Deb, I'm trying to picture you in a moustache.
It seems a little overly-sensitive to me for people to bristle at SHO NUFF. Growing up in metropolitan Houston, I've heard people of every color speak this way. My high school, North Shore, is even colloquially known (and proudly owned) as Da Sho. Do people also have a problem with Get OUTTA Here? Should our crossword contain only the King's English? Nothing about this clue was insulting or denigrating, IMO.
I loved the theme - my dad raised us on Looney Tunes and Rocky and Bullwinkle, so those were right in my wheelhouse. I've never read any of the Sax Rohmer books, but that style of moustache is so well-known that it was pretty easy fill.
Great Monday!
"The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu" is on today's bargain list from Early Bird Books. The e-book version is free.
I'm gonna pass.
Cute theme for a Monday, but I really wish you could have done it without that one racially insensitive entry from a time we didn’t stop to think.
6
@Barbara Kellam-Scott maybe i'm missing it - what racially insensitive entry?
1
@Elizabeth I’m guessing DRFUMANCHU. :-/
1
@Elizabeth
Many would argue that 18-Across is an offensive caricature of Asian people.
1
33d finally came but only with cross support. I’d ne’er ordered that cruciverbal appetizer from any eateries’ bill of fare. Coq au vin, sure; chicken with WINE SAUCE? I cannot say YEP to that phrase. But I stalled in the SW corner, not recalling those c’mon spots replete with dueling offensives launched by the tech world powers of the mid-80’s. But I’M A PC came in due time with crosses; ditto AD WAR on the Northern rim of the SW front and a declaration of victory...Warner Wolfe’s ever famous line “Let’s go to the video TAPE” throws it to the Mad Men at work:
https://youtu.be/HrmF-mPLybw
No other snafus or strikeovers to report although RUNE always slows down things fo me, regardless of what day of the week it’s an answer.
This is the John Williams theme from “HOOK,” kid (&adult) stuff from the cinematic world.
https://youtu.be/WC5Ed1ql_fQ
AMORE,
Bru
2
@brutus
A former piano professor of mine had come directly from Paris to North America with only a rudimentary knowledge of English. He was full of stories about linguistic mishaps from his earlier days, none more uncomfortable than when he put on a dinner and served coq au vin. At some point he naively asked his guests if they liked his... I'll have to let you fill in the rest. (Stunned silence ensued!)
3
I saw Henry Winkler play CAPTAIN HOOK in the 2006 pantomime version of Peter Pan at the New Wimbledon Theatre in South London. He entered fully into all the traditional stage business though I can’t remember whether or not he sported a MOUSETACHE underneath the massive tricorn hat and curly wig.
1
The one thing that I can say about FU MANCHU, S. J. Perelman’s “Cloudland Revisited” pieces repay a visit. They were rewatchings or rereadings of films and books from his formative years, mostly skewerings. Hilarious.
Amazing that I could even get YOSEMITE SAM and SNIDELY WHIPLASH at all when I have no knowledge of what they looked like or what they were in.
2
Yosemite Sam is a gun toting character in the Looney Tunes universe. Long red mustache and eyebrows. You'd probably recognize him the instant you saw him.
2
the puzzle itself was fine. maybe the editor could retire the clue used for 37d. there are plenty of alternatives which don’t have such connotations.
4
Huh? How is "sho' nuff!" offensive, especially in that clueing? Sincere question. Google does not enlighten.
Midd American,
The expression is from "African American Vernacular English." Whether its use in the puzzle is appropriate or not is a question above my pay grade.
6
@Midd American That phrase is typically used to indicate an old-time, supposedly ignorant African-American accent or speech pattern and as such is pretty offensive. I associate the phrase strongly with old cartoons, movies, etc from when African-American characters were presented as simplistic, servile caricatures and it jumped out at me in the cluing as well. I agree with the original comment, there are other ways to clue it that don't evoke that association.
7
Thought I was on my way to a record Monday until I filled in the last box and got the “...keep trying”. Took me 5 minutes to figure out that I had the wrong letter at the end of “moustaches” which also fit at the cross of “tiesin”. Can anyone guess what that letter was?
BTW, is there a way to get alerts when someone replies to a comment?
2
"BTW, is there a way to get alerts when someone replies to a comment?"
Jim,
That's one item on a very long wish list.
3
Like @Rich in Atlanta, today's theme make me think of one of my favorite toons, Wile E. Coyote. However I don't think of him as a villain. As for a MOUSTACHE, being a furry coyote his is just very short.
