To Barry Ancona --
Aha. JASA is a crossword class for older people, not school kids. Possibly I had read that at sometime in the past, but I certainly didn't remember it today. Anyway I'm relieved to hear it: it means that I shouldn't consider my own school years as having been deprived, crossword puzzle-wise. I was suffering from a bit of FO[H}MO (fear of having missed out).
Nancy,
The lead to Deb's column today:
The Jewish Association Serving the Aged, which serves older adults in New York City, runs a program called “Sundays at J.A.S.A.,” a series of enrichment classes. One of these classes is called “Get a Clue!” and it is a dandy way to learn how to make crossword puzzles from published puzzle makers, providing that you are over the age of 55.
I’m sure I’m not the first to mention that a tipped dart bounces off the wire and meets the floor. No points.
I breezed through 42D, and it was only until I read this post that I realized it was supposed to be wordplay. Perhaps I watch too many legal dramas?
TIL wet hanging hair is LANK not DANK!
1
and Elke
to coin a phrase:
A puzzle without comments/wordplay, is like a day without sunshine :(
PS-did enjoy the au courant BREXIT puzzle by the J.A.S.A.
1
So very clever. I much enjoyed every theme entry and many of the others too. I've taken to printing my favorites to see how others in the office enjoy them and this one will be a definite addition.
1
I was NORMCORE long before there was a word for it
3
Yep, me too. Never heard the term, but I'm it.
Really nice mix of clues from current events and popular culture. Excellent example of how crosswords can get you to think about topics you hadn't for a while. Much thanks and appreciation to J.A.S.A., Natan Last, and Andy Kravis for a lovely morning well spent.
I think lots of people have been dressing in normcore before it became a thing. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/fashion/normcore-fashion-movement-or-massive-in-joke.html
For the longest time, I thought Baba O'Reilly was called teenage wasteland. And Stairway to Heaven sounds nothing like Spirit by Taurus.
1
Fun puzzle, J.A.S.A. class, Natan, and Andy! That sounds like such a fun class. I'd love to take a class like that, if such a class were offered in my geographic location for people my age.
What great opportunities there are for older folks in New York! We don't have things like that here in Florida. It would be so boring to retire to Florida. Best to stay in New York. 😉
2
@Stephanie
I know... I always wanted to live in New York — not forever because I’d miss the mountains and the open spaces and the coyotes that are above stopping for traffic but instead make traffic stop for them — but while I was young. Instead, I now just breeze in and out of with just enough time for myself there to wish for more. And the young part is now over(chronologically speaking) so NYC will have to wait for another lifetime.
But I wanted to say that there are gems of cities where being over 40 doesn’t stop you from continuing to learn. Austin, where I live about 50% of the time (less if the temperature refuses to drop below 90°F for 4 weeks straight, which is my cue to leave) is a city of young people. There’s so much to do, but I always feel like I showed up 20 years too late. My other current hometown, on the other hand, Santa Fe, celebrates being middle-aged or older and endlessly curious. I’m always taking classes somewhere and I’m surrounded by people of all ages who just thrive on learning and doing new things.
2
A neat puzzle -- worth an AVOWED BRAVO.
20A gave me a big chuckle, some not so fun memories, and an urge to adapt a folk piece from way back:
I got me a dentist and his name is Sal,
He does fifteen millimeters on a root canal.
We've gone through many a tooth in our day --
Filling them with epoxy and little bits of clay.
2
Forgive me if the darts question has already been addressed (thought I didn't see it in a quick glance through the first 20 or so comments)...but it seems to me that @DebAmlen answered her own question and didn't realize it. Darts have tips, and thus a dart is an item that is "tipped in a bar". It isn't any more complicated than that right?
Maybe the confusion is with "might" in the clue? In that case, as a fan of darts in bars, I can tell you that many times (especially with the plastic variety of darts), you'll find many shafts laying around with no tip to be found. The darts used in bars are victims of constant abuse and not terribly durable to being with.
