St Catherines actual head and finger (the one that bore her wedding ring to Jesus made out of his foreskin) are in a basilica in Siena.
The nerve! Wed’s deserve better. Screw these eesy themes! Feel me?
not fun at all and offensive. quite the combination
2
One could interpret e-sign as electronically operated signage.
This was maybe the worst NYT puzzle I’ve ever seen. The “E” clues and answers were entirely nonsensical. I literally cannot believe this was an actual puzzle.
15
So some of us might have lost a loved one in Fresno or in a car accident with a Mercedes Benz. We might know someone named George who passed, or the number seventeen could upset us if that's a significant death date for us or the age of someone we have lost.
We need to face reality square in the face and stop requiring protection from it.
I do understand wanting to be sensitive to others going through unbearable grief. But where do we draw the line? Censorship gets us nowhere. It not only dumbs us down, it gives us a false sense of security when there may be dragons, as hinted at on the maps of old.
Apologies to anyone whom I've offended. But let's keep the conversations going. It's a freedom we must protect, however difficult those conversations may be.
3
Ugh. I've enjoyed this conductor's puzzles in the past, but this was a complete chore. The clues, the fill, the "theme." Blah. But there's always tomorrow!
12
Please keep me from complacency with the "Deb has an opinion" alerts. Helpful and warranted.
3
I've been (mostly) solving just the Sunday puzzle for years and I'm having fun with the weekday puzzles. My favorite clue today was 55D - 'enry 'iggins. My slap myself in the forehead clue was 39D - even after the solve,I couldn't read it as anything other than RE-ARENDS.
1
It took me a while. But i found the rhythm of the themed entries and more or less hit my stride.
Once i saw that the clues werent literal, they worked just fine for me, especially since they were applied consistently.
The NW corner was tough, but it just gave me more to wredtle with.
I was oblivious to the clue for open fire since this is just a crossword puzzle. But i will admit to having grown numb to the carnage and loss.
2
@ Barry Ancona
Your chestnut roast comment re 9D earlier today brings to mind this little vignette.
During the winter, outdoor chess players at local parks (think Union Square if you want to get specific) need sheltered venues during the very cold and short days of December and January, and oftentimes they find the lobbies of nearby apartment houses conveniently available for play. In some cases, however, the crowd gets to be too much for the apartment managers, and in those instances they put a request to the local police -- asking for assistance in pulling their chess nuts out of the foyer.
2
Had the same reaction to "open fire". Sad times.
2
The Constructor Notes only uses "e" too. Brilliant
5
Late to the party, but this puzzle was rough for me. The cluing felt a bit too contrived and obscure for a midweek puzzle. Worst of all, the answers weren't that interesting. I hit a wall with about 90% of the puzzle and just gave up. Not worth the time.
16
Totally agree, abstruse puzzle. Didn’t like the theme.
10
I agree this puzzle did not feel like a Wednesday puzzle. I’m still in the dark about the the “e” theme. Grrrr .... Will someone please enlighten so I can walk away from this puzzle forever?
Before I even got to the 9D clue that is causing so much discussion I lost interest in the puzzle as a whole and let my computer feed me a majority of the answers. Not a good puzzle day in this household! Hope is high for better fun tomorrow. In closing, I agree with those who say it would have been simple enough to find a more palatable clue for 9D.
7
@Barbara
I think you and I had the same puzzle experience today. Tomorrow’s will be posted soon, but I may wait till tomorrow.
:-/
I need to register my objection to the clue/answer pair at 9D. Surely could have been clued with something like "camping heat source".
6
This crossword was stretching for relevance, particularly with the themed clues. Fully backing the other commenters here: 9D can be clued in so many other ways that are not nearly as tied to incredibly personal and recent tragedies. I’m quite perplexed how this passed editing, since frankly this clue would’ve been controversial even 4 years ago, much less now.
9
Rather poor, this one.
12
Indeed, several weakly played clues not worthy of a Wednesday puzzle.
3
I took my brand-new kindergartener to meet his teacher last night. He was more interested in seeing the gym. I obliged and found a gym, and he raced in — only to find that some of the supplies and paperwork from the day’s “special teacher training” (active shooter drills) were strewn across the floor. He was oblivious. I was gutted, as if I *hadn’t* been thinking of this all day long anyway.
And then the puzzle, and its seemingly innocuous clue, shook on the salt. Ouch.
He’s asleep now, in his Batman PJs, beside a library copy of Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House #8. He has a red mark on his foot from a stray Lego, and his kindergarten folder is cast aside. Oh, five. What a time to (hopefully) be alive. That’s my ODE, anyway.
17
@Jenna G.,
And a beautiful ODE it is, too. Your last paragraph is classic. Thank you.
2
Yikes, was this ever bad. This was like an ODE to crosswordese. This was like sinking into the ABYSS of awful. It deserves the opposite of an AWARD. Why did they have to RAM in so many themers when the result was the worst crosswordese fill of the month, if not the year?
The worst part (yes, worse then ERN, OOX, DNAS, EERO and ENRY...) was the absolutely tone deaf answer/cluing at 9D. Kudos to Deb for pointing it out. Even if the surrounding fill were excellent this wouldn't be acceptable for this paper.
Oh well, EVEN IF today was a write off, there's always a chance that tomorrow will be better. Here's hoping.
18
Whew! This was a tough Wednesday puzzle for me. I was getting nervous, as this was #500 in a increasingly unlikely streak, but I finally beat it into submission. I've somehow managed to keep this streak going through trips around the country, including visits to Arizona, Texas, Rhode Island, New York and North Carolina. No AWARD, but the continued daily enjoyment of another crossword puzzle, and the attendant Wordplay blog and comments. Best part of my day!
8
@Jess K, let's have some advance notice if you visit North Carolina again, in case we can arrange a meet-up. I'm trying to have as much contact as possible with impressive solvers, in case there's any solving-chops by osmosis I can pick up.
PS: I've heard the first 500 are the hardest. Kudos!!
3
Having solved the puzzle, I found myself hoping that Sam Donaldson gets busy doing other things.
5
Feels a bit unfair. I’m not this puzzle’s biggest cheerleader, but Sam’s body of work is pretty impressive. There are certain constructors I love, and some I hold my breath when I see, but I can appreciate anyone working hard to keep the crossword love alive.
5
@Jenna G.
Based on many of the comments posted here, not sure Sam Donaldson did the livelihood of crossword puzzles any favors with this one.
1
This was a tough one for me today.
