Well - - that was EXHAUSTING!
NOT!!
I’ve only known the expression as “down the pike.” And I, also, thought perfect pitch was referring to music and a pitch pipe was involved somehow. So, a little confusing, but still fun. Never thought of baseball.
Thank you for including your soapbox. We reduce the GNIQ (gross national IQ) very day we ignore the effect that lead in pipes has on our children. Think of it as turning potential Thursday solvers into Monday only solvers.
Enjoyed the puzzle very much.
Enjoyed reading everyone’s comments as well.
Was it on purpose that the treasure on the Spanish Main was also a piece of eight (8D)?
2
My problem is with the answer for the rector clue.
A rector is an Episcopal or Anglican priest and that priest lives in a “rectory “, not a manse.
I have known of the homes of Presbyterian or Methodist ministers referred to as manses but have never heard of the home of a Rector referred to as a manse.
I believe that both the OED AND WEBSTER’S support my assertions.
James Dungan
(former member of the Vestry of my Episcopal Church and not a particularly strict doctrinaire member , or as our daughter once said “ Spirituality and your name do not really go together very well”)
2
Late, late, late, but I enjoyed the puzzle. I knew HALF PIPE, but I'm in the "DOWN THE PIKE" crowd. (As in 'turnpike'...) Have listened to a lot of radio coverage of baseball, and never heard DOWN THE PIPE. Let's ask Joe Morgan or some of the other stellar players who turned to broadcasting after retirement....
congrats to our new Constructor! I love WRENs.
2
A different kind of pipe appeared roughly a year ago (Sunday NYtimes) - Homage to Rene Margrite's Ceci n'est pas une pipe
( https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/23/2018) - Different kind of art for pipe
5
Spoiler alert:
Solved letterboxed in two words (to my surprise):
BLOWBACK
KITCHEN
Also I really enjoyed your baseball announcers and your column about curling, Deb. So funny!
3
I had idea until I read Deb's column that the perfect pitch in the puzzle was about baseball and not music. Makes a lot more sense now. I solved the puzzle anyway, though. I realized that PIPE was the missing word even before I got to the revealer. Fun puzzle!
9
Thank you, @Stephanie. You just come sit right here next to me.
11
@Stephanie
Hand up for thinking music rather than baseball at first for "perfect pitch"--the more so because a cappella singers often use a pitch PIPE to get started on the right note.
2
ODIUM reminded me of this clerihew (from 1905)
Sir Humphry Davy
Abominated gravy.
He lived in the odium
Of having discovered sodium.[5]
Many examples are available on Wikipedia (please contribute to its fundraising drive today..
2
Please tell Deb and John Wrenholt that the term is "down the pipe." It was coined in the 50s by renown Cleveland Indians broadcaster Jimmy Dudley, and it has been appropriate many times since by more modern baseball broadcasters.
Also, please tell Deb her column today made me laugh out loud--literally.
Jean Heller
3
That dancing parakeet is fantastic!
@Stephanie
Yeah, but what's up with its buddy?!
@Ron. I was also wondering why the other parakeet didn't seem to be having as much fun.
1
reminded me of trump and clinton in one of the debates
2
@Steve L
DOWN THE PIPE. Thank you thank you for the baseball explanation ! Very clear and a pleasure to visualise, until the “danger of walking the batter” which I will need time to reflect on. And to think I consider my self sport savvy enough because I know the offside rule!
I sent this before but it disappeared ( I guess behind a third message wall) and I am sending again because, Steve, I really wanted you to know I appreciated your post.
2
Laura,
Your reply is there; are you not seeing it because it is the fourth reply on the thread? (I noted that your sports savvy was different, not lesser. I'm watching Spurs right now; you?)
1
@Laura rodrigues In london. When you've figured out walking the batter, then you can take on the infield fly rule. And when you have that figured out you can explain it to the rest of us. Nobody understands the infield fly rule.
1
@Laura rodrigues In london
I replied a couple of hours ago about walking the batter, but it's been held up. I think because it contained the word for a pitch that isn't a strike, which can be a rude slang word if you're a 9-year-old boy.
