Cutesy, but the revealer is BS. Dramatis Personae doesn't meet the requirement. The character "æ" was borrowed into Latin from Greek. It is never pronounced to rhyme with "nigh."
2
Thanks to @Archaeoprof for telling me how to pronounce ill-EYE-nigh. I'm going to try to find a way to use it at the next cocktail party or dinner -- preferably as soon as possible, before I forget it. It seems a peculiar way to pronounce ILLINI, especially since it's nothing like the state, but what do I know, living in NY and rooting for easy-to-pronounce but often hard-to-watch Giants. (The less said about them right now, the better.) The more apt parallel to the FIGHTING ILLINI would be if I were rooting for Columbia, but who on earth does that?
@Nancy, none but the ROLLING CO-LUM-BYE!
As a displaced New Yorker, my only change had to be INLINE instead of ON LINE.
3
Connecting Saturday's, Sunday's and today's puzzles to real life, for dessert at dinner yesterday I had a SUNDAE: maple brown butter ice cream, smoked almond PRALINE, ASIAN PEAR.
3
Back from Portland but off to Greece at the crack of dawn. Of course I picked the aftermath of a freak hurricane to visit, but I imagine they've endured worse in the last 3,000 years.
Keep the place warm while I'm away.
4
Go easy on the ouzu, Martin.
And the ouzo, too.
Too much retsina. Or maybe the arak from the puzzle (but not the bee) a few days ago.
Said most of what I thought in replies to other commenters.
Interesting mix of themers, inside and outside of my wheelhouse. DRAMATIS PERSONAE was a gimme. SULTAN made me think of either BRUNEI or Borneo; sorta remember that Borneo is the island and BRUNEI is a country on it, unless it's the other way around. I do know that Borneo doesn't have a SULTAN now though, since when I was very young I met an elderly lady who was (reputedly) the illegitimate daughter of the last Sultan of Borneo.
I remember the Yom Kuppur War, but wasn't familiar with the BATTLE OF THE SINAI. Not surprising, though, and I don't follow martial history battle by battle. ILLINI was a complete FIGHT.
Misspelled AFLAC as Aflak, and had a hard time remembering Claudio ARRAU.
The FISH FRY is by no means exclusive to Friday:
Friday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBYHr02dM8A
Saturday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1QfXQakX2w
But I did know that CORGIS are herding dogs, both Pembroke and Cardigan.
Have a nice week all.
3
Got to the puzzle a little earlier today. It was a very enjoyable Monday. Had DuH before DOH, so uBI was wrong! Took a bit to discover my error.
I really liked the long I sound tying the theme answers together. Very cool.
:-)
1
A Glock may be a PISTOL, but no way is a Glockenspiel GUNPLAY.
George: Say Good NIGH, Gracie.
Gracie: Good NIGH, Gracie. But IXNAY on the LENNY Ruce-Bay FIGHTING Ords-Way.
Top-drawer MonPuzz, many thanks.
4
@Leapfinger
Agreed! Winced when I read that clue. (Which is ironic, now that I think on it further. But still.)
1
@kelpurnia, ironic indeed, when you consider which hunt says more about the hunted and which hunt says more about the hunter. But nit was all so long ago...
Have to say your screen name continues to intrigue me. Given that I know someone who uses a similar name of 'khalpernia', I wonder whether you also claim (like Caesar's wife) to be 'above suspicion'?
Whether or no, welcome to the WP fold!
Wouldn’t it be UCE-BRay?
Has no one observed that SUNDAE is tucked in there on the LHS, mocking PERSONAE with its very presence?
For that matter, has anyone ever wondered why SUNDAE apparently rhymes with HYUNDAI, and neither rhymes with NEHI?
7
@Ric Q
현대 is the name of the Hyundai Group in Hangul, the Korean syllabary alphabet. The second syllable consists of D + the diphthong AI, so "dai" is a perfectly acceptable English transliteration. It is pronounced with one of two Korean versions of the "ae" sound, which in no case actually rhymes with the English word "nigh."
