Comment ça va?
@Leapfinger ca va bien, merci, et vous?
Here is David's "General Note" post thread with more replies than are showing:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/04/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2018-09-05.ht...
Of course now it's cutting off longer links again...
BTW, Ivy, you mean I've misheard the cold open all these years? I thought it was:
"Filmed, from New York, it's Saturday night!"
@Barry Ancona - But at least one reply I made to you has been deleted / disappeared, so there's that...
Dis
cour
aging
@David Connell
As noted elsewhere, 'Comment ça va'
[Location, location, location]
SNL is not “ filmed” in NYC. It is aired lived and taped...never filmed.
1
Much "taping" is direct to memory, so that's not accurate either. In fact, "taping," "filming" and "recording" are used interchangeably today.
https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=792484
Martin,
SNL is a live production. Period. Shooting a live television show is not called filming by anyone having anything to do with television.
"Filming" the video image to record a live television production -- making a kinescope -- went out many decades ago.
Analog or digital recording of a live television show is not filming it.
The clue may fly at the Times, but it won't fly at 30 Rock.
Barry,
Did you click on the link? (Live again, yay!)
"I'm in TV/Documentary. We mostly say 'shooting,' sometimes 'filming' even when not using film."
David,
I see a thread with five replies, and the avatars are back. Too bad my replies to your post saying that aren't appearing. Let's see if this will show up a a non-reply.
"Hmmmmm" indeed.
Are others finding long lag times between post submission and appearance?
(7:59 pm ET)
32 minutes from submission to appearance.
That will definitely slow down the conversation.
@Barry Ancona - Based on your time stamp, it took 30 min. for your postscript to appear.
I saw one with six - you didn't? There are a few avatars scattered here and there - haven't seen Leapy's lovely face in a while, forgot what a doll she is! And Peaches' teddy bear...
But most are just circles with letters like the horror that is the NYC subway system (YMMV, my nose is important to me).
Liked this puzzle a lot. As a kid I watched football with my dad, so it was fun to see the names emerge.
SB: I love some of the longer words; lots of unusual but known words this time. Still stuck at Genius with little hope of QB, but thanks to all for the hints. Back to SB to see if I can go all the way.
General note:
There are comments below with MORE THAN THREE replies showing, on screen, à la fois.
Things that make you go "hmmm."
2
And the avatars have returned.
"Hmmmmmm."
@David Connell
You're right. Maybe it all has been fixed! We've been so conditioned to know that it was cutting off at 3 so we automatically avoided posting more than 3 that we wouldn't really know it was fixed unless someone tried.
2nd attempt to reply (not a good sign)...
And the avatars are back!
"Hmmmmm."
*bee*
Lardcart? Catlid? Arrclarr?
1
@Liane in Atlanta, I think you may have a typo in your hunt for the Bee? Your first-letter frequency adds up to 47 words, and there is at least one word beginning with I. Maybe the # for I should be a 3?
I am tripped up at 209 points and 39 words right now. Pfft.
Someone asked about whether others use outside resources for the Bee. Other than occasionally checking my spelling, I wait until I am absolutely stuck before I go to a word scrambling website. However, those rarely give me any new words because they are geared to Scrabble players. And I play Scrabble. So all the search does is further annoy me over the fact that so many lovely Scrabble words are spit out by Ms. Bee. Bzzz.
I tend to do most of the 4-letter words in a sprint, then the longest words (and compounds) usually pop out at me. Then I go for the middles. Sometimes I am almost at the end of the puzzle before I figure out that the word I am missing is just another form of one I have. Or it’s so obvious that I assumed it was already on my list.
1
...yep, definitely three words starting with I. Now I just need nine more...
@Passion for Peaches
Currently 234 points w/ 44 words; no outside help and all signs point to me being dead in the water as far as any advancement is concerned.
