The NYT crossword is in the (virtual) Edinburgh International Book Festival. You can see the event here:
https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/working-with-words-inside-the-new-york-times-crossword/player?utm_medium=email&utm_content=42526&utm_source=evt-start-body
We've been to the Festival in person twice, and when it returns, I highly recommend a visit. It's heaven on earth for book lovers.
Hi all, I am pretty sure this link is working, but you can now buy the Wordplay crest swag here: https://rdbl.co/2J0mn54
Part of the profit from all orders will be donated to ProLiteracy, a program that teaches adults to read.
1
Saturday morning & just finished Friday. That’s just where I’m at. BLT? Haha!! Now I know, have to be on the lookout for eely things not just eels. Simon Says keep trying!
2
A most satisfying Friday. BYALLMEANS, Robyn, you cost me a half-hour. Then I decided to solve BYANYMEANS, and the DOILY dropped into place. So refined.
4
@Grandpa Brian, I had been thinking of the huge difference between BYALLMEANS and BYANYMEANS.
You too, eh?
I suddenly realized that I don’t think (forgive me if I’m wrong) that I’ve seen anyone bring up this lyric from Into the Woods:
But it isn’t my fault, I was given those beans...
:-c)€
2
Ohhhhh EELY as in like an eel!
That took way too long to get.
2
Can we see a picture of the Wordplay emus?
3
@Nitpicker They're very shy and don't like having their pictures taken.
3
The word totals are a pattern. 5-1-13-8-13-1-5.
Why did I notice that?
1
I always get a frisson of pleasure and anticipation when I see a Robyn Weintraub puzzle coming up. Her constructions are not only breezy fun but somehow strordinarily relatable, which is probably why the solve is such a smooth ride.
Sneaky bits with all those 4-letter eye parts to look at, and judicious use of mult-definitional chicanery. Have to admit she got me good with my 'Cross' being ROOD first and FORD later.
Inspired to poesy with
MARRY ME
IUD
STOP AHEAD
Of being THREE
Add a BRAT
To the FAMILY TREE
Bearing the title "If You Can't KNOT THE TIE When You TIE THE KNOT, Can You Still LOG ON The FAMILY TREE?" makes this on of the select group of writings for which the title is longer than the opus.
Robyn, I waited 23 hours for Spectrum to re-unite us. It was worth every minute.
5
Lots of fun, a big thank you to Robyn.
The group photo got me thinking of several very long horizontal photos, rolled up like a tube, in boxes in our basement. They seemed popular in the 1920s and 30s for family reunions (one of ours in the box) and class photos (a couple others). Those who know more about photography can explain if there was some special camera used back then, which I would guess was the case. They are now family treasures.
4
Some photos of this nature were taken with a camera with a rotating lens and shutter slit to expose a sheet of film held in a curved film holder. It may have taken 10 to 15 seconds to make the “pass,” and some wiseacres actually were able to position themselves in one far end of the group, and if they timed it right and were quick enough, could run round behind the camera to the opposite side of the group before the exposure completed and be in the photograph twice.
9
@Brian Drumm - absolutely so! I had a couple of uncles who appeared in several family photos both at far left and far right, they made a habit of it.
5
I didn't actually realize there is a more complacent emu on the national coat of arms:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Australia
The additional roo makes me think that one could compose a visual representation of all crossword fill and then turn it into a 1000-piece puzzle, which I would solve in my PWYW t-shirt.
2
Yay you, Carly Amlen!!
So you didn't do it either?
COOL COOL
(COOL COOL COOL COOL)'s
3
Well, Hello DOILY!
(Any excuse to listen to this!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7N2wssse14
1
I SEE NO EVIL in this puzzle. There ISN'T a single thing to complain about. Loved it.
MERCI Ms. Weintraub!
4
When I was on a super Shakespeare kick - this was quite a few years back - I read all of the history plays in the order in which they are supposed to have been written, followed more or less immediately by a second reading of the whole set in their historical order (by subject matter). It was very informative and enjoyable for a suitably nerdy type.
Some of the comments today, and many comments on other days, are leading the school teacher in me to prompt this...
If there is a constructor whose puzzles you enjoy, a visit to xwordinfo.com and search under that constructor's name will turn up all their grids. These can then be solved in series, either chronologically (by publication date, which we well know is not the same as construction date), or sorted by day-of-the-week, or both. Other methods of organizing the sortie can be imagined. It can be an enjoyable way of stalking the innocent Robyn Weintraub, Patrick Berry, Peter Gordon, Andrea Carla Michaels. It could even be a way of cracking into the mind of a constructor you haven't yet learned to appreciate.
As I said - for the suitably nerdy - could be an enjoyable pursuit.
As with music and books and poems and art - I'm never averse to revisiting something lovely.
8
@David Connell
I guess this is why I keep going back to Stratford, ON for a week-long dose of Shakespeare (and other) plays. I’ve seen the ever-popular “The Tempest” there three times - and I’ll see it again (if possible) - - - even though it keeps ending the same way every time!
