Nov. 30 quibble: A piton is no more a mountaineer's tool than a nail is to a carpenter.
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Chalk me up as a big fan of yesterday’s roundabout. As others noted, I first was expecting U-turns, then straightaways. After an extended period of befuddlement I finally saw RALLYING CRY veer off to the left, and Bob was my driver/uncle.
Both yesterday’s and today’s were accurate to their day for me — today’s grid took me 16 minutes longer, and I needed several lookups. (Deb says it’s OK, Elayne!) Had a Natick with ALTA/LETO, and the latter T was the last square to fill. I’d been so convinced that the Homer was Simpson that I had a good chuckle to learn that he excelled in epic poetry! Great fun.
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I'm still trying to figure out why the NY Times hasn't negotiated/cajoled/forced Across Lite, who benefits immeasurably from the Times puzzles on its platform, to provide support for diagramless puzzles in its online version (or downloadable version).
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Loved the puzzle and the commentary from Ms. Boosler was fantastic. I also tend to jump around and having someone else (especially as clever as she is) describe the process was the best part of my day. Now HOLD MY BEER.
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Thanks for your funny take on the puzzle, Elayne Boosler. I love the way you approached the puzzle.
About your black pants joke ( and there is a book that could be written about the implications) I would love to see a giggle of goodhearted comedians do a jam session of sorts. You would tell the black pants joke, someone would respond, and someone else would respond to that response and so on. And have it magically end by arriving back at the black pants, only in a new way.
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I really enjoyed this puzzle, which is both original and clean. (Actually, my reaction is just about the opposite of Jeff Chen's today. I was really surprised at how negative he was today.) We were treated to a whole lot of fresh and lively longies, and the shorter entries enjoyed inventive cluing that added spice.
I don't know where or when, or under what circumstances, but I have definitely heard HOLD MY BEER. Didn't know it was a meme. Didn't care. Don't know much about memes.
I knew some school called its sports team TERRAPINS, so a couple of letters and the length gave me that. At 51D, knew there had to be a U in there somewhere.
TIL that APHIDS suck. Didn't know RAISA, OLIN, CHE, or ELIE as clued. Never heard GONE for drunk.
Not only is a donation to Tails of Joy a good idea, so is a donation to any reputable no-kill shelter. Not all donations need to be cash either, since old sheets and towels (clean) are welcome to make beds for the residents. And volunteering to work with the dogs and cats is a good thing, and very enjoyable.
And most important, please adopt your new best friend/family member from a shelter.
Thanks Robyn and Elayne.
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Thursday and Friday puzzles are my favorites. Yesterday's was irritation, but this one was great! I double checked a couple of answers, but got it done :-)
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@ Steve L and @Puzzledog, and others, I'm sure.
There must be thousands and thousands of people who do the NYT crosswords. There can't be more than a hundred or so who post in this comment section on any kind of regular basis.
One reason might the be that there can be, at times, a certain self-congratulatory tone evident here that is off-putting.
Yesterday's puzzle wasn't just about guessing words; there was a strategy element as well. As if a chess game was tossed into the mix.
Why is it not acceptable, for people who don't go along with that, to post a comment saying they don't like it?
Perhaps because they don't pass an intellectual snobbery test?
Why are intellectuals superior people whose viewpoint is the valid one? Is it in the constitution?
So a poor someone had a hard time with James Joyce. So do I. I read and enjoyed "Portrait..." and "Dubliners" but the rest aren't worth the trouble for me although I can see why they might be for someone else.
And what is wrong with someone not liking Braque and perhaps liking, let's say Norman Rockwell?
It all comes down to taste. There is no right or wrong taste. And people are allowed to say that they like the taste of a certain puzzle and don't like the taste of another. And they are allowed to say it in this comment section without being made to feel as if they should hang their heads in shame.
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@Peter Jackel I am not sure what you are taking about? I think we have different crosswords in the States.
@Peter Jackel
I see certain aspects of what you are saying, but I don't think that your portrayal of Steve L et al is quite correct. I think that we all like some puzzles more than others, and might find some much more difficult than others. The issue would seem to be with those that, because they find a puzzle difficult or hard to understand, react by saying that the puzzle is bad, should not be published, and that they will consider ending their subscription based on this. I have had puzzles in the past that I have just not been able to "grok", and I truly appreciate the fact that others might really like them and totally relate to them. I simply wait patiently for the next day to see what the next puzzle will be.
I don't think that anyone here wants to act superior to someone who does not catch on. In fact they would like to help them appreciate the puzzle. I find that the "attitude" comes from the person who summarily dismisses the value of a very intricately worked-out puzzle.