In case it never appears, here's the basics: A batter is walked (gets first base free) if four pitches are made outside the strike zone (a rectangular area where the batter is expected to attempt to hit the ball), unless the batter swings at them. If the batter misses or takes three good pitches (strikes), he strikes out.
Most pitchers have good control their pitches, and some of them pitch outside the strike zone intentionally, with movement on the ball, to entice the batter to hit a bad pitch. Batters with good discipline don't offer at those pitches. Thus, a pitcher may find himself at a point ("behind in the count") where he is in danger of walking the batter.
At that point, if he determines that the batter will take the pitch (not swing no matter what), he will pitch it right down the middle of the zone, where a swinging batter may clobber it far. He gambles that the batter will not swing, in order to get a walk, but the batter may swing if it's tempting enough. The result:
https://twitter.com/Marlins/status/1042201006438703109
The notation 2-0 (bottom right) shows the count; the pitcher is behind, with no strikes. Note the strike zone and the location of the pitch. Perfect pitch--for the batter. RIGHT DOWN THE PIPE (or PIKE).
1
Very easy Wednesday (half the time of yesterday’s puzzle). Fun theme though. Thanks!
3
@Mr. Mark
Same here. Both were good, but yesterday's surprised me by how challenging it was.
2
@Mr. Mark, @Renegator
Ditto here.
PS: Only thing missing is a reference to opera singers -- who are said to have great pipes (and all with perfect pitch).
4
Could one say this one is a pipe dream of a puzzle? :-)
Nicely done -- also caught the two long vertical "themers" before I read Deb's note.
1
Love baseball, and we are at the most exciting time of the season. Loved this tribute to some great pitching. Love the up and coming Flaherty and Hudson!
2
Go Cards!
@Linda Grant
Really enjoyed both the puzzle and your column today!
4
Not pipe. Not pike, either. To my mind it was all a series of tubes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cZC67wXUTs
Footnote:
As my illiteracy knows no end, I thought the constructor has misused "leach" in his comments. Confirming his correct usage and my lexicographic inadequacy, I came across this at m-w.com:
Test Your Vocabulary
Fill in the blanks to complete a verb that means "to assign lodging to (someone, such as solider) by official order":
b _ l _ _ t.
Maybe the internet is just a series of spellcheckers.
3
"I got it into my head that this had something to do with the perfect pitch of a singer."
I am sure that David Connell will agree with me that this assumption is hardly a given. ;-)
1
@Andrew - Hah! Called out. I've been reading and trying to absorb the baseball explanations of "perfect pitch" and the pipe thingy. It seems to be as complicated a thing in baseball as it certainly is in music!
Nice pipes.
3
@David Connell
The most salient thing to know about a baseball "perfect pitch" is that depending on whether you're looking from the perspective of the pitcher or the batter, the "perfect pitch" can either be a nasty pitch with so much movement that the batter thinks it's going to be high and outside, but it winds up a foot off the ground and over the plate, and he swings and misses by two feet, (pitcher's perspective), or a fastball (i.e. no movement) thrown right down the middle of the plate, belt high (the very definition of DOWN THE PIPE or PIKE) and he can smash it into the upper deck for a home run.
Actually, a pitch RIGHT DOWN THE PIPE is far from a perfect one, since it is quite susceptible to being hit deep into the outfield bleachers. A perfect pitch would be one that just nips the corner of the strike zone--or at least convinces the UMP that it did so.
3
It is, indeed, a perfect pitch to hit. And with a little imagination, if the pitch comes DOWNTHEPIPE, it will follow the trajectory approximated by the shaded squares.
2
@Dave S
As Steve notes, "perfect" depends on whether it is from the pitcher's or the batter's perspective.
@Dave S
3-0 fastball RIGHT DOWN THE PIPE is perfect. Otherwise, hello AAA.
3
Nice puzzle, though quick for a Wednesday as others have mentioned. There were a number of gimmes along the way, but I think it was the theme that made it unusually easy. I had thought of TAILpipe when I read the clue for 24a but deferred. Then when I saw the Lincoln clue I knew what that had to be; the light went on and all the themers filled in immediately, with the reveal not long after. That just provided a solid foothold almost everywhere.
