It was fun. A last look back at summer. Could have done with a bit more of a challenge though.
Ever since I signed up for PBlindauer's Year-of-Mondays Kickstarter, I've been impressed with how entertaining he can make even the easiest puzzle. My awareness of how he can infuriate over half the crossword-solving population goes back much farther. [hehheh] Of course, when you theme on ICECREAM you stack the odds significantly in your favour, but I'll stop short of accusing PB2 of shameless pandering.
There was something to love in each section, and I almost LOST IT at CHASTE. On any other day, I would've expected an irate comment about the missing Tilde in ANOMALY, but you can't always correct 'em.
Please, PB, can we have some MOA?
2
Rats.
'... you stack the odds significantly in your FLAVOUR...'
1
How did Blindauer do it?
How did he take so many of the things I most dislike in XWPs and make them work to result in a delight?
Things I don't like: Two-letter entries (illegal, and for good reason). Cross-references (too much like bookkeeping, or filing, or other drudge work). Visual rather than word-related stuff (not a visual person).
And yet ... it was quite wonderful!
I got the theme (if that's what it was) rather slowly, but early. Maybe "piecemeal" is a better description than "slowly." I knew OV had to be important, so I didn't let go of that. SINGLE sent me looking (grumpily) at the cross-references, and then I saw DOUBLE. that and VANILLA started ME thinking ice cream. Somewhere along in there I saw the cone. Aha! Or maybe Oof! And of course, the best part, the CHOCOLATE.
Anyway, that got me to filling in the OOV and the OOOV. And the rest.
I love PISTACHIO nuts, but don't think I've ever had that flavor ice cream. I tasted strawberry and maybe some other fruit flavor as a child, and decided that nothing but CHOCOLATE -- or at worst VANILLA, but please-sir with CHOCOLATE sauce -- was really worth freezing.
Also, I really liked the EDISON clue (which I got quickly), but completely didn't know McKAY.
Re the Constructor Notes, I was confused about the tot "playing with letters." Was she already making puzzles? Or is the reference to alphabet blocks?
Thanks for the fun!
4
@Deadline it was magnetic letters on a big white board.
1
As Cole Porter would say, this puzzle was delightful, delicious, de-lovely. Getting the visual clues at 14D, 31D and 56D was a true treat. Thank you, Patrick Blindauer.
Even my mistakes were fun: sap at 1A before SAG because 49A couldn't be anything but SAP; pudding before GELATIN when I couldn't make Jello anything work; cur before CAD.
Yikes, Deb! I'm of that era and couldn't watch those awful "teen" movies -- despite having adored Annette Funicello for years. Did you wonder about her CHASTE swimsuit, why a one-piece when the all the women were in bikinis? She was still under contract with Walt Disney, who insisted that her navel be completely covered.
4
Pat, just couldn't take on my challenge to constructors, from last week.
See how long you go constructing a puzzle without using OREO.
4
@David I don't think I would go very long, I'm afraid.
2
Can we get a reprise of ColoradoZ’s comment from yesterday as it pertains to the pairing of the clues and answers for today’s 45A and 47A? The column title is a cherry on top...
5
@Jason
I nominate ColoradoZ’s comment from yesterday and Puzzlemucker’s response to it as Comment of the Month (as in, past 30 days, not MTD, of course). I was laughing so hard I was crying. Usually I just spew my coffee.
4
@Jason
CHASTE AND LOST IT are certainly in contention for best pairing of clues--and the column title certainly adds a little panache. Link to his reference to my posting yesterday
https://nyti.ms/32rvsMj#permid=102321604
4
@Sam Lyons
Thanks. Puzzlemucker's response wins the prize. I had to look up most of the words in his comment🤣
1
Introverted =/= Shy!
13
While my Long Island husband prefers Carvel (and Fudgie the Whale on his birthday), I'll take Jeni's or Graeter's. If you're lucky enough to have a location of either one where you live, go for a TRIPLE SCOOP!
2
Fun! I got the theme immediately, because I got the single scoop right away, and started working on vanilla right after that. Loved this! So much fun... those scoops were great to fill in. Of course, it made me extra hungry since today is "clear liquid diet" day for... well, most of you over 50 will know what that means. Suffice it to say, tomorrow's puzzle will be done after the anesthesia wears off! (Clue: 11 letters, Irish punctuation mark)
1
butt probe?
@Marlene Heller
Good luck.
1
@Marlene Heller
Irish?
Anyway, give it two days, not one.
1
Good workout for a Wednesday and the ice cram motif is lovely and consonant with Wednesday as the NYTimes food review day.
Surprised to see the odd black square above 14D. Apart from creating a two-letter slot for 14D (and grid asymmetry) does it have any other significance?
Quibble for 26D: the actual title is Kapitän.
About 25A, I often have wondered if that point was created for mathematical or for accounting purposes. The reason I ask is that it is certainly applicable to base 10 representation, but does it survive in octal or hexadecimal (or other) systems? Just asking.
2
@Dr W
The "Decimal Point" was invented for Arithmetic, not Mathematics (where the concept of "point" is quite different – in geometry a point is a location in space. It has no physical dimensions, although it is typically indicated by a point. A line extends between 2 points, etc.), so the cluing is poor.
I see no reasons why you couldn't have a "hexadecimal point" if you wanted one – but what's the point?
3
@Dr W
Think of the dot as telling you which way a scalar number "goes" (in whatever base; if we didn't have thumbs, we'd be in octal by default, yes?).
If the number "magnifies" it goes on the left of the dot.