Your own mention of Joyce is a perfect example. There is a big difference between saying that one has a hard time with Joyce, or that those works are really not for you, and saying that it is all garbage and should never be published.
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@Peter Jackel
Thank you Andrew for the support.
Peter, let me frame it another way:
You're a rookie just starting your major league career, at bat facing the Yankees' closer Aroldis Chapman.
Strike one, looking. You didn't even see it before it was past you.
Chapman regularly throws the ball in excess of 100 mph.
Strike two, swinging. You at least saw the ball, but missed it by a mile.
Chapman has been known to pitch a ball as fast as 105 mph.
The third pitch is high and outside; you decide to take it. It's his slider, and it curves down and into the strike zone.
Strike three.
Your take on the at-bat: I couldn't hit him; he's a lousy pitcher.
But thanks for calling me an intellectual; it's the first time anyone has done that. And I consider it a compliment!
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Ms. Boosler: are you still there? Thanks for the commentary and for your interest in staying with our comments for so long, and so very entertainingly. FYI, I have TWO pairs of black pants. (But I can’t find one of them right now.)
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Well, an honest crossword puzzler, and so funny!
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Finally a Friday puzzle that was straightforward! Finished less than a minute off my best.
Started out really fast on top with CROCE, ALTA (have been there), CHEZ, ZEN, TERRAPINS, SAWS, TWEET, STYE, and CONEY. Many other gimmees: APHIDS, ALOES, ABBEYROAD, OHMS, REYES (have been there), UDON, TCU (of course!), OSAGE, PITON, and EGOS. Brief waylay due to DwI (what we call it here) rather than DUI.
Lots of really clever clues! Toughest were those for YOUNG, SYNS, EMPTYNESTERS, TORE, and GONE.
So why is THERES frequently misspelled?
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@Ron
"So why is THERES frequently misspelled?"
I don't understand that either. Not only why, but how is it misspelled?
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@Deadline
THEIRS.
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@Steve L
neither HEIR nor THEIR?
A thoroughly enjoyable Friday, with excellent clues and, for me, some very nostalgic answers. Homer's EPICPOETRY, Jim CROCE and ABBEYROAD all sent me back to younger times when I could HOLDMYBEER with the best of 'em and never be totally GONE.
And thanks, Elayne, for the laughs!
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@Dag Ryen HOLD BEER BEER was my first big solve. lol
Didn't do well on this one -- partly because I mis-led myself, and also ran into two potential quibbles. (In character ... no?)
First -- I didn't realize 46A was Italian (until I used Google translate), so I kept thinking why is it only one "n"? :-/
Quibble #1 now: technically speaking a breathalyzer gives you a blood alcohol count -- or BAC. The DUI determination is law, not science.
Quibble #2: those dogs are canine unit members. Their employer is the police department or appropriate gov't agency.
Nice to finally meet Ms Boosler in print -- I've heard of her but never heard her. That was a nice writeup.
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@Dr W
oops -- I meant to say 'why is it 2 n's?"
I love this puzzle and Ms. Boosler’s commemtary. Thank you both, and happy Friday to all!
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@JR Thanks JR. Have a great weekend.
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I didn't find it all that easy ( how many times have I said that? ) Don't answer!
However I did find it more fun than most themeless puzzles. I liked all the long answers, although am not familiar with HOLD MY BEER, so that took a while to get.
I loved seeing a non Simpson Homer clue.
I don't get 22A.
Lots of fun to read Elayne's thought process.
I've often wondered how many words there were for drunk, so looked up plastered after the puzzle and found 45 synonyms, practically a whole puzzle.
Time for my glass (bottle) of wine.
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@suejean I didn't get 22 A, either! Still looking in these comments for an explanation.
@cheriq, I just got it, short for synonym, which the two words are. I was just rereading the blog, and its right at the end.
re: 22A - In Ms. Boosler's write up, second to last paragraph:
"22A. Ahh, SYNS, which is short for “synonyms.” Well played, ma’am, well played."
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Dear Miss Boosler,
Like you, I encountered “The New York Times” crossword answers of 25A NEUTER cutting across 25D NUTS. Knowing this was “The NYTimes” and not “The Post” gave me reason to erase, immediately.
Whether clinging to a clue-giving neighborhood that provides guidance to The Answer is a good thing — or not — is a struggle that arises often in these comments.
. . . just as it does in life.
A.
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@ADeNA must agree with you there.
I love Ms. Weintraub’s puzzles. They are so elegant and calm, especially welcome after the wilder Thursday puzzles.
As a Michigander, I wanted to note that the Coney dog has its origins in Detroit. See, for example, this Smithsonian article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/origins-coney-island-hot-dog-uniquely-american-story-180959659/ It is an interesting history about Greek immigration and migration around the US.