Yesterday’s puzzle was for the constructors (Jeff Chen’s POW). Today’s was for the solvers. 👍 Robyn.
7
I loved this puzzle.
A slow solve for me as I was to quick to put a CAT in my bag rather than some tea. Making the SE more challenging than it needed to be.
However, the NE had me truly stumped not knowing UVEA or EELY.
1
@Jsav
Challenging, definitely. You have to steep for quite a long time before there's an appreciable flavour of feline.
2
My house (circa 1890) has creaky floors and no stairs: How was I to know?
Back in the old days (circa 1968) we would take Deb's motto and put it on a t-shirt. Liberum Amor was popular with the dweeb set.
Local bank is giving out free BRATs on Fridays for the month of June. A bit of a banking OASIS in the midst of yet another round of scandal. Deregulation of banking was a really good idea: Dontcha think or... don't you.
Thanks Robyn
2
dk,
I do hope that's a one-story house ... with an exterior storm shelter.
3
@Barry Ancona - perhaps instead of a mcmansion it's a mcescher, no second floor because the floor is all staircase without end. Or is that a creaky notion?
It's a reminder that what did in Escher's architecture is accessibility. Perhaps someone has already reimagined it with ramps instead of steps. I suppose a Mobius strip has no steps. Indeed, it's the only construction you can buy at IKEA which comes with no steps at all. The instruction sheet consists only of the guy scratching his head with the thought cloud question mark.
2
@Andrew,
There's a great science fiction short story I've read that I will probably never be able to remember or find again. The narrator is in a house that keeps reconfiguring: he'd step out of a window and find himself inside a different house/location/dimension. Some fascinating stuff on how Reality can re-orient, unfold or fold in on itself. Took forever to read, felt like trying to stick a straw in a Klein bottle
1
I don't know which I love more, Carly's beautiful crest or Robyn's fun, clever puzzle! I'm always excited to see Robyn Weintraub's name on a puzzle. FAMILY TREE was my favorite of this puzzle.
4
Infatuated, SIMONSAYS READY OR NOT, I’m going to propose!
MARRY ME, LENA!
EGAD, But what about your first marriage, she asked.
DONTBEMAD, that was just a BETATEST! I’ve found my OASIS in you! I’m not a CREEP, an OGRE or a BRAT! And I’ve got good GENEs! i’ll even show you my FAMILYTREE!
She thought, is he out to BILK me? I’m no SHERLOCK to check his CLAIMS! I don’t have ESP or SPYCAMS either. Should I check with the FBI?
But she chose to SEENOEVIL and just HOPEd he was for real.
MERCI! he said.
So they TIEDTHEKNOT ONTHEDOT during CINCO de Mayo with THREE CHUMs helping her with her AVANTGARDE BONE wedding gown, giving her a mani-PEDI and arranging her hair in an UPDO, and setting up the registry at MACYS.
At the reception, they played some CHAKA Khan, had some BLT, PITAS and TEA. After the GROUPPHOTO, it was time to go GETIN the FORD for their honeymoon.
So now everytime anyone ASKS Simon if he’s ALONE, he just smiles FAINTly and says, not BYANYMEANS. That’s just an URBANLEGEND.
:D
13
@EJ
Tour de force. Bravo!
You didn't mention it, but I assume there was plenty of DANSON at the reception as well.
8
Haha definitely a lot of DANSON lol 😂
1
@EJ - I half-expected her to say Don't be a PITA, your pockets aren't deep enough.
After he said GET IN the FORD, did he LENA on the HORN? (Apologies to Lena.)
That GROUP PHOTO was actually a bit BLT.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_blit
A rather rapid fill for a Friday -- my only brief stumble was rOoD instead of FORD for cross -- maybe yesterday's Supreme Court decision on the Peace Cross steered me that way.
3
I agree with the constructor that "unionized" is a better Friday clue than "wed".
4
@debamlen
Google Translate gives, “Et non faciunt ea.” for “I didn’t do it”
And “Cum ludere verbis.” for “Play with your words.”
I think that using the Latin gives a certain “class” to the crest.
It should go on quality T-shirts and, maybe, baseball hats. I might even consider sewing a patch on my blazer!!
2
@PeterW The reports of Latin being a "dead language" are apparently false. I had a college professor who said that people are not truly educated unless they took 4 years of Latin. I only took 2 years in high school so I guess I'm a half-wit.
5
@PeterW
"I think that using the Latin gives a certain “class” to the crest."
Using Google Translate, however, takes most of it away. :)
2
@PeterW
Faciunt is third-person plural, so it translates more as "And they did not do it." It's been too long since I've taken Latin, but a more apt translation (and ordering) would probably be "Ego istum non facio," starting with the subject, ending with the verb, containing the direct object in the middle. There are a bunch of verbs and pronouns that could mean the same thing.
"Play with your words" should be "Ludete cum verbis." Ludere is the infinitive, ludete is the plural imperative.
1
This was a very fun puzzle - I liked the clues for GROUP PHOTO and PITAS. I got "don't be mad, it wasn't my fault" right away - we say this combo all the time. And I really like the word OASIS. Like one of the comments, "haven" would have been good too.