Other notations work. Like a 1 and a horizontal bar over the diminishing scalars.
2
Last time I looked a horizontal bar over a group of integers to the right of a decimal point meant a repeating string in an infinite decimal. For instance, 1/7 = .142857142857142.... and the repeat string is 142857
The no thumb situation needs some thought. Among other things things that would make it difficult to hitch a ride....
1
Able was I ere I saw OV. As a novice, I was able to get the flavors et al but not the ice cream cone image.
Nevertheless, the puzzle melted my heart (bad pun...sorry).
4
@Regards, LC
Around here no pun is considered bad. We accept all types regardless of origin or intent or ...
1
@Regards, LC
A few days (weeks?) ago WINCE MAKER was clued.
I’m still looking to start a club — nay, a movement — devoted to the cause if I can find enough volunteers for fellow charter members.
3
such a cute puzzle ~ made me smile to see the scoops and cones!
in the real world, i would like to see the return of rum raisin ~ although in sf, humphrey slocombe gives us boozy ice cream with their "secret breakfast" flavor: cornflakes and bourbon
2
@artlife Haagen Das offers Rum Raisin, along with a whole new line of alcohol-flavored treats. Not an endorsement by any means! I prefer Edy's most of the time. Just a public service response.
1
@Rfm & artlife
One thing I've noticed over the years is the growing variety of frozen confections in the ice cream sections of the supermarkets and specialty stores. Not too long ago I found sorbets containing wines -- specifically cabernets.
Since I have to watch my sugar intake I need to be careful -- and different brands offer sugar-free confections.
Two of my kids worked at (different) ice cream shops this summer. In a conversation with their visiting grandmother (my mother-in-law), we discovered that she uses the word "dips" where we would all use "scoops." my 19yo said that older customers sometimes say dips but his peers never would; the 16yo revealed that the thing where the ice cream is stored/displayed is called the "dipping cabinet."
So my question is: are there others who use the word "dips" for balls of ice cream? Is this a regional or generational variation?
@Midd America
I think around here either may be heard.
I once worked at a convenience store in Eastern NC (like 40 years ago) that offered hand dipped ice cream. I think "dips" was prevalent then and there. One day, a little girl of ca. 8 asked for a cone, and I asked her, "One scoop or two?" She kniited her brow like the the word was new to her, and said "Two." A few days later, she came back in and asked for a cone with "two scooches."
2
Thanks, Deb, for including the Beach Blanket Bingo video. But it was sad to see Buster Keaton, a cinematic giant, reduced to appearing in teen flicks in his later years.
1
@Robert Nailling yes, I loved it too. Seeing BK made my day!
He was 70 at the time and passed away in Feb 1966.
I believe BBB was shot in 1965. He inspired so many
film makers, that a cameo like this is a celebration.
1
@Robert Nailling
I saw it as a wonderful reminder of his mad comic genius. Reduced or elevated is a matter of perspective.
Every time I watch Jackie Chan, I see homage to Buster Keaton. I wish they had appeared together sometime. At the least, such reminders leads me back to watching Buster's work again. And again.
2
Totally missed the ice cream cone image - that was sweet!
2
If this one doesn’t make you smile, what will?
6
@Nobis Miserere
Nobisness but your own, but where you been keeping y'self?
Very nice Wednesday puzzle - with a clever theme! Very FAST Wednesday too - and a definite entry in the “Solved” column - not “completed”. (About half of my average time - FWTW.) The two-letter violation of the “rules” at 14D told me something was up and the theme became clear when there were three clues speaking of “depictions”.
I was so zoned out on ice cream, though, that I wanted the “Treat from a truck” to fit in. TACO would not come to me until I “researched” that the CIA has a fact book - - Duhhhh?!?!
I wanted 68A to be GFLAT. (You may correctly call me “musically challenged” - - except when it comes to recognizing good music - well performed - when I hear it.)
Does AAA *really* hand out ROADMAPs any more?? With Google Maps readily at hand - - - what’s the point???
Particularly liked the cluing for DECIMAL and EDISON. “Tesla RIVAL” would have been even more clever - - given the answer at 40A.😝
2
@PeterW
I recently went to AAA and got road maps for our upcoming cross-country trip. I find paper maps very useful for getting the big picture and getting a sense of what might be 200/300/400 miles down the road. A great help in planning where we want to make overnight stops, and what's close to what.
OTOH, I find Google Maps/Waze/etc to be very useful for actual road conditions and for plotting a course from point A to point B--once I've decided where those points are!
8
@Liz B
I too get road map(s) and TripTik(s)s from AAA. I still make a lot of mistakes in following the directions. After I made a mistake, I had to resort to google maps (which forgives people who miss the direction)
1
@PeterW I'm so old that I thought the AAA answer was TRIPTIK! Remember those?
3
I find myself an outlier today. This puzzle left me feeling cold.
I love ice cream, puppies, kittens etc. as much as the next person, but it wasn't much of a challenge and I always hope for that by midweek. Sort of like consuming too much sugar -- I still felt hungry for something meaty at the end . . .
1
@Liane
“The puzzle left me feeling cold.”
I see what you did there!
7
Once 14D materialized, I LedOL
Just yesterday I was wondering where Patrick Blindauer has been and then (poof!), just like that he appears today as the good humor man ... literally! If this delightful puzzle doesn't put you in a good humor, nothing will!
This was so much fun being able to build our own cones taller and taller. Ending with delicious PISTACHIOOOOV.
Today's visuals took this one over the top for me.