@Leapfinger, 231 and 43 now. Dact! (valid Urban Dictionary profanity)
Not so easy today. Got hung up in the center: Had irAN at 22A, which prevented me from guessing MODEM at 5D. Also, didn't understand the clue for TONAL (someone please explain?), so couldn't guess 31A. *Eventually* noticed my entry RiC for 19D, changed to ROC, and the center fell quickly. Thanks (again) to my wife for reminding me of DAFOE and introducing me to DOLPH.
Didn't get the football theme until I had the top three teams. The revealer soon followed. RAMI was on the tip of my tongue (from an earlier puzzle), but it took the crosses to get it all. The clue for LAS was almost *too* obvious (for a Wednesday)!
Like many others, I froze in the SW, wanting pATHOS for 58A. *Knew* 58D was BUG, though! No happy music. Found error right away: pUTS at 1A. Still no happy music. Turns out I had changed 59D to uRI. Changed back to ARI, and success.
FWIW, thought Cowboys would've been just too easy. :)
1
"Also, didn't understand the clue for TONAL (someone please explain?)"
Ron,
Mandarin is a language (which you did or did not know). Google "tonal language." All will be explained.
@Ron - re: Tonal.
Mandarin Chinese, along with many east Asian languages and languages from other parts of the world, is called a "tonal" language because the musical pitches (high, low, bending down, bending up, falling and rising, etc.) are part of the communication of meaning. The example usually given is the simple syllable "ma", which changes meaning drastically depending on the tones used when saying it.
English uses tones, but only to convey shades of meaning rather than differences between words:
Say someone tells me something and I ask "how?". If I start high and fall, I am curious and a little doubtful; if I start medium and fall, I am dubious; if I start low and rise, I am waiting to hear a good answer; if I stay flat, I am challenging. But no matter which tonal language I use, the root meaning ("explain yourself") remains the same. In tonal languages, each "how" might be a completely different word.
6
David,
What happened "to teach them how to fish?"
Many comments here and elsewhere re: bathos vs. pathos.
The path in pathos is from a Greek root that has to do with feeling, suffering, experiencing: we have reflexes in words like empathy/empathetic; pathetic; pathogenic; pathology; and, obviously, pathos. Not far away: passion; passive, patient.
The bath in bathos is from a Greek root that has to do with depth, low places, the ocean deeps: bathysphere might be recongnizable to many as a craft for exploring the deep sea.
Bathos has to do with descent to an interior: the bottom of the sea, the low places in a cave, the interior of the soul.
Baryos by contrast has to do with weight (baritone; barometer); heaviness versus depth.
Pathos and bathos are unrelated but live in the same semantic area; I don't dispute that either could have satisfied the clue: but then, I've never heard of a pug in a rug...
10
Thank you, David. You da etymon!
(So we've got Bathos and Pathos, but who was the third musketeer?)
3
@Barry Ancona - [only the deepest Tolkienists will appreciate this one:]
Taur-na-Fuin.
.
.
.
(Dorthonion)
@Barry Ancona
Ditto your kudos to our David. I was waiting for him to come and make it all clear.
I have always (well, for a few decades) sorta kinda known the difference between pATHOS and BATHOS, but have always been a little iffy on the specifics. Neither word is part of my use vocabulary.
Knowing the etymology here, as with so many other words, is such a wonderful roadmap to meaning.
1
Did anyone else solving online see a couple of quick "splash" graphics when entering letters in two squares? Like a starburst around the entry and a blue oval with a word in it, too fast for me to read. I think the squares that triggered them were (1) the intersection of 14D and 20A, and (2) 47D and 55A. Can't be certain of those locations, the graphic was too quick. Constructors, what the heck was that?
1
@Mike - Never mind; went back and re-worked, see now that they are just progress indicators; "Halfway", "3/4 way"... Wheee...
@Mike yes I noticed one also.
While I'm here I add that I enjoyed the puzzle and always enjoy the comments.