2
@Rob
I addressed this similarly in a much earlier comment. I agree with you, but my explanation of "might" is that while DARTS are very often found in bars, there are certainly many bars that do not offer DARTS. Hence, they "might" be at a bar.
sorry nitpick of the day the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is not part of the UN (United Nations) but a separate stand alone organization.
I had the I and the F but said to myself "No thats not part of the UN") but here it is. Still a fun puzzle . Laughed out loud when i finally saw the BREXIT gimmick. Cheers to the JASA folks
5
Jim,
As they say in crossland, Yes and No.
https://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/funds-programmes-specialized-agencies-and-others/
N.B. For those who don't do links:
The UN specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations. All were brought into relationship with the UN through negotiated agreements. Some existed before the First World War. Some were associated with the League of Nations. Others were created almost simultaneously with the UN. Others were created by the UN to meet emerging needs.
(IMF is one of the specialized agencies; one of my cousins spend 40 years at another.)
2
For fellow iPad solvers: The new iOS 13 offers an optional tiny keyboard that tucks into a corner of the display for one-thumb typing. If you go into the crossword with that enabled, you will see instead a tiny keyboard with only a few full-size letters on it.
This bug can be worked around by restoring the normal keyboard before starting the crossword. With the keyboard displayed, just unpinch.
I’m not sure how to report this officially.
1
I always look forward fo the J.A.S.A. Crossword Class puzzles because they are so well thought out, expertly crafted and, best of all, entertaining!
How clever to take BREXIT, a subject people RAISE HELL about, and create a fun, really delightful, puzzle.
Thank you, class, and you two, Natan and Andy!
3
What da HUAC is that? ‘Hang Until Another Crossword’ comes along? Probably a former committee of empty suits assembled in D. C. guided by some sort of spoils system. The LANK crossing offered no help. I was stuck on dank for an eternity. The whole enchilada had me LOAFing in the area for most of my just under 22 min. solve...Superb WordPlay today, though it had me going in the mid-south...This guy RAISES HELL with the BEST of ‘em. Ray Wylie Hubbard, one of my favorite Texan troubadours, features a couple back to back GUITAR SOLOs on his “Redneck Mother.” First one is on a flat top box immediately followed by a pedal steel.
https://youtu.be/JkeszOXy7MI
OLES To The Whole Crossword Class,
Bru
1
@brutus
HUAC was the House Un-American Activities Committee (also sometimes represented HUAAC), that was one of the main vehicles for anti-Communist investigations/blacklists in the 1950s and is closely associated with McCarthyism. More notorious than empty suits!
1
David,
I'm sure Bru knows what HUAC was, the Hollywood Ten was in the 40's, and McCarthy was in the Senate.
(Some of my friends' parents were blacklisted, and I have a "Ban HUAC" button somewhere.)
NORMCORE offered cold comfort to me as I searched for — once again! — the one letter that was keeping me from happy music. fORMCORE sounded perfectly reasonable to me, and If EVER kinda fit. I couldn’t find anything else to change so I changed the f to an N and fanfare trumpeted.
But... NORMCORE? How much more comfortable than jeans/shorts and an old college T-shirt can ya get?
1
@Sam Lyons. If I'm understanding the concept correctly, I believe irony is the key to NORM CORE. I imagine some supermodel or celebrity wearing a $300 plain heather gray t-shirt (that doesn't look much different from the $5 generic version), and looking *fabulous* in it. Also, wearing jeans that are already destroyed for three times the price.
1
@Sam Lyons
It's all in the ironic way you wear it.
1
@Ann & Stephanie
Does it count if I practice irony regularly, but not specifically with respect to what I’m wearing?
I wrote this comment right after I solved the puzzle last night, before reading Deb’s column. The glitch made it pop up 12 hours later. I have since read Deb’s explanation of NORMCORE and still don’t get it.
Is it possible that the celebrities who have coined the team understand fashion better than irony?
[finishes typing to pull on new jeans complete with 70’s flared bottoms and pre-fraying to make them look older than person wearing them]
2
Is it a subconscious political comment that the BREXIT puzzle has a broken link? It sure seems broken in real life!
And, GUITAR SOLO came straight from the recent article on the copyright infringement case.
Such a nice smooth puzzle! Very clever and no filler of obscure facts.
8
BREXIT EXIT
What a lot of Brits must wish they could do...
9
One of the most sophisticated, clever, and timely puzzles of the year and this was done by a crossword class??? Will Shortz and his successors can relax: they can look forward to a steady supply of able and imaginative constructors for the next half century or longer.
Oh, yes, I do understand that Natan and Andy were involved too. Still, I'm wondering in what ways the class contributed? I'm also wondering why I didn't ever have a class like that when I was a kid? You could have placed it in my school schedule right where my hated Biology Class went. And, who knows, I might have embarked on my newfound *career* as a crossword co-constructor 60 years ago. Sigh.
But, seriously, I absolutely loved this puzzle and found it clever, clever, clever. I also learned some stuff, since I never heard of NORMCORE and had no idea that TAMARIND was an ingredient in my much-loved, often used Worcestershire sauce. Great job, class! You, too, Natan and Andy.
6
@Nancy: Reading about the J.A.S.A. class almost made me weep. If only Natan and Andy could take their show on the road! Thanks J.A.S.A. class, Natan, and Andy for a delightful puzzle.
3
"...a steady supply of able and imaginative constructors for the next half century or longer."
Nancy,
Not likely from a J.A.S.A. class...
7
@Barry Ancona
Only so far that CEREBRAL CEREAL can go?
1
What a fun puzzle! Even Rex P. liked it!
This is a puzzle whose entries were crowdsourced (something I had an idea to do a few months ago that didn't quite pan out) and the result was a lot of fun fill and some snappy themers.
Congratulations to the class, you've really learned your lessons well! 🙂
3
For a while now my recommends have not taken if it is the first one. The word is underlined, but that disappears in a few seconds. Anyone else?
2
suejean,
Likewise, sort of. If I'm first, "Recommend" becomes "Recommended" but it doesn't show as counted.
4
@suejean
If you're the first, the number does not appear, but the word does change from 'Recommend' to 'Recommended.' I thought it wasn't working for a while also until I noticed that (you have to look hard).
1
@Rich in Atlanta,
Thanks all. I think I knew that once but forgot.
1
I loved each theme answer; each was clever and original. I got hung up at the bottom because I wanted post-rain hair to be DANK instead of LANK. But my true error was in the top, where I had IF EVER instead of I NEVER.
There are a few more 3 letter answers than I'd like, but this amazing puzzle and amazing themers outweigh any quibbles.
Nice!
2
@John S.🙋♀️ Hand up for dank instead of LANK.
1
@John S. I too was caught by the post rain hair, which for me went from DAMP to DANK before it was LANK.
Love the inclusion of the British expressions "I NEVER" and "I SAY" in this puzzle - definitely created the right mood.
1
@John S.
Hand up for If EVER and dANK as first choices. Ironically (and I don’t mesn NORMCORE-wise), I say, “Well I never,” in mock horror several times a day as I’m married to and best friends with the Southwest’s two finest smartalecs. I suppose despite the frequent usage it must still register as a non-standard-American expression, one not trippingly at the ready on the tongue when needed for a puzzle clue.
1
That’s three solid “Solves” in a row! NO “research”. About half of my average solve time - and not much over my best for a Wednesday. Got the theme - - sort of. I thought it was a not-very-good ‘rhyming’ thing until Deb explained it to me. But it DID help with a couple of the theme answers.
This was an appropriate challenge for a Wednesday and strikes me as an excellent result coming from a group effort.
On to some of Deb’s WoW:
1A - Considering the portfolio of “winners” that Mr. Wright can claim, it’s little wonder that his name didn’t leap from MY fingers.
15A - Didn’t know NORMCORE - but it came from crosses easily enough. Apparently, I’ve been ignoring fashion long enough for it to become fashionable. And the “catch” quoted in the column strikes me as a desperate attempt to reverse a practical trend. I could - somehow - never grasp the concept behind purchasing $300 ‘gym shoes’ or $75 ‘tee-shirts’ - - or ‘blue jeans’ that some idiot had slashed up before putting them on the shelf. (I admit it. I’m a certified, card-carrying troglodyte. Deal with it!!)
29D - Oooops! I almost inserted an undergarment here.
Ta-ta! (That’s ‘British’ - - get it??)
4
@PeterW
Same here for NORMCORE. Who knew there was a name for how I've been dressing all of my life!
1
Oh, how I wished the answer to 31A to be Pei.
8
@MJ
Duhhhh? WHY??
@PeterW
IM Pei was an original, and he certainly was an original at being himself.
I knew it wasn’t the answer, but I would have loved it to be.
3
MJ,
NOICE! Perhaps it will appear in another puzzle, a bit later in the week.
3
I loved this theme, with its current feel and the way it pairs a word with its BREXIT partner. Clever and vibrant.
I also enjoyed:
• Learning NORMCARE.
• Digging deep to remember this meaning of LANK.
• The answer SLY LOOKS, which has never appeared in an NYT puzzle before.
• The very well-connected grid.
• HEAL/HALE/HELL
• BABA/SOLO/SOHO
• Remembering that glorious guitar solo, which shall reverberate through me all day.
• That with ROOT and ROO in the grid, we have a TEXIT.
Thank you for bringing spark and smiles to my day, JASA class and teachers!
12
SLYLOOKS you say, slithered Tom salaciously.
Discovered today that LAURA Dern and I share the same camera (Leica), car (old MBZ) and photo concepts. She captured Highway 61 while I am snapping old road signs. Chubby Charlies Gentleman's Club (somewhere in Indiana) is my current favorite.
Nice job constructors.
1
@dk Your comment posted twice.
Would that be Highway 61 revisited?
4
dk,
You may want to revisit that memory (as Rich notes); Highway 61 doesn't run through Indiana. It, unlike, Highway 51, ran right by my baby's door (well, actually about ten miles away) in Missouri.
1
@Rich in Atlanta
Brillz!
1
SLYLOOKS you say, slithered Tom salaciously.
Discovered today that LAURA Dern and I share the same camera (Leica), car (old MBZ) and photo concepts. She captured Highway 61 while I am snapping old road signs. Chubby Charlies Gentleman's Club (somewhere in Indiana) is my current favorite.
Nice job constructors.
I've been unfashionable for over fifty years, but now I'm NORMCORE? What a great AHA moment!
8
Nicely-Nicely done. I should have thought of BREXIT from the clue, but I didn't. First themer I got was BRITCHESITCHES and I still wasn't sure what was going on. It was only when I had enough crosses to guess BREYERSEYERS that the theme and the reveal all dawned on me simultaneously. One of the best 'aha' moments in recent memory.
And a nice puzzle and good workout beyond that as well. Never heard of NORMCORE, but I guess that's me.
Also needed a couple of crosses to recall HUAC. We got our first TV in 1954. I was four years old and so at home all day. The first thing I recall watching was the Army-McCarthy hearings. Of course I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but... it was a TV! I was entranced just looking at the screen. It got even better on weekends with 'Winky Dink and You,' especially after we got our magic crayons.
7
@Rich in Atlanta
Your Guys & DOLLS reference was not lost on me!
5
@Rich in Atlanta
I couldn't wait for magic crayons and a screen protector, and so I used my Crayolas directly on the glass. It didn't go well...
3
I got the vote here just in time to vote against BREXIT, sadly to no avail. I enjoyed seeing it as part of a clever theme however.
I wonder if a class assignment was to think of a new clue for OREO, although I haven't checked to see if it was yet.
TIL that I'm apparently in fashion most of the time.
The excellent week continues.
8
Very fun! The theme answers struck me as very "Will Shortzian." Not knowing what JASA was beforehand, I had the thought that it was possibly a group of young puzzle-makers. Go, Old Folks! Well done.
Ally MCBEAL clue made me smile.
1
ALLY McBeal a bygone legal *drama*? I don't think so.
The show won seven Emmys, all for various categories in a comedy series, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 1999.
It was an hour long, and it was on at 10:00 (Eastern, that is), but it was not a drama.
@Steve L
Interesting. Since Wiki and other sources classify it as a “comedy-drama”, do the rules of inclusion and constructor’s license in the name of misdirection apply?
2
@Steve L Perhaps we would classify Ally MCBEAL as a "dramedy" and if so perhaps one of the first of its kind.
1
@Puzzlemucker
Certainly, you will find sources on the internet that will refer to it as a drama, because internet. The fact that it was on for an hour at 10:00 tends to lead many to assume or think it was. I don't know if there's such a thing as a comedy-drama, but it seems like a weasel term to me.
I was a regular viewer of the show, and it certainly wasn't a drama. What's more, the clue called it a legal drama; that it most definitely was not. While its setting was a law office, it was not a legal drama the way Perry Mason or The Good Wife are. The weekly plots did not revolve around the intricacies of a legal case in the same way they did in real legal dramas. The stories were mostly about Ally's and the others' personal lives.
I'm sure the clue can be justified by some stretching, but the Emmy people certainly knew what kind of show it was.
And as far was constructor's license goes, there is no reason to give this particular clue. Cluing it as "Ally in a law firm" would serve the same purpose and not be a bit off.
3
Now there is one unimpeachable theme.
9
Down, @Lewis ...
4
@Deb Amlen
If politics is verboten on here, why is the theme BREXIT and the 55A themer WORST IDEA EVER?
Or is that just my puzzle? ;-)
2
These days, most U.S. Supreme Court BENCH watchers are GINSBURG EYERS rather than BREYER(S) EYERS.
(This is a nonpartisan comment, as U.S. Supreme Court watchers from both sides of the aisle have their eyes on Ginsburg. Sure, one of those sides may be praying more fervently than the other . . . but they are both watching her with extreme interest. And besides, the puzzle’s theme is BREXIT, which couldn’t be more political, or topical. Indeed, in light of the U.K. Supreme Court’s historic ruling yesterday, this might be the most presciently topical puzzle ever).
6
I look forward to the J.A.S.A puzzle, and this one did not disappoint. I was looking for OIS JOHNSON.
LETTER BOXED
Best so far:
P-E (7), E-N (8)
An interesting combination, which seems to describe the state of news these days
@Mari
Today yielded P-E(9), E-D(7). Perhaps the second word could be pared down. I am still reeling from KINKAJOU which I consider my personal CLOTBUR.
1
@Mari
Maybe better:
P-N(10), N-L(5)
P-R (9), R-T(8)
looking to the future...
@Mari
... and most worrying:
R-E (11), E-P(7)
...thoughts of Chernobyl.
SPELLING BEE
P I M N O R T
Words: 43, Points: 207, Pangrams: 1
I x 2
N x 1
O x 2
P x 32
R x 1
T x 5
4L x 12
5L x 13
6L x 10
7L x 4
8L x 2
9L x 1
10L x 1
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tot
I - - 1 1 - - - 2
N - - - - 1 - - 1
O - - 1 1 - - - 2
P 10 11 6 2 1 1 1 32
R 1 - - - - - - 1
T 1 2 2 - - - - 5
Tot 12 13 10 4 2 1 1 43
38
@Mari thanks for the grid, Kevin's clues in another comment thread are useful -- an N8 that is a variant on another p-word and a P5 bird. Also the oenophiles among us will know another P5 that is accepted (commonly used, but usually as part of a proper noun descriptor).
Add in a recreational boat, some climbing gear, two slangy P5s, and I'd say this was a pretty fun Bee. I like the -ION possibilities
8
I am surprised that PRION isn't accepted today.
16
@Kat and how about tinpot? thought for sure that was the T6.
5
Like hair after rain? Lank? Yes, for people like me with straight hair that won't hold a curl at the slightest degree of humidity. But I thought there would be more reaction to this one.
2
@mld
Yeah, LANK was the last one to fall for me. When it rains I turn into a poodle (no near-pun intended).
Very clever crossword today with punny answers
1
SPELLING BEE (had to search for this page, as the link is broken)
43 words 207 points 1 pangram.
3
@Kevin Davis one P5 bird I think we’ve had previously. One N8 I almost didn’t think of as it’s an alternate form of something, with that something as most of this word.
Not accepted tinpot, pippin, prion, poptop.
@Kevin Davis I’ll let someone else do the grid again but letter count is 2 I, 1 N, 2 O, 32 P, 1 R, 5 P.
2
@Kevin Davis 5 T, but grid prototype is appreciated for us night owls/early birds
2
ISAY INEVER heard of NORMCORE (NOLIE!). And that's probably been my wardrobe all along.
A great puzzle!! My CEREBRALCEREAL of choice is Chocolate Toast Crunch. I am an adult, I promise.
1
@Mike
(Also from my kids, Deb), if you are not wearing your clothes ironically, then you aren't NORMCORE, just normal.
3
Ann,
My wardrobe quite intentionally requires no irony (and no ironing).
5
@Ann Things I would never know if I didn't do the crossword. A learning experience, haha. Thanks! (My students will have a perennial debate on if I'm normal or not, regardless of wardrobe.)
1
It's always nice to see a J.A.S.A. puzzle, and I appreciate the time and effort they put in to creating them. This was a cute one, and I managed to finish it a bit under my average. Did not know EDGAR or NORMCORE, but they sussed out with the crosses. Did know BABA O'Reilly, and somehow managed to come up with MCBEAL despite never having watched it, so those helped with the lower part of the grid.
4
@JayTee whereas NORMCORE was a giveaway to me, and I wasn't sure about BABA. Now if the clue was ____ au rhum... In re: Ally McBeal, look up the "Single Female Lawyer" episode of Futurama. It's a scream.
1
Actually, the episode is called "When Aliens Attack". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Aliens_Attack
This was a fun one! It's worth noting that NORMCORE has led to DADCORE, which features shapeless pleated chinos, grey New Balance sneakers, unbranded polo shirts and similar items available at a Costco near you.
9
@Larry B Let me offer up GRANDDADCORE, which in my case is loose blue jeans and plain t-shirts.
Oh, and my New Balance sneakers are white.
3
@Rich in Atlanta
Surely you don't wear your white sneakers after Labor Day
3
@ColoradoZ
Permissable in the South.
2
Just wanted to get a head start to the wednesday puzzle but ended up finishing it. Liked it that much.
4
I solved the puzzle and still didn't understand how Brexit clued the theme answers. Thank goodness for WordPlay's explanations.
5
By the way, the link from the puzzle to Wordplay is broken on the Android app.
19
@vaer
On iOS too.
5
Also broken on the Times website.
(When I did the puzzle last night, the column wasn't even in the Wordplay listings yet.)
Hi all, Sorry, the wrong URL got published for this column. If I change it now, everyone's comments will be erased.
As for the column publishing late, thats just the system and I have no control over it. It eventually gets there, though.
Fun puzzle. BREXIT was pretty much a gimme, but figuring out how it worked in the theme answers was a little trickier. As a New Yorker of a certain age, first to fall was BREYERS EYERS. Sadly it does not taste the same. Growing up there was always three or four flavors in our freezer.
Had fan before BOA for Gypsy Rose and wanted anchovy as my Worcestershire sauce ingredient.
A nice mix of clue types.
5
I enjoyed this and the theme only gradually revealed itself to me. I got BRITCHES ITCHES right away and figured we were in for simple rhyming entries. The next one confirmed this although I tried to make it BREYERS BUYERS to no avail. It was only the revealer that gave me an aha! And following that I further realized that the themers didn’t necessarily rhyme. All in all a fun and timely theme.
As for DARTS, they have tips therefore they are tipped. They are quite commonly found at a bar, so that clue made perfect sense to me.
11
Excellent job, JASA! It’s rare that a theme actually helps me solve but when I caught onto CEREBRALCEREAL, the BR play made total sense.
ALLYMCBEAL was a great throwback. Robert Downy Jr was swoon worthy on that series. TIL that TAMARIND is in worcestershire sauce.
My hair doesn’t go LANK after rain. It gets curlier! That could be bad or good, but it’s usually bad.
Okay you guys and DOLLS, I’m going to AMBLE on out of here. Looking forward to more puzzles from this clever class!
4
HUAC never blacklisted anybody; the blacklist was created and enforced by the radio, television, and movie industries. It began with the Waldorf Statement, issued on 3 December 1947, which deplored the supposed subversive activities of the Hollywood Ten and announced that they would no longer be employed in the film industry. It was formulated by executives of RKO, MGM, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Universal International, Columbia, Samuel Goldwyn Company, and the Motion Pictures Association of America. In 1950, three former FBI agents, dba American Business Consultants, published a pamphlet titled “Red channels,” in which they listed 151 show-business personalities, including Orson Welles, Leonard Bernstein, John Garfield, and Judy Holliday, along with their supposed subversive affiliations. One of the groups that ABC considered subversive was Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer reports magazine. The entertainment industry took it upon itself to blacklist everyone whose name appeared in “Red channels.” HUAC was formed in 1938 and disbanded in 1975, and its investigation of the movie industry consisted of nine days of hearings in 1947. So “1950s blacklisting grp.” not only falsely attributes blacklisting to HUAC; it also locates its interest in Hollywood in the wrong decade. HUAC is a kind of Bermuda Triangle for puzzle constructors; at least twice in the past (8/10/99, 9/21/00), it has been described as “Sen. McCarthy’s grp.”
5
@Fact Boy tell it to Oppenheimer and Hess. Yeah, the HUAC didnt affect their careers at all.
13
Loved the BREXIT theme and entries.
Willing to overlook the 14x15 grid, (shortchanged?),
and all the 3-letter fill. [Insert appropriate witticism about a puzzle designed by committee.]
A good GUITARSOLO is always a crowd pleaser.
4
10/10 on the THS (Theme Helped Solve) scale
7/10 on the aha! scale (would have been higher but the BREXIT revealer came early in the solve).
Charlie Parker’s breathtaking SAX on “A Night in Tunisia” (with Miles Davis on trumpet):
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KxibMBV3nFo
11
Fantastic fun. Loved the theme. I know, it seems pretty simple and not particularly clever, but given the collaborative effort as well, I thought it was tight and well executed. The revealer was basically a giveaway, and the gimmick, I thought, was pretty obvious once I got the 15A themer. It's not the first time we'd seen this kind of trick.
Got the rest of the themers based on knowing the gimmick pretty easily. Liked the British-related entries/words/names/clues like BRITCHES, GERI, BABA, SOHO, I NEVER, ONO, even GUITAR SOLO. Too bad that BREYERS and HOMBRES weren't particularly British.
Had LOLL before LOAF. Tried DANK, RANK, before ending up with LANK.
Now if only other things from current event like "trade war", "climate change" (or the "I" word which shall remain unmentioned) could be made into a fun crossword...
10
@Wen Per the "I" word, you could have the word "MENT" removed from various phrases, haha.
3
@Mike
You mean like AL EXERCISES /
“Gore’s workout routine?” ?
Has theme potential.
1
@Puzzlemucker Haha, sounds good to me! I couldn't even think of one.
1