I solve the crossword every day in my iPhone (12 pro Max). Recently the keyboard shrunk! It is really difficult to do the crossword on the dinky keyboard. Please restore the keyboard to its proper size. My fingers will thank you.
CISWOMEN is offensive to women. A woman whose biological sex matches her gender is a woman, no prefix is required. BEANER was bad enough, please stop with the offensive terms in the puzzle. Don't give us a lame explanation about not knowing the deal or living in "rarefied circles," just stop.
7
Lynn,
I checked with the CISWOMEN in the household earlier, before I realized another poster was objecting to the definition, not the entry. I was advised that some women (and men) who refuse to recognize trans women as women would object to the term cis. And here you are! It's heartwarming to see that "privilege" in America is not limited to matters or race and class.
18
Isn’t a ciswoman just a woman? I understand it’s the opposite of transwoman, but doesn’t that undermine the intent of the change? To recognize a transwoman IS a woman? Doesn’t this excessive labeling just create division and unnecessary extra letters?
I simply love that we see both Gilbert AND Sullivan in this one.
1
Summing up the complaints about cis- by paraphrasing Steve King: "heteronormative -- how did that become offensive?"
3
First Sunday puzzle completed on a Sunday in ages. Watching football divisional championships and puzzle-working is surprisingly symbiotic. Need a break? Watch a couple of plays. Need a break? Use your brain.
The theme was tasty and clever, I thought. SINGLE MALT was the first theme answer I filled. TRAFFIC CONE made sense then, and CUPs, SCOOPs, and SHAKEs fell easily.
A little modern terminology was troublesome, and some odd terminology more so (yeah, I’m looking at you EYE PIT and AERIFY). Found CISWOMAN as a term unnecessary but I understand the (logical?) reasons behind it and don’t find it at all disturbing.
I loved looking at the gorgeous EMERALDS in the photo heading Caitlin’s column. Even after doing so it took several crosses before I realized they were a “sight in Oz.” Oh Duh... EMOTICON :-D big smile. Today I prefer the Mona Lisa.
:-)
4
can someone explain "ciswomen" please?
@Ann McKeon
The prefix "cis" means identifying with one's birth gender. Thus, a "ciswoman" is one born female who is comfortable with being female.
3
"Cis-" means "on this side" and "trans-" means "on the opposite side." Cisalpine and transalpine are examples of classical usage.
These prefixes are also used in chemistry, often when discussing isomers.
Cisgender is the obvious backformation from transgender.
3
@Ann McKeon
thank you
Had fun with the drinks. My favorite kind of clue—opaque at first but useful once you get a few letters.
But hOw is AUG an abbreviation for 8?
@Doug. It’s the 8th month
5
@Bellevue Bob
To be a little more exact, the clue calls for an abbreviated form of something that is equivalent to “8”. Not an abbreviation for “8” per se.
1
This was fun!
Finished within my standing goal of 20 minutes: 19:31.
2
Help! I’ve read here that others have come all the way to the end of the puzzle, not gotten “the music”, and the clock doesn’t stop. I’ve checked everything over and over. I’ve given up and clicked on the answer key and can find nothing wrong. I don’t have 0s for O’s.
Any other suggestions before I lost my streak?
could you have a 1 instead of an I?
For the longest time I had emojicon instead of emoticon. And set instead of lot.
Most likely you have a single letter wrong like libretti instead of libretto.
@Laurie A.
Thanks, Laurie! I had “SLIEST” instead of “SLYEST”. Looked at it a dozen times and couldn’t see it - like those Facebook posts where your mind fills in the blanks? Until the oft-posted phenomenon of putting it down and picking it up again later when your mind sees it anew!
4
@JoHarp
Down is such a challenge to proofread.
Two great features of the online puzzle would be a button to swap up and down, and a button to show clues next to current entries.
I've suggested that they provide the assistance of a copy editor for a modest fee. They could also fund app improvements by charging for them, the way folks pay for extra weapons or other assets in online games.
Regarding CISWOMEN:
In modern society we generally allow every group to choose the labels by which they are to be known. An unfortunate exception to this reasonable policy is the prefix “Cis”. In my experience it is used almost exclusively by people who do not belong to the group.
