Great puzzle. Not a fan of SLO, however.
The puzzle constructor and I inhabit parallel and non-communicating universes. I have never seen or heard of a "mic drop" nor of a "peace out". Presumably these a words/phrases that crop up in some version of the English language know to the hip or the cognoscenti, but it was lost on me and thus the puzzle was indeed a puzzle and an annoying one.
Zabar's is n a deli.
1
Whew, I had to fight for so many of the answers. The clues were clever and many of the answers were out of the ordinary. Kept me off balance. Fun!
This was fun and clever--except somehow Anthem;s Ayn Rand could have been micayn which sounds like it must be something.
I love how I think the puzzle writers are just SO stupid and annoying but then when I get it, I go from I hate this person this is the greatest person on earth--in a heartbeat. When I got micdrop and things fell into place immediately, I just LOVED the whole world.
I love how I think the puzzle writers are just SO stupid and annoying but then when I get it, I go from I hate this person this is the greatest person on earth--in a heartbeat. When I got micdrop and things fell into place immediately, I just LOVED the whole world.
2
Although this is off topic, it is certainly newsworthy. Yesterday's breakthrough discovery of a miraculous treatment for MS owes some thanks to this incredible entourage of Rockers. 34 years after this benefit for MS research wound up at MSG, there is more hope than ever for those afflicted. Ronnie Lane would succumb to the dreaded disease 14 years after this tour. This is the show and tour finale, Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdK-h0gCqno
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdK-h0gCqno
.
3
I have to say -- after having just sent off my yearly tax info to the CPA -- I was really looking forward to the puz today and then realized I would have to google a lot to get anywhere: some of the clues were way out of my cultural comfort zone.
So ... I decided to accept the perversity of the situation and see how many googles I really needed anyway. Would you believe 7? This is the main reason I don't participate in crossword tournaments. (Sorry, Deb!)
Anyway, I tumbled to the MIC-less theme with 39D. (39A was a great clue, BTW.) But I still think 19A is correct the "straight" way -- balsamic has much fewer calories than most salad dressings. Now that's diabolic.
So ... I decided to accept the perversity of the situation and see how many googles I really needed anyway. Would you believe 7? This is the main reason I don't participate in crossword tournaments. (Sorry, Deb!)
Anyway, I tumbled to the MIC-less theme with 39D. (39A was a great clue, BTW.) But I still think 19A is correct the "straight" way -- balsamic has much fewer calories than most salad dressings. Now that's diabolic.
1
not one of the best.
1
Very clever, very tricky. It took me until nearly the end to get "MIC DROP" and understand what was going on. (Never heard of a "mic drop" until today, incidentally.) The only answer I remain a bit puzzled by is "SLO" for "Traffic caution." Is this meant literally (are there road signs somewhere that omit the W), or is it a pun that I didn't catch?
1
Not to worry, it's actually literal. The trend in traffic warning signs is to keep them as short as possible -- for two (I think) reasons; (1) the display medium is very short, (2) as is the driver attention span
2
On Google images, at least, the only road signs using SLO were related to San Luis Obispo.
It would take more time to process the meaning of SLO than to read one extra letter.
It would take more time to process the meaning of SLO than to read one extra letter.
3
Nice puzzle! Proceeded not too slow, finally getting to PIN, I mean MIC, DROP, which allowed almost finishing . . . until three squares remained, all on the West coast, taunting me for several minutes until seeing MBABANE, a city I've never heard of (but am happy to learn), and finally hitting on SKIM OFF (the KI had been missing) only to get Mr. Happy Pencil not knowing why. What is a KOED, a kollege woman in a Keystone Kops komedy? A West Coast radio station? Aha, it's KO'ED. Peace at last. (Btw, I saw GONE GIRL a few years ago and thought it very well done for its genre and very entertaining, especially if you like scenes set in Portland, Oregon.)
And some terrific clues. Including the ones that bamboozled me the most, "Not getting up until after 10?" and "Take from the top" and "Turner of music" — all wonderful!