Thank you, Patrick!!! You have scooped everybody from serving up an ice cream theme!
6
@Johanna this puzzle also has me wishing that a Good Humor truck would drive by.
What a delightful (and delicious) puzzle to start the day.
1
What a yummy grid! For those purists out there (you know who you are) who prefer to manually hand-crank their VANILLA ice cream in a wooden churn, don’t forget to add plenty of rock salt and extra elbow grease. The incredibly lopsided hand-churning to eating time ratio makes the ice cream taste even better. OOOy veh!!!
3
Fun and amazingly clever, with ten theme answers, carefully placed. Kudos, Patrick Bendauer!
4
Sweet!
2
I took some time away from crosswords because other things took over and have jumped back in this week. This is, to me, a perfectly fun puzzle. I started with the acrosses and came up nearly empty. The downs unlocked small portions and then CHOCOLATE, and SCOOP, and TRIPLE, and then it fell into place. Panic, reward, relief, and completion all in 22 minutes. Bravo!
4
I was very happy to see Patrick Blindauer's name when I opened the puzzle, and the evidence of PB's hand was immediately seen in the mirror-but-not-quite symmetry of the grid. I prefer the super-tricky Patrick but, as I wrote in these pages a couple of weeks ago, I sure was missing his puzzles!
I have made the base for my fresh fig ice cream and it is resting before I will freeze it up - so I got an extra smile when I saw the theme unfolding.
I got a momentary twinge regarding "F in music," since according to the modern conventions the F for forte is always an italic, bold, lower-case letter. Then I remembered that for about the first hundred years of its history, there was no standardization, and a simple capital F stood for forte in many scores a few hundred years ago.
1
@David Connell fog ice cream is my hands down fave.
@David Connell
I'll be right over with spoon in hand! Yum!
1
@Ann & momo - anybody's welcome, but it goes fast!
I wonder if you have found the secret to opening fig ice cream right up: shave a bit of good hard parmesan-type cheese (I love grana padano for it) on top. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it!
3
Oh I thought it was hilarious, once I figured out the joke. And I knew there had to be a joke because otherwise, who in their right mind uses two letters for a NYT Crossword clue? LOL. And you even figured out a way to use 'oreos' in a clue (although no matter how I tried to squish it in, 'jimmies' just would not fit!)
But sometimes I think I'm just so darn smart now that I'm starting to figure out these puzzles later in the week, then to see the visual of those clues, it was just so funny and it did bring me down a peg or two, and rightly so! Great job.
4
@Beth White - Jimmies! Àre you from Philadelphia originally?
1
@Rfm - hah! I grew up just outside West Philadelphia and we never knew any other name except jimmies. Nowadays I call them jimmies in my head and sprinkles in public to avoid confusion.
1
@Rfm Ha ha, nope! RI!
I’d like to thank The Big Lebowski for giving me the knowledge I needed to solve 5D.
4
This puzzle seemed the perfect embodiment of Deb's comment the other day that crosswords should be fun and put a smile on the solver's face. Loved it.
12
Completed this one before the single scoop of vanilla ice cream in my hot coffee melted. BTW lost 20 pounds this summer and put ice cream in my coffee every day! (Salad for lunch and no eating after 7 pm. Swimming and biking.)
13
@Batsheva Great Job! Congrats. Oh, and what a cool trick. I think I may try that one myself. I lost a few pounds, but not as many as you this year. And I need to do more because, although I don't play football, I DID just come back from a HIKE and noticed those extra pounds I had to carry up the mountain. And I love ICE CREAM and coffee so I thanks for the idea!
2
I was initially put off by the asymmetry of the first row, but the theme was so delightful that all is forgiven.
If you need me, I'll be having ice cream for breakfast.
3
I loved this, but my triple scoop would be vanilla, strawberry, and pistachio. Although, a scoop of pistachio with chocolate jimmies is tasty. I thought I was struggling with this one, but I beat my average time by over a minute, so I think I'll reward myself with an ice cream cone after work. Hazy, hot, and humid in Baltimore today!
2
@Megan
It sure is!
1
@Megan - Strawberry and Mint Chocolate Chip in a bowl, all smushed up, is amazing. Minty fresh strawberry - unusual but great.
1
Delicious! Pistachio is my favorite flavor.
1
Maybe I'm an old fuddy-duddy, but I actually prefer the solutions consist of words. OOOV?
Are we now dealing in what, in effect, are emojis?
The second syllable of the word "crossword" should be a clue.
3
@Nialler
I think you meant "emoticon" but people have been turning letters into pictures since before the "Book of Kells".
6
@Justin
Not in crosswords they haven't. Emoticons and emojis aren't words. They may be representations of something or other, but they are not words.
It is even worse when they must be vertical in order to make whatever sense they are purportedly making.
It is a cross*word*, not a game of charades with entirely concocted combinations of letters.
@Justin
Not in crosswords they haven't. Emoticons and emojis aren't words. They may be representations of something or other, but they are not words.
It is even worse when they must be vertical in order to make whatever sense they are purportedly making.
It is a cross*word*, not a game of charades with entirely concocted combinations of letters.
I should add - having studied in Trinity College in Dublin - that if you ever get the chance to see the Book of Kells there, grab the opportunity. The illuminations, by the way, represent letters.
Those Vs were really puzzling me, but I finally figured it out on my own before coming here, They're CONES! Ice cream CONES! Come to think of it, they do sort of look like cones, don't they? Thing is: Don't you think that CONE should have been in the grid? Or is SCOOP good enough? Actually, it's not: You can have your scoops of ice cream in a small dish or cup and I often have. When they're served in a small dish or cup, you are a lot less likely to have CHOCOLATE or PISTACHIO dripping from your blouse or embedded in your lap.
