Enjoyed today’s puzzle. Didn’t get to yesterday’s due to ongoing flu-ishness and difficulty concentrating.
Read Deb’s column and realized I had misinterpreted the 70s-80s gang leader. KOOL was my answer, but I was thinking about the KOOL-ade Man and the group of sugar-crazed kids following him as he broke through walls...
Loved BANANA SPLITS. After it SPLIT, it just broke my heart to think about replacing it.
;-)
3
Confused. Help me out, what am I missing? The theme is “fruitless,” so I get grape leaves, lemon drops, and orange peel. But banana splits have bananas.
@Mjm
Each themer has the name of a fruit, followed by a word meaning that the fruit goes away.
1
@Mjm
The fruitless part is that the fruit (grape, lemon, banana) is paired with a word that means leaving. So, the answer together means “fruitless”, since the fruit left.
1
@Mjm - It's that the second word is synonymous with leaving/existing. It's not whether the thing described has the fruit in question.
The puzzle made me hungry for some lovely fresh fruit, but today was not the day to head out to the fruit stand. Tomorrrow won't be either, unless I want my snacks frozen!
Clever theme, well executed, with enjoyable cluing. It took me looking at a couple of the themers a couple of times to see what was going on. I like that.
Thanks toa ll concerned.
2
I very much enjoyed this puzzle. I think the theme is clever, amusing and well-executed. But even more, I appreciate the cleverness and imagination of the cluing. I especially like MAESTRO (54A); NIECE (49D); CAT SITS (59A); ATOM (27A); and FRAT ROW (38D).
I hope you won't wait EONS to create another puzzle, Emily. You have talent, and I expect to LOVE ALL you do in the future.
2
For 34D had “tellslies” rather than “tellsalie.” Modern day conditioning. Unprecedented abundance secretly affecting my thinking.
11
Peter,
Hand up for plural first.
2
Those Abbreviation Signals
Wednesday is a good day for a few words on abbreviation signals. Why? Because these hints follow some basic rules, but are subject to lots of exceptions. The exceptions tend to give more hints earlier in the week and fewer by Saturday.
First, the rules.
1) The only entries that MUST be signaled are true abbreviations. (c.f. late-week exceptions regarding that MUST.)
2) The signal will be "Abbr." or an uncommon abbreviation.
A true abbreviation is easy to identify. There are two ways. First, the abbreviation is not pronounced as written. We read "Thursday" for "Thu.," never "Thoo." That's not the case for NASDAQ or BRITCOM.
Second, an abbreviation is usually printed with a period. Many words orginate as abbreviations, but become words with increased usage. "Brit" is an example. "Lorry (Brit. Eng.) for truck" uses the abbreviation "Brit." "A Brit in the office asked me where he could get a rubber, meaning eraser" uses the derived word, Brit, without the period. See why this can get tricky?
There are many abbreviation-derived words that aren't abbreviations. Acronyms (radar and NASDAQ) and initialisms (SEC and FCC) are two categories. Both are pronounced as written (either as a word or as letters) so they're not abbreviations. MPEG is in between. "Brit," "Britcom" and "romcom" are coinages based on abbreviations.
None of these have to be signaled, but they may be on Monday. And even "Thu." might not be on Saturday.
2
I can't stretch my imagination enough to get La Plata as a seaport. Unless we're talking about a rowboat going down a hyacinth-filled ditch that eventually connects to the ocean after going through another town. Bad clue! How about "dusty little town near Buenos Aires"?
Paul,
It works for me: http://puertolaplata.com/
2
Oh, and another quibble! 46A isn't quite right, is it? I thought revolutions occur between eras. Not sure what is meant by dividing an era, because what comes before and after a revolution are different periods. After all, a revolution does change things --- or it wouldn't be a revolution.
@Dr W
Revolutions may divide ERAS in the sense of dividing one era from another.
1
@Rich in Atlanta
IMHO "separating" would be the better verb.