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@Lori S.
The article remind me of the avenues between which the CONEY Islands of my youth were located. The article rather makes it sounds as if Michigan and Lafayette were a regular intersection, but in fact they were a place just south (I think) of Cadillac Square where the two came together to form one of those triangular blocks that abound in that area.
IIRC, there were three, not two, CONEY Islands that ran between the avenues, next door to each other, all with entrances on both ends.
But the article differs from my recollection in its description of what constituted a true CONEY Island. I remember the chili being there, but that other stuff was also added. That's now how I ate my hot dogs.
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A week or so ago, after having trouble solving because I didn't know the star of a TV show, I observed that I probably should start watching fewer sporting events and more sitcoms. It seems that several commenters today could benefit by doing the opposite.
It doesn't always help, though. Yesterday the University of New Mexico's LOBOs took me off the trail to ZUNI.
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A really well done puzzle with some great cluing: CANINE UNIT and ABBEY ROAD being especially pleasing. A refreshing return to solid construction! The ALTA/LETO/TERRAPHINS crosses were the hardest part for me, since I didn't know HOLD MY BEER. But the crosses throughout the puzzle made even RAISA accessible. Nice job!
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@GILL -- "Is there a person alive now who was alive in the '70s who never heard of CROCE?" Yes, @GILL, there is.
But I did know ABBEY ROAD. My younger brother, who liked the Beatles a lot more than I did, had the album. I went through the album with him once, telling him which songs I liked and which I didn't. "That's easy," he said. "You like the McCartney songs and you don't like the Lennon songs." I hadn't actually known which were which.
I quibble with "In play" as the clue to ALIVE. Meant to throw us off, but pretty weird. Other than that, a nice puzzle. Some of the clever clues, such as EMPTY NESTERS, I got readily. But struggled to come up with CANINE UNIT at 54A. And, while I didn't know RAISA the Olympic champ, I got her name because RAISA was the first name of either Mrs. Khrushchev or Mrs. Gorbachev, I forget which.
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@Nancy
"Alive" / "In Play" can be viewed through a sports lens.
In numerous sports, when a play is over, the ball* is "blown dead". Baseball doesn't have a whistle, but similarly a ball that goes "out of play" is said to be "dead".
*Or puck--hockey happens.
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@Nancy, Mrs. Gorbachev was RAISA
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@Nancy
Where @Gill wrote, “Is there a person ALIVE now who was ALIVE in the ‘70s who never heard of Jim CROCE?”, perhaps better wording would be “IN PLAY.”
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EPICFAILS is a letter short and the wrong Homer.
EMPERORSUITS was rooms to spare for me ... just off the EMP.
ALTA / LETO was a Natick for me...though I'm sure I've seen each before. (And I lived just south of Leto, FL in a previous life.)
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@mjengling
Would have made for a stunning cross with HOLDMYBEER.
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I did not find this particularly easy for a Friday as so many others here did. It certainly was more challenging than a Tuesday or Wednesday so it was well-placed in my opinion.
I thoroughly enjoyed Elayne's commentary, and was glad to find out that I am not the only one to solve in a somewhat random and often inappropriate manner. I love her sense of humour, and yes, it took me a while to understand the black pants joke and I am still not sure whether I get it. As for her comment about UDON, I have been trying vigorously to analyze it because I am sure there is a very funny joke there. (Mansplaining welcome.)
Enjoyed the brouhaha yesterday. Let's keep those controversial Thursdays coming!
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If viewed only in terms of traffic on the blog, yesterday was a BANNER DAY! Hopefully, some of those who showed up will join in the conversation more regularly and move beyond the "love it" or "hate it" commentary.
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@Andrew Sometimes while squeezing one's brain, things start to look foreign, hence the black square comment after UDON. Don't worry, it's not you, it's me. As for not getting the black pants joke, it just means you're a real man. Rejoice!
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@Elayne Boosler
Nice to hear that I am a real man, although I admit that I am no bigwig.
"It's not you, it's me". Now where have I heard that before?...
I enjoyed the puzzle and loved Boosler's blog. it reminded me of how I solve, in fits and starts, with plenty of mistakes along the way. except I definitely look things up as I'm not good enough to manage without (on the other hand, I do well with TEST TUBES).
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"I never look up anything to help me solve, ever." Amen to that, sistah!
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@archaeoprof Me too! "Either I know it or I squeeze it out of my brain or I eventually fail." I'd just add that sometimes the surrounding words give it to me. And if not, rather than "fail" I see it as "I lose a meaningless streak and learn a new word!"
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@audreylm Perfect! But actually, sometimes I do kinda fail.