Great Wordplay crest - colors pop without being too much and I like the pencils with erasers. I still don't get the whole thing with emus (do they represent real people or a concept of a scapegoat?), but the design is really good. Definitely buying the T shirt and mug.
Dieu MERCI, c'est vendredi.
2
@Chat Cannelle
EMU is one of the oh-so-convenient commonplace words in the NYT puzzles.... Glitches and deleted posts were blamed on EMUs who design the website and filter the entries from solvers... Deb tries to ride herd on them, but ...
1
@Chat Cannelle - They are definitely just emus, like in the Liberty Mutual commercial except that there are several of them. I'm not sure if they have the same status as the summer interns or they are the summer interns.
Because they do most of their work overnight while the rest of the world sleeps, I suspect that they are working remotely from Australia.
Wikipedia says: "They drink infrequently, but take in copious amounts when the opportunity arises." Which explains quite a lot, actually. That also suggests they may be working remotely from Australia.
3
I always enjoy a Weintraub effort and I rapidly breezed through this one relishing some tricks and word play along the way. Dare I say that I wish it had been even trickier? It is Friday, after all!
1
I asked my friend the professor of Latin & Greek how she would translate "I didn't do it," and she came up with "ego non in culpa"--which to me, who doesn't speak any Latin, sounds more like "it's not my fault".
Anyway, just throwing that into the pot.
3
Why can't it be "non mea culpa"? All of us are familiar with "mea culpa" already. :)
3
@Wen
If this is to be for attribution, we must be careful not to put words in Deb's mouth. And what she would say was "I didn't do it", not "It wasn't my fault" or "Don't blame me".
Of course, that leaves open the possibility that she didn't do it, but it was still her fault.
Could Deb be that EELY, I ASK you?
Fun, fun, fun Friday! I confess, I laughed out loud when "Festive mayo day" turned out to be CINCO instead of a condiment on a BLT!
3
@E.W. Swan😆
1
Hi all,
Carly and I are very flattered that you like the crest and I’m willing to put it on a T-shirt and other items if you give me a week or so to look into it.
The other thing I need to say is that any products that have this crest on it are not affiliated with The New York Times, but are just for people who enjoy playing with their words.
20
@Deb Amlen does that mean people have permission to use it on a tattoo? I have no ink, and probably wouldn't get this, but someone will.
3
@Geoffrey That is hilarious to think about.
1
@Deb Amlen
Yes, yes, yes! Carly is a remarkably talented artist. Brava!
My favorite themeless in recent memory. Lots of lively entries and clever clues. I had a number of entries for which I thought, "why didn't I thinnk of that?" when they became evident from the crosses. That's usually a good sign in terms of the clue/answer combinations.
Really like the new Wordplay crest as well.
2
When I saw Robin's name at the top I knew I was in for a delightful Friday romp and I was not disappointed. I would say that that Robin is the master of a "Friendly Friday." Upbeat, smooth and filled with personality. In no way forced or pedantic. Not a head scratcher but a hand clapper. Brava, Robin!
(Deb, count me into the multitude of crossworlders who want that T-shirt!)
10
Deb and Carly,
That crest is perfect. I want the tee-shirt.
2
@Peter S
Great idea!
I see I don't know the difference between a crest and a coat of arms...and Deb provided a translation... ?Non mea culpa?... (Obviously I never took Latin!)
2
Welcome to my wheelhouse! This one was a very quick solve, so I am glad the new Variety Puzzles come out on Fridays, or I'd have run out of puzz before my breakfast was gone.
Deb, is the Coat of Arms (or Emus) the work of your daughter? it's perfect! I only need a translation of the Latin to complete my enjoyment. Barry? David? Bueller?
SHAKA before CHAKA, and BY AND LARGE before BY ANY MEANS (which, to me, is a poor fit for the clue.)
I wouldn't put a DOILY on the dining room table, but I do use them on plant stands and under vases. It breaks my heart to see handmade lace and tatted doilies cast aside and sold for 25 cents each. A thing of beauty IS a joy forever.
4
Agree on the lace and linens. My grandmothers put so much work into them! I believe a DOILY used to be placed under a finger bowl, but I didn’t run in those circles.
And then, and then...I recall having seen the plastic doilies that came to be later on in my childhood. Real doilies can get stained and dirty, these plastic ones are easily washable and won't stain. I love real doilies, not the plastic ones (although they had their own aesthetic appeal in a different way).
While I understood why they had plastic doilies, it ruined the whole experience. It's kind of the same with putting the plastic covers on sofas. The sofa won't get dirty or stained, but boy, are they uncomfortable (and noisy).
@Wen
A soak in a solution of Oxyclean will do wonders for stained linens and laces...trust me!
There is also a powder called RetroClean that I have used with a quilt that had been stored in a wooden chest (big mistake!)--successfully!