Is there a better alternative to this rather ugly term? “Normal” is unacceptable, as its opposite is pejorative. I’ve heard “heteronormative”, but six syllable words rarely survive as common usage.
All I know for sure is that this answer and its relatives should be cistematically excluded from the Puzzle.
12
Charlie -
As far as I understand it, cis- and trans- are prefixes dating back to Latin meaning “on this side of” and “opposite to”. In a gender context, then, the words “cisgender” and “transgender” only refer to the relationship between one’s assigned gender at birth and one’s current gender identity. Neither is perjorative. The word cisgender exists for the same reason the word heterosexual exists - in order to describe a person accurately, and specifically to combat the idea that cisgendered people are “normal” and transgendered people are not. There is also no correlation between gender identity and sexual orientation, so “heteronormative” is not at all a synonym for “cisgendered”. Hope this helps.
18
Thanks, Emily, but that doesn't help much. Accuracy is not enough. The word "homosexual" is also accurate, but in today's world it's used almost exclusively by people who are antagonistic. There's no H in LGBTQ.
In the sexual orientation space, the word "gay", now used universally, has unclear origins, but it's short, simple, and not fraught with meanings other than its overt one. It has completely overwhelmed the earlier meaning, which is now found only in song. ("Don we now our gay apparel", e.g.) So perhaps we need a similar word for those who are none of the above with regard to LGBTQ... - what would have been called "normal" in an earlier time.
I think "straight" is the best bet. Although it has lately been used to convey sexual orientation, I see no harm in co-opting it to also refer to gender identity. It should appeal to those of us in that "community" without implying anything unpleasant about others.
3
Sorry, Charlie, but after two thousand years of being perfectly pleasant companion terms, the only reason I can see to want to abandon cis and trans is for cis to invalidate trans. What oppression am I internalizing by accepting that I am a CIS MALE?
8
Terrific puzzle. I, too, thought the theme was about alcohol at first. When I finally caught on, I had a blast.
FWIW, I’ve had no recent problems loading comments using the app on my iPad.
1
I was very much enjoying the puzzle until I got to the uncritical “definition” for CISWOMEN. Many of us consider that a slur. Please try harder to avoid trendy, shallow nonsense that is considered ugly among those who are deeply involved in the issues.
5
Lori S.,
I appreciate your passion, but objection without any suggestion for correction leaves something to be desired (i.e., a remedy). Do you find the following to be an acceptable definition for CISWOMEN? If not, what definition would you have written?
"People who gender identities are female and birth assignments were female."
5
Bellevue Bob,
1. Does their anatomy make the entry on their birth certificates?
2. If life was limited to censored crossword puzzles, your solution would be great.
6
@Lori S. and all. I think people need to develop thicker skins and calm down. I'm not suggesting a return to the days of complete intolerance, but the pendulum has swung way too far in the other direction.
Weren't we, just days ago, discussing visits to Jahn's?
@Barry Ancona
I must have missed that. I just mentioned it on a different thread.
Steve,
I responded over there.
Only took THREE Refreshes today to get the Comments to load on the iPad...sheesh...
Once I realized only the second half of the entry had to do with ice cream parlor offerings, things went very smoothly.
Fave part was the 'Gilbert and SULLIVAN' pairing. _Smithsonian_ magazine once had a wonderful article about these two and teir collaborations, though it was sad to know that the partnership was not altogether a happy one.
Then I took up the Saturday Stumper again and finally finished it!! Had to walk away for about 12 hours...
4
Letter box
Got it in two today. First time. Yay!
I am not able to understand the rules for this puzzle. How do I submit a word?
@Laspeller
It seems that you need to click Enter after you complete each word.
If you’re playing on the app on an iPad, the delete and enter buttons are barely visible at the bottom of the screen. Delete is to the left and enter to the right. You can still tap them, right at the top edge.
Started the puzzle yesterday, got quickly bored with the very easy, very meh NW corner, and decided not to bother with the rest of it. Came to the blog earlier this a.m., saw that the crowd reaction was largely favorable, stopped reading the comments and went back to the puzzle. I ended up enjoying the rest of it more -- it was harder, for one thing -- so thanks, everyone.