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@audreylm In my case this habit comes from way back in those ancient days when there was only the paper puzzle, no blog, no help, answers available tomorrow.
@Elayne Boosler Loved your commentary and the video, both spot on. Please stop by here as often as you can.
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A gift all the way around: sparklingly amazing Friday construction by Robyn Weintraub, equally sparklingly amusing -- LOL funny -- commentary by Elayne Boosler brought to us today by the always sparkling Deb Amlen who generously shared her stage today.
It doesn't get any better than this.
Many thanks to everybody involved!
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Great column! I agree with Ms Boosler, why isn't using Google cheating the same as consulting the answer key? And the Bigwigs in 31-D actually have small ones...that's why they are always overcompensating...
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@Algernon C Smith HA!
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Hurrah! A Friday puzzle I could solve without hints from this column! (I did look up some things, because I, too, know nothing about university sports teams and care less. Also a few other bits and pieces with which my brain is not stocked.)
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Rachel (and editors),
Caring about sports teams is optional, but please note that *every* University of Maryland student is a Terp.
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I wanted so badly for "little suckers" to be ALTOIDS which, of course, didn't fit, but it kept me from getting APHIDS for far too long.
It really does take a ZEN frame of mind to deal with a Friday puzzle and it helped with this one. I can say, without fear of contradiction that I have never uttered the phrase HOLD MY BEER!
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@Meg H. Love thinking it was Altoids! See? That's where great minds go...
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Thank you, Ms. Boosler. It is not often that my sides ache from laughing this early in the day. What a good start we are off to!!
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On a note that crosses my various preclivities: Acolyte made me happy. I think sometimes the "-lyte" in that word gets confused with "light", since, in Protestant churches, acolytes do little more than light or carry candles/torches.
My patron saint is Aloysius Gonzaga, patron saint of acolytes / altar servers / altar boys. He earned that patronage because he died in service of the sacraments during a serious epidemic. Born to extreme wealth and privilege, Aloysius renounced his claims and entered into service in the church. Assistants/witnesses/servers (= acolytes) are required by the rites and rules of the Catholic church, and he stood up to serve where and when no one else would, in order to minister to the dying.
a-colouthes = accompanying on the path => acolyte
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@David Connell
ACOLYTE made me happy also, in part because I got it off the A. Aside from that, I think it serves well at a time when so many people are watching there caloric intake.
OT, take away your APSE and your NAVE, and what have you left by way of RECESS?
[Not often we have the chancel to build up a little ecclesiastic architectural humour, aisle warrant, regardless of how we aspire]
OT2: For no good reason I can explain, I first made 39A DOESNT. A cuppla crosses shed some light, but I made DOESNT into THEIRS before THERES. Does that sequence qualify as REREDOS? DavidC?
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@Leapfinger - Funny you should reference "reredos" today - the church of my yute had a wonderful reredos, replete with "saints and apostles" - but it was dedicated to today's honorand, yesterday's final Jeopardy, which sadly no one got, the first apostle and a great favorite of mine: Saint Andrew, patron of Scotland.
The Feast of Andrew the Apostle (Nov. 30) officially inaugurates the church year and the season of Advent - Happy St. Andrew's Day, everyone!
Or as the "President" said yesterday, "Merry Crishush" - because that's how that thing really talks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrRxQVUFN4
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@David Connell
I think 'reredos' is a wonderful word, for which I couldn't possibly pass up one of the few chances I have to use.
Part of my fondness originates in The Dukays (by Lajos Zilahy) which I read as a teen. The oldest son, of simple mind, was nicknamed Rere, and it was probably 30 years before it dawned on me that Rere was a nickname for Imre.
And then, of course, in CrossWordLand, it's always special to find an entry that's RERE[peat]ed
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That was a really solid puzzle! Fun! Beer!
I couldn't help feeling Deb needed a day off after yesterday and that's why we had a (hilarious)guest columnist today, even though I know that's not how it's done. But maybe days, or weeks, ago, when Deb got yesterday's puzzle she knew in advance that she'd need a break.
Just want to warn animal lovers NOT to go to Ms. Boosler's Tails of Joy website. You'll be forced to want to click on all sorts of links to see cute animals and all the incredible charities Tails of Joy supports. Also, you're gonna want to donate to them. Don't do it! It's a scam! Only 100% of your donation actually goes towards animal welfare!
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"But maybe days, or weeks, ago, when Deb got yesterday's puzzle she knew in advance that she'd need a break."
Or, with weekends off, maybe she extended her "one week" vacation next week by taking off today too?
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@ad absurdum Haha! Thank you for the ringing endorsement of my Tails of Joy. It's true, it's a happy stories only website, Sarah McLaughlin not welcome.. Please do go there though, and buy our holiday stuff and donate. Every purchase saves a life. Happy Holidays!
