As a non-native English speaker, I feel fortunate after even partially getting Wednesday puzzles (completed a Wednesday only once so far). A curious observation: usually I have less problem solving clues labeled as tricky than I do some of the ones that may be easy for a native speaker. Did anyone notice that as well? So in that spirit, could someone explain to me why the answer to “try“ is “ESSAY“?
3
Faith, no trick clue here. To ESSAY is a verb meaning to try. (And in French it is essayer.)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/essay
1
Thank you Andrew. Must have gotten too tired to look it up. As a scientist I would guess that ASSAY might fit somewhat.
Anyone [else] notice that today's blog pic is of a NUEVO LEON?
1
An easy Wednesday for me with no help from lord google, a rarity for me. I liked the staircase a lot. Saw where that was going relatively quickly. NE was the hardest bit for me. FALSE before PANEL took a long time Mumford me to see.
???
Who's Mumford?
Anyone (Deb?) --Is there a forum more appropriate for comments about the other puzzles (minis, bonuses, acrostics, etc.)?
Ron, there's a Wordplay column about the acrostics. You can find by clicking "Wordplay" and looking at the list of columns (most recent first). I think there may also be Wordplay columns/comments about some of the other second Sundays, but I'm not sure. (I don't do those because they're not doable on the computer.)
From what I've seen in these comments, there's no other place for the mini solvers to go.
1
Thanks, DL!
Especially appreciated the special spatial aspect of the theme's arrangement AND that each of the nine sectors had a story to tell. (Did you know PAPA PAW was on A DATE with President POLK, WALLOW AWAY?)
In these yere parts, we're used to seeing A DOLE deSCENT (either Bob or Liddy). Be that as it may or may not, I'd say for this constructor's revival the general consensus we Drew in North Caroline is "Keen!"
And did you all know this year Nancy Drew turns 88? Still doesn't look a day over, does she?
Thanks for reminding me of the production of OVID's Metamorphs I saw in Manhattan years ago. Most of the stage was taken up by a large reflecting pool, and with us getting there a bit late, had to sit up front where 2 rows were still empty, and found out why each seat had a folded towel on it.
Nice to have you enSCONCEd back with us, Bryant Park, and glad you reverted to type.
4
I’m sure you meant Bryant White, although I’m sure Bryant Park was quite popular today, given the weather today in NYC.
1
I passed it on the bus, Steve. It was jammed.
In fact, Steve, my beloved cousin (also Steve) had Bryant Park as one of his meet-up places, so I wanted to play with the Bryant White/ Park pairing Alas I didn't have an inspiration so just went ahead with a bald-faced substitution.
Should've just said we're happy to have Bryant park it at the NYT any old time.
Other than entering TROPHY CASE and WINE COOLER first, this one went relatively quickly. What I don't understand is why the circles were needed for the STAIRCASE. It wasn't really HIDDEN because of them. They should have been left out.
2
I really have nothing to say but I was curious about the new icons. Is that solid blue circle my icon? Where's that come from. I was frustrated at the end of the puzzle. Finished but didn't understand the AEIOU until i read the article. Oh well....
"A supervocalic word is one in which all of the vowels (not necessarily “Y”) are used at least once,"
I had never heard this term before, and It does not seem to be a "legitimate" word, however the explanation I found online is that it is a word in which all five vowels are used (in any order) - only once each.
I loved the BOOKCASE clue. Ohhhhh THAT volume! Slapping palm to forehead..
3
“To those who would prefer not to see the word NAZI in their puzzles: I feel you.”
For the life of me, I can’t begin to understand the sentiment behind this sentence.
As a Jew, and someone who has nothing but contempt for real-life Nazis and their ideology, I just can’t fathom being remotely bothered by seeing the word Nazi in a crossword puzzle. In fact, I recently finished reading a large biography of Hitler, the first page of which I wouldn’t have made it past if I had such a delicate constitution.
This sort of pointless hyper-PC-ism is what gives us liberals a bad name.
11
Hi David,
Thanks for your opinion.
We all have opinions, and the one I wrote about is an opinion that has been expressed to me in abundance on social media. Some people don't see it as pointless or hyper-PC (again, that's your opinion, to which you are entitled). They would prefer to not have inflammatory entries in their puzzles, because they solve puzzles to get away from troublesome subjects.
I brought it up because I wanted to note the clue and the link between that and how Mel Brooks has sought to strip Nazis of their power using humor.
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Did anyone notice that SUPERVOCALIC is supervocalic?
