Rip Kobe Bryant, while likely not intentional. “Mamba”is directly straight down the middle of crossword
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, fidgeted Tom fraudulently.
I have the streets of the Lower Garden District to remind me of the Muses. Perhaps I should hang out at the Humidor down the street to learn cigar types.
I was working with the LA County Gang Task Force at the time of the Bronco and asked to profile the killer of Simpson and Goldman. Guess the result.
Denied the gold by a tobacco product I shall spend this rainy day wallowing in misery and self pity as I watch the monkey dance while our constitutional guarantee of separation of power goes up in flames.
Thanks Ross, fine Wednesday fare.
6
@dk
As for me and mine.... I can't watch!
2
@Puzzlemucker
Since y'all brought it up, aren't we supposed to be glad when our leaders are exonerated from wrong doing?
2
@justsomeone
Lurking, lurking, lurking ... what creatures do that? Oh yeah, trolls.
The day you actually contribute something here will be a thrilling day.
9D Really got me. I couldn't figure out why someone would make a daily run up MT. WTF
5
I am extremely confused.
I accidentally submitted my comment before I was done typing. I am extremely confused, because this Word Play column and the comments on it do not remotely match the puzzle that I just completed on the App on my phone for Tuesday, February 4. Did anyone else here have a puzzle with the theme INTO EACH LIFE SOME RAIN MUST FALL?
Ugh. Never mind. I see what I did. Somehow I clicked on a different puzzle from an earlier year. Ignore me.
2
Amy,
These comments (and the column) are for the puzzle of Wednesday, February 5 (i.e, today).
What you're describing wasn't the Tuesday, February 4, 2020, puzzle either. Are you lost in the archives?
I don't think I fully understand the revealer. I see that the circled letters are different types of USED FURNITURE which can be "garage sale goods," but what does ..."or what the answers at [clue numbers] have done" mean?
OboeSteph,
Those answers have used furniture...
@Barry Ancona Oh, I guess I was overthinking it. The answers just used furniture words as part of the answer.
@OboeSteph
I had the same question much earlier. It is playing on two meanings of USED.
USED = second hand
USED = made use of
1
Okay, I'll bite... What and where is this spelling bee that keeps popping up in the comments?
3
Anne,
It's on the Crosswords home page (as are quite a few other puzzles and games).
Specifically:
https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee
Isn't it AT BEST a little insensitive to use COWLINGS as a NYTimes crossword clue? This is a guy who tried to help a (let's be honest, probably/likely) murderer escape justice. And honestly, we're not even going to mention that association? Just "white Bronco driver"? PLEASE. I mean, for crying out loud, even if you live in a world where OJ is innocent, you can still recognize that passively referencing abuse isn't exactly sensitive. Just make it ROWLINGS and un---- the northwest corner. It was bad enough with MTWTF.
2
Or I would have used a common crossword answer in the clue: ABET.
2
@M.p.cohen Yeah, that would've been more appropriate.
It would be really nice for those of us online to get the puzzle title and any discussion that accompanies the print version, no matter how obtuse. If I am at my computer I can get to the theme discussion from the main puzzle page, and somehow resist reading further into the hints. On my Kindle which I frequently use, since who can sit in front of the computer all day unless it's a job, of course, I can only guess at the theme.
2
@Retired and refreshed
Unless it’s Sunday, there’s no title.
1
Retired and refreshed,
Only Sunday crosswords have titles, and those titles are available in every online solving format.
If your format doesn't provide it, the full note for the Sunday puzzle may been online in the PDF.
As I understand it, most online formats have an alert for notes.
1
Is the clue for 56D correct? "Really, informally" is what I have but the answer is not "Ubet" but "Uber"
@nuffsaid
A different meaning from the ride company. Related to the German, meaning “above all.”
“I am uber confused.”
“That exam was uber hard.”
3
Took me a few minutes to see the furniture in “works of art” and was laying on the sofa at the time. Duh!
@Queenie On which platform are you solving? On the NYT XW app for Android, the letters for SOFA are circled.
A kind of interesting addition to my earlier post about the appearance of a couple of unusual surnames (that thread has drifted to another topic).
After a nap, I wondered about Franz Liszt and went and looked that up. Well...
LISZT by itself - 28 times.
FRANZLISZT - twice (both pre-Shortz)
But, searching with LISZT embedded in any possible way I found (cough):
LISZTPRICE (and LISZTPRICES - pre-Shortz)
LISZTLISTS (and LISZTLIST - pre-Shortz)
MOSTWANTEDLISZT (twice in 2002)
NATIONALLISZTPARTY
PLAYLISZT
and
SHOPPINGLISZT
Pretty popular play on words. Glad to see that the Times puzzle is not Lisztless.