The answer that gave me the most trouble was AERIFY (125A). I had -ERIF- and experienced no word pattern recognition that was a synonym for "vaporize". PS- (117D) was no help at all. Eventually, by the art of elimination, I got it.
SET instead of LOT for the "filming locale" gave me problems in the SW. ASHLEy didn't help either. IKEAS helped in that section, but c'mon -- is that a Plural of Convenience or what?
Just wondering from yesterday: Is today's SUCTION CUP a C CUP?
My favorite clue/answer was PARADISE at 30A. Needed lots of crosses to see it.
While the theme puns didn't especially FLOAT my boat, the surrounding fill offered some resistance and made up for it. Ended up enjoying the solve.
2
Why does the clock keep running on my puzzle even after I finished and got the happy music? And the happy music starts up every time I go into it to take a look at the completed grid.
iOS app on both iPhone and iPad.
Great puzzle today. I enjoyed the theme. I didn’t set a new speed record, but I did finish in about half my usual time. I enjoy more challenging puzzles, too, but sometimes it’s nice to breeze through a Sunday.
1
A theme that was actually useful while solving the puzzle - how novel!
2
I may have missed it as I skimmed Caitlin Lovinger's piece, but I thought it was fun that both Gilbert and Sullivan appeared in this puzzle...but in unrelated clues. Coincidence? [Gilbert wrote the LIBRETTO, and SULLIVAN composed "Yeoman of the Guard"]
2
Dan,
You missed (in Caitlin's column):
"I also liked how 56D informed 103A, as I’ve never really thought of an Arthur SULLIVAN."
3
@Dan Garfinkel
Gilbert's amazing facility with language and his wittiness are seldom matched...'The very model of a modern major-general' slays me every time I hear it. I think of Stephen Sondheim's collaboration with Bernstein for 'West Side Story' and 'Officer Krupke'....the only comparable talent pairing. I wonder if others have additional suggestions?
1
@Mean Old Lady
I've been told that Mozart & DaPonte compare at that level. Unfortunately, it seems that a knowledge of Italian idioms and double meanings is necessary to fully appreciate their work in this context.
Good morning from snowy Maryland ! As a doc never heard of EYE PIT for ocular socket - it's the ORBIT :)
Also Caitlin you are probably too young to have eaten off of MELMAC - but in the 70's everyone in my neck of the woods lived on planet MELMAC because we ate off it every night . MELMAC was a brand of plastic dinnerware , and serving dishes that was very modern back in the day .
Off to start shoveling !
5
@Cathy P
I have heard of (and owned) Melamine, but not Melmac.
Three cheers re: your comment about "eye pit." I was so sure the answer was "orbit" that I tried to find a rhebus or other trick to make it work.
Had to smile at the side-by-side juxtaposition of WAGEHIKE and INEEDIT.
Nice one, Mr. Kravis!
3
This is great puzzle of which I can say "it doesn't get any better than this". A good mental workout, neatly dovetailing crosses, no lookups (!), an opportunity for a quibble, and a really fun theme with fresh fill. Most of it went. quickly but I had to slow down to do the right side, mostly the upper right. Wish the author had squeezed "egg cream" in somewhere.
Quibble re 6D: That fill to me is a wide grin; an open mouth would be an upper or lower case "o".
Absolutely superb clue-fill: 66D
Did 95D remind anyone else of the movie character in "Dr Strangelove"?
Interesting crossing pairs:
11A - 12D
23A - 4D
54D - 67A
There are more -- I won't spoil the fun.
Kudos!
[PS. I put this in before reading the blog or commentary, so it's possible I might be repeating what others may have said. If so, great minds and all that ...:-)...]
Again, I didn't find this all that easy, but certainly not as difficult as I found yesterday's puzzle. It certainly wasn't tricky, perhaps I do better with more trickery. It did bring back memories as I noted in my reply to Lewis.