8
I'm assuming you're wondering if anyone *else* noticed it, Al?
(I guess theoretically you could have posted with noticing.)
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BarryA, are you asking in order to say something facetiously?
Al Z, another 'uh-huh' in your reco column.
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No Leapy, Steve already did that.
(Way over the heads)
1
I had a slightly different take on a five-letter entry for 7D, which led me to create one of those obnoxious "musician" jokes: (with apologies...)
What do you call a quartet after some infighting?
A VIOLA.
2
Today's puzzle was easy, but with a fun theme. It reminded me of Nancy Drew mysteries; there is one titled "The Hidden Staircase."
Years ago a colleague challenged me to think of a word containing all 5 vowels in alphabetical order. I managed to think of two: abstemious and facetious. How about others? Anyone? Anyone?
Hurts my brain to think of it. Instead, use RegEx at Xwordinfo:
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Finder
Search for:
.*a.*e.*i.*o.*u.*
Of course, you'll find the vowels in the word in other places using this. It's a little more involved to find words/phrases with only vowels in alphabetical orders, but doable.
2
Based on those two examples, it seems that any adjective formed using “ious” would fit this definition. And any adverb, which will then include a Y: facetiously. The search suggested below then can be simplified to two-syllable words with an A followed by an E.
I very much enjoyed this puzzle. Very imaginative and visual. The theme even helped me to get some of the answers more quickly. Kudos!
2
Great comments today. Thanks, everyone!
4
Loved the secret passage theme! Just the right amount of difficulty for a Wednesday! Thanks!
2
I'm overdue for a quibble, and got one: 29A has traditionally been ETO. The current fill is more specific to a previous POTUS.
1
ETO has been clued as "WWII inits." 7 times, but DDE has been clued that way 4 times as well, as per xwordinfo.com.
1
Before he was POTUS, DDE had a whole lot to do with the ETO.
4
Nice puzzle with a fun theme, quite appropriate for a Wednesday.
ONER has been used interchangeably with "lulu" ever since I've been doing crossword puzzles, but I don't recall seeing it used anywhere else. Never thought of it as slang, either.
Hadn't heard of "supervocalic" (17a) before, and neither has autocorrect or Miriam Webster. Would a "superconsonatic" word be one which uses all the consonants only once each? Anybody have an example? Real word, please. I'm aware of one supervocalic word that uses AEIOU as entered. It's pretty easy to think of if you don't take the quest for it too seriously. I
Are you being facetious?
2
I agree that ONER is only used in XWPs. And, to my personal knowledge, has been so used since the days of Margaret Farrar.
But I've always been unsure whether it is pronounced WON-er or OWN-er.
re 'superconsonatic' - if it's been in a song does it count, even if it's not in the dictionary?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr5er4ueWBQ
Also supervocalic, by the way. Maybe we could call it supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
1
What a delightful puzzle! I found myself in the middle of a mystery novel while solving--the game's AFOOT! (Oh, sorry, that was yesterday.) Tried CREDO before CREED, but quickly corrected. And, of course, thought of "Young Frankenstein" as well. I quote that scene all the time. JOLT (from caffeine) crossing JAVA was inspired.
Thanks Bryant White. Come back more often.
"Hernando's HIDEAWAY" by Archie Bleyer was one of my Dad's records that I loved as a kid. The song was featured in "The Pajama Game" and became a big hit in 1954. Dig those crazy castanets!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxltk9yaBZs
"Ovaltine?"
4
I love those kind of books with HIDDEN STAIRCASEs and the like, so the puzzle was sort of in my happy place.
I did find that it was too segmented for my taste, since it didn't flow easily from one area to the other. I guess that's another way that it's like those spooky mansions. Besides TROPHY ROOMs and WINE CELLARs and BOOKCASEs with FALSE PANELs and WALL SCONCES that move walls, there are always lots of little teeny rooms where people can hide. Often in wardrobes or window seats, IIRC.
Glad you were able to come back to your old stomping ground, Bryant. Come back soon.
1
https://youtu.be/54HwF8mVlaw
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Thanks for that link! Great stuff!
2
I like Mel Brooks’s movies, but I don’t really think making fun of nazis is the only way to rob them of their power. I don’t think the Third Reich was too deterred by Charlie Chaplin and Bugs Bunny. Or maybe my grandfathers who fought them on the battlefields were doing it wrong.