4
I am going to lodge what might be an unpopular objection. Certain comments have been scrubbed from today's forum, probably because they were red flagged by enough folks. But unless a certain number of red flags *automatically* leads to a post being removed, a person (or persons) had to consciously decide to remove them. As far as I can tell, the deleted comments were all defending 9D's clue and chastising Deb (and impliedly others) for objecting. In light of the many comments, including from Deb, criticizing the clue for 9D, I don't think such comments should have been removed. They may have been wrongheaded, they may have been insensitive, but when the forum is dominated by this issue, should dissenting voices be silenced? I don't think so. Indeed, those comments may have crudely reflected the view of the editor of the puzzle -- in light of his silence thus far, who knows? In any event, while I agree that civility should be paramount on here, a bit of incivility ought to be tolerated when the forum turns into more of a discussion about a controversial topic than a discussion about the puzzle itself. Particularly when it is only a minority view that has been censored. That's my $.02. [Big supporter of gun control; big critic of the NRA; not at all a fan of the clue for 9D].
24
@Puzzlemucker Point well taken, and if you scroll through the comments, there are plenty of dissenting opinions about the puzzle. But personal attacks, whether they are aimed at me, The New York Times, or a commenter are not allowed.
16
@Deb Amlen
I think the world of you and I guess we can agree to disagree on this one.
1
Puzzlemucker,
The comments I saw that were deleted were personal attacks on people, not positions on a topic. It is true that the personal attacks were coming from people one side of the issue, but posts on that side of the issue that were *not* personal attacks were *not* deleted.
6
17 Across should be “love poetry” and not “lyric poetry”- EUTERPE is the muse for lyric poetry, and that answer is wrong. Another muse fits, but with a different “purpose”
2
Alex,
Scroll down a few hours to read why the clue is correct.
1
E-person, here.
Interesting plethora of the fifth letter of the alphabet (including in his constructor's comment) but the themers...hmm. TERM SHEET especially. Nothing hung together, and even the significance of the e- was not consistent.
Ah, well. Tomorrow is Thursday. O, the joy!
8
CHALK talk? TERMSHEET? ERN? ZEES? Puh-leeze 🙄. Not a fan of the cluing today or the theme.
REARENDS and ‘ENRY were pretty cute but didn’t enjoy today’s solve very much. I had to peek at Deb’s column for a few because I couldn’t even get crossings.
Hey, for a $7 monthly subscription, I won’t complain any more (or any less, lol).
Oh, except I hope OPENFIRE is never paired with “start shooting” until our mass shootings are equal to or less than, say, the U.K.’ s. OOX
7
10D - I’m at a loss, how does Tear relate to Race?
thanks 😎
2
@joe h - tear - (verb) [pronounce like "tare"] = race (verb) - run along. "He was tearing along" = "He was racing along."
2
Count me among those that hated OPENFIRE.
OPENWIRE ("Uninsulated electrical conductors") could have been used with a crossing of ATW ("Presenter of the Tony Awards").
4
interesting puzzle. It was gettable with the crosses but i never got the relationship between the theme and the answers other than the only vowel was "e".
another day another puzzle!
4
E-gads!
4
@ Mary Anne Davis
Oooh, I think you have to be more spECific... E-Hermes, E-Ceres, E-Set, E-Vé...
Didn't love this one. OPENFIRE had, as Deb noted, some unfortunate cluing. But the themers were also a little whack; almost wouldve prefered the same fill but with "themeless" cluing. Similarly some of the other clues were just a little too cute, and too many abbreviations or atypical words for my taste.
6
Totally agree!
1
I always understood chalk talk to have an athletic connotation and when a coach discussed strategy to was called a "chalk talk."
1
Fun puzzle, though I agree with the comments regarding THE SECRET as its not a book I've heard of a and at the very least is much more obscure than the other theme entries. But overall I liked the concept and had a nice aha moment when I figured it out. The north side of the puzzle in general was much tougher for me than the rest.
As to OPEN FIRE, my wife survived the Virginia Tech shooting, while her best friend did not, so I have some point of reference here. In my experience we sometimes get more defensive about these kinds of tangential things than the people who should be the ones ostensibly affected by them.
7
@Thomas - sorry for your wife.
Take that as you will.
4
@Thomas
It is very sad to have a family member who was killed in a mass shooting. I totally understand the clue being the cue for replaying emotions and events. Best to avoid it, I wish it had been avoided. It is really hard, and I hope that most remain unaware of the pain.
3
In the overthinking it department, when trying to determine the theme, I got hung up on the fact the Mercedes has an E-class car. Eventually I figured it must just be all those E's.
5
@Perplejo
E-class would have been a brilliant clue for MERCEDES BENZ!
E-business as a clue seemed like a far reach to me (but perhaps not to others who are more experienced solvers).
1
We spent a week in Siena in 2008, and I remember that the St. Catherine Cathedral there had an odd relic: her finger. Because my best friend is named Catherine, I took a photo as a shoutout to her!
2
@JDJ
And her head! in the basilica of San Domenico.
2
Sometimes you win.
Sometimes you lose.
Sometimes people just really don't like you.
I don't know that the puzzle was that bad, so much as the cluing. The theme answers could have been clued better without the e-cuteness, and all of us could have wondered what the theme was until we read Deb's column, and then posted that we didn't get the theme, but solved the puzzle without it....
I also found "Start shooting" to be jarring, to say the least.
However, tomorrow's Thursday, and I hope we have something wonderful in store.
7
I finished the puzzle without ever seeing the theme, so appreciated the comments. Learning the theme, I am especially impressed with the “Constructor Notes.” Cleverly expressed.
2
No fun!
5
If I may, I'd like to direct you read Joe DiPinto's post over at The Other blog. It's a brilliant addition to today's puzzle.
3
I had to read Wordplay to understand how this theme worked.
Now that I have read it, some of the answers seem especially lame. Start with "The Secret", ostensibly a book. Looking it up in wikipedia shows that at least five books with that title, none of them with any claim to lasting fame (e.g., an Animorphs book, a self-help book, a 1950 novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart, a 2002 novel by Eva Hoffman, and a 1982 "puzzle book"!).
In fact the answer "The Secret" could have just as easily have a clue like "E-filing" (i.e., The CIA files secrets).
Grade: C minus
8
I felt a bit of a sting at OPEN FIRE. But that’s okay. Life is not always “easy-listening.”
2
A "term sheet" is a business/legal term for a document that sets forth the most important terms of a deal. Sometimes it is prepared by one party setting forth the terms of the offer, but more commonly is it something the principals of a deal prepare reflecting their agreement as to the most important terms of the contract, which is then given to the lawyers or other underlings to flesh out the deal and prepare documents.
2
There are many other possible clues for an entry like OPEN FIRE. Camping cook site...brush burning...etc. etc.
8
Where Mel Tormé roasted chestnuts. Everyone’s an expert, but that’s where I would have started writing the clue. Warmer memories, for sure.
2
I cannot emphasize how much I loathed this Wednesday puzzle. I didn't enjoy the theme, the clues were too clever for their own good ("noughts and crosses"? Really?), and many of the answers (SHECAT and TERMSHEET to name a couple) felt slapped together.
Then there was the horror of filling in OPENFIRE.
Here's hoping we find redemption tomorrow.
30
Same here.....
1
@ Barry Ancona
OT. I apologize for misspelling your name earlier. I didn’t have my glasses on and n’s and m’s look exactly the same without them.
I liked how many "only e" words were in the puzzle even if they were not e-clued: ERN, EVE, EWE, GENES, EDT, ESTD, EMCEED, FLEECE, ENRY, ZEES.
And the holy crossing of St Teresa (of Calculta) and (St Catherine of) Siena was nice.
I had the second-letter E (from INUSE) so lEnnon before gEorge was an easy path to wander down. A good Wednesday.
3
ENRY?? Not all Es. Didn’t care for the puzzle. Never seen DNA used in plural.
1
Thank you for acknowledging the tactlessness of OPENFIRE. Absolutely shocked punching that one in. Couldn't believe it. Almost surprised they didn't find a way to cross it with NRA to double-down on the baffling insensitivity.
11
I wonder if there is a chance that the puzzle had been submitted and edited prior to the Aug 3rd tragedy. I once read an interview with Will Shortz that mentioned the sheer number of puzzle submissions, so perhaps there’s a long pipeline of the ones already slated for publication?
1
@Sam Lyons - prior to Aug 3rd...Whaaaa?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mass_shootings_in_the_United_States
8
@ David Connell
Benefit of the doubt etc. As a solver, I found it jarring, too. As a a deadline-driven person, however, I can relate to that 11th pressure feeling where the outside world separates from my laptop screen.
Strictly *on* topic (the puzzle):
I really hate it when I have to be a mostly negative poster, but this didn't work for me.
I think this is another case where the constructor set a personal challenge and met it quite creatively. But I didn't find it enjoyable from a solving POV.
I saw the theme almost exactly halfway through -- at REFERENCE LETTER -- but it was less an Aha! than a Thud! moment.
Basically, the themers were too contrived for my taste. Okay, in a couple of cases it may be just my own ignorance. I've never heard of a TERM SHEET, and only a post-solve Google reminded me of the (best-forgotten) book "THE SECRET."
But a REFERENCE LETTER, while it may be technically correct, is usually just called a REFERENCE. MERCEDES-BENZ is just arbitrary and DELETED SCENE is something of a Green Paint. That just leaves ENTER HERE (I think of a child's maze puzzle) and SEVENTEEN as okay themers, but neither sings to me.
From a more positive standpoint, REAR-ENDS was a great clue/entry combo, and I liked HOBNOB.
I thought "easy listening" was mostly on AM stations, so had problems with the Do Not Call org.
Dissonance department: SHE-CAT sounded like a bad-tempered feline hissing and clawing. Then I glanced behind me to see beautiful Jessica snoozing away on a pillow.
I'm usually a fan of Sam (not the newscaster) Donaldson, but ... sorry, not today.
31
@Deadline
Me too.
2
Ironic cross: 23A vis a vis 9D.
1
If you're going for crossings (ironic, interesting, or unfortuante) -
RAM REARENDS MERCEDES BENZ HOBNOB. Rear-range word order as desired.
Hey...wait...were you one of those people who agreed to not reference entries by entry numbers, @Dr W?
Actually, lots of people today simply refers to 9D today not wanting to write it out. I can kind of understand it though.
1
@Wen
Nope. Whole point of clue number refs is to avoid spoilers. (Flip side of that is I sometimes type in the wrong number or direction.)
1
@Dr W - but...aren't we beyond spoilers when Deb and many others (myself included) post the answers everywhere?
1
Cute theme even if some of the choices were a little “off.” Decent Wednesday challenge - took exactly my Wednesday average time, to the second.
1
A few commenters have expressed confusion or non-understanding about today's theme, so I shall wade in to 'splain as I undertand it, at the risk of over-'splaining. Could it be that there was less theme than you were looking for?
Each theme clue is in the form: E-[topic]?
Each theme answer is just an example of that [topic]. It need have nothing to do with the digital age or cyberworld. It's only an "E-" thing because but its name is spelled with no other vowels except E's.
THE SECRET is the title of a book ...
DELETED SCENE is a type of "waste" ...
TERM SHEET is a legal document (in someone's filing cabinet?)...
REFERENCE LETTER is a kind of mail...
ENTER HERE is an example of a sign...
MERCEDES BENZ is the name of a business...
SEVENTEEN is the name of a magazine...
...having E's as their only vowels.
That makes for a somewhat loose theme, since other examples might have been chosen in place of these. But these examples fit the word lengths needed and could be cross-fit with other fill.
Or so it seems to me.
4
@Alan J
Isn’t the Business DAIMLER CHRYSLER, and one of its marques MERCEDES BENZ?
Steve,
Daimler AG is the parent company, but as a division (as well as a marque), MERCEDES BENZ is fairly clued as a business.
The theme stinks, was not self evident, was hardly clever, and was incompetent.
I hate to be so negative about a puzzle. But this one was truly awful.
5
I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. A bit inelegant to have two non-theme across answers (EVE, GENES) fit the theme. Also, the constructor notes include the letter i.
3
Crashed on this one -- caught the theme OK (the "E's" have it) but put in TOE for 35A as in tic-tac-.... which worked with 30D .... and little else. Arggghhhh....
A better clue for 9D would have been "chestnut roaster".
36D goes with 59D and 49A.
5
I write the above before I caught Barry's "chestnut" comment of much earlier. Great minds ...
1
I thought the Constructor Notes was witty and brilliant. Nice job staying on theme, Sam.
2
Hi All, 17D: I believe the muse of lyric poetry is Euterpe. Erato is for love poetry, is it not?
3
@William Spaulding
See the earlier comments under the thread started by Rafael.
2
On Sunday the 18th's puzzle I wrote to Deb that I appreciate her for being upbeat, funny, kind, and gentle -- qualities we need more of in the media (and the nation) these days. I breezed right by 9D, unfortunately, and was surprised when I read Deb's comments on it. I agree with her that it is out of place, especially right now, and defend her for bringing it to our attention. Thanks, Deb, and keep on keeping on.
11
I think you can only call a queen a shecat if you call a tom a hecat.
Also, the definition of "enure" in the clue (Accustoms) is incorrect, unless you're using it as a variant spelling of "inure." In that case, shouldn't the clue be "Accustoms, var."?
5
Not a huge fan of this one. Themes often *seem* opaque until you have an aha moment, but this time the reveal wasn't very rewarding.
3
Couldn’t agree more about “open fire.” Tasteless
10
Showing my age here, but I started with "can we" talk. (Notwithstanding the missing "?")
1
CS,
Age? I think "chalk talk" is older than "can we talk?"
2
Alt. 9D Nut roaster?
The holiday reference would have been a nice reprieve in this summer heat.
2
"A book is a book, whether you read it on your Kindle or Nook or you read the dead tree version."
And before that, a book was a book, whether you read it from a scroll or a codex.
4
For some reason this puzzle REALLY turned me off. And I found some of the punny clues annoyingly idiotic. Maybe it's just me?
21
I felt the same. And how is ERN the answer to “SW terminal?” ?
2
@C P Rolph
Southwest + ERN = Southwestern
1
@Alan J Prime example of an annoyingly idiotic pun.
1
This theme really didn't resonate with me today.
11
It seems like it would have been interesting and challenging to construct, but for me, if felt awkward to solve. The theme answers felt stretched, and there were several answers that just didn't feel in the language to me.
7
I agree with Deb re 9D. I found the clue and the answer together to be quite off-putting.
11
Let’s concede: few esteemed ken seekers detected the clever E theme. Bless ‘em.
5
@Sam Lyons,
I saw what you did there ...
This issue -- of gun and shooting references in the puzzle at a time when the country wakes up every morning to news of more slaughter -- has been addressed here before, at length. Deb even declined to write the intro that day. See https://tinyurl.com/y576muvx
I couldn't believe 9D was there. I still do not understand why something so potentially fear- or grief-inducing would be allowed. NYT construction rules ban diseases, so people won't be upset at breakfast; why not very direct reminders of mass murder? I don't get it.
21
Will Shortz is also isn't "bothered" by words with nuance, like beaner or chink, as he said on January 1 of this year.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/31/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2019-01-01.html
In that comment he says it might be time to rethink his position.
Yes, Will Shortz. It's time.
11
@K Barrett
Amen!
We're all asked to update our thinking re XWP entries to include the latest rapper or teenage slang. Will perhaps needs to update his thinking to *exclude* pejoratives and other references that cause pain.
9
Can't say I loved this puzzle. The theme felt very contrived. Especially without a hint clue/answer.
The result, the solve felt clunky.
12
I don't know if the constructor is playing with a full deck or not, but he certainly isn't playing with MY deck. What on earth do the theme clues mean? I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ONE SINGLE THEME ANSWER IN THE PUZZLE.
Weird and arbitrary. As I struggled to fill in the E-words and phrases, I found myself screaming at the puzzle: Why this answer? Why that answer? WHY, WHY, WHY?
Finished it...somehow. But thought it was awful. Scratch that -- I thought it was ridiculous.
14
@Nancy
All the vowels in the theme answers are Es.
Thanks so much, @Dr W. I found that out on the Other Blog earlier or I'd be even more grateful to you for the explanation. So now the answers do make a kind of weird sense and my criticism certainly becomes less valid. But, alas, this doesn't make me like the puzzle any better. The connection between clue and answer still feels very weak. And you still desperately need crosses to finish the grid: the theme answers would never, ever occur to anyone otherwise.
6
@Nancy - I like your analogy of "playing with MY deck" vs. wheelhouse.
I am on board with the objection to the clue for 9D as voiced by Deb and numerous other contributors. In these times, a more sensitive clue might have referenced the famous Christmas song or a campsite. We do not need to be reminded of these horrendous events when we sit down to do our daily puzzle, it's more than enough to see them recounted in the first section of the paper. Thank you Deb for taking a stand and voicing your opinion.
On a lighter note, I solved the puzzle for the most part without ever understanding the theme until I read Deb's comments. CHALKTALK is well known to those of us in the education field. Of course, it has lost its literal meaning with the introduction of dry erase and smart boards. A nicely constructed puzzle of commensurate level of difficulty for a Wednesday.
5
I’m in the education field and I had no idea what CHALK talk was. I haven’t even used chalk in well over a decade, and then it was a leftover in a decrepit school where I taught. Schools have low tech white boards and higher tech smart boards. Chalk has gone the way of a dusty old dinosaur.
@Ms Korunova
Please tell me what a 'smart board' is.
My periodont recommended an electric toothbrush to me, a Series 5000 that I discovered is Bluetooth [srsly] enabled. I decided I didn't want my toothbrush communicating with my laptop, Alexa, Echo, Siri, and the neighbour's hacker kid.
Not sure if I'll be more charitable about smart boards.
6
@Leapfinger
Thank you for the comic relief. I had a LLOL (literal laugh out loud). I am envisioning your electric toothbrush communicating with the neighbour’s hacker kid. I think it’s the germ of a great comic SciFi story.
4
It is an odd crossword.
I enjoy completing it, but it replaces difficulty with ambiguity, which is a rather poor cousin of the former. If you take the Financial Times or the daily London Times cryptic, they are more difficult, yes, but more precise. One would never face a koran/Quran duality.
There is also the feeling of retro-fitting clues, as in the "Oh, I have three letters here. Let me search a dictionary of acronyms."
It localises the crossword and makes it somewhat insular.
Finally, it is standard to break down solutions into word length. The solution "Shut up", would have a suffix of (4,2) to the clue.
Yet I enjoy this puzzle and its increasing grade through the week.
10
I don’t know whether this is good or bad: I solved the entire puzzle on Crossword Autopilot. Having driven 10 hours through the Texas and New Mexico sun, I did the puzzle as my last (semi) conscious act of the day. I was vaguely aware there was a theme, that I wasn’t sure SHECAT was a word, and that I basically filled everything in with down clues because I was too tired to puzzle out the theme entries across.
Bottom line: I felt guilty not appreciating the constructor’s creative effort but I was too exhausted to think at the time. All my aha moments came this morning after reading Deb’s column. Can crosswordese become so much a part of one’s language that you can take thinking out of the equation? That’s an awful thought.
3
Thank you for the term "crosswordese." I often randomly comment "Oh, that's a common crossword clue or answer." Now I can simply say "That's crosswordese!"
3
@Sheri
It’s all crosswordese to me!
2
Isn’t Erato the muse of love/erotic poetry and Euterpe the muse of lyric poetry?
4
Rafael,
Yes and no, as I understand it. Originally, Erato covered both erotic and lyric poetry, so the clue is correct. Later, Euterpe, who had been handling just music, was given lyric poetry.
4
@Barry Ancona
Typical office reorganisation.
13
What Barry Ancoma said: yes and no. Hesiod originally “gave birth” to Euterpe as the muse of music in his “Theogony,” and Erato as the muse of poetry. By the end of the classical period, however, as concepts of poetry had enriched and diversified, Euterpe had become the muse of lyric poetry, while Erato reigned over erotic poetry. At the same time, as Erato has traditionally been depicted with a lyre (and a recipient of more dedications than Euterpe), I suspect that the imagery of the lyre became conflated with ‘lyric’ and ‘lyrical’ and so Erato the Muse of Lyric Poetry was born.
3
I agree with Deb about 9D—I couldn’t believe this made it into the puzzle.
11
“Solved”! But somewhat above average time - primarily because of answers like TERM SHEET and SCH. I can excuse the former since it was necessary in order to fit the theme - - but “SCH”???That’s a weak answer and obscurely clued - - for any puzzle, let alone a Wednesday.
I will choose not to comment on the “He who shall not be named” clue/answer - - - because commenting will not change anyone’s mind on the subject.
4
Nicely done theme today, and a great help when discovered early. Overall, though, this one was Wednesday Weird.
3
I’m with you, Deb, on 9D.
Note to Will: Pizzazz is spelled with four(!) zees.
7
@Darcy
I spent FAR too much time trying to parse something out of the clue that had to do with the missing "z." Apparently both spellings are correct, but I've only ever seen the four-z version. FWIW, even googling "pizazz" brings up a definition spelled "pizzazz. "Pizazz" is also getting a red squiggly under it as I type, whereas "pizzazz" does not.
1
Diana Vreeland may have been the first to use it in print (Harper's Bazaar, 1937), at which time she spelt it 'pizazz'.
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2007/05/a-word-with-pizzazz.html
Okay, I understand, but...
Reading many of the comments, I couldn't help but be reminded of a few Phil OCHS songs: "Where were You in Chicago," "There but for Fortune," and especially "Outside a Small Circle of Friends." I mean - I'm sure there are a few people who wouldn't have gotten through this day without thinking about the recent mass shootings even if they didn't solve the Times crossword, but really, it's probably just a small circle of friends. The rest of us could have been spared.
And, with apologies, I'll share this story. A morning in May in 1970. After we had helped pile up 54 bodies (ours and theirs) in cargo nets, the three remaining members of my squad sat down to take a break. One of the guys looked at the side of his cigarette pack and read aloud, "Warning: Smoking may be hazardous to your health." At which point we all started laughing uncontrollably. Sometimes things are just a matter of perspective.
Maybe we might consider just being grateful if having to read 9d is the worst thing that happens to us today.
Love me, I'm a liberal. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.
34
@Rich in Atlanta
Phil Ochs was a liberal that a realist could love. Related to your war story, Ochs’ father was a medic during WWII at the Battle of the Bulge and the experience so traumatized him that he was honorably discharged for mental health reasons. Apparently, it adversely affected him for the rest of his life (he was hospitalized at one point for depression) and probably played a role in Phil being an early and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. He also had a sardonic sense of humor and I’m sure would have appreciated the cigarette warning label story.
2
"And if you don't got 'em, borrow 'em from a friend."
Amen.
3
Count me with @deb and@barry re 9D.
As for the rest of the puzzle... Tough for me, with a higher-than-average number of answers out of my wheelhouse, plus the feeling that there had to be something more to the theme than there turned out to be. In retrospect, I think the theme is pretty clever, with the "e-" aspect, but while i was solving, just having theme answers with E as the only vowel felt thin (and there are ten non-theme answers in the puzzle with E as the only vowel).
So anyway, it was tough for me, which meant I had to shift into think-hard mode to finally complete the puzzle. That is, I had to lift with heavier weights than usual for a Wednesday, and that part I loved. Give me heavy weights that are tough to lift (but not out of my ability) any puzzle of the week! And I thank you for that, Samuel.
I was sure [Southwest terminal?] was going to be TEES, and that snagged me for a bit. Not surprisingly, a mini-theme of double E's (6), and I love the words BUSTLE and ABYSS.
2
14 years in SoCal and you may think I could spell KNOTTS. I can assure you Knoxes is incorrect. Alas my puzzles are more blue than gold these days.
I am forgoing my rant on tricks in the Wednesday puzzle as it does no good.
Thanks Sam
1
I agree with Deb about the OPENFIRE answer- it was tone deaf, like from a different era.
17
I think of CHALKTALK in terms of team sport meetings, with the coach and a blackboard, or the TV/radio show that comes about as a result. Being a former bank lender, TERMSHEET is also familiar to me. Unfortunately, the rest of the puzzle was a slog, as I didn’t get the theme until I read the column and spent many minutes trying to link the obvious answers to the internet, unsuccessfully. Also did not like the 9D answer, not because I have any personal reason, but thinking about all the people who would.
4
James,
I was afraid I was the only one for whom CHALK talk was a gimme, and I didn't play any varsity team sports.
@James Brisbois
I think of CHALK TALK as a lecture in which the teacher uses a chalkboard to illustrate the subject.
The chalkboard was replaced by a white-erase board (or whatever it's called.
Then we got PowerPoint. (I'll forgo my rant on how that powerful program is misused.)
@Barry Ancona & Jim B
CHALK talk was a gimme for me, at least once I had some Down words and knew it wasn't SMALL. Not from a sports background, though, but more from higher education and informal training sessions.
1
Will changes so many clues; I wonder if 9D was one of them.
6
@suejean In his comments on Xword Info, Mr. Donaldson said that only 8 of his non-theme answer clues were kept, which means 61 of them were changed.
So, chances are...
5
@Rich in Atlanta,, and if so, what was the original clue?
1
@Rich in Atlanta
I liked Sam’s clue for KNOTTS - “Fife player?”
I am surprised that the 9D clue made it intact past the test solvers (assuming that was the clue used when they were given the puzzle). According to a recent Will Shortz interview, 10 test solvers see every puzzle before publication and send him comments and corrections. My sense is that 9D was clued before the recent mass shootings. I would be surprised if Will intentionally kept it as is following those shootings. However, it would be nice to hear from him on this one, as it has clearly soured the solving experience for a lot of people.
(Aside from 9D, which frankly didn’t jump out at me during the solve, I seem to be in the distinct minority who liked this puzzle. Hard to say, though, what the overall response would have been had 9D been clued differently).
https://lifehacker.com/im-will-shortz-new-york-times-crossword-editor-and-th-1836740218
1
I completely agree. The clue for open fire was extremely very tone deaf in the times we live in. Just stick with Nat King Cole next time.
17
@Cricket — Mel Torme gets my vote. He wrote it and sang it.
1
Started last night, got sleepy, finished this morning. A Wednesday on a Wednesday. Pondered the theme after I finished. Counted all the E's. Read comments. In sympathy with the community here.
Today's our last day at the beach. Off to see the sunrise, per tradition. Hope we can wake up the younguns. A peace-filled day to all.
4
Also, Deb, there are gruesome memorials to St Catherine in the Basilica San Domenica in Siena. Wish I could unsee!
1
LETTER BOXED
My first attempt:
U-R (9), R-L(5)
Hint: 1.Used for drains and internet content 2. Currency.
4
@Mari
My last attempt:
B-Y(7) Y-R(7)
3
@Mari
Not a very satisfying solution today, but at least I finally got one after a ridiculous number of efforts: R-C (11) C-Y (5).
Off to take kid to grad school in Ann Arbor tomorrow, so happy solving to all if I don't find a chance to chime in for a few days.
1
@Mari and @Phil
Same as Phil today. Fun phrase!
SPELLING BEE
A D F H M N R
Words: 27, Points: 93, Pangrams: 1, Bingo
A x 3
D x 5
F x 3
H x 4
M x 6
N x 3
R x 3
4L x 14
5L x 8
6L x 4
8L x 1
4 5 6 8 Tot
A 1 1 1 - 3
D 3 1 1 - 5
F 1 1 - 1 3
H 3 1 - - 4
M 2 3 1 - 6
N 3 - - - 3
R 1 1 1 - 3
Tot 14 8 4 1 27
12
@Mari Oops - my apologies to Ben, who had already posted the Grid. My posting was delayed, somehow, and 'crossed in the mail'. At least our grids are the same! Notable exclusions: MARRAM (grass), HAMMAM (as before, when another word from that culture is included), NANNA, DADA (while 3 other childish names for relatives are included), HAAR (sea fog, a wonderfully evocative word). I was slow getting the last R6, as I only know it as an hotel chain, not as a noun!
3
@Mari
I know it as the anagram of a fleet! Also, is the hotel+N being a holy season, is it a proper noun and that is why it's not allowed?
1
Spelling Bee
27 words, 93 points, 1 pangram, bingo
4 5 6 7 8 Σ
A 1 1 1 - - 3
D 3 1 1 - - 5
F 1 1 - - 1 3
H 3 1 - - - 4
M 2 3 1 - - 6
N 3 - - - - 3
R 1 1 1 - - 3
The completion of this Bee is certainly easier than a number of vocations.
51
@Ben, thanks! Due to the recent appearance of PFFT, I tried both RAHRAH and HARHAR. Nope!
7
@Ben. Thanks for grid. Helped me get those last few stragglers.
First two letter list: not too helpful today because of the single vowel.
1-AD. 1-AF. 1-AR
2-DA 1-DH. 2-DR
3-FA
4-HA
6-MA
3-NA
3-RA
17
@Ben
Thanks for the grid. It helped me get the last few words to QB.
1
Conspicuously absent was "etail" which I have never seen in actual use outside a New York times crossword puzzle.
@zzDoug It’s a word I’ve used since the mid-90s. Many of the others like e-zines are long dead and buried. (Tech marketing professional who survived the dot-com bust here.)
@zzDoug
How about E-commerce? / SELLS WEED
(I must be one of @LarryB’s targeted demographic because I have seen “etail” outside of the XWP. Of course, it does make a nice clue for yesterday’s OLDE or GRILLE).
5
A term sheet is a document that specifies the pricing and delivery terms, and together with a boilerplate list of definitions and standards forms a contract. For example a utility, business, or homeowner might enter into a deal to buy solar power under a 20 year contract from a solar power developer that owns the panels. There will be a bunch of standard contract language for all customers that doesn't change. Attached to this is the term sheet, which is unique to this installation, and details the amount of energy to be produced, price per kwh paid, replacement of equipment if any, etc.
Or that's what we called it anyway. There may be other usages.
6
zzDoug,
In big biz, this is a term sheet:
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/termsheet.asp
Oof this was a hard one for me. I solved it but got my all-time worst Wednesday time. Had a few hangups:
- 15A (Brown, for one: Abbr.), was stuck on `Sen` for Sherrod Brown for a long time, and the resulting down intersections
- 22A (Do Not Call Registry org.), I had `FcC`, which meant I couldn't solve 5D, which meant I couldn't solve 1A.
- 39D (Hits back?), I had `REtRENDS`... which makes sense! If something on the Internet is a hit for a second time, it could be re-trending. But since `SIENt` didn't really look right, changing the "t" to an "a" solved the puzzle.
Overall I enjoyed the puzzle, and I think it was fair for a Wednesday even though I personally hit some snags.
4
I did the exact same thing with SIENT and RETRENDS!
1
Newish here... Could someone please explain MERCEDES BENZ? Many thanks!
@Tammy
The answer is a business that has a name constructed of the vowel "e"plus some consonants. "Seven-Eleven" would also work.
e-comaniac
7
@ecomaniac Thank you! Judging from the number of "likes" for your reply, I assume I wasn't the only one stumped. :)
Tammy,
I'm glad ecomaniac helped you understand MERCEDES BENZ, but I suspect most of the "likes" were from people (like me) who understood it already but enjoyed his alternate answer of SEVEN ELEVEN.
and Elke
This e-commenter is not sure she got the theme.. :))
6
@Robert
The E's have it.
and Elke
Dr W- a la Watson/Crick in a certain Nature paper:
"it had(s) not escaped my (our) notice..."
ElkE
Given the obvious distress it could cause given recent horrific events, I agree that OPEN FIRE may have at least been more charmingly clued as @Barry and others have, if not excluded. Still, I greatly enjoyed today's offering. My lexicon was enhanced by CHALK TALK, and Deb's error being the same as my own called to mind my personal favourite Sly & the Family Stone LP, Small Talk. While it doesn't contain the outstanding 'Crossword Puzzle', the Magi-cal 'Loose Booty' ought to put everyone in the right mood. Get down. https://youtu.be/1HIIErMKNnY
8
Thank you so much for your comment on 9D. I could not agree more.
What not clue it with chestnuts or something?
24
That was tougher for me than a usual Wednesday, but I appreciate it. I agree about the OPEN FIRE clue, and it even could have been avoided by using something like "Winter comfort" as a clue instead.
32
I agree with Deb on 9D. It could have been clued differently with no harm to an otherwise enjoyable puzzle.
12
I was shocked by open fire, and so pleased you called attention to it, Deb. Despite the fact that such an action has its neutral meaning, I felt it was unnecessary. Love the idea of cluing it differently to change the meaning.
Typical Wednesday half hour solve for me, and fairly fun.
16
Solved without the theme, and came here to find out. Not the best, not the worst. It reminds me of the time the whole crossword had "i" as the only vowel and I didn't see it. After reading the column, it was so obvious.
While solving I accidentally had SEES for ZEES for the last down entry. I spent a good five minutes wondering what ME_CE_ESBENS could be. I changed it to a zee and in literally under a second I had it. Funny how the mind works!
Some meh fill - EOS, OOX, DOS - but overall not bad.
Nice.
2
It didn’t really hit me until I read the Word Play column, but I tend to agree on a moratorium on OPEN FIRE until we can string together 3 months without a mass shooting. The way things have been going, that would possibly constitute a permanent ban.
I have one foot in and out of "gun culture." I grew up on a farm and my father, while not a “gun nut,” is what I would call a “shooting enthusiast.” He and I never hunted game, but target shot many times together and he uses single shot rifles for “varmint control.” I have seen him fell a running livestock predator (coyote) from nearly 200 yards with a single shot.
He and I shoot for accuracy, not for any testosterone rush that may come from emptying the magazine on an AK-47.
Now I live in an urban area and do not personally own a gun and do not plan to. However, I respect the choice of others to own a firearm responsibly. I don't presume to know what "common sense gun-safety legislation" would look like, but do know that what we have now is *NOT IT.* And my gun-owning father agrees.
28
@Brian Drumm Agreed, but I’d settle for three weeks or even three days.
1
@Brian Drumm
Sadly - - - indeed VERY sadly - - - it is, quite simply, too late for ANY form of “gun legislation” to have much of an effect.
Even outright confiscation - which I do not support - would leave MANY THOUSANDS of firearms - even assault rifles and machine guns - in public hands.
Under the circumstances, any sufficiently dedicated WHACKO can - and still would - find a way to get his hands on his weapon of choice.
BTW - - notice, please, that none of the mass shootings has been attributed to a member of the female gender - yet.
4
@Guess Who!
The NRA has recommended your comment.
6
Slower than average (I’ll CHALK that up to being under the weather — and never having heard of a CHALK talk), but my streak hit 500 today, so I’ll take it!
(Also have no idea what the “business” connection, in particular, is to MERCEDES BENZ?)
3
@Irene
I had smack talk. Never heard of CHALK talk either and only got it from the crosses.
1
@Irene
Congratulations on your milestone! I have CHALKTALK stored in my barely-accessible section of my memory, so it rang a distant bell. Wish I could remember the context in which I've heard it.
2
@Irene, Mercedes sells an E type model. Yes, I thought it was a stretch.
The puzzle seemed a little quirky. But pretty fun. After getting enough of the theme entries, it was obvious that they only had Es for vowels.
Liked seeing PAULA Poundstone - I like listening to Wait...Wait on the weekends and she's one of the better panelists, I thought.
A lot of LETTERs being REFERENCEd - not just the one in the middle. LITE FM, AFL, EDT, COO (Chief Operating Officer), DOS (Disk Operating System), DNAS, ZEES, OOX, (E)X-CON, EMCEED, FTC, ATF, ECHOES (NATO Alphabet, EWE, ALE (the way some people pronounce L)
Had SIENA, but then thought it was RETRENDS (Hits back). Nevermind that SIENT doesn't make any sense and I knew SIENA was right. I never heard of KNOTTS, CHALK Talk, TERM SHEET, and ROSITA was way after my Sesame Street ERA.
I see on the puzzle page in the lower right hand corner the "What the Heck Is That?" is featuring "To Bed". I take that as a cosmic hint that I am needing some sleep now.
3
This was a Wednesday !!!
1
“Open fire” didn’t bother me. The puzzle could have been constructed and slated for publication before El Paso and Dayton. But what is a “term sheet”?
3
Mickey,
Before Las Vegas?
Did you look up "term sheet?"
3
Sheesh! Very nearly doubled my average time for a Wednesday on this one.
What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is a TERMSHEET anyway? My classical education omitted ERATO. SCH seems like weak fill obliquely clued.
Many clues were simply not on my wavelength, which is really nobody’s fault, I suppose.
Looking forward to the fresh start on the Thursday puzzle.
2
@Brian Drumm
ERATO shows up a lot in the puzzles. She's the only 5-letter Muse, so she's a good one to know.
2
Totally agreed with your opinions on 9D, Deb. While I’m a newbie to the Times Crossword, I have noticed a few other examples of clues that felt “Out of touch”. So many people associate crosswords with old, white men. I think modern crosswords should be accessible to all, and not so often reference golf or actors from the 50’s.
18
@Abby murray
This old white man agrees with you!
2
There used to be two replies to this post. The first suggesting that Ms. Murray construct her own puzzle if she was unhappy with the puzzles on offer (or something along those lines). It did not seem objectionable so I don't know why it was removed, but I wish there was some indication that a post was removed.
@vaer
I did find it a little objectionable(although I didn't flag it) which is why I was motivated to express my support for Abby murray who I felt was unfairly targeted.
2
"Open fire" should have been censored.
14
fun to figure out all THE SECRET theme entries with all the E's!
1
I have to agree with Deb re 9D. Why?
I read the clue, I froze, then as I was able to answer immediately, which truly gave me pause. Then I stopped. I realized that sadly, because this term has peppered the news all too much recently, I was able to fill a crossword, in a nano second. (I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have been able to suss out the answer eventually in say, 1990, my point is how quickly. It practically typed itself in)
And so I paused and I pondered. It’s a sad state of the world when doing something as fun and yet seemingly harmless as working a NYT crossword puzzle, one would have to live in a bubble to not pause, even for a second, because....how could you not?
31
A Google search for " 'open fire' command" results first in several military references. The timing of its use in the puzzle was unfortunate.
2
Xwordinfo notes that 25 years ago Cathy Allis did an entire Sunday puzzle in which the only vowel was E. As Jim Horne writes, the puzzle had “one of the all-time great Crossword titles: ELAND”. Spoiler alert, the filled grid to that puzzle is linked below:
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/13/1994
3
Deb, E-Sign = ENTER HERE - it isn't about e-signature. It's the sign that says "ENTER HERE" as in at an entrance.
Oh wait, Barry, is this one of those I didn't get the memo about not saying anything to Deb situations?
9
@Wen I understood the fact that it referred to an ENTER HERE sign. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I was thrown by the fact that "e-sign" can have another, different meaning than the entry itself.
8
Deb,
You were overthinking it (understandable after dealing with that pesky non-theme issue). *All* of the clues have "another, different meaning than the entry itself;" that is the cleverness(?) of the puzzle. E.g., "e-filing" is a way of sending in a tax return; a TERM SHEET has nothing to do with taxes.
7
@Wen
I thought it was a sign with just the vowel E, like The Secret is a book with just the vowel E.
2
Once I figured out the theme, the puzzle fell together even tough several themed answers eluded me. I do have a problem with DNAS. DNA is it’s own plural.
Is the constructor *that* Sam Donaldson?
13
@LarryB He's not, and I forgot to give him his "Not the Newscaster" nickname in this post. The constructor Sam Donaldson is a great guy and a law professor.
6
Deb,
I don't know them personally, but I have no reason to think the newscaster is not a great guy; I'd leave the distinction at occupation.
2
@LarryB
DNA is a generic acronym for a specific kind of molecular entity. Saying it is its own plural makes little sense because different molecular arrangements are still subsumed under "DNA". So -- DNA can be pluralized.
1
Seven theme entries! I thought this quite a feat. Or could I say FEET under the circumstances?
6
Quite the FETE?
2
I agree about 9D. It gave me a little jolt.
21
Thank you for commenting on the gun reference. I, too, felt my stomach drop when I saw it. The issue is too raw for a light-hearted crossword clue.
30
Putting in FELON instead of EXCON slowed me down a bit. In general a clever idea, and impressively symmetrical, but some of the themers were a stretch to allow it.
3
E-review: Sweet Weds. theme; the bees’ knees even.
Favorite fill: HOBNOB
Favorite clue: “Hits back?” / REAR-ENDS
I saw four beautiful white pigeons this morning. A COO coup.
12
@Puzzlemucker
Your comment brings to mind yet another 50-something year old song.
https://youtu.be/XUNgQ03D2qA
I liked that EWE, RAM, FLEECE were all in the puzzle.
2
@Puzzlemucker,
Until I read Deb’s column I was wondering what RE-ARENDS meant.
4
@vaer
If pressed, I would have guessed Jefferson Airplane sang “White Bird”, half-knowing it was wrong. Thanks for the link. After reading about “It’s a Beautiful Day” and their eponymous album, I’d venture to guess the album cover was probably one of the most grass-stained of 1969-70.
EWE bought a RAM truck based on a bogus TERM SHEET and got FLEECEd. Now EWE feel(s) . . . sheepish.
Although I didn't have any particular trouble solving this one, I was a little nonplussed because among the themers, I never heard of the book THE SECRET, and I was unfamiliar with the, uh, term, TERM SHEET (although I've seen them, I just didn't know the name.)
When I got to _NTER_ERE, I threw down INTERFERE, but when the crosses didn't fit, I figured out it was E's only.
This led to an attitude of "stick an E in wherever it fits; we'll figure it out later."
In the end, I had to take a good long look at what was happening, and it occurred to me that there must be a book called THE SECRET, and TERM SHEET must be a thing.
Basically, it was an "Oh." moment, rather than an "Aha!" moment.
I do recall hitting on the OPEN FIRE clue/answer combo and figured there'd be fireworks, if not firearms. I get what you're saying, Deb, and I suppose that if I had lost loved ones to mass shootings, I'd feel differently, but I'm not in favor of censoring out everything that might be a little uncomfortable. So I guess my mileage does vary.
32
Hi Steve,
I’m not in favor of it either, but I don’t see it as an all or nothing issue, as in leave out “everything” that might make people uncomfortable.
And I see this as substantially more than making people uncomfortable. It brings up horrific tragedy and does not belong in a puzzle that is supposed to be a vehicle for entertainment.
Avoiding clues or entries that don’t remind people of mass shootings or other tragedies is surprisingly easy to do.
82
@Deb Amlen "Hottest camp site" would work.
12
@Deb Amlen
My mileage matches yours on this one, Deb.
14
An ex-con is not a parolee. A parolee is a convict on leave from prison and under supervision who can be returned to prison at any time for an infraction. Convict status is terminated by completion of a sentence, pardon, or commutation.
44
@Fact Boy
Thank you.
That one rankled!
Okay. I really liked the constructor's comment, with nothing but E's in it.
But when I saw the clue "Start shooting" and the answer started filling in, I thought with dread, "He really didn't go there, did he?" But he did. Maybe changing that would have made the whole puzzle impossible. But I really wish it had been something else. With so many mass shootings lately, it was an extremely unpleasant intrusion of modern-day terror into what should be a pleasant, enjoyable experience. When there have been off-putting clues and/or answers in puzzles, I generally just haven't commented. But I felt like I had to, today. (There could have been a completely different kind of clue: "Sing camp songs around it" for example). The cross with ATF was interesting.
Never heard of a TERM SHEET, and it seems a little obscure for Wednesday.
21
@Liz B
As a corporate paralegal, I know what a TERMSHEET is, but don't really get why it would be an e-filing.
2
@vaer
This is an honest question; I don't know a TERM SHEET from a time SHEET: do you put a copy of the former into a file drawer? Or did you, when those things were still prevalent?
1
vaer,
Per the logic of the clues, a TERM SHEET must only be a filing, not an e-filing (i.e., something filed with only e's for vowels). The weakness here is that unlike many business and legal documents, most TERM SHEETS are *not* filed with the SEC or in court. If the intent was that *any* business document could go in a file drawer, blech!
5
Another "look how clever the compiler is" crossword. Never mind the theme answers are really random. I prefer compilers with more interest in the solver than themselves.
16
@Kathy
You may not like the theme much (I didn't, either), but if you claim that it's random, you don't understand it.
There are a lot of things that are prefixed with E these days, like e-mail, e-mags, e-filing (of taxes), etc. The E stands for electronic, as e-mail is electronic mail, and e-zines are electronic magazines.
The puzzle reimagines the E's as being things with no vowels except E in them. It's not random, as all the e-things are terms used in real life, and the switch to things that they don't really stand for (e.g. the magazine SEVENTEEN being an e-mag) is consistent, not random at all.
I'd bet that if you liked the puzzle, you'd be glad the constructor was clever.
7
Steve,
I venture Kathy knows SEVENTEEN is the name of a mag and ENTER HERE can be a sign. The "randomness" is that the theme answers can be *any* thing that is the clued thing as long as it only has E's for vowels.
Lots of things can be "mail:" REFERENCE LETTER is just one of those things.
14
@Barry Ancona - precisely! Very annoying.
@Steve - I assume all compilers are clever until proved otherwise.
4
Deb,
I would have held this puzzle until December, and changed the 9D clue to "Where chestnuts roast."
119
*Virtual high-five*
41
@Barry Ancona
Seasonal: "Needed for S'mores"
11
@Barry Ancona Even in August, your clue is more appropriate and more fun, and not any more difficult than a lot of other NYT crossword clues!
10
It's limited letters week at the NYT Crossword. If you're a big fan of limited letters, you're having a great week. I am happy for you. Then there are the rest of us...
10