And here I thought I was getting smarter, then I see these comments about how it was a quick solve. Oh well. This was a fun one.
3
17A: THEUNTOUCHABLES fit nicely as long as you didn't worry that it didn't cross with any of the downs and it didn't snugly fit the clue; otherwise it was exciting to get that one first
5
All that open space startled me, so I worked the Down clues first, and low and behold, this puzzle was fun, fun, fun.
4
Way to go, Iris!
2
Pretty new to late-in-the-week puzzles. What a treat this puzzle was! I was in awe of the seeming acres of space.
Chipping away and coffee did the trick!
4
Lovely! And a quick solve.
2
The 4-stack scared me like others, but things fell in place. I love CAMELID. Never heard that before, but viewed it as CAMEL ID the second word as both an identifier and camel instinctual trends; perhaps a "little" camel CAMELID. And the LID reminded me of its doleful eyes. Oh, well! fun puzzle.
4
Swell Friday puzzle! Stacks like that are impressive, and also nice for making one zoom out and think in longer phrases. Wanted CANNOLI for the pastry on principle (the principle: if there's a cannoli in the neighborhood, go for it), but no go. I think ABCDE is not new, but it still made me laugh. Had REUPPED spring to mind, then thought no, slang not widely enough known, and had to work back to it. And had to labor to remember Anais NIN, when really, how many three-letter, quotable authors are there?
2
In my self-imposed method, even though I finished, this one didn't count as a "start" since I couldn't start in 1A/1D and make any connected progress. "AN IF" sprung open some progress, and the stacks started filling in. But not within my preferred contiguous rules. Once I couldn't go ahead, I found other crosses and after a few, returned to the old method. As others, I am amazed that such long stacks even work at all...like why do airplanes which are so heavy fly at all. I had EN PUNTO before A TIEMPO...SLAT before LATH...
Amused by 55A today after 1A yesterday. Then MAINS/MAINE.
Somebody needs some baby otter time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c7pdJOgpZA
4
Terrific puzzle.
Because of the quad stack up top, and not instantly seeing 1A, I started working the downs and didn't enter much -- saw some possibilities that had equally acceptable alternatives though. But continued with the stack, saw A RAISIN IN THE SUN, resolved my problems with the downs, and polished off the stack.
The south was more difficult, until I changed my EARphones in for PIECES and my RILLS for RISES.
I see the golf guy with all the vowels is back. I'll never remember which vowels he uses and in what order.
Didn't know THIEL, DOSAS, IRVIN. Never heard of a Scantron test so did a post-solve Google. From the Wiki description it sounds like the system is a lot like the voting system we're using now, having finally dumped the Truman-era mechanical things we were stuck with for so long.
Altogether a good day Chez Deadline. My email has risen from the dead after two weeks. My bathroom light fixture has been resuscitated after one week. My grocery store is once more making deliveries after four days, and a very bare cupboard. Topped off by a rewarding puzzle. Now to curl up with my Nook and my Jessica and RELAX.
Thanks to all, and have a good weekend.
6
DOSAS
These are South Indian crepes and are delectable. They come in so many delectable varieties. the Masala DOSAS are the most popular with potatoes filling. You can get lamb and chicken fillings but that is to cater to native tastes. And there is Rawa DOSAS, Neer DOSAS... endless!
2
Sounds yummy.
Where in Manhattan?
I think there's a mistake in the note for the Sunday Diagramless puzzle. It says "Six answers in this puzzle are each missing a word, as suggested by the shape of the completed grid." I only count four such answers (9A, 13A, 49A, and 55A).
19- and 24-Down are theme entries also.
Right. Thanks.
1
I was awe-struck when I saw the grid and thought "no way I'll be able to finish this." But the entries were so clean and well-clued that I did finish in quite good time. Thoroughly enjoyable and challenging. Bravo!
5
Great puzzle. I’m new and only needed help to check one (NIN). The VICTORIASSECRET clue is one of my favorites. Thanks for a great, fun, doable Friday to send us newbies into the weekend on a streak!
7
Nicely done, Scott!
Great quadstack crossword, with some fresh 15’s, and a strikingly unusual grid! Very impressed, but then again, I’m a sucker for quadstacks ... for some reason ;)
Also, I’m deeply moved by Erik’s kind words.
-Martin Ashwood-Smith
(AKA: MAS)
20
This is this is my favorite kind of non-theme puzzle !