4
@Rich in Atlanta
Concerning SHOPPING, for years I had a pad of paper that I used to make note of the groceries required for the week. The heading at the top of each page was CHOPIN LISZT.
7
Is there any communication between the crossword editors and those for the Sunday "Spelling Bee"? The answer to today's 49 Down should have been a valid answer for the most recent Bee.
@SFA
Yes! My response exactly when I filled it in.
@ SFA
No, it’s a proper noun.
Nobis Miserere, it may be a proper noun, but it's *also* a non-proper noun.
As they scream in Le Grand Bleu - AUITO!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImbipYHfLNw)
Can someone help me get one theme entry in this puzzle:
https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2018/01/30
Theme is housebroken, and there are three house related words broken up, RANCH, DUPLEX and AFRAME. What is the last one? Google search only brings some open-source web framework and there is no Worddplay column for that day (how dare you take a day off, ever, Deb Amlen!)
1
@Bojan
52a/49a.
And here's the Wordplay column for that day:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/crosswords/daily-puzzle-2018-01-30.html?rref=XWordInfo
..
@Bojan - watch your vowels!
1
@Rich in Atlanta Thanks. Yeah, CHALET was in there, too, you are right.
So it's A-FRAME house? Is A-Frame used as a substantive? Can you say, I bought a new A-Frame, for example? Because the other three words are stand-alone ones, and cannot be used with "house" added to the end, right?
@David, heh
1
Pleased to see my alma mater in today's puzzle. Thinking it might be the first time? Although we've had at least one Sagehen constructor.
No, I don't mean Duke or UNC, although I've worked both places.
2
I’ve seen EEO at least 3 times in the past 6 weeks. What gives?
1
@Outofbox Dock
Three vowels, that’s what gives.
Doesn’t SRO show up nice a week?
Take the gummies...
2
I’ve never commented on a puzzle before but since I was able to solve this puzzle with no help (unusual for me) I thought it was time. I only “technically” solved this puzzle by filling all the squares. In particular: 9D. I got the crossings but until I read the blog I was questioning how far the Times would push the limits, believing that a daily run was Mt. WTF, using a slightly different (and likely unacceptable but well known) meaning for WTF. For many would-be runners a daily run, at least before it is a habit, really seems like climbing Mt. WTF. So I got it “right” but was wrong.
29
@JoeS
Congrats bro on the solve.
If you got happy music, you solved it. Regardless of misinterpretation. Many folks come here after a solve and ask “can someone explain...”
5
@JoeS Mt. WTF: As of now I plan to begin making regular use of that wonderful expression, as in "once again we find ourselves trying to climb Mt. WTF."
14
Deb,
Pass the whisky...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX42_3ZKv8c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6orDcL0zt34
It's ALLA in Italian but I guess since it's Calamares in English, it's okay to use the French ALA.
I had never heard of the school POMONA until an hour before seeing the puzzle. I was watching a reality show and the star is trying to decide between attending Harvard and POMONA (yes, really.) I had no idea where POMONA was, but her mother told her she preferred Harvard because California was so far away. I thought that was a weird coincidence.
2
Calpurnia,
Try Spanish.
(Scroll down for a rave review.)
2
@Barry Ancona oh in the words of Homer Simpson: doh!
2
"the French ALA"
Pedantically speaking, in French "à la" is how they write it.
Briefly thought that the answer to 18A might be AL COWENS, but it turns out that he was a major league outfielder back in the 70s and 80s. My apologies to Mr. Cowens and his family.
2
For those who maintain streaks and best times (not me), is there is a standard definition of what is considered an eligible solve? I don't use the app to solve, but I gather from reading the comments there are some helping features built in. In it's purist form, I would think a solve is you get one chance at filling in the puzzle correctly without any help, but am curious if that is the standard, or if there is a standard, since after all it is for fun. When I am stumped I have to resort to testing my best guesses. If my first guess is right I might consider that a successful solve, but wonder how others feel on the subject.
2
Jim,
Some solves and streaks reported here are based on tournament rules; others look things up online. For all I know, some people consult the answer key.
The rule here seems to be: "It's your puzzle." That's good for inclusion, a bit rough for comparison.
8
@Jim
You are way way stricter than I. For me, it's basically "whatever it takes." I do Mondays through Wednesdays, and very occasionally Thursdays without any help (but sometimes multiple dead-ends and guesses). The rest of the week gets progressively harder, so I do resort to looking up in Google, Wikipedia, thesaurus (which rarely helps, actually), etc. I've thought to start counting the number of look-ups (but haven't yet); I am half-heartedly *trying* to improve skills. So much for "standards," personal or otherwise. It is, as you recognize, for the fun of it. And may that fun continue.