Hyundai in Korean ends with the sound "eh" as in "meh" - or as in "dramatis personae" when pronounced in ecclesiastical Latin.
@Ric
What's "LHS"?
@Deadline
Maybe Left Hand Side?
Those who know me for posting on linguistic topics might have noticed that I've remained mum thus far on the "personae" debate.
Can. Of. Worms.
Philology meets History meets Privilege meets Colonialism meets Academia meets Snobbery meets Every Human Woe.
The -ae diphthong, whether internal or morphological, is the number one problem for pronouncing Latin (-ai equally so for Greek). There's no point in wading in. It has three or four "legitimate" and "justifiable" pronunciations. There's only one that matters for this puzzle.
FWIW, the long eye sound for -ae is not a problem to me - the long eye sound for -i, used by British people, their erstwhile subjects, and scientists everywhere, makes my teeth grind almost as loudly as any Senate hearing would.
4
@David Connell
...but you have to admit, in 'The Social Network,' when the Zuckerberg-character refers to the Winkelvoss twins (his opponents) as 'the Winkelvi'...it was really funny!
@Mean Old Lady - it's hard to imagine complaining about the possibility of an Armie Hammer sandwich.
*woohoo*
[That said, there is no justification whatsoever for pronouncing the plural -i or genitive singular -i as "eye". Ever. Except for the aforementioned capitalized series of evils.]
@David Connell
And what is the justification for pronouncing the -i plural/genitive as -ē (rather than a short -i) ?
My five favorite clues from last week:
1. Irony? (6)
2. Something you might kick after you pick it up (5)
3. Starbuck's order giver (4)
4. Store that should really have a spokesperson (8)
5. Collapsed red giant? (4)
FERRIC
HABIT
AHAB
BIKE SHOP
USSR
14
@Lewis
Would you ever extend to beyond 5 if there were particularly sparkly clues last week?
@Wen -- Some weeks I'm tempted to do that, and I battle over what to leave out (last week was one such week); others I'm tempted to do the opposite, have less than five, and I struggle to reach that number. But I've decided to stay consistent and pick, as best as I can, my five favorites. On today's 1, 3, 4, and 5 were definite and it was a struggle to cull one out of a pack of maybe six others.
Thanks, Lewis.
I know there are weeks where a single puzzle can fill up the quota.
How about maybe honorable mentions for weeks with bountiful and really excellent clues that you just can't bear to leave out?
On the other hand, what's the point of a top 5 list if you don't stick to 5, right?
And the natick goes to: square 49! Accepting the award for the sq. is moi. “I’d like to thank all of the Eastern noodle factories out there and of course the Jewish nabe that never fails to elude my recollection. This is disappointing considering a very recent appearance of SHTETL in the NYT XWP.” ‘Tis easier to kid around when the guessed letter in this case, the ‘S,’ is correct...Hand up for NEAR death at first, I was happy escaping that grave consequence...No visual lyric required to flock and sing along with the Ramones as they cover the ‘63 hit from the Trashmen, “Surfin Bird.”
https://youtu.be/CVQfVtzFd4U
In FUN,
Bru
2
@brutus, hand up for NEARdeath.
Grave, indeed, lol!!
I think the NYT puzzle is so much better than the rest. I don't know what it is that is so distinctive, but really it is my favorite.
8
Got to Queen Bee today because (a) it was relatively short, (b) I had time, and (c) in the run-up to Genius, I hit upon a group of related words that got me halfway from Genius to QB anyway. Normally, it's not worth the effort to me, especially when each puzzle has at least one oddball word in it (including ODDBALL itself the other day).
But for the last word, I needed a five-letter one, and bam, there it was! VILLI. Any tenth grader knows that one. Of course, it was rejected. Not in word list.
