fixes: "You've done" rather than "You're done" in the last paragraph, and upon some research, it appears REO Speedwagon (the band) had its biggest success in the 80s, not the 70s.
1
@Steve L From the A Little Learning is a Dangerous Thing Dept.: WIIMINIS seemed to make sense for a while. Here again, knowing DECEPTICON would have avoided the ensuing difficulties.
Attention all contributors! Your attention please!
Many of you have complained about the plethora of obscure clues and fills. This is a valid and cogent criticism.
I would like to point out, however, that when you have a puzzle with 6 11-letter fills and 6 10-letter fills and several other "long" fills, it requires a great deal of prescience to complete these on the first pass. You are more likely to complete these entries after getting the short crossings and then building into successful completion.
For example, 1A: "Are we clear?", is totally obscure. There are many possible fills (although I don't have any examples at the moment).
So you have to roll with the punches. This is why it is called a CROSSword PUZZLE. If you can correctly fill from 1A to 60A without going back or looking at the down clues/fill (or complete all the D clues without using the A clues), then it is not a CROSSword or a PUZZLE.
Now, for those of you who are still unconvinced that a certain amount of obscurity is not desirable, let me remind you of my patented technique for completing any crossword puzzle: Just place a glyph in each square; whatever glyph comes to mind. Anyone looking over your shoulder will be amazed at the breadth of your knowledge.
11
@HALinNY
No one is looking over my shoulder when I'm solving except my cat.
I used to use pen-and-paper on the subway or bus, and I think I'd have smacked (okay, severely glared at) anyone who looked over my shoulder.
1
For all, but especially for Leapy:
An encyclopaedic reference of 1952 Republican campaign literature: I LIKE IKE: A CATLAOG.
5
Oooh ... and a bookcase to keep it in.
Why do I always hit the submit button before I am finished?
1
I few lookups for me today, some to confirm answers and the others for film/TV questions.
I liked the misdirection in the cluing, especially for CEREAL, SIMS, HAN, and DISCO. Had MDS before DRS, but that was my only entry that had to be replaced. Went fairly quickly for a Friday for me.
1
@ Caitlin,
The SIMS were/are a collection of simulation games involving virtual people, families, cities, etc.; which I'm sure is one reason the clue read "family of (in) computer games".
@JayTee and @Caitlin, I think 31A is a reference to "The Sims," which features virtual inhabitants of SimCity grouped into families.
1
@Henry Su - I used to play the Sims Family games and loved them. Somehow that M crossing with REGALEMENT was the last letter to fall. At first I thought "wining and dining" had to be some kind of EVENT. A legal event? Doh! I got WIIMOTE pretty quickly, since I have a WII. Haven't touched it in ages.
Like Wednesday, I finished at longer than my average for Fridays today. I said Wednesday that I rarely finish longer than my average these days, because my average goes back to when I was slower on a regular basis. But twice in three days, they were killers for me.
I think a lot has to do with the puzzle skewing very young. Too much DECEPTICON/SHEEPLE/WIIMOTES/SIMS in the same area is borderline unfair to a certain segment of the population. The fact that people are posting "Boomers' alternate clues" and "Millennials' alternate clues" indicate that the puzzles are moving into words that are limited in usage just so that a new word or phrase can make it into the puzzle.
5
@Steve L,
First, I think we're seeing a lot of younger constructors, and they tend to include terms that they are familiar with, but many of those same terms are used on the internet, in social media or in (today's) music as well.
I'm no spring chicken, but I've not been too bothered by many of these "younger" answers, and for some I'd be just as puzzled using the "Boomer" clues (and I am one).
The SIMCity games actually started back in the late '80s, and the SIMS followed in 2000, but if you weren't into computer gaming you might have had a hard time coming up with that answer.
7
Steve,
I don't read the "alternate clues" posts as pushback against "words that are limited in usage," just acknowledgement that popular culture and word usage vary from decade to decade.
(A minor qualm about the label "Boomer Clues." My children know most of the "boomer" clues, and my late parents would have too. These are cultural clues of a certain time, not for solvers of a certain age.)
4
@Barry Ancona
ALAS, no one posts "Pre-Boomer Clues."
2
Upper right corner killed me: SHEEPLE, WIIMOTES, DECEPTICON? REGALEMENT??? EEK!