11
@Jim
When you solve online or through the NYT crossword app (not the news app), you maintain your streak if you complete the puzzle by the end of the date of publication. That’s supposed to be midnight EST, but some have reported a later time on the West Coast. I don’t know whether that’s true but you get the idea.
As long as you don’t ask the app for help, you’ll get credit towards your streak. The app has no way of knowing whether you’ve Googled, phoned a friend, polled the audience, or anything else. You could even copy the answers from Jeff Chen at xwordinfo.com or Rex Parker and the app would never know.
Barry mentions tournament rules; that means no help whatsoever. Some people solve at that level, and would be embarrassed to maintain a “streak” if it included help. Others are glad to complete the puzzle however they can.
I grew up with the puzzle in an age where you mostly had to be in a library, or else you were on your own, so there was no choice. But a wise philosopher once said, “It’s your puzzle. Solve it however you want.”
6
Please correct the caption. A street antiques fair is not a 'brasserie', it's a 'braderie'.
2
S North,
She did fix it (based on earlier reports from Europe).
3
For some reason, I had SHOODOBEDO. Wasn't there a "Shoo" in there?
@Mike I've always heard it like you ... but as Scooby-Dooby-Doo ...
Now, there's a mystery.
2
Not in “Strangers in the Night,” nope.
1
Spotify Sinatra’s version of “Strangers in the Night” if you don’t believe me ;)
Whew! I've been MIA with some rough days and nights for the DHubby. However, I am glad to say he is turning the corner, with pain at a more manageable level.
Meanwhile, I've been doing the puzzles, but not able to come to WPlay.... Except for last Saturday's humiliation (EIGHT wrong letters--or empty boxes) the puzzles have gone well and I enjoyed the little flush of pride.
Today's Wee Bee certainly surprised-- a pangram I did not know was a word! PRO- maybe....but IN-? (Hope that does not act as a Spoiler.)
Resubmerging....
6
@Mean Old Lady - you made a nice AD for Latin prefixes there...!
@mol
So glad to hear your hubby is doing better. Mine was back for more tests. Surgery soon.
The puzzle-gods work in mysterious ways ...
Last week I was served an online ad for a new car; the ad featured three actors speaking with exaggerated Boston accents. The standout of the trio, IMO, was Rachel Dratch. That made me nostalgic for old SNLs. Which led me to watch videos of some of Dratch's Boston Teen sketches with Jimmy Fallon. In one of these, they shared a ski lift with a bro who used the term CATCH AIR, giving me a gimme in today's puzzle.
Thank you, puzzle-gods.
5
On my first (visual) pass my reaction was OMG -- more googles? -- but then as I got "into it" it uncurled nicely.
Almost had a klutz finish until I finally realized my entry of ALOT for 4D needed to be corrected. (whew!)
And -- I thought 41A was especially clever: double beds.
Would Allen Ginsberg have been a more appropriate clue for 62A? Just asking.
My mother always called a refrigerator the ICE BOX. Also davenport instead of SOFA or couch.
I have several pieces of furniture that my pet feline considers to be CAT CHAIRs.
3
I came to wordplay with two unfilled squares for the first time I think (9D and 65A). Thanks for explaining, Deb. I should have recognised 54D.
I caught on to the furniture theme early which helped a lot, but didn’t make it too easy for me.
Another cute theme for this week.
1
OK, @Lewis, I will never look at WORKSOFART in the same way again. Thanks for bringing out my 10 year old self when I thought that was the funniest word in the world!
And thanks, Ross Trudeau, for putting some polish on old, USED FURNITURE. Especially that fuzzy, fur-covered CAT CHAIR!
2
For me this puzzle was a little harder than the average Wednesday puzzle. At least six answers were total unknowns, but the crosses and some guessing got me to the finish line.
3
Hmmm, given NYT reporting on Gloria Allred and her daughter, perhaps it’s alright to stick with the “embarrassed” clueing
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/08/books/harvey-weinstein-book-kantor-twohey.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
4
@Leigh Ann
Provocative article. In some defense of Gloria Allred, before the #metoo movement, confidentiality/non-disclosure was standard fare in settlements of harassment/discrimination cases. Defense counsel still strongly push for them. And, as she points out, a lawyer can't disregard a client's willingness to settle based on the lawyer's principles. Perhaps she could have done more in the past to push back against these clauses, but the tide was very much against her. #Metoo has begun to change that, but only to some extent. It seems unfair to me to suggest that she has been complicit in silencing victims of abuse, particularly since she has been a strong advocate for womens' rights for many years.