A fun puzzle!
And some terrific clues. Including the ones that bamboozled me the most, "Not getting up until after 10?" and "Take from the top" and "Turner of music" — all wonderful!
A fun puzzle!
2
I've missed quite a few puzzles these last few months, so am particularly glad not to have missed this one - though it threw me for a loop. My usual theme blindness plus the fact that the revealer has been in the lexicon for some time does not guarantee fhat it is in my wheelhouse. Neither were Zabars or the capital of Swaziland. ( I first read it as Switzerland and wondered wby the Swiss Franc should be an MBA's bane).
Be that as it may, congrats, Lewis. on a fine puzzle.
Incidentally, 13A is just a factual, whereas 15A can be costrued as political commentary.
Be that as it may, congrats, Lewis. on a fine puzzle.
Incidentally, 13A is just a factual, whereas 15A can be costrued as political commentary.
3
So glad to see you back here, Amitai. Hope you'll hang around.
1
Good to see you back, Amatai
2
Viv, Suejean
Thanks for the welcome. My intermittent absences are not voluntary, and I have been solving and reading the blog on many more puzzles than I have commented on.
Thanks for the welcome. My intermittent absences are not voluntary, and I have been solving and reading the blog on many more puzzles than I have commented on.
2
and Elke
My Thu. trick of starting at the bottom paid off with MICDROP , but then my GAIT slowed A BIT. My model kept her weight down by being "buliMIC"...
Started to feel really OLD, because I had lpPLAYER before CDPLAYER (I even remember a crank model).
The clue "not getting up until after 10" meant I was still in my MICrobe....
Took it as a shout-out to us :i.e. ROB and ALKA(LINE) :))
Loved the puzzle- hope to see more of you, Lewis, on the creative side.
My Thu. trick of starting at the bottom paid off with MICDROP , but then my GAIT slowed A BIT. My model kept her weight down by being "buliMIC"...
Started to feel really OLD, because I had lpPLAYER before CDPLAYER (I even remember a crank model).
The clue "not getting up until after 10" meant I was still in my MICrobe....
Took it as a shout-out to us :i.e. ROB and ALKA(LINE) :))
Loved the puzzle- hope to see more of you, Lewis, on the creative side.
3
I LOVED this puzzle. Aside from the thematic clues and answers, so man of the rest of the clues were ingenious, like 44A, long and steep. I'll be looking for more puzzles from Mr. Rothlein!
2
Great puzzle, in lots of ways. A real pleasure to solve. But I feed the need to comment on one particular clue in particular. “Not getting up until after 10?" for KOED really made me smile. I've been doing crosswords for a long time, but I don't recall ever seeing that before. A tip of the hat, sir.
3
This is a debut for KOED in the Shortz era, but KOD has been here 17 times.
1
Many kind comments re my puzzle today, and a heart-felt thank you. When I make a puzzle, my biggest concern is that the solve is enjoyable and satisfying, and whoever is reading this, I hope it was that for you!
24
Where to report glitches in the puzzle. Today I had first written "skimoff" for "take from the top". Corrected it to "scimoff" because the answer going across was "coed"
However when the puzzle was complete I got the "error" message. When I asked for the reveal the "skimoff" was still in place altho I had corrected it! A minor, but annoying, issue. Also, isn't "scimoff" an incorrect spelling?
However when the puzzle was complete I got the "error" message. When I asked for the reveal the "skimoff" was still in place altho I had corrected it! A minor, but annoying, issue. Also, isn't "scimoff" an incorrect spelling?
The answer across was "KOED" as in knocked out
1
43A is an abbreviation for not getting up for a ten-count in boxing.
Thank you. I didn't get it, obviously. Thought there had been a typo w/ "coed" . Now I feel "kayoed"
3
PROTEAN (Greek Mythology always floors me) negated my entry of grit. So is a shamble sorta like a swagger? Bec GAIT usurped all the swagger out of my solve today. There oughta be a law.
adj.