I liked this theme. I figure that Will Shortz liked it too because he let the constructor get away with a two-letter answer. Has this ever happened before? All you crossword historians help me out.
Other than initially wondering what the OV and OOV and OOOV were all about, I found this puzzle extremely easy. But the gimmick was tasty and refreshing -- sort of like ice cream.
3
@Nancy Not too long ago, there was a puzzle with two two-word answers, breaking yet another rule by both being the same: "no". The clue was something to the effect of "Two letter answers in crosswords" => "no-no".
4
We've also had at least one puzzle this year with unchecked letters. The "rule" seems to be that "rules" can go out the window for a good cause.
6
@Nancy
David Connell posted this link earlier:
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Short
I had to love this one (explanation below), but I had mixed feelings during the solve. A lot of it filled in easily, but I was still stuck in a couple of places. And then there were the cross-references. I'm not fond of those and these were kind of piled up on each other. I finally had to take a deep breath, step back and then put each of them together one by one. A few things I didn't know from the clues but managed to work them out from the crosses.
For reasons that will become evident below, after the fact I noticed that there were 5 answers in this puzzle that begin and end with A. That seems uncommon to me. Then I went and analyzed it and noted that A is the most common letter in the puzzle (25 A's). I wonder how often that happens. The reason I noticed that...
I wasn't sure about MOA, even though it's common crosswordese. And at first I couldn't remember the "Go Set a Watchman" connection. When that finally dawned it was more than just an 'AHA' moment.
My 12 year old granddaugher spent a couple days with us over the weekend and mentioned that she is reading "To Kill a Mockingbird." She happens to have a 3 letter name that begins and ends with A. There are 3 such answers in this puzzle though none of them are her name. But... her name does appear at the beginning of another longer answer. Just thought that was a quite pleasant coincidence.
6
@Rich in Atlanta Interesting! I didn't even notice that but now that you mention it..... I had forgotten about the "moa" clue also and took a guess of "Fla" for the "Go Set a Watchman" clue. Then I forgot about it and when I was finished and didn't hear the music, I had to go back and take a second look and sure 'nuf, "Mof" just didn't cut it, now did it?
@Rich in Atlanta
I too wasn’t thrilled about that center fill: an esoteric animal crossed with a non-standard abbreviation is not fun. But it’s also an opportunity missed: ALA could have been clued as “lead-in to mode” and reinforced the theme of the puzzle. So sad, but, then again, ice cream so often comes with a tinge of remorse.
1
Certainlly one of the most tastefully brilliant puzzles ever.
The only bit of a nit I have is: Where are the graphic white, brown and green servings on completion?
Seriously, Will, if you can't come up with more graphics because you are understaffed allow me to offer my services.
And Deb astutely featured 16A among the clever clues, but did an end around in her commentary. Very very few football players hike the ball -- sometimes just one on each team -- but once the ball is hiked all the players go into action. That's the sense in which the players go on hikes.
3
@Guy Quay again.
Alternate 16A clue:
Org. with members that often evoke a "Look at the size of ..." reaction.
2
My puzzle always comes up finished😢😢
No symbol to reset!!!
@Johnny Scarbrough
If I’m understanding your comment, including the emojis, your puzzles are completed when you open them? I have not seen that problem mentioned before, but you can email for help. I believe that the correct email address is:
[email protected]
@Johnny Scarbrough
Also, at least in the NYT Xword app, you should be able to “Clear Puzzle” if you click on the round icon between the pencil and the “i” icons.
2
@Johnny Scarbrough
Are you sharing your account with another household member who gets to the puzzle before you do? (My spouse and I share a NYT account, but fortunately she doesn't do the crossword.)
3
Last night was the first time I ever had 1 scoop + 2 scoops + 3 scoops together ... and my stomach feels fine this morning. Very smooth ice cream.
6
Blindauer is a genius.
2
Perfect summer puzzle. I smiled at the scoops and cones; at the clues for IDLED, NFL, DECIMAL, and EDISON; at the bonus ice cream clues for OREOS and TAN; at NUMB, which reminded me of a brain freeze; and at the overall playfulness of this cool puzzle. Thank you, Patrick, for brightening my day, and wishing all no drips and the groove of an OOOV today.
4
@Lewis
Lewis! I just finished booking our "winter home" rental (our first attempt at ditching CT for the winter) in Asheville! We will be there all of January and February! Can't wait! :)
1
@Steve Faiella -- You will love it here, and we will have to get together!
1
@Steve Faiella -- Where in Asheville?
Ere I ate an opiate, slurred Tom sedately.
First job was at a Carvel in Dewitt NY. Perk was all the ice cream you could eat. However, after a couple of weeks the thought of ice cream was, well, unpleasant. LOL moments included talking stoned patrons out of ordering things like a pumpkin shake with licorice ice cream.
Some clever misdirection, thanks Patrick.
5
@dk
I feel your pain.
As if Carvel (with or without Tom and Whaley) weren't awful enough ....
It seems that the words "clever" and "fun" get tossed around often when we talk about puzzles, and today those two words are so appropriate! The O...V entries to represent ice cream cones in various scoop sizes was brilliant!
A well deserved POW from Jeff over at xwordinfo.com, and a super mid week puzzle from Patrick!
