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IDEATED .., really ??? Cost me a streak of 122.
Very disappointed in that edit.
1
Re 87 across: In fact, DNA isn't replicated during mitosis, but during the "S phase".
1
@John L
I just did the puzzle and was really shocked to find this basic error. As you point out S phase is when DNA is replicated. Mitosis is defined in part by being after DNA replication and when DNA replication does NOT occur.
I hate the word BLATANT right now
@Kevin. Sorry. BLAT
1
Great puzzle, except for IDEATED, which is unforgivable.
1
Re 104D: through me off because as a musician I would not call a 'musical miscue' a 'blat', rather a music 'cue' is an indication of when you start to play, as in 'the conductor cues the strings', so a miscue would be the conductor cuing an entrance at the wrong measure, something that I've experienced.
1
@David typo: 104D Threw me off.
@David As a trombone player, I think a "blat" may be just what the music calls for, like the glisses at the end of Bolero, so I also had a difficulty thinking a "blat" was a miscue
1
BIAS inexplicably escaped me today, so I was hung up on BLAT at the end of an otherwise-complete puzzle for waaaay too long. I am not a fan of BLAT right now.
1
Wow. Wow.
I loved this one. I didn’t read the title but the theme came pretty quickly. Super fun. And I counted nine.
The streak continues. Enough days now that it’s certainly an unfortunate, inescapable commitment. C’est la vie.
5
Dear Ms Lovinger, there are 8 duplicates, not 7.
@Vince
I counted nine.
3
Dear Herr Vince,
Nein.
;D
2
Probably everyone has noticed that the feature at the bottom of merriam-webster is called "Words at Play".
The xword's correlation to m-w's descriptivism may be "it's a clue, not a definition." That is, if m-w wants us to have fun using words correctly, the xword wants us to use them with a twist.
Please explain 111D. Five Georges? I filled in the correct answer, but I don't understand.
@Matt
Five $1 bills = one $5 bill.
5
Addendum for solvers from other countries (or from the U.S. and financially digital-only):
George is U.S. slang for a US$1 bill (President George Washington appears on it).
ABE is U.S. slang for a US$5 bill (President Abraham Lincoln appears on it).
3
@Barry Ancona - where "slang" is slang for words I never sling. I think I once jokingly referred to my beloved "Jefferson" which my big brother sent me when he was working at the Fed. Eventually I had two, which I treasured, except I have no idea whatever became of them. I think we also said Jackson in jest, aka a Tubman.
If someone has their hand out on the off ramp of the freeway, I always give them a Tubman or two.
Does anybody have a suggestion on how to do the puzzle on an iPad. On my iPhone I’m able to hit the three little slashes so I can see things in a linear way. I can’t seem to do that on iPad.
Get the NYT Crossword app.
3
... or reinstall it.
1
GOON (GO ON) reminded me of DOOK, which we discussed recently (except that GOON is an actual word, unlike dook).
@Stephanie
While I'm too much of a sports agnostic to really care, I can assure you that, to a great many of my fellow-UNC alumni, DOOK is most definitely an actual word - and a four-letter one at that.
2
@Roger indeed
Nobody seems to have mentioned that the theme duplicates were all symmetrically placed. I used this to my advantage once I saw the theme emerging. For example knowing that 17 and 19A were HAND, I could go to 115 and 116A with the knowledge that each clue would be describing the same word, (with SECOND modifying 116A.) This made the task that much easier.
7
What a fun and clever theme! Thanks for an entertaining puzzle, David and Victor.
5
I can't say I recognize Mr Liben-Nowell by name, though that will change as of this very SECOND. On the other HAND, I've had some first-HAND experience of Professor Barocas' collaborations, and can think of one presentation in Living Technicolor that was a real socks off-knocker*, a collaboration with another U of Minn professor, George Barany. Of necessity, a collaboration will reflect the guilty PERSONS: Perfesser Barocas a biomedical guy instead of a protein chemist like Dr Barany, which is probably why we got NEAP TIDES today instead of PEP TIDES
*Shall try to hunt that down
Speaking of "off-knockers" at 86D, I would only suggest that in many cases, a good Bust supporter would require a SECOND PEDESTAL
In the interests of good posture, you know.
Not sure if I'll be the first to say I count my Blessings to be done with Doris LESSING's Golden Notebook, with which I was once Suficiently taken, but with since I've come to decide like that under-appreciated Mozart work, has just 'Too many NOTES'.
Enjoyed the passing of the SECONDS and the minutes together, Gentlemen. Just like Alabama, I give you also AN A.
2
HEAR HEAR
3
@Leapfinger - I remember taking copious NOTES in the margins in college, women's lit with Sandra Gilbert whose Death's Door I'm reading at the moment and I suppose she is still on our side of it, but on SECOND reading I not only did not scribble more but could not BEAR to read what I'd written many years before. I think my earlier enthusiasm required a certain youthful lack of direction. I assume my copy was lost in the flood that took many other tomes, painful at the time but for which I ought to be grateful, as not re-reading them has added about five years to whatever life is left to me.
1
@AndrewSV,
I did that NOTE taking thingy on a cross-country flight with my copy of Gardner's Sunlight Dialogues.Oh the epiphanies to be marvelled at in those crowded margins!! I never revisited, but did lend it and a few other favored books to a teen who was being admitted for what promised to be a lengthy hospitalization. When I rounded a couple of days later, his room was empty. He had been transferred and the fiendish rascal had absconded with 5 favored reads.
[grumble]
I had a terrible experience with this puzzle. I had it filled in, but kept getting the 'gosh darn it' message. I checked it back and forth and up and down at least a dozen times.
I finally went to the desktop in frustration and magnified the puzzle on a big screen. Nothing was amiss.
So at this point I started at the first corner and began typing over all the letters in kind. When I typed a new "R" over the "R" in ASTOR, I got the music.
I sure hope that glitch is a one-off.
1
@ecomaniac How frustrating!
You mean ASTER (the flower; in the puzzle today), not ASTOR (the John Jacob; not)? Blame spellcheck?
@Clutch Cargo
61A was ASTOR
"Two" clever by half! :)
3
I really enjoyed this puzzle.
And... I finished just a few seconds above my best time.
Sorry. Sorry.
3
Drab and disappointing. How often does The Times need to be reminded that its solvers are paying customers? A twist on breaking a basic rule of construction is hardly a cause for Sunday fun.
2
Andy,
A quick glance at the other comments would show that your opinion of the puzzle theme is in a distinct minority. If the puzzles are edited to follow the money, this one, while not to your liking, was on target.
14
@Andy Rules are meant to be broken. You can keep vanilla, since that seems to be your thing. Give me out of the box any day.
2
@Andy - sorry to hear about the weather up there. We have no protection from the sun at all, and the heat has built up so I finally turned on the A/C, which we finally did repair recently, after the heat wave took it all out of us. Personally, I prefer a cloudy day. Unfortunately, climate change will overdetermine our moods for decades to come.
1
Some possible hidden messages in the puzzle:
CLASS BIAS THROBs beneath
SKI PANTS.
In NOV, BAN BIG GOV run
AMOK.
‘TISN’T IM PEI, ORR or RAT a
crossword TROPE?
MEN AIM to WIN through
AI.
IDEATED is a DOOK for
Hannibal but not WINNIPEG.
THONGS and STRINGS by the SEASHORE
with ASSES to boot . . .
Is that just my BASE NATURE?
3
@Puzzlemucker,
The emus are working more quickly today ....
@Puzzlemucker - yes, it would be base to boot them, in any sense of the word.
1
For anyone who didn’t enjoy this the first time, the emus have decided to punish you twice, this time in its unexpurgated form. My apologies.
1
Holy radioactive BANANAs Batman! Who knew?
Another instructional puzzle to be sure. I know I’m too late to second the brilliance of this one, but allow me to add my enthusiastic kudos to the constructors!
Great one!
:-D
8
Perhaps sooner than later. How’d the Tom Lehrer song go. “And we’ll all go together when we go...”
Well, I learned something about Wall today! I've been to Wall Drug several times, but I never knew about the missiles. Come for the five-cent coffee, stay for the mutually assured destruction.
15
Hmmm... sorry Deb. I see NINE “second” clues, not seven. From the top: HAND; PLACE; STRING; PERSON; RATE; BANANA; NATURE; CLASS; and BASE.
Or maybe I’m seeing things double? Lol.
Great Saturday puzzle! Loved the clueing, especially “Tricorder go-with” and “Shell Station”.
3
@Marianna
Today is Sunday.
Or did you mean SECOND SATURDAY?
5
Also, it’s CAITLIN! She is no [] BANANA.
2
@Marianna, Good eye!! Nothing like getting a second opinion, that's what counts.
I kept losing track of the twins, myself, but 9 theme pairs in 21 rows seems like a fairly admirable job of theme stuffing, esp with the fill remaining that good.
1
Great puzzle, but I have to say, it was a little disconcerting to see ldopa crossed with old age.
3
I second any and all positive comments about this puzzle!
6
I make a motion that we approve this puzzle.
16
@mjengling
SECOND!
10
@mjengling,
You deserve more recos for subtlety.
3
@Leapfinger
In basketball, sometimes the assist is as good as the basket. When ColoraoZ and I provide a year-end compilation of the best comments, we will include a special section for Great Assists, such as this one. (The compilation is already over 20 pages long, so we have a lot of heavy lifting ahead of us).
1
OK, I'm gonna put on my pedantic pants and quibble with 87 Across.
DNA is NOT replicated during mitosis. The chromosomes are already replicated before mitosis begins. They are replicated during the S phase (which stands for "syntheses" -- of DNA) of interphase, which is NOT part of mitosis. Mitosis separates
Cue the über-pedants, who will now try to tell me why I'm wrong.
(I'm very proud that I managed to fit an UMLAUT into this gripe.)
9
@Chief Quahog
Of course you're correct, so I don't think the response involves übering your pedantry but invoking "clue, not a definition." For most solvers, "mitosis" is a hint that the three blanks get DNA. The detail that the cell replicates DNA in preparation for mitosis rather than during mitosis is not significant from the 30,000-foot level of a crossword clue. On a bio exam it's critically significant.
4
@Chief Quahog - thanks, I'll take pedantry over punditry. I'm going to read the wikipedia article, or maybe there's an old text book lying about. There's so much I never knew and then forgot. I was more on the fence about DNA or RNA.
Also, I think the clue defense doesn't apply to a false statement. A clue must be true, even if not defining.
2
Martin,
Perhaps next time the DNA clue could be "It's replicated *for* mitosis."
1
Terrific puzzle! Took me a while to figure out the theme (why is halfway around a diamond "BASE?") but once I did, a very fun fill. Always happy to see a Victor Barocas puzzle. Any chance of bringing back the Minnesota Crossword Tournament, Victor? I always enjoyed it and it was great to meet you in person.
1
@Ginny
Second BASE.
@Steve L
Hey, wait a second ....
2
Steve,
Were you in such a rush to steal second that you didn't notice Ginny's "...but once I did..."?
4
My Macbook generally runs fine.
Sometimes though it runs IMOK.
13
@Andrew,
I suppose the Android equivalent is AMOK (time), and it's characterized by illogical behavior.
4
@Henry Su
But sadly, halving is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting.
1
@mjengling
Thus said ___ in-Command Spock.
(And quartering is not so pleasing a thing at all...)
1
Did anyone else try to use the Rebus and have it not work? Loved the puzzle but found that aspect a bit confusing.
1
@Elizabeth L
"Did anyone else try to use the Rebus and have it not work?"
No but I am quite intrigued as to how one would have wanted it to work!
@Andrew
By inserting “2ND” before the second of the paired themers (e.g., 2NDL A C E), I suppose. The (Across-only) rebus was implied. Unless I’m being an A§§ (which is the new EMU), in which case I don’t deserve a 2NDT H O U G H T.
3
@Andrew
I assume what @Elizabeth L did was use the Rebus to literally add "SECOND" to the first letter of the "second" words (e.g., "SECONDH" for 19A.) That's what I did.
And if the seconds I spent going back and removing all the "SECOND"s had cost me a new Sunday best time - fortunately it didn't, I was already about two minutes over - I would have been beside myself. (In other words, a SECOND me?)
4
Act of change
AMENDMENT
Right right some think makes a wrong?
AMENDMENT
4
Second call for the Durham Wordplay brunch next Sunday! About ten or so of us have decided to get together--if you'd like to join us, please say something here so we can get a head count for the restaurant reservation. Noon Sunday June 30 at Bennett Point Grill, on US 70 Business very close to I-85. We hope to see more local folks there!
I'll try to send out one more call before next weekend.
2
@Liz B
I would come over but we will be out of town. Have a great time!
1
@Kevin Sparks
Next time, in that case, KS. Remember that you can also be 'out of town' in Durham.
@Leapfinger
Indeed!
We will be out of NC, and in town in NYC.
Every time I think there's no way someone can come up with a new theme idea that's never been done before, someone does. This is a really nifty idea, skillfully and densely executed. And the first "Aha" Moment was big. The only problem is the Law of Diminishing "Aha"s. Because once I knew the gimmick, I knew it, and filling in the rest of the puzzle was anticlimactic. Each successive "second" something-or-other was pretty much a gimme, and while each brought a pleased smile to my face, none thereafter would elicit an "Aha!"
Loved much of the cluing, my favorites being UMLAUT, YUM, BERRA, [SECOND] PERSON and CREEPY. And I learned something. I learned that the BANANA is slightly radioactive!!!! Is that like being a little bit pregnant? I may want to reconsider how often -- if ever -- I eat BANANAs. So may you.
A very, very clever puzzle, if rather easy.
9
@Nancy Agree. So much clever. And a new one every day! I've been going through the archives and just completed the puzzle from Nov. 2, 2006. One word: awe. Okay, two words: Total awe.
I loved this puzzle ! On my 232nd in a row first " AHA " moment in a while . Initially I thought it was a lot harder than your average Sunday . I did realize that the word second was missing .. second HAND, PLACE ...etc . But I laughed out loud and then raced through the puzzle when I realized each was the SECOND entry for the word. Great fun - keep the "rule breaking " coming . Keeps my brain from slowly heading toward OLD AGE ... so much better than the alternative according to Maurice Chevalier !
3
I liked this one a lot, but can someone please explain 'tds' being 'Bear neccessities'? Is it a football reference?
@Megan
My guess would be a Chicago Bear.
3
@Megan and @Andrew,
Fortunately I got 7-D with the crossings but staring at the clue I kept thinking, in the immortal words of Baloo, that "they'll come to you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08NlhjpVFsU
1
Bear necessities are TD's? Ask any Bears fan or former Bears kicker Cody Parker, what they needed most was a field goal (FG), a last second 43 yarder in this year's playoff game with the Eagles to be precise, but which Parker clanked off the upright and crossbar, thus adding the word former to his position with the Bears.
9
@Swerski
The beloved (by Eagles' fans) Cody Parker "DOUBLE DOINK" --perfect for today's puzzle!
3
Some possible hidden messages in the puzzle:
CLASS BIAS THROBs beneath
SKI PANTS.
In NOV, BAN BIG GOV run
AMOK.
‘TISN’T IM PEI, ORR or RAT a
crossword TROPE?
MEN AIM to WIN via
AI.
IDEATED is a DOOK for
Hannibal but not WINNIPEG.
THONGS and STRINGS by the SEASHORE
with A§§ES to boot . . .
Is that just my BASE NATURE?
3
The emus have requested an edit:
‘TISN’T wrong to call IM PEI, ORR, or RAT
a crossword TROPE.
1
@Puzzlemucker
Nice.
Not to step on your toes, but
OUT BACK is NATURE, though I'd rather SKIP ANTS.
Lots of words to play with in this one.
(insert plug for new crest here)
1
@vaer
And buff ROOS.
I realized after noting that
I’D EAT ED was a DOOK for Hannibal but not WINNIPEG that the clue used for IDEATED was “Cooked up”.
2
In the bee: 8 letter "e" word?
1
This was the perfect Sunday morning puzzle. all of the doubles were "aha moments" for me, well done!
1
The award for “most embarrassed” is MINE!!
I’ve been solving (or completing) these puzzles for only 18 months now and I thought it was an inviolate rule that the same answer could not be duplicated in puzzle! So I spent no small amount of time purposefully NOT entering duplicates - and trying to figure out alternatives.
Curiously, I originally had BASE for 64A and then had a problem entering BASE at 116A too.
I actually solved my “problem” at 25A and 26A by using PLATE in response to “Silver.”
After a while (length unspecified), the pressure to sin (by entering duplicate answers) became too great and I capitulated. Wish I had looked at the puzzle title - or Caitlin’s headline - sooner. That would have absolved me of my guilt.
Even accepting that duplicates were OK for this puzzle, I had to read the column to realize that there was an implied “second” for each repetition.
Other than LDOPA, and “Cibophobia” I thought the cluing to be eminently fair. (Both required too-specialized knowledge.)
Delightful puzzle - - - in spite of my initial problem.
3
More LETTER BOXED
@Liane
There are two S-G words, 11 and 10.
‘Savant’ seems to be reserved for you - I have not seen it!
Bravo on your tour de force yesterday. Almost requires a grid, eh?
1
TIL that I do NOT have Cibophobia. At All.
I liked this puzzle! I thought all of the things everyone else probably thought... Where are the long entries? There's a title, and it isn't "Themeless" so what's the theme? Where's the revealer? Then I entered a word that was the same as the word next to it. What gives?? You can't do that!!
Once I realized what was going on, I loved it. It helped a LOT with the solve. Thanks for a real Sunday challenge, David and Will!!
5
@Steve Faiella
Victor, I'm so sorry I left you out! The comments partially overlay the blog post, but I usually at least see the first name, but didn't see the "and".
Great job!
1
It seems notable that in addition to the theme answers, we have some near doubles:
ASTER/ASTOR
IMOK/AMOK
AERO/NERO
18
Really enjoyed this one and it was a good challenge for me as well. Like others, it took me a while to tumble to the theme. Even when I already had duplicate answers entered I just didn't notice it. PLACE actually works as clued without the implied 'second.' BASE seemed a little strange by itself, but didn't get me anywhere beyond a raised eyebrow.
It was only when I'd filled in the 2nd CLASS (mostly from crosses) that I got to the furrowed brow stage. Then I looked around and finally noticed the duplicates. Very nice 'aha' moment. Still struggled in a couple of places - notably the EUCHRE / TORSION area (like others had TENSION first), but managed to work it all out.
I wondered if the constructors ever considered having an implied 'first' in the other half of the pairs, but there are clearly issues with that. Some would work ok - you could clue (first) PERSON as 'Adam?' for example, but others would be too similar in meaning and NATURE and BANANA just don't work at all.
Thanks for a nice Sunday workout.
5
@Rich in Atlanta
And “first PLACE” could be clued by Eden.
1
@Rich in Atlanta,
Had they stacked the other way, we coulda had a TOP BANANA.
For NATURE, I'm just remembering the patients who sadly told me they had lost theirs... Guess that means not everyone gets their comeuppance, eh?
2
@Leapfinger
https://youtu.be/361DwXNvxKg
2
I absolutely love playing the new games Spelling Bee and Letter Boxed. Looking forward to seeing them added to the Member Statistics or Leaderboard sections of the Crosswords & Games page!
1
LETTER BOXED THREAD
Going long today with
E-S(7),S-G(11).
Several possibilities but I am still in a state of high entropy from yesterday’s
THERMODYNAMICS.
@Kevin Sparks
I got nearly the same as you today. S-G was only 10. Check your count. Lots of seeing double going around here.
I suspect far less options today given the T-I connection.
My efforts yesterday were crazy fruitful. THERMODYNAMIC (13). THROATED (8) - DYNAMIC (7). DYNAMIC (7) - CHROMATE (8). ECHINODERM (10) - MATEY (5). YOND (4) -DICHROMATE (10. My second favorite after the single word answer: RHYTHMIC (8) -CONTRAINDICATED (15).
@Kevin Sparks
Slight improvement with E-C (6) C-S (10). The last word has a familiar root. I stuck a suffix on and it shockingly turned out to be a real word !
@Kevin Sparks
Last one for day, in honot if a certain baby: E-T (8) - T-G (8).
Is the “savant” pop up new on solving? Does it vary by number of words to solve?
I was really slow to notice the side by side words. The first one I noticed was BANANA. Then I spotted HAND, at which point I looked through the puzzle, but didn't spot any others. I would be the worlds worst proof reader. After reading Caitlin's blog I took a much more careful look and realized that of course all of the SECONDS were repeated. Quite an original idea and cleverly done.
Now I am definitely ready for second breakfast.
8
SPELLING BEE
31 words, 100 points, 1 perfect pangram
4 5 6 7 8 Tot
C 3 1 1 1 - 6
E 3 4 - - 1 8
L 1 - 1 - - 2
M 4 1 - - - 5
O 1 - - - - 1
P 6 - 3 - - 9
34
@x
Sigh, where are the MOME raths outgrabe? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bl3doerL66Y
3
@Liane --
A CEPE would be tasty.
1
@Liane A CLEOME would be pretty in the garden. Thank you to @x for the grid!
2
Today's puzzle is very disconcerting. It violates one of the primary rules of crosswords -- never duplicate an answer. Once I figured out the catch, it all made sense, but it is still somewhat disturbing.
I think I'll go sit in a corner now, eat a candy bar, and rock back and forth for a while.
20
@Steve Crisp - cf Mr Mark below on Schroedinger and violating the prime directive, it never makes sense, it remains disturbing.
I guess I can't link to a comment? wordplay IT emus, it's time to upgrade to a real forum.
Although I've lost my old taste for candy bars of all kinds, rocking still does it for me.
@Steve Crisp
Not repeating an answer is an "unwritten rule". That's because without good editing, repeated words are mistakes of construction that get through.
However, this "rule" has been broken many times:
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Repeats
So maybe the rule should be "Don't repeat an answer unless you've got a pretty good reason to do so."
5
@Steve L
Actually, the rule is "never repeat an entry unless the theme involves doing so."
1
Am I missing something? "BLAT" is a musical miscue? Was actually surprised that I heard the victory tune as I thought it couldn't be right. I'm not a musician but I couldn't find reference to the term in a Google search or even in Urban Dictionary. Nothing for "B LAT" or "BLA T" either. All I can think of is that it's derived from "BEAT," but odd that I can't find a single reference to the term. Can someone explain? Thanks!
2
@Randy Stern It's the sound the trumpet player is making when he starts playing his solo too early, realizes it, and stops suddenly.
6
@DJ - Or as our choir director tells his high school students, The right note at the wrong time is wrong.
3
Or maybe a trombone that's a little off key and/or too loud. In other words, a bad sounding brass note.
2
What's the answer to this puzzle? I'll ASTER.
ASTER? I hardly know her!!!
BANANA BANANA,
Dave
3
Regarding the hints, used is 19A, not 18A.
I was thrilled by the crossing of IMOK and AMOK. Am I ok?
6
@JMcBrowne
I can't say, but I had a similar joy to see the crossed words, OK?
2
The bit of craic in Galway City last night did not stop me from getting to this fun Sunday puzzle! (Galway is the New Orleans of Ireland, I decided. They just need a "SECOND" line.)
Caught on to the theme early, but that didn't mean a quicker solve for me. Engaging throughout!
Caitlin, Big Flower! Ha, hilarious! I got married in October. Does someone want to tell me our flower before I Google it?
4
@Ann
Oh, never mind. Anniversary year, not month. Thanks for the link, Caitlin. My this year's flower is not my favorite, must stay married for a better flower!
6
@Ann
I was in Dublin in the mid 1990s for work, and all my co-workers kept telling me how much craic (pronounced "crack", at least by them) and I wondered why the workplace rules in Europe were so lax. No to mention I had NO intention of doing craic.
1
@Steve Faiella
*Sigh*
"how much craic we were going to have..."
Waaaah... I want EDIT!
1
I got the dreaded “just about” popup at the end, which on a Sunday means about 15 minutes of careful combing through word by word. The culprit was TENSION for TORSION spring in a mousetrap, which turned EUCHRE into EUCHNE, neither of which means a thing to me. Fun theme and lots of funny clues. Especially loved the clues for SEASHORE, UMLAUT, OUTBACK, NOVITIATE, and REESE. Hahaha.
2
@Layla for me it was com for gov but when I checked the down clues I saw that bics for majors didn’t work as well as bigs.
4
@Layla Two centuries ago, you'd have known EUCHRE and not BRIDGE. Changing tastes.
1
@layla I second that... Exact same circumstances...
1
Three separate aha's solving this puzzle. I first noticed the repeated words, and thought that was the theme, fitting the title just fine. Later I realized some of the answers needed an implied "second" to make sense. I wondered - could there really be two separate themes here?
It took a third revelation to put them together and realize all the missing 'seconds' were implied by applying to the second of the repeated words. Truly a fun theme.
On a personal note, I'm off to explore Alaska for a couple of weeks, and suspect that while doing fun things in the real world, rather than online, my streak will likely come to an end. Today was #517, so that will be sad. But, I'm happily looking forward to the trip nonetheless.
2
@David - thanks for sharing that, I'm willing to spend another week on a streak to hit 100 for some reason, but my spouse (also for some reason) wants to see Alaska. Obviously, I had suggested Hawaii. In my youth, I considered a permanent move to Alaska, circa Exxon Valdez. Almost circa Into the Wild. We won't do any extreme journeys, just Anchorage and excursions. But I'd like to think of you uploading your puzzle via satellite phone from the backcountry.
1
@David
",,,while doing fun things in the real world"
You mean there are things that are more fun than crossword puzzles?...
2
Not quite my fastest Sunday, but fairly close. Picked up on the theme with (second) PLACE, and that sped things up considerably. Anytime I saw identical letter patterns starting to appear it made the solve a lot easier.
Liked the cluing for UMLAUT.
I have to admit I don't feel too sorry for Da Bears, as they did better scoring TDS last year than they did the previous years.
2
@JayTee
I did one better. Noticing the symmetry, if I had a double entry I went to the corresponding area and knew that that would be a double entry as well.
Once I realized the theme, I actually stopped solving to laugh. Delightful!
Also delightful and absolutely fascinating was the video about the restoration of the Dumfries House orrery. Thank you so much for that, Caitlin!
5
Had bLues GUITAR instead of SLIDE GUITAR at 67 Down and here's another great slide guitarist, Ms. Bonnie Raitt, along with John Lee Hooker.
https://youtu.be/lE4P8r8FENY
13
@vaer
Same. Nice video!
1
@vaer
Right? That was so devious! With those names, I "knew" that blues had to be somewhere in the answer!
2
@Steve Faiella and @Vaer 🙋♀️ me too. Tricksy! I even consulted hubby, who is a blues connoisseur, and he thought the same thing.
1
Fun and relaxing. Quicker than average time, partly due to the nature of the theme. I felt like all of the crosses were fair and nothing was too obscure.
Looking at the title before starting helped me a lot.
"Eponymous cup maker" was my favorite clue. Had DIXIE in for a long time before changing it. Other neat points included the intersection of CLONE and DNA ("It's replicated during mitosis") and "Five Georges." I'm glad I've stored orrery in my brain's filing cabinet for a couple years - today it all paid off! I definitely enjoyed this puzzle and there is no doubt that Mr. Liben-Nowell and Mr. Barocas are very talented constructors!
P.S. Caitlin, 13 Down is UMLAUT, not UMLAUTS.
2
@John S.
For the Eponymous cup maker, I was thinking of Pimms Cup [#1, for starters] and then switched to Bras...Oh well
I like puzzles that break the rules. This one broke a cardinal: a word cannot be repeated as an answer. Kind of a Schroedinger situation: it both was and wasn’t breaking the rule at the same time. Wait a SECOND!
11
Meh.
@Susan - Why did the puzzler stop working the crossword?
She'd had her fill.
Obviously, I just made that up and my daughter isn't around to tell it.
17
@Andrew,
A Dad joke?
2
Love the clue for 31A 🎸STRINGS! 🎶
3
My last trip I discovered the pleasures of second breakfast. Alas too many letters for this puzzle, but YUM!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkzvHtjnNOs
2
Today was a hard one for me - definitely slower Sunday than most. My one quibble - I REALLY wanted 86D "Bust supporter" to be STEINWAY. Watching those episodes of the Muppet Show with Kermit interviewing Don Music and his bust of Beethoven on his piano must have made an impression!
But fine, I suppose PEDESTAL makes sense, and my answer didn't fit the crosses at all....
2
@Derek Parks
My initial thought on "Bust supporter" was quickly dashed when the answer turned out to be more than three letters...
3
@Derek Parks that would have been funny! I had bralette for bust supporter.
I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to catch on to the theme. I got the partial idea early on--some of the entries seemed to have a hidden "second" that there wasn't space for, and I could tell that it wasn't a rebus--but I didn't notice the repetition of words like PLACE until I was quite far through the puzzle. At least I hadn't finished it yet! Eventually I noticed NATURE and NATURE, and CLASS and CLASS, and then they were all very evident.
The only other thing that confused me was the guitar STRINGS not being in the same order that they're in on a guitar.
1
@Liz B
Actually, the clue shows them in highest-to-lowest pitch order, which is bottom to top physically. That's how the individual strings are numbered: the 1st string is the highest (pitched) E located bottommost, 2nd string is the B located just above it (and sounding a fourth lower). And so on, to the 6th string which is the lowest (pitched) E located topmost. But tunings are usually given low to high, as EADGBE, which would have looked more familiar to more folks, I'd think.
6
@Alan J - I only just noticed you can spell BADGED as I am at the office.
@Alan J
Heh heh. I've only ever thought of them in tuning order--left to right as you look at the neck, top to bottom as you hold it. It shows how much of a rut I can get into!
With the Sunday puzzle, I always do better solving on my PC or on paper. On my smartphone the 21 x 21 grid is too small for my aging eyes and I always have to pinch the screen so that I am zooming in--and solving--a section at a time.
But I was out running errands today and couldn't resist starting on the puzzle while waiting in a long line. As a result, I never noticed the repeated entries until I was nearly done (spotted PERSON PERSON). About halfway through my solve, I did figure out that the themers (like HAND) were missing a SECOND but I chalked it up to Sunday-level difficulty that the themers were not identified in any way.
Like others, I thought overall the solve was very nice and smooth, although I did have JESUS before KAREN at 114A.
I found it amusing that on this second day of summer we'd be seeing the crossings of WINNIPEG and ANORAK, and NAGANO and SKI PANTS.
Seeing Blind Willie Johnson's name in the clues always reminds me that "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" is one of the songs on Voyager's golden record, which E.T.s somewhere someday may find and play,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8AuYmID4wc.
Thank you, Messrs. Liben-Nowell and Barocas.
11
@Henry Su
"I found it amusing that on this second day of summer we'd be seeing the crossings of WINNIPEG and ANORAK, and NAGANO and SKI PANTS."
Not to mention the Dire, oops Arctic, Wolves that are pictured at the top of the blog. John Jacob ASTOR best stay clear.
2
@Henry Su
Great choice in “Dark Was the Night.” Given how influential Blind Willie Johnson has been on blues/rock music, Yogi BERRA’s saying could be, “If you can’t imitate him, try anyway.” Here’s Tom Waits doing “Soul of a Man”:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fB329zX9wyQ
p.s. Doing Sunday puzzle on phone can be EELY.
2
@Puzzlemucker @Henry Su - I bet the ETs have already established a whole genre in some other arm of the galaxy, in imitation.
Speaking of the Imitation of Christ, I was also prepared to go for Jesus. I wonder if they have ever clued "The cross Word". Less obviously, "Word realized on a cross". Did C.S. Lewis construct puzzles?
1
I was up and AT EM early, put my SKI PANTS on and made a few downhill ski runs at A-Basin. Still enough snow and they might possibly be open until July 4th
3
@ColoradoZ🤯
1
I really enjoyed this one, The wide variety of subject areas, lack of ephemeral TV shows/personalities, and the two-stage reveal of the Take Two theme all contributed.
Finished just barely over my personal par time for Sunday.
5
@Al in Pittsburgh SECONDED! - DAVE
I guess "Up and AWAY!" would actually have required a second up.
I did finally read the piece on What the ORC is that?
A fun theme when I caught on. I also had the experience of not even noticing all the doubles until I went back to look for them. Which itself was a fun puzzle.
2
Had a lot of fun with this one after the "Doeppelgangers" started to show up. Then it got "real" easy. I did have to do one google (for the phobia) and a map lookup to get the city.
Not exactly a quibble but perhaps the title could have been "Seeing Double".
Didn't know that about the fruit -- and my graduate degree is in nuclear physics! (Wonder if Harry B did ....)
4
@everybody
This is a total hoot (and it's real):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose
Thank you, David and Victor!! :-D
6
@Dr W,
Thanks for the link. After reading the article on BEDs, I followed one of the "see also's" to a list of humorous units of measurement, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_humorous_units_of_measurement. This unit of measurement caught my eye:
Fame: Shortz
This is a unit of fame, hype, or infamy, named for the American puzzle creator and editor, Will Shortz. The measure is the number of times one's name has appeared in The New York Times Crossword Puzzle as either a clue or solution. Arguably, this number should only be calculated for the Shortz Era (1993 - ). Shortz himself is 1 Shortz famous.
6
@Henry Su @Dr W - I was reading up on the effects of radiation because of the recent mention of The Fantastic Four.
How many bananas would I have to eat to get superpowers?
Would I have to keep eating them to maintain my powers?
Also, you'd think bananas would be a trigger for Bruce Banner. Or at least once he'd go, You put bananas in my oatmeal *again*, and that would be enough to set him off.
I remember reading a comment by an author who made it into the crossword on a Saturday. A friend explained that isn't good, because it means you're really obscure.
I think the Shortz Daily Difficulty Paradigm must figure into the calculation of a Shortz number, but I don't know if this area has been adequately researched.
4
Realized when I entered HAND at 19A that the clue worked only if it was (second-)HAND, but didn't notice that I had just entered HAND at 17A. Anyway, I started looking for missing (second)s.
Almost immediately got to (second)STRING, but since I hadn't figured out 31A it didn't really help. (I had thought of notes for 31A, but I didn't have a clue about guitar strings [!] until I came here.)
Proceeded down the west coast, everything pretty much okay, until I (finally!) noticed the repetition at the BANANA entries. Good Aha! moment.
TIL that there's a National Historic Site for the ICBM. Oy.
MON before MES amis, and didn't notice it in time to change, so had to go searching for my error when I had the puzzle filled in. D'uh!
Never became familiar (outside of XWPs) with Beatrix Potter, so I needed some letters for the HEDGEHOG.
Didn't know Romulus was a REX but Remus wasn't. That doesn't seem fair somehow. They were twins, weren't they, so it couldn't be a primogeniture thing.
Some clever cluing, but this one fell a bit short for me. I was hoping for more, or cleverer, wordplay, and a greater challenge. Still, it was cute.
Thanks.
2
@Deadline
The "primogeniture thing" is real -- recall Jacob and Esau. (OTOH Jacob made a twist of it -- he was the second one out.)
3
@Deadline
Since, as the story goes, Romulus killed Remus, poor Remus didn't have much chance to be REX.
5
Wow! Romulus behaved as if he was raised by wolves!
9
I solved on paper earlier today and then solved again on-line. Interesting. I found I appreciated the puzzle more the second time around: the theme, fill, and cluing. The theme definitely helped my solve and i thought it was very clever. The fill didn’t wow me, but it was consistently good, coupled with solid, challenging cluing. The SECOND time was the charm.
For our Canadian friends: the show Less Than Kind, set in a somewhat bleak WINNIPEG, was on one of our basic cable channels here some years back, and it could be very funny at times. No one else I know ever saw it. Wondering if it was a hit in Canada? The theme song was One Great City (I Hate Winnipeg) by The Weakerthans:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xLlsjEP7L-k
1
@Puzzlemucker
I don't know that show, (I'm not much of a TV watcher), but I am sure it must have been popular here if it was set in Winnipeg. That city takes its share of being dumped on, despite being the home town of Monty Hall and a few other famous Canadians whose names elude me at the moment!
@Andrew
More thank kind of you to respond. Thanks! I remembered this new invention called the Internet after I posted and discovered that the show ran 4 seasons (2008-12), was critically acclaimed in Canada and won many awards. It was about an extremely dysfunctional Jewish family living in Winnipeg. Funny with a dose of poignancy thrown in the mix:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Less_Than_Kind
@Andrew
WINNIPEG had an airport where departure announcements weren't heard in the restrooms, causing me to miss my flight to Edmonton, and to accept the only other flight out that night into Calgary, where my Edmonton host met me by hopping a scheduled helicopter. That was followed by a 200-mile midnight ride in a rental car in mid-November, about which all I can say is that the Northern lights were so spectacular that we got out of the car to lie on the ground for nearly an hour just to keep watching them.
For which memory I say, Thank you, WINNIPEG!
1
Is STEN a crossword standard? I might have been naticked if it wasn’t my very last fill.
3
@Doug over the decades....yes it’s a standard...not as much recently
3
@Doug
Yes. For as long as I’ve been doing them. It’s appeared 104 times since 1993 and 437 times since 1942:
https://www.xwordinfo.com/finder
2
@Paul
What Paul said.
I'm never sure whether it's STEN or BREN. Munitions are not my thing.
2
This puzzle gets my ENDORSEMENT! A CLASS Act! ACES!
9
This was fun. No snags. (Well, I did think it was DIO volente, and spent far too long with NIRO crossing it. Eventually got that straightened out to finish the puzzle.)
I clued into the theme at the STRING pairing, where I had a moment of confusion about the mechanics of the theme. The B team was definitely "second" STRING, but the notes specified for the first STRING (E, A, D, G, B, E) were specifically for "guitar" STRINGs. So, I wondered if there would be an implied modifier for the first partner in each pair. But, no! None of the other "firsts" seemed to require a modifier, so I had to let go of the "guitar" modifier on the first STRING. (It was all in my mind anyway.) Then, lo and behold, we end up with a SLIDE GUITAR, having no visible connection with the pair of STRINGs seen earlier.
Also worth noting, while a majority of guitar players use the standard EADGBE tuning, there are some guitarists who, at least part of the time, use other alternate tunings such as DADGAD (pronounced as an acronym). DADGAD tuning is especially popular in Celtic and some other folk music.
2
@Alan J
Thanks for explaining that extremely obscure clue at 31A. I hadn't a clue what the reference was, nor any way to do a post-solve Google to find out.
2
Robert Fripp of King Crimson uses what he calls new standard tuning: CGDAEG, remembered by California Guitarists Drop Acid Every Gig. He’s a Brit, but did produce a group called The California Guitar Trio.
- Tom
6
Violins are tuned EADG, in descending fifths. Violas and celli are tuned ADGC. Upright basses are in fourths. I recognized the sequence as notes, but it was a second before I realized they were strings. Showing my cello BIAS...
4
For the past few weeks, the Sunday puzzle has seemed like a long homework assignment. I would love to see more wordplay, humor and challenge.
I always promised my students that there would be no "busy work."
3
Off to eye doctor ASAP. Seeing double!
13
@Liane "Yes, we've had Thursday. But what about Second Thursday?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkzvHtjnNOs
@Liane Real eyes realize real lies.. Hopes and prayers - David
2
@Liane
Shouldn't that read "Off to eye doctor this second."?
3
I got the theme early on with HAND. Or, at least somewhat. I knew that used items were secondHAND, and with the H and the N already in place on crosses, I said to myself, "Put in HAND and we'll figure out where the "second" goes later.
It was a few answers later, when I wanted to put PERSON in for 55A, but it was already in for 53A, that I realize that it was literally the second PERSON.
Cute idea!
2