Nice cluing for Gilbert and Sullivan. The punny theme answers brought on a groan and smile, some more that others and one could see the Merl Reagle influence.
4
Caitlin writes: "I solved this as “Selmac” with “Sens” at 78D, until I just checked on this entry in the answers while columnizing for you."
Hi Cailtin,
1. I didn't go to law school either, but I've been on enough criminal case juries and/or seen enough Law & Order to make a gimme of MENS rea.
2. I guess you're too young for the "other" MELMAC to be a gimme (as two other commenters noted earlier today and was also discussed here a month or so ago). The use it for ALF's home planet reminds me of shady shop owners of Middle Eastern origin (of any religion) telling customers that goods were imported from the Island of Zift.
2
I asked one retinal surgeon and three other doctors if they ever used or heard of EYE PIT. Not one had used the term.
2
I never heard or referred the ORBIT as an EYEPIT. Obviously, ORBIT couldn’t fit and I knew something was AFOOT.
1
@Jim According to Wiktionary, it's usage is now rare...
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eye-pit
@Steve Faiella
How about scarcer than rare?
1
Not at all easy for me, but a good long workout. SINGLEMALT was the first theme answer I got, and that sort of pointed me in the right direction. But then SUCTIONCUP was the next one and I still don't really get that; it kind of threw me off. Finally just put that behind me and the theme did help a lot with some of the others, notably PARADEFLOAT and KARAOKEBAR. Also enough straightforward easy stuff in most sections to get a toehold.
A couple of one-time viral videos in the clues and answers: Gangnam Style and HARLEMSHAKE. I recall seeing both of those (once) at some point. The fourth most watched Youtube video of all time is the original of Bruno Mars' 'Uptown Funk,' with over 3 billion views. I watched it once; didn't do a whole lot for me. But... there is another version which is my all-time favorite video (only about 44 million views). I know I've linked this before - maybe more than once - but I can never get enough of it. Maybe there are a few that haven't seen it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1F0lBnsnkE
..
1
@Rich in Atlanta
I know The Harlem Shuffle but not The Harlem Shake. But I'm from Canada "and they think I'm slow, eh?"
3
Canayjun guy,
I've been meaning to ask: is a Canayjun one who has returned from Louisiana?
1
@Rich in Atlanta
Thanks so much for the link; I hadn’t seen this video before. It’s wonderful!
1
I was so SURE that 16D was LATINSPEAKING that my wheels spun for a considerable time.
AERIFY?!?! Gimme a BREAK!
Surely there could have been a better clue for 95D?? “Get lost” maybe?? I’ve never heard KISS OFF used as an adjective.
94D Clue: “Antonym of xxxx”? There are quite a few alternatives for “xxx”. Miriam-Webster has “theoretical” listed nearly last among the words “related to A PRIORI”.
Enjoyed gnawing on this one!!
@PeterW
If given the KISS OFF, you are given a dismissal. No adjective in clue or entry.
3
@PeterW
I kinda think Latin isn't spoken much anywhere these days. Not even in Catholic masses, much less Latin America.
2
@Peter W
Blame Amerigo Vespucci for your wheelspinning.
The French kisser ordered a... *
The puzzle not only kept my solving chops active and happy, it brought back a memory of my youth. My mom sang in the chorus of a well-known Gilbert and Sullivan troupe that had a temperamental director. My mom was a talker, and this director once kicked her out of a production of The Mikado because she was gabbing during a rehearsal when she should have been listening to him. He kicked her out in front of the whole troupe by shouting, "Shirley, turn in your fan!"
I must add that, IMO, Arthur Sullivan had a superb talent for melody. I will also add a memory triggered by the puzzle: Far and away, my favorite ice cream treat in my youth was the ice cream sandwich. Wondering what were favorites of other commenters?
Thanks for the memories, Andy!
* LICKEDY SPLIT
2
Lewis,
"Reco" for sharing the memory, but...
*I only know it (and see it) as *lickety* split, which doesn't work [quite as well/at all].
2
My favorite these days is a scoop of peppermint stick on a sugar cone, eaten at a sticky table outside the ice cream counter after a leisurely walk on a hot summer's day.