5
@Puzzlemucker Fair enough. I was disturbed by the podcast version of this reporting where she also failed to condemn her daughter actively working to defend Weinstein. Like everyone, she’s a human being that has made mistakes, but has no doubt done more good for this generation if women than harm. My point was that her name is most recently associated *negatively* with the #metoo movement, making it a potentially awkward clueing for the crossword.
This was a little challenging for me. I got quite hung up when MUNCHWORKS fit perfectly in 33D, and I didn’t want to let go of it. When I finally did, I wanted QUAKE instead of PWAVE, but that didn’t work of course!
Deb, your column is timed well for me—and inspirational; thank you! My husband and I had to forego a vacation to warmer climes this week due to a dog care snafu, and I’m using the found time at home to purge some of our belongings accumulated over the last 30 years. I’ve also just dusted off my Marie Kondo for guidance. Needless to say, I’d rather be sitting under a palm tree with a nice rum drink and a crossword puzzle.
1
@Kate
Did MUNCH ever do any sculpture? Not my favorite ARTist...
One of my peak experiences was walking into the courtyard of the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland, just as it opened...and seeing the huge Rodin work, "The Burghers of Calais." I literally shouted in recognition and joy.
2
@Mean Old Lady Not sure about Munch and sculpture but I’m actually not crazy about him either. And I just realized my mistake (that they are not both Munch so my MUNCHWORKS was not even a possibility —oops). The Kiss is of course Klimt, whose landscapes I love.
In the meantime, just looked up your Rodin, and it looks magnificent ! Thanks for sharing. I have seen Le Penseur in person, and I once held in my own hand a small and not very signifiant study/sketch done by Rodin himself. That was a thrill.
Would that be a "double bed?"
6
@Chris Atkins
... or twin beds...?
3
L, the "do"s do it.
A rare time that the revealer helped me. Was having a problem with 41A spelling until I noticed the two BEDs. 54D a very original clue. Could not remember the name of the white Bronco driver, not that it should go beyond his Warhol alloted fame time. Lots of interesting fill and a few others that totally eluded me, such as IOLANI.
As far as yard sales go, Deb I share your feelings. I dread the need for them as we also downsize in the near future. Although I have often been successful, the annoyance of dickering over 3 for $1 items tests my patience. My wife is also one of the few people I know to lose money on a yard sale.
2
I'm glad of your comment about 66A, Ross, but confused and disappointed. Surely there could have been an interim edit since the puzzle's construction/acceptance in 2017 to make the clue more relevant. (ALL RED isn't even, to the best of my knowledge, an In-The-Language phrase.) Anyway, all you guys who didn't make that change fully *deserve* the embarrassment you refer to.
Got the theme early and the solve was pretty much a breeze, with the exception of the left coast. Never heard of a P-WAVE (however it may be parsed). I was pretty sure that the IOLANI or IOLAKI or something like that, but the N made the most sense. I guess maybe I've heard of E-NEWS! (however parsed).
I thought TAOS was an art colony, not a ski resort. I've never been out that way.
I'm still working on remembering not to call a refrigerator an ICEBOX. I once had a yute think I was referring to the freezer section.
Altogether enjoyable, except for the ALLRED mis-clue. Thanks.
3
@Deadline
My Grandmother used to call all refrigerators "Frigidaires". I'm not sure if it was a thing of the times (60s/70s) or if it was one of those "lost in translation" things (She was an Italian immigrant who made her way to the U.S. via Ellis Island back in the 19 aughts..)
2
@Steve Faiella
I've heard this terminology used by French-Canadians of a certain age. My feeling is that the Frigidaire brand (made by General Motors) was prevalent in Québec in the early days. It's similarity to the word refrigerator turned it into a sort of generic trademark like Kleenex.
4
Steve,
Plenty of native-born Americans (and people all over the world) often refer to generic products by popular brand names (Frigidaire, Kleenex, Xerox, etc.) ICEBOX was not a brand name.
4
NWA? I knew the answer. But do we all really need to see/hear that first letter's referent? Not everyone, or every venue, is entitled to use it IMO. Would its "H.." sister also get a pass from Will?
2
@Joe From a different point of view, NWA existed, they are well known, they glossed themselves, this is a piece of entertainment reflecting the world around it, and so on...
14
@Joe
I see your point, but probably agree with Michael.
What I’m trying to figure out is the H word you are referring to. Can you give me a “sounds like?”
Newbie (and Joe),
I can think of two, both of which *have* appeared in the puzzle in the Shortz era ... and spelled out at that.
(One as an entry, the other as a clue.)