1
Dr W,
"Separate" would be marginally clearer than "divide" in a narrative, but it would make for a considerably more boring 46A clue.
2
Fun puzzle and a bit chewy (which is good and it reminds me of "eats shoots and leaves" as Deb mentioned). I've commented elsewhere -- including a quibble about 27A (which is wrong, BTW).
I am amused by the crossing of 24D with 35A. Oxymoronish, that.
Like some others here I found the puzzle a challenge. But I enjoyed the challenge and finished without errors with a little help from Reveal.
Loved the clue for NIECE!
I did want bench for BANC, but of course it didn't fit.
6
I've played and watched tennis my whole life (I'm 65) and while I've routinely heard 40, 30 and 15 ALL, never have I heard or said LOVEALL. LOVE LOVE, yes, LOVEALL no. And I just watched much of the Australian Open and didn't hear it there either.
1
I have heard them often
2
tensace,
It *is* the score (as the clue requests). Whether it is ever announced or discussed might be an interesting discussion...
3
Besides separating LEMON/DROPS and BANANA/SPLITS as described in the constructor’s notes, I thought there was another aspect of the theme being developed, because BANANA and SPLITS were split, and the second part of the LEMON answer DROPS to much lower in the puzzle. But the other theme answers (PEELS and LEAVES) didn’t offer any opportunity for that sort of additional minor joke. Oh well, thought I was on to something.
7
I hope someone at the NYT posts a reply on the issue raised by Steve L and others. Unacknowledged reports of apparent bugs annoy the reporters and damage the reputation of the company. (See recent Apple stories.)
2
Hi, @gc. I'll answer. On several occasions, I've suggested to readers -- and I believe some readers have mentioned it as well -- that the best way to have someone at The Times address a technical issue is to send a note to [email protected].
Sadly, the people who can help do not read the comments on Wordplay, so they will only see your thoughts if you write to the address above. No amount of writing about technical issues in the comments here will result in a change.
The issue Steve L and others have brought up is a known issue and it involves connections between our app and the New York Times website. They are currently working on it.
13
It’s always nice to see my screen name in a puzzle, especially clued this way! It reminds me of some friends who played in an orchestra with a maestro they they didn’t like or respect. They called him “diode” behind his back because he was a semiconductor.
31
@maestro - shout out
1
Beautiful! After reading this comment I really, really wished I needed a joke to include in a presentation to some tech literate crowd.
@gc
:-). Patience. Your time will come.
ATTENTION NYT CROSSWORD APP USERS:
See my comment below addressed to NYT (newspaper) app users. Depending on the type of phone you use, what I said may apply to you as well.
3
I can say one thing for sure, this theme didn't LEAVE me cold. Once it was was explained to me!
I take comfort in knowing that Jeff Chen didn't get it, either.
I must take more time to PONDER a theme when it's not immediately apparent to me. Because the aha moment that ensues is totally worth the effort.
Thank you, Emily! This theme is as fresh as the FRUIT that's PEELing out!
3
A very enjoyable theme, which left me craving fruit for breakfast -- not a bad thing at all! (Is that what we mean by the "breakfast test"?)
4
38D helped me solve 61A but the ratios elude me. Murder : crows similar/equivalent to parliament: owls? What am I missing?
@Sideslip
These are group terms for those birds similar to a gaggle of geese. A group of crows is a murder. A group of owls is a parliament.
5
Aah. Thank you Gretchen.
1
@Sideslip, a parliament of owls is one of my favorite expressions. I always imagine them wearing tiny white wigs.
11
A tasty tidbit with fun clues. Nicely done
5
While the rest of y'all add to the Endless Thread down at the bottom, I will take"Puts in order" to task. I sometimes alphabetize, but otherwise--with laundry, coins, bills, computer lists-- I just SORT. I have never seen nor heard of anyone's ASSORTing. ASSORTED (adjective) is common enough, but ASSORTS? Clunk.