1
Consistently, I always welcome another rockin’ Friday from Robyn, MERCI...I had trouble with these curves; does/ROES, mani/PEDI and Afro/UPDO...The EELY NE fell last...This is Acker doing Hoagy, then Neil’s “Unknown (URBAN) LEGEND.)
https://youtu.be/1Zo3zqWCqss
https://youtu.be/DgE7LlRtiJg
1
OOOOF!! That certainly was a FRIDAY puzzle!!
“Completed” - - not “solved”!!
`nuff said.
1
Chaka Khan and Lena Horne in the same solve! How avant garde! And The Melody Still Lingers On...Ain't It The Truth. Merci Robyn!!
5
So what kind of reflex is it when infants "instinctually" spread their arms? The 4-letter answer began with an "M" and both my natural optimism and my natural pessimism immediately kicked in.
The MAMA reflex. Spreading one's arms to reach out to one's MAMA. The instinct of love made manifest. What could be more wonderful?
Except that the 2nd letter turned out to be an "O" and the 3rd an "R". The MORE reflex!!!
Spreading one's arms because one wants MORE. The instinct of greed made manifest. Uh-oh! Greed -- the deeply embedded human characteristic that will ultimately destroy the planet. Seen in even the tiniest infant. What could be more terrible?
But no -- the correct answer is the MORO reflex. What on earth is that???? Hands up if you've never heard of it either.
As for the rest of the puzzle? Fairly crunchy and consistently engrossing. I found it a lot harder at the bottom than at the top. I enjoyed it.
11
Hand up for MORO. Can't say that next time though.
The NYT crossword is forcing education on me. How nefarious.
5
@Nancy
MY hand is UP!
This is the “education” part of solving crosswords.
2
@Nancy Named after the physician (Ernst Moro) who first described it, as is common practice in medicine.
While "Mama" is intuitive (that was my initial guess but I didn't fill it, just kept in my brain until I filled the rest).
3
@justsomeone
cc: @community
re: The Tempest stirred up by your comment about the theme “Married Men” a couple of days ago
Your apology should be accepted - but It should have been for the unintended (?) offense that seems to have been caused. The explanation of why you didn’t care for the theme strikes most as disingenuous, I would guess.
You probably now realize (if you did not already know) that there is a substantial LGTBQ presence within this crossword community. And, since many of them have had their civil (and other) rights regularly trampled upon, they rightfully resent anyone who SEEMS to be adding to the trampling - or prolonging it.
They have only BEGUN to see an “adjustment” in societal attitudes and many are very prickly with respect to expressions of vestigial resentment of their existence.
Taking your comments all together - the original “dislike” of the theme and the somewhat non-credible explanation following your “apology”, even I (a lifelong heterosexual male) come to the conclusion that you don’t care for people who have different proclivities than yours.
If that’s not the case, I apologize for MY erroneous conclusion.
If it IS, I’d suggest keeping your dislikes to yourself - at least within this forum. (You are certainly entitled to them - but they will not be welcomed here.)
With respect,
3
@Peter W.
From what I see, justsomeone's original post was simply that j.s.* didn't like the puzzle. Someone else inferred that it was because of homophobia. Several wanted clarification about the original post, and j.s. got a little huffy, angry that everyone was piling on the assumption anti-gay bigotry. Deb tried to elicit the reason j.s. didn't like the puzzle, and finally j.s. apologized for the tone of the angry post and claimed not to have given to consideration to the idea that two men's names put together had anything to do with a gay marriage.
Now to tell you the truth, I do my puzzles in a fairly quick manner. Not speed solving, but not languidly savoring every drop like a fine cognac, either. I don't stop to consider the theme for long unless it helps me solve the puzzle.
In this case, I saw fairly early that the themers were two men's names together. I also saw the revealer MARRIED MEN. And to be honest, I didn't really consider that the puzzle was meant to be a salute to gay marriage.
Relevant disclosure: I am straight and married, but I have two very (and I mean very) close relatives, one a gay male, and the other a bi female. I have no issues with their orientation. The former is planning his wedding in about a year, which the Mrs. and I are helping to plan and finance. Even with no anti-gay bias, IO still didn't notice that the puzzle explicitly related to gay marriage until afterward.
Believe it, or don't.
* Deliberate pronoun avoidance
@Steve L
I can believe someone might complete the puzzle without latching onto GAY “Married Men” as the theme - but anyone who claims not to have done so after reading Deb’s column - or even just looking at the picture - is either unbelievably dense - - or a liar. I wasn’t sure myself until I came to the forum but, then, there was absolutely no doubt.
Ergo - - I cannot credit @justsomeone’s denials.
@PeterW
Many people do not read the column, the other comments, or the picture before writing their comment.
You know this by the fact that they state what's already been stated over and over in any or all of the above.
My point is that I think j.s. was unfairly piled up on in that day's comments. I can't presume to understand what was going on--or not going on--inside j.s.'s head.
Knowing that Sam Trabucco is gay--which I didn't until the commentary--or that June is Pride Month--which is not common knowledge, in spite of its ubiquity--would be key elements in making the connection. I knew about Pride Month, but not about Sam. I can't say what j.s. knew.