A couple of commenters objected to LUNISOLAR (maybe on grounds of difficulty), but that would be a "gimme" entry for some of us folks who are interested in calendars. Most of the civil and religious calendars in widespread fall into three categories, based on lengths of certain astronomical cycles (or approximations thereof):
LUNAR calendars, such as the Islamic calendar, in which the months are coordinated to the moon without any reckoning of solar time at all.
LUNISOLAR: Such as the Jewish calendar, which in its current form has months which are coordinated to the moon, but which also use a system of "leap months" to keep certain months from drifting entirely away from the solar seasons in which they should occur. For example, Pesach (Passover) must fall in spring, so its month, Nisan, is sometimes preceded by a second occurrence of the month Adar ("leap month") to prevent the observance of Pesach from drifting back into winter.
SOLAR calendars, such as our own civil calendar (Gregorian), which is coordinated to the length of the solar year without any reckoning of lunar time at all. The months are vestiges of former lunar months, but they no longer sync with the moon.
There is also a lesser-known Gregorian LUNISOLAR calendar on which the date of the "Paschal full moon" is reckoned, on the way to determining the date of Easter. It also uses an extra month ("embolism") when needed to keep Paschal full moon from drifting back into winter.
3
I really liked this puzzle! We watch a lot of football in this house, so once I realized the theme (after TITANS and DOLPHINS) I sought the teams out. TEAM BUILDING is a wonderful way to describe the cluing. Liked the clue for PATRIOTS best.
Re puzzle from last week, we’re still having trouble with FIREANTS. Today’s clue for GIANTS “...little scurriers” was too cutesy to describe the colonized stingers we have.
Never heard of BATHOS, but got it. Didn’t get the gold star sounder at first and changed B to P. No sounder. Careful looking found a misspelling of SARES. After killing my streak a couple of weeks ago, I’m going strong at 17! Woo hoo!
No more ANTS please...
;-)
5
@Just Carol
Kind of excited to see a fellow puzzler right spang in the middle of Conway!
Amdro used as directed was effective for us; that said, one has to keep patrolling for the tell-tale mounds. (Lowe's has it.)
CrossWorld uses all kinds of ANTS....
1
@Mean Old Lady
Thanks for the tip. Granules used before didn’t work. I’ll get to Lowe’s and try your suggestion. Between my dogs and grandkids, the backyard is very important to my sanity!
I don’t quilt, but admire those who do.
Thanks again, neighbor!
I’m mad at the Ms. Bee today. Caracal is a beautiful word, and a gorgeous cat. Yet in the Bee world this marvelous creature does not exist. How can a word puzzle exist without a valid dictionary? The other day the word lolly got the shake. So annoying.
4
@Passion for Peaches
Even worse? The other day PFFT was a word!!
3
@Passion for Peaches
Yes, almost the first Wee Bee I got rejected on CARACAL (and I knew my spelling was correct)....but it hasn't been added to the list (although some others have.) We need a greater hue and cry!
1
It's been a few months since SB kicked off - but I feel compelled to recall that in the first weeks of it, rejected words were met with "Not a Word" rather than "Not on our Word List" - complaints from the likes of me accomplished that little shift. Yes, we're disappointed to find our words are "not on the list" - but at least we're not fuming at being told they're "not a word"!
6
Loved it! Themes involving wordplay (wink,wink) are my favorites! It took me a while to figure out the theme, but it was a quick solve once I did. A couple of the answers seemed a bit more like Fri-Sun entries (LUNISOLAR, BATHOS, ANION), but other than that a great grid!
I thought today's offering was cute, although it reminded me of a very recent theme where parts of two comedian's names added up to a third. It did make me smile though as it reminded me of the time our family of four played charades while eating lunch at a food court some 23 or so years ago. Kids were around 4 and 7 and we played many a game to keep them engaged or quiet -- take your pick. Daughter (the four year old) gave the signal for 2 words and proceeded to act it out. What was it?! DOL PHIN!
4
I don't think the clue for NTH works. A series is infinite, it doesn't have a final term!
Not so. The concept of a finite series is also recognized in mathematics. It is the summation of a finite series of terms.
