This puzzle is very good! I like it, but am stumped on just one thing!
Good Monday puzzle. I've lived in Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Virginia and Texas and I've heard don't give a rip and don't give a hoot but never don't give a rap. Must be colloquial.
7
Great puzzle, but the last time I checked, Zippo lighters are lighter fluid lighters, not butane lighters :(
2
Did anyone else try the Rebecca Falcon crossword that Deb linked to? It was brilliant! It took me a while but I finally solved it.
3
@Steve H I did! Took me several tries, and it definitely took a while to figure out what was going on, but I finally got it. Agree, brilliant puzzle!
I’ve only seen Topol in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ but dredged ZEROMOSTEL up from the brain cellar immediately. Must’ve read about Zero in the Broadway production at some point, but it would’ve been long ago and in passing. Funny how memory works. Now where did I leave my car keys?!?
I associate Zero with his inimitable turn as Max Bialystock in ‘The Producers’ — which along with ‘Young Frankenstein’ was peak Mel Brooks, IMO.
1
When I read incensed comments about a *Monday* puzzle (well, really about any puzzle), it makes me think about Billy Preston and “Nothing from Nothing”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HqyEHqEYho
2
Personal best time for a Monday. I used to say don’t give ARAP all the time. Quite common in southern Wisconsin.
2
Excited for a week of women constructors. Perhaps we will go seven days without the word bra being used in a puzzle.
4
@S. Hayes
Looking at the history of BRA at xwordinfo, I found that women constructors who clue it are represented in about the same proportion as they are represented overall.
Which makes me wonder, why does having a word with crossword friendly letters in it bother you?
A wonderful puzzle, and one of my fastest times. Had to give a shout out to my favorite clue - 48D - I’m still smiling!
1
@SPB which was?
@Santi Bailor
Went "Hello...ello...llo...lo" for ECHOED.... CHOED... OED... D
1
@Leapfinger
Hello . . . ello. . . llo . . . lo
Santi,
Several months ago, Steve Faiella made us take a blood oath never to refer simply to numbers of clues or entries in our comments, but not everyone was willing to make that kind of commitment. And, many current Wordplayers were just a glint in Deb’s eye at the time. Me, I try to stay 51D to that blood oath.
;-) . . .
(LOYAL)
1
Talk about some worthless, trivial information:
"36a NBA player once married to a Kardashian"
Can't you restrain yourself to some useful information?
I never see any clues/answers on metallurgy, physics, electrical engineering, mechanical systems, astrophysics, etc.
But plenty on rap "musicians" who are here today, gone tomorrow. New York Times, you can do a lot better. Otherwise I might as well stick to the TV Guide crossword!
10
@Dave Dude, it’s a Monday.
5
@Dave
LAMAR ODOM was (and is) a pretty well-known basketball player (not a rap musician, which, maybe you know, but then I'm not sure why you bring it up). I loathe the Kardashians' popularity as much as the next guy, but this cluing was probably the easiest way (since it is a Monday) for the general population to cull LAMAR ODOM's name from their minds.
Further, perhaps you haven't been doing the crossword for very long or working later into the week, but the NYT does include some of those topics you desire. Today's puzzle (writing this on a Tuesday) featured clues regarding ecology, literature (ELIE Wiesel), and geography (Mt. ETNA), for example. Fridays and Saturdays have certainly delved into some of those topics as well.
Finally, pop culture has, for a long time, if not always, been a part of the NYT crossword. I think it's typically quite masterful how constructors are able to balance these types of entries with more "difficult" topics.
You're free to dislike the topics of popular culture or even the involvement of pop culture itself in the puzzle, but if you aren't noticing clues about more "refined topics," you aren't paying enough attention.
2
Hi Everyone! Had fun tearing through this clever Monday last night and went promptly to sleep. WITHOUT CHECKING IN WITH WORDPLAY! I never do that. Must have really needed that snooze.
Looking forward to a week of sisters.
Not for NOTHING - I have heard of people not giving a RAP but not so much a rip. Usually they don't give a rodent's end. I try to care about most things I'm asked to consider, but everyone has a limit.