Hand up for BRITISH and SIT PAT and a brief struggle with the unknown KOOL, INES, ETC., in the one area.
Enjoyed the puzzle even though I don't see it as particularly punny (or even parallel--only two of the four themers are actually separated/departed/displaced/relocated.). Whatever.
Grateful that the Wee Bee is indeed 'wee' today. The LetterBox is less addictive--so many options. I am finding it more fun to string more words together to make nonsense phrases. Main problem for me is that nothing saves; so I can seldom remember what I had entered! Pitiful!
3
@Mean Old Lady I've run afoul of the not saving problem. When I get something I like, I've been taking a screen shot on whatever device I'm using.
MOL,
I thought KOOL referred to the KOOL-ade man! A Chicago solver noted we were both from Conway and asked if we were related (Jan 29th). I’m responding to him here and to you as well stating that we are friends now (meeting each other because of the puzzles) and Conway isn’t necessarily a “hotbed” of puzzle do-ers, but there are a bunch of really great people here.
;-)
ATTENTION NYT APP USERS:
A commenter asked about several entries and their clues in the first thread of the comments, which I had started on a completely unrelated topic.
Since the commenter's question was the third reply of the thread, a lot of app users did not get to see the many similar responses that query got, since the app does not allow you to see past the third reply to any comment.
This is a major flaw in the code for the app. Many of the replies were unnecessary, as it turned out (although still appreciated) because the questions were already answered, but out of sight for those using the app. Of course, all subsequent replies would also not be seen using the app, making app users think that no one had bothered to answer the questions posed.
On the NYT website, there is no such problem. All comments are visible, and some threads can be very long, with comments numbering in the dozens.
Barry Ancona complained about this, but he placed it within that thread, where the app users would never see it.
Moral of the story: DO NOT USE THE NYT APP TO VIEW COMMENTS. OPEN THE WEBSITE INSTEAD https://www.nytimes.com/column/wordplay?module=inline
AND GO TO THE DAY'S COLUMN. THEN SCROLL DOWN TO THE DAY'S COLUMN AND OPEN IT. Once you do this, it will be in your recent history, and typing in W or WO should bring it up right away. It will be a much more rewarding experience.
And for heaven's sake, can't someone fix this???
9
@Steve L
Perhaps the emus consider the Crossword and Games comment section as an puzzle of its own sort? ; )
1
@Liane "a puzzle" - oy, and I have to put together a file cabinet with the fingers that can't type so well today!
I second Steve's warning about how to view replies. And what makes it even more maddening is that there may be variations on the problem depending on what platform and device one uses.
As I've noted before, but I'll say it again, on my ANDROID phone, it's the NYT CROSSWORD app that creates this problem for me--accessing the Wordplay column and the comments using that app opens a version of NYT that shows a maximum of three replies, with NO button to view more and NO indication of the total number of replies.
By contrast, launching the NYT NEWSPAPER app myself and scrolling down to the bottom for "The Daily Crossword and More" opens up a puzzles home page that looks similar to what I would see using a browser. Navigating to the column and the comments, I can see how many replies there are to any given comment and also depress a button to "view all replies" beyond the first three. I can't explain why there is a difference because in both cases, I appear to be viewing Wordplay using the NYT NEWSPAPER app (but in the first case, that app was launched by the CROSSWORD app).
Navigating to the NYT website using a mobile browser will display all of the replies as well.
Finally, thank you to everyone who jumped in and answered Anjali's questions to me, sent while I was asleep. Although the replies have made the thread that Steve started overly long, they are testament to the helpful, collaborative community that we all enjoy and cultivate.
2
Harder than the usual Wednesday for me, but not in a bad way. Just slow and steady, with many pauses for thought, often resorting to very basic solving techniques ("that has to be a vowel, so let's see, A, E, I, O, U...").
3
@archaeoprof
and Y not ....
3
Goldilocks Wednesday. Remember, if your BANANA SPLITS, try AFLOAT.