1
@Judy R and TJ
This one is tricky; as the joke goes, you're both right. Context is critical. "Final" here does not necessarily mean the last term; "nth" could be indeterminate or generic. For instance, given a sum of a definite number (n) of terms which are, say, the square of consecutive positive integers, one can say that the last term n^2 is the nth.
1
Sentimental = BATHOS? Come on.... that’s ridiculous.
2
@Tim w: The clue is "Sentimentality" (second definition in my Random House Webster's Unabridged).
2
@Tim w I lost several minutes on that one (even considered a lone rebus!) on that one. I even tried PUG for 58D (snug as a PUG in a rug?), but eventually conceded and tried a B. I won’t be forgetting the word BATHOS very soon!
2
Crossword -- breezed through most. Had to resort to "check" errors after committing to bug/bathos since pug/pathos seemed a stretch. (I blame exhaustion from the Spelling Bee!!)
Thanks to the commenter who explained PDA for me. I had no idea -- public display of affection!!! Bad me forgot Odie vs. Opie! My comic strip memory is toast. Maybe I should start reading them again. (XKCD is my rare exception.) My 92 year old dad is still hooked! Any recommendations for funny ones are appreciated.
2
@Liane I did the exact same thing on BUG! Can’t believe XKCD is still around! I used to love that comic!
1
@Liane
My current fave since Calvin and Hobbes went away: Perls Before Swine.
@Robert Michael Panoff
Pearls not perls
On-line link:
https://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine
1
I got the way into the themers quite easily, but only partially. I saw the two elements coming together to form words, but didn't recognize that they were sports teams until I got to the revealer. It wouldn't have helped anyway, because I know the names of only a few teams.
Still, a quick and easy solve. Only possibility of a problem was UBUNTO crossing the equally new-to-me LUNISOLVAR, but the latter was easily gettable from its components.
I see from the comments that this is the beginning of football season. As far as I can tell, sports don't even have much in the way of seasons anymore, since the TV people are always talking about all of them all the time. Granted, sometimes the things they're reporting on are called "pre-season" or "post-season," but the sports stay. And with basketball, there just seem to be a bunch of seasons that overlap, since there is usually some sort of major tournament going on.
End of rant. Not a rant really. Just a subliminal grumble.
Thank you, Amanda and Karl (and Erik too), and take good care of that sweet-looking little dog. Feed it yummy things and keep your homework to yourself.
2
SPELLING BEE - especially for @Audreylm whom my replies to were eaten thrice yesterday!
I'm no word genius, but I am stubborn, persistent and like to finish what I start. I have strategies and techniques. I try to spot Pangram for 30 seconds. Failure? Start making words focussing on one initial letter at a time, and wheelhouse through combinations. Move to next letter. (Put down other words if they come, but return to wheelhouse approach.) That usually gets me to Genius.
Next, strategy: write down small words without center letter, prefixes, suffixes. Mush together using found words and each other.
Try doubtful words, especially 4 letter ones. If I guess a word, I look it up. Learn something new that day!
Onomatopoeic words are torture. Achoo, ahchoo, lollygag, lallygag, pfft, psst. Try any and all. Never feel disappointed in missing these, however! I've been defeated to QB mostly by these. Alternate spellings of any word are key.
If I am very close but after several hours in and out, can't find a word or two, I may scroll through the Apple dictionary using roots I know. I admit it when I do. "Lollop" comes to mind most recently!
Familiarity is also key. Puzzles repeat and overlap. Today was a prime example. I remembered tons of past words for these letters.
QB today: 50 words, 272 points A-10, C-18, D-5, I-#, L-5, R-3, T-6 Not extra hard, but tediously long. A few words (places) are technically proper nouns, but no Acadia. Arggh. (Hint)
10
@Liane Thank you--this is fabulous!!! I am inspired. Heading back to Bee for a little onomatopoeic buzzing around . . .