2
Sweet! The two areas that were tough were the center and the southeast. I wanted to put something real in 40A McCoy/Hatfield, but nothing fit so I left it and incurred problems 70A - shot put/pole vault. Why? Because no way would there be Vs! Once I gave in a put RIVAL and EVENT then the double and triple scoops became clear OOV and OOOV were very clever!
O
V
🍦
Never heard of the Plastic ONO Band but otherwise a straightforward Wednesday!
3
@Ms Korunova
Here they are, John and Yoko, a love letter to New York and to each other. A tearjerker, at least for me. “Love”:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7er_xx7Wmg8
6
What a delight! I also found it fairly easy so extended my streak to 3. I blame doing it so fast for not noticing the middle vertical OOV, so didn't get the really clever trick until reading the column. I'm sad about that, as it's such an important part of the theme, but still enjoyed it immensely.
I'm probably the only one who would prefer the Pasta ALFREDO to ice cream, can't remember the last time I had a cone with any SCOOPS.
3
@suejean Congratulations, suejean, on your extended streak! I'm very proud that I was able to extend my own streak to 2, but it took me a couple of hours to do it. Despite the frustration of dealing with a rapidly failing memory, I stuck with it because the puzzle clues all seemed so logical, once I reached the right answer.
This has to be one of my favorite puzzles ever --- a real sweetheart.
2
Side notes for metrology addicts, re decimal separators: the decimal comma (not the point, or full stop) is the international standard for a certain number of scientific applications, legally mandated by the International Standards Organization (ISO). The decimal comma is actually the "official" decimal separator, as defined by the intergovernmental institution that deals with the units of measurement employed worldwide in industry and science, the BIPM (Bureau International des Poids et Mesures - International Bureau of Weights and Measures - located in Sèvres, France, just outside Paris). The metric system was established during the French Revolution in 1799, and the units defining that system are officially known as the Système International des Unités (SI). Fun factoid: the comma became the decimal separator because French already used the point to separate groups of integers into threes (1.000.000 = 1 million) whereas the comma was already used by the English for the same purpose, so they use the decimal point to separate the integers from the fractions. All publications from the BIPM are bilingual, FR/EN, with the French version first, the English second, and the official version upon which all of the scientific metrological decisions are made is always the French version. Inside the buildings that make up the BIPM, English is spoken. There is a US version of the BIPM, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), located in Gaithersberg, MD.
5
@Jeremiahfrog
The BIPM is overseen by The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM).
Resolution 10 of the 22nd CGPM, 2003
declared that:
- the symbol for the decimal marker shall be either the point on the line or the comma on the line, and,
reaffirmed that:
- Numbers may be divided in groups of three in order to facilitate reading; neither dots nor commas are ever inserted in the spaces between groups
Wonderful theme and puzzle. Only thing missing was NEAPOLITAN.
7
@Doug
As I recall the third flavor in a Neapolitan is strawberry.
I knew there would be a puzzle that would awaken me from the deep sleep my recent case of blogger’s block had induced. Thanks for rousing me from the personal ANOMALY with this gem PB, it sure was a sweet one...As a kid, part of the right to summertime passage was bellying up to a Boardwalk eatery to order a ‘scream samich. Right in front of your eyes, the waffle batter would be poured onto the iron. The irresistible and delicious aroma of the cake sizzling to a golden TAN was mouth watering. For me, it was VANILLA always, but you could have either CHOCOLATE or strawberry. B&R and Ho Jo, fuggedaboudit, with your laundry list of selections. A frozen slab from 1 of the 3 available flavors in the middle of two steaming hot waffles simply and sumptuously tops having to pick from 28. Well perhaps some crushed “Animal Crackers” or even OROES might be sprinkled inside the sammy for extra texture, but you would have to byo. Here’s Melanie Safka on today’s subject.
https://youtu.be/joblSKSV3Sc
I’m Baaaaaack,
Bru
10
@brutus
Welcome back.
3
@brutus
Nice to see you. Melanie holds a special status in our hippy-dippy household. Thanks for the song!
2
@Bru
Been missing you. Besides the waffle ice cream [yum], is it perchance your first name being Dave brought Bru Baaaaaack?
Jazzy.
This was fun. I always get my scoops in a cup after getting a double scoop cone at Baskin Robbins and knocking both scoops onto the ground a minute later.
4
LETTER BOXED
M-S(9), S-E(5). I’m expecting to find a 13 today.
3
@Andrew
Yes, I have the same.
Also, to make up for yesterday's dark phrase, I have:
I-L(11), L-S(8)
1
@Andrew
My first was M-D(5) D-G(9)
Then I turned to some external aids and determined that there are at least 7 13s available, enough for everybody to get their own.
@Phil P
Make that 8 13s, could be more
SPELLING BEE
A D I R W Y Z
Words: 25, Points: 87, Pangrams: 1
A x 8
D x 7
R x 4
W x 5
Y x 1
4L x 13
5L x 8
6L x 2
7L x 1
8L x 1
4 5 6 7 8 Tot
A 5 2 1 - - 8
D 3 4 - - - 7
R 2 2 - - - 4
W 2 - 1 1 1 5
Y 1 - - - - 1
Tot 13 8 2 1 1 25
52
@Mari AIRWARD is the only common(?) US word that seems to have been omitted. (DADA is still out).
Given the presence of W and Z, many non-english-origin words, such as WADI are possible, but do not appear.
There is one 'controversial' A4, which is a US slang word.
A certain Mr Potter will point you in the right direction.
