ew to 26A clue. As bad a euphemism as I've ever seen and unfunny. Google BEDSORES and prove my point.
28D should have been clued as "Measurement units rarely (and awkwardly) if ever used". I'm a science guy. And never used the unit. Nor have seen it used. Really ever. Yup it's a unit. So is ZEPTOMOLE. Google that.
1
I am catching up on this past week's puzzles because I was busy with work stuff like creating a Tech Math exam all about converting between the US and metric systems...
Big smile for 3 DECIMETERS in a foot! (Go look at a 12 inch ruler; it's marked 30 cm on the other edge.)
1
Loved this puzzle! Challenging, but I actually did it. *happy dance*
3
Got started with the INDIRA/DUO cross and despite nothing seeming particularly easy at the time, when all was said and done, a personal best time for a Friday by a couple minutes. Big fan of Depeche Mode back in the day!
2
Having DEAL plugged in for 28A held me up (as in, "C'mon, you can't touch that deal!"), as well as DRUNKS for 12D's frequent casino losers..
Was hoping for an Indian mini-theme with INDIRA and JODHPURS, but it was not to be.
Had PLUME before SABRE, thinking of the Queen's spectacularly helmeted mounted Life Guard.
ARETHA will always be the Queen of Soul, and LENAHORNE the empress of everything else.
SPARE before PLANB, WHOOSH before SWOOSH which left me noodling out the Northeast corner up to the last.
SANDLOT is an eminently quotable little puffball of a movie, as is "Airplane." TED may have been the lead role but Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves stole the show.
Oveur.
2
Time to start working on a new streak. Apparently I forgot to do the Thursday puzzle. I think I did one from the archive instead. It’s almost a relief! I enjoyed the Friday puzzle.
6
The answer was "breeches," Deb thought "britches" and I tried to make it way too hard with "jodhpurs"! Beware of trying to outthink yourself just 'cause it's Friday.
1
'Britches' is how the word 'breeches' is pronounced.
1
@Pat Dictionary says it's an alteration. I only pronounce beeches as written.
Straightforward puzzle, unlike yesterday’s!
2
Loved this puzzle! Had to leave it half-finished @7 am, but upon my return, things were much clearer, especially after I let go of IPHONE as the toy found in a purse. (Wasn’t around when my kids were little, but I see an awful lot of tykes being appeased by them these days.)
2
I have no idea from what compartment of my brain DEPECHEMODE emerged, because I have a skimpy store of pop culture knowledge from about 1985 onward. The crosses gave me the second E and the second D, I couldn't name any of their songs, I don't know French or fashion... but suddenly there it was.
That's why puzzles are so much fun.
3
Everyone knows what an “aha” moment feels like – say, when you manage to suss out a puzzle’s theme -- but for me it can’t quite compare with the kick I get when a clever misdirection suddenly reveals itself. There should be a name for such a moment – epiphany, maybe? The pleasure is especially keen when it turns out the clue refers to something much closer to hand than what I’ve been taking for granted. Today that was when PURPLESTATE finally took shape. The clue “Classic battleground” suggested something out of the bloody but romantic past or, still more remote, the video game arcade.
5
I am a little surprised at the lack of pushback against ROSEDALE. I guess the crosses, and the clue, were kind. I grew up on Long Island and have lived in NY most of my life and I don’t recall running into “ROSEDALE” previously.
FOREST HILLS, FLUSHING, KEW GARDENS, ASTORIA, JAMAICA, JACKSON HEIGHTS, LONG ISLAND CITY, BAYSIDE, DOUGLASTON, ELMHURST, ROCKAWAY BEACH, HOWARD BEACH, OZONE PARK, WOODHAVEN. All better known Queens neighborhoods than ROSEDALE, at least to me. Nothing against ROSEDALE. I’m just surprised that, based on its relative obscurity, it didn’t seem to meet with a single complaint from a New Yorker or non-New Yorker. Welcome, ROSEDALE!
p.s. Now someone tell me that ROSEDALE is world famous for something I should know and that I have just revealed my complete ignorance of everything about Queens, New York, and the world. (I did just read its Wikipedia page before hitting Submit just in case but I didn’t see any such mention, but ... you never know).
2
@Puzzlemucker
Heyyou!! You forgot SUNNYSIDE.
@Leapfinger
Yes I did! Sorry about that. I actually know someone who lives there, too. Another one more famous than ROSEDALE. Probably a few others I forgot.
@Puzzlemucker
Rosedale's neighbor, Laurelton, would have fit the clue also, though not by length. It's a stop on the LIRR, which means I've probably heard it announced many, many times in my life. I'm sure I got it after a few crosses, and then it seemed familiar. I skimmed wikipedia and the thing my pop culture brain flashed on was that the Turturro cousins grew up there. I don't want to get into the whole switching of ethnic groups that lived there thing.
Made it to a 300 -day streak with today's puzzle! Now to try to get to a one-year streak.
11
And I am restarting my streak of 1 because of yesterday’s puzzle.
2
Oh, I think I've just figured out PURPLE STATE. - something to do with the red and blue color of the states politically- very clever clue. I can go to bed now.
10
@suejean,
Correct. States are not decidedly for one party (Blue) or the other (Red) and are up for grabs during elections are often referred to as purple states.
2
Good night, suejean.
1
The correct native spelling is actually Árpád ÉLŐ.
The important thing about diacritical marks in the Hungarian language, as in any language that uses them, is that missing, misapplying, or using the incorrect ones changes the meaning of words. This is something of which native English speakers are mostly unconscious. How often have we seen discussions about AÑO vs. ANO on these pages?
To use Mr. Élő's example:
ÉLŐ (adj.) = alive, living (opposite of dead).
ELŐ (prep.) = fore, pre-, semi-, as in: előtt = before; előítélet = prejudice; elődöntő = semifinal.
E LÓ (two words) = this horse.
With this we come to the end of today's Hungarian grammar class. Thank you for your attention.
13
@László - Jó. Köszönöm.
(Now fix your username...)
(^_^;) cheeky
3
I thought of Kew Gardens and Floral Park before getting ROSEDALE by crosses! Seeing Lena Horne cross ARETHA made me smile.
When I saw all of the long downs, I wondered if I'd like this puzzle. I loved it.
3
Took me a little too long to remember that Glinda and Dorothy are different characters as DIANA ROSS is also 9 letters.
This one had quite a few No-Knows for me but a quick finish with a little help from Deb.
I found my grin with "Resting Spots?"
Happy Friday fellow solvers!