1
Liane's post is really cogent and a simple statement of a fine strategy with the Spelling Bee. Well put, Liane.
I posted yesterday about my mnemonic for "remember words made from only a few letters repeated more than once" - today, I can't name the mnemonic without a spoiler! A case in point.
3
@Liane
Thank you for the today's SB info and tips. It's great!
@David Connell
I was thinking exactly your mnemonic-turned-spoiler when reading Liane's last paragraph.
Great puzzle! I got the theme pretty quickly on BRONCOS, despite not being familiar with the NCO initialism. I'm not much of a football fan, but I am from Colorado and I remember all the Super Bowl excitement a couple years ago, so my old home team jumped out of the grid.
Aside from the theme, I appreciated another breezy puzzle. Set a new record for my Wednesday time even after time wasted hunting out a tyop in the SE!
The BEE is proving much more difficult...I'm stalled out at 40/221 and can't imagine how I'm going to get another 50 pts from these letters!
1
"...not being familiar with the NCO initialism."
Is that so, Nick?
Drop and give me ten.
7
The puzzle seemed very timely given the recent Nike announcement. It's been the only positive note lately in a lot of bad news about football. Coincidence, of course.
Very cute little puzzle, just clever enough to be fun.
SB is hard for me today. I'm at 29/161. Is there more than one pangram, I wonder? It is very nice to have a challenge! And I love how the words include some that are not used everyday, but are nevertheless familiar.
1
Couldn't believe Packers weren't in there, seeing as this is the start of their 100th season.
1
Perhaps the constructors are vegetarians?
1
As in, "Bunch of wolves" "Hesitancies in speech"?
3
A number of things stymied me today. I had HORSES instead of MOUNTS and that led me to SEE OUT instead of GET OUT. DSLMODEM eluded me for some time as did TONAL. UBUNTO was new to me but a lovely word to learn. NO FEWER THAN was a nice fill.
And I, who know very little about football, had absolutely no problem with the team names.
1
The nth element of a series is not the final element. If you think it is I suggest you take a look at the (n +1)th element.
15
@Chester Q. Maplethorpe
There is no (n+1)th element in a finite series. The clue doesn't specify that the series is infinite.
I agree that a better clue would be something like “Most general term in a series.”
1
Who says there are n terms? Maybe there are n 1000 terms?
2
Congratulations to Amandakarlerik on another nice puzzle.
Was actually a very slow start for me today and it took me a bit to catch on, but eventually I was off and running. Was worried about UBUNTU for a while (not familiar with that), and re-examined every cross to make sure. Didn't know GETOUT as clued either and that was the last thing I filled in with fingers crossed (and it's hard to type that way).
4
That was a fun solve, but (typical for me) I enjoyed it as a 'reparsing' of ordinary words, and while I thought of Ohio/Cincinnati (having lived there for years) even BENGALS did not make me think of teams.
This is my least favorite season of the year because of the football. DHubby (PennState '64) and PhysicsDaughter primarily watch college games (phoning or messaging one another constantly) while I hide out in my quilting/sewing studio.
In the Wee Bee I was a Queen Bee yesterday; today even with 45 words/244 pts., I remain a Genius Worker Bee. (Word List continues to snub some very nice vocab....)
4
LUNISOLAR? IVEGOTAPLAN. Next time, it's fine by me if THEDOGATEIT.
(Just a minor quibble. The rest of the puzzle was straightforward.)
3
The Cincinnati cheerleaders are actually called the BEN-GALS.
7
@Steve L
If you're serious, Ugh!
If you're not, your comment might be libelous.
@Steve L
Oh my. That is groan-worthy on so many levels. Odd I haven't seen GOL (for groaning out loud) cause that's what I did.
@Steve L
Would he transgender squad be the Ben-gays?
What won me over on what felt to me like a Tuesday-easy puzzle was its sparkle. Lots of lovely glitter in this puzzle:
* THE DOG ATE IT, NO FEWER THAN, GOOSES
* The clue for KNEEL.