7
@Mari today’s Queen Bee came quickly for me. I too tried wadi, but the dictionary says it’s Arabic. I’m not sure which A4 word is slangy or controversial.
1
@Kevin Davis Sorry - I meant R4.
I solved in average time. I don’t remember any 2 letter clues previously. I didn’t get the pictorial reference to OV, OOV, & OOOV till I solved the rest of the puzzle. Clever in hindsight.
@Kevin Davis - 1- and 2-letter fill is only allowed when it fits the theme or the trick of the puzzle in some way. The rule is that each square should be "doubly checked" (part of two things), so the theme has to be clear enough to check a single-square entry.
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Unchecked
1
@David Connell - That last link was for strictly unchecked letters.
This is a listing of the 1- and 2-letter grids. A surprising number of them are from the days of Ste. Margaret, the early 1940s. It seems that the stricter rule was maintained from then until 2004.
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Short
1
That ice cream is the TACO the town!
What an amazing theme. When I figured it out, I screamed.
14
@Mike Ha ha. I made a typo on "niblets" so mine came out to be a Yaco Truck. YUK!
2
@Beth White 😀🤣
This puzzle was so fun, and the ice cream SCOOPs were so cute and creative! Now I have to stream some COLUMBO to go with my ice cream. Columbo is a great show that still holds up. Btw, not only did Spielberg direct the first episode, it was written by Steven Bochco, who wrote Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue. And speaking of first, the first RAP video was Rapture by Blondie.
Skip to 1:53 (and that's Jean-Michel Basquiat next to Blondie):
https://youtu.be/pHCdS7O248g
15
@Chatte Cannelle
I find Blondie was more Punk Rock than Rap but thanks for the clip and the tip about Jean-Michael. I enjoyed, prior to the rap segment, when Debbie gives the brush off to her cheek-to-cheek dance partner...Here is another take on the tune with an on screen lyric included for those of you, like I, that found the tune’s words alien to your ear.
https://youtu.be/xMl1SEeC4fI
@Chat Chanelle
Not the first rap video, but the first to be broadcast on MTV.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture_(Blondie_song)
1
@vaer
I used to take that song in my head on my daily runs (part of the 80's I don't regret, except for my knees now). Focusing on a the words about the man from Mars, and the rhythm, made the miles go by, lickity-split.
2
Is there an archive of Letter Boxed solutions? I couldn’t solve Monday’s in two words (my personal goal), but by the time I checked this evening “yesterday” was already Tuesday.
1
@JB Lawton
There's no separate NYT archive for Letter Boxed. For recent puzzles, you can go to the main Wordplay page:
https://www.nytimes.com/column/wordplay
and select the proper day. For older puzzles, you can sometimes find links to the Wordplay column in archived puzzles, or you can go to xwordinfo.com, select a date, and hit the Wordplay link at the top of the screen.
1
@JB Lawton
No, but I had TICKLERS SOMEHOW, which was not Sam's given solution. Someone else will chime in. I keep a record of my own solutions, but not by date. It's just cause I can't remember them the next day otherwise!
Typically, it is valuable to check the prior day's Wordplay column to see if there were solutions written: out https://www.nytimes.com/column/wordplay Naturally, there weren't any to help you yesterday. There were hints on Monday, however . . . so maybe go look and see if it helps . . .
N.B.: https://www.nytimes.com/column/wordplay is a link that I think everyone should bookmark to be able to locate past columns for when that pesky time change to a new puzzle happens. Nothing ever really disappears off the internet. Except when it does.
1
@JB Lawton
Like Liane, I keep a record of my solutions but I don't date them. Judging by her solution, mine were TICKLISH HOMEWORK and WORMHOLES STICK.
1
Most fun I’ve had since August 31st!
Love the Beach Blanket Bingo video. A bit surprised by its risquéness, but the 50s (and 60s) are before my time.
Had to google GRAB BAR - something I’m sure will come in handy a few decades hence.
4
@Bill in Yokohama
Neither the '50s nor the '60s was really like that. Trust me.
Also, GRAB BARs are good things. Trust me even more.
2
@Deadline
I didn't/don't think the '50s or '60s was really like that - was surprised to see 50s/60s TV like that. (I'd thought TV of that era was all Leave it to Beaver and My Three Sons.)
and Elke
somehow I had 20D BISECTS and that started me on the wild goose chase (yea- the geese again) for a "banana"- fto create a "banana split" drizzled with CHOCOLATE syrup...
Despite the PLOY of having the OOOV crossing the AORTA, I am getting Breyer's Neapolitan and , to quote Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper R.I.P.)-, will try to apply a single scoop directly to my hips,,,or not.
This was TOTALly delicious fun.
9
And a small nit to pick: opiate is not morphinelike. morphine is an opiate.
1
@Dr. Gold
Any opiate but morphine is a morphinelike drug, no? Crossword clues need not be exclusive. As long as codeine, for example, can be called morphinelike, the clue is legit.
1
BTW, a pet peeve is calling Oxycontin an opiate. All opiates are opioids but not all opioids are opiates. But a (minor) casualty of the opioid crisis is the blurring that distinction in popular, and sometimes, technical conversation.
1
@Martin My feeling is that the set is not equivalent with the members of the set. So a New York Yankees-like organization might be the Boston Red Sox (I know, sacrilegious), but it would not be the American League East.
Perhaps "Any morphinelike drug." But again, picking nits.
Like Deb, TIL about Spielberg and COLUMBO. Perer Falk's character was one of the best ever on TV.
8
Exactly six months ago today, I completed my first NYT crossword. After a bumpy start I got the hang of it and just hit 100 straight.