4
Quick solve for a Friday. Fun too.
1
Like most others I found this puzzle to be fun and easier than usual, but I have a question: how is such a thing, with the layers, constructed? It doesn’t seem possible that the constructor just randomly “tries stuff” until something works, but what other methodology is available? Anyone know?
1
How does a constructor construct a quadstack crossword?
Anyway they can.
Computer assistance certainly helps. But a computer can’t (at least not yet) easily design a grid that works with a particular set of potential quadstacks. How do you know if set of quadstacks may work? You don’t. It’s simply trial & error, sheer luck, a bit of experience. Oh, and a lot of coffee!
But what about the actual 15’s? From my experience, a good “seed entry” 15 is needed. There are two types of useful seed 15’s.
An entry that’s loaded with vowels or “liquid words/letters” (as Mike Shenk once called them). Here are some 15’s we’ve all seen before: A TEENAGER IN LOVE, A LOT ON ONES PLATE, AIR AMERICA RADIO, ENTENTE CORDIALE. The “usual suspects”!
Entries loaded with good terminator letters: STEMLESS GLASSES, STREET ADDRESSES, SALES ASSISTANTS, SATELLITE STATES ...
But editors, bloggers, and many solvers are wise to these little tricks, and are justifiably critical today. Quads by their very nature, focus a solver’s attention on the wide-open “look-at-me-no-black-squares!” space. So a constructor, IMO has to use an original, interesting 15-letter entry as a starting point.
Now, look closely at all four of Erik’s 15-letter entries in his quadstack today. There is one entry that has a more vowels than consonants. Better yet, it’s very good, and fresh! I can’t say for sure that this 15-letter entry would have been Erik’s starting point, but it likely would have been mine :)
-MAS
17
Green checks do not seem to protect against DIURNAL omission.
5
Perhaps not, but to travel to RABAT you may need a CAMEL ID.
(HARAM)
2
(Of course) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN99jshaQbY
2
HARAMph, indeed.
Figures that the comment I typed directly into the comment box is the one that gets sequestered. Since quite a few others' have appeared, I'm wondering if I wrote something to earn detention.
You don't suppose 'CandyPants' is on the NYT Hit List?
1
After many years of solving, I'm past the point of being intimidated by quad stacks and other grid-spanners. A few helpful crosses and they seem to fall right into place. Still, they make for an entertaining puzzle, especially with fresh entries like today.
My first inclination for 1A was THATSANONSTARTER, but 18A put the kibosh on that. Liked seeing a CAMELID in the grid, and in today's picture. Llamas are near and dear to Monty Python fans.
"VICTORIA" by The Kinks was a hit on both sides of the pond in 1970. For Queen and country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2GHlcwlT1Y
1
This was my first time completing the Friday puzzle without checking or hints. I won't say it was a piece A CAKE, but I REUPPED my efforts after DIURNAL practice. The answer in 38 across makes things handier. 43 across stunned me the most, and I got it only by cross solving.
8
Yay you, Jess! Way to go!
3
19A, thanks to 2D and 4D, was a double natick for me, but otherwise I agree with others that this was an easy Friday. I used to think that multiple stack puzzles were harder, but I eventually concluded that they make it easier.
1
I agree Wags.
If you get one of the spanners, it will usually point to several downs, which then make the other spanners in the stack easier.
What a great puzzle! Went into it thinking wow-Friday-puzzle-I'll-hafta-cheat-fur-surr, but NO. Unless using the "check word" thingie shamelessly counts as cheating? Please, say it aint so ...
3
The great thing about this pursuit, Mary, is that the solver is the only referee who’s ruling matters!
1
whew. my new best friend.
1
These kind of stacks always impress me, and this one was enjoyable to solve, as well. I liked seeing CAMELID and REUPPED. Even the sports names fell into place with a couple of crosses. Thanks, Erik.
1
It might just be me, but I would never want to eat a doughnut with the name Long John. Give me an ECLAIR any day!
1
No complaints about a Friday stackable that goes fast but includes some fresh clues. Took me too long to get A RAISIN IN THE SUN. I couldn't get 'a place' IN THE SUN outta my head. Had 'monster' before SLASHER, and EAR 'phones' before PIECES, but SNL cured me.
Was thinking -- if we ever need a Wordplay mascot, MEL OTTER fits the bill.