1590s, from Greek Proteus, sea god (son of Oceanus and Tethys) who could change his form; his name is literally "first," from protos "first" (see proto- ).
adj.
1590s, from Greek Proteus, sea god (son of Oceanus and Tethys) who could change his form; his name is literally "first," from protos "first" (see proto- ).
Hmmm
My CiC is MiA.
What could I have done wrong? I did mention my episodes of ESP....but how is that a threat to the well-being of EMUs?
My CiC is MiA.
What could I have done wrong? I did mention my episodes of ESP....but how is that a threat to the well-being of EMUs?
This is a totally off-topic post--please forgive me! We haven't seen Alan J here in a while, but he's been busy being the Music Director for the Durham Savoyards' production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Grand Duke, which opens tonight at the Carolina Theater and runs through Sunday. I encourage anyone in the Durham area to get a ticket and go--it'll be great fun!
6
He is the very model
hee hee
hee hee
1
Your comment warrants commendation Liz, not forgiveness. When I smell flowers, I look for an opening night. Break a leg Alan J. Hope you get a bunch.
1
and Elke
Liz B- thanks for that.Had been missing him.
Liz B- thanks for that.Had been missing him.
1
Congrats, Lewis! I really enjoyed this one. And personal thanks for not cluing CDPLAYER as some sort of outdated technology.
I had an INKLING about what was going on when the crosses were pointing to MICKEY @51A, which seemed to make only half-sense. POLEMIC was where I fully caught on. Didn't know MBABANE; unlikely to forget it now.
Deb, do the emus and the NENEs get along OK in the crossword aviary?
I don't know exactly when it started, but the MICDROP really entered pop culture when Eminem performed the action in a climactic scene of his 2002 movie "8 Mile"--15 years ago, which makes me feel OLD. That clip won't pass standards, so this is female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa with the gentler "My MIC Sounds Nice," an underground hit from 1987:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWYFgBZG8YU
I had an INKLING about what was going on when the crosses were pointing to MICKEY @51A, which seemed to make only half-sense. POLEMIC was where I fully caught on. Didn't know MBABANE; unlikely to forget it now.
Deb, do the emus and the NENEs get along OK in the crossword aviary?
I don't know exactly when it started, but the MICDROP really entered pop culture when Eminem performed the action in a climactic scene of his 2002 movie "8 Mile"--15 years ago, which makes me feel OLD. That clip won't pass standards, so this is female rap trio Salt-N-Pepa with the gentler "My MIC Sounds Nice," an underground hit from 1987:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWYFgBZG8YU
2
JB, you need not fret about my beating you to the punch whenever you opt for the genre you linked today. Excluding the Sugarhill Gang, you pretty much have the whole enchilada.
1
I am a very new crosswords solver (about a year) and have a certain method to the madness. Monday/Tuesday I try to solve on my own but later in the week I will do a few google searches and I come to Wordplay to check out the Tricky Clues section. I don't want to know the theme yet because that is still the "fun" part! In the past few weeks there have been more and more theme answers in the Tricky Clues. Today there was a spoiler alert however I was hoping for just a little nudge but alas the theme was given away. Some clues that could have been there include MBABANE, OTRO, ZENER, OBLA, or ECCE.
2
I thought this was a clever concept which it took me a while to recognize. Good job, Lewis!
1
Thought I was going to be had on this one. Thanks for teaching me the capital of Swaziland and the rarest state bird, although I will probably forget them in an hour or two. I suppose I had heard of Zabar's and zener at one time, not that it helped me here. When you can't figure out one square it's easy enough to run through the alphabet, but it gets a little tedious when there are two such. Well, keep trying, I'm sure you will get me yet.
4
Is this Lewis "our" Lewis?
1
Yes!
1
Wow. Thank you, Lewis! Loved it.
1
CS Lewis, ha ha....
(I am in need of more opportunities to get out, I guess...)
(I am in need of more opportunities to get out, I guess...)