A very satisfying “Solve” (with capital ‘S’). No peeking. No research. Nothing but rummaging around in the old grey matter.
I spelled Frank’s line DOO BE DOO BE at first. Didn’t work.
ONE NIGHT STAND revealed a theme before I went any further and the rest fell into place fairly readily.
Had NO idea what 65A was supposed to be and had FLED at 53D - so some fly-specking was necessary. But I still sneaked under my average time.
55D is a little “esoteric” unless one is AVID about that particular card game.
My biggest problem with this one is that a short, slightly vulgar version of “Cut the Cheese” or “Pass Gas” fairly leaps out of the center of the puzzle every time I look at it.
2
@PeterW
Re big problem, look somewhere else. Please.
Now you got me doing it too.....
@Dr W
Sorry - it’s just THERE!!
Sad to say I was stumped - on a Wednesday, no less. I don't think I ever heard the name Al Cowlings, though I was mesmerized by the chase. And escaping the snow by moving to Vegas (where it was a "balmy" 32 degrees with icy winds tonight), I surely know nothing about snowboarding. Disappointed to not be able to finish part of that NE corner. So rare.
@Times Rita
If you were mesmerized by the chase, you certainly would have heard the name. It is quite understandable however if you have no recollection of that detail.
1
Just poking my head in for a second to say how much I enjoyed Ross' grid today! I don't know what it is about the phrase(?) DOBEDOBEDO, but it makes me grin when I see it. Some tuff stuff in there with PWAVE, MTWTF, EEO (is it EEO or EOE? It's like AVOW/AVER - you know it's one of the two, so you key in AV and wait for crosses). Everything was very gettable through crosses, so no complaints there.
On a side note, I'm spending the week on Tybee Island GA (one of the barrier islands off of Savannah) and spending time with my brother and sister-in-law. It's beautiful down here, and I do NOT want to come back North... 😆
Hope everyone enjoys the week!
7
@Steve Faiella If you're my general age, it might be because back when the song was getting a lot of air play, you thought, as did I, that the lyric was 'doobie doobie do!'
7
One lyrics site shows:
[Dooby-doooby-doo and other scat to end]
Anybody have the actual sheet music?
2
@Barry Ancona Nope. But no matter what the sheet music says, I wasn't reading it back when the song debuted. In my head, the line was all about doobies.
2
Good workout and an interesting puzzle. Caught on fairly early with DOBEDOBEDO and the reveal and that did help a lot with some of the other theme answers. But... had a to look up a couple of things and then just got stuck completely in the NE. I had completely forgotten the whole AL COWLINGS thing and I just was not getting what the clue for MTWTF was getting at.
Oh well, maybe I can start a short streak next week.
Answer/clue history search today is inspired by the clue for 33a, but I'll post it in a reply (in a little while).
1
@Rich in Atlanta As promised. Interesting names, from a crossword perspective, for the artists of the works referenced in the clue for 33a. First wondered if there was any chance that either name had ever appeared in full in a puzzle.
Somewhat to my surprised EDVARDMUNCH has appeared twice - but only in Variety puzzles, never in a daily crossword.
GUSTAVKLIMT - Nope, never.
Then searched further on just first and last names. KLIMT seemed the unlikeliest, but it did appear once - and just a couple of months ago. I had forgotten that.
Was sure all the others had appeared but wondered how often they had been clued in reference to those artists. Here's the breakdown:
GUSTAV - 13 appearances - clued to Klimt twice.
EDVARD - Was surprised by this one - it's only appeared once and was clued to Edvard Grieg.
And MUNCH, of course has appeared a few times - 14 in total. Most of them some variation of 'chew.' The only time it has been clued as a proper name, it referenced the composer Charles MUNCH - twice in the early 60's.
So in sum: If we restrict ourselves to daily puzzles, then Gustav Klimt has been part of a clue/answer 3 times - last name once and first name twice.
And Edvard/Munch has never been cross-referenced in any clue or answer. However THESCREAM was an answer once - in 2015 - and 'Edvard Munch' was in the clue.
2
@Rich in Atlanta
Nice sleuthing, Rich! Perhaps it's time for an Artists theme... 🙂
3
@Rich in Atlanta
Slight correction to your post. Charles MUNCH was a conductor, not a composer. He was long-time conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and here is a short clip of him conducting that orchestra. (I noticed one female in the orchestra of that time. Otherwise it was an all-white male domain. But I digress...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4iwaJyNZBs
2
I liked the first two theme answers best because you could re-parse them: CAT CHAIR and ONE NIGHTSTAND. Here's a thought, @Deb. Maybe WORKSOFART shows up so seldom because of its last four letters, which I just can't unsee as I look at the grid (you're welcome, all).