Any puzzle filled with cartoon characters (except Dr. Fu Manchu) gets a thumb up from me.
Thank you, Timothy Polin, for brightening my morning which is definitely not a happy one.
5
I enjoyed cartoons as a child, and I admit to still finding the best of them refreshingly funny, if not downright brilliant! (I had a guilty pleasure of enjoying Sponge Bob with my son, just as I had enjoyed watching Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and Quick Draw McGraw with my own father.)
I found this Dudley Do-Right cartoon today, which still elicited a few laughs, even though I now realize the whole series was simply poking fun at my "home and native land". Those of you with time to waste today, and an inner child that is still alive may enjoy this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXrj-96tz6k
6
@Andrew - thanks for the link, especially as it reminded me of my favorite character from that series: the Inspector. He always cracked me up.
If it was poking fun, it was affectionately done.
(And I've already told here how our family's first visit to Niagara Falls gaves us exactly that sight, given that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had shut down the American falls at the time!)
1
I cried a bit at the synchronicity of a clue for “Laker” today of all days. Sad.
8
Doing the Monday here early morning in Los Angeles. 22 across!
Oh Kobe, this city loved you so!
21
@L.A. Sunshine Yes, what an eerie coincidence.
4
L.A. Sunshine,
Before L.A., he was loved at LMHS.
https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/76ers/kobe-bryant-fans-gather-lower-merion-high-school-touching-tributes
ROCKY ROAD definitely belongs in the category of "things I don't get about American food", along with the obsession of putting cheese on everything and cornbread. Marshmallows in ice cream reminds me too much phlegm 😣.
4
@Joni
More for me!
6
@Joni
My wife's favorite flavor of ice cream is rocky road. It's becoming impossible to find in the supermarket. When I do find it, I buy three tubs. I know I'm not going to see it again the next time I'm looking for it.
By the way, rocky road was created in 1929 in an attempt to create something timely; it was invented in the wake of the stock market crash.
1
Typically smooth Monday solve for me, though it started as a not uncommon "Gee Rich, you have a terrible memory" experience. Specifically, I absolutely knew the answers to 23a, 38a and 51a but... couldn't recall any of them without some crosses. Still got them without any major struggle. Also needed crosses for the reveal, as the MOUSTACHES were not dawning on me.
We had ROCKY at 11d which made me think of BORISBADENOV, who also has a moustache. But he wouldn't have fit in this grid pattern. Neither would FEARLESSLEADER, but he doesn't have a moustache either (couldn't remember what he looked like without looking it up).
The only fictional villain I could think who would have fit (11 or 15 characters) was Wile E. Coyote. But then it dawned on me that Coyotes probably don't have moustaches.
4
@Rich in Atlanta
I hadn't noticed ROCKY and SNIDELY in the same puzzle till you sort of mentioned it. All we needed was a BULL somewhere (wink, wink). As for the symmetrical counterpart to 27A, I couldn't help mentally changing Personal Computer to Perennial Champion. Prayers go out to Vanessa and the other two daughters.
5
To me, Captain Hook will always be Cyril Richard, who played the role in the musical alongside Mary Martin as Peter Pan. He did not have a MOUSTACHE. I can't provide links on this site, but you can go to YouTube and see for yourself. Just put in "Cyril Richard as Captain Hook."
Maybe he had a MOUSTACHE in the book?
Meanwhile, we know that FU MANCHU had a MOUSTACHE, because there's one named after him. I have only seen YOSEMITE SAM in passing and can't remember him. I have no idea who SNIDELY WHIPLASH is.
I'm usually not into puzzles that are built around proper names. But the names were pretty lively here, making for a pretty lively puzzle. Not a bad Monday.
1
My five favorite clues from last week
(in order of appearance):
1. Tiny sound? (5)
2. Art nouveau? (3)
3. Spare part, perhaps (6)
4. Locale for Ernst and Young (6)
5. Looks that can be difficult to pull off (6)(5)
INLET
ARE
TENPIN
SENATE
SKINNY JEANS
12
Art nouveau!! as an art lover, this was my favorite.
I struggled with this puzzle, but finally finished it without cheating. Captain Hook was the only theme answer that was a quick fill for me. I remembered the name, but the only feature of his that I can remember was the hook.