I guess I'm the first one to raise an eyebrow at 'Stable base' in the clue for OILPLATFORM. Between that and 'DOWNTHEPIPE' I couldn't help but think of something that happened in deepWATER a few years ago.
3
So far this week, each puzzle has been faster than the day before.
Have to say I'm not familiar with either DOWN THE PIPE or DOWN THE PIKE, at least in the sense used here. I thought things coming "down the pipe" were ideas in discussion but not yet rolled out.
But I managed to solve the puzzle anyway. The theme reminded me of a card game I used to like as a child. The cards were pictures of pipes and pipe junctions and you tried to get rid of your cards by adding them into the plumbing configuration, creating in the process a tangle of gravity-defying pipes no plumber would approve.
Ah, here it is -- https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/333/waterworks
1
@Jess Not sure is a cross atlantic difference or not, but in my experience being processed but not yet complete is said to be " on the pipeline".
@Laura Rodrigues in London
We say "in the pipeline" here in the States the same way (some may say "on"), but this is baseball. It has nothing to do with something that will be coming, but rather something that just arrived.
In baseball, if a pitch is thrown right down the middle of the strike zone where it's easy to hit, it's "down the pipe" or "down the pike", depending if the speaker is envisioning a straight turnpike or a piece of straight plumbing. (Both variations are in use currently, although I believe the turnpike version came first.)
Such a pitch is fairly easy to hit far, since it's in a part of the strike zone (the area where a pitched ball is considered "good" as in acceptable to swing at), and a good batter doesn't have to compensate his swing in any way to hit it. It also means the ball has no deceptive movement, which also contributes to its being easy to hit.
But when a pitcher is in danger of walking the batter (a free base after four "balls", or pitches that miss the strike zone and aren't swung at), he may make such a pitch on purpose, counting on the batter to take such a pitch (let it go by) in order to draw a walk.
For whom this type of pitch is a "perfect pitch" depends on whose perspective you're taking, and the situation.
2
Fun puzzle! Nice clues! It just goes to show: I enjoyed this very much knowing close to nothing about baseball ( or pipes...)! Had church tower and considered clock tower (!) before WATER TOWER. Title for a film noir: FATAL SHADY WIN. I had PAGER before beeper but decide to read up the difference: Wikipedia uses both but prefers the use of beeper for the one way pager, transmitting a beep and no text, while pagers can include texts in both directions. The system was patented in 1949, and the first practical application was in hospitals in NY in 1950s, with continuous improvements in the following decades. Widely used by the 80s; replaced quite fast by cellphones and smartphones on the 2000s. Surprisingly, they are still widely used by as emergency services and are crucial when cell phones are disabled by natural or man made disasters. One advantage of one way pagers is that since there is no response the location of the person receiving can not be tracked. They were widely used in the 90s by drug dealers, and were once called “the most dominant symbol of the drug trade”.
2
Apropos as today I have to drain pipes for the winter. Only missing fill was ell.
Speedy solve and error free. My puzzle ego (emu is my puzzle SPIRIT animal) is in fine fettle as we head into the weekend,
I liked the theme of sass with fill like odium, spleen and attitude.
Thanks John
3
@dk
I can only infer from your first sentence that you are not "Now in Mississippi".
5
@Andrew
Takes a "northerner" to notice that one, doesn't it? LOL
2
dk has heavily hinted to a summer existence in the land of Meese. That said, I initially read his "drain [the] pipes" in a completely different way...
1
Congratulations on your first puzzle! A fun one. I love baseball & enjoyed your perspective on the announcers' inanity, Deb. Seems every baseball town has an announcer or color guy everyone loves to hate. I love one of "our" guys, but we make fun of him in my house for saying "cheese" all the time.
Hand up for "beeper" before PAGER. I had to carry a beeper for one week out of the month for a couple of years in the 1980's, thereby robbing me of 24 weeks of fun I should have been having in my 20's. I even named my cat Beeper, symptom of Stockholm syndrome in a way, I guess.
4
@Ann
And you didn’t spell it Bepurr?
2
@Sam Lyons
Haha!
1
I'd like to be able to leave a longer comment, but my trusty basset hound is sitting 2 feet away from me staring unblinkingly. He believes it's time for me to eat my breakfast and will continue to stare at me until I do so. My life is being run by a dog.