1
As you might imagine I just loved this one droned dk, dripping with sarcasm. Why not drop acid or drop trou.... nooooo we have to a drop nonsense syllable. Adding insult to injury: BEYONCE! In an era where Dylan is awarded a Nobel for song lyrics we award singers who repeat one or two phrases over and over and over. But wait, there's more: A Spice Girl
Excuse me I need to adjust my cranky pants. OK, fine now.
The art history and chemistry clues are great. Did not know 10d and my hippie beads will be repossessed as I could not recall LAPPE. KOED was my LOL moment.
Thanks Lewis.
Excuse me I need to adjust my cranky pants. OK, fine now.
The art history and chemistry clues are great. Did not know 10d and my hippie beads will be repossessed as I could not recall LAPPE. KOED was my LOL moment.
Thanks Lewis.
2
I have that paperback cookbook in my collection but was too lazy to get up and check it. I let the crosses unveil the name. (Other than James Beard, Julia Child, and Irma Rombauer Becker, whose cookbook writers' names would be important enough to recall?)
That should bring a spate of responses down on this old gray head....
That should bring a spate of responses down on this old gray head....
1
Fannie Farmer - whose birthday was recently commented on the Keillor's 'A Writer's Almanac'.
2
MOL, I'd be mighty disappointed if you didn't have Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living somewhere on your shelf.
Loved this puzzle! Slogged slowly at the beginning although there were a few sure fills. I didn't begin to get into my stride until I figured out KOED and LIMO one after the other. MICDROP is a term I first learned from Wordplay a week or so ago, so it took me a good while to figure out the theme revealer. And it was BALSAMIC that led me to all the other MIC answers.
This was a great way to start my day. I'll be watching for Mr. Rothlein to appear again.
This was a great way to start my day. I'll be watching for Mr. Rothlein to appear again.
2
Lewis, my aha moment came late -- I was starting to panic --when I got MICDROP which allowed me to make sense of BALSAMIC. Very clever!
Speaking of clever, your clues! You take such care with your cluing and it shows.
Living in NYC for seventeen years ZABARS was a gimme. My biggest point of ignorance was MBANBANE but the doctor, BEN, saved me there.
I really liked how two themers intersected at COMICAL/MICKEY to form a little MIC/MIC cross. A plus!
When I read GONEGIRL I didn't have an INKLING to how it would end.
Congratulations on constructing a Thursday level puzzle, Lewis, I really enjoyed the challenge ... bravo!
Speaking of clever, your clues! You take such care with your cluing and it shows.
Living in NYC for seventeen years ZABARS was a gimme. My biggest point of ignorance was MBANBANE but the doctor, BEN, saved me there.
I really liked how two themers intersected at COMICAL/MICKEY to form a little MIC/MIC cross. A plus!
When I read GONEGIRL I didn't have an INKLING to how it would end.
Congratulations on constructing a Thursday level puzzle, Lewis, I really enjoyed the challenge ... bravo!
3
Nice tricky Thursday puzzle for which I needed the reveal. I've only just heard of MICDROP and only in crosswords, no idea what it meant, and I'm not much wiser after Deb's clip, but a little. Anyway, that certainly helped and I had a lot of fun backtracking and either finding the MICs and making sense of the fill or using the hint to figuring out the answer.
Like others had released before FREEDM. I quite often get the misdirection but still come up with the wrong answer, all part of the fun.
It was a hearty AHA, Lewis. Keep those tricky Thursdays coming.
Like others had released before FREEDM. I quite often get the misdirection but still come up with the wrong answer, all part of the fun.
It was a hearty AHA, Lewis. Keep those tricky Thursdays coming.
5
2
A very Presidential dramatic ending, to be Shure.
3
Thanks, bigbee. That helps.