The cluing was mostly direct, and sometimes that just happens because a huge portion of the answers simply lend themselves to direct cluing rather than wordplay cluing. That direct cluing led to an on-RT's-wavelength fairly quick finish, keeping my solving chops in shape (and thank you for that, Ross), and hungry for diabolical tangles and tussles the next few days.
6
Generally fine, but I don't get how the furniture in the theme answers was 'used' (seemed to be just incidental). Then there's the intersection of CLARO (a type of cigar; what am I, a sixty year old Republican?) and COWLINGS (apparently a media circus performer whose existence I really didn't need to know about). Well, if COWLINGS counts as a reality TV character, then perhaps I could ask him to petition Drumpf for a presidential pardon the next time I need one (though I suspect that a successful petition really requires additional assets).
@Gary
The answers "used" furniture words within.
4
I liked this RT puzzle a lot, even though some of the content brought up a little discomfort. DENIERS, WHINERS, AIG, eNEWS, cigars (brought to mind certain person who degrades the Medal of FREEDom). Whew!
Took a while to remember the Bronco driver's last name (what a pity that's how he is remembered). Favorite was the tennis clue. So clever!
7
@Ann
Next up: posthumously given to Roy Cohn.
8
@Puzzlemucker
IKR?
5
@Puzzlemucker
To be shared with Jeffrey Epstein.
3
LETTER BOXED THREAD
Feb 5th MMXX
Shortest I could find, a L - Y (5) not accepted:
T - S (7), S - Y (7)
YESTERDAY:
BACKDROP POLITE
1
@Mari
F-S(4), S-Y(13)
Yesterday same as you and:
TEARDROP PICKABLE
1
@Andrew
Mine is longer too
P-L (10), L-S (6)
@Mari t-p (6) p-y (9)
I rather suspect that in the caption to the photo that should read the "Braderie de Lille" not the brasserie. A "braderie" is a general term for any sort of clearance sale, be it in a store or in the streets of a town with numerous vendors, both professional and non-professional.
3
@mld Thanks, I wrote the same before seeing your comment. Braderie has an interesting etymology: it's a Flemish word, used in northern France and Belgium, derived from 'braden', i.e. to roast. It refers to the number of food sellers rather than the antiques!
1
Thank you. I was wondering about that myself, but got pulled away before I had a chance to look it up. I’ll pass that on to the photo library.
2
SPELLING BEE GRID
Feb 5th MMXX
I B E H N T V
WORDS: 28, POINTS: 136, PANGRAMS: 1
Starting Letters-Frequencies:
B x 3
H x 3
I x 7
N x 6
T x 6
V x 3
Word Lengths -Frequencies:
4L x 11
5L x 3
6L x 6
7L x 3
8L x 1
9L x 2
10L x 2
Grid:
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tot
B 1 - 1 1 - - - 3
H 2 - 1 - - - - 3
I - - 3 2 - 1 1 7
N 2 1 - - 1 1 1 6
T 3 2 1 - - - - 6
V 3 - - - - - - 3
Tot 11 3 6 3 1 2 2 28
(Y-Axis: Starting Letters, X-Axis: Word Lengths, X/Y Co-ordinates: Frequency/Number of Words for that letter and length)
65
@Mari Obscure word clues:
2 words related to apiary
Posterior, slang
Suppress, noun & adj. (pangram)
Attendance request, verb & object (EE suffix)
2 cardinal numbers & 3 ordinals
After sunset, slang
Steal
Archaic form of yours
Fork component
Donate 10%
Emotional state or atmosphere
41
@Kevin Davis
I adore you, Kevin Davis. Thanks again!
21
@Kevin Davis Ah, what a relief -- a nice quick one. Thanks for the hints!
3
SPELLING BEE
I've got the clues ready for 27 words, need about 9 more points to finish puzzle. Any slang today besides posterior and after sunset? I've got 3B, 3H, 7I, 5N, 6T, 3V, & 1 pangram,
2
@Kevin Davis Mari's chart gave me the missing word. I'll post my clues in her thread. This one is now closed.
@Kevin Davis -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk
When it comes to my weekly streak, sofa so good.
(This pun is bedder than nothing.)
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@Mike
Perhaps we should just table this discussion...
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@Mike
The same post from January 13 garnered 19 reccos.
Let's see if you can beat that today!
https://nyti.ms/2umL0W3#permid=104594839
@Andrew My puns are environmentally friendly - all recycled!
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Yay, the word "Calamares" makes its NYT debut today!
Next stop in the ascending order of Spanish Seafood Scrumptiousness: CHIPIRONES
Have you ever tried "Chipirones en su tinta"? (baby squid in their own ink). If not, I feel it my duty to warn you that you are seriously missing out on a superlative culinary experience, black teeth be darned.
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@Bojan
I missed it. What was the clue with the highest number of diverse answers?
@Puzzlemucker
It was "Split" with 40+ different answers. And the hint that the word means more to me than to you is because I grew up in its (relative) vicinity.
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@Bojan
Thanks! Would never have guessed.
Nowadays I find myself Reveal-ing some minis, e.g. the one I started with tonight. Two clues I don't understand even after seeing the answers: "Social media button with a '+'"? "'Twilight' protagonist"? But "Aid for tracking shot" I understood once it filled in.
As to the main puzzle, even if I had seen through "racketeer," I probably wouldn't have got the last two letters of USTA. Research brings another honest streak to zero. Oh, yeah, I've never heard of Al COWLINGS either, and didn't remember CLARO cigars or AIG so researched that L and G as well. Otherwise a fairly easy fun puzzle.
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@kilaueabart Thanks for providing me this unique opportunity to be on the answering side for once.
BELLA is one of the characters in the teen-vampire book/film series called Twilight.
On Instagram, for example, you can ADD content by clicking on a button with a plus sign.
I'm far from the expert on either topic, so use this explanation cautiously until someone smarter comes along.
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@kilaueabart
I agree. There were some really BLAH! clues in the mini today.
I was saved only by ‘+’ meaning ADD arithmetically and a wild guess to fill in BELLA.
“Aid for a tracking shot” was just plain psychedelic!!
and Elke
Sorry- don't want to DERIDE the lengthy PROCEDURAL I watched earlier this eve.
Instead of ALLRED I tried "Orange" and all I could think of was "USED people " instead of (or like) USED FURNITURE.
Will HOTFOOT it outta here and CATCH some fresh AIR.
Puzzle was fine- but don't want to be a SHEEP.
Sorry.
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I don't know: last night we had SEX ORGANS; tonight we have ONE NIGHT STAND. Is there a theme here? And it's still only Wednesday.
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@Andrew
Wait until you see Saturday! 😆
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My wife and I arrived in Rome from the States in June, 1994. The first night in the hotel we woke up at about three AM with jet lag, of course. I turned on the TV in the room of the hotel and started flipping through the channels. There was the usual Italian QVC kind of shows, a movie, an NBA game, and then there was a helicopter shot of some white SUV driving slowly along a freeway . . .
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Those darned PIPERS piping put the dreaded Twelve Days of Christmas song back in my head for the whole evening. But every time I get to that wonderful moment with the words FIVE GOLD RINGS, the only words I can hear are ONE NIGHT STAND!
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@Andrew
“Five Al COWLINGS . . .
Four WORKS OF ART
Three DOBE DOBEs
Two WTFs
and ONE NIGHT STAND with a MIME”
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@Puzzlemucker
You’re working MUCH too hard at these.
@PeterW
If you had added some rhyming lines, you could have been a SLAM POET. How about:
You’re working MUCH too hard on these,
Maybe a TOUCH of tin ear disease,
Save us your CAROLS why don’t you please,
We don’t need an @Andrew WANNABE!
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Loved the Sinatra clue and fill. Does anyone else remember the "Beware of the Pengins" Bud Ice commercials? https://youtu.be/fAfmUmLH4bo
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59D had me stumped for quite a while -- all I could come up with was U BET, because in my mind the required answer (because of ALLRED, duh) was a car service. I was uber-confused!
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Me too. I kept seeing Uber, but dismissed it until nothing else would fit... then I remembered the other use of the word...
24 - 26 messed me up bad.
24D: I thought a siesmograph was for earthquakes, and although PWAVE fit, I associate that with heart wave patterns.
25D: I kept thinking about KauaiBart. I had no clue, but I figured he knew it
26D: I was convinced the answer was gonna be two words. I kept trying to breakup PROCEDURAL in my head, but to no avail (mtWTF is a proce dural?)
Despite this, happy music. Yea.
I figured the NewMexico folk would appreciate TAOS.
@Newbie
Also, can someone explain BEDBED. Is this a thing? Or just a repeat for repeat's sake...?
@Newbie
Double bed, I think.
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@Newbie Not sure if it's a double bed or twin beds. Works either way.
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This went quickly except for the west side which didn’t. P WAVE and IOLANI were unknowns and there is a television show in these parts called ETALK!, so it was a bit of a mess for a while. I shouldn’t admit this, but I remembered the name Al from the OJ chase, and promptly entered the name SHARPTON. When I eventually realized my foolishness, I thought some more, and the name COWLINGS came tumbling out from somewhere in the recesses of my brain. I also found myself thinking for some reason, “if it doesn’t fit, you must...”