5
Really enjoyed this puzzle . In academic medicine ( actually med school and residency ) we talk about SEE ONE DO ONE TEACH ONE - as it applies to procedures , and types of exams - like drawing blood , or tapping a knee . I, too , have never heard of EACH ONE TEACH ONE . I wanted Big Apple to be something from NYC - but IMAC fell easily of course . Lots of fun for a Friday !
3
"SEE ONE DO ONE TEACH ONE"
I know someone who only learned two-thirds of that. I overheard him say so on a bus.
Not so long ago I would not even have attempted a puzzle grid like this one. A RAISIN IN THE SUN got me started on the long answers. We saw this play in Philadelphia prior to its NY opening but I can't remember why we were in Philadelphia in the first place!
Remarkably my only look-up was HARAM and congratulations came my way when I corrected a typo which I hadn't noticed. Thus I'm one higher than my previous run. I know they're not all "legitimate" solves but it's kind of gratifying nonetheless. I used to compete with a son-in-law to see who could win the most Free Cell games in a row. Now I usually replay them over and over until I finally win.
1
Initially the 4-stack scared the graphite out of me, but the crosses made it go quickly and for just a moment even made me feel smart.
My one problem was 52D, which is TOPS. I don’t understand the answer, but that’s probably because I don’t understand the clue. So much for feeling smart. Can someone explain “... max” to me?
4
Whoops. Sorry for asking an already-asked question. pkrantz and I must have been typing our comments at the same time.
You ARE smart, Al. Don't be a-skeered of the stacks. They can't hurt you. You've always got the crossings, as you said.
2
I found this puzzle fun and fairly easy -- with one exception: Can someone explain what "TOPS ... MAX" means? If the ellipsis wasn't before "MAX," I'd get it, but it made me think I was looking for a phrase, like "to the MAX."
1
I was wondering about this too. I am sure we will receive a good explanation, but I know that "...max" is not the same as "___max" so I was not looking for a phrase.
I think they're interchangeable in the following (colloquial) sentence:
- How long will it take?
- Five days MAX / Five days TOPS.
So the ellipsis indicates that the word is used at the end of a phrase, both for the clue and for the answer. It doesn't indicate where the answer should go (although that was my first thought too).
4
Understood. But I would feel better about it if the ellipsis had been parenthesized.
Sorry to report, but my post of three hours ago still has not shown up.
...and it has miraculously appeared two posts before this one!
1
Lewis, my response to your comment and reply will appear in another dimension.
(Time-space continuum, anyone?)
1
Recent evidence of same:
http://bgr.com/2018/01/09/fourth-dimension-physics-experiments-3d-4d/
1
Relatively easy Friday for me, but very enjoyable, especially when I realized this was my 900th solve. I'm still not close to my longest streak though. I can stop any time. I really can.
7
Boom boom -- this fell certainly sooner than in TEN ROUNDS. But the solve felt fresh and was fun -- and thank you for that, Erik! @Liz B -- The grid looks to me like a Guy Fawkes mask. Never heard of EACH ONE TEACH ONE, and it was good to learn, and good to know.
Another clue for ABCDE, perhaps: "Series pilot?"
2
Re the mask, that was my first thought when I printed out Hen's copy.
I saw the mask in the grid too.
1
I saw some kind of face, not necessarily a mask, and not necessarily Guy Fawkes.
But now that you mention it ...
1
This was a fast one for me, too. I was definitely expecting an otter picture.
We need more OSLOs and less RABATs.
2
We are not amused, Andrew.
And the emus would not approve of my other planned response.
5
My sincere apologies, Barry and others, for crossing the line on some posts today. As an online forum newbie (no Facebook, Twitter etc.) I am on a learning curve. I was very upset by newscasts playing this morning while doing this puzzle. I thought that the deadpan translating of my outrage into crosswordese would somehow resonate and highlight the outrageousness of what I was hearing. I can see it was a fail. There is a fine line between satire and offensiveness. From now on I will keep my comments in check.
3
I get it now.
A favorite late week experience is to almost complete the grid -- then stare at a clue like "follower of pat" until the Homeric "DOH" triggers the little gray cells.
Perhaps I will listen to a CW station on the way to the big city. Apparently there are "zip lines" into or around the Super Bowl site. With temps of -19 to -10 I am sure there is a need to declare some insane. One sure bet is the Ice Palace will not melt.