In my youth, I thought the ice-cream truck was the best thing in the world and usually went for the orange push pop, an extruded column of orange sherbet on a stick. Sounds yummy, eh?
1
@Lewis, My memory is going to an ice cream parlor called Addie Vallins in around 1949/50 with two close friends and ordering a banana split and 3 spoons. I don't remember ever having any trouble sharing it fairly.
2
SPELLING BEE
40/117 pangram and bingo
B - 14 - 10x4, 3x5, 1x6
G - 7 - 3x4, 2x5, 2x6
I - 2 - 1x5, 1x9
L - 7 - 5x4, 1x5, 1x7
M - 4 - 3x4, 1x6
O - 2 - 1x4, 1x5
R - 4 - 3x4, 1x5
Hints: Based on the figures above the pangram can only be one of two words as none of the others are long enough. Don’t get into a sticky situation by backing yourself into a corner trying out the other letters.
My last word I got by accident and had to look it up - a small African antelope.
Good luck!
14
@BarbJ
My last word was the same. The beekeeper loves that one but rejects the mundane OBLIGOR.
The only reason I can remember the critter is because of Mel Blanc’s voicing of Speedy Gonzales, who routinely uttered a similar word twice in succession before bolting.
1
@BarbJ Finally got the pangram after much frustration. It's a word I'm familiar with only because it was in the name of a song by the Steve Miller Band, on their album "Book of Dreams". I'd link to the song, but that would give away the pangram... :)
@Liane I was surprised at the omission of OBLIGOR as well, especially since in my long career in financial services, it was a word I was very familiar with!
Today's Bee had many friends from Middle-Earth show up. Bilbo, Boromir, Gimli, Ori, and the red star Borgil even appeared. All disallowed because they are names, of course. Although Orlando BLOOM was allowed. :)
3
No spoilers please.
Yesterday, I was obsessed with tea in the Bee. Tetley and Ceylon insisted on being typed with foreknowledge they’d be rejected. I can’t unsee certain words if I don’t them.
I also tried Bilbo today - just cause.
3
@Liane
MANHATTAN was accepted once, so I try everything. HARRY is always accepted, and it technically can be a verb (whence the adjectival form HARRIED), so I'll try BARRY, LARRY, GARRY...
@Steve L
"And if manhattan is ever rejected in the future, I'll just have to drink one," she said ryely.
7
PLEASE don't apologize for the pithy content in your first paragraph. If etymology and interesting vocabulary is unacceptable in a column about words games, then the world is way too dumbed down. If interesting concepts and unfamiliar words are forbidden here, where in Helheim am I going to get them?
10
@Gloriana Agreed. Caitlin, that was a wonderful 1st paragraph.
1
TSA before SSA, and MALMAC before MELMAC. I watched just enough Alf as a teenager to permanently alter my Sesame Street instincts from educational zeitgeist to dystopian hellscape.
Throw in the Phil Collins “Land of Confusion” video and “The Dark Crystal” - now suddenly Elmo’s cousin is a nightmarish vision of disparate humanity clinging to idolatry.
Anyway this puzzle was grand. Clever theme, a handful of “duck and cover” clues (FDR / SSA) and a few gimmes, (ELLA / WILMA), made for a nice melange. Yesterday’s puzzle stumped me on BREECHES and AMARILLO ... a mere three letters from the happy jingle.
Tonight, only two, but it took me over an hour.
Nothing is perfect.
Kudos and bravo.
I agree with many posters that this one was a “pizza cake.” The only slowish area for me was the SE corner. Otherwise filled pretty much as fast as I could correctly tap on letters on my iPhone. Didn’t much care for EYEPIT and AERIFY. I would bet that neither would be Bee-worthy. Not familiar with EWA beach either though I’ve seen enough Hawaiian words to assume the ending to EW would be A and anyway what else could -ERIFY be with that clue?
Not a new personal best though I think my existing stat for Sunday is bogus. I’m certain that my 2:20 for Saturday is wrong and Sunday is suspicious too. I wish there were a way to reset PBs but nothing else about the stats. OTOH, what does it really matter?