The one that finally was accepted, after a whole bunch of random dialing of common letter combinations, was one that had a rare two-letter combination. The word is also both slang and generally used only in the plural (which this was not).
It was like watching the Giants game yesterday and seeing them get called for a penalty they didn't commit.
3
@Steve L - I am guessing we both had the (same) last word, Steve L.
Agreed 100% on VILLI (I tried VILI as well, just in case). That's as "elemental" as YTTRIC and NITRIC.
Your last word was my last as well. We savvy.
@Wen
argh. I have that word already.
I am at 31 words, 143 pts. Like the kid at the icy flagpole, I'm "thuck, thuck, THUCK!"
1
What a FUN, FUN, FUN puzzle for a Monday. I needed this one, after getting absolutely crushed by the REBUS and the PEA in yesterday's offering!
2
The first thing I filled in last night was NEAR death. I immediately thought, "Man, that's grim" and was so happy to find out it was wrong. Then I got NEAR FATAL.
After that I wrote in THE END IS NIGH and wondered exactly how many years somebody has been bringing up that cheery subject.
Then I saw MIAMI MICE up in the NE and got a much needed chuckle.
I actually enjoyed this harder than usual Monday puzzle (which is also wider than usual) but wondered about newbies. Who knows, maybe they had "FUN, FUN, FUN," too.
Thank you, Chuck Deodene, for this interesting and intelligent offering.
3
@Johanna
Yeah, NEAR FATAL is MUCH better than NEAR death!
1
@Steve L
My point was precisely that it is not! I guess I didn't make it.
@Johanna
I guess either way is better than near-non-fatal.
I have already lamented the fact that the name of Claudio ARRAU could be such an unknown even after getting every letter from the crosses. Here is a link to a very familiar Beethoven sonata, (the first movement at least), played by this legendary pianist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XUKtdMRR-M
6
Where is the October 1 bonus puzzle?
OK, I give up. Where is it?
Oh good grief. First time commenter ... just had to get a very loud DOH! posted here as I had no idea the OBI vs ubi of Japanese sashes. I felt some LENNY Bruce-scale venting coming in the 10 minutes debugging that one until the chimes finally played.....(P.S. thanks to my favorite Georgia-grown band, REM, for introducing me to LB all those years ago in “THE END of the World (IS NIGH) as we know it!”)
1
Welcome, Newbie! from a native of Atlanta (though only a smallish fraction of my life was lived there.)
I'm always astonished when people do not know OBI, but you are far from the first today. Remember it well, for you will need it often!
3
@Mean Old Lady
And let us not forget Obi Wan Kenobi
Oh good grief. First time commenter ... just had to get a very loud DOH! posted here as I had no idea the OBI vs ubi of Japanese sashes. I felt some LENNY Bruce-scale venting coming in the 10 minutes debugging that one until the chimes finally played.....(P.S. thanks to my favorite Georgia-grown band, REM, for introducing me to LB all those years ago in their music!)
3
Well, now I've learned to pronounce the ILLINI of the FIGHTING ILLINI. I thought it was pronounced ill-LEE-nee. But because of the theme, I now see it must be pronounced ill-uh-NIGH. So glad I've never once had any need to pronounce it at all.
An intelligent Monday puzzle that requires a bit of thinking and that has a cute theme. The fact that all the NIGHs are spelled differently is a plus. NIGHce job.
3
@Nancy
Well, actually it is pronounced with two long i's:
ILL-EYE-NIGH. Accent on the second syllable.
Does difficulty of pronunciation have anything to do with the fact that the Illini haven't had a winning football team in decades? Hmmm...
4
@archaeoprof
And I think ill-ee-nee is some kind of pasta you can only find at Whole Foods. Or maybe a coffee size at Ahab's Order Taker.
@Steve L
I saw you did there. Great reminder of a fine puzzle from last week!
I enjoyed this puzzle immensely and was impressed with the ingenuity of the constructor to come up with four sound alike answers of two different lengths and the revealer of two six letter terms. It was a much more interesting puzzle for a Monday than usual.