7
Today’s puzzle was my 3001st, as it turns out. My first annual NYT crossword subscription renewal notice graced my inbox this morning, so it’s a milestone day all around. I (very happily) no longer have the time to plow through the archives as I did last year so the 4001st-puzzle milestone is probably slated for summer of 2023, but that’s OK: I can now fill in LAMAR ODOM et al (that is, the rest of his crosswordese-friendly-named celebrity cohort) when prompted so I can ease up on practicing.
I’ve never heard known anyone in my acquaintance to not give A RAP, but clearly that just proves I’m surrounded by caring people. I personally am in the habit of not giving A RAt, followed by an apostrophe, followed by a creature wont to bray, but then I’m given to excitability. I was surprised that many posters didn’t give A RiP, as I thought that was something unique to particularly lenient NYPD sergeants. You know, the ones shouting indignantly, “I don’t give a fig what the patrol manual says! I’m not giving A RiP to every underpaid rookie who falls asleep behind the wheel on his first overnight shift!” Yes, my knowledge of police procedure is limited to reruns of Law & Order and to what Texas troopers do to lead-footed civilians (which isn’t much, thankfully, if you’re polite, not packing, smile sheepishly and a lot, and are not above pleading.)
TIL that Pseudolus lives on in the hearts of my contemporaries, owing in no small measure to ZERO MOSTEL. Go Plautus.
13
I’ll be BRIEF. The queen of Mondays has served up a fun puzzle with plenty of zippy clues and clever theme.
I especially like it when the constructors come to wordplay; I enjoyed all of Andrea’s comments.
9
Nice puzzle, Andrea. Your NOTHING is really something
6
27a. Heard of squat-thrust but unfamiliar with the term squat-jump. Are they the same?
@Queenie
Noooo... A squat thrust is a burpee and there’s extra cruelty involved, namely, a push-up. I have a blanket I-don’t-do-burpees clause in my gym contract, though my coach violates it when I’m late.
If burpees were cops, they’d be water-boarding SYMPATHIZERs.
5
Uh, a ZIPPOLIGHTER is a fluid-filled device, not a “butane-filled” lighter!
And, like others, not give ARAP? Naw.
11
@Ken Nyt
Generally true, but they do make a lighter that uses a butane insert, so our esteemed constructor is correct!
https://www.zippo.com/products/lighter-butane-insert-gift-set?_pos=4&_sid=14aabc332&_ss=r
2
@Ken Nyt - but is butane not a fluid?
@Chungclan
Thanks for the info! As a long-time ZIPPO user I had no knowledge of this insert. A great puzzle, by the way.
A CRAG is NOT a handhold for a rock climber, but a section of rock that a climber ascends. I like to give some leeway for clues if they are trying to be clever, etc. but this one is just incorrect.
For those upset about RiP vs. REP, this can be another reason for your confusion.
11
@Leigh Ann,
I figured that CRAG was conflated with CRACK, which can be a handhold. The best is a crack that’s big enough for your whole hand, so you can make a fist and let your fist be a chock. Better to be wearing a leather glove at the time, as I remember
2
Came here to say this. Unless this is some lingo that climbers USED to use but it’s meaning has morphed... this clue is just wrong.
My five favorite clues from last week
(in order of appearance);
1. Layers of stone (6)
2. Go off, but not without a hitch (5)
3. Something that requires thinking inside the box? (6)(4)
4. They're often high, but never dry (4)
5. Bugs used to be seen on it (3)
MASONS
ELOPE
ESCAPE ROOM
SEAS
CEL
11
Don't give A RAP cost me probably my best "real" time. I've always heard "don't give a rip" or more often an expletive. Otherwise, there were some challenges (SQUAT JUMPS and L. ODOM) but the rest went very quickly.
5
Being British I had SYMPATHISER and CSAR - I think I should get the points. It took me about three minutes to find it after I got the "#$%^&*@ idiot you've got at least one letter wrong" message.
6
@Andrew - you must be joking about CSAR, right?
1
@Andrew Canadian here and same, even though I knew I'd have to change then, I enter them that way at first :)
@Andrew
I would do love to have, “Aw shucks, at least one square seems to be amiss,” alternate with, “#$%^&*@ idiot you've got at least one letter wrong.”
You start the petition, I’ll be there to sign it, with bells on.