This one had me grizzling at first but with persistence, I GRITted my teeth and plowed through the chicanery, eventually sussing the theme. My not made of glass jaw was clenched so tightly, I mis-read the clue for 1d to be Switzerland. The solve was eventually KO'ED but not before I endured the ORDEALS that accompany a few standing eight counts. Old age gave way to OCTANE, Heat to RAYS, eer to EEN, Teri to GERI and urns to ORES. I went 5 for 6 with the theme answers which is better than Don Mattingly.......and AL KALINE for that matter. This was one meaty puzzle and not without a lions share of tough areas. My "ahas" outweighed the "what the hays" 5 to 1. A puzzle that was easy enough to dance to but to solve; not so much. I'll rate it in the 80's or 90's...The year was 1956. Big Joe Turner had a Billboard #1 hit for a couple of months with "Honey Hush." "Turn off the water works baby that don't move me no more."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW6mOgG5kvA
Fast forward some 35 years and Albert Collins played Big Joe's number to a deeper shade of blue at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u21AMRxQoQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW6mOgG5kvA
Fast forward some 35 years and Albert Collins played Big Joe's number to a deeper shade of blue at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u21AMRxQoQ
4
Oops, it appears that I'm a little groggy, punch drunk if you will. Sir Paul, the puzzle did indeed have A BIT of a Beatles feel to it, somehow upstaged Albert Collins. No apologies needed, I'm sure all y'all will concur. This is the aforementioned link to Albert in Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lg9VPEQQ60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lg9VPEQQ60
1
Hand up for "seeing" Switzerland at first.
Cheese fondue.
Cheese fondue.
5
Very hard, in a very good way. Randomly distributed theme answers give it a sassy post-modern vibe. I'm a fan!
3
I started off slowly because I wanted the capital of Swaziland to be Lobamba - of course that did not work with either ELGRECO or MRI. I also had release before FREEDOM. I have LAPPE's cook book and have been making the hearty tomato rice soup for forty years. It is my go to for a quick nutritious supper. The combination of dairy plus whole grain = a complete protein.
3
Excellent exercise in wordplay. Appreciated that the MICs were in different parts of the words. This is a puzzle that is both a clever construction and fun to solve. There is A BIT of a musical mini-theme with CD PLAYER, BEYONCE, LISTEN, and END NOTE. [MIC DROP]
1
Fairly amazed that I finished this one. It didn't look promising early on. Some complete unknowns (MBABANE, notably - but others), some really tricky clues and of course it took me a long time to catch on to the theme, especially since the SE was the toughest section for me and remained blank for a long time. Having two pairs of the theme answers cross each other just added to the challenge of figuring it out. Took two breaks and took some guesses and finally it was there.
Nice to see my all-time favorite baseball player at 16a. It's not uncommon for position players to pitch an inning or two in a blowout game, but that never happened for KALINE. Unfortunate, because if it had happened there once would have been an AL KALINE battery (baseball lingo, for those who don't know).
A bit more about the theme in a reply.
Nice to see my all-time favorite baseball player at 16a. It's not uncommon for position players to pitch an inning or two in a blowout game, but that never happened for KALINE. Unfortunate, because if it had happened there once would have been an AL KALINE battery (baseball lingo, for those who don't know).
A bit more about the theme in a reply.
1
It occurred to me that you could have had the same reveal but ramped this up a lot more by doing the theme answers the 'other' way - e.g. make the clue be for FORMICA or MICKEY, but have the answer in the grid just be FORA or KEY. Of course you end up with a lot of very short theme answers so I'm sure that wouldn't passed muster (or mustard for that matter); still intriguing to imagine trying to figure that out.
Something sort of similar: I've run a few theme ideas past a constructor or two with no success so far. My favorite was one where the reveal would have been clued as "Absolutely - or how to fill out the starred answers in the grid." The answer would have been WITHOUTQUESTION (15 letters!). I thought there were some nice possibilities for theme answer/clue combinations. My favorites were 'Start to rebel?' for AUTHORITY, and '"I'm not going to discuss that."' for NEXT. I think there were multiple reasons that that got a thumbs-down but I don't recall exactly what they were.