I have only one quibble. 28A should include the word "former". The line designations IRT, BMT, and IND have not been used in NYC since the system was consolidated in the sixties. Only older New Yorkers, like myself, still refer to the numbered lines as the IRT. Although the fill was achieved somewhat easily by the crosses, the clue is flawed.
4
Ken,
IRT will always be "N.Y.C. subway inits." and SHEA will always be "Queens stadium name." The clues say nothing about current usage or existence.
(In the 14th Street station on Sixth Avenue, you will still see signs for "H&M Tunnels" and "Independent Line.")
4
If only Will and the constructors are a little more daring - they might clue SHEA as a type of butter oft-used in beauty products.
1
@Wen - Shea butter is also used by musicians who play wire strings - keeps the skin from cracking / callousing too thickly. I always have a tub handy.
Welp. Caitlin, you and whomsoever helped, have outdone yourselves with today's photo. Who'd have thunk it?
Nice little puzzle and cute concept, although I pronounce the Latin pluralization '-ae' as /long e./ (I never studied Latin, but this is very common with medicalese and botanical terms.)
When we lived in Hawaii in the late 1950's there was a big sign in Honolulu that read, 'JESUS COMING SOON,' (which is mentioned in James Joyce's _From Here to Eternity_.) It always comes to mind when any Doomsday saying is bandied about.
Genius+ with 137 pts and 29 words.... tsk.
3
@MOL James Jones wrote From Here To Eternity.
@Caitlin Great column today. Now I know why Deb says you're surprisingly dangerous! Plenty to google here and the Mayflower Corgi club has a really neat logo. IMHO.
@K Barrett
DOH! of course he did, and I know it....but my fingers have a mind of their own, it seems. Maybe I should proof-read more often! (Usually I catch my most-frequently-mis-typed words, like thing/think...but not always.)
@Mean Old Lady
For penance, I assign you to rewrite ten pages of "From Here to Eternity" as it would have been written by James Joyce.
We'll wait.
1
I'm wondering if the stats have been removed permanently from the crossword home page. I can't say I prefer having to click on stats for the streak and timing information that I am no longer seeing on the home page. As a former web developer I have to say - this is one of the most "organically" maintained web pages I've ever seen. But I'm old and live updates seem to be acceptable now. So, is this the new normal? Thanks.
2
hard Monday for me! I was surprised that so many found it easy! Took me 6 minutes longer than my average for a Monday.
Great puzzle though!
1
As a teacher of Latin who graduated from the University of Illinois, I would say that PERSONAE rhymes with ILLINI. Long I in both cases.
Nifty puzzle, very interesting theme!
6
Starting in LA and ENDing in NY, that was more interesting than a typical Monday. Clever theme for the day that is not usually so FUN. I guess it is particularly appropriate to have NEARS, although I didn't expect to see NEAR (DEATH) as well.
2
ACAI with sea moss? Would that be super duper food? Inquiring minds need to know, queried Tom quizzically.
Misspelled GEHRY but realized there was no battle of teesanai.
Latin 1 & 2 come through again at 18a.
Thanks Chuck
1
@dk
Just curious -- Did you spell it GErhY? That's what I did in the last puzzle that also featured him.
Nice puzzle, though it took me a while to get going and ended up at about twice my normal Monday time. Hesitated to fill in some of the fairly obvious answers without crossing confirmation and none of the theme answers were immediately obvious. Still an enjoyable solve.
Couldn't help but notice a couple of proximate answers. 59 and 60 across: GENE XER. And then there's 16 and 17 across, which could be the title of an animated version of a popular crime series: MIAMI MICE.
Maya Angelou. I would happily listen to her reading a phone book, but this is a lot better (and always relevant to one thing or another in current events):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5lgxayzy_k
..
7
@Rich in Atlanta
I noticed MIAMI MICE as well. It made me smile.