* UBUNTU -- Never heard of it, but what a cool word!
* The clever idea of parsing NFL team names.
I left this lit puzzle with a zing in my step. Thank you, gang!
13
@Lewis
I really love how all of your posts are always so positive. I wish the country and the world were like this.
19
As others have shared, fun and easy Xword. For the Bee, the pangram (I only found one so far) is not a clotbur but also not a word I could easily use in a sentence (one person's clotbur is another person's gimme). Still wondering about the regular queens and if they use outside references . . . just out of curiosity and because I really hugely admire people who have such a wide ranging vocabulary. I'm no slouch linguistically and get to genius fairly quickly most days but I'm definitely not in that hive. My only challenger (in xword, acrostic, etc) is myself so I personally don't use outside help to finish. I mainly do finish (thanks to fair crosses) without too much trouble but if not eventually hit reveal and learn some new words. In the Bee if I take a hint it's only after I've officially given up and then I pretend it's a new game (with clues! more fiber!).
4
@audreylm
re: Spelling Bee -
Same as you and others, get to Genius on own steam and then try for QB, with hints and word counts.
I'm at 37/206 today - still a long way to go.
Funny you say that the pangram is not something you could easily use in a sentence. I think you are more likely to find it in these comments as we discussed often of such marks that are ignored in crossword entries (or if they are actually different letters from their unadorned counterparts).
@Wen Agree this is an impressive hive where XXX comes up organically. Am learning so much since I started posting--v. grateful. Back to the Bee!
@audreylm
I'm at 45 and 244....my usual is to hit Genius and go a bit further..and either give up or never make it backk to the computer. I've only been QB twice (yesterday's was one) and the clues seldom help me--usually they point to words I've already found. Today's Wee Bee won't take TARTARIC, CARACAL, and a few others that I continue to try. One previous omission has since been added to the list of the acceptable. Even at 71 I continue to learn new words (clotbur, I'm lookin' at You!)
1
Nice puzzle and have to note it has been pretty easy going this week. I was surprised at finishing relatively quickly. Maybe really tough ones are in store later this week!
Liked this a lot on account of the interesting clues (some of which had nice and subtle connections), as well as the little stretch I had to do to guess the team names as I am not that familiar with NFL. Had a good time getting all the sports references. Also not many names, which too I appreciate!
2
Deb’s refernce to the clue to 65a (RAMI) as a “modernization” saddened me, illustrating the trendency in the NYT Crossword puzzles toward more and more pop-cultural clues – and entries ¬– at the expense of those that call for proficiency in the English language and non-trivial general knowledge.
Something similar can be said about the clue to 48A (UBUNTU), but in this case I was more than compensated by Deb’s explanation of the word’s origin and the accompanying video.
16
@Amitai Halevi
On the other hand, is the earlier clue about nerve or botanical branches, an improvement?
Even as a former Spanish teacher (RAMO = branch), I find that clue to be "out there."
Mr. Malek came up in a recent puzzle, where I first learned his name. As I often do, after I completed the puzzle, I looked him up and found out he has a twin brother, also an actor, Sami.
Guess which name I plunked down in the grid first today?
These words and their clues are not without ramifications.
7
@David Connell
O'er the ramiparts they waived...
2
So far this week has been a lot easier than last week, and I'm not complaining. The team names fell quickly and I looked forward to getting to the next one. I had a little more trouble with the reveal, having ING at the end made me think of a Super Bowl ring or something like that, but eventually got enough crosses to sort that out. I did fail to get the happy music until I got that pug out of the rug.
This was very clever and I hope the team continues to construct puzzles.
1
I agree! Maybe Labor Day earned us a little lightening if the labor ... Tuesday’s felt like a Monday, today’s felt like a Tuesday’s ...
2
Due to sheer osmosis I was able to breeze through this great puzzle thanks to my husband being an avid NFL fan for the past 40 years! BENGALS and TITANS gave me the 6 points I needed to go for the convert!