4
@David Meyers
EWA is a beach, but in Honolulu is better known as a direction in general: Ewa or Diamond Head.
Eye pit was a groaner. Very friendly Sunday puzzle. Fun theme, though I'm feeling a bit peckish now...
1
Very slow going for me. Eye pit?
3
@Caitlin Assuming you're in NYC, there's no need to go to Buffalo for a classic ice cream parlor. Just head out to Eddie's Sweet Shop on Metropolitan Ave in Forest Hills. The place is legit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLBxJgtj7-P/
1
Fastest Sunday yet! Felt like a large Tuesday/Wednesday.
1
It's hard to think of AOL as an internet service provider in 2019 but they apparently still maintain their dial up service. I can only imagine surfing today's internet at 56k.
2
The trains got stuck in their STAS, and I lost five minutes connecting to the N. I was oddly willing to believe that one could be saved by the TAOTE(Ching) until I got out on bond.
5
Re: STAS / STNS
I learned man years before my first railroad job to carefully check before crossing.
2
N.B. They were "man years," but "many years" was the intended expression.
2
Well ALF may have come from MELMAC but back in the '50s we ate off Melmac, the amazing unbreakable plastic developed by IIRC Westinghouse and molded into ... dishes!
World War II consumed practically all plastics development and when it ended, as did many other things, plastics became a very hot trending item. Make way for Tupperware
I think I have some in my garage, right next to the missing portion of the dead sea scrolls. I bet Martin remembers Melmac dinnerware. Of course that would be before he moved to the mainland :=)
1
@HALinNY,
Growing up I remember the melamine plates because you could personalize them with photos of your children or with their artwork. I see that service is still available from companies like Walmart and Shutterfly. Melmac was the melamine brand of American Cyanamid.
6
@Henry Su Thanks Henry! I rememberd melamine but not Melmac. Saved me a google...
@Steve Faiella et al --
We still have melamine in sheet form bonded to composition board for kitchen and workshop panels.
Most of this went very quickly - three minutes over my best and under half my average. Not familiar with EWA, and had to figure out AERIFY to get it. Most of the rest filled in after I got one or two letters in place.
Liked most of the clues and themers, but EYE PIT was not a favorite.
6
"O Aerify, Aerify,
Wherefore can one thee justify?
Deny thy druthers and refuse thy game,
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my loath,
And I will no longer recapitulet."
Once I was invited to an exotic formal dinner by my friend TRAF FICCONE. It featured a roasted whole sheep's head, tastefully presented and garnished. Traf warned me to be careful when I chew on the ocular orb. The EYE PIT almost broke a tooth.
8
@Laszlo My breakfast almost came back for an encore...
2
@Laszlo
Citation, please?
Dag,
Act II, Scene 2, I believe.
1
After a Friday and a Saturday where I was totally stuck, this was great!, fun yet challenging.
2
I didn't find the theme answers amusing, or clever.
4
For some reason, I'm reminded of the Just So story about the camel and his hump.
1
@PaulSFO Which is, of course, your right, but does that statement do anything to advance the conversation?
1
Steve Faiella,
PaulSFO did *not* say "bad puzzle" (which would not have been constructive). I don't think he is obliged to state *why* he did not find the theme amusing or clever, or, for that matter, to "advance the conversation" (which, of course, he has, since there are now three replies on the thread).
3
Like just about everyone who has commented so far, I found this one pretty simple. But it did not beat my average time, because I put in NOE for NOH and didn’t notice that I had messed up the crosser, FAITHHILL, which I already had. When I was finished it said I had an error, and by the time I found it, I had lost at least 5 minutes. Oh well.
1
Like others here, this puzzle was a relatively quick solve--only seven minutes slower than my best.
With the exception of the "A" in JAH and AL ANON, the West came together first and very smoothly. I don't know my Rastafari and I knew AA but not its sister group for families.
The East presented a few bumps. I needed EWA, ASHE, KISS OFF, and PSY to get AERIFY. HARLEM SHAKE was the one themer that I had trouble completing with the first word in hand. And I had to run through the alphabet for the "D" in EID and DEAD AIM; the latter phrase simply eluded me.