@Andrew
I'll be if you owned a condo in Miami, you wouldn't find MIAMI MICE so funny.
@RiA
Couldn't agree more about the marvelous Maya Angelou. Thanks for posting a link. I was going to look for one.
Love MIAMI MICE! Not only a great mental image on its own, it reminded me of Mickey and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
Straightforward enough Bee.
There are a *lot* of variations on a couple of obvious roots, and a few familiar staples. The last word for me was a common 5-letter V unrelated to any of the others.
33 / 154
C = 9 ( 1*4, 4*5, 2*6, 1*7, 1*8 )
I = 7 ( 2*4, 1*5, 2*7, 1*9, 1*10 )
L = 6 ( 3*4, 2*5, 1*7 )
N = 1 ( 1*5 )
T = 7 ( 4*4, 2*5, 1*6 )
V = 3 ( 1*4, 1*5, 1*8 )
1 pangram, no Bingo.
12
@Scott, thanks! took me for ever to get the N then felt like dummy :)
2
@pjmcgovern
I got it on my own today, and my last word was 5-ltr T. A couple of words I got only because they used them before in SB. Doing it daily definitely makes it easier - they have their own little vocab.
What’s a bingo?
Very clever theme idea, riffing on "the end is nigh". And while there are sufficient answers to satisfy the theme, that there is at least one "nigh"-sounding word ending not in the puzzle, nobody can deny.
4
@Lewis, and you're a jolly good fellow...
What a creative theme for a Monday. I flew through the top half and laughed out loud when I got to the reveal. The bottom half was more challenging, and having NEARdeath instead of FATAL held me up for quite a while. I also have never heard of a Glock. I happen to be reading a book that takes place in a SHTETL,("The River Midnight") so couldn't resist reaching for it to check the spelling.
Great start to the week.
@suejean
Hand up for NEAR-DEATH.
I tend to watch "Law & Order" reruns when I am escaping from news/politics TV coverage. The GLOCK is referred to often on the show, so I know it's a gun. Another gun is called a "nine." Go figure.
@Deadline
Ditto NEARdeath.
So, I guess we could say that a number of solvers had a NEAR DEATH experience with this puzzle.
I actually had one of those - typical account, minus the bright light. I've never been quite sure what to make of that.
The word "no" in Pig Latin is "oh-nay." Some people might pronounce it "own-yay." In no variable of Pig Latin in "ixnay" the translation of "no." "Ixnay" is Pig Latin for "nix," which is not a synonym of "no."
If not for that faulty clue, I would have solved the puzzle in 12 minutes instead of 19 minutes :(
11
@Mark
See @K Barrett's comment (the 6th one from bottom) below.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ixnay
begs to differ - in fact, ixnay always means "no" when it is used in the flow of regular English as an import from Pig Latin.
1
@Wen
I never know where to look when people refer to "above" or "below," since that depends on which direction each of you is reading the clues in.
Unrelated to today’s puzzle I just saw an ad on Hallmark Channel (don’t judge) for an upcoming series called “Crossword Mysteries” in coordination with NYT’s own Will Shortz!
Definitely something to look forward to!
5
@dsgarcia
You start my month of October with a laugh! Thanks!
@dsgarcia
My first thought was "Is this Will Shortz's mother posting under a pen name?" My second was "Yay!, I can't wait to watch!" Thank you for the heads up!
@dsgarcia
(Greetings fellow Austinite!)
All I need: more of my time spent on crossword-related activities!
1
One of the easiest Mondays for me. But then I’m old, live in Illinois and was a drama major so a couple of the theme answers came pretty quickly. Had ohnay instead of ixnay and adlibbing for winging it but otherwise no real problems.
DOH!
1
This easy puzzle was a good relief from the media's obsession with caterwauling Kavanaugh and his creepy calendars.