This was a difficult summer for me, personally. I don’t know if any of you have had the experience, but doing the puzzle daily helped me through. Brief(?) escapes during trying times.
And a new community to boot!
Cheers!
57
@Dr. Gold
Well-done! It's a peaceful distraction and a welcome break to be here.
5
@Dr. Gold
Absolutely have had that experience. The puzzle and this forum are a daily oasis.
8
@Dr. Gold --
Welcome aboard!!
Hands up for crosswords during soul-trying times. I suspect there are many others.
5
Exactly six months ago today, I completed my first NYT crossword. After a bumpy start I got the hang of it and just hit 100 straight.
This was a difficult summer for me, personally. I don’t know if any of you have had the experience, but doing the puzzle daily helped me through. Brief(?) escapes during trying times.
And a new community to boot!
Cheers!
18
Dr. Gold,
Congratulations on your streak! I think you speak for many of us whose lives are made a little better with the challenge of completing the NYT crossword puzzle every day, and the community of solvers that we get to experience it with.
2
@NYC Traveler Many thanks!
@Dr. Gold
What NYC Traveler said.
They talk about work-life balance, but there are other important balances too, and some include fun and the challenge of puzzles.
2
Had gone out to Costco to pick up a berry sundae to put in the freezer for later, and came back to find this delicious puzzle! Just didn't last long enough... 😀
2
Ice cream, too, often don't last long enough.
1
LOVED this puzzle! Kudos to the constructor.
Funny, but now I want to eat a triple scoop ice cream cone while playing beach blanket bingo! Hmmmm...
1
Wow! I knew all the answers but two: 53D MCKAY and 66A MTA. When told I had at least one square wrong, I figured the place to start might be where I had MCKOY and MTO crossing. Bingo! For me these days, under 25 minutes is unusual for any day of the week (partly slow internet, maybe. Key strokes don't always show up immediately).
Long time since I've had a cone, even with just one O.
2
It ain't ice cream unless the first ingredient on the label is "cream". See (and eat) Tillamook
4
@ColoradoZ
How bout tiramisu, mousse, sorbet, ..... there are a lot of frozen confections that blur the distinctions.
1
@Dr W
Tiramisu - and gelato
Have to start looking for flights to Italy😁
Good choice in words, but I detest the two letter answer. Color me a purist, but I loved and hated it at the same time.
1
Between last night’s puzzle and this one, I’ve seen more of my favorite munchies than opening my fridge would yield.
And I’d be ever so tickled should tomorrow’s theme be anything pickled.
7
The TRIB was the higher circulation paper but I always bought the Sun-Times because I had to stand on the El on my way to work - its tabloid format was easier to fold
ColoradoZ,
That brought back a hazy recollection of instruction in NYC public elementary school on how to fold a broadsheet for subway or bus reading.
9
@Barry Ancona
Wow! You got taught that in grade school? Explains a lot.
When I came (home) to New York, I marveled at the subway fold but never learned to do it. When I was in my 30s, a coworker tried to teach it to me. She failed.
I guess it's like language. Better to start early.
Cute puzzle, but very easy for a Wednesday. Zipped through this as fast as eating a single-scoop cone on a 100-degree day.
5
@Ron O.
Speaking of 100 degree days, you would have had plenty of opportunity to zip thru your SINGLE dip cone this last week in Boulder
3
Don't CHASTEn me. I know it's a stretch, but this delightful puzzle made me think of this De-Lovely song, and it's a proven fact that ice cream tastes better with a little Ella.
https://youtu.be/r_W20SimGL4
6
@vaer It's delightful! Perfectly paired with today's delicious puzzle.
O
O
V
1
@vaer
No CHASTEning here. Some people call ice cream sprinkles “jimmys”. Saw Little Jimmy Scott at The Great American Music Hall twentysomething years ago. He was in his 70s, as was most of his band. They slayed. “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” (ain’t that the truth):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_VD3YeBmzi0
3
@Puzzlemucker
Jimmies is an east cost name.... However, one hasn't lived until they try the Dutch version known as hagelslag.
1
Just so happens that I have two flavors of homemade ice cream in the house, and I had treated myself before I started the puzzle. I use the Ben & Jerry's ice cream recipe book -- they know a little something about it :). The flavors today: Jerry's chocolate (the one that is cooked), with added mini chips, and coffee black walnut. Synchronicity and deliciousness combined :)
Oh yes, the puzzle -- enjoyed it :)
6
Lenin and Ono in the same puzzle. Nice!
18
Altera before ALTIMA; DOUBLE where SINGLE should have been; and momentary panic when I couldn't remember if Costello was Bud or LOU.
But it all got sorted. A delightful puzzle.
2
@vaer
And loved that the point of mathematics is the DECIMAL.
7
@vaer Yes, that was quite clever!
1
What a delicious puzzle! There just aren't enough puzzles about ice cream, with pictures of ice cream cones. So tasty I want to raid the freezer right now. I have some CHOCOLATE and strawberry, but alas, no VANILLA or PISTACHIO ice cream. I do have some PISTACHIO nuts, though. Very fun theme. At first I was wondering how could there be a two-letter word At 14D?? That's against the rules! But it's not a word, it's a SINGLE SCOOP of ice cream. Yum!
Nice misdirection At 27A. I was initially thinking of a type of car rather than a competing scientist.
4
@Stephanie. Also, so adorable that the constructor was inspired by his daughter's letter play. Kids are amazing! I love the synergy of the creativity.