2
and Elke
Not a big NFL fan, but even I got this interesting theme after getting BEN GALS and PAT RIOTS.
Having the news on in the background meant that KNEEL was a given.
Did try to suppress 'urges' before DEMONS, and TIL that GOOSES has also an emu-proof meaning.
PUG/BUG vs pATHOS/BATHOS needed to be resolved.
Some DANEs can be called JUTS-- if they live in the JUTland part of Danmark...
Yea- soon things will ICE UP and the NHL will start its GAMEs (no KNEELing on ICE though ).
Hey Amanda, Karl and Erik- looks like you're pretty good at XWP TEAM BUILDING already. Don't let that DOG in Amanda's arm EAT any future collaborations , though.
AT EASE now.
The END.
8
@Sendhil
I popped in to say the same: loved 37A! And amazed again at the NYTXWD’s timeliness, what with Nike and all.
Thanks to the three constructors for a sports-themed puzzle that a sports know-nothing like me could enjoy! I must say, this was a great way to keep everyone in the game.
12
@Andrew--
What happens at 3 a.m.? I'm talking crossword here, nothing else!
@Steve
Reset for Spelling Bee
@JayTee
Thanks, Captain.
https://cdn.cpbgroup.com/styles/inline-content-2-3rds/s3/hotels_2.png
Steve,
"4th reply on a thread" might have helped. Or not. Sitcoms have laugh tracks, ancient Greek plays had a Chorus. Stand-up can be tough when audience members can't take cues from each other.
1
Clever puzzle, which I pretty much breezed through except for DNF on account of I can never keep ODIE, OBIE and OPIE straight. What's PDA for "get a room" anyway?
1
@Jim PDA = Public Display of Affection
2
@Jim
ODIE-dog
OBIE-award
OPIE-boy
OBIE stands for "Off-Broadway".
2
@LarryB
Thanks for the def. New to me.
A quick solve, held up a bit by UBUNTU (wow, my spell check just suggested that word!) and LUNISOLAR (nope, spell check didn't suggest that one!). Never heard of 'em. Did not like ANION. Really enjoyed all the cleverness already noted tonight. Still always messing up by using SHEA instead of ASHE.
1
"Did not like ANION."
I guess you didn't like chemistry?
"Still always messing up by using SHEA instead of ASHE."
1A was JUTS, not JETS.
@Barry Ancona
SHEA would have to be clued as "former Queens stadium." It's been gone ten years now.
Sari, Steve, but SHEA will *always* be a "Queens stadium name."
(I did notice the change driving on the LIE, taking the 7 to Corona or Flushing, going to the Tennis Center, and flying into LGA. But thanks.)
2
My exhaustive research (Google, first hit :-) makes me wonder about the clue for BATHOS:
https://www.thoughtco.com/bathos-and-pathos-1689314
2
A dictionary entry might set your mind at ease.
See def. 3.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bathos
1
@Barry Ancona
It does, thanks: I should’ve known better than to doubt the eagle-eyed editor!
No harm checking.
Better safe than sari.
(Sari)
3
Reckon I'm due some pathos for my confused pug in the rug...
14
Same same. had BUG first and changed it to fit PATHOS. when I finished the bell didn't sound so I swapped that back with a shrug and voila.
@Dan
And what the heck is BATHOS anyway ?- I'm right there with you ! :)
At least in the refs I checked it's anticlimax not sentimentality
@Cathy P
As I know it, BATHOS is PATHOS taken to ridiculous extremes. I spose 'sentimental' works, if flagrantly so.
How sporting to see ASHE, the PGA, an NHL GAME and the TENTH INNING in among the NFL teams. And remember when TEAM BUILDING: there is no I in TEAM, but there is in WIN.
3
@Barry Ancona
TENTH INNING is only a bonus if
a) you were the trailing team before the game was tied,
b) you're such an avid fan of baseball that you don't care which team wins, and just want to keep watching the game,
or
c) you're a stadium owner who keeps on selling concessions until it's over.