J.s.'s original comment, on the other hand, was of a "drive-by" nature; in other words, a negative without any explanation. That kind of comment is frowned upon, but newcomers have no way of knowing that in advance.
Most people like that don't stick around for reactions. Hence the name "drive-by". But j.s. did respond, and so j.s. did have the opportunity to clarify.
FAMILY FEUD before FAMILY TREE. TURNER before DANSON. OH MY before EGAD. But all was quickly resolved. Are Fridays getting easier?
Love the crest, Deb. Carly is obviously a very talented clan member. Inspired by her and this puzzle and my feelings towards tomorrow's offering:
CARLY SIMON SAYS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NwP3wes4M8
2
@Andrew,
Nice segue to Saturday!
Great cluing. Personally, I got hung up in the southeast thinking that the TsA was "in the bag." Now that they've rummaged through all my stuff, I guess I'll relax with a cuppa TEA.
3
Re Deb’s column:
Wonderful! Very, very amusing! & now we have a crest complete with emus!
I often find that for her title, Deb often focuses on a clue or two that also struck me in some way, as seems also to be the case for others here. However, today I drew a rare frowny face next to 36A because it seems to me that the occasions that would elicit “It wasn’t my fault” & those that would elicit “DON’T BE MAD” are neither the same nor is one a subset of the other.
“It wasn’t my fault,” whether said truly or no, is a denial of blame. “Don’t be mad” is a preparation for bad news of some sort. I may say the first in cases when anger isn’t at all expected from the listener. (Say, while telling a friend that TurboTax, not I, am responsible for me now having to file an amended tax return, aaargh!). On the other hand, I may say the latter when softening the listener to news of someone else’s deeds. (“Don’t be mad: our daughter again did not do her chores.”)
The upshot: this clue doesn’t seem quite right to me.
:-c)€
1
@Floyd
I think I agree. In fact, I would say DONT BE MAD is most frequently used when it it is, in fact, the speaker's fault. "Don't be mad, but I spend all the grocery money on Girl Scout cookies."
2
@Bess
I’m actually coming around to being okay with this clue the more I think about it. There is, as you say, substantial overlap between the two types of occasions I described. It’s not like two things that happen to occasionally occur together.
@Bess
....unnecessary if the cookies are Thin Mints.
5
LETTER BOXED
B-T (6) T-L (8). Probably a 13 in there but this one came quickly, which is not my normal experience.
@ColoradoZ
Same solution for me. Words were popping out all over, but I couldn't find a 13 and after yesterday's one-worder, the game seems anti-climactic now!
2
@ColoradoZ
I used one more letter for B-T (8) T-T (7), which came within a minute allowing me to run out in the garden before it got hot. May look for more later.
Good morning. B-T (8) T-E (6). Miffed that TEMPLAR did not count, but I like the resulting word better in the end.
I was interested to see that yesterday’s official solution was two words, not one. Is it appropriate to reveal the one-word answer now, or would I behave U-Y (14)?
I got in the groove with this puzzle. Like some others here, I finished it unusually quickly, & I had only one scar: sHAKA Khan. I knew better!
But, oh, those fresh, crisp, delightful clues! Robyn, as you clue your new puzzle (very nice to know another is going in the pipeline!), I suggest you do whatever you did with this one times two. (Whatever that means.) It is really nice when constructors clearly take pains to make fresh & charming clues even for old standards like PITA (34D, nice!), BLT (47A, made me smile thinking of various other toothpick locales), EELY (12D), and TEA (52D).
I had a whopping 8 smileys today. Best one, 32D Game with lots of instructions: SIMON SAYS. Ha!!!
Actually, I think I can articulate a couple of specific strengths in your cluing. These clues are wonderfully ambiguous, so that some solvers will be misled & even the cautious will still have to consider the various possible meanings. And none have question marks:
18A Fleece
34D Their pockets aren’t deep
42A Cross
3D Product sold in bars
11D Some commercial work [I loved this one!]
12D Hard to grasp, say
42D Light
43D Bud
52D It’s in the bag
Another strength: mixing it up a lot in the clues. Those above helped make this more fun & challenging, but it would have been duller had you not mixed in lots of other clue types, which you did.
I’ve been praising the clues & I never even said how great all the entries are. Out of space here though, so: they’re great!!!
:-c)€
4
Robyn mentioned crossword proposals. There exists at least one (though it's a Boston Globe rather than NYT) --
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/world/americas/26iht-26crossword-globe.7645452.html
I may be the only person in history to have sustained a serious SIMON SAYS injury. I broke my collarbone when I walked into a table.
SOAP crossed with "Wanderer's refuge" sadly reminded me of our government's failure to care adequately for detained children.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/justice-department-detained-immigrant-children-soap-toothbrushes_n_5d0c1f37e4b07ae90d9a8b0d
1
@Bess
Concerning your SIMON SAYS injury, I would be curious to know what the instruction was!
1
I thought of @ Ottawan Andrew at 13D of https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2016/06/17
I assume it is a sports reference but not basketball.