10
“Cover me” reminded me of watching Brandon Victor Dixon sing “I’ll Cover You” Sunday night on Rent (not quite) Live. Tears ran down my face as I experienced love and loss with him. May we all find someone to cover us.
7
@JR He is so good. He killed it in "Jesus Christ Superstar," too.
@JR
BVD was my Burr when I saw Hamilton. He was amazing!
Over the years I've grown fonder of clues like 59A ("Keep tabs on tabbies, say") and 46D ("They loop the Loop") which, though not necessarily difficult, still make me smile. It's been a while since I regularly solved a crossword other than the New York Times, but I seem to recall that either the L.A. Times or the Boston Globe publishes puzzles that often use clues like this, or rhyming clues or cute alliteration. I wouldn't object if Mr Shortz and company slipped a few more of these in--especially for entries like ELS that otherwise are likely to have kind of throwaway clues.
Thanks, Ms Carroll, for your very fruitful efforts!
:-c)€
10
Really wanted 42D to be ReTRACE. It’s wearying to retrace your steps in order to figure out the one square you have wrong in the puzzle.
4
Employment at Carvel for two years (circa 1965) took away my taste for ice cream for EONS. Best laugh was when patrons (perhaps drugs were involved) would order pumpkin milkshakes with an added scoop of licorice ice cream. I would gently point out that although wonderful in the abstract, perhaps a Cherry Soda might be a better choice.
Benc for BANC kept Happy at bay for a few seconds.
Minus 32 here in Western Wisconsin this AM.
Thanks Emily
5
@dk - My family loved to go for vanilla sundaes with black cherries on "Wednesday is sundae at Carvel."
1
@dk
Your long-ago employment shouldn't have diminished your appreciation of ice cream, because the stuff Carvel serves is not ice cream at all.
3
I was having a very smooth solve and heading for quite a fast finish time, but then I stalled out on 45D of all things. I had filled in SIT PAT, which seemed pretty good for "not give up on", but I knew there was a mistake in the puzzle, and that seemed the likeliest spot, since my crosses were:
Noted 1970s-'80s Gang leader? = SOOL
Wedding gown designer Di Santo = INIS
___ Beanies (bygone toys) = TEENIT
None of them seemed right, but then again, none of them seemed all that wrong either, and none of them seemed to be in my knowledge base. Turns out I do remember KOOL and the Gang, but even after I caved with the check button and got to the right answers, I still sat staring at 45D trying to figure out what on earth KEE PAT meant. Lordy, what a thing to ruin a streak on!
5
LETTER BOX THREAD
Today fell fast for me again. My solution It’s not economical. J-S (9) S-T (8).
Hint: for both words think of Julia Child, the SNL version! There should be plenty to spare from the first word.
https://videosift.com/video/The-French-Chef-Dan-Aykroyd-as-Julia-Child-Classic-SNL
My brain has already forgotten the details of my solution yesterday. What did U-S (8) S -Y (6) stand for anyway?
@Liane.
Okay, the SNL version won’t help, but it will crack you up. Think of the real Julia cooking for the hint. But do still save the chicken liver!
@Liane
I think I figured out your solution. My most economical solution is C-S (7), S-K (7), but it uses a very obscure word.
@Phil P I wouldn't call my first word common either, unless you are a big drinker. I only remember it now because of seeing so many of these for the holidays recently at Costco; otherwise that word will be back to the recesses by March. Good riddance too.
The Letter Box yielded these answers for me today: P...S (7) S...R (11). After getting totally lost in the APIARY yesterday, this was a fun and accessible challenge.
1
It appears that this was more of a challenge for me than for most solvers, but it was an enjoyable one. I blanked on a few things but also got side-tracked by way over-analyzing the theme in the midst of my solve. Early on I wondered why some of the theme answers were split into two parts and others were not, and was thinking that that might be part of the theme. Later on, I had filled in BANANA after I got SPLITS and then when I solved the reveal, I thought, "oh wait - maybe there's not any fruit in the answers," and considered the possibility that BANANA was wrong (I was kind of stuck in that corner in that point).