This was on the easy side for me, but the fill and theme were enjoyable. I don't use the phrase "down the _____" very often, but I think when I do it's pipe. I say "I think" because once you realize that there are two options, you can imagine yourself using either - if that makes any sense at all...
Off to have breakfast!
5
@Steve Faiella
LOL re “My life is being run by a dog.” Even though my dog doesn’t run anymore, she definitely runs my life. Exhibit A:
Scene (5:00 a.m. this morning, my bedroom):
Dog: Whimper, whimper, whimper . . . sharp bark.
Me: “Lie down”.
Dog: (Pauses, comes to my side of bed). Loud bark.
Wife: “Don’t get up!”
Me: “But I have to go to the bathroom now. I have to get up. Sorry.” (Gets up from bed, plods downstairs bleary-eyed).
Dog: (Follows downstairs, tail wagging)
[Day begins]
When it comes to a baseball PITCH (PIPE), the expression is definitely (no ifs, ands or buts), RIGHT DOWN THE PIPE.
5
@Puzzlemucker
That's how my day starts too! Every day between 4 and 5 AM. 😄
1
@Steve Faiella. My and my son George often disagree about how much to do what our beagle Cafuné asks for. George says I overempathize. I was discussing this with a friend, expecting advice on how to negotiate this conflict with George, and my friend said :Tell me what you think Cafuné is feeling....
1
This was more Monday worthy than Wednesdayish.
2
@Skeptical1
Indeed, though enjoyable, it was much more Monday than this Monday's puzzle. More time for chores, I guess.
1
@Skeptical1
I must disagree. I try to do the Monday puzzles by looking only at the across clues, and get the down answers exclusively from the crosses. I seldom manage it, but I almost always come within a few answers. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere with this puzzle by that method.
I caught on with STOVE PIPE, which explained the first two and helped with the rest. Although a baseball fan at one time, the expression was not really familiar to me, so looked it up afterwards, and came across the PIPE/pike controversy, which sounded vaguely familiar.
This continues a week of very clever puzzles, lots of fun to solve. Congratulations to John.
7
@deb -- Your opening cracked me up!
I liked that many of the clues played with words that have more than one meaning -- Tony, party, figure, Poles, mixer, slam. I also liked what seemed to me to be a mini-reveal, STEPS. Then there is a nice cross of FLOAT and AIRSHIPS, and lovely clues for UMP, SEDER, WIN, and NASA. There was an undertone of anger (SPLEEN, ODIUM, TEMPERS, DIS, and IRE) balanced by AWE, OLE, and the awards.
I had to think for a moment to remember PAGERS. Has it been that long, or is it just me?
This was quick and enjoyable. Thank you, John. You smoked it.
7
For years I never knew there was more to "Home on the Range" than the first verse and the chorus. Then I heard Ian Tyson sing it on his album "And Stood There Amazed". The second verse amazed me as did his singing of it.
"How often at night when the heavens are bright
With the light from the glittering stars
Have I stood here amazed and asked as I gazed
If their glory exceeds that of ours."
I can't find a link to a free version of his song. There are probably many others.
That verse puts human carping in perspective. It never fails to connect me to wonder.
16
@Peter Jackel
Very timely, as Ken Burns' documentary "Country Music" just covered the singing cowboy era. Here's the King of the Cowboys, Gene Autry, with that second verse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJJGikSD9ho
6
@Peter Jackel
"... and asked as I gazed
If their glory exceeds that of ours."
I'm not sure who the we of "ours" are and what their glory might be, but if it's on a level with that of the practically infinite, I want some.
1
@Peter Jackel
I found this quite readily. It is a bit mellower than the Gene Autry version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7mlk5EiQqE
LETTER BOXED THREAD
C-T (7) T-E (7) There may be a 13 but found this on my first try (2nd word first) and think it to be a fun pairing
4
@ColoradoZ
13:
T-K(5), K-E(8)
K-E(8), E-C(5)
2
@Mari
Haven’t looked at today’s yet, but yesterday I had HOMEBIRDS (9), SLAG (4).
1
I spent far too long on this one, due to the fact that I initially neglected to consider a common suffix.