I've always favored heroes that are heroes. Flawed perhaps, but never absurd. I read Don Quixote twice and didn't like it either time. I didn't remember Dudley Do-Right or his enemy at all. Did a look-up after I finished. Definitely absurd. I remember the Mounties Sgt King and Sgt Preston, maybe because they were heroes, Stereotyped, but not absurd.
1
Carl,
I guess we should probably get off your lawn?
7
@Barry Ancona Good one. And oddly prescient. I put up a Keep Off the Grass sign a few months ago because contractors building a new house nearby were parking on my lawn. Absurd, because my lawn is in no way the envy of the neighborhood. They finished the house two weeks ago. I will take the sign down right now.
6
@Carl
Guess this was a lawn time coming ...
6
I only knew about Snidely Whiplash because he was also in yesterdays' Sunday puzzle. Cool that I my skills are growing in such a day by day way. Anyone else put MARY instead of MARE? Fun puzzle!!
10
@Julie
My memory is sometimes faulty, but I don't recall Snidely Whiplash appearing yesterday.
Good one with MARY-MARE!
4
@Julie Yes I did and wondered if anyone else had!
2
@Julie
Also had MARY!
1
I can’t believe it!! A perfectly good Monday puzzle spoiled (for me) by never having heard/read about Mad Libs, (being long removed from Disney offerings - - especially a game show for tykes), and not knowing that Fu Manchu had a medical degree - - or PhD.
And, by “spoiled”, I mean only that I had to “research” to solve the north-central part of this puzzle. Otherwise, it was a lark.
1
@PeterW - you seem to have placed Mad Libs as a Disney children's show? but the first Mad Lib magazines were published in 1958, and we used up dozens of them on long car rides through the 1960s. They've been popular with families who like wordplay for 60 years!
I had no idea there was a game show, and now I see why - it lasted a year?
The dangers of googling, a good demonstration.
11
Yes, MADLIBs were common road-trip distractions when we were kids. As we got older, the entries in our MadLibs progressed rapidly from rated G to rated R (and maybe worse).
My poor mother, right there in the front seat, trying so hard to stifle her chuckles.
9
@PeterW a game show for tykes! I can never go into these comments without finding sanctimony. You're in the comments section for a silly word game, lighten up!
5
Back when many of the theme characters were often on TV in glorious black and white I worked at a Carvel in Dewitt NY. A popular treat was Snowy Road, Rocky Road with marshmallow sauce and coconut flakes.
Bolo for BOLA caused a few seconds delay.
Thanks Tim
1
Fun little puzzle! I’m reminded of the goofy bit in elementary school (many years ago) when we made a “bow” out of a piece of paper, put in on our hair and said, “I can’t pay the rent”, then put the bow on the upper lip and said, “You MUST pay the rent,” back and forth several times. It ended with the “bow” at the throat and a Dudley Do-Right cry of “I’LL pay the rent.” 5,000 years of literature summed up in three characters and three lines.
Anyway, this was my 52nd Monday solve in a row—a year of Mondays. So, I thought I’d comment. Wishing you all a lovely week!
35
@PK Yes, has an entirely too long phase of doing that goofy bit for any who would listen, but our hero always said, “I’ll pay the rent, my darling.” 😁
2
Congrats! This is my second Monday - long way to go....!
2
@PK
And it ended with an adoring ‘My hero!’
Thanks for the memory. Funny how little things like that gave us a shared cultural experience and language.
6
Fun all around, a facial hairfest, with smile-producing answers like SLURP and ROCKY ROAD. And two lovely long downs that actually rhyme, SPACE CADET and IDLE THREAT. Speaking of long downs, Fu Manchu mustache.
I pretty much whiplashed through this offering, with what was, IMO, a fun hook. I believe new solvers will get a kick out of it, which I think is job number one for a Monday puzzle.
Well, TP, I mustache off (Hi, @Mike!). Thank you for this!
11
I found this quite difficult for a Monday, so it wasn’t all over too soon which was nice. Also nice to have WINE SAUCE to start the week.
2
@suejean I found it quite difficult too for a Monday. I was reminded that A&E in the UK stands for Accidents & Emergency, whilst in the US it is Arts & Entertainment...
7
To be honest I couldn’t remember either in spite of spending approximately 41 years in each country.
1
suejean,
Not surprising on the American side. I checked: A&E turns 36 this weekend.
2
LETTER BOXED THREAD
Jan 27th MMXX
C - D (10), D - H (3) ... 13!
A Simpson's utterance, I think!