Thanks Erik.
The 'pat' follower had me for a short while. Then I realized that some people don't say 'PATTY-cake' (the way all God's children are meant to) so I held my nose and put in A CAKE.
8
Speaking of VICTORIA'S SECRET push-up, this one was really stacked on top.
11
When I saw the total lack of black squares in the top third of the puzzle, "You might be asking too much" was exactly what went through my mind. But then I started chipping away and it turns out it wasn't impossible after all.
I think that's what I like most about crosswords: the total turnaround, in mere minutes, from "I literally don't know anything" to "Wait a minute, this might be...", and finally "I must be the smartest person that ever lived!" And then back to square one, of course.
16
Yay you, Robrecht! Chipping away is the key to every problem in life!
3
I don’t keep time while solving, but this puzzle did seem to go by pretty quickly. Those 15-wide answers sure can fill up a grid in a hurry. Best clue: 15D, “dollars for quarters” = RENT.
4
What fun! Loved the stacks, learned about another Indian bread and haram. Only studied French and German, but the many Spanish entries are taking hold, and a tiempo just popped in. Congratulations to Erik on a. very enjoyable Friday morning.
And a rosy glow has descended upon the Pet Depatment: Cat discovered that the key in the bottom left of the Android interface that says "..." in fact opens up a whole new world...a real Qwerty keyboard with numbers and a symbol key that opens up the array of symbols and punctuation marks, including the elusive "-"! Bring on the rebuses.
1
Enjoyed the puzzle. For me how quickly I solve the puzzle is an indication of how my brain will be working for the rest of the day. I know the puzzle is available the evening before, but for me that holds no attraction. I have my puzzle with my coffee and my brain gets engaged- some days better, some days more of a struggle- but anyway I feel more primed for the rest of my day than had I not had a puzzle to solve.
8
As do I, Jeff. Coffee and the crossword. I can't imagine doing tomorrow's crossword the evening before.
3
Coffee and X-word: great morning starters, no matter the time zone.
2
Thank you, Erik Agard, for a highly enjoyable Friday puzzle, which went more smoothly than usual.
I loved all eight of the long entries. The quad stack came quickly thanks to three consecutive gimmes in the NW corner: TEAM, HARAM, A CAKE. The entire top half was solved with relative ease, without look-ups.
Figuring out the two long entries at the bottom was delayed by two bad guesses: IRwIN before IRVIN in the SW and, more seriously, EARPhonES before EARPIECES. Look-ups of both IRVIN and ISAO were required in order to reveal VICTORIA’S SECRET, complete filling the grid and RELAX.
I am always intimidated when I see so many stacks, but I always manage to complete the puzzle. Solved from the bottom up starting with INDEPENDENCEAVE and VICTORIASSECRET. You will never hear me complain about a puzzle being too easy. Favourite clue - dollars for quarters.
1
Great job. Perhaps I was slow to wake up this morning but I found this puzzle challenging. I'm familiar with the term LONG JOHN. I wonder if anyone has heard the term kiglee (spelling?)? I grew up in Syracuse and that was the term the local bakeries used for long johns. I've never encountered it anywhere else.
Variant of 'kugel' via 'kigel' in Yiddish?
I wondered about that too. But in Yiddish that's a casserole and kugel in German (numerous German bakeries in Syracuse when I was growing up) is bullet. So I'm not sure about the connection.
The internet says it's a "kiggly." Perhaps it's a corruption of kuchen or kuechle.
Pfannkuchen and Fasnachtskuechle are two German words for types of donuts. According to Wikipedia, the latter are made in Maryland and called "Kinglings."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasnacht_(doughnut)
The shape of a longjohn/kiggly is also faintly reminiscent of a Jewish kichel, but I'm skeptical that this would be the basis of a Syracuse baked good name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kichel
Only 'green check' comments or replies have appeared in the last 8 hours.
Looks like they may have deferred the issue a bit last night, but I'm guessing it's back again.
This actually solved more like a Wednesday for me. A RAISIN IN THE SUN and MAKE A FRESH START were instantaneous, but then I needed to work from the bottom up. Wanted Mack SENNET for the movie pioneer, but of course EDISON was correct....just not as interesting.
Every time I think I am ENURED to appalling leadership, we are DEALT a fresh blow. Where's my ALEVE?
