Dear Deb Amlen,
Thank you for your kind words about our website and for trying to get the good Cap'n (or should we say Commander?) as a clue for the Monday puzzle! It's a shame that the original clue was not used this time. But perhaps the editors will find it in their hearts to include Horatio in a future puzzle?
Please keep in touch with us if you are interested in learning more about the one, the only, Horatio Magellan Crunch.
2
Yes, I'm late, but I did read all 213 comments (thought I might not have registered every little bit of every little thing).
My nit: thw SW corner was completely cut off, with the only way in via 59A. Since I solve by the A/D toggle method, that meant I had to enter that way. I tried METAL BANDS, METAL SOUND, METAL GENRE, and gave up. So I started that sector all over, and METAL MUSIC showed up. Disappointing to have one little mini-XWP all by itself.
TIL ... well, something ... about NICKELBACK. I can't remember the details, but there was something recently in the news about some politician or other and NICKELBACK. It was the first time I'd ever heard of the latter. Now I know that this band has had a #1 seller and therefore is somewhat famous.
Like Deb, and others, I liked seeing Gwen IFILL. She is much missed.
Thanks to all for a smooth Monday.
1
and Elke (i'm getting comments in duplicate, so apologies in advance)
Martin- happy belated 70th birthday ! Many returns (bis 120) in good health and mind.
Maximum number of reccos for the tin info.
1
I have reviewed the day’s comments, but I might have missed one or two, so forgive me if this is a repeat. I think Jeff Chen (Xwordinfo.com) had an elegant idea for a revealer that could have been used regardless of whether tin is properly characterized as a heavy metal: METAL HEADS.* Would have required reworking only the small SE corner and it might have satisfied the masses, as metals “headed” each of the themers and “metal heads” is in the language. Then again, this is not such a terrible controversy to have and I learned something about metals from today’s comments.
*Could have been clued as “Fans of the genre for Slayer and Iron Maiden . . . or a hint to [the themers].”
4
Perhaps there is some confusion arising from the widespread use of "tin foil", which is actually made from aluminum, a light metal, not tin.
1
Yes, a ti-stannic error by Shortz et al., leaving us with the silly phrase "metal music". Even just "metal" would have been preferable as the genre.
While "heavy metal" does not have a single definition in Classical Inorganic Chemistry, by most criteria Tin IS considered a heavy metal. It is 3rd highest in terms of Atomic number (behind Platinum) of those used in the crossword, and the pure metal has a density well-within the consensus values for heavy metals. Its other chemical properties, including toxicity, also place it firmly in the heavy metal pot.
6
Final thought on Heavy Metal. The most logical etymon for the genre is the medical definition of heavy metal. Toxicity determines whether a metal is "in." Some of the lightest metals, like lithium, are considered "heavy metals" to a toxicologist:
https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/heavy-metal-poisoning/
I would argue than Anthrax and Megadeth hint that the intention of the label was to invoke toxicity.
Tin poisoning is a thing, as are silver, platinum and nickel poisoning.
My nit would be that Nickelback is a band that has some metal influence, which could be seen as a theme flaw. I might have clued it with a football reference. On the other hand, Nickelback really is a glorified cover band with no inherent genre so I was ultimately fine with the clue. Sorry, R&E.
2
Another citation for Stannousgate:
"The earliest known metals—common metals such as iron, copper, and tin, and precious metals such as silver, gold, and platinum—are heavy metals. From 1809 onward, light metals, such as magnesium, aluminium, and titanium, were discovered, as well as less well-known heavy metals including gallium, thallium, and hafnium."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metals
3
I see this article has been smirched by Deb as not reliable. Bah! As other commenters have noted, there is no single definition for heavy metal. (The unreliable article states that too.)
Tin is 93% as dense as iron, by the way. Lead is only 53% as dense as platinum. Heavy is relative.
@Martin - how nice to see you today! I've been wondering why tin got so much pushback today, yet nickel sits there unmolested. Atomic mass, anyone?
I visited the article Deb linked to - it was a light-hearted look at inaccuracies that _didn't_ survive the process at Wikipedia. Anybody who reads it carefully should come away more secure about Wikipedia as a reliable starting-point - provided that attention is paid to the flags such as "this is under dispute" or the like. There's hardly a topic that doesn't have a fierce guardian checking in regularly, it seems to me.
1
@Martin You all can quote Wikipedia if you want. I can't, and if you do, please be careful about what you're posting.
1
and ELKe
TIL : TL;DR
Finally.
1
Elke,
TMI?
2
I'm a little disappointed in the fact that "heavy metal" was not the revealer, as Trent and Wikipedia are both entirely correct. Tin IS a heavy metal by many definitions scientifically. Heavy metals are not fully defined, because it's not an official term, but 5 g/cm^2 is a generally accepted density for heavy metals, which Tin meets.
1
@Jacob - is that the exponent you meant to type?
1
Add me to the list having HEAVYMETAL before METALMUSIC.
2
Tin: not heavy.
Iron Maiden and Slayer: most definitely heavy.
That clue: poor.
Points for Emo Phillips, lost for Nickleback.
Not being a popular music listener, I don't know a lot about NICKELBACK except that:
a. They are a Canadian band.
b. They have a lot of haters up here.
1
OT: Google tells me that today is Will Rogers 140th birthday. Which reminded me of the greatest T-Shirt I think I have ever seen. When Steve Spurrier was failing as coach of Washington Redskins, I was driving through Tennessee, and in a truck stop "discount bin" for $1 you could buy a shirt that said:
FRONT: "I never met a man I didn't like" --Will Rogers
BACK: Will Rogers never met Steve Spurrier.
7
I wonder why tin is getting so much hate today? Wow. An extremely important metal from any point of view. Britain being a major source of it, it underlies a huge part of the natural wealth of the island especially prior to coal mining. Without tin, no British Empire, and the world would be unrecognizable. It is an essential part of several important alloys. Without tin, no bronze; without bronze, no bronze age, and the world would be unrecognizable.
Seeing all the animosity toward tin, I've spent some time with it this morning (extra hour and all that...). I find a consensus everywhere that "heavy metals" is an indefinable term, yet there is also consensus that it is a useful term in chemistry, manufacturing, physics, engineering -- though each field defines the limits of "heavy metals" differently. I'm not an expert, but I find that every listing in every field includes tin on the list, except for the (relatively short) lists of "environmental heavy metals" that are toxic.
It's no sin to appreciate Sn.
7
Another best time for a Monday, but sad because it would have been under 6 minutes but for misspelling Gwen IFILL as Ifell.
1
My husband and I are devoted fans of the satellite radio station Ozzy's Boneyard. Never in our lives have we heard our fave genre referred to as 'metal music' it is heavy metal. Maybe that didn't jibe with another clue, but it's a fail here.
2
Smooth Monday, not too much of a challenge. I liked the long down entries EAGLESCOUT and TOTEMPOLES. For me the theme came in two parts - seeing that every answer began with a metal, and recognizing that each answer was in a musical context. Nice!
P.S. The entry GWENIFILL appeared on February 15, 2019
3
My new best Monday time! (9:05) Yay me!
7
@Jonathan Leal
Congrats! That always feels great.
@Jonathan Leal Way to go!
1
Since Gwen was in today’s puzzle...do any resident PBS NewsHour-ians think Yamiche Alcindor will eventually find herself in an anchor chair?
5
@Ananda
I've also wondered if Gwen IFILL is any relation to the also-wonderful Sherrilyn IFILL?
Heavy, light, in-between -- METAL MUSIC 's not my thing. I'm patting myself on the back because 1) even though I know nothing about this genre of music, I knew that the correct term is HEAVY METAL and 2) even though I know nothing about metallurgy, I knew that TIN was light. In fact, TIN is often used as a stand-in for weak and crappy: tinhorn, tin ear.
So I saw the constructor's dilemma before reading his comment. As for me, I wouldn't know NICKELBACK, ERIC/BANA, or Slayer and Iron Maiden if I fell over them and I wouldn't miss them if they weren't here.
What Deb said about Gwen IFILL, who is missed by so many.
Plus, it's the greatest name to describe a smoooth solve.
Coppertone
12
@Leapfinger
Hear! Hear! (Especially on an Apple product!)
1
Re wanting to keep the METALS HEAVY...
I wonder if TINPANALLEY could've been replaced with ARSENIC HALL
3
@Leapfinger
How about Jeremy IRONs?
1
Looks like my earlier comment was robot-censored. I know it will appear eventually, because it was pretty harmless, but here's why I think it wasn't automatically accepted by the, what's it called, an algorithm?
I was saying that I knew -- even with no expertise in metallurgy-- that TIN was not a HEAVY METAL, but a quite light one. I pointed out that TIN was often used to describe things that were "weak and [blank]", such as a tinhorn or a tin ear. The word I'm leaving out is a word beginning with "c" that means awful, but is not in the least objectionable. Probably the algorithm thought I was applying the word to the puzzle itself. (Not that I especially enjoyed the puzzle itself, but that's another matter.)
But anyway, supposing the robot hadn't blocked me from the Monday NYT crossword blog, but instead blocked me from a job opportunity or a college acceptance. That's the problem with machines making important decisions rather than people: they don't know what the [blank, blank*] they're doing.
(*Initials B.H.)
2
@Nancy Heavy metal is actually not based on the weight. One commonly agreed upon definition is a density of 5 grams per centimeter squared, which Tin is above. Tin is listed in most lists of heavy metal.
@Jacob
Allow me to correct a small nit: it's per centimeter cubed.
Edgar ALLAN Poe’s “The Bells” definitely qualifies as METALMUSIC in my book.
4
@Ananda, not only but also, great chemistry in previous puzzles:
SnSnabulation of the bells, bells, bells
6
@Ananda
I’ve posted it before but here’s Phil Ochs’ rendition of Poe’s The Bells:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p3FzveBu_34
2
@Ananda Try this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDsYd1q1U8o
St. Olaf Handbell Choir - "Scottish Festival Dance"
1
My favorite clues from last week
(in order of appearance):
1. You're out of it if you're in it (6)
2. Something with a moveable feast (6)
3. Marine mollusk exoskeleton vendor, in a tongue twister (3)
4. Ones turning up the volume (10)
5. Commanding lead? (5)(8)
TRANCE
EASTER
SHE
LIBRARIANS
ACTOR-DIRECTOR
5
@Lewis
It was a good week for witty clues! I didn't quite get why No. 2 was so special however, as that seems like a straightforward meaning to me. Am I missing something?
2
@Andrew -- No, you are not missing anything. You, as it turns out, are right. I didn't know what moveable feast meant. I'd heard the term but didn't think it meant a religious feast day that doesn't occur on the same day each year (I just looked it up). Therefore this clue struck me as a pun, I'm embarrassed to say. But it is not. It is as direct as can be! So I've not only learned the meaning of "moveable feast", but I've once again learned to look things up if you don't know them for certain!
2
@Lewis
I know that the expression has developed a more idiomatic meaning, and I was actually less familiar with that than with the religious meaning. So I am learning too that Hemingway referred to Paris as a "moveable feast", and of course wrote a book with that title. I'm not 100% sure of what he meant but it must be along the same lines as "We"ll always have Paris", one of my favourite lines from Casablanca. I'm sure others here can contribute more to this subject.
2
Metal Music isn't a genre. It just isn't. Google "metal music" and see what happens - a bunch of entries on HEAVY METAL, and a small number referring to METAL MUSIC. I was a fan back in the 70s, and nobody - I mean nobody - called it Metal Music. I would have changed TIN PAN ALLEY to something else.
As you were... 😅
6
@Steve Faiella,
STEEL DRUMS, maybe, Mon!
3
@Leapfinger - steel drums would alloy the elementary simplicity of the puzzle theme.
2
@DavidC, I'll assume you didn't object bec STEEL DRUMS are not refined or smelt unclassy.
I'm remembering a visit to Durham's Museum of Life and Science, where paths through the woods are interspersed with installations where a remarkable variety of things can be plucked, blown into, or percussed to produce all manner of sounds. One little pigtailed girl of about 8 years was palpably enchanted by the music she was drawing out of the STEEL DRUMS, kept running away and coming back for just a little more. You could just about see the door opening in her life.
From what I see I'm the only one who confidently wrote in METAL bands, thinking, how clever, Trent put METAL into the Across "bands" of letters. Wrong! But I still like that answer.
Easy, peasy Monday puzzle, great solve for newbies (and MUSIC lovers.)
Thank you, Trent Evans!
3
Dear Editors:
MY funny bone is DEFINITELY NOT tickled!!
I greased my way through this puzzle - ONE pass in each direction and just knew I had it nailed - and was well under my old “Best” time when I finished.
Only I WASN’T - - - - finished, that is.
Your quibbling over whether Tin as a “Heavy” metal or not, (I agree that is isn’t.) and the out-and-out INVENTION of a new name for HEAVY METAL sent me on a fly-specking mission that cost me a new Personal Best.
FRUSTRATING!!
1
Count us among the many, many people who miss Gwen Ifill. My mom and I were just talking about her last night (and we both plan to buy the stamps). Also, nice puzzle. Happy Monday!
12
What the . . . .??
Joel has the answer “TLDR” in today’s Mini.
Not having the slightest CLUE - - I looked it up with OneLook.com and wound up reading WIKTIONARY which offers the following (quoting approximately):
“(Internet slang); Alternate form of tl,dr”
THAT cleared it up for me!🤨
6
@PeterW
Will from College would often provide a summary of his comments at the end in case they were TLDR (“Too long, didn’t read”).
4
@Puzzlemucker
He DID run on a bit - - on occasion - - but I guess I have to confess to the same offense.
In my DEFENSE, however, I would observe that I am seldom as “clinical” as Will usually was.
I kind of miss him - - - a little.
3
@PeterW
I've always seen it with a semi colon (tl;dr). it's been around for a while now (at least 10 years). It's usually used as an introduction to a condensed version of what appeared before it. For example, after a 2000 character diatribe on why someone didn't care for a film, you might see:
TL;DR
I didn't like it.
2
Well, this puzzle sure did generate a lot of comments beyond the solving experience.
On one of the most popular topics, I will just note that if you lived in the Tampa Bay area for any length of time (as we once did) and didn't know better, you might come to think of "Tampa St. Pete" as one city and "Sarasota Bradenton" as another.
In between is Terra Ceia Island, which very few outside the area have ever heard of, and on which I worked for a couple of years in the 70's. I'm sure everyone wanted to know that.
2
..."Sarasota Bradenton" as another.
Rich,
Several generations of my wife's cousins have lived in Bradenton and its environs, and they would take exception to your suggestion!
@Barry Ancona We lived in Bradenton too (3 different places) and yes, if you live there it's just Bradenton. But I'll bet your relatives used 'Tampa/St. Pete' with some regularity; we certainly did.
Rich,
Absolutely.
As I stare at my periodic table place mat I see that TIN (Sn) is 118.71 u. PLATINUM (Pt) is 195.08 u. The u is Atomic Mass Units. Some brain food to go with your 26d.
Thanks Trent.
1
Easy breezy Monday puzzle.
I've just read about Gwen IFILL, so hope the Wikipedia contributors were accurate. I'm ashamed to admit that I'd not heard of her before, but was glad to today.
2
An aspect of the theme that made it richer, IMO, is that each answer reflects a different side of music -- A specific band, a song, a type of record, and a songwriting locale. Kudos for that, Trent!
There's also a mini-theme of double-L's (7), and I see an opening band at 10D (EAGLESCOUT).
Other theme answer possibilities: STEEL GUITAR and BRASS BAND.
4
“Did you know the Cap’n was orphaned in World War II and adopted by J.F.K., who later had his likeness sculpted into Mt. Crunchmore? [Source: Wikipedia.com, probably — D.A.]”
Laugh. You made me choke on my Cheerios when I read that, Deb. Well, played.
11
LETTER BOXED
C-S(7), S-T(6) ... 13!
Also:
P-S (9), S-R(5)
R-S (6), S-T (7) ... 13!
1
@Mari
Yesterday I had:
PLACKET THROWN
PATCHWORK KNELT
WORKPLACE ETHANOL
2
@Mari
I had a different 13: L-S(5), S-C(8)
Yesterday WORKPLACE ETHANE.
@Mari
The C-S, S-T combo is very cute. Everyone else's grandchildren fall into that category. Mine are of course just C-S.
1
SPELLING BEE
26 words 107 points 1 pangram (I think).
Three words are used a few times to make new ones. One is what trees are made of, another is what makes trees sway, and the other is the direction that leaves fall. No new or obscure words, except possibly a horse nickname.
B x 7, D x 8, I x 1, L x 2, W x 8.
11
SPELLING BEE GRID
D B I L N O W
Nov. 4th 2019
WORDS: 26, SCORE: 107, PANAGRAMS: 1
B x 7
D x 8
I x 1
L x 2
W x 8
4L x 12
5L x 6
6L x 3
7L x 1
8L x 3
9L x 1
4 5 6 7 8 9 Tot
B 3 4 - - - - 7
D 5 1 1 - 1 - 8
I 1 - - - - - 1
L - - 1 1 - - 2
W 3 1 1 - 2 1 8
Tot 12 6 3 1 3 1 26
54
@Mari let me be the first to say thank you for the grid! I usually get to genius by myself, but even geniuses need help sometimes!
7
@Mari thank you for the grid and thank you @Kevin Davis for hints.
All five of the words over 6 letters are compound words.
First two letter hints:
BI-2 BL-3 BO-2
DI-3 DO-5
ID-1
LI-1 LO-1
WI-6 WO-2
11
@LaurieA @Mari, thank you again!
I was surprised to learn today that the D6 isn't a proper name! I tried it and it took for Q B. Nice easy bee, thanks to Sam E!
8
This was tougher than a normal Monday. I had to look stuff up, like NICKELBACK and LUZON. I had heavy metal before METAL MUSIC.
2
I'd like to add for your thematic consideration Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music," a two-disk album condemned by many to be the worst every released. The reviews are pretty amusing, particularly that of Lester Bangs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Machine_Music
I actually one listened to it all the way through, when giving the guy in the next apartment some much-deserved comeuppance, and can personally attest that its laurels are well-deserved.
2
@sboucher Wow, that sounds worse than Yoko ONO. I love that the genre listed is "noise."
I think I am often familiar with nearly all the Monday puzzle answers. Not so tonight. Never heard of seven of them: ERIC BANA, NBATV, EMO Philips, NICKELBACK, Bob COSTAS, or Gwen IFILL(?!). Slayer and Iron Maiden also unknowns. Is the world changing or is it me? Fortunately the crosses were kind.
1
@kilaueabart TIL about EMO Philips. I was very relieved that the clue was more creative than listing yet another EMO band for this EMU-esque entry.
1
@kilaueabart It's fun to learn something new in a Monday puzzle, isn't it?
Even though I hadn't heard of NBA TV, that was such an easy guess. TIG
2
For "Letter Boxed" :
P-T (7), T-N (6) is a solution.
Any hints for other 13-letter solves are appreciated.
1
@jnathanj
Welcome to the thread. Might I suggest you title it "LETTER BOXED THREAD" to gain attention? Mari -- in London -- posted later than you, a rare occurrence around these parts and must never have noticed.
No 13 for me today, but I stopped quickly after getting one solution: H-S (9) S-B (5).
Yesterday, I had WORKPLACE ETHANE
2
We get lots of odd little coincidences in our family. The other day, my husband randomly said MACAROON! — on the day that was in the puzzle. Today, he introduced me to Iron Maiden and — voila! — it’s in the puzzle along with one of his faves, Slayer. Right now he’s telling me about jellyfish in Australia. If that’s in Tuesday’s puzzle we’re going to become psychics.
My two sons are EAGLESCOUTS. At their courts of honor, I was so happy for them, and happy to put all the scout stuff away. I can’t get them to go camping now but they sure learned loads of other skills that are invaluable.
RIP Gwen IFILL, a truly great journalist.
16
@Pani Korunova
"The other day, my husband randomly said MACAROON!"
Maybe it's just my sense of humour, but this totally cracked me up! I envisioned a quiet afternoon in your household, when your husband suddenly blurted out "MACAROON". Very Monty Python-esque.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5p2XAGE8R8
4
Not to get too into the genre-weeds...but Iron Maiden is often classified as a NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) band which is the second wave of bands influenced by Paranoia-era Black Sabbath while Slayer is one of the “Big 4” of classic thrash. Underlying metal’s head-banging, dark lyrical themes and extreme sonic aesthetic is a genre-exercise into cladistic nomenclature that is more brutal and plethoric than the music itself.
3
@Ananda
My thoughts exactly!
9
@Ananda
I can sum it ALL up in one word . . . . . NOISE!!
4
@PeterW
NOICE!
1
Deb- I had the same thought when I saw Gwen Ifill’s clue. I still miss her.
15
@Barbara Samett
Another hand up for another good voice lost.
If you haven't already followed the link I'm the Constructor Notes to the page of funny Wikipedia edits, I highly recommend you do. I laughed so hard my daughter came running into the room to find out what was so funny.
7
@Stephanie
"I'm the Constructor Notes"
I thought you were the Android!
"
11
@Andrew lol
I'm going to bed!
2
@Stephanie
Thanks for the heads up. Some good ones. And you set Andrew up for a great line, so thanks for that too. Always good to laugh on a Sunday night.
4
I visit Poe's grave at Westminster Cemetary just west of downtown from time to time. It's creepy and it's kooky, mysterious and spooky.
Quick Monday!
7
@Ann
Poe and I share our birthday January 19 - It was an annual tribute as mysterious as its honoree: every year, on Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday, a masked man would leave three red roses and a bottle of cognac on his grave
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/who-was-poe-toaster-we-still-have-no-idea-180961820/#8QPixxIR3pUB63DG.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
2
@B.D.
Yes, the Poe Toaster is/was famous in these parts, now presumed dead or infirm. There is still a fantastic birthday tribute at the gravesite every January. Brr!
3
22A - Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston. Baltimore claimed him, where he died under mysterious circumstances. Baltimore Ravens host the New England Patriots tonight.
48D - Gwen Ifill was my sister’s RA at Simmons College, Boston MA.
10
@B.D. Claimed by Richmond, VA as well:
https://www.poemuseum.org/
@W Chambliss
Not to mention the Bronx:
https://ny.curbed.com/2016/4/13/11394748/edgar-allan-poe-bronx-new-york-museum
I liked the metal-music connections and wasn't bothered about any inconsistency. Calling "Tin Pan Alley" "heavy metal" would have bothered me more, for sure!
Metal-music for me included:
Brass, Red Brass and Steel drawn wire used for instruments;
Bell Metal used for bells, cymbals and many other percussions;
Pipe Metal used for organ pipes.
Bell Metal is bronze with a high tin content for resonance and rigidity, and Pipe Metal is a lead alloy again with high tin content, especially because lead pipes would collapse under their own weight without the tin. So for a musician like me, tin is definitely a heavy metal - and a reason for the high cost of metal pipes and bells!
Lots of historic bells around the world have been lost to war, since their alloys were useful and expensive and they were melted down to make cannons. Sort of the opposite of beating swords into plowshares.
6
@David Connell METAL MUSIC for me is the saxophone, and the keys on my other instruments.
@David Connell That's so sad about the historic bells!😥
1
@Stephanie - here's an article with photos that tells a little of the story:
https://legionmagazine.com/en/2018/11/the-seizing-of-europes-bells/
@Andrew might find the end interesting, too...
5
Do you even have to ask if there's a METAL version of SILVER BELLS?
YMMV. Mine did.
https://youtu.be/HKqMygCu4v8
Enjoyed the puzzle's theme.
5
So if the original revealer was HEAVY METAL MUSIC. . . what was the original corresponding (symmetrical) word/phrase at 17A? Inquiring minds want to know! Or was HEAVY METAL MUSIC where PLATINUM RECORDS is now? If that's the case, what was at 59A? I'm too confused! Either way, it seems like a lot of revision was needed.
1
@Liz B
My guess is that the revealer, HEAVY METAL MUSIC, would have had to be where PLATINUM RECORDS is now. Perhaps 59A METAL MUSIC was originally GOLD RECORD. Who knows?
Just about a complete redo, though.
2
@Liz B
I confidently entered HEAVY METAL and then had to IRON out the kinks (who definitely did not produce METAL MUSIC).
2
@Paul
True that about the Kinks, but Van Halen's cover of "Girl, You Really Got Me," cooks like crazy.
1
Body RELATED Theme? BEARD, KNEE, EARS, BACK, FOOT, ARCH, ANAL, and unfortunately, ODOR?
5
@Robert Michael Panoff
The substring ANAL appears as part of
TINPANALLEY.
I'm not good at flyspecking, but I don't see
it as a full-string solve.
Your comment does suggest a future theme,
perhaps, where the puzzle's larded with the body parts we sang of in our first years of grade school,
(y'know, "HEAD SHOULDERS KNEES and TOES"),
the sneaky calisthenics of kindergarten.
4
Deb,
The Wordplay site went overboard with the whole “fall back” thing. The first column that appears is from Oct. 17th. Just FYI.
1
Hi @Puzzlemucker,
Ha! Yes, there is a system-wide problem that is being looked at now.
Many of the columns have gone on walkabout, but they should be back soon. They'll get hungry, and I've left a trail of pixels back to the Wordplay homepage.
5
@Deb Amlen - anybody whose browser history hasn't been cleared can go back to the day you want to visit Wordplay for through your history. I went to Sunday's puzzle's Wordplay that way and the comments seems to be intact, just hard to find.
1
@Deb Amlen
When I saw the HACIENDAADOBE as the lead column, I momentarily thought, “It has finally happened. My lifelong wish to time travel has come true! (Never thought I’d only go back two weeks but I guess it’s best to take small steps at first).”
5
This one tested my METAL.
(Good thing I went to elementary school!)
14
@Mike
But did you make it to mettle school?
5
Andrew,
That would be mittal school.
5
@Mike
Did you earn your diploma or did you steel it?
(Get your metal puns here! Get your metal puns here!)
8
Why did my streak get reset?
4
Lorraine,
I give up; why did your streak get reset?
4
@Lorraine Mine did, too. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. I emailed tech support and I'm waiting to hear back.
It makes me wonder why I care so much about the silly streak. I was laying in bed, calmly solving the puzzle (I'm the Amdroid app), feeling very relaxed, and I finished the puzzle and sat bolt upright when I saw one day steak pop up on my screen. I went to the website and looked at the stats page, and that said 8 day streak (also far from correct).
3
@Stephanie that should read *in the Android app* (obviously)
Or maybe I am the Android, I am the Android, I am the walrus, coo coo ca-choo.
8
The two criteria for “heavy metal” are density five time that of water and high atomic mass (see ncbi.nmi.nhi.gov “Heavy Mets toxicity...”.) Tin: density 7.287, and atomic mass 118.61 (with silver, say, at 107.87) certainly qualifies on both grounds as HEAVY METAL.
15
@Patrick Jordan
"The two criteria for “heavy metal” are density five time that of water and high atomic mass"
The two criteria for “heavy metal” *music* are volume five time that which is safe for the human ear and high musicians.
16
Speaking of baseball, the semordnilap NATS (STAN) crossed with the anagram for ASTRO (ASTOR).
(In addition to hosting Washington Week, Gwen IFILL also co-anchored PBS’ s nightly NewsHour. Miss her).
9
Sorry for the nails on chalkboard: “In addition to” followed by “also.” That’s what happens when you throw in a dependent clause at the last minute. (And if I just used “dependent clause” incorrectly, I double my mea culpas).
4
@Puzzlemucker
Maybe you wii be able to claim an extra "dependent" on your tax return
1
@ColoradoZ
I am very needy, so I usually claim myself 3 times. Speaking of EMO Phillips . . .
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qegPkqs6rFw
(Second joke is pretty darned true)
1
Easy peasy.
I read the constructor’s notes too, so I don’t blame the constructor for “metal music”; still, even if a nit, I don’t think the term is quite right. I’ve never heard it referred to that way. Generally it’s referred to as heavy metal. I would rather have changed TINPANALLEY to a different answer than change HEAVYMETAL to METALMUSIC.
Then again I’ve never constructed a puzzle so it’s perhaps not for me to say.
I did come up with a good theme the other day though ...
10
@Mr. Mark
The HEAVY got SLASHed.
4
@Mr. Mark METAL MUSIC does feel awkward. I'm glad the constructor explained the reasoning for it. Perhaps he really liked TIN PAN ALLEY and didn't want to change it, or it was a big hassle to rework that part of the puzzle. I imagine a lot of us had HEAVY METAL before solving the crossings since it had the same number of letters.
8
@Mr. Mark
My impression is that just METAL (no "heavy" and also no "music" in the phrase) is the term for the meta-genre. Heavy METAL MUSIC is the original genre from which all other subgenres descend, but nowadays it's also a sub-genre of METAL generally (along with thrash METAL, death METAL, Christian METAL, possibly even EMO METAL, etc.). So METAL MUSIC seems at least plausible, if slightly redundant.
Wikipedia describes the Rays like this: “The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida.” Only Florida would have such a confusing team...
3
Queenie,
No confusion: St. Petersburg, Florida, is situated on Tampa Bay. The confusion in the puzzle is that Tampa Bay is a body of water, not the city of Tampa.
6
@Barry Ancona
And it would be stupid to try to play baseball in the water. Which is why they have a domed stadium.
5
@Queenie "Only Florida would have such a confusing team."
Floriduh.
2
I remember as a teen asking a family friend who was an automotive engineer about something related to the "motor" in a car. He said you never call automobile "engines" MOTORS.
Smart aleck kid asked "Why is the company called General MOTORS?"
8
ColoradoZ,
Then there's this take (from an engineering school):
https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/whats-the-difference-between-a-motor-and-an-engine/
4
@Barry Ancona
Interesting article. Did you find it using Google or some other search motor?
5
@ColoradoZ https://youtu.be/9i5VBrCvCNI
Looks like I’m too late to weigh in on TAMPA Bay and the teams mentioned. I read the constructor’s comments, so won’t comment on the missing HEAVY for METAL MUSIC.
So, nice quick Monday solve... that’s all I’ve got to say about it.
🙂
3
Regarding 47D, "Home of the Rays and Buccaneers":
Tampa is the home of the Bucs, but the Rays are based in and play in St. Petersburg. Their stadium, Tropicana Field, is located about 20 miles from downtown Tampa.
The Rays do not draw very well at Tropicana Field, both because it's one of the smallest and most unattractive venues for baseball, and it is located outside of Tampa, the largest city in the area. Much has been made of relocating the Rays to a future stadium in Tampa itself, but to this point, there has been no action taken toward that end.
So for the foreseeable future, the Rays are based in St. Petersburg, not Tampa.
4
@Steve L
Beat me by a minute!
Just wondering whether there has been any talk down there about the Tampa Bay Rays sharing their team with Montreal. It was big talk for a while up here. Now that the Montreal Expos have won the World Series, it might be time to bring baseball back!
@Andrew
So they could draw small crowds in two different countries?
2
Nope
Nope
Nope
The Bucs play in Tampa, but the Rays play in St. Petersburg
AND they are both "Tampa Bay" teams.
The Packers do not play in Green.
10
@mjengling
And the NY Giants and the NY Jets play their home games in New Jersey.
3
@Bobbie
And the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants play in Los Angeles and San Francisco and the Baltimore Colts play in Indianapolis - and I could go on with St. Louis Rams, Seattle Super Sonics and others
2
@ColoradoZ Wow, sportsball teams are terrible at geography!
10