Anyway, managed to get past all that; nice puzzle and enjoyable theme.
Note regarding 11d: I didn't have any trouble filling that in, but I did pause (and smile) for a long moment considering the idea of 'entering' a firefight and also pondered under what circumstances one might usefully say 'COVER ME' during such an event.
Lastly - way OT, but I hope everyone in the northern climes manages to stay warm today. As I watch the forecasts, I (as usual) think back to growing up in Upper Michigan in the 50's and 60's. And it dawned on me this morning that I don't recall any mention of 'wind chill' back in those days. Am I just forgetting, or is that a relatively recent addition to weather reporting?
5
I can’t help with the question of “recent” - - but I can attest to its “reality”! I took our poodle for a short walk around Fishtown and the Marina facilities at Leland a couple of days ago - - in
3-degree temperatures and with 20 knot winds howling directly in off of Lake Michigan. Exposed skin went numb in less than a minute and frostbite was a very real danger - so “wind chill” was markedly noticeable at the time.
3
"Note regarding 11d..."
I'm glad there was a smile after your pause, Rich.
2
Re: wind chill and weather reports...
https://wgntv.com/2018/02/24/when-did-weather-reports-begin-including-a-wind-chill-factor/
3
If anyone has to CAT SIT Sunday, you might want to tune into the Kitten Bowl, The CAT Bowl and/or the Puppy Bowl on the Hallmark Channel. Check with your local Google provider for telecast schedules...Kappa Theta Psi was my passport to FRAT ROW as a GSC undergrad Prof, ca. ‘69...The school up in Rochester freed me from a cruciverbial bottleneck in the NW, sending me on my way to a Wednesday solve...This is Judy with her velvety smooth gift of voice singing the Arlen/Herberg ballad from ‘39. Has it been 80 years already?
https://youtu.be/XulvnXo6BJk
LOVE ALL,
BRU
4
Of course the lyricist is native Manhattanite Edgar Yipsel Harburg. Sorry Yip. To borrow a quote from ‘The Yipster’ “music gives wings to words.”
@brutus
Yeah, I think I'll tape the Super Bowl and watch that instead.
Or not...
@Steve L
I’ve heard Team Fluff is a live, 3 bone underdog, but my shekels are on Team Ruff. Mostly bec of Barry, a big, handsome 20 week old Treeing Walker Coonhound-Great Pyrenees. Barks of concern have been overheard echoing around Team Fluff’s kennel.
4
SPELLING BEE THREAD
23 words 94 points 1 pangram
# 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
D 4 2 1 1
I 1 1
M 10 5 4 1
O 1 1
R 2 1 1
T 5 1 1 1 2
13
@Liane. After the horror of yesterday’s Bee, today’s is a breeze that old hands will buzz through in 10 minutes.
HINT fot newer solvers: remember a feathered friend and no, I am not speaking nonsense
4
Thanks Liane. Your handcrafted grid is always appreciated. It is much nicer to have a smaller grid. Done and move on.
On the other hand, if the word list accepted all of the words that we often found are not accepted, almost every puzzle will be very large. So aside from the really glaring omissions, I'll not complain. Most SB puzzles would be easily over 100 words if not abridged for the most common, even if those are controversial.
There were 5 words new to SB today. Yesterday's new words were: AIRCRAFT, ANTIAIRCRAFT, ARTIFACT, FANATIC, FANFIC, FARINA, FRANTIC, TANTRIC, TRAFFIC
The one that people objected to was FANFIC. When we put it against INFRACT/INFARCT, I can understand why.
5
@Wen
Thus far today on the Wee Bee DIMITY is not accepted. Tsk.
10
I imagine those who have taught college courses have no problem with "drops" as a verb for "absents oneself." Sometimes, a much desired outcome.