2
Hi Stu,
Perhaps Deb's comment was a bit off the mark, but if you clicked through to the interview I think you'd be fine with the headline:
"With Comedy, We Can Rob Hitler of his Posthumous Power"
3
Barry: Ahh, now the wording in the headline I can get behind, I’ll check it out sometime — too late for web surfing after finishing the puzzle last night. Also meant to add to the original post that I have no problem seeing them in the puzzle, I actually liked the clueing for it.
1
And humor robs the word of its power.
What an enjoyable stroll through a mystery house but I might have looked for a boombox to adjust the volume rather than a BOOKCASE. I clearly would have made a rotten detective ... probably would have missed the HIDDEN STAIRCASE entirely. Found it easily in the puzzle tho.
1
A question. I've noticed that, when a puzzle constructor wants to call attention to certain squares, sometimes those squares are shaded gray (as they were today) and sometimes circles are used. Is there any semantic difference between the two?
3
Hi Al,
Not really. Some of it is the choice of the editors and some of it is functional.
The puzzle is distributed in many formats, and not all of them can produce shaded squares (Across Lite is one of those). So you will always see circled squares in that format.
3
Will it be a spiral staircase if circles not shaded squares were used?!
8
Hey, Laura, maybe there's a Slinky walking down it.
2
I think Colonel White did it in the TROPHY ROOM with a WALL SCONCE!
I love how Bryant told us a little mystery story today. Intriguing and fun!
Come back soon, Mr. White, you obviously have quite a clue about constructing crosswords!
8
This was puzzle #3 at the Arkansas Puzzle Day. Will have to go to BEQ to get my fix! But loved the clever HIDDEN STAIRCASE.
Welcome back to our constructor! More, please!
3
I shall take a gander at our constructor's e-books, Assuming they may as tight as this puz I will be in for a treat.
Just back from a "leadership" meeting that bore all the hallmarks of Kabuki or a Russian spy novel. It saddens me when people are put in place as a sacrificial lamb to further someone's agenda. Did I mention that our uber boss looks like Putin. On the plus side NYT was delivered to my hotel room and I got to solve with my trust Stabilo.
Nests for COOPS was my wrong turn but a FALSEPANEL came to my rescue.
Thanks Bryant.
2
Fun solve! The shaded squares made it easy to spot the HIDDENSTAIRCASE, and the other theme answers were cleverly laid out around the rest of the puzzle. And of course any puzzle that includes OVID is a thing of beauty.
4
Once I saw the WALL SCONCE, I immediately thought of the Young Frankenstein scene. When I came to the blog upon completion, I wondered whether anyone else would have made a similar connection. Of course, Deb did, and many others as well I see. All we need is Frau Blücher ... (neigh) ... we've got the REIN.
9
Light, enjoyable, playful puzzle. We got the hidden staircase, the false panel and wine cellar soon enough but kept discovering other related hidden funny clues/ answers. Like an Easter egg hunt! Also liked the Xfiles extras , TRIOS and SNORE. Deb thank you for the link to the interview with Mel Brooks.
Playtime!
4
Fun, but not all that easy for me. TROPHYCASE before ROOM and when I spotted the shaded HIDDEN, I briefly thought we might get FIGURES. Anyway it all came together in the end .
3
Before I get to the puzzle, let me note that the new comments format just arrived in the Middle East yesterday. I don't see any improvement. The avatars are too tiny to be comprehended. I did today's puzzle moments after it appeared, and the Comments number was 2 but there was only 1. I switched from newest to oldest and there were 3 but the number was still 2. Need I say more?
And one more thing - the new introductory text at the top of the comments sounds as if a stranger has come into our midst with no idea of what we do here.
The puzzle was charming, like a little short story in crossword land. What Lewis said in his first paragraph.
I usually don't notice chance combinations, but today the parallel proximity of AVER and AUER caught my eye.
The tiny avatars and, alternately, circled initials appears also on the Skype site. So some higher power is behind this.
6
Viv, I do this on a 5-yr old iPad and I’ve noticed a 2-3 bug fixes (e.g., can edit middle of comments before submitting rather than having to retype he whole thing), but only one drawback so far, namely that the comments don’t “fast scroll” anymore. Always a mixed bag with software “up”grades.
This seems to be the only NYT comments board that experiences glitches. Maybe it's us? We use it more like a chatroom, and may be overloading the system - like a denial of service attack.
Just my two cents. But no other column's comment section generates as much back-and-forth or replies as Wordplay does.