8
I thought the theme was fun, and really liked the revealer. I found it a pretty typical Monday solving experience, maybe even on the easy side. Just one across pass to fill in everything, and I think I only had to go back to correct one answer - for 57A I originally had INASET, rather than ASASET.
Thanks, Caitlin, for the Lenny Bruce clip. Having watched "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" recently, as well as just being plenty old enough, 69A was a gimme. There's lots of foul language in Mrs. Maisel - including coming out of her mouth - which I don't find as enjoyable as a lot of people do, apparently. But, the show was saved for me by Tony Shalhoub's performance, pretty much stealing every scene he was in.
2
So glad that many of you had fun and were challenged by a Monday puzzle. However, please remember that some of us are beginners; therefore, followers of the guidelines to try Minis, and Mondays and progress to the other days, etc. I have been learning via practicing on past years in the archives and really look forward to the new Monday and Mini puzzles. When those are made more challenging, it can be discouraging, even though the Minis can be figured out and are great practice for being flexible in thinking when trying to find a solution. Please remember us newbies, when you are constructing your puzzles. That is what will increase participation and the puzzle fan base. Thanks for reading/listening.
18
@BG
Welcome!
Hang in! You will quickly get the hang of it. I've been doing this "seriously" for about a year, and I seldom need more than a lookup or two a week now -- mostly Friday & Saturday. (I guessed the "B" I needed in SOBI/OBI today. An extreme rarity on a Monday for me.)
Here's the trick: Have faith in Shortz & the gang. The puzzles are made by humans for humans. Sometimes you won't be on their wavelength, but there's always something underneath that you can get if you stick with it. Your patience will be rewarded.
It's now a highlight of my day ... every day.
14
Have I been mispronouncing PERSONAE wrong all this time? It rhymes with ILLINI?
3
@Wags
You’re not wrong. The correct pronunciation is “purr SEW knee”, though “purr SEW nigh” seems to be an acceptable alternate pronunciation.
@Wags I perceive there is another opinion, but, as a student of Latin (yes, I am old), "pear-so-nigh" is the only pronunciation that has ever even occurred to me.
It is true that there has been some shift in the preferred pronunciation of many sounds in Latin since I was a lass, but I'm relatively certain that "ae" was and remains pronounced as "eye".
1
@Wags What's the old poem? It killed all the Romans and now its killing me. You should hear the debates on taxonomic pronunciations.... wardii, is it eye-eye or eee-eye. Or Oeceoclades.... then there's warscewiczianum. When I'm forced to pronounce these out loud I just mumble, shuffle my feet and try to look charming.
4
Wow. Very nice puzzle, for a Monday no less.
2
Great Monday - a lot of effort to amuse and it was worthwhile. The long entries were a little unexpected for a Monday as are the actual content. A lot of FUN.
Didn't know ARRAU, nor that CORGIS herded anything, with those short little legs, I'm surprised they could do that. Caitlin's acronym explanation for GORP will help me remember it. Loved seeing SHTETL again. Had UDON before SOBA, had DUH before DOH (DUH!). NEAR FATAL+PISTOL might offend those with gentle sensibilities. At least it was SEXLESS. Unlike the Senate CIRCUS this past week (UH NO, why did I have to go there?)
Still, it is a Monday, and so the fun ended quickly. Took me 3 passes through to complete it though. My solving time was almost Tuesday-like.
And finally, a nod to the BEES!
5
@Wen
Same here re ARRAU, GORP, SHTETL, udon, DuH, and solving time.
Agree this was harder than a typical Monday- not a bad thing just took a little longer - not a slam dunk
1
@DLB
It's 16 squares wide, too, which might be adding to your solve time.
@Johanna
Better count again. Look at the top row numbering.
@Dr W
OOOPS -- my bad. I jhave several puzzle printouts on my desk and picked up the wrong one. Yes it's really 16.
Now that I've noticed, there are two 16-letter fills. In the 15 letter case they are sesquipeds. What are 16-letter ones called?