Also, for some reason 53A "forum rule enforcers" in four squares is not EMUS. The hint "for short" would have supported the reading, Electronic Moderation Unit.
Maybe someone has already mentioned the LiMu Emu mascot https://alltvspots.com/2019/liberty-mutual-limu-emu-doug-dealership-commercial/
I guess the spot where the emu sees its reflection is more like our emus. https://commercialsociety.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/liberty-mutual-presents-the-limu-emu-and-doug/
1
@Andrew
Hockey. What else?
@Andrew
So thoughtful of you, Sunnyvale Andrew. I followed your link and it took me to a fully completed puzzle. I knew I hadn't been solving that long, but I see that it is one of those from the archives that was suggested by the app.
On another subject, did you try my remedy for your TPMS light?
@Andrew - in fact there is a recalibration function we've tried a couple of times. I did read your reply, thanks.
How funny you already solved it. Probably the recommendations are generic, and not tailored to our specific data. I would not necessarily invite Google to get involved in tracking our personal puzzling behaviors.
@Steve L - thanks! It is a quirk of my way of expressing myself that I can be excessively droll, in the sense that I don't mind if I'm taken straight, as though I hadn't heard of hockey. OTOH, I don't want to sound like I'm making fun of sport per se. Folks show up at the office with Sharks jerseys.
I haven't lived there in some time, but Binghamton had their B-Sens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binghamton_Senators. Since I'm from New Jersey, I don't mind their affiliation with the Devils.
1
Wonderful crest and column. How about the crest on an 8 x 11.5 poster? Then you can see it daily. Great puzzle. Really happy to have worked my way out of several misdirections (e.g., dominant hand, mani, etc.)
Hi Deb,
Perhaps I missed it, but where -- if anywhere -- does Carly Amlen fit in your FAMILYTREE?
2
Delightful column today!
5
I tried one of the archived puzzles recommended on the web page, and had a Thursday which makes me understand the folks raving for a Thursday. https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2015/08/20 I don't know if the feed is curated to be the best or most representative, or were selected for inclusion in a book on the newspaper stand at the airport.
I think I started doing the nytimes puzzle out of a paperback my big sister left in the night table of the spare bedroom at my mother's in Maine.
SPELLING BEE
Lacinpr
46 words, 191 points, 1 pangram, bingo
A x 5, C x 13, I x 1, L x 8, N x 1, P x 13, R x 5
4L x 20, 5L x 8, 6L x 10, 7L x 3, 8L x 2, 9L x 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 Tot
A 2 - 3 - - - 5
C 4 3 3 1 1 1 13
I - 1 - - - - 1
L 5 2 1 - - - 8
N 1 - - - - - 1
P 5 2 2 1 1 2 13
R 3 - 1 1 - - 5
Tot 20 8 10 3 2 3 46
34
@Ron O. What? No ANIL (says she, looking down at her blue jeans)?? No PALILALIA? No CARACAL? What's this world coming to? Especially when the obscurity defense is so capriciously applied. Harrumph (as others have observed).
2
@Ron O. - Thanks as ever for the grid. Subtle hints for my P8 P9 (not pangram) would be appreciated. I don't have as much time as usual for hunting down the last bits...
@Ron O.
Thank you for the grid.
This is a very medically related Bee.
1
Can’t believe I’m the only one so far to think, “It wasn’t me”. Even though it fits I didn’t try it. Probably the “it” would disqualify it?
@Frances
Thought of it but because “It” and “wasn’t” were both in the clue, I quickly unthought of it (I may have even thought of it a second time before dismissing it a second time). Needed some crossings before DON’T BE MAD emerged.
1
@Puzzlemucker
Re doubling clue into answer: I spent probably 5 minutes after a pretty fast solve looking at 4 or 5 blanks in the SE. I had entered BY All MEANS instead of ANY MEANS which left me thinking that there must be something called a D-ILL that was a dining decoration. Didn’t help that I had entered rood instead of FORD and then the “y” in FAMILY TREE had me thinking there was some curlicue trick. I came here realized nobody was talking about a curlicue trick and went back and read the clues properly.
This is because I have to solve at an uncivilized hour of the morning. Or at least that’s what I’m blaming it on.
1
@Frances
I’ve been trying to come up with a better alternative clue for DON’T BE MAD. Unsuccessful thus far. “Stay calm” perhaps but no corresponding contraction and kind of blah.
Tee Shirt! Tee Shirt! Tee Shirt!....
14
@Mike Let me see if I can make that happen.
14
@Deb Amlen - You did that.
4
@Deb Amlen
That would be quite an achievement!
2
With respect to the constructor's question regarding hidden proposals in a puzzle, I am just about certain that I remember a puzzle that contained one. I think it was in the NYT but it was long ago, maybe back in the Maleska days. So I don't think it's an urban legend...