2
A smooth solve. ARAISININTHESUN dawned on me by the time I finished my first quick pass through the clues and the other 15's came from a few crosses in each case. I figured most would see this as easy, but when you have that many very recognizable long answers I think that's inevitable. I thought this was a terrific puzzle. I was a bit surprised to see that some were not familiar with EACHONETEACHONE.
Drifting: This generated some memories for me. We're coming up on the 50th anniversary of a notable 'offensive.' That wouldn't be the last offensive thing to happen that year. Here's 11d with a brief song about another one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zsEssXU3Fk
I arrived in Chicago a week after that event. Not long after that (and through the first half of '69) I was spending a lot of time in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the south side, which is where RAISIN was set.
It was an eventful time. I don't know what I would have expected this country to be like 50 years later, but I am certain it wasn't this. Looking back, I'm very sad and so disappointed. End of editorial.
15
Come on, Rich:
Two steps forward, one step back, two steps forward.... It's never been as easy as we might like or as it should be.
1
No, Barry. It really, truly is worse. Did you take my ALEVE? I need it NOW.
1
I keep remembering the Upton Sinclair Lewis book that I read about 50 years ago. In "It Can't Happen Here", everything resolved so easily and so well.
If we were living a story-book plot, I'd leaf ahead to peek at the last page right now.
6
When I saw push-up I wasn’t thinking of the gym, instead I was thinking of the iced snack, but having solved a bunch of the crosses VS fell pretty quickly. I thought this puzzle would be a bear but it turned out to be a bunny.
5
I wasn't sure of their name, but I was also thinking of those frozen things that are in cardboard tubes with bottoms that PUSH UP some frozen stuff in various pastels. They seem to be a particular favorite of young children, especially on buses where they can melt all over other passengers.
Hand up for the ice cream treats. I remember them being popular when my kids were small, rather than when I was a child. So late '70's and '80's.
1
and Elke
Seems the Comments problems are fixed.
Suggest that A CAKE, some ECLAIRS, DOSAS and TEN ROUNDS of suitable liquids be sent to the TEAM that solved the problems . Let it be said that NO EXPENSE was SPARED and send the bill to the Adolf OCHS heirs.
Hope this did not jinx things.
Submitted 9:15 pm Pacific time.
10
"Seems the Comments problems are fixed."
THAT'S A TALL ORDER
(8:23 am)
2
I guess I'm the only one who remembers long john doughnuts. They're basically Boston Creams in log form. When I was a kid back in the 60s my parents would get a package of them from the grocery store; I only recall eating the kind that came prepackaged in lots of six wrapped in cellophane. I've never seen them sold in a doughnut shop, though there's a few old-fashioned bakeries that carried them next to the bear claws. The ones I ate as a kid were as good as grocery store pastries that may have been sitting there for a week pumped with preservatives can be. They're inferior to both eclairs and Boston Creams but my six-year-old self was happy to eat them even if they made me feel a bit queasy afterward. (My parents did indeed SPARE their EXPENSE on our desserts, as well they should have.)
This delightful puzzle left me with no such uncomfortable feelings. I was tickled by the "dollars for quarters" clue, and on a day when my feelings about the degradation of American culture are at a particularly low ebb, it was nice to be reminded of A RAISIN IN THE SUN and Phil OCHS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqLtsp4xVAA
10
Another very enjoyable puzzle. I solved it rather quickly for a Friday, but I’m not a believer in discrete levels of difficulty for each day of the week. In fact, there is quite a bit of overlap in my experience.
As a general rule the N.Y. Times puzzles do get harder as we move from Monday to Saturday. But I don’t think about that when starting a new puzzle. I just take each one as it comes and give it my best shot to solve it on my own. Whether I succeed or fail, I simply try to enjoy the solving process as much as possible.
The least important statistic is solve speed. As with a bowl of chocolate ice cream, I’d rather savor the experience than get it over as fast as possible.
25
Me, too - I like to savor. This went fast for a Friday, but I have no complaints about the fill. Go for the quint, Mr. Agard!
7
I'm going to try not to sound boastful about this, because I'm aware that it has great potential for coming off that way. Mike R, I don't know how long you've been solving crosswords, but I've been doing them for about 40 years now. For me, it's become a "It's not AN IF, it's a when" I solve it on my own.
I don't solve for speed, and I don't take any measures to assure that my speed is the fastest it can be (i.e. I don't go into an isolation booth). I might be watching a ball game at the same time or be among company.