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@ad absurdum and @BarryAncona Thankfully, it takes a whole lot more than a tough puzzle to make me run screaming out of the room.
Actually, we wanted this to coincide with Elayne's appearance tonight on "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," on the CW at 9 p.m. Eastern, if we hadn't mentioned it several times already. I can't wait for her duet with Tovah Feldshuh!
And her DVD set is hilarious! Well worth the -$3 you pay for it.
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Nine debuts: Impressive! Love Elayne Boosler ever since seeing her in the Bay Area @$#@ year’s ago in the Bay Area. Buy something for $22 and it magically turns into a $25 donation? That’s my kind of math.
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After yesterday’s detour it was a pleasant surprise to find ABBEYROAD and this themeless puzzle full of “crunchy” clues. The NE and E portions fell into place first for me, I liked ACOLYTE and ALIENATED. At the bottom I had the POLICEUNIT SETTLEDOWN before straightening that into a safe crosswalk.
CROCE was a nice starting point but HOLDMYBEER was the last thing I got to before nit-picking with UDON to finish in good time.
Good clean fun.
I found this to be easier than most Fridays (in my short solving career), and much easier than yesterday's puzzle. And it was fun. I do have a quibble with the TUTOR clue. A good tutor would never say "Do the math." She would use guiding questions to prompt the student to do so. Then again, the answer wasn't GOODTUTOR so maybe my quibble is groundless.
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I can hold my beer with the best of them or at least I could when I was YOUNG. Nowadays, no brew for Bru; carbs, sugars et al...I seem to find Rock’n Robyn’s Friday puzzles reasonably and consistently solvable though never effortless...Took a reckless stab at 30d when I penciled in A Beatle CD. Crosses righted my wrong summarily. I must try to not allow my imagination to run roughshod when THERE’S little or no cross support...Since Deb spoke of Moon Unit, I’m going to TIE IN a link. This is the title track of the do wop, biographical rock opera Joe’s Garage. Setting the scene: Mrs. Borg (she keeps her son Sy in the closet with the vacuum cleaner) pleads with the band to (TONE) “Turn IT DOWN.”) Eventually, the witch calls the fuzz. Script is provided and helps you follow the hysterical lyric.
https://youtu.be/_oH8u9PxWJo
Un-ALIENATED,
Bru
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Loved this puzzle. I solved it, so I know that means it was relatively easy, but I think it was easy because so many of the long entries were very much in the language. On reviewing the answers, I was stunned to see 9 debut answers - everyone one of them 10 letters or longer and every one of them reasonably familiar. I liked all of them but HOLDMYBEER made me chuckle. I could just imagine that scene.
I am precisely the right age for the Beatles to have been a central part of my existence as a teenager, starting with their first appearance on Ed Sullivan. I think I owned every album from Rubber Soul onward at one time as did all of my friends. Every new album was a major event back then. I think I may still have Sgt Pepper in storage someplace, but that's about it. Kind of had enough by about 1980 and tend to change the channel on my XM radio if one of their songs comes on now. Maybe I should get over that.
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@Rich in Atlanta
ABBEYROAD was the third answer I entered. I have the boxed CD set of all their albums. No home should be without it.
2
Hmmmm??? Maybe I need to try a glass (bottle) of wine (scotch) whilst plying my morning hobby?!?!? (Howcum nobody ever uses “whilst” in a crossword puzzle???)
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@PeterW
It's uncommon but has been used 5 times during the Shortz era accoding to xwordinfo. I don't know if it's because it is a Britishism, because the American English equivalent, WHILE, was used only 3 times in the same era. Maybe constructors just don't like the word, or have difficulties with its 5 consonants and 1 vowel.
@PeterW and Wen
Or maybe they're just stark raving bonkers?!
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@PeterW It makes everything better...
Robyn and I seem to be muy simatico. Robyn, would you like to collaborate with a budding new constructor? I kid... but really, we do seem to be on the same wavelength. Being somewhat a student of popular memes, HOLDMYBEER fell right in. My love of music made ABBEYROAD a gimme, and NANNYSTATE and COINOPERATED fell with only 2 or 3 crosses. Loved the fill and cluing (not sure what was Robyn's and what was Will's, but it was all well done). All led to a fun solve that was only 5 minutes off of a new best. Loved it!
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@Steve Faiella P.S. "Muy Simatico" is Spanish for "Very Crossword Savvy". OK, that's an alternate fact. It was a typo.
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My time for today's puzzle was just over half my Friday average, but almost two and a half times yesterday's time.
That's not supposed to be.
But both puzzles were good in their own way.