5
Thoroughly enjoyable puzzle tonight.
Unfortunately no ice cream in the house!
5
Agree with everyone, a delightful confection of a puzzle, quick and creative. And now for some McConnell’s Chocolate Covered Strawberries... 😋
2
I L L L this puzzle!
O O O
V O O
E V O
D E V
D E
D
Dang, Puzzlemucker scooped me😒
17
@Mike R
You outscooped me, and yours is more theme-consistent. Plus, yours look more realistic — the TRIPLE SCOOP appears to be tilting.
9
What a charming puzzle! Loved it!
2
The ANOMALY of OV at 14D gave away the PLOY. Filled in the DOUBLE and TRIPLE SCOOPs. That's a great deal of fun, even if not particularly erudite. I mean, who cares?
Not only is it very food-oriented - with the ice cream theme and the flavors and TACO, ALFREDO, GELATIN, NIBLETS, and of course, OREOS, the drinks MILLER, PORT (the wine), there was also a bit of a sports mini theme with NFL, OTT,, LOU (for Gehrig instead)...and SINGLE, DOUBLE and TRIPLE.
Just remember after the NOSH to brush your PEARL-y whites lest the members of the ADA come after you.
10
Heavenly puzzle for a foodie and ice cream lover. So much fun I was sorry when it ended. 🍦
6
OK OK, you talked me into it. I'm going to the store for ice cream. :)
8
@K Barrett
I was going to say the same thing. It’s good to be out west when a puzzle like this comes out because Baskin Robbins is still open!
(Sorry, Easterners...)
5
Sam,
For some of us back east, 10 p.m. is not too late to stroll out for some ice cream...
https://vanleeuwenicecream.com/location/west-village/
3
And I find it a bit more interesting than B-R...
https://vanleeuwenicecream.com/flavors/
2
Took me a while to see the single, double, and triple scoops, but I thought this was very clever. Technically, an atom is not considered an elementary particle because an atom itself consists of even smaller particles such as a nucleus and electrons. However, it was clear what you meant. Enjoyed the puzzle very much.
6
@Robert Kern
An atom is the smallest amount of an element (like a molecule is the smallest amount of a compound). At least that’s how I took it.
1
@Doug
I suggest the following rephrasing: either "elementary units to Dalton" or "elementary units to Democritus". Both were early proponents of the atomic nature of matter.
Very cute!
TIL: Spielberg/COLUMBO, too, Deb
Favorite: EDISON
Least: OREOS, but at least it matched up with the theme for once!
I enjoyed the visual, once I caught on.
Instead of lunch today, I had an ice cream sandwich. I saw one on Saturday and was thinking about it ever since, so I thought, oh go ahead. Now I am thinking about a chocolate cone. Uh-oh.
2
@Ann
Now I want to watch the Columbo episode to see if I can spot the seeds of greatness. Lol.
2
@vaer
Maybe the rumpled trench coat was all Stephen!
Very fast for a Wednesday. Missed the fact that the flavours cross the cones. Still, after that high calorie workout I was worried I might TOTAL my AORTA.
Concerning FORTE meaning loud, the other day we had PIANO clued as soft. In fact the instrument we call a PIANO is more correctly called a PIANOFORTE - that’s right, a “soft loud”. Oddly enough it actually began its existence as a FORTEPIANO. The name was appropriate because the hammers hitting the strings could produce a full dynamic range, while the older harpsichord had its strings plucked at essentially one dynamic level.
There, you’ll never have an F in music again!
21
@Andrew
Unless we're thinking of flute.
1
Sweet!
1
Fast, cute, and fun!
1
L
O
O
V
ED IT. POW! worthy Wednesday, IMO.
13
For New Yorkers, Mister Softee:
O O
V V
V
2
Maybe I was the only one who ordered the Mister Softee "double cone" - chocolate and vanilla side by side. Or maybe that's not a very TROMPE l'oeil representation.
2
@Puzzlemucker
Also for NYers.
For the last couple of years there's been some sort of ordinance or whatever that makes the food-vending trucks with music turn it off when they're parked. So we have at long last been spared that horrible, awful, no-good, brain-melting sound of the Mister Softee truck.
Those who actually eat the stuff have only their stuff to blame, but at least those of us who don't don't have to listen!
Great puzzle! So happy to see Lickety Split, my local ice cream joint in the column photo! A nice surprise for a Wednesday.
2
My dessert tonight was a SINGLE SCOOP of VANILLA with a bunch of CHOCOLATE chips on it. A DOUBLE or TRIPLE SCOOP would have been way too much! The chips added the perfect touch.
I noticed the minor asymmetry above OV when I filled in those letters, but at that point had no idea what was going on, other than that something was.
The place where I volunteer got a new copier today. It's big and shiny and black, and we were calling it DARTH copier.
12
@Liz B - mine was a single tiny scoop of chocolate covered vanilla cone. Yum!
2
@Liz B
To each his own--a DOUBLE or TRIPLE can never be too much😂
2
Easy for a Wednesday, but fun. I liked the scoops-and-cones motif.
1
Oof! I got it anyway.
2
very cute. I wondered at the first OV and the OOV, but cottoned on at OOOV. Wouldn't mind having a CHOCOLATE SCOOP right now instead of the orange I'm eating!
3
Not only does football have hikes, once the players line up, they don't go until the hike. That's why they "go on hikes."
20
@Alan J
Very perceptive as always!
3
Adorable, delightful. One of my favorites of the year.
5
They’re cones!
It’s a cookbook!
9