A colleague of mine gave me great advice early on: give a horribly dense first lecture, and pass out a terribly intimidating syllabus. A week later, after the drop-add period has closed, pass out the real syllabus and start teaching the students who remain.
15
One of my mentors in teaching told me, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."
3
@archaeoprof - Once upon a day, I would ask the students to introduce themselves. A young lady who entered the class last ended up answering first. One of my standard questions was, "and why are you here?" "Oh," she said, "I'm going to be on the roster at the Met." "Yes," I said, "that's why you're in the school, but why are you in _this_ class?" "Oh," she said, - - -
"because all of the classes I wanted were full!"
Bwah ha ha. Opera major.
2
@David Connell I get this all the time, usually when a student contacts me to ask me to override the cap so they can add my course, which is already full.
"Professor: I need one more class so I can graduate this semester and yours is the only one that fits my schedule..." etc. etc.
1
I no longer spend my days at THE OFFICE, but when I did, I spent many more hours than I would have preferred on conference calls. Sometimes participants announced their departure by saying “I’m going to DROP”; in any case, the dwindling audience was evident in the beeps that announced disconnected callers. I would say that LEMON had exhausted her patience with the meeting topic, or the departures therefrom, and DROPPED from the call, probably in a SOUR mood. Loved this theme entry!
5
@Wanda. You nailed it and convinced me that I am all in favor of LEMON DROPS. (Synonym for lengthy conference call = H__L?).
@Puzzlemucker
That would make a great entry in the clue bank! H__L probably pushes the boundaries of acceptable fill; P_______Y might pass muster and still be on target. <3
@Wanda. That would be the Friday version! isn’t it funny that H__L might be forbidden as a metaphoric answer whereas its counterpart would certainly be acceptable (synonym for Aruba to a Midwesterner in the dead of winter = H_____N?).
I truly wonder why that is. I guess because “Go to ____” is considered a curse and therefore all uses of the word carry with them the whiff of the taboo? Yikes, it’s early and there’s a pile of snow to shovel and I’m getting lost in ponderous thoughts. Sort of like a long conference call.... I’m going to DROP.
@deb -- DROPS as in "drops out"? (I agree with your hesitation on this theme answer.)
Zippy offering, where the solve felt faster than making the transition from an indignant "Banana splits are NOT fruitless" to "OHO, banana SPLITS!" (Felt faster but actually wasn't.) This was, admirably, a very tight theme. I think it might have worked better as a Tuesday, keeping the lovely reveal and three theme answers, leaving out LEMON DROPS.
Regarding FRUITLESS, that includes none of my breakfasts, and I'm starting to think it's beginning to include the NYT crosswords, which only had two Berrys in 2018.
2
Very smooth solve today, another cute theme with a fun reveal. I only had to change 2 answers, British, like others and I also had TELLS lies at first. I almost put "nom" for ROI. I looked up AREPAS to make sure they were a thing and now I really want to have one; they look delicious.
2
@suejean
Mmm, AREPAS. You are correct in that they are a thing, and they're well-known anywhere there is a northern South American population. AREPAS are originally from Colombia and Venezuela, and they're well known in the NYC area. And they're very tasty!
2
My younger daughter learned about AREPAS (and other great foods) years ago from her Latino soccer teammates. We always have P.A.N. cornmeal in the pantry!
https://www.amaizeyou.com/harinapan.php
2
@suejean,
Until recently there was an eatery that offered the option of tacos and breakfast sandwiches on arepas. They were quite tasty. Unfortunately the proprietor chose to close up because he didn't get the lease he wanted. Too bad.
1
I felt it would have been helpful for 41D to read, "The orig. 'The Office,' e.g." to indicate the abbreviated term BRITCOM.
I had BRITISH for the longest time because of that.
3
@Ryan
Only true abbreviations (things spelled with periods) require signals (although early in the week acronyms and portmanteaus of abbreviations might get signaled).