If you're anyone else, you'd just as soon go home or go to bed.
3
Steve,
I was noting the entries, not commenting on the clues. Today, I leave that to you and Fact Boy.
1
pretty quick! not much of a struggle to get theme answers. interesting to see RUTH the night after the Ruth Bader Ginsburg aired on CNN. loved it!
5
Fun puzzle. This combo with Amanda and Karl (and Erik as bonus) is a pretty good one.
Got the gimmick (but only half of the theme) with DOLPHINS. After seeing PATRIOTS and BENGALS, I got the other half. And the revealer was obvious at that point.
TIL about UBUNTU (I knew it only as the Linux distro).
Some very interesting entries. I liked all of the long down entries connecting this rather unusual grid. I also learned about BATHOS (Can't say I've ever heard of it). I am still using a DSL modem.
Other interesting things - TONAL and TOTALS, SARIS and NAAN. ODIE is often THE DOG (who) ATE IT. NOT and NAE. CHEERLEAD to go with the theme entries.
I wonder if 40D could be clued as "Can I see you again?" or something like that.
Deb, your theme entry toy - 26A shows the answer without the click, unlike the other 5.
3
Was cruising until BATHOS wrecked me, doubling my time. Then a quick fix of UBUNTU/LUNISOLAR (no M involved) and I was done. Faster than average. Great work, builders!
The sari is traditional women’s wear in Pakistan (96% Muslim), Bangladesh (90% Muslim), and Sri Lanka (70% Buddhist, 12% Muslim); “Hindu” denotes a religious affiliation, not a nationality.
11
@Fact Boy
Consider this hypothetical pairing:
Sikh headgear: TURBAN
Do Sikh men all wear turbans? Yes.
Do Sikh women wear turbans? Some do, most don't.
Do some Muslims wear turbans? Yes.
Does the cartoon guy on the halvah wrapper wear a turban? Yes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyva
So, is the clue halal? Most would say that turbans are Sikh headgear. Even though other religious groups may wear them.
Now, do Hindus wear saris? Yes, particularly the women. Do people of other religions? They may, and many do.
Does the reference to a religion, rather than a nationality, matter? Turbans are central to Sikh and other religions' observance. Are saris central to Hinduism? Does it matter?
Among many other occasions, a Hindu woman would likely wear a sari to her wedding, which is a sacred event. The connection between attire and religious is more tenuous, but one could argue that in the Hindu religion, the sari is one form of acceptable attire in the temple, whereas, let's say, Daisy Dukes may not be.
Does the religiosity of a garment matter solely, or can the correlation between adherent and her likely use of the garment [compared to someone else--you wouldn't expect to see a Presbyterian wearing one] be sufficient to justify the clue?
All things to think about, a bit too complex to be dismissive in three lines of comment.
Personally, I think the clue passes muster.
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@Steve L
Well, actually I do know a Presbyterian who has worn a sari several times. Sorry, but generalities are made to be broken.
I do agree though with your central point. Crossword puzzles are a language unto themselves which it is necessary to learn to fully enjoy them. This was a joyous puzzle, and when I came to that clue I immediately thought...This is Wednesday. The words are not so hard that I have to look up an esoteric dress. It has to be SARI. End of story.
Loved the clue for 37A (KNEEL). And a clever theme and very smooth solve! Wonderful to see UBUNTU in the puzzle (48D) but wish it’d been clued in a more inspiring way than a Linux distro. Thanks to Deb for highlighting its original meaning (which I’ve most poetically heard rendered as “I am because we are”) and for sharing that lovely video of Nelson Mandela.
15
I love how on one end of the puzzle sit the GIANTS, while at the other end, sit the, uh, JUTS.
12
Good catch Steve!
@Andrew
Have I earned me an anchovy pizza?
Hey! It’s not 3am yet, is it?
1
Fun puzzle, love seeing a football team for once instead of a baseball one. Can't wait for the season to start in a few days, go Patriots!
5