Yesterday's puzzle attracted over 300 comments, which is very odd. Many of them were by people whose names are new to me, or at least, have contributed minimally in the past. Many of those comments were disparaging. I believe the Aesop story of the fox and the (sour) grapes goes a long way to explain that phenomenon. s I said yesterday, "I couldn't solve the puzzle; it's the puzzle's fault."
To that, I'd add "I didn't follow directions (or notice them); that's also the puzzle's fault." (And of course, Rex Parker said he didn't read the note [in Across Lite] because he thinks it's cheating. But it must have been nice to have had the arrows.)
Generally speaking, the regulars loved it, and said none of those things. Personally, I didn't have anything to criticize.
Today's is a light palate cleanser by comparison. A small bowl of sorbet after an intense entree. You can always count on Robyn Weintraub for a smooth, solid puzzle.
Only minor nits: You never see CANINE UNIT anywhere, it's always K9. Of course, that doesn't make it wrong.
Also, CONEY dogs (and Coney Island diners) are things you find in the Midwest, particularly Michigan. CONEY dogs are a specific style of frank never seen in Coney Island itself. Interesting history at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coney_Island_hot_dog
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@Steve L While I didn't love yesterday's puzzle, it was a matter of personal preference. I have trouble visually following puzzles like that. I solved it, admit it was clever, but it is just not my favorite style.
Today, in stark contrast, the puzzle was like a pat of butter. Pleasant, went down easy and done in half my usual Friday time. Way too easy for a Friday. So in retrospect, I might say that the challenge of yesterday made me long for more of one today.
I'm a little fuzzy on your math (or phraseology of it). Today's time was "almost two and a half yesterday's time". If so, I bow to you for your performance yesterday. My time today was 1/3 of yesterday's time. A race versus a slog.
@Steve L, your comment about CANINE UNIT makes me think of a potential theme -- answers where the numbers are written out as words instead of numerals. In addition to KNINE ("Long in the tooth?"), candidates include XFIVE ("Fancy ute?"), GTWENTY ("Unclimbed summit?"), BTWELVE ("Vegan need?"), and UTWO ("Edgy band?"). Maybe @Steve Faiella wants to work with a newbie collaborator instead?
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Whoops. wrong clue for KNINE. How about "Shepherd assistant?"
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A trait Ms. Boosler and I share is "not looking things up." A sad day was when one might, with a click, check one's answer.
I find an unfinished puzzle to be ZEN like. It sits like a silent TUTOR while you do the mental math. I would go on put I see you are nodding off.
Took a few trys to spell 23A. LOL moment and correct letter came as I thought Ninny State just about sums up the US these days.
So wanted donut devouring for 17A. Alas, as those philosophers from the sixties once sang: You can't always get...
Thanks Robyn
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I love Elayne Boosler's thought process. I have those same conversations with myself when I try and solve these puzzles, plus I love rescue dogs. Should I be worried??!!
4
@Frank Oh yeah...
1
Enjoyable puzzle but based on the time it took, more of a Wednesday level IMO. Some fun answers like TESTTUBES, CANINEUNIT and CONEY.
1
So many lovely answers (CANINE UNIT, HOLD MY BEER, NANNY STATE, SAVE THE DATE, EMPTY NESTERS, AS COLD AS ICE), and sparkly clues (SAWS, TWEET, CANINE UNIT, EMPTY NESTERS). Zippy solve for Friday, but not without some mental calisthenics, a nice balance of work and ease.
I keep seeing connections. With EMPTY NESTERS I see YOUNG / GONE. Then the mini-story of SAVE THE DATE / FIRST DANCE / HOLD MY BEER / TONE IT DOWN. Also HEADS / EGOS, and not just BON but EPIC. Finally, I saw CHEZ ZEN, where you hear OHMS.
Once again, a smile-producing Weintraub offering with bounce. Next time I see Robyn's name atop a puzzle, my being will resonate with an "Oh boy!"
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@Lewis, just a gentle nudge in the direction of seeing Robyn's name and saying "Oh, girl!"
You have such propensity to look ALIVE that I'm surprised you didn't focus your laser beam on the matchless FIRES BON. I think the last time that pair came up was when Wheel's Pat Sajak discharged an employee, Bon, for ragging on his co-host...
....which came to be known as The FIRES BON of the Vanna Tease.
4
A good puzzle, but far too easy for a Friday. I look forward to spending at least a half hour solving when I wake up at the end of the week! Should have run on Tuesday or Wednesday, IMHO.
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@Slip Mahoney
Are you kidding? We deserved this one after the week we’ve had! Not my best Friday ever but close. Maybe I won’t be late for work today!