Now I feel rather T-K(5), as the solution was so K-E(8).
2
SPELLING BEE
L B I K N O T
Words: 42, Points: 120, Pangrams: 1, Perfect: 1, Bingo: yes
B x 14
I x 1
K x 7
L x 12
N x 1
O x 1
T x 6
4L x 29
5L x 4
6L x 2
7L x 5
8L x 1
9L x 1
4 5 6 7 8 9 Tot
B 9 2 1 1 1 - 14
I - - - 1 - - 1
K 4 1 - 2 - - 7
L 10 1 1 - - - 12
N - - - - - 1 1
O 1 - - - - - 1
T 5 - - 1 - - 6
Tot 29 4 2 5 1 1 42
47
@Mari missing T 7 I’ll keep trying. The only words here I haven’t found in recent puzzles was the pangram I7 that’s used in a psychology test, a similar B6 slang word meaning drunk, and a B8 blackbird that sounds like a computer protocol.
8
@Kevin Davis silly me got the T7 after a couple tries. It’s another word I’ve not seen in the puzzle, a compound word with a T4 and a baby fox.
4
@Kevin Davis. The T7 is composed of a T4 you already have plus a suffix. I agree many of the word are familiar from recent Bees so a very quick solution this morning!
4
Well, OIL be (using my PLATFORM), that was a fun puzzle!
Had to
E
P
I
P
about it.
15
@Mike
Very clever. Keep ‘em coming, Mike, i.e., don’t PIPE down.
1
I, too, know the expression as DOWN THE PIkE. But that didn’t stop me from getting a Wednesday PB on this one (and having some fun)!
2
Wow! I caught on to what the gray was for as soon as I got to 49D WIND and saw that the same thing would work if I wrote STOVE for 29D. ATTITUDE corrected my only bad guess of the night, SHAkY. I almost never finish even a Monday in under 20 minutes. For me a puzzle doesn't have to be hard to be a delight.
3
and Elke
The plumber was by recently (both in a puzzle and our place) so pipes (both old, but not LEADed) were on my mind.
While I thought it was a HALF PIkE in a skating park, TAIL and STOVE straightened me out. Even without the requisite PIPE wrench.
J.W.- How long was this neat puzzle in Will Shortz' s PIPE LINE before you could sit back and enjoy this accomplishment ? It's no longer a PIPE DREAM.
5
@R/Elke, a belated thanks for birthday wishes on behalf of all LEOs!!
Say... wasn't LETME an opera by LEO Delibes? With all appropriate Delibes-eration, here's the well-known Flower Duet therefrom. Though they aren't ASTERS or WINDflowers, they're SHEER SPIRITED and (as advertised) much less HOHUM than 'hot'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kij_hHB_hyY
3
@Leapfinger - your opera recollections Lak a certain sumpin.
https://youtu.be/d-PmAQ9Opu4?t=34
1
@DavidC
I knew you’d think of sumpin’ just lak me!
1
I LOVE the cockatoo video! Thanks, Deb!
10
I feel bad for the female cockatoo. She needs a #MeToo button.
3
Anyone got an explanation for OBIE--Tony's counterpart? I'm scratching my head over here--only solved it through the crosses!
off Broadway theater award
6
Thank you!
To reinforce previous comments, the archive online also lists John Wrenholt as the creator of 1/16/17. This is at least his second puzzle. He's an old hand at this! Good puzzle.
2
Yesterday’s smiley face cookie made me think of @Floyd, who when paper solving draws smiley faces next to clever clues and whose comments I have missed seeing for a while now. “Feast without yeast” for SEDER and “Launch party?” for NASA *might* earn smiley faces from Floyd.
I liked the doubling — two clues/entries featuring “features” of Cobra and Cockatoo, and two others referring to Tony AWARD — and I liked the visually arresting grid. Not just the pipe but also the staircase effect from the parallel diagonal black squares, which cleverly had STEPS running between them. Very visually appealing.
As for the solve, it ran as fast as the whitetail DEER I saw bouncing into some woods early this morning. I GNU my stuff didn’t have to duck, or MALLARD, once. Then again, tomorrow’s Thursday, so I better not get too Cockytoo.
7
GNU my stuff and didn’t have to . . .