@QB
There was a wife and husband wedding announcement puzzle in 2010. See Jim Horne’s comments with link to that puzzle at Xwordinfo:
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/21/2019
2
A little trouble in the NW slowed me down a bit on well constructed and clued puzzle. I wanted "I didn't do it" for 36A which reminded me of The Simpsons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtVteemLin4
Brava, Carly! Wonderful crest (or achievement of arms)! I join @Puzzledog in voting for T-shirts - or maybe canvas totes or sweatshirts.
Brava, Robyn, too! It was a very fun puzzle!
9
Canvas totes.
6
Deb,
Liked the puzzle today, but loved your column, crest and all.
I vote for T-shirts with the crest--that would certainly puzzle the madding crowd....
12
@Puzzledog Love it, I'll take a medium!
3
Several very clever clues today. Enjoyed it, though it wasn't as easy for me as it was for.
1
My comment yesterday punned on TAUT line hitch and the recent GOT HITCHED, and today's 22D continued the pun, although I was taking it in the direction of GET TIGHT and TIE ONE ON. The column suggests that this kind of synchronicity is a thing, but doesn't tell us what the word for it is.
I guess the xword fill for it is ESP, but I was hoping for a more technically astute expression.
Similarly, on puzzle difficulty and solve times, some of us rely on it to maintain our circadian rhythm. Some days, after a solve, I have no idea if I have to get up for work in the morning.
2
Time to leave telemetry?
2
@Andrew from Sunnyvale
How about "tautology"?
2
Agree, nice puzzle ... Tuesday like solve time.
I loved the Crest (or Achievement of Arms) but if others can pick apart the Latin then I can comment on the emus. Never have I ever seen an emu with its tongue stuck out. I think these particular emus are a peculiar mob that are native to the confines of the New York Times and love sticking their tongues out at puzzlers. If I find one in Australia, I'll send it back to New York pronto.
10
@Zon
The things one learns on Wordplay. Thinking of how I can incorporate this newfound knowledge into a conversation: “If you ever see an emu with its tongue sticking out, run!” perhaps?
2
Absolutely! It’s a rogue emu perhaps.
I thought I must be getting smarter but it was fake news. I note from the comments "many people are saying" they also found this to be an easy solve
3
Sorry, the proper response to “It wasn’t my fault” is “Don’t blame me”, not “Don’t be mad”. Sloppy clue.
The answer isn’t supposed to a response to the clue. The clue is in quotes, so the answer should be an equivalent phrase. “Don’t be mad” could stand in for “It wasn’t my fault.”
4
@Mickey Topol
It wasn't Deb's fault so DON'T BE MAD!
5
Deb - Gorgeous crest! I hope it appears from now on. Lovely to look at!
7
Did this while having a late dinner, so no rushing through this, but several of these entries just fell into place. OASIS right off the bat, and TBSP, but then started off with IRIS, but changed that almost immediately as I just knew that 10D was going to be URBAN LEGEND. Did have LOG iN before ON, and nag AT before SET. Lots of clever clues, no matter who came up with them, and a very enjoyable, quick Friday.
1
I loved the crest! So artistic and clever you Amlens!
This puzzle was a lot of fun. There was so much about it that I truly enjoyed, and I finished it in record time. I consider Thursday's and Friday's puzzle completion times to be bizarre anomalies. I guess my biggest surprise was the clue/fill BLT.
Robyn Weintraub has become a favorite constructor for me!
:-D
8
@Just Carol
Even though their pockets aren't very deep, one could use PITAS to make BLTs.
4
@Just Carol. I was also excited to see Robyn Weintraub's name on this puzzle!
1
Hi Deb!
My compliments to Carly for the charming community crest.
6
@Henry Su I love the crest! Very fun and clever. The screaming emus crack me up.
2
Really high-quality puzzle. And I cannot believe all those great phrases are debuts.
Though I must say that this was one of the easier Friday puzzles I’ve seen in a while. And TIED THE KNOT was one of the reasons. So, Ms. Weintraub, I’m voting with you: “Unionized?” would’ve been a super-clever (if difficult) clue for that one. “Wed” was definitely too easy.
6
Is it horribly pedantic of me to quibble over a silly Latin motto? It's the wrong tense. I know Google translate gives this as the answer, but the phrase on the crest comes from the Vulgate of Romans 7:17 "It is not I who do it (present tense)...but sin living in me." Not exactly a plea of innocence.
My Latin's a little rusty, but I think "I didn't do it" would be something like Ego non feci illud.
5
My Latin knowledge is nearly non-existent, but I had fully expected someone to say there was something wrong with the Latin in question. Now I'm waiting for the others who disagree... :)
4
@Phil P
Yes. (not horribly but still . . .).
1
@Phil P
You're right about the present tense, but maybe (my high-school Latin is rusty, too) the phrase as it appears here (dropping the part about sin) could be loosely translated to fit the context as "Hey, I'm not in charge of this thing" or "I'm not running things here"?
That would make it more of a general truth (gnomic present), declining all responsibility in general -- even better than the single-use "I didn't do it"!
(Also, that crest is gorgeous!)
4
Deb, I wanted to comment on the crest but forgot - I like it!