2
Sheesh!! After yesterday’s puzzle - which was “too clever” even for a Saturday - we DESERVED a break. Today’s puzzle may not have been a typical Friday challenge - - but it was no piece of fluff either.
1
@Slip Mahoney
Agree.
And the same could be said for the previous three Fridays.
What's going on?
After yesterday's ROUNDABOUT a nice straightaway puzzle. I like 'em both ways.
5
The Bee: 37 words, 180 points, Bingo.
Quite a few repeats from yesterday...
(Trying a matrix today to see if I can get it right! Please correct if necessary.)
4 5 6 7 8
A 4 2 1 1
C 7 1 3 2 1
I 1 1
P 12 2 5 5
R 4 1 1 1 1
T 6 1 3 2
Y 3 1 2
37
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@Lorene Lavora
Severe déjà vu from yesterday, lots of crossover as you said.
Am I imagining things or was it a loooong slog from Genius to QB today?
1
@Lorene Lavora
Thanks for the counts! Your matrix looks just fine on the iPad.
@MaggieT - Thanks! Good to know.
@Scott - yes, extreme déjà vu! I actually got to Genius pretty easily. The one pangram (I left out that stat - it's always something...) was not obvious to me until late in the game.
I jumped around a bit but more or less solved from the bottom up, which seems rather orderly after reading about Ms. Boosler's solving experience.
Thank you, Deb, for sharing your space today.
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@Paul Ha! I am so good at making everyone else feel organized. You're welcome.
1
and Elke
As others already noted - lots of interesting words. A relief after yesterday's roundabout way getting to the destination .
Did take note of (still) EMPTY NESTERS crossing TEST TUBES.
In the 40 yrs. since the first 'TEST TUBE' baby ( in UK ) was born, several million In Vitro Fertilization (really in Petri dishes) YOUNG uns have been born.
Ultimately requiring the need for NANNYs-- to allow parents to SAVE THE DATE and be able to have again that FIRST DANCE.
Funny commentARY and fun clues.
Thanks Robyn.and Elayne B.
4
Loved both the puzzle and the commentary.
Especially HOLDMYBEER, FIRSTDANCE, SAVETHEDATE, EMPTYNESTERS, ABBEYROAD, COINOPERATED, NANNYSTATE.
Some great clues, as well!
2
Finished in under 12 minutes. After a couple of years of not suscribing, I am entering the crosswordese state of knowing immediately that render harmless = DEFANG.
1
Piece of cake, especially for a Friday. A tad faster than my Wednesday average. Very enjoyable though and EB’s commentary was quite amusing. I don’t think I’ve ever jumped up to touch an awning, though. And I have two pairs of black pants, both of which are for golf.
2
@David Meyers No man golfs in black pants. You're a renegade!
5
@Wen And how did his choices work out for him?
1
What a shame that all the people who cancelled their subscriptions yesterday missed out on this. *winkyface*
Super fast for a Friday, fun and a confidence-builder after the roundabout thrashing I took yesterday.
Got HOLDMYBEER immediately as it's been so thoroughly memeified, and the rest fell into place with not much more effort.
What a lark! Now on to Saturday ...
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@Hildy Johnson
Got HOLDMYBEER from my wife who is much more "memeified" than I. ;)
1
This was fun; I've been waiting for HOLD MY BEER and NANNY STATE to make their debuts! Loved the combo of SAVE THE DATE next to FIRST DANCE. Very nice.
5
Just a quick note …. the clues in this puzzle were delightful. Really a fun, fun solve. Thanks!
3
I must be on the same wavelength as the constructor. Went through this very, very quickly.
2
I absolutely loved Ms Boosler’s comments. Please, sir, I want some more!
12
@Ken (formerly Upstate Kenny) Maybe we can do a tepid gruel puzzle. Thanks for the kind words!
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I would love to collaborate with you! Bring it on! I’m honored!
For some of us of a certain age, 10D will inevitably lead here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAESnjvz3lQ
And for the fiddler at 40D there's this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GivWUFueNLs
And my favorite song from one of my favorite singers, good old 1A, a Villanova boy from Upper Darby High:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcqauC49Xmc
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@David Connell
Alternately, for the fiddler at 40D:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnepPZChA5U
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@Steve L - nice call - he's got as much rosin on his fingerboard as ever saw his bow.
@Steve L
Or a single line from this song for 40D:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHy_XeBMagU
I finished well below my average Friday time today, on a really enjoyable puzzle. A number of the uncommon answers just popped into my mind. Like, for "Little suckers" - aha! REMORA. And, for "Neat" - why not? - "SANS ICE". Of course those two turned out to be seriously wrong.