^
What was that mantra that RMP gave us yesterday: Read, reread, hastily try to edit, overlook error, press submit.
1
Congratulations on making it to the majors Mr. Wrenholt. The puzzle was a fun one. I think it may have been somewhat less difficult than a typical Wednesday, but the theme was pretty well disguised. DOWN THE PIPE have me the aha moment I like to experience in a themed puzzle.
Cubs fan here. 🐻⚾
:-)
4
I got WATERTOWER right away. We spent a week visiting relatives in Iowa and Missouri last month, and saw a lot of them (water towers, that is).
Also, a fun fact about AIRSHIPS: The current fleet of Goodyear blimps are actually semi-rigid airships built by the German Zeppelin company. By definition, a blimp has no rigid hull structure, so the “Goodyear blimps” are technically not blimps.
4
@Peter Ansoff
Love your parenthetical clarification...
3
@Peter
Apropos of yesterday’s theme, the WATER TOWER in Adair, IA will put you IN GOOD SPIRITS
https://images.app.goo.gl/HPuNBM1EHULXtQHD6
Also in Iowa, the MALLARD welcome sign is humorous
http://iowabackroads.com/welcome-sign-mallard-iowa/
And one more Iowa WATER TOWER
https://images.app.goo.gl/soYejA4ZkrHy78a57
4
Understand why they stick with calling it a blimp. "Goodyear Zeppelin" just wouldn't fly
1
Very good debut. I like how the shaded PIPE entries actually look like they connect. It wasn't HO HUM for sure.
Liked the clue for NASA.
Interesting petroleum theme about some of the entries - OIL PLATFORM, GAS STATION, DOWN THE PIPE. WATER TOWER doesn't fit too much, but there are TOWERS. When the they hit "black gold", the oil SPEWS. However, when they spill off SHORES, they FLOAT on the ocean.
Now, Deb's write up about ELISE - it's a little unfortunate, but when I saw "Für her", I thought of a different word which is if you combined those two words together and swapped the 3rd and 4th letter. I didn't want to be reminded of it, but I doubt I'll be the only one seeing it. OWIE. Sorry Deb.
PANDA being symbol of China...really? It might be the mascot, but I don't know if I'd call it symbol of the country.
2
Hi Deb,
I think you misinterpreted John's term "theme words" in the notes for Today's Theme. You do find pipes at a gas station, a water tower and an oil platform, but the *word* pipe does not and is not meant to show up in any of them.
(Pipes up; pipe down?)
6
I thought it was the hidden second half to all of them.
2
@Barry Ancona
Frankly, I think the Constructor Notes are ambiguous on this point. PIPE *could* follow the first word of the three “added” theme entries, which is often a feature of themers (e.g., “. . . or what could follow the first word of 17A, 11D, 28D”).
WATER (PIPE)
GAS (PIPE)
OIL (PIPE)
I’m not sure whether those three are theme-related or themers, or perhaps both depending on one’s druthers.
Then again, it’s early morning, and I might have misinterpreted your comment.
2
Puzzlemucker,
Sure, *another* theme could be "follows the first word of these two-word answers," but that's not this theme. Also, in the column, Deb inserts [pipe] in the first two but not the third.
2
—4D: When you see the noun “figure” in a clue, think person if there is no statistical or monetary answer, and vice versa. The “Ballpark figure” in this puzzle is the UMP.
But there is a monetary answer: EST(IMATE). An ESTIMATE is often called a “ballpark figure”, so much so that “ballpark it for me” has verbed “ballpark”. Good misdirection!
2
@Steve L
I momentarily thought of that, but "EST" is an abbreviation, and there is no abbreviation in the clue.
3
@Mary A.
Well, I didn't say it was the right answer...and by the way, UMP is a shortening, too.
1
Steve,
UMP (for umpire) is read and said as such, but EST (for estimate) is not, so UMP does not need and EST does need an abbreviation signal in the clue, as Mary correctly observed.
But you're right (of course); you didn't say it was the right answer.
It's definitely "down the pike" as in "turnpike*, a long straight highway...
1
@David
It IS, or it's SUPPOSED TO BE?