I thought the rest was tough but doable, and satisfying. Another streak aBATEd by a (nearly unfair) Friday.
6
Too much -- for me -- obscure stuff. Not fun. DNF
8
When the answer is an example of the thing specified by the clue rather than a synonym for it, should not "e.g." be appended? This would seem to apply to 13D: "wining and dining" being only one form of regalement just as "Mennonites, e.g." is one of many sects.
3
@Backup
I was trying at first to fit in PARTICIPLES.
3
@Backup
You might see the "e.g." on Wednesday, and maybe on Thursday, but the clues get more arcane and obtuse as the week goes on.
2
Slangy and tricky. Hard to fathom multi-word names and phrases. A Friday puzzle for sure. WIIMOTES, SHEEPLE, IKEA CATALOG, AIDES DE CAMP, SEED OYSTERS, NOT A CHANCE, AIR KISS, my oh my.
Having never watched Orange is the New Black, no idea about UZO ADUBA. OVERZEALOUS was a beaut. So much packed into so few squares. The tricky clues for CEREAL, OVAL, CENSUS, HAN, LIMB. Also liked the clues for BRIBE and DISCO. Quite a puzzle.
I'm amazed that I finished, even though first and second pass I thought I was in trouble. But it was ultimately doable. And actually, less than 2/3 of the average time.
Don't really understand 3D. Hope someone can explain. But won't lose any sleep over it.
7
@Wen "Fabulous" as in featured in fables, I think, such as fables about the Abominable Snowman.
5
@Wen
If you find you're losing sleep, just count SHEEPLE.
@David
Yeah, I sort of thought the Fabulous part were about fables, but were YETIs ever featured in any fables? Unless it's in the sense of fictitious tales and not the Aesop kind, I just didn't see it.
A travesty. A new low in Shortz puzzles.
4
William, haven't seen you in a long time! What do you object to in this puzzle? Just everything?
2
For those of us who don’t follow computer gaming and superheroes, the northeast was definitely unfriendly territory. Clues with D&D and Trinity felt like a homecoming.
6
@Alan Young
Or watch “Orange is the New Black”.
Too many obscure—to me, at least— pop culture references.
8
Fortunately for me, I’ve been hanging out with my grandkids. Without them, I’d have been lost.
@Jersey Girl - I've never watched "Orange Is the New Black," but I'm familiar with Uzo Aduba from the Emmys, the Golden Globes, and the occasional talk show. She is a multi-award-winning actress. I did have to think about the spelling. I haven't watched "Transformers" either, but they were gettable from the crosses, ultimately, for me.
an IDYL of a puzzle? NOT A CHANCE! but I LIKE it!
That upper right corner was not made for me - I imagine it will receive more than a little pushback. I like Sam's work, quite a lot, and can't say this one was a bad Friday puzzle. I just wish there hadn't been so many interdependent things in one space.
14
@David Connell i completely agree. out of desperation, i actually tried to google for ‘wii motes’ and ’decepticon’, but they didn’t pop up, and so I failed to ‘cheat’! it’s almost 4 am here and i’m grateful to have finally finished, taking so much longer than my average time.
Oh my. After relatively painless Thursday and Friday, what will Saturday look like ?
One of those puzzles where I filled in all the squares thinking, "Now it'll tell me I have mistakes to find," but it didn't and then I had to figure out why everything was right. I didn't get the meaning for OVAL until I came to the column and I still think it's a stretch. The far NE was my last fill (DRS, EEK, CGI) and I was sure something was going to be incorrect there. Wasn't sure BATE was really a word, but it worked with everything around it. Likewise with the Portuguese ELAS. I got most of the letters in UZO ADUBA's name; at least enough to figure out where I was confused and get the right letters in there. So it felt like it was going to be really difficult, and then it all fell together more easily than I expected.
8
I had to use calculatus eliminatus for UZO’s last name.
That’s funny. For me, I filled in the ADUBA and couldn’t remember the UZO. Overall, pretty easy for a Friday.
As for yesterday’s Bee, I was annoyed that FRITILLARY and FRITILLARIA and RIATA were not accepted. The first would have been pangram bonanza.
@Liz Bor how bout us folk born in the 20th century when dope wasnt cool, nor was sick nor bad. I get linguistically challenged with the "looking glass" nature of post millennial argot evolution.