Something sort of similar: I've run a few theme ideas past a constructor or two with no success so far. My favorite was one where the reveal would have been clued as "Absolutely - or how to fill out the starred answers in the grid." The answer would have been WITHOUTQUESTION (15 letters!). I thought there were some nice possibilities for theme answer/clue combinations. My favorites were 'Start to rebel?' for AUTHORITY, and '"I'm not going to discuss that."' for NEXT. I think there were multiple reasons that that got a thumbs-down but I don't recall exactly what they were.
1
Thanks Jimbo.
Krispy Kremes. BTW, I'm reading some Robert B. Parker novels - the Spenser ones. I thought I'd read them all, but it turns he wrote a heck of a lot of those. In the one I'm reading now, Spenser's payment in full for the case he's investigating is... a box of Krispy Kremes.
Krispy Kremes. BTW, I'm reading some Robert B. Parker novels - the Spenser ones. I thought I'd read them all, but it turns he wrote a heck of a lot of those. In the one I'm reading now, Spenser's payment in full for the case he's investigating is... a box of Krispy Kremes.
1
I had no problem with the 'tricky clues,' but would someone mind explaining how 'Turner of music' becomes 'CD Player'?
3
Spinner of the disc. That clue is the impetus for my music link I'll share with my cic later.
I am not an engineer of any sort, but I picture a CD player producing music by having the CD turn, kind of the way a vinyl album turns on a record player. Just my guess.
I did like the CDPLAYER clue my brain fed me, and I had another that I also liked -- "Runner in a dash".
Enjoyed this one. I liked the clue for FREEDOM. Originally had OLDAGE instead of OCTANE for 'It's usually in the 80s or 90s'
3
Same here, but after 33A I knew that had to be wrong.
Shouldn't have been confused since OLD AGE comes much later...
5
Turner of music was also clever cluing.
Martin, I just saw your explanation from yesterday about very short posts being withheld because potentially offensive. I knew that - but I didn't think a five-word post qualified. I thought that applied to one or two word posts. That was why we started adding a line naming a food item some time ago. That seems to have faded away. Anyway, thanks for the explanation.
3
I have a RegEx for all 6,7 and 8-letter themers in the xwordinfo.com database. It involves a lookahead because MIC can be in any position in the word. It returns 183 words. Strangely, doing the lengths separately yielded 3 more words by using the RegEx "MIC" and setting lengths.
http://tinyurl.com/kr76qst
43 results for regular expression MIC (6 letters)
59 results for regular expression MIC (7 letters)
84 results for regular expression MIC (8 letters)
____
186
http://tinyurl.com/kr76qst
43 results for regular expression MIC (6 letters)
59 results for regular expression MIC (7 letters)
84 results for regular expression MIC (8 letters)
____
186
1
Kiki, thanks for the list, but keep in mind that to work for the theme, those entries also have to be words with the MIC dropped.
I see a few more possibilities there but few where both words are common and/or the 'non-MIC' version doesn't involve an abbreviation (cosMIC, e.g.). MICrobe would have worked - don't see many other great options.
I see a few more possibilities there but few where both words are common and/or the 'non-MIC' version doesn't involve an abbreviation (cosMIC, e.g.). MICrobe would have worked - don't see many other great options.
RiA - you got there ahead of me, but here is the detail by my analysis:
Legit words forming legit words after dropping "mic" that Lewis didn't already include:
MImicRY (my favorite, the word "miry" is used in spirituals)
Racemic, Spasmic, Totemic, Microbe(s), Micmac (on the edge), Miasmic (the partial has overtones), Islamic (the partial is foreign)
There are a bunch where either the full word is obscure or the partial is a partial or abbreviation, or foreign, etc.:
Bromic, Ceramic(s), Chiasmic, Adamic, Agamic, Edemic, Entomic, Eremic, Osmics, Permic
And there are a few where the sense doesn't change, so they are unsatisfactory:
Boommic, Openmic, Phonemic(s), Economic(s)
The bottom line of my analysis, and thanks to Kiki for the link:
Lewis used pretty much everything good. Due to Deb's remarks on the clues, I will remain silent on how much I would have preferred microbes to microns.