1
While they have fixed some of the problems with the new format -- fewer disappearing replies for instance; I only had one yesterday -- the itty-bitty avatars are annoying. I'd like to be able to tell what they are. And I don't get the circled initials. Why not just repeat the avatar, as they used to? And what are the ellipses at the ends of the commenjts for?
Plus the order of the replies is still very haphazard.
Jack, I don't think that the reason we don't see a lot of complaints about the new system on other comments sites is that we've overloaded the system with our back-and-forthing. I think it's just that it's more noticeable here than elsewhere.
Also, some of them are still using the old system. Wish we were.
Slow start for me, but after some point it all kind of flowed together. Clever puzzle but I will confess that I really didn't put it all together until well after I finished (specifically, after I read Deb's column).
Noted sort of a WW II mini-theme with Ike, Pearl Harbor and of course 69a. Didn't recall LENA the hyena and wish that had been clued as Miss Horne instead. Interesting story if you put all of that together - something I came across some time ago:
During WW II, LENA Horne, on USO tours, refused to perform for segregated audiences. But the army didn't allow audiences with both black and white soldiers, so the accommodation was that she performed in front of a mixed group of black soldiers and German POWs. Guess which group had to sit in the back. Think about that.
14
I’m probably going to embarrass myself by asking, but what did I miss? I didn’t catch a reference to Pearl Harbor.
I assumed it was the DDE - D Day in the East maybe? Googled inanely suggested Deputy Director of Equipment in a list of WW2 abbreviations and acronyms.
33a: "Yesterday, Dec 7, 1941 - A DATE which will live in infamy..." FDR.
Sorry, I thought everyone knew the origin of that.
2
Fun puzzle with the cool EERIE feel of a story going on. That is rare and wonderful in crosswords. The island in the middle looks to me like a secret room, to add to the atmosphere.
I liked the cross of JAVA and JOLT; they could have been cross-referenced. Also, nice word pairs in VINO and WINE CELLAR, and NAP/SNORE.
Then, in the West, another story formed. PAPA wouldn't ALLOW his ADOLESCENT daughter LENA to go on A DATE to the POLKA party, because he was leery of what her suitor ANTON might do with his PAW. So he said NOH, and she STAYED home.
17
Great story, Lewis!
1
I too was noticing potential story lines in the layout and fill. A 69A in bed with 72A and doing a 68A with 9A upstairs, and I will bet the building is probably octagonal and owned by a 8D. I remember a cartoon character from the '40s called 55A. I expect to hear someone get 23A'd with a 62D. 51D!!
3
I join the chorus: Easy for Wednesday but enjoyable. The staircase was not hidden very effectively.
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This must have been easier than most Wednesdays as I now have a streak of 3. (Although my system doesn't keep track, nor do I want it to)
This was great fun and almost describes my house, some trophies on the top floor and a WINE CELLAR at the bottom ( of course) The staircase is fairly easy to find however, and if there are FALSE PANELS, I haven't discovered them yet.
I love a puzzle so full of theme answers, and don't mind a few so called gluey bits at all. I hope you are back for good, Bryant.
4
I loved the theme and enjoyed the puzzle immensely! I also filled this out fairly quickly, but learned a couple of things along the way, such as a new-to-me meaning for ESSAY.
I'd like to point out, that the Nobel Prize subj. mentioned here isn't truly a Nobel Prize subj., but rather the subj. of the Swedish National Bank's Prize in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It's commonly a Nobel Prize in Economy, though, so the clue fits, even if it technically isn't a Nobel Prize. This is just a weird pet peeve of mine, so I had to mention it.
Whew, getting nitpicky about cluing on Wordplay feels like something like a rite of passage. I made it! Am I officially a Wordplayer now? Shall I be getting a secret decoder ring as a token of my newly establised Wordplayer status?
22
Deb!
Get the secret decoder ring for Anna.
Thanks!
5
Hi Anna
Are all The Nobel Prizes Prizes From the Swedish National Bank in Memory of Alfred Nobel? Or tailored:
ECON:Prize from the Swedish National Bank in Memory of Alfred Nobel
Literature: The Swedish Library Prize in Memory of Alfred Nobel
Science: The Swedish evidence based Prize in Memory of A. Nobel
Peace: The Nobel Prize
Thanks for the info!
2
Also what diplomatic positive way to nitpick! You do deserve that ring!
3
46a Try = Essay? Doesn’t seem right. Assay, yes. Loved the theme.
2
A Young Lady of Lynn
BY ANONYMOUS
There was a young lady of Lynn,
Who was so uncommonly thin
That when she essayed
To drink lemonade
She slipped through the straw and fell in.