But regardless, some puzzles seem to solve themselves. This one did. I've done Monday puzzles recently (i.e. within the past year) that have taken longer. That's why it was noteworthy to me to note the speed with which this puzzle did itself.
And I don't think I'll ever get Rex Parker fast. I've done a mini in 8 seconds, but that was because for that short a time, my brain can read the next clue while I'm typing the current answer. I can't sustain that for very long, so I can't apply it to a regular-sized puzzle. I've never finished a Monday puzzle in under three minutes. I don't set out for speed, but as you get better, your speed picks up.
It can be helpful in a real-life sense, because no matter what you're doing, you can find time to do the puzzle. At a party, you can go into the bathroom and solve it before people start looking for you. At a restaurant, you can solve while waiting for your table. If you have time, you can do more than one.
3
More than 50 years for me, Steve L. I remember solving while my college roommate and I alternated between Phil OCHS and Leonard Cohen. You're right: the more you solve the quicker you get, but the joy is in the solving and the enjoyment of elegant, witty cluing, not the speed (LENS or any other kind.)
5
Fun, fast Friday, and a PB for me.
When I looked at the stacks I thought I'd be F-ed, but I opened up right away with the first clue and it all fell in smoothly from there. I loved seeing VS, and (not sure if this was one of the debuts) but 22A was a cute bit of slang.
My only gripe: drop "test" from the Scantron clue. It was too much of a gimme, IMO, though I'm young enough to have used those things in school.
1
and Elke
I see that Liz B got posted, so I decided to RELAX and MAKE A FRESH START with Wordplay. The puzzle is just too delicious.
The CAMELID, spec. the llama , reminds me that there was a llama farm ca. I mile north of the US/Canada border. Their sign,very visible from the highway (99) , advertised :''Champion studs; happy females''. Mysteriously , that sign disappeared shortly before the 2010 Olympics .....
Learned EACH ONE TEACH ONE. Am more familiar with 'See ONE, do ONE, TEACH ONE (used with medical residents).
Now to see if this posts-a Hungarian expression seems appropriate : 'Now the monkey jumps into the water.' Need reverse ESL.
We need a cute OTTER picture to make up for this past week.
Submitted 8:35 pm Pacific time.
4
Each one Teach one was new to me as well, and brought back echoes of the horrifying "See one, Do one, Teach one" of residency. I wonder if our patients knew of that low bar, any would have consented to medical procedures by learners. Personally, I would have preferred quite a bit more seeing before doing, and doing before teaching!
2
Just downloaded & printed both the web & "newspaper" versions of this Sunday's Diagramless. For both, the box "show 1A square" is checked, but when printed there is no mention of it whatsoever. I don't want to print a grid with the black squares filled in--then it wouldn't be a diagramless, so what's the point? How can I find the "1 Across" square without using up several pencils & erasers?????
Mine shows the 1st across clue starting at the 7th square, i.e. 6 black squares the the left of the starting square.
1
On the web version, when it asks which kind of printout you want, the web version (non-newspaper version) has a check box below it to "Show first 1-A square." If you check that on, the grid will show the number 1 in the first square of 1-Across.
In the Across Lite version, when it first comes up and asks how you'd like to solve it, look for the "Show hint" button. That will let you see the Notepad text, which includes the starting square for 1-Across. This week's puzzle includes a longer than usual Notepad text, which displays various ways in the various formats of the printout. The newspaper version includes most of the Notepad text, but doesn't show the starting square, which is said to be shown (in the newspaper) with last week's answers.
Had to figure that out on my own using graph paper, so perhaps the hint was added this morning.
Smooth, enjoyable puzzle, and it fell a lot faster than an average Friday. I love stacks!
EACH ONE TEACH ONE was new to me. Subsequent research revealed it has quite a history:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Each_one_teach_one
5
I've heard EACH ONE TEACH ONE approximately forever, so it never occurred to me to Google, Paul, so thanks for posting the wiki link and inspiring me to do so. If asked, I'd probably have thought the term started in the 1960s, and had no idea of the long history.
Too easy for a Friday, despite the long stacks. But where's the 1-A starting square in Sunday's Diagramless??? Checked the "show" box for it, but it appears nowhere when I print it. Do I have to wait till Sat. night to see it?