Legit words forming legit words after dropping "mic" that Lewis didn't already include:
MImicRY (my favorite, the word "miry" is used in spirituals)
Racemic, Spasmic, Totemic, Microbe(s), Micmac (on the edge), Miasmic (the partial has overtones), Islamic (the partial is foreign)
There are a bunch where either the full word is obscure or the partial is a partial or abbreviation, or foreign, etc.:
Bromic, Ceramic(s), Chiasmic, Adamic, Agamic, Edemic, Entomic, Eremic, Osmics, Permic
And there are a few where the sense doesn't change, so they are unsatisfactory:
Boommic, Openmic, Phonemic(s), Economic(s)
The bottom line of my analysis, and thanks to Kiki for the link:
Lewis used pretty much everything good. Due to Deb's remarks on the clues, I will remain silent on how much I would have preferred microbes to microns.
2
RiA,
Unfortunately, RegEx isn't smart enough to separate the good from the bad. I also looked for multiple MIC words with MIC.*MIC and found a handful, all longer than eight letters and no triples.
Unfortunately, RegEx isn't smart enough to separate the good from the bad. I also looked for multiple MIC words with MIC.*MIC and found a handful, all longer than eight letters and no triples.
1
As a lifelong Beatles fan, I was scratching my head over that particular clue for far too long. But life goes on...
14
I liked his puzzle but some pretty arcane entries today.
EEN??? Sent me on a wild Google chase after the solve. They couldn't find this usage either.
Natnik at 48 solved with the reliable QWERTY run.
EEN??? Sent me on a wild Google chase after the solve. They couldn't find this usage either.
Natnik at 48 solved with the reliable QWERTY run.
I also finished with the Natick at 48. When I searched EEN and indeed together almost every result was in Dutch. EEN is a very common Dutch word meaning a, an, one etc.
Funny about wheelhouses. ZABARS is so engrained in my brain, I figured everyone knew it and confidently placed it in the puzzle, even though I figured ZENER would be tough for many, but Jeff Chen speculated that the ZABARS/ZENER cross would be tough, and comments here and elsewhere have confirmed that.
4
The infuriating part, for me, was that I once knew ZENER but couldn't dredge it up from the giant morass of useless information wastefully stored in my brain....
2
Re: 11D themer POLE[MIC] -- "Polemic" is the intended "incorrect" word, I assume, but a pole mic is a thing (see also boom mic). Does this make the entry extra clever...or a bit awkward?
2
Our constructor writes: "Also, they are scattered haphazardly to make finding them more challenging."
I guess Will and Joel decided to add asterisks? I would have enjoyed the added challenge.
I guess Will and Joel decided to add asterisks? I would have enjoyed the added challenge.
4
I originally did not have the asterisks.
4
Good morning, Lewis. Thanks for confirming that Lewis Rothlein is "our Lewis" (after D.C.), and congratulations on what I understand to be your second puzzle in The Times. And thanks for confirming that the asterisks were not your idea.
4
good puzzle. caught on with polemic and micron and mickey. Beyonce was helpful. Freedom at end of a sentence is very clever.
1
Congratulations to "our" Lewis for a very enjoyable and satisfying puzzle. It still took only about half my Thursday average, but I think I was just on the wavelength. For example, I entered "release" for "end of a sentence." Even though the fill was wrong, I read the clue properly from the first.
I loved having to work at the theme answers in a "mental," "wordplay," way, rather than steaming about things I didn't know. All fair, with the exception of Zagat x Zener for those who don't know about Zener cards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohlA__xABw
hee hee
I loved having to work at the theme answers in a "mental," "wordplay," way, rather than steaming about things I didn't know. All fair, with the exception of Zagat x Zener for those who don't know about Zener cards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohlA__xABw
hee hee
3
Obviously, Zagat wrote a review of Zabar's and, oh, oops.
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Yes, the 48 square was a natick for me.
Haha! You beat me to it with the clip.
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