I enjoyed LAIKA's appearance after nearly nine years and the fresh cluing for IKEA. Thanks, Mr. Kravis!
1
LAIKA always makes me sad.
6
@Puzzledog Me too!!
1
@all:
Laika was 1957, I think -- 2nd or 3rd space vehicle after Sputnik I.
My solve wasn't nearly so record-setting as several of the early posters here, but it was noticeably faster than my average. It was a very smooth solve, with nothing too exciting going on. I'd never heard of the HARLEM SHAKE. The word DEMIJOHNS makes me think of moonshine. I liked some of the more unusual words like BOATLIFT (at one of my favorite Hilton Head restaurants you can eat under the live oaks outside and watch the BOATLIFT at the next-door boatyard at work) and the odd vowel run in DEA AGENTS.
Hot corn cold corn.
2
Alternate clue for 28-Across: English word seemingly known only by North Koreans
1
@Fact Boy - Not anymore. Now it's known by millions of non-North Koreans.
@Fact Boy I use it almost daily when commenting on current events news stories.
2
@Fact Boy
As I stared at my half-completed grid, I noticed DO_A_D at 28A. I thought to myself that DONALD would fit, but knowing of his extremely high IQ, I decided that it did not fit the clue. It seems I may have been half right after all.
4
Quite enjoyable.
All hail Merl Reagle!
I miss Merl's puzzles for their incomparable wit. They always left me smiling or groaning, often both.
Thank you Mr. Trudeau for carrying his mantle forward! And for prompting memories.
4
@Liane Ooops. Mr. Kravis!! And Mr. Trudeau. It's been a long day. . . .
1
@Liane
Not to worry. You do honor to all.
@Liane
Books of his puzzles are still available. I have some all over the house--always good for a challenge and a smile. Please buy from the source, not creepy amazon et al.!
http://www.sundaycrosswords.com/
The Washington Post still runs them regularly.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/crossword-puzzles/merl-reagle/?utm_term=.e650f0191341
I'd like to AERIFY AERIFY.
Cute, enjoyable theme, although it seems Sunday is the new Thursday. Odd week of exceptionally easier than usual puzzles for me. Just in my wheelhouse, I guess.
Except for AERIFY. That one ate a full minute (crossed with PSY) and I still dislike it. I don't dispute its existence or anything . . . having verified it . . . but I'd wish it would VAPORIZE . . . forever.
6
@Liane OTOH, you may want to remember it for future grids... :)
2
With two clues for Gilbert & Sullivan, you know I had to show up with a clip:
"When our gallant Norman foes"
From "The Yeomen of the Guard"
W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
Monica Sinclair, Glyndebourne Chorus,
Pro Arte Orchestra, Sir Malcolm Sargent
https://youtu.be/SG49dgQTIZw
"Yeomen" is the closest G&S came to grand opera during their collaborations. Some of the more serious tone can be heard here in this tribute to the Tower of London and its grim history.
3
@Alan J, Yes, I knew and looked forward to it, good choice.
1
Enjoyable puzzle. big fan of Gilbert & SULLIVAN -- esp. The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance!
2
This was a fast one foe me, too. No brain freeze with this one.
1
Easy week, 28 minutes under par.
1
Upon completion, my congratulations popup didn't tell me by how much I beat my average, so I went to stats and found out that today I set a personal Sunday record! I never noticed that I was moving particularly fast.
Which makes me wonder, when you don't break your personal record, they tell you how much above or below your average for that day you were. When you do break your record, the info in the record column is immediately updated, so you don't know by how much you beat your previous record. Interesting.
I didn't have the impression, while solving, that this was an especially easy puzzle, but apparently, it was to me.
1
Stats? There are stats? Where, please?
If you solve them on the app, it keeps your stats for each day separately, so that you can compare how you do on Mondays, Tuesdays, etc. It also maintains streaks. Both fun and frustrating!
Thanks. I have since found the faq's and learned that stats are not available on Android devices (boo) and that's why I couldn't find them. They're only on iOS or PC's.. So I will have l look when I am next on my laptop--should be fun.
2