On the other hand, grammatical agreement is something you can count on. The clue calls for a noun and "British" is an adjective.
2
@Martin
Two things (and I don't know the right or wrong).
Doesn't e.g. indicate that it will be an abbreviation of sorts?
Shouldn't the clue be read as - the original program called "The Office"? In which case the answer can be the British comedy, often shortened to Britcom.
@Peter Jackel
No, e.g. won't be used as an abbreviation signal. A signal will either be "Abbr." or an abbreviation that is not commonly used:
https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/magazine/endpaper-how-to-solve-the-new-york-times-crossword-puzzle.html
Yes, the original BBC version is a Britcom.
1
A few spots where I had to wait on crossings, but overall a fairly easy and entertaining puzzle.
1
For 24A: “Judge’s seat”, the given answer is BANC
“Banc” is French for the word “bench”.
Are we somehow supposed to know to give our answer in French?
Or maybe there’s a connection I’m missing?
2
@Rod D
Banc is a word properly used in the English language. Check Merriam-Webster:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banc
3
@Rod D
The nit that I have with this clue is not that BANC is not a proper word, but I have never heard it used in connection with a single judge sitting. Generally we refer to judges sitting “in banc” or “en banc” which means facing a panel of judges, as before an appellate court.
I didn’t have difficulty discerning the answer, but it is an awkward construction. I would’ve preferred the use of “judges’” in the plural in the clue.
4
OYEZ! OYEZ!!
2
My first pass through the grid was not FRUITLESS, and I DID NOT have TO PONDER very long to get the revealer and thus the remaining themers. Only one entry (ONE ROOF) required ERASING. Suffice it to say, this was not a puzzle with tough cluing that I had to KEEP AT in order to solve.
I enjoyed seeing OWLS and CATS lurking in the bottom of the grid along with PESTS and a RAT.
My themer submission: FIG ROLL (as in, let's roll)
Thanks, Ms. Carroll. Your puzzle was a recipe for fun.
2
Teenie babie? Um no. Beanie babie
3
@Rich Jones,
These miniature versions were offered by McDonald's, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenie_Beanies.
3
Still, I would say Beanie Babies are far more bygone toys than Teenie babies. Those are more like bygone swag.
1
My apologies. The clue correctly asks for ____ “Beanies,” not “Babies.”
1
Had "sods" before "ends" in 53D, but that may just be a British thing.
3
Is “SODS and ODDS” (or vice versa) a thing though?
@David Meyers Odds and sods is def a thing (same meaning as odds and ends). I had this in too before ends.
1
@David Meyers ODDS and SODS a 1974 album of outtakes and rarities from the WHO
4
Otto Hahn received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1944 for creating nuclear fission in the laboratory. The award was based on an article he and co-author Fritz Strassmann submitted to Naturwissenschaften in December 1938, nine months before the outbreak of the Second World War. Hahn’s other colleague, Lise Meitner, was not named as a co-author. Some say she wasn’t Nobelized because she was a woman; actually, she couldn’t be credited in a journal published in Nazi Germany because she was a Jew; for his part, Strassmann got credit but was also left out of the Nobel award. In any case, atom splitting didn’t wait for hostilities to start.
10
The clue does not specify that the referenced "divide" was the first such divide, and they certainly divided a lot of atoms during the war.
2
@Bruvver What clue are you guys talking about?
27A
1
Thank you, Emily, for a great puzzle and especially for the wonderful ANI DiFranco:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mJDYhijocLw
(Ani DiFranco with the Buffalo Philharmonic on live recording of “Both Hands”)
2
Ani DiFranco is a favorite of mine and of puzzle constructors everywhere. I have many (most?) of her CDs.
1
@David Meyers. Great songwriter/poet. She’s a national treasure. We are awesome people for loving her ; )
Your favorite CD/song of hers?