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Steve, I tracked down your limerick online, and two of the sites that include it actually have the word "assayed" in place of "essayed", which is just to say that there must be some confusion out there regarding the correct usage. Napes is certainly not alone in questioning this, even though ESSAY is a perfectly correct entry.
4
Thought the same, but...see #2
es·say
noun
noun: essay; plural noun: essays
ˈesā/Submit
1.
a short piece of writing on a particular subject.
synonyms: article, composition, study, paper, dissertation, thesis, discourse, treatise, disquisition, monograph; More
2.
formal
an attempt or effort
A fun puzzle with all those secret things.
2
and Elke
Why go down a HIDDEN STAIRCASE to a WINECELLAR , there's a CACHE(T) of VINO right at the TROPHY ROOM ?
Liked seeing JAVA and JOLT , no NAP or SNORE with that double dose of caffeine.
Also noted T-MEN, T-NUT, T KOS, T URNS, T RIOS.
Welcome back, Mr. White (or ECRU or ASHY ?) Glad you came out of your HIDEAWAY.
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I guess I'll finally get to bed early for the first time since I started doing these puzzles. I pretty much zipped right through this one for a change. HIDDEN STAIRCASE was easy and immediately brought to mind one of the Nancy Drew mysteries and then that got me BOOKCASE because I'm pretty sure there was a bookcase involved....or maybe that was another one of her cases. That cleared up CREED for me....for some reason I had gone blank on that.
3
EERIE how the VINO slid through the TROPHY ROOM down the HIDDEN STAIRCASE to the WINE CELLAR.
6
I enjoyed the puzzle just fine! Thank you!
Now, let me be the first to complain: The clue for 41A is in error: A railroad terminus is NOT a station (STA)! It’s a terminal (TER)! It’s like the whole brouhaha from the other day, about Johannes Kepler’s “assistant” Tycho Brahe!
I thought that’s what we’re all about here, exactitude and nuance! And since the clue is not supposed to contain the answer, I say a better clue would have been, “RR stop”. A good clue for a terminal would be, “The end of the line: Abbr.”
Tell me why I’m wrong, puzzlers! Do I have a case?
David Pearce,
Fredericksburg, Va.
3
Chicago's METRA has a central terminus but it's listed as a transportation center; the various lines to the burbs end at various stations, with several having train parking sites. Some of the tracks do continue on to other locations, but only for freight. I would call this clue fair.
1
"A railroad terminus is NOT a station (STA)!"
Aside from the idea that these are clues, not definitions, if you want the actual railroad definition of STATION (from the days when there were cabooses on the REAR of freight trains), it is: "A place designated in the timetable by name."
An initial or terminal station (the clue's "terminus") is a station, what you are calling a station is a station, and a place in the middle of nowhere, with no depot or freight house or any other structures (like a passing siding on a single track line) is a station.
5
I only have so many decoder rings, David. ;)
7
The theme was fun. And it does immediately bring to mind the "put the candle back" clip. The puzzle was a bit on the easy side but mostly ok except for the gluey bits, And while Deb's take on 69A is admirably positive, a little more effort could have eliminated it.
Here's my stab at fixing that corner:
66A AINU
69A NOTE
72A ENID
56D PLANE
61D LION
62D ANTI
63D RUED
5
Cute theme. Didn’t notice that the HIDDEN STAIRCASE led from the TROPHY ROOM to the WINE CELLAR until I read Deb’s notes. DOH! Got stuck in the north central section for awhile because I had TROPHY “case” at first - even though one of my early fills was SUMAC. Also that would have been the third instance of CASE in the same puzzle. In the end a little longer than Wednesday average. I have a philosophical objection to Latin words from state mottoes. And this one is from the motto of my state!
7
Hand up for TROPHY CASE too, but when SUMAC came along, and TRIOS was certain, it had to be TROPHY ROOM. I'm with you on state mottoes, Latin words or not. I had to learn that one from the NYT crosswords.
3
And, the hidden staircase goes through the bookcase on the way from the trophy room to the wine cellar!
probably too easy for Wednesday. enjoyed seeing The Producers -- funny funny movie!
3
Was wondering why I'd want to push on a WALL SCONCE in a TROPHY ROOM, and then I saw the HIDDEN STAIRCASE and all became clear. Pushing on a FALSE PANEL in a BOOKCASE made much more sense at first.
Welcome back, Mr White!
7
BOOKCASE confused me for a bit...
A fun theme; I enjoyed it, although it was awfully easy.