1
Today was a Friday record for me. Less than half my Friday average, and about 2 minutes faster than what I think my previous record was (the new record overwrites the old one on the stats page, so I'm going by memory.) And I wasn't really trying to rush. In fact, my wife was talking with me for the first 20 seconds, so I actually paused it then with nothing filled in yet.
Despite being an educator for 40 years, I've never heard EACH ONE TEACH ONE before. Other than that, and the speed this one finished, not much else out of the ordinary to note.
I enjoyed this puzzle quite a lot. While I second-guessed myself a time or two, it fell pretty readily for a Friday.
MHO could have gone in place of the rather arbitrary Roman numeral MLI, making CHAD for CLAD, and ROSES for RISES. Either way is a bit gluey, though.
(This comment is submitted at 10:23pm EST, Thursday, 1/11/2018)
2
BTW, from what I've seen in the ads, VICTORIA doesn't have many SECRETS left!
As for long john pastries, apparently there are regional variations on just what that might be. Around here, convenience stores often carry an item labeled as a "Long John" that amounts to a cheap bar-shaped imitation of a cream puff (or "creme" puff, considering the synthetic gooey white stuff that they inject into a rather leathery-skinned glazed doughnutty bar-shaped thingy). Yum! (wink)
1
Easiest Friday puzzle in years! Either that or the constructor and I were on the same wavelength.
4
Look forward every day to the NYT crossword. Having a relatively easy Friday puzzle a welcome bonus.
5
Re the Sunday Diagramless--where the heck is the starting square? I checked "show 1A square" but it appears nowhere in either the one I printed nor AcrossLite. Is this an idiosyncrasy of this particular constructor? Your Diagramless puzzles have always disclosed where the starting square is located--what happened here?
It's in the Note of AcrossLite (unless this is a later correction).
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I'm finding it hard to get enthusiastic about commenting, what with all the timing issues this week. Nevertheless, I'll give it a shot for at least a short comment.
I always find stacks like this to be fun, even if sometimes they aren't that hard. A RAISIN IN THE SUN was the only one I got on the first go-round, but the others solved without too much bother. I was just doing the puzzle from 2/20/1999 earlier today, and it has TALL ORDER as an answer, so when 1A filled in (at the very last!) it felt very familiar. I remember learning about Frank Laubach and "EACH ONE TEACH ONE," probably in Sunday school in the 1960s.
The nice bilateral symmetry reminded me of an early video game--maybe Space Invaders?
10:19 EST Thursday night
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Really fun. Stacks are always fickle - they either help everything fall into place quickly or they stump you completely. I got lucky and cracked the bottom stack with INDEPENDENCE AVE, which then helped me get VICTORIA’S SECRET (what an ingenious clue!). The answers filled themselves in from there, especially with the gentle crossings for the top stack. Great Friday puzzle - thanks, Eric.
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liked puzzle a lot. one of these days I will memorize the golfer ISAO AOKI! always have to guess. long entries had a lot of crunchiness and novelty.
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Wow, impressive quad stack and long entries. Seemed impossible at first and was still looking that way after a few passes, finally managed to get clued in on some of the entries and made real progress. I often agree with all of the same things that Deb said, and today it was no exception. Much faster than my Friday average. I know it was because I got lucky on some of the long across ones.
Liked the clue for 15D Dollars for quarters. Learned about SARAH, re(learned) about HARAM, and about long john doughnuts. The rest all seemed pretty familiar.
On the Scantron sheet, I'll mark the first circle as the grade for this puzzle.
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Lens speed? No such thing. It’s "Shutter Speed” The lens opening, or aperture, is the "f-stop"
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Lens Speed is the minimum f-number of a lens
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As such, lens speed is the analog of film speed. A film that's ASA 100 at f1.4 gives the same exposure as one that's ASA 200 at f2. (Depth of field is different of course.) That's why f-stops go up by the square root of two: f1.4, f2, f2.8, f4 ... Increasing the diameter of the lens aperture by sqrt(2) doubles the light passed (because the area of the aperture increases by the square of the diameter), so one f-stop equals halving the shutter speed equals using film that's twice as fast. All three are equivalent "speeds."
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A lens with a large aperture is referred to as a "fast" lens, because it allows you to take photos with a fast shutter speed. Hence, "lens speed" is legit.
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10:19 p.m. This is a test. This is only a test. Should this have been a real comment, you would have been directed to my insights on the puzzle. This is only a test.
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