It reminds me of the old Wordplay logo, though. Most long time commenters know what I mean - like in this older Wordplay post:
https://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/21/film-no-r/
The elements in common are the writing implements, the crossword grid shield, and the banner. The old one had a pen, the new one has two pencils, what's up with that?
I didn't notice the emus until I looked at it more closely (for me they will still be "Electronic Moderation Units"
4
@Wen - thanks, you inspired me to also visit the archive of old word plays.
I also like the crest and can't wait to order a t-shirt. Those are some angry birds. I didn't know emus had crests.
2
@Wen Ah, is that the origin of emu, “Electronic Moderation Unit”? I’ve been trying to figure it out for a long time. Thanks, also, for the link to the old logo.
It would be wonderful to have a little glossary of terms used by puzzlers like emus, natick, crunchy, gluey, TIL, ... if it exists, I haven’t found it.
3
@Andrew
How do you access old Wordplays? And how far back do they go?
1
PBs (personal bests) two days running? Thursday's and Friday's puzzles were suspiciously easy. Love the crest.
4
Just to be pedantic, that illustration is actually an “achievement of arms”, not a “crest.” The crest is *part* of the achievement — it’s the symbol above the shield (the crown, in this case). IMO, the best parts of this particular achievement are the supporters — “two emus proper.”
3
@Peter Ansoff
To be fair, I think that's as close as any ratite can come to Emus Rampant.
otoh, perhaps one of those pencils croisee should be a pen -- pointing down, of course, else how could we have a blot on our escutcheion?
This Friday puzzle somehow spoke to me as well, as evidenced by the rather quick solve. There were only a couple places where I hit a snag: I started off with HAVEN instead of OASIS, and I wanted FAMILY TIES instead of FAMILY TREE.
Ms. Weintraub's disclaimer notwithstanding, I thought this puzzle is aswim in matrimonial fill. In addition to MARRY ME and TIED THE KNOT, I also spotted:
ALONE (but there's HOPE)
READY OR NOT (to take the leap)
FAMILY TREE (Join mine? Or let's jump into the GENE pool together)
MEET and ASKS (e.g., the father of the bride)
UPDO and PEDI
ON THE DOT
GROUP PHOTO
DON'T BE MAD (if the caterer has screwed something up)
GET IN ("Just Married")
MORO (nine months or so later)
I'm now ready for the weekend.
15
@Henry Su
Let's not forget the IUD in order to postpone MORO for a while.
21
@vaer,
Very good observation!
Beautiful crest!
8
My theme song for every puzzle solve: “Don’t You Mess Up a Good Thing”, CHAKA Khan and Ry Cooder (an Xword friendly name who has appeared twice per Xwordinfo, once clued as “Guitar virtuous whose name is an anagram of YO’ RECORD):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tMSFoE0G8gc
(Fast, highly enjoyable Friday puzzle, which left me wanting MORO).
4
Somebody up there wants me to get to bed early. This seemed easy for a Friday, and I was right on the constructor’s wavelength, I think. READY OR NOT, SEE NO EVIL and FAMILY TREE popped immediately on reading the clues. When three of the longest answers came to mind so easily, the rest of the grid falls much more quickly.
2
Love the crest!
And I think I would have loved “Unionized?” instead of “Wed” for TIED THE KNOT, too. Maybe ol’ Will really is taking it easy on us... This was a couple minutes off my PB but still well under 20 minutes, which, for a Friday, seems like a gimme to me.
6
@Irene
EGAD, “Unionized?” for TIED THE KNOT should have been a keeper (IMO). Gracious of Ms. Weintraub not to BE MAD about that edit.
8
4 seconds short of my personal best for Friday. The puzzle was a lot of fun and a bit tricky. I resisted the call of the IRIS both times and picked the right 4-letter eye parts. And DOILY! I love saying DOILY. I's just a fun word to say.
Had ROAMS before ROVES, LOGIN before LOGON, SET ON before SET AT, everything else...I just really liked the long entries.
6
@Wen,
If you ever find yourself inundated with an excess of doilies, you can move them to someplace safe with a DOILY CART.
Just ask your Auntie MacAssar
2
READY OR NOT -- we did it. There's always hope! Even with Friday and Saturday puzzles!
1
Deb, I thought of you when I got to "It wasn't my fault," and I really really wanted it to be I DIDN'T DO IT. Alas, it was not, but it was still fun.
This was nice and chewy, and even though I finished fairly quickly, it felt tough and I worried over several sections of it. I went with UVEA at 10A but tried IRIS instead of LENS until I saw SHERLOCK. I really liked the FAMILY TREE clue--aren't all families relatively complicated? Certainly if you dig into them very much.
6
@Liz B - I had FAMILY FEUD at first; feud had to go so then I was in doubt about family for a while.
2
Holy Toledo! A 12-minute solve for a Friday puzzle? New record for me.
11
@Deb Smartt Today's puzzle seemed easier than usual to me, also. When this happens, I have trouble deciding whether the puzzle is actually easier, or if I am having a good day.
@Deb Smartt
That's because you're Smartt.
4
@Nick Schleppend
Someone had to say it.
1