If I could I would go back and label this the ANI thread (like Spelling Bee and now Letter Box). Given how often she appears in crosswords, the ANI thread could be a semi-regular feature.
Btw I chose that version of Both Hands I thought it might appeal to crossworders unfamiliar with her music, that is if anyone actually clicks the link to open. So many great songs to choose from.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years since her first album. I still think of her as a rebellious (righteous) and brilliant teen.
2
Carving and etching are not synonymous.
8
@Joel Rudikoff According to two synonym sources I checked (RhymeZone and One Look dictionary) they are indeed synonymous. I guess if you think of etching as carving out a piece of the thing being etched (glass or metal, e.g.) it makes sense.
1
"Carving and etching are not synonymous."
So what? Most of the other clues and entries in the puzzle are not synonyms.
2
I agree. There are SO many better - and just as easy/difficult - clues.
Loved seeing 35D, one of my favorite terms. In our household, men's cologne has always been FOP juice.
3
Lovely puzzle! It wasn't particularly taxing, but it was entertaining and the fill seemed much fresher than that of recent offerings.
Also, as an active member of the Hive hoping for a kinder Tuesday Bee , I appreciate the shout out to those of us in the APIARY.
5
@Liane. As an irregular Bee solver (emphasis on irregular), who only aspires to Genius when I do them and will settle for less, I love the communal way that you and Wen and others work together on the Spelling Bee.
And, even though I don’t read the Spelling Bee thread (sometimes threads), I appreciate seeing them. I’d be stung if there were a separate Comments section for the Bee, because I’d miss the APIARY.
5
@Liane
I've abandoned the Spelling Bee on a regular basis. However judging by the complaints about unaccepted words, I would think that a good entry for "Beekeeper's locale?" would be EXACTLY.
1
@Andrew
I know that I will like your comment once I get it, which is why I recommended it. But would you mind giving me the answer key, or at least a hint, as I am drawing blanks?
2
I like to see subtle interconnections like MAESTRO intersecting ELS -- my favorite conductor Maestro Riccardo Muti is Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra!
2
@judy d. Here’s the low-brow version: BRA/BRITCOM = Benny Hill.
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@judy d
It took me a while to get the significance of ELS (Chicago). I thought you might also enjoy watching this TEENIE MAESTRO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0REJ-lCGiKU
2
The most memorable ice cream social I remember attending as a teen involved homemade ice cream with blueberries in it. Unfortunately, the person who made the ice cream didn't realize that if you put the blueberries in at the beginning of the freezing process, the berries freeze as hard as little pebbles.
At least, that's what happened in our case. We kids had fun, though, digging out the berries and bouncing them off the concrete surface of our host's carport, leaving little purple track marks behind. I have no idea if those stains ever came off.
So the occasion turned out to be a FRUITLESS endeavor, indeed. But a good time was had nonetheless.
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@Alan J
Sounds like you had a berry good time.
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@Paul That was a berry groan-worthy pun.
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@Alan J Tsk. Frozen blueberries are lovely to eat straight from the freezer, popped one at a time into the mouth on a warm day. I don't even much care for blueberries, I find them quite bland, but the freezing seems to intensify the flavour.
Head over heels is a strange expression. When you're standing upright in a normal position, where is your head in relation to your heels? And this expression means what?
Why was the ice cream social cancelled?
Mommy, mommy, what's an ice cream social?
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@Steve L I've always thought that "heels over head in love' would be more fitting. I've even used it in casual conversation, but not gotten much of a reaction when I did.
1
@Steve L,
OED indicates that the original expression was "heels over head" but this idiom became inverted over time.
In "head over heels," the "over" denotes motion, in this case, tumbling or falling, which causes one's head to be where the heels were and the heels where one's head was.
A similar usage of "over" would be in "hand over fist," which comes from the motion of pulling in a rope while on a ship.
2
8@Henry Su
Why is Louis Roi? What's TAT got to do with body image? And what are ELS and MAV? Please?
2