From Wikipedia:
down the middle
Over the middle portion of home plate, often refers to the location of pitches. Also referred to as down the pipe, down the pike, down Main Street, down Broadway, and, in Atlanta, down Peachtree. Very different from up the middle.
@David
Originally (dating to the 17th century), "turnpike" referred to a toll gate - a pike, or pole, that stops you from proceeding until you have paid the toll, whereupon it is turned to allow passage. It evolved to mean a toll road. Many roads that bear the name "turnpike" today were toll roads at one time, and retained the name when the tolls were removed.
@David
Part of whether you prefer down the 'pike' or 'pipe' may be your regional vernacular. Back East, there are a lot of roads called 'turnpikes', while in the midwest they're more likely to be called 'toll roads' or 'freeways' (Kansas being an exception). Your mileage (and costs) may vary.
According to Jeff Chen's blog, John Wrenholt's debut puzzle was on January 16, 2017. This is his second puzzle for the NYT.
3
Thanks, @Bobbie and @CR, I've corrected it in the column.
3
According to xwordinfo, this is John Wrenholt's second crossword puzzle in the NYT. He first debuted on January 16, 2017.
2
@CR
That appears in Deb's 5th paragraph.
Great fun! Was this easier than Tuesday folks?
8
@Susan
My Wednesday time was indeed faster than my Tuesday time. These things can be pretty fluid, though. What I happen to know can connect with the constructor’s brain – or not. It’s all part of the fun. I have learned not to be too concerned about the ticking clock. Just enjoy. And I enjoyed this one.
4
@Sue Koehler
Agreed, on all points! And actually I too am not usually into the time game, however, this one was soo fast, I just had to note it.
I typically don’t race through a puzzle; I stop to savor many of the clue-answer pairings simply because I love the delightful puns or I learn something so unique I just have to follow that further later with some fun web research.
This is why I (I say this not caring if it seems like a plug) I love my NYT news and xword subscription!
🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓 And I love being a nerd!
7
Call me old fashioned, but my southern idiom is and has been "coming down the pike". I got the theme quickly, but then hesitated on the reveal. But it was a fun Wed! For those in NY, SPLEEN must hurt for you and Sam Darnold (out with mono --OWIE). Oh, so THAT's a bagatelle! (not a small bagel?). Still happy from the previous puzzle!
4
Again, theme helpful here. More AWE. Nobody's saying PIPE DOWN, here!
2
A nice quick solve. I loved the “announcer exchange.”
In my house I do a version of it after a football game. I recap all the, “We went out there and gave it our best, I’m so proud of my guys, they really left it all out there, we’ve been working really hard this season, we were so awesome, but the other guys really went out there and gave it their best, and you’ve gotta admire them, they really left it all out there, you can see how hard they’ve worked this season, and they’re just so awesome.” Punctuation may vary depending on the level of windedness of the quarterback in question.
I only do it if it’s a game outside of the conferences my alma maters play in, otherwise I’m too emotional and/or still yelling at the TV.
My husband cracks up because he’s a good egg even though my schtick is now a decade-stale.
11
The part I really like is the pre-game exchange with the coach. “Our strategy is to move the ball down the field, so that we can get it into the end zone and score.”
6
@Peter Ansoff
I know. It blows my mind every time. All those hours developing NSA-encoded hand signals etc. and then they give away their whole game plan just like that.
9
@Sam Lyons
On the New York Mets home broadcasts, we have Gary Cohen on play-by-play, with ex-Met stars Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez as color commentators. Cohen is an excellent play-by-play man, and Darling and Hernandez also do admirable jobs as well (I like Darling a little bit more than Hernandez). For a non-athlete, Cohen has the chops to be an analyst if he were to be put in the role. For ex-athletes, Darling and Hernandez do remarkably well as broadcasters.
There's very little of the patter that Deb satirizes in the column. When I am forced to watch the Mets on Fox or ESPN, or when I happen to be in the room when someone is watching the Yankees (a thing that never happens in our house), I realize how good these guys are.
1
Congratulations on your debut, John Wrenholt. I trust getting published was at one time just a [pipe] dream.
21
@Barry Ancona
I kept looking for “dream” to be part of the theme.
Fun solve this morning.
1
Please accept *belated* congratulations.