YESTERDAY:
WATHCDOG GRAPHICS (NYT)
GRAPHITIC CROWDS
3
@Mari
Longer for me today:
P-M(11), M-H(5)
1
@Andrew and mine this evening was M-C 8 C-D 7
@Andrew
Mine probably overlaps with yours -
H -P (8), P-M (11)
I MOUSTACHE you a question.
(Because you're razor-sharp.)
11
SPELLING BEE GRID
Jan 27th MMXX
O A D G H L N
WORDS: 47, POINTS: 184, PANGRAMS: 1, BINGO
Starting Letters-Frequencies:
A x 5
D x 5
G x 12
H x 10
L x 10
N x 4
O x 1
Word Lengths -Frequencies:
4L x 21
5L x 11
6L x 8
7L x 4
8L x 2
9L x 1
Grid:
4 5 6 7 8 9 Tot
A 2 2 1 - - - 5
D 3 1 1 - - - 5
G 6 2 2 2 - - 12
H 3 4 1 1 1 - 10
L 6 1 2 - 1 - 10
N 1 1 - 1 - 1 4
O - - 1 - - - 1
Tot 21 11 8 4 2 1 47
(Y-Axis: Starting Letters, X-Axis: Word Lengths, X/Y Co-ordinates: Frequency/Number of Words for that letter and length)
62
@Mari I was waiting for your grid was just missing the G5 akin to wanna. We just had that yesterday I think. I even wrote it down as a word to remember LOL. I’ll compose my clues now.
8
@Mari Clues:
Eager
Hello in Oahu
Opposite of digital
Soon
Extinct bird
Staying very still and quiet, canine word
Hanoi cash or end of doorbell sound
Gadget
Divinity with the nun suffix
Testes or ovary
Venice boat
Slang for ‘about to do’
Large number similar to a search engine
Old-fashioned phone greeting
Something to grip to prevent falling, compound word
Dejected facial expression, compound word (canine)
Surfing poseur
Navajo log hut or Stalag 13 colonel
Slang for shout
Pincushion doll magic
Salt water detached from ocean
Grassy plain in S America
Asian fruit similar to lychee
Pangram for cursive, or written not typed
Adjective for point where lines intersect
9 sided shape & adjective
Tea
24
@Mari 2 Letter List:
AG-1 AL-2 AN-2
DO-5
GA-1 GO-11
HA-4 HO-6
LA-1 LL-1 LO-8
NO-4
OO-1
22
An enthusiastic OK from this Boomer! Thanks for those mustachioed villains.
9
Nothing to sneer at, as this one came pretty easily, since I worked both the acrosses and downs and managed to fill in enough of the entries to remember DR FU MANCHU, and the rest of the villains were gimmes. Had a couple other no-knows, but the crosses filled those in nicely.
It's an unfortunate coincidence that sometimes words show up in the puzzle that remind us of events that are upsetting. I know that the puzzles are set up well in advance, so let LAKER serve as a tribute to Kobe, his daughter, and the other seven people aboard the helicopter.
11
A note from Captain Obvious: AMORE and EEL now in same puzzle. And a note from the sidelines: Seeing LAKER after today's tragic loss of Kobe and his daughter, well, it was tough.
SAVEME saved me from ASAP-->SNAP-->STAT.
8
All right! Two easy ones in a row! (The official, but false, streak is recorded as eight.) I was slow at remembering Dr. Manchu's first name, but then I only needed to stick an A in WINESAUCE and I got the happy music way under an hour.
1
ARGH. It's Sunday and I completed the puzzle, but I can only get to the Monday (tomorrow's) Wordplay page. Is there an easy way to find Wordplays from past dates?
@Lorel - just click where it says "MONDAY PUZZLE" (or whatever that day's blog post begins with) - it is a hyperlink to the Wordplay main page and from there you can get anywhere.
@Lorel It's not at all intuitive, but if you click on the name of the day at the start of the column ("Monday" today) you'll go to the main Wordplay page with all the recent columns. I never would have realized if someone here hadn't mentioned it.
There's also a link on the word "Wordplay" in Deb's bio at the bottom of the column, but that doesn't work when Caitlin writes the column.
It was so much fun to type in those names! SNIDELYWHIPLASH was the feather in the constructor's cap as far as I was concerned, but I enjoyed filling in every one of them.
My only pause came with FUMANCHU -- his name immediately came to mind with the clue "Sax Rohmer," but I had forgotten that he was a DR until the crosses made it obvious. A physician, no doubt, since not many mysterious and exotic villains had doctorates back then, and maybe still.
5
At first I thought 23A should be Elmer Fudd (even though he didn’t fit). Then afterwards I was amused to imagine him with a stylish moustache.
10
wine sauce... yummy! 🍷
1
I enjoyed the clue for MARE. The theme didn't resonate with me because I didn't know two out of the four characters. YMMV of course.
2
Rich in Atlanta,
Sorry, I saw the “abusive paronym” reference in a reply to you yesterday, had no idea what the poster (whose screen name was unfamiliar to me) was talking about, thought they must be making a joke I was not getting, and didn’t give it any further thought. If that person was being serious, they are either a troll or believe they are on a site where incivility and absurd conclusions are welcomed.
19
Rich, like Puzzlemucker, I had no idea what that poster was talking about. I still don't. But now I've read your follow-up comment, and if you are saying that you are quitting the comments, I hope you'll reconsider. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would miss your presence.
13
@vaer
I third the above comments.
6
@Puzzlemucker et. al.
Sorry - No, I'm not going to quit and I apologize for that comment. I was baffled by that poster and a bit irritated by it, but let me give you the background:
I started having a toothache Friday. Was able to find a dentist open on Saturdays and they diagnosed it as an abscess and gave me some pain meds and antibiotics and scheduled surgery for Tuesday. But in the meantime the pain was getting worse and worse and while the meds were helping some, it was still pretty bad at times.
I posted that last response last night right before I was due to take my night-time pain meds and I was in a pretty foul mood at that point. Last night was the first time I was able to sleep for more than 3 hours straight and I do feel a bit better this morning.
Still, no excuse for me posting something like that and again I apologize. I'm not going anywhere.
6
A gentle and funny start to the week. I'd like to see all those mustachioed goofballs together in a room.
Thanks for the puzzle, Timothy Polin!
6
SNIDELY WHIPLASH is delightful to see in the puzzle. Now I just have to keep it from leading me down the YouTube rabbit hole for the rest of the evening!
8
OT - I solved one of the recently recommended Blindauer puzzles from Sept. 11, 2014. I’m not getting the successful notice and I’m wondering if I have filled it incorrectly. I used the rebus key for squares not having one letter only, although the result looks quite chaotic. Maybe I need to check other clues more closely. If anyone has done this recently and has any words of advice, I’d appreciate it!
1
@Andrew
No rebuses. The middle letter of each Across entry changes (thus the title “Change of Heart”). The Down entries are played straight. E.g., 3D is OAK. You pretty much have to know the Downs to be sure, or relatively sure, which new letters should go in the middle of the Acrosses.
Does that help?
1
@Andrew
@Puzzlemucker
Thanks, Andrew, for bringing that one to my attention, and thanks, Puzzlemucker for the instructions, which made this a much quicker, but still tricky solve.
@JayTee
I realized after I sent that I probably should have just said “No rebuses” and left it at that. Hope I didn’t give away too much.
More difficult for me than a typical Monday — DR. FU MANCHU/ALFIE was a natick.
But how fun was ADWAR so close to IMAPC? And ROCKYROAD and WINESAUCE on a Monday? I’ll take it.
3
@Jenna G. 🙋♀️I got naticked there, too. I've never heard of DR FU MANCHU, but evidently I didn't miss anything good.
1
@Jenna G. I've been doing archived puzzles the past 3 weeks and I've seen this Alfie answer/clue 3 or 4 times. I was not familiar with this movie or Jude Law and apparently Marisa Tomei is also in it.
@CALPURNIA Note that it's a remake. The original starred Michael Caine and Shelley Winters. ALFIE established Caine as an international star. The film earned lots of awards, including the Cannes Jury Prize. The title song became a much covered classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Zf1IoMjr8
2
This brought back memories of Saturday mornings! I didn't like being reminded of DR FUMANCHU as it makes me wince from embarrassment, and I raised my eyebrows at SHO nuff. On the other hand, YOSEMITE SAM was nothing but funny; and who could mind being reminded of Dudley Do-right? Right?
It was like a little piece of candy after the Sunday feast.
3
@Mary SHO Nuff makes me think of jazz, but evidently it's spelled slightly differently. https://youtu.be/DGrZpTWSkh4
1
Of course, there’s The Last Dragon...
https://youtu.be/3mevSvBSKvg
3
ROCKY ROAD led me to ROCKY and Bullwinkle, which led me to BORIS BADENOV, a theme toon character I would have liked to see. I guess he was one letter too long.
Unusual for a Monday, the long answers were immediate gimmes. I misspelled SNIDELY as SNIDLEY so that cost me valuable seconds. For some reason, I wrote in FACIAL HAIR before MOUSTACHES.
Oh, and "You betcha!" got me. YAH it did.
5
@Andrew
If memory serves, wasn't Boris another MUSTACH(e)ioed villain....?
1
BK,
Yes. He had a small one.
https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Boris_Badenov
@Barry Ancona @BK @Andrew
Depending on the era in which you watched cartoons --Dick Dastardly may be as (? more) memorable than Snidely Whiplash.
Re Deb's quote from George Carlin - I also recall the line from his routine about things no one has ever said before: "Hand me that piano."
4
Once again, I'm not getting through, although my C-i-C is definitely under the limit. Here's the beginning:
It's a good thing this was pretty easy outside the themers, and that the themers themselves had such distinctive letter combos, or I'd have been lost. On a Monday!
I even got confused reading Jeff's column. I didn't understand the beginning at all. I did go along with him, though, about his having been profiled at airports. Cartoons may come and go, but racism lives!
My other problem with Jeff's column was that he said DR. FU MANCHU didn't fit with the others because it was the only non-toon. Uh, Jeff: CAPTAIN HOOK was in "Peter Pan," which long predates any of the cartoons. "Peter Pan" 1902; FU MANCHU 1913; YOSEMITE SAM 1944. I didn't even know there was a cartoon based on the Barrie work.
In fact, the only 'toon I was at all familiar with was YOSEMITE SAM, from my childhood when movies were double features with short subjects, including cartoons. Never saw a FU MANCHU movie (or whatever) or a "Dudley Do-Right" cartoonIt's a good thing this was pretty easy outside the themers, and that the themers themselves had such distinctive letter combos, or I'd have been lost. On a Monday!
2
@Deadline
Part 2 :
It occurs to me that I've never had ROCKY ROAD ice cream and wasn't sure what-all was in it, but I was pretty sure it included raisins and that's why I'd avoided it. Mr. Google says I needn't have worried. It's chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and nuts. I'll have to try some.
But I'm certainly no stranger to WINE SAUCE. Or, for that matter, WINE.
Some other stuff I got from crosses: NAOMI, LAKER, ORCS, MADLIB.
Nice cartoon TIE-IN with KEANE.
Off to start the week. Thanks.
4
@Deadline
WP seems to be rejecting long comments that are within the maximum word limitation. Not sure why, but others have commented on the same phenomenon.
On a different note, I looked at Rex Parker’s site to see his take on the Sunday puzzle. I rarely visit and was reminded again why, EXCEPT there was a bonus: @Lewis (our Lewis who also posts there) has a profile photo featuring his newish dog and his cat. They look like pals. Very sweet: https://www.blogger.com/profile/09709142959535977331
2
Heavens! No Rocky Road worth of the name has raisins. It’s chocolate ice cream with pecans and marshmallows. What’s there not to like?
4
An appropriate, if unintended, tribute toKobe:(
47
This crossword has serious "OK Boomer" vibes. Granted most crosswords give that off in their pop culture clues, but this one felt particularly strong.
12
@Jefferson - I am authentically trying to understand your post - do you think the puzzle is pitched for too young of an audience or too old? "OK Boomer" vibes isn't helping me figure out your meaning. Could you say more, maybe which things gave you that reaction?
2
@David Connell - (following up - a good part of my confusion comes from knowing that the constructor is way, way, not a Boomer):
https://www.xwordinfo.com/Thumbs?author=Timothy+Polin
1
not a boomer not quite but I read it as "ok boomer, this one's for you"
1
Eek. 22 across. Eerie.
7
@Brian
OMG -- I filled in 22A working from the crosses. Never even looked at the clue til now. Truly sad that one of his daughters also in the crash
6
If it had been an 8 or 24 across/down that would have been really something.
3
Play Twilight Zone theme.....
1
Oh my heavens -- Finishing the MINI in 10 seconds -- Not too shabby for working from a laptop--
3
@RAH
I wondered if I could do it quickly too, but used Reveal Square after two minutes for a D where two naticks crossed.
@RAH it took me longer because I didn’t immediately know “something planned on the moon.” It wasn’t til I did the down clues and saw FLAG that I realized my error. Maybe I should wear my reading glasses at all times when looking at a screen.