In Minnesota, Rosedale usually refers to a large mall in Roseville, a Twin Cities suburb. However, the original Floyd of Rosedale was a live pig from Rosedale Farms in Iowa. In 1935 MN Governor Floyd Olson proposed a wager with Iowa Governor Clyde Herring that the winner of the annual football contest between the MN Golden Gophers and the Iowa Hawkeyes be awarded a prize hog. A statue of the hog has been fought over every year since.
5
I wanted "cavalry accessory" to be Horse. I laughed to myself thinking of a horse as an accessory. But it was not to be.
5
Well, this started badly when I was sure BACARDI was Capt. Morgan's competitor (RON RICO? I've heard of at least two other "Ron" brands but not this one).
Also didn't help that I convinced myself that ASTORIA was floral and I was missing a letter or there was a trick or something. INDIRA set me straight in the end. Fun puzzle!
3
Addendum: Not only is Albert LEA well known to Minnesotans, ROSEDALE is best knowm to us for the trophy awarded to the winner of the Iowa-Minnesota college football game (a big rivalry).
Floyd of Rosedale is a big brass pig that's so heavy it takes two lineman to lift it in victory after the game. I actually don't know which state this "Rosedale" is in...but I doubt it's in Queens.
4
@Justin
I had to learn about this pig. It seems to have been a real pig, and it even had a brother in a movie.
https://saturdaytradition.com/big-ten-football/iowa-minnesota-10-interesting-things-to-know-about-the-rivalry-states-and-floyd-of-rosedale/
I often use the puzzle as a measure of mental functioning, especially when they give me some mind numbing meds for different scans. I'm allergic to one of the contrasts they need to use, so I had been hopped up on prednisone for a day before and benadryl after. Today's puzzle was 4+ times my normal Friday as a result. Sat in a daze and nodded off once.
Trip before TOTE, Eras before EONS, BEDSidES before BEDSORES, BRitCHES before BREECHES; I guessed the toy was a dog breed but couldn't seem to remember my inner list.
I seemed to pick up some steam once I realized it had to be PURPLE STATE even if my addled brain was complaining, "how is that 'classic'?"
I tried to fit "ALL NIGHTERS" for what is pulled before graduation, and at least later was satisfied to find CRAM.
Going to nap I think. I think I think anyway!
8
@Robert Michael Panoff
Hope that you are doing well with whatever medical challenges you are facing.
I thought a bit about ALL NIGHTERS, but didn't actually put it into the grid.
5
@RMP - the fact that the puzzles can accompany you on your journeys is a good thing.
I distinctly remember the day I gave up on all-nighters. They don't do the trick, not nearly as well as begging, pleading, or at least sleeping.
One of those spy-book writers - Le Carré? Ludlum? - wrote about sleep as a weapon. Check.
5
@Robert Michael Panoff
Get well!
4
I had GETOFF for 5A at first, thinking about "trip" as a drug-induced journey. Maybe I had become a bit UNMOORed.
Other than that, a quick but enjoyable solve for me. Liked seeing SANDLOT (does anyone play sandlot baseball anymore?), and it is always nice to be reminded of the Queen of Soul....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOUqQt3Kg0
3
2D is just incorrect. Should be clued differently. Aggravating.
@Tim Carey
I don't see what your objection is. Care to elaborate?
4
@Tim Carey
Sorry you didn’t like it. I had to think about for a moment but as soon as I got 5D and 10D it solved easily. My first response was “huh?” but then I considered syntax, used it in a couple of sentences and decided it was about right for a Friday.
Your results apparently varied.
1
Tim,
Thinking CAP on, but I don't see the problem.
1
Today's puzzle was a lightning fast treat. Got back all the extra from yesterday plus some. Too quick to carp about other than to say it was not tough enough for a Friday.
3
Justin case there are some whose musical funnybone isn't tickled
by the Biebs,
there will always be H.I.F. Biber (both family names simply mean "beaver"):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHVSWRgCVrs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Ignaz_Franz_Biber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgCc_MbAFLw
3
@David Connell
Thanks for some nice selections. Certainly much more to my taste than Justin the Beaver.
2
@David Connell
I consider the category of R&B, (Renaissance and Baroque), music to be in my wheelhouse, yet TIL about H. I. F. Biber and his works.
Thank you, David.
2
@Al in Pittsburgh - YW. He's one of the tops, especially among violinists.
For 43A, my first thought was JODHPURS, but it conflicted with LENA HORNE. It's #231 in my current streak, and I'm asleep on my feet, but somehow managed less than a minute off my Friday best. POODLE came immediately, though I don't know why (sometimes I scare myself). The only thing I had to look up was ELO. As an old fart, I knew the others, or they came on cross. The kids might know ABSCAM from "American Hustle," but I remember it. I also remember when it was only NBC, CBS, & ABC, and color was something new. All in all, a fun puzzle.
2
It's probably finals getting to me but I confidently entered ALL-NIGHTERS for 35A without checking any crossings, then stubbornly kept it for too long and struggled to make it work. I guess I pranked myself?
4
@Nicole
Hand up here and I haven’t studied for a final in 40 years.
@Nicole
From time to time I stick stubbornly with an incorrect entry. I’ll sometimes finally notice the problem by the fact that it sticks out like a sore thumb, refusing to connect to anything.
:-c)€
1
I am always impressed at how relatively rare answers pop up in several crosswords just a few days apart. For example, STEPPE -- I *know* I just answered that a few days ago. Does Will send out marching orders -- I need your puzzle to have the word STEPPE in it? That would seem nigh well impossible. Or does he just have some way of searching through a slew of submissions for STEPPE?
Inquiring minds need (or at least would like) to know!
4
@Michael Rogers. Will insists that it's random but it sure doesn't seem to be. It happens a lot!
1
Michael,
We are told that except for Sundays, the editors have quite a pile of accepted puzzles, so they can, if they wish, create a "word theme" in a given week (without having to send out requests to constructors).
2
@Michael Rogers
I don't know any more than you do, but I doubt it's more than a coincidence--one that I and others on this message board have noticed too.
Two reasons: first, humans are so good at detecting patterns that we often perceive intentional patterns in randomness--witness how many different civilizations perceive images in the nighttime stars.
Second, let's remember that we actually see repeated occurrences all the time of very common crosswordese entries (ELO, LOA, etc.). Certainly these repetitions aren't by design. STEPPE may seem like an unusual word, but it's actually shown up 28 times in the last 26 years. That's about once every 52 weeks. Toss in all the other similarly common words, and there's actually a very good chance during any week that you'll see a seemingly unusual entry recur in two puzzles.