1
Not give ARAP? I was thinking more of CRAP and DAMN, but we probably wouldn’t find these in a NY Times Crossword Puzzle? But seriously, I have never heard anyone say this.
NBA player formerly married to a Kardashian?
Well, there’s Kim’s short-lived marriage to KRIS HUMPHRIES for 72 days, but I see that they’re referring to Lamar Odom being married to Khloe.
(Also, since we’re only talking about ones they’ve married, not dated.)
Who sang Let It Go in Frozen? Why doesn’t IDINA or MENZEL fit?
Oh ... you mean the character in the movie, ELSA.
5
Deb had "I don't give A FIG" before it turned A RAP. I was trying to work with A RAP'S ATT.
Then I wondered whether today would bring complaints about implications of DYED DIE Ainu. Hope not.
Last thing that confused me was, if you only live once, why in LE MONDe would you ever want to reHEARSE?
Andrea Carla Michaels can do more with NOTHING than most people can do with a full STOCK of someTHING.
gOAFISH
6
Other than putting in TSAR before CZAR and not knowing either Greg LEMOND or LEMAR ODOM (ODOM LEMAR?), this was a NTR puzzle for me (No Thinking Required). I'd estimate that I filled in about a third of the answers without needing to read the clue. The crosses alone were ample. Hope I'll have to do at least some thinking tomorrow.
1
When in doubt, choose CZAR over TSAR. Historical NYT crossword puzzle numbers favor CZAR.
1
@Wen
Sorry, but the opposite is true: TSAR has been used 848 times, while CZAR has only been used 146 times. Many of the CZAR clues have been figurative (Drug ___ and the like), while TSAR always is clued as the ruler.
1
@Steve L - I must've not rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. Could've sworn I saw the other way around. Thanks, I stand corrected.
A good puzzle, so I don't give A RAP that my small streak was broken by A RiP. I did learn a lesson in looking for errors- be more observant of the downs when you are convinced all of the actresses are correct. I know climbers take advantage of a CRAG, not so much so of a CRiG.
4
@coloradoz
I think I meant Acrosses rather than actresses
1
"Bottom half of a 45" really had me because, really, it's not the bottom half, is it? It's just the bottom. Maybe on Wednesday it would be the bottom half, but on Monday? Or perhaps I am still jet lagged after yesterday's flight back from vacation... All the rest pretty much fell into place, which is how I finally got it. Fun puzzle! (Now I can catch up on the others I missed while out of the country. Don't bother me with anything, I'm busy.)
2
This just proves women have nothing to offer.
Great Monday puzzle! Here's hoping that at least one woman has a super Tuesday!
6
LETTER BOXED
V - T(7), T - Y(9)
Yesterday BREADBOXES SPICIEST
3
@Andrew
E - R (7), R - Y (10)
Yesterday ABDICATE EXPORTS (NYT)
1
@Andrew
V - R(6), R - Y(10)
@Andrew
Besides the Letter Boxed solution I also found this one:
ABDICATE EXPECTORS
When i see SNAP OUT OF IT, I always think of Cher in Mooonstruck!
11
@judy d
Great role for her!! Between Cher and Olympia Dukakis, all bases covered.
5
That movie has stood the test of time. Watched it the other day and it was just as delightful as I remembered.
@judy d
My oldest friend from college, the brilliant actress Amy Aquino plays Cher’s hairdresser in it... it was snuck in there as an homage to her!
A very Solid “Solve” - capital ‘S’ and all. And under my average by a bit.
TORI and LORI crossing presented something of a problem since I was entirely unfamiliar with the latter and only vaguely so with the former.
LAMAR, LEMOND and ODOM crossing as they did presented a real stumper - but I’m plenty old enough to remember ZERO in “Fiddler”. (And wasn’t he also in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”? Seems that I remember him and a goblet full of “mare’s sweat”. Maybe this is one of those things for which you just had to BE there.)
“Bottom half of a 45” had me going for a while. Seemed like it had to be GRIP? - given the letters in squares 16 & 19.
It was refreshing to see CZAR again. It seems to have been mostly replaced by TSAR in most puzzles. (I guess ‘T’ and ‘S’ are easier to work with.