Can anyone explain to me the meaning of the words “have done” in the revealer clue (52A)?
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@Andrew
The answers have all USED (ie, made use of) FURNITURE, expressed visually by the circled letters.
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@Millie
Ah! Thank you!
That was tricky for me. My brain was not catching on. Loved MTWTF, because I usually use an R for Thursday. Thanks.
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I’ve just discovered that if you take the entry of 9D, put a space after the second letter, and put a question mark at the end, it won’t get past the emus.
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@Andrew
What a cool name for a mountain.
Clue: Giant hill of confusion, briefly
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Old graffiti:
“To be is to do”—Socrates.
“To do is to be”—Jean-Paul Sartre.
“Do be do be do”—Frank Sinatra.
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I was trying to fit DOOBY DOOBY DOO, and had to give up temporarily. DOBE DOBE DO is a DOOK and a half.
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@Andrew
In my head, it's always been "Dooby Dooby Do." Probably mixed up from the crimefighting canine 😁
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@Ann
We used to sing it as Scooby Dooby Do as kids, which did not help me today. And we also thought the Strangers were exchanging glasses.
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Ann, in all the Google hits I've found it's spelled either "Doo-bee-doo-bee-doo" or "Dooby-dooby-doo," but I haven't seen the original sheet music.
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We all remember Al COLLINGS driving the white Bronco, right? But what's with MTLTF? I usually keep my composure while chiseling out naticks, but today I lost it.
So when I finally had a COW, I was able to use it to solve the puzzle.
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@Mike R It’s a run of days of the week. Mon-Thu.
Guys, please count carefully.....
Just enough bite for a Wednesday. Loved MTWTF and DOBEDOBEDO.
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Ross noted how clueing for ALLRED could change over recent history. Isn't that also true for DENIERS?
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@RAH
I wonder how many people in this day and age know about stocking thicknesses. Or about stockings, for that matter!
I don’t usually open comments before working through entire puzzle, but I’m just so darn excited to see TAOS in there! I recently bought land there, & love my work there. Super cool place, I love it so much!
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@Carol
Lucky you! Beautiful place. So much more than a ski resort.
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@Carol One of my favorite places in the world. My maternal grandmother grew up not far from there (can't remember the name of the place) and one of her cousins had a horse ranch near there that we visited back in the 50's.
I also hitch-hiked there back in the late 60's and had a, uh... memorable experience. I better leave it at that.
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I had HILTON for 1A, which nicely fit with HAUL at 1D, TONS at 4D (which I still think fits better than ATON), and LION for 3D (which I was impressed at the cleverness of!)
I didn't dig myself outta that hole till I looked up a map of Claremont for 17A and realized that everything was wrong.
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@Ron
I guess I don't get the cleverness or anything else about the 3D clue if the entry had been LION. But it's always nice to be reminded of Bert Lahr.
Used very little of the brain furniture. I have to admit I had forgotten the name of the Bronco driver - had to get most of the crosses to come up with it. 9D took me a while.
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@Andrew
I'd forgotten the name too. Now I have to try to forget it all over again.
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This felt pretty chewy for a Wednesday puzzle. I saw the furniture appearing but there was enough other stuff around the furniture that was just obscure enough. I knew TAR HEELS immediately, of course! But I'd swear I've never heard of Al COWLINGS, or a P WAVE. I was happy to know IOLANI, POMONA, and TALESE, and to get things like PROCEDURAL. So it was sort of a mixed bag.
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Deja vu as I solved this, thinking there was a similar theme recently.
My favorite entries were DOBEDOBEDO and double BED, which were charmingly fit into the same entry. Isn’t every chair a CAT CHAIR?
Fun puzzle, zippy but with some bite and some good themers (SLAM POET, ONE NIGHT STAND, WORKS OF ART) and fill (PROCEDURAL, DENIERS, HANDED OVER). And a nice bit of symmetry between start and end: EXITED and EXED.
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I’m a sucker for a sad Sinatra song, like “I Get Along Without You Very Well” from In The Wee Small Hours of The Morning (with images of Frank over the years):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1SFqbeF7Ds
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@Puzzlemucker Deja vu bedobedo?
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@Doug
Found it! Jan 12th puzzle by Alan Arbesfeld. The themers had seats hidden in their middles; the one with a typo in the revealer: “Cramped spot for *an* plane passenger, or a hint to something hidden in [the themers]”:
PI(PE W)RENCH
COME(S OF A)GE
DUT(CH AIR)LINE
A L(OT TO MAN)AGE
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Good puzzle, easy theme. this puzzle was chair-y easy.
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