Was it just me or was this much harder than the usual Monday? It certainly required more effort than I am accustomed to putting in. I am sorry to read that my one gimme, Claudio ARRAU has become such an obscure name. He is certainly up there with the greatest pianists of all times. It was a welcome change to see his name rather than the usual onslaught of rap and hip-hop names that generally stump me.
24
Me, Too!
The nation of Chile recognized his gifts early and funded his studies....a source of wonder when I read that.... sigh!
@Andrew
Still shows up in WQXR playlists.
the puzzle was really fun, and just the right amount of difficulty for a Monday crossword.
1
Is anybody else annoyed at the way the NYTs has hidden access to the crossword puzzle? I can find it, but it's a pain compared to the old link.
7
I always access it at:
https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords
It's never hidden that way.
And I also always access Wordplay at:
https://www.nytimes.com/column/wordplay
@rawebb1 I agree. It used to be on the front page above the fold. Now it's in a drop down menu. Granted I could simply bookmark the puzzle page and avoid seeing the front page all together... I wonder if they'd notice the decrease in clicks.
4
@rawebb1
Yep!
I "complained" the day of the reconfig of the home page.
Nice contributors say things like "Well, all you have to do is ...", but you and I had ways we liked to handle it.
NYT made things less useful.
It is annoying.
6
That was fun. Funigh?
3
Fun, easy Monday for me. But somehow not fast. I blame solving on a phone, small letters, inability to change from across to down, etc. That's my story (as they say)
1
Was your phone also running low on battery therefore running in low-power mode with the brightness turned way down, making it hard to see everything? That happens to me a lot, especially toward the end of the week.
@Wen brightness turned way down!!!! That's it! I misread a few clues too, yesterday and the day before that... all became clear when I went to the desktop. TY
@K Barrett
Do you solve on the NYT iPhone app? If so, then you can adjust the size of print of the clue. (I just discovered this - I was on "normal" but one can choose "large" or "larger". This helps immensely.) Settings are accessed by touching the wheel in the upper right corner.
As for changing from across to down, I just touch the clue and can change back and forth. Hope that helps.
Boxset for ASASET; udon before SOBA. Puzzle took a little longer than usual. Nice theme entries.
You don't see Frank GEHRY in here too much, but I must say the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA is amazing. Awesome acoustics from everywhere inside, and the seats are designed to simulate a full house when the orchestra is rehearsing with no audience. Amazing attention to detail. Beautiful inside and out, and a nice garden outside, too.
This crossword is a welcome, albeit temporary, relief from the DRAMATISPERSONAE of our current political CIRCUS.
9
@Blue Moon I too had UDON and BOXSET fist! Also DRAMATIC PERSONAS for a while before converting to Latin upon figuring out the revealer.
1
And speaking of the CIRCUS, how did Alyssa Milano vote? Or is it Cher we’re listening to? I keep forgetting.
1
Crossing sash and noodle?
What's Japanese for Natick?
(I went all "Hamlet" on it: Is it "B" or not a "B"?)
3
"What's Japanese for Natick?"
ネイティック
I used the Wikipedia "translation" (i.e. look for something in Wikipedia, then click on the alternate language I want - in this case - 日本語).
I submitted a post earlier with a link to the Wikipedia article, but the emus don't seem to like that one.
ネイティック
https://tinyurl.com/y8pgfvsg
@Caitlin, I hear you.
8:09 Sunday night--no posts yet? Something must be wacky in Wordplay land.
The theme entries were definitely on the challenging side for a Monday, but they filled in easily for me and I mostly worked steadily from north to south. I have vague memories of photos of a former SULTAN OF BRUNEI being weighed in a scale, balanced with a pile of gold and gems. Perhaps I am making that up, or confusing him with another rich sultan.
It feels like a good start to the week.
is this thing on?!
@Caitlin
I hear you!
I was wondering the same thing when I checked in a few minutes ago and found no posts. I hoped the revealer was only for the puzzle.