It was nice to see TCU make the cut, though, and the Horned Frogs getting to share the grid with the TERRAPINS. I can identify with both. One is the local university, and the other is where my Dad did graduate studies many years ago - and a few years before I was born.
5
@David
Perhaps it was local bias, but TCU was my first guess (having the U from UDON).
Liked it a lot. Loved Ms. Boosler's recap of her solving experience. It sounded vaguely familiar... Did not know REYES, had to run the alphabet (practically all the way through!), then headslap moment when I saw MYNA (must have been the bourbon).
I'm going to order Ms. Boosler's DVD set - $25 to the Humane Farming Association! Does everyone know that Amazon Smile allows you to choose a charity and makes small donations to it when you order? I mean tiny. But the more people that do it... Amazon Smile is just like regular Amazon, except the charity part. I sort of hate Amazon, but this makes me feel better.
4
@Suzy M.Hi Suzy, your order will go out tomorrow and thank you so much for supporting us, and the animals. And thanks for letting people know about smile.amazon.com. If you start there, choose Tails of Joy, Studio City, and bookmark it, every single time you shop, Amazon will donate to us at no cost to you. So you're not really "shopping", your saving needy animals' lives. Thanks everybody!
8
Shop local, please! Amazon Smile (50 cents for every $100 spent) is a feel good nothingburger that can’t possibly begin to compensate for all the harm caused by this predatory behemoth. Support your local businesses and you’ll be doing far more good for everyone, and the planet, than by shopping on Amazon “Smile” (I am frowning just thinking about it).
2
@Puzzlemucker Shop-a-tunities are limited in Smalltown USA. Although I agree with you in general terms, I can't get all my Christmas shopping done at the pharmacy. Fortunately the town 10 miles north of me has a Marshall's.
1
Had a lot of trouble with some entries and crossings. Had many thoughts of HOLD MY ____ before BEER came into view. Lots of non-obvious/obscure crossings. I mean, who knew that you wouldn't put mascara on when you have a STYE? But it makes sense, right?
There were lots of corrections which slowly lifted the fog of obscurity.
The gimmes were ANT, SAWS, EGOS, DENS, ONTO, OHMS, NANNY STATE, ANNO and for some reason, PITON, because it was in a recent Spelling Bee puzzle, NANNY STATE, COIN OPERATED, and, alas, TWEET. The rest were not so simple.
Had MISO before RICE before UDON.
Not being overly familiar with Greek Mythology, I put down HERA but TUTOR changed the last letter to an O so I tried DIDO before the T in EPIC POETRY made it LETO.
But it is a very well-crafted puzzle, tough but mostly fair (all of those obscure name-related entries and clues!). Very enjoyable.
3
Not my fastest either but less than half my average Fri time. I guess my crossword synapses were firing. There were plenty of clever twists for clues to common words -- my favorites include 12D - message sent in a storm for TWEET and 28A - little suckers for APHIDS, both of which require the solver to know about tweets being sent in rapid succession and aphids feeding on plant juices. And I'm catching on to the use of the exclamation point as in 2D - skip it! to refer to the object of the action -- here ROPE (recall a recent puzzle in which step on it! referred to SCALE).
3
@Henry Su
Interesting observation about exclamation points. I'll have to be on the lookout for those in the future (!)
One of those odd days when I found the commentary more amusing than the puzzle.
2
@Patrick (ssshhhhh.... i'm whispering a thank you..)
I enjoyed your solve commentary, Elayne Boosler.
[Just sitting here quietly and listening, ma’am.]
Thanks to Robyn Weintraub for an ALIVE Friday.
(I assume HOLD MY BEER over EPIC POETRY was for the college student solvers? Time for RECESS.)
13
@Barry Ancona Haha. Thanks Barry!
3
enjoyable puzzle! UDON reminds me of our Japanese dinner last week -- lots of Sushi, Yakisoba and Udon. Yum!
Much easier than usual for me for a Friday.
Not my fastest Friday ever, but I finished it in just slightly over half my average Friday time. But it didn't feel super easy! The fill was interesting, and the clues were mostly interesting. So it felt delightful. Wheelhouses, I guess, or maybe I was in a ZEN state.
1
On the easy side, but not extremely so. About 1 standard deviation from average.
@Liz B, what I would say about this puzzle is that it is a good one for teaching aspiring solvers the different ways that clues can be made more difficult on Thu-Fri-Sat. An example would be recognizing clues containing words that can be proper nouns (Hill, Cubs, Shakers)--or not; capitalization is not a giveaway when the word begins the clue.
2
@Brian, Simingly, standard deviations are becoming a thing on these boards. Put me down as one in favour.
Got a laugh out of me,anyhoo
;D
5 down and 54 across are locks for the Asheville Lewis top 5 of the week. Great clues.
3