I'll begin to suspect that recurrences of entries are by design if we begin frequently noticing recurrences of considerably more unusual entries... say, MARZIPAN or GORGONZOLA.
:-c)€
4
An easy fill for a Friday --- I got DEPECHEMODE with just three of the cross letters -- the only problem now is that their song "Enjoy the Silence" is stuck in my head.
5
@Tony Santucci
So too “Just Can’t Get Enough.”
2
@brutus
Both of you, stop it!!!
;-c)€
(You’re spreading eat worms!)
1
I was smiling when I finished this puzzle. I didn't know everything, but I really enjoyed the wordplay and was happy to get some of the long answers right away. Probably my smiliest puzzle since the Lyonne/Amlen.
7
I've been AWOL, but at least getting the puzzles done. Yesterday I did the Tricky Thursday on PuzzAzz, and I was, well, puzzled to get the Red Bar of Embarrassment--cleared the 'errors,' and tried most of the alphabet with no success (Green Screen of Solvitude.) Eventually I re-entered my original letters and Voila! They had been right all along.
I blame the weather.
DEPECHEMODE was the principle Unknown, and it shall remain so. Ugh. But otherwise, I liked the puzzle, not least because I'm back home using pen and a print-out! One week until the Packers are here! Garage sale under way...
9
Hi Deb,
While it is important for readers of the comments to know when there are "NYT Replies," I think it's a bit much to have NYT Replies become the comments default setting any time you reply. What do you think?
7
Speaking of ABSCAM, I highly recommend the film, "American Hustle". Not great art, maybe, but very entertaining with over the top acting by two of my favorites, Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence.
It also has a lesson, that even corrupt politicians sometimes care about their constituents. They just care about themselves a little more...
4
@Algernon C Smith - a ha ha ha ha ha ha politicians care a ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
5
@Algernon C Smith
ABSCAM took on some local flavor back in the day as one of the players (I forget which team he was on) lived in my burg. If I had to guess, I’d say he was not on the home team.
I had 5A as GET OFF for a long time, as in trip on LSD, or as a family member might ask us on the day we're driving 350 miles to visit, "what time are you expecting to get off?"
Obviously made 5D seem pretty impossible, but I was pretty stuck on it because, I'm just an old hippie..
3
@Mike
Thank god you are. Otherwise, Santa Cruz might just be just another beautiful beach town. Well, it would still have jaw-dropping waves and spectacular scenery and amazing hiking and bicycling and all things outdoors, and a great university . . . but it just wouldn’t be Santa Cruz without old, and young, hippies.
3
@Mike
Then this one's for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzdvQOXxRD4
On a wheelhouse run. 8 days in a row below average. Probably my longest streak below average but nowhere near my longest above average streak
2
Not being a sports fan, I had to go to Wikipedia to find out what schools are in the Big 12. I had _CU and couldn't think for the life of me what college had those last two initials. And I even once knew someone who went to work at Texas Christian University. Oh well. I had LEe instead LEA for 48A; I had to come to Wordplay to get that one. Then I finally changed KNEEpAd to KNEECAP, and BRAHMS finally emerged. (How long ago was it I first heard of the "three Bs"?) Before that, I thought 58A was USDA, which made no sense. My "oy!" for the day is directed at my less-than-agile brain, not at the constructor. On to Saturday!
1
@Deb, I'm in the "loved your write up" crowd. The icing on the cake was seeing PRANCE in the grid. :)
I also loved this puzzle. The answers just flowed from top to bottom.*** The solve was a true joy. Thank you, Andrew!
*** All except the "O" in the PESO/ELO cross! I thought the "O" was too obvious as the money so I guessed "I."
5
@Johanna
I, too, had an empty square at the PESO/ELO cross, and I, too, loved PRANCE and its delightful clue!
And I, too, found the solve a true joy!
:-c)€
A very fun puzzle, challenging while not too great a degree of difficulty. Some of the aforementioned clues were very well conceived. I particularly enjoyed those for SANDLOT, BEDSORES, TASTEBUD, and POODLE.
My very favorite was the Venn diagram reference, one of many devices used in my previous life in education. It also reminded me of a sorely missed bit that Seth Myers used so effectively earlier in the show's run.
2
SABER before SABRE. That one I corrected. Here are the ones I failed to correct: KNEEPAD instead of KNEECAP; FLOOD RAMP instead of FLOOD LAMP. The latter kept me from seeing the marvelously clued DIAL, because I had D-AR.
I guessed at the CH of DEPECHE MODE, of whom I have never, ever heard. And I still failed to get BISHOPS. I blame it on not enough sleep, having been awakened at 5:45 by a siren. Never got back to sleep. Don't ask.
Wonderfully hard clues on just about everything. Too many to list, but ENABLERS, PURPLE STATE, and PLAN B were some of my favorites. BEDSORES was clever but off-putting.
SENIOR PRANK gave me trouble, too. Is that something that's expected now? I managed to get through my senior year in both in high school and college without a single prank being pulled by me or anyone else, so far as I remember.
An extremely good puzzle that unfortunately I was too tired and grumpy to complete successfully.
5
@Nancy
"awakened at 5:45 by a siren" immediately triggered an image of Odysseus tied to the mast. Continually surprised at how the mind works.
Fridays can be tricky. Sometimes I expect it to be much more esoteric and don’t see what is plainly in front of me. I was stopped cold with one open square. B in music class crossing with Backup. Could only see one as a verb and was just flummoxed by _RHAMS. Tried to get way too technical with music terminology.
Well played Mr Ries.
2
Satisfying puzzle. Lots of "aha!" moments.
4
I really liked this puzzle, but I hardly need to say exactly why, because all of my comments would just echo Deb’s column, only with less wit and humor.
I’ll just add that SENIOR PRANK (a great entry!) is very timely… the school where I teach will have its graduation in just two weeks, and I’m sure some of the seniors are plotting to put a banner up on top of one of the smokestacks, as some always do, never getting caught (or, thank heaven, getting hurt). And also that the clue for DEPECHE MODE didn’t really need to begin with “Decades-old,” did it? As if we Gen-Xers need further reminders that we’re now old! (My name’s Sally O’Malley, and I’m fifty! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZtxM1sYhwg )
SRSly, this puzzle was really a treat. Loads of great entries and many clues that made me smile. Diamond in the rough… SANDLOT. Ha!!! Thanks, Mr Ries!
Happy Friday, Everyone!
:-c)€
11
My wheelhouse must be around here somewhere, but this one was most assuredly _not_ in it. Quite a workout, and a great joy to finish (at last) without any errors. Many thanks to three great women who helped me: INDIRA, ARETHA, and LENA HORNE.
BTW, do SENIOR PRANKS happen in assisted living facilities?
7
Yesterday's and today's puzzles had some clever clues that I enjoyed immensely. Both also had too many pop culture references for me and I resorted to check puzzle AND reveal square for both! I used to strongly dislike pop culture references especially, but I've learned to take them in stride. Sometimes I even google them and learn something after I'm done the puzzle.
7
That’s great, @Megan! I do the same Googling for sports entries, which are usually outside my wheelhouse.
5
@Megan
I love the pop culture references -- they remind me that I should stay engaged with the world, and if a PCR gets into a NYTimes crossword, it must be worth checking out.
Whenever there's a musical reference in a crossword, I make a point of listening to it afterwards (I'm writing this with DEPECHEMODE's Policy of Truth playing, in the background, can you hear it? :-): I've discovered some of my favorite artists this way.
15
@Deb Amlen I include sports in pop culture. I never know the Olympics locations! Sometimes the O's appear, and then I love, love, love the puzzle!
1
Put me in the "like" camp on this one, but mostly because I was able to get the three long middle entries on the first pass across. I love DEPECHE MODE, have always been amazed at what kids can do for a SENIOR PRANK (get an administrators car on the roof of the school? Are you kids NUTS? (Tee-hee). And PURPLE STATE needed a cross or two but came quickly.
Two nits: FLOOD LAMP is a bit of a stretch, and subatomic particles in an XWP are just wrong!
You can take any combination of three letters, add ONS to it, and you have a good chance of naming an actual subatomic particle. PAGONS. TRIONS. MUMONS. TORONS. NYLONS. Well, OK, the last one is a bit of lingerie, but still...
9
@Steve Faiella
(The) Mekons?
And closely related to Nylons, the Orlons. And as I'm typing I'm now wondering if these are not also band names.
2
@vaer
I thinks they all are. Definitely Mekons and Nylons. I think Orlons too.
1
@Puzzlemucker/Steve Faiella
I knew for sure that the Mekons were. And I came up with these guys for the Nylons.
https://youtu.be/CViyLht0xnI
Bonus points because they're Canadian.
And the Orlons had a hit with Watusi, though I seem to remember a different song about the Watusi.
2
The most fun I've had in a long time solving a puzzle. Like Deb Amlen, I was aided greatly by the pop culture references. They seemed to pop up at the right time to keep the flow of letters pouring into the boxes. I was thrown off a bit by "classic battleground" as purple state is sort of a modern phenomena. (Plus, I had "overlay" instead of "overlap" initially, which slowed me down.) I chuckled at the clue, diamond in the rough? Clever.
4
Please. No.
#223 in my streak and this one was just awkward and NOT FUN.
@Betsy
Be sure to tell us about the ones you like. Not just the ones you don’t.
6
@Betsy Hope you at least kept your streak!
2
It’s a cinch? Easy for you to say. Although after one, and only one, reveal (3d) I finished up with a WHOOSH...The techlsynth band never did it for me in the music tv era...All said, it was a fair Friday foray, fail or no fail...I wanted to link Frank Zappa’s POODLE lecture but I think Frank’s WP would ruffle the feathers of the three-toed geeks in the back room. Here is PLAN B, The Jokers, a Belgian band headed by Ronny Sigo. Their music was on local tv in the very early 60’s when they played “SABRE Dance.” Where are the AMPS?
https://youtu.be/Dhy-ZgSP0Js
DIALed In,
Bru
2
Trust me, I really did have SWOOSH, not whoosh; it all comes out in the wash.
4
@brutus
I initially had WHOOSH, and that still seems more like a "rush" sound to me than SWOOSH, which I associate only with Nike shoes.
:-c)€
2
LETTER BOX
I think I just invented a delightful recipe
P-E(7) E-M(9)
1
@Phil
Great minds and all that... I had a canine issue (which we saw a couple of weeks ago) but then noticed the treat.
Cheers!
@Phil P
M-N(12) N-W(6)
Yesterday I had the NYT solution
@Phil P
Another long one for me: W-M (4) M-N (12).
Yesterday I had the fun phrase: PHILOSOPHIZER ROTGUT. SEIZURES STOPLIGHT worked too, but didn't seem like as much fun!
Jodhpurs for BREECHES and no help from my Jr, High chess club days at 26D added a few minutes but "I got er done."
My inner 12 year old wanted some kind of sex aide rather than POODLE but, it was not to be
I do not recall if my Sr. class had a prank. Scripts College (Claremont, CA) has a great tradition of writing on their wall.
Anyway kitchen painting this weekend as I prep my Wisconsin house for sale. Next up is painting the outside this fall.
Thanks Andrew.
4
@dk
I love it when someone comments on a clue/entry, and I go back and look at what the clue was and chuckle. The fact that I then try to come up with an answer that fits the alternate clue just makes me chuckle a bit more... :)
2
dk,
I trust your "Scripts" for Scripps was intentional for the writing on the wall tradition?
1
@dk
Hand up for jodhpurs. Drop that J on a triple letter, cover a triple word and the resulting bingo would be a scrabble game breaker. Knickers (no horsin’ around in these) and BREECHES would similarly fetch a King’s ransom.
Fun and challenging, nice Friday puzzle. But honestly, no one uses decimeter. Typical prefixes used are powers of 3, except for centimeters.
2
@Robert Danley - the decimeter corresponds very closely to the unit used for measuring the height of horses, the "hand" (four inches). It probably shows how few reference points are relevant to that unit, that we don't use "hands" on much else.
@David Connell
Here's an interesting article about how the Hand came to be, and why it's still being used...
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/horse-measurement-hands-640677
@Robert Danley Well, physical chemists use it, but probably only so that they express units in base metric units, rather than derived units. One L = 1 dm^3. The liter is a derived units, but length in in m (or cm, or dm) is not.
Normal people, not so much.
Oh -- I have heard it's used in the Scandinavian countries, but I am unable to verify this.
I started with SCAM at 1A which stayed there in the blank NW corner until I eventually had ABSCAM further down and decided that 1A had to be something else. I still don't understand TOTE in that context but I will look it up.
I had GET OFF before SET OFF. I guess that was inferring the 1960s meaning of "trip".
I thought mine was the only family where kids "borrowed" the batteries from the remote to feed their video game controllers. I smiled when Deb proved me wrong!
I've never heard of "General" Tom Thumb, but fortunately I did know the fairy tale, so that was a gimme. Fun Friday that I solved in the middle of the night, which is a good thing as I have no time to spend on it today.
3
Hello, Andrew,
NPR illustrates where the clue for TOTE (as a noun) pertains.
https://shop.npr.org/collections/totes-bags?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrcaDrvWQ4gIVWxitBh0_pwLSEAAYASAAEgJzZPD_BwE
2
@Andrew
Tote never crossed my mind. But bogo SET OFF all kinds of confusion in the NW. Since I bought one, 1a, I figured I’d get one, revealing 3d...On promos, how about this remarkably in synch clip an unlikely DUO, Gene Kelly and The Stones. The choreography is pretty much in STEPPE with the score.
https://youtu.be/CiFNgT3X2-w
2
@Andrew
One of my friends was for a while the librarian at the Masonic Lodge of Massachusetts. She gave me a tour of their library/archives one day. They have General Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton)'s Masonic apron--a tiny little apron! It was very cute. It's the only thing I remember from the museum.
5
Deb's comments spot on again today. Between today and yesterday impossible to pick a favorite clue. People who avoid Friday puzzles should try this one, especially if they were able to get yesterday's.
One of the consolations of having to work on the Friday of Labor Day weekend last year was that it was so quiet that I was able to watch Aretha's funeral online with no one bothering me. (I know, model employee.) There were so many amazing tributes/performances.
Here is one of my favorites, Chaka Khan singing Going Up Yonder.
https://youtu.be/90d7r3cvZJc
5
@vaer I totally agree with you—usually I avoid the puzzle Thursday-Saturday as I just started doing puzzles a few months ago, but this was waaaaay easier than the usual Friday. I even beat my average Monday time, so that was a huge surprise. 😊
4
Deb wrote: "But even if you didn’t enjoy a given puzzle, the best part about crossword solving is that ..."
Alternate ending: "You can come here to Wordplay to share your experience and find that you were not alone."
Question: how would you end that sentence?
11
"... no one's life depends on whether you fill the grid correctly, or even completely."
Though your answer is a great one, too!
12
@Henry Su
"there is no right or wrong way to do it, and success is something that can be personally defined, the objective being just to enjoy oneself".
12
@Henry Su
"... it gives you a few minutes away from the cross words in the headlines."
15
I'm surprised that the subliminal messages of today's puzzles has gone unremarked...
CRAM in the puzzle and STUDY in the mini - relieved a bit by SENIOR PRANKS.
As for Deb's description of "that dial." We're contemporaries, but my clicker dial had four stations (CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS were 3, 6, 10, 12 on the "dial"). They showed, in my mind, the sturdy reliability of the networks by the way that dial clicked into place. Then there was the fiddly "knob" below, the one that didn't click into place and required a mastery of the rabbit ears above to get a clear picture. That was for reruns of sitcoms, sci-fi movies from the '50s, cartoons and other mind-melting stuff - making for a total choice among, oh, eight or nine completely different stations to watch!
6
@David Connell
I know those knobs well. We got five stations: 5 (ABC), 7 (NBC), 9 & 11 (both CBS) and 4 PBS).
Earlier I posted here that today's puzzle made me feel old, but actually, it's quite fun to reminisce.
:-c)€
And for some of us there was a big knob on top of the TV that operated the motor to aim the rooftop antenna to the transmitter. In my case, toward Burlington VT, Montreal, or Ottawa.
1
@David Connell
Brings back memories of the Philco round screen tv
Wow. I managed to bomb on both Tuesday and Thursday this week, but finished a Friday.
This was tough for me, but in a very (very) enjoyable way. A lot of considering various possibilities - maybe this? maybe that? - and then getting just enough crosses for something to dawn on me. Lots of 'aha' moments and one notable 'duh' moment: Had enough crosses to suggest PURPLESTATE, but wasn't thinking about that kind of 'battleground.' What the heck is a purple... and then it hit me.
A number of things I didn't know (ELO) or didn't know as clued, but managed to work them all out.
I'm pretty sure I've linked this before, but still one of my favorite musical moments in film. Aretha:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vet6AHmq3_s
..
5
SPELLING BEE
Laimpry
55 words, 234 points, 2 pangrams
A x 11, I x 3, L x 10, M x 6, P x 19, R x 6, Y x 0
4L x 23, 5L x 11, 6L x 11, 7L x 6, 8L x 2, 9L x 2
4 5 6 7 8 9 Tot
A 3 4 2 2 - - 11
I 1 1 1 - - - 3
L 7 2 1 - - - 10
M 3 - 1 1 1 - 6
P 6 2 5 3 1 2 19
R 3 2 1 - - - 6
Y - - - - - - 0
Tot 23 11 11 6 2 2 55
34
Another unfortunately long Bee
Hints:
* a chemical term
* a wild animal
* disease terms
* a tropical tree or ancient city
* anatomical terms
* monetary units
6
@Ron O. - thanks for the grid and the additional hints. My last word was, yet again, something quite ordinary that simply escaped me for a long while.
It never ceases to amaze me how knowing "there's an x-length word beginning with q" reveals an answer immediately, even after quite a while struggling without that information!
11
@Ron O.
Thanks as always. You’re a tower of strength when these monoliths show up. Almost got to the end yesterday with the help of the grid, but gave up missing quite a few words that should have been very obvious. LITANY!? I mean c’mon I was raised as an Episcopalian!
On the other hand INFILL which I put in trying things that started with IN- ; not as bad as MENTEE, but still.
4
I left the puzzle on a high, thinking, "What is there not to like about THIS?"
As it unfolded, gems kept slipping out. The clues for SANDLOT, POODLE, TRIP, BRAHMS! Answers such as PURPLE STATE and TORPID! The mini-theme of double O's (5)!
Perfectly pitched for Friday, and the care put into the making of this is plain to see. Thank you for a marvelous experience, Andrew!
9
@deb -- "...[crosswords] were intended to be a game, and games should be fun." Amen! Your whole writeup was funny and insightful. Thank you!
37
@Lewis And thanks for the fun puzzle yesterday!
11
Brand names are annoying because they are mostly American. I wish I knew how many of your readers and solvers don't live in the USA or haven't for a long time...
1
@S North
I struggle with brand names as well, but don't think that we make up a very high percentage of the NYT solvers.
@suejean
I'm American, but I feel brand names are like product placements, so I dislike them very much.
Brand names are tough for some native Americans, too, like those of us who don't have the shopping gene, who don't watch broadcast TV any more, and who always muted the commercials in years before cable and streaming.
Last night: “This is very hard. I’m making very few INROADs. I feel TORPID. This is a slog. Hmm, Queens neighborhood. Is ASTORIA a flower? KEW GARDENS? Nothing’s fitting. Too hard . . . I’m sleepy . . . Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz”. [App left open]
This morning: “Whoa! Is this Monday? I’m buzzing through this baby. TASTE BUD, PURPLE STATE, SENIOR PRANK(Is this Will from College’s puzzle?!). Love these clues! And the fill is awesome. I am DIALed in! LENA HORNE crossing ARETHA - Noice! DEPECHE MODE. Uh oh, that’s gonna be a no know for some people, I fear. Now, let’s head back up to that NW for the finishing touches and presto PESO, I’m done! I am a genius!”
Finishing time: 6 hours, 13 minutes. Yet, here I am, on a cloud of smug.
19
@Puzzlemucker So happy to see you on the cloud!
2
Puzzlemucker,
LOL. SRSly? I've fallen asleep with the timer running TOO.
Hopefully this won't ruin your average since you have those fast transcription times....
Wait -- why weren't you solving first on paper and then transcribing?
1
@Henry Su - I knew I would fall asleep if I opened it last night, so I just didn't. I used to open the puzzle at 10:01 on the nose, rain or shine, but now I know to leave it for the morning if I'm in the least bit sleepy!
3
I had fun, learned stuff, feel a sense of accomplishment and was smiling at the end. So a success for me. Not so much because of beautiful words but bc of fun clues. Favorite was the clue for POODLE 🐩. Also loved being reminded of prancing horses and Tom Thumb.
8
TIL (or relearned) quite a few new things. Albert LEA? The ELO guy? RONRICO rum? I had already forgotten about BIEBER fever, so I was stumped for quite a few minutes. I'm so old, though, that "Don't touch that DIAL" reminds me of radio days. That was a gimme. Thank you for a good Friday workout!
8
@Ann
Out of the 207 times in the Shortz era that ELO has been clued, it has been clued to that guy only 5 times including today and only on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It's the band all the others.
2
Perfect Friday--white space for miles the first few visits but slowly, inexorably, incrementally, victory (with only a tiny CHAIRSORE to show for my extended effort). Puzzles like these engender great gusts of smug when completed because they initially appear so intimidating. I do suspect for this puzzle it might help to be old(ish), and I am, so yay. Excellent diabolical cluing. Soldier on, friends! You may surprise yourself.
9
@AudreyLM
I think that the next time someone has the temerity to ask me my age, I'll simply reply "Oldish". :)
4
I had a great time doing the puzzle and I also especially enjoyed reading the remarks by Deb and Andrew today. By the looks of things, Andrew is about my age so we have the same reference points (and probably the same aching back from actually having to get up and down to change that dial ourselves - despite the announcers' pleading). And what a coincidence that you included Elo ratings today (yes I guessed the fill but Googled it anyway) I had started playing an on-line word game and was assigned a ranking. I have no idea if they calculate it the same as chess, but it gave me an idea of how they came up with mine.
1
Bruised in the SE by inking in KNEEPAD early on. BRAHMS was an awfully hard guess at. So many US Dept of ___s, and they probably all keep addresses somewhere!
1
I had an average time for a Friday despite solving most of the puzzle rather quickly. Pad before CAP on 36D brought me to my KNEEs.
Just wanted to thank Deb for a great column today! It is all about having fun and learning something new, after all.
...and the Abbott & Costello “Who’s on First?” routine cracked me up as always! These guys set a standard that is rarely matched today. Funny stuff!
Great job, Deb! 👍🏻👏🏻
14
Thank you, @Ron O.! And thanks for the Spelling Bee grids!
3
@Ron O. @Deb Amlen
A comment about this excerpt from Deb's column:
"But before Will Shortz became the crossword editor for The New York Times, pop culture, and everything we discuss next to the water cooler, was rarely seen in the Crossword, if it appeared at all. "
I beg to differ by saying what we mean by "pop culture" has changed, but there were frequent "popular at the time" references you needed to know. Strange and North were used to hint at a golf answer, for instance "North departure point" was "TEE". You know, Andy North, the US open winner (or Curtis Strange), much like "Tiger club" could clue "IRON" today. You needed to know about shows and movies: (Edith) Head was pop knowledge to answer questions about costuming. References (stilll pop!) to Betty White were there, and actor Alan Bates (same name as a college), and often you needed to know who won a prize from Tony to Emmy to Nobel. So in a week when Harry became a pop, our sense of what is "pop" changes, but Eugene had that going for him in his puzzles --maybe not to the same extent as Will-- but certainly more than "if at all."
Hope this made sense. Meds still making the world fuzzy.
5
@Robert Michael Panoff
A nice person here re-mailed me the link to on-line solving space for pre-Shortz puzzles, so I am sharing it here:
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Calendar/1982?type=pssolve
(This points specifically to 1982 puzzles, but you can pick any year back to 1942)
1
TOTE and POODLE had a nice familiarity to them, and the ease of association made it more difficult to recall anything BUT a toy is sometimes a free promotional offering, like in a happy meal or cracker jacks.
Not the only cleverness; there was PESA West of the BEDSIDE, BOSONS and ANIONS South of ELA, an ERA of FERNDALE and it did not come together until LENA HORNE measured up against DECIMETER.
Loved the cluing - PURPLE STATE, ENABLERS, SAND LOT were all gratifying. The NorthEast corner took awhile, until SWOOSH and IDS became obvious, I had DUO and SASH and no rum to turn.
Anyway fun puzzle, thanks!
@Michael
"Not the only cleverness; there was PESA West of the BEDSIDE, BOSONS and ANIONS South of ELA, an ERA of FERNDALE and it did not come together until LENA HORNE measured up against DECIMETER."
??
TED and TOM were an athletic DUO at ROSEDALE High. Both lettered in varsity sports; TED was an ACE pitcher for the BISHOPS, having grown up around the SANDLOT, and he also took up fencing, excelling at SABRE. And there wasn't anyone speedier around the OVAL or on the soccer field THAN TOM, at least not until he hung up his CLEATS after taking a nasty kick to the KNEECAP that left it in a PURPLE STATE (TOO bad). Not surprisingly, both had a supply of ODOR EATERS and DIAL in their lockers.
TED would rather listen to DEPECHE MODE THAN go to class. He was counting on a baseball scholarship to TCU or maybe he would turn pro and CLAIM an endorsement deal from that company with the SWOOSH logo. After the injury and bone SPURS in right foot, TOM started to CRAM for his exams. He developed a NEW interest in MESONS and thought he might go to Texas TECH. Or ultimately MED school, he PENNED as one of his TOPICS in a college essay.
TOM sought the affections of LEA but TED was secretly interested in her too. To try to dissuade TOM, TED would say, "You have bad TASTE, BUD." But TOM ignored him and eventually had a tryst with LEA. Fortunately she took PLAN B afterwards. (Enough said.)
As a SENIOR PRANK, TOM and TED decided to steal ELO's mailbox even though it's USPS property. But drunk on RON RICO bought with fake IDS, they stumbled in the FERNS, caused the POODLE to bark, SET OFF the alarm, and turned on the FLOOD LAMP. They were lucky not to get ARRESTED. No ENABLERS to blame here.
22
Edit: TOO should be capitalized in the first sentence of the third paragraph TOO.
@Henry Su Loved reading the story. What an imagination! It's 5:07 here but I'm already laughing so that's got to be a good sign.
2
@Henry Su
Seems like LEA may have ELOped with BEIBER Justin time.
3
Lea is usually clued as a meadow or something similar. ALBERT LEA was a mandatory stop at the Eat'n Ice Cream Shoppe on the drive from Des Moines to Minneapolis.
4
@ColoradoZ Oh, interesting! I always get Austin and Albert Lea confused because I still remember years ago driving on I-90 and passing by the big meat packing plant. I just looked it up and it was in AUSTIN, not ALBERT LEA. Now I'll remember it because I know that the Eat'n Ice Cream Shoppe is in Albert Lea and Hormel is in Austin. Big difference! Thanks!
1
ColoradoZ,
And it opened for the season just last week!
http://eatnicecreamshoppe.com/
1
@Beth White
The Austin plant was (is?) the home of SPAM. SPAM as in canned meat, not your email type. It also had a Spamarama restaurant with only SPAM on the menu. Never tried it.
ALBERT LEA had a big Wilson brand meat packing plant back in the day.
Abbott and Costello couldn't have pridicted there would ever be a day when Hu's on first
http://feellikeyoubelong.com/whats-so-funny-blog/2015/3/23/phillip-nguyens-show-hus-on-first
6
@ColoradoZ
"predicted". Editor please
3
Deb, great recap (would love to see your take on GOT). Anyway, I can't remember Brahms ever being used as an answer. Has it ever?
1
@rsnyc5223 Check out XwordInfo, which gives you exactly that information.
https://www.xwordinfo.com/
Click on "solution" and then on each answer, and it gives you all the times it has been used before. Today it tells you that this is the 4th time for BRAHMS in the Shortz era.
2
Deb, I was pleased to read your musings on how many proper nouns are appropriate. If the clue can be used as a search term on the internet then a few are certainly tolerable - sometimes necessary- even if the people or things referred to may be soon forgotten. You need to have something of interest to solvers of all ages. 4D and 31D certainly fit. 45A, Bieber, is questionable as clued but certainly better on Friday than an earlier day in the week. Other solvers may find 42D, Brahms, as opaque as I did Bieber. More than once I have had to look up a proper name to find anything that was an unambiguous starting point. It would be nice to have a minimum of intersecting proper nouns in any case.
2
Britches and BREECHES notwithstanding, I was so excited to initially fill in jodhpurs at 43A! Alas, maybe some other puzzle will finally include one of my favorite words.
11
@Irene
Jodhpurs was the first word I though of when I got to that clue, but I already had letters in place that told me it was something else.
2
@Irene I put down jodhpurs as well but I THOUGHT I remembered that every time I use it it turns out wrong so erased it right away and worked around it. Maybe one day!
1
@Irene Yes - hand up for jodhpurs!
1
This has been a hard week for me. Nearly failed my first Tuesday in several years; solved it for my longest ever Tuesday. Actually failed my first Wednesday in over a year. Struggled a lot with Thursday. Struggled a lot today. Monday though was my fifth fastest ever, so that's good.
These last few puzzles have reminded me what it felt like to be learning the puzzle. Just staring, wondering, hoping something would come to me. I pray the Saturday puzzle is easy for me to lift my spirits. I'm nearly always on Erik Agard's wavelength so I hope he has tomorrow's :P.
7
@Tyler D. Go back through the archives and do some easy puzzles to get your confidence back up.
8
Interestingly, I find that I have no patience for archive puzzles anymore. What drives me is to get a gold star, continue my streak, and lower my average times. With the archived puzzles, I get none of that, and end up getting bored within a few minutes.
Wish it weren't so, but oh well!
If you're walking through a corn maze with your girlfriend and a couple of guys and there are clues about which way to go but they're all about Connecticut, where you live but haven't always (but they all have!) and it turns out none of y'all know much about the Nutmeg State (knew that, though) so you keep taking wrong turns, and the guys are getting irritated but you and your friend are laughing and having a great time and trying to explain to the guys that if you could just stroll right through without any mistakes it wouldn't be much of a maze, would it...? (In this analogy, Wordplay is like the maze attendants who ensure that you eventually get to the nearest dive bar, called Rover's.)
6
This was a fairly quick Friday puzzle. I loved the colorful triple stack in the middle. The crossing of ODOR EATERS and DIAL seemed appropriate, as did BED SORES resting horizontally above TORPID.
3
Fun puzzle. Easy for a Friday, but very well crafted.
1
Robert and Elke,
Re: mochi from yesterday. Mochi is the key ingredient in ozoni, a soup eaten across Japan on New Year's Day. The soup varies regionally -- it is usually a stock based on dried fish but it can be chicken, with any number of tidbits -- but the soft rice cake is mandatory.
Traditionally, mochi is hand-pounded with huge mallets in a large stone mortar on wooden legs. The glutenous rice is first steamed, and then a team of three gets to work. Two alternate whacking the rice in the mortar with mallets and a third flips the resulting mass. After about 10 minutes of pounding, the rice has been transformed into mochi. The mass is delivered to the women indoors who form small cakes. The men pound outdoors, typically in freezing December weather. A new team of malleteers pounds the next batch.
Most mochi today is make by machine, but the quality can't compare with hand-pounded. Although it's rare now, we used to pound 150 pounds of rice, with about a dozen families participating. It was great fun. It takes some skill to pound since the mallets are about a yard long and the rhythm is quite fast. Elaine's blind brother-in-law always flipped, since he could hear the cadence so well. But if a pounder lost the cadence, it could cost poor Ted a couple of fingers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be2Nnx5o9oA
Anyway, although mochi can be made into a number of desserts called manju, most Japanese prefer it fresh and gooey, or perhaps seared in a dry skillet.
11
and Elke
Martin- WOW! Thanks for that video. Thanks for the "easy" recipe :))
It looks like a wonderful community building exercise- if not training for suomo wrestlers. Shoulders must be in a PURPLE STATE after that. Probably is tough on KNEECAPs, too.
Reminds me of savoury kreplach or knish made with potatoes. Interesting how cultures adapt their staple starches to round shapes with stuff CRAMmed inside.
Much appreciated.
2
@Robert and Elke
We make knishes, about 3 dozen potato and a dozen kasha to a batch. I make the fillings and Elaine makes the dough and wraps them. She also makes great latkes. In fact, she made 6 dozen for our seder because she's not a kugel fan. She also makes the kneidlach. All I do is render the schmaltz.
But I do the Japanese cooking. Talk about cultures adapting.
http://herbach.dnsalias.com/latkes
3
@Martin - Thanks for the video link and description. I was instantly reminded that the origins of the Basque instrument Txalaparta lie in the mashing of apples for apple cider, again involving two mashers using long sticks and the rhythmic interplay between them. Very similar process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DFGWMXMrGs
I trust solvers who wanted LENA Horne over LENA Headey in yesterday's puzzle didn't encounter a Natick in today's crossing with DEPECHE MODE.
6
Despite some early errors, (TOYDOG, BACARDI), this one went quickly. Not quite half my Fri avg.
Liked all the Killer B's: BEDSORES, BISHOPS, BIEBER, BEADS, and BRAHMS. Backed by PLANB: SABRE, ABSCAM (nice clue), TASTEBUD, ENABLERS.
2
@Al in Pittsburgh Edit: LAPDOG, not TOYDOG.
@Al in Pittsburgh I had Bacardi, too.
@Stephanie/Al
Bacardi first, too. The power of advertising, I guess. It was hard to think of a third rum. Needed quite a few letters filled in before RON RICO appeared.
1
Personal best for a Friday... so definitely in my wheelhouse, as opposed to last weekend.
Liked the clueing for Battleground, but not so much the NY train depot reference - this is a national paper!
2
Nice to see the occasional ELO clue that doesn't have to do with Electric Light Orchestra...
10
Fine but fast Friday fare, with one miscue worth more than a nit. A New York subway entry should be properly clued in The New York Times Crossword. No subway station -- on the IRT or any other division -- is or has ever been called a depot.
14
This bothered me a lot, too, Barry. So much so that I almost didn't get the answer. First of all, as you say, it's a station, not a depot. But second, the IRT is (was) a line, not a station. And the letters, IRT, never appeared in any of the stations; instead, what you got were the numbers 1,2,3 (west side) and 4,6 (east side). You also got the words "Lexington Avenue" and such. But if you didn't know beforehand that you were on the IRT, you wouldn't find it out from any signs in the station.
Nice pick-up, Barry.
@Nancy - maybe us out-of-towners (in my case, never New Yorkers) remember the signs a little better?
https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/irt-signs/
https://www.aiga.org/the-mostly-true-story-of-helvetica-and-the-new-york-city-subway
https://forgotten-ny.com/2006/12/subway-sign-smorgasbord-aged-signs-around-town-from-the-60s-to-the-present/
5
Thanks for the links, David. Those of us who ride the subway still see plenty of IRT, BMT and IND, notably at stations served by more than one of the formerly separate systems. At my closest "Independent Line" station, one is still directed (by mosaic tiles) to the "H&M Tubes."
1
I whizzed through this one, even though I stopped following pop culture around 1970.
I would have forgotten about ABSCAM, if it had not been for the wonderful movie made about it recently… whose name I have forgotten.
But who carries a dog in a *purse*?
1
@Alan Young is this a rhetorical question, or do you really not see a lot of dogs in purses where you are? In Florida, it's quite common to see dogs in purses, carried into shops and restaurants, regardless of whether pets are allowed in those places. These women even buy designer bags for these pooches. https://www.baxterboo.com/p.cfm/madison-mia-michele-mocha-dog-carry-bagdoggie-design
3
@Alan Young
American Hustle directed by David O. Russell, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner, who in my opinion did not get enough credit for his performance.
1
@Stephanie
i never see a dog in a purse where I live.
2
Arpad ELO was pretty obscure for me, but I thought "weight" was PESO or something similar, so that corner worked out. I liked seeing LENA HORNE crossing ARETHA.
Suejean and Laura Rodrigues, is DECIMETER a commonly used measurement? At 3.9+ inches, I see that the clue is accurate, but it's not a measure I've really run across. (Of course, I live in a country that hasn't accepted decimal measurements yet).
I did really like the clue for TASTEBUD.
3
DECIMETRE is a legitimate but infrequent unit of measurement in S.I., the metric system
Canada converted to metric in the mid 1970s. I know what a decimeter or decimetre is (1/10th of a metre), but have never encountered it in use.
@Liz B
A Decimeter would not be commonly used, IMO. Meters and centimeters , sure. England is still in the process of converting. Certainly Deb's "kids" would be completely into metric, but older people still struggle a bit. I was 40 when I moved here, over 40 years ago. I tend to think metric for temperatures and volume, but still struggle with linear. I really really wish metric had been taught from kindergarten; it's the only thing that makes any sense.
1
Fun overlap with two shows I’ve been watching lately: The Office (Sabre) & The Goldbergs (Senior Prank). Another overlap is where I was born, India (Indira), and where I currently live (gradually get to be a Purple State).
3
• friday xword was an easy solve for me ~ loved "one might sense bitterness" for a clue!
• struggled some with the bee today, but made it to genius; although i think i am still missing a few words
2
@artlife If you get all the words in the bee, you get a Queen Bee buzzing around. It doesn't happen very often for me.....
1
@anne.stephenson ~ oooh i wondered what "QB" was! ~
ok, i live in hope ~ thank you!
@artlife check out the Bee grid later on in the postings. Some really helpful person posts a grid of how many words beginning with each letter and their lengths. Just knowing you need one more 5 letter word that starts with A, for example, is a huge help! And sometimes there are further hints if you’re interested.
Some clever clues! But some may not pass the breakfast test -- BED SORES (resting spots!) and ODOR EATERS. Also liked SANDLOT as "Diamond in the rough." All ACES!
6
@judy d What is the breakfast test?
@Stephanie
"breakfast test" is crossword slang for avoiding unpleasant things first thing in the morning! (Although many of us solve at 10PM now.)
@Stephanie - I assume it means "do you want to encounter the word while eating breakfast.?"
2