So (re: 1D), would it be redundant to say one dined “AT Chez Maitre Paul”, (A now-closed Parisian restaurant at which I once, on two consecutive nights, consumed a dozen escargot swimming in butter and a plate of sweetbreads covered in a luscious brown sauce - - butter and sauce both sopped up with plenty of baguette pieces. I mean, one must die from SOMETHING musn’t one?)
4
@PeterW - whenever I eat at Chez Maître Paul, I order the Beef with au jus.
2
@PeterW
--So (re: 1D), would it be redundant to say one dined “AT Chez Maitre Paul”
Not in English. In English "Chez Maitre Paul" is just the name of the restaurant. Just like you can say "I went to the La Brea Tar Pits." (I'm sure you know that LA means "the", but not sure if you realize BREA means "tar".)
At Master Paul's Place, you might have also eaten a "steack". Mangling languages works both ways.
1
“Bottom half of a 45” had me going for a while. Seemed like it had to be GRIP? - given the letters in squares 16 & 19.
PeterW,
Not following. Were you thinking the "Lawyer's document" was GRIEF? Were you going to put the question mark in the fifth square after G R I P ?
(I carried one; never thought of the GRIP as a half.)
My dove, Congratulations on the double header.
Elegant puzzle. I was tripped up by one of the many spellings of CZAR but recovered.
In dj-ease the “bottom” of a 45 is known as the flip side, mused Tom melodiously.
Thank you Andrea (aka my dove)
@dk
Didn't even notice that Acme had the WSJ today also, even as I did it. Congrats are indeed in order.
1
I think of Zippo lighters as older, using fluid instead of gas.
10
@Ron Goodman I concur, butane is the gas that fills mostly disposable Bic type lighters. Zippos require lighter fluid, usually naphtha.
2
Guys,
We went over this yesterday. Zippo made its name with fluid lighters; it now also sells butane lighters. Scroll down, or check their web site.
I get the point about butane inserts in Zippo lighters, but I still think it’s a stretch to clue it that way. Especially on a Monday.
1
A Monday puzzle with three Zs, plus a J, K and Q? Must be an Acme joint!
As your resident Alphadoppeltotter, a role I have inexplicably taken on, I must report that today's puzzle has an unusually low number of double letters -- three! -- the lowest since October of '18. I liked seeing BIBI near EL AL, the line of two answers that will never belong together (PRIM / ZERO MOSTEL), and the cross of ODOR and NOSE.
Because I confused LEMOND with Lance Armstrong, thinking the former was the one who doped, and thinking the clue should have mentioned that, a little research set me right -- Greg was clean as a Patrick Berry grid. But then Jeff Chen's review of this puzzle pointed out another cyclist, Marianne Martin, whose story is remarkably moving, and fits right in with Women's History Month. I highly recommend this short read:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/06/marianne-martin-tour-de-france-feminin-cycling
4
By the way, Andrea's puzzles are always filled with spark, this one being no exception. Lots of fun as usual, Acme, and thank you!
1
Always happy to see ACME's byline and wasn't disappointed. Clever theme and a nice smooth solve. Only took me about 15 seconds to remember ZEROMOSTEL which is unusual with my fading memory. Was more than a bit surprised to see that it was unknown to a couple of commenters.
Off topic story regarding ZIPPOLIGHTERs. When I was young, they were something of a luxury item. The vast majority of people lit up with matches. Now it's all Bic lighters. Rarely see a Zippo any more and can't recall the last time I saw somebody light up with a match.
Anyway... I got my first Zippo lighter as a gift from my older sister - I think I was 18 or 19. A few days later I was driving down a highway, lit my cigarette and then threw the Zippo out the window.
14
"Airport bummer" reminded me of the time I met someone bumming rides at airports. I owned half of a small plane at the time, and had flown into Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton Airport (now Lehigh Valley International). A young man at the General Aviation terminal was looking for a ride toward Miami. He'd started that morning in Montreal, and expected to be in Miami by evening. He said he'd been hitching by private plane for some time, and had never waited more than a couple of hours for a lift.
3
@Jan Aha, so that's what ABE stands for. I work for that company that goes from A to Z, and it's one of our air freight hubs. (Gotta meet that next-day promise.)
Curious as to how one "hitches" on a private plane. I'm familiar with "dead heading," but I thought only aircrew could do that.
@Grant - ha ha ha
Hitching on a private plane, à la "Mad mad mad mad world":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWoCLqMq8qM
@Grant
And I thought ABE stood for a five-dollar bill.
Whenever I hear the expression in 3Down, it always makes me think of Cher in "Moonstruck."
7
Not an easy Monday. I had trouble with ZEROMOSTEL/LEMOND. I was trying to recall which NBA guy for 36/44 A since I, too, am a Kardashian snob.
4
SPELLING BEE GRID
U E F G L N V
WORDS: 29, POINTS: 106, PANGRAMS: 1, BINGO
First character frequency:
E x 1
F x 8
G x 6
L x 7
N x 1
U x 3
V x 3
Word length frequency:
4L: 15
5L: 5
6L: 5
7L: 3
8L: 1
Grid:
4 5 6 7 8 TOT
E: - - 1 - - 1
F: 4 3 1 - - 8
G: 5 - - 1 - 6
L: 5 1 - 1 - 7
N: 1 - - - - 1
U: - - 2 1 - 3
V: - 1 1 - 1 3
TOT:15 5 5 3 1 29
Two letter list:
EN-1
FL-3 FU-5
GL-3 GU-3
LU-7
NU-1
UN-3
VE-3
61
@Doug I've got used to the fact that they seem to use a different dictionary to the crossword and Letterbox folk - no scientific words - but why is it that a word which was disallowed yesterday is OK today? I don't want to put in a spoiler so don't read on if you haven't done it yet: it's a four letter word beginning with g meaning the sound one makes when taking or dispensing a swig.
7
@Andrew I noticed that too! Arg!
4
@Doug Thanks - grid got me to the last 2 for QB.
Bummed that GUNNEL wasn't accepted, besides being a type of fish, it's a boat part (aka gunwale).
10
Congrats Andrea. You not only have a nice puzzle today, you have 67 of them over a 20 year span! That’s quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!
11
**S P E L L I N G B E E H I N T S**
29 words, 106 points, 1 pangram.
3
Hints:
Five of yesterday’s words make a reappearance. One word I about which I complained yesterday that it was allowed in the crossword but not in the Bee made its debut today (thanks Sam!). Three UN- words, 1 EN- word, two of which are from today’s word set. Three –FUL words, 1 from today’s word set.
Other hints:
Surround or cover completely
Exhaust duct, homophone of a topical disease
Threw forcefully
Poisonous fish that’s a Japanese treat
Toccata’s mate in Bach organ works
Fried, sugary cakes you eat at a fair
Exuberantly joyful, or ODed on Kurt & Blaine
Trivial, worthless, or insolent talk or ideas
Olympic sledding event
Crescent-shaped figure or filled pasta (think celestial)
Amount that’s inhaled
Atilt (2 synonyms)
Remove the sticky stuff
Seeking to harm in return for perceived injury
Legal or pop. term for “place”
Almost identical word meaning small blood pipe
43
@Kevin Davis I forgot, the pangram is "seeking to harm in return for perceived injury."
3
@Kevin Davis Instapangram today, but that V6? That's more obscure than the little known incomplete J.S. Bach work: 'The Art of Fugu'. Who knew sushi was even a thing in 18th century Germany?
1
I was not happy to see Actress Loughlin crossing Actress Spelling but fortunately LORI looked a lot more like a name than LeRI. (Are they still actRESSes?)
Also delighted that ORTEGA somehow jumped into my head with just the E and the A from crosses. Where did I ever see that word before, I wonder.
2
I am guessing this puzzle was written before Lori LOUGHLIN became infamous instead of famous?
5
lpr,
"Full House" will always be a valid clue. Perhaps later we can add Big House.
11
I think Greg LEMOND x Zero MOSTEL qualifies as a Monday natick. To be honest, I struggled with this one more than Sunday. Just couldn't get a rhythm. LAMAR ODOM was tough for me, too. If I'd had to come up with either of the two, I suspect it would have been no problem, but the whole name based solely on a relationship with someone I've made a point not to pay any attention to...well that was unpleasant.
11
Greg LeMond would probably qualify as one of the all time great athletes. Certainly he would be the greatest from the USA in his field. Admittedly the Lance Armstrong debacle colours the whole story.
4
@Patrick Jordan You had me up to the last sentence. Let's leave Lance out of this. Greg was the best this country has ever produced in that sport. (And I have a t-shirt signed by him, which proves it!)
5
This puzzle was good for nothing.
(I have zero tolerance for these puns.)
14
@Deb Congratulations on your Smithsonian presentation. I assume it went well. I'd join you in Stamford for the upcoming (past?) conference, close to where I grew up, but I'm now on the West Coast.
I just realized this afternoon that Monday's puzzles, which are generally the easiest to solve, give you the longest time to complete: from 6 pm Eastern Time Sunday to 10 pm Monday. I had to stay up later and solve Friday's puzzle as I only had until 3 pm Saturday my time to finish it.
1
Re 37A: As a newb to crossword solving, how old is the clue/answer: 'who am ... judge' /'(Judge Lance) Ito' joke in crossword circles?
2
@Dave
First use of that that I could find at Xwordinfo was 6/20/99.
“Lance a lot in the news” and “Lance of justice” were two jokey clues for ITO used in 1995.
2
Dave,
Lance has been an ITO clue in the NYT XWP since 1995. I haven't seen the joke, per se, in a puzzle clue, but I'm sure a few solvers here are aware of it.
2
insert “clue” between the two thats.
Not give A RAP? There’s no way that’s a more common usage than “not give a rip.”
40
@DC Um. Disagree.
3
I have not heard either of them
3
Leftover from yesterday's puzzle? (NO SEE, or no C maybe?)
1
Had the Australian (nearer to British) spelling SYMPATHIsER which gave me tsAR. Made that SE corner interesting
4
@Patrick Jordan
I had a slightly different problem there. When I changed the T of tsAR to C I forgot to fix the "s," and SYMPATHIsER didn't look as funny to me as it should. Got the music when I fixed that. (I was one of the two top spellers in my sixth grade class, but have gone down hill since 1947.)
3
@Patrick Jordan so did I! I guess I've lived away from the US too long (not really...). Probably CsAR should have tipped me off, as its rarely spelled that way in the puzzles.
@Barbara
One time, to be precise, in 1961. That's pretty rare, and I doubt we'll see it again.
1
"To mark the beginning of Women's History Month, every puzzle this week (Monday to Sunday) has been made by a leading woman crossword constructor."
Could we also have a week of puzzles every one of which made by an "up and coming" woman crossword constructor? Need to be seeding the next generation!
11
@Robert Michael Panoff
Have been doing my part to mentor nextgen... but don’t throw out all the old seeds just yet! some of us are just beginning to sprout under rough conditions!
24
@andreacarlamichaels
Never would think of throwing out the old seeds! Just wondering if we would stimulate some new ones while we're celebrating all the good work you are doing!
1
Andrea, what an honor to be picked to lead off this very special women's week!
That's because you never deliver ZIPPO, SQUAT or ZERO but always NOTHING but fun!
Thank you for a great start to the week!
17
Great Monday puzzle. I got the Kardashian sisters NBA marriages confused, but figured it out.
@Concerned Citizen The Kardadhian ladies fit with the puzzle's theme because they are famous for NOTHING.
2
Have you seen any pictures of these ladies? It isn't "nothing" that they're famous for...it's a whole lotta "something"! Apparently it appeals to basketball players?
An engaging Monday puzzle to start the week.
I guess Bibi Andersson, Swedish actress is not a Monday clue.
I cannot see or hear the phrase SNAP OUT OF IT without immediately thinking of Cher in Moonstruck.
https://youtu.be/iLgMFwStTHc
12
Moonstruck was my first thought as well.
4
@vaer I love Bibi Andersson (who just died last year!) but you are right... unless you’re a serious Bergman fan, not a Monday clue (tho I’d have preferred to have squeezed another woman into the grid!)
2
@vaer
Always glad to have a reason to remember that wonderful movie, and Cher, and Olympia.
1
Typical fun and easy Monday puzzle. One nit to pick: a CRAG is a rock formation, not a handhold.
20
@Ron O.
I guess someone from Boulder should know!!! ;)
I was thinking of the Beatles song...
“ I want to handhold you’re craaaaaag, I want to handhold your crag!”
5
@andreacarlamichaels
I was a rock climber for more than 30 years before retiring due to health issues. I put up a number of new climbing routes in Boulder Canyon. One of the rock formations I developed I named Cascade Crag. There are 24 climbing routes on this crag, each of which has numerous handholds.
14
Yeah, I thought "it can't be crag, must be crimp, no, well I guess they don't know what a crag is."
5
Fantastic! Looking forward to a week of women constructors.
Jimmy Scott’s incomparable cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Saw him perform when he was in his 70s and he was amazing. A beautiful man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvHt-n-nBlg
1
Deb! I ONLY know ODOM thru the kardashians, but a) didn’t want to admit that
B) thought I’d throw the boys a bone ;)
7
@andreacarlamichaels
I didn’t know ODOM at all. And I am...
A) one of “the boys,” and
B) a professional sports photographer (almost exclusively college sports).
2
@andreacarlamichaels
a) Thanks for the bone!
b) Who is ODOM?
3
@Mike R
Lamar Odom, once married to one of, but couldn't keep up with, the K's.
1
Like Deb, I also auto-filled “a fig” at 18A. Later changed to “a rip.” Have never in my life heard anyone say, “I don’t give A RAP.” Though I have often heard that line with the last word beginning with “C.” (He said, hoping to evade scrutiny from comment moderators.)
Was also tripped up by spelling 2D “Bebe” instead of BIBI. Here we have yet another government official with a goofy sounding childish nickname, reminiscent of “Scooter” Libby.
BIBI seems to be scrambling to avoid following Scooter’s footsteps into jail. He certainly won’t be able to follow his footsteps into a presidential pardon.
22
@Brian Drumm I agree, there were better ways for me to clue that! I’ve never heard of I don’t give a rap, either...so don’t know what possessed me
5
@Brian Drumm
I thought the “C” word was rather innocuous. But I guess not, since my comment was censored. Or it could have been the “D” word you hear in “Casablanca”.
I follow basketball because of my brothers, so I knew who LAMAR ODOM was before his marriage to Khloé. I was also thinking about KHRIS HUMPHRIES, who Kim was married to for 72 days.
The clue said ‘married to’, otherwise there would be more choices, as the Kardashians have dated quite a few NBA players.
andreacarlamichaels,
Actually, I'm rather sure you, other constructors, and most regular solvers have heard of it. ARAP has been clued as "not giving" or equivalent 15 times in the Shortz era and 50 times before that.
3
Another Monday time ruined by a phone call in the middle. How come sometimes the app pauses you when you take a call, and sometimes it doesn’t? I thought the advantage of a computer was it would do the same thing every time.
3
@Mr. Mark On my Macbook Air/Firefox there's a pause bar that I hit early and often.
The Sympathizer is a good book. By Viet Thahn Nguyen. And those of us of a certain age might recall folks being called commie sympathizers, back in the bad old days. So not such a weird word, Deb. YMMV.
9
@K Barrett - my response to Deb's comment was in a different vein. "Sympathizers" is a word I've heard almost always in the context you name: politics and social movements, and usually negative. It seemed strange to clue it for what is normally called "Sympathetic people."
5
K and David,
I agree with both of you. I'm too familiar with the word, but not in the context of the clue.
4
@K Barrett I don't get this. We're talking about a crossword, not a history treatise. It's pretty basic English that one who sympathizes (or sympathises) is a sympathizer (sympathiser). The fact that the term was used to denigrate a certain political orientation should not be permitted to limit the plain meaning of the word or the scope of its potential use in another, more civilize age (if we ever see one).
7
I’d guess this is on the hard side for new solvers.
7
@Doug It is. But stick with it. I am a new solver too. Eventually, you get use to the style of Monday clues and ready to conquer Tuesday.
1
Zippo lighters are fuelled by petrol (gasoline), not butane.
8
@Thomas Gray
Zippo does make butane lighters, so the clue is correct.
Gasoline (unleaded only!) is one of the possible fuels for non-butane Zippo lighters, but naphtha is the preferred fuel. Some alcohols can be used as well.
3
@Thomas Gray
Although Zippo has started making some butane-fueled lighters relatively recently, classic Zippo lighters -- the ones they've made in the hundreds of millions for most of their ~80-year history -- are fueled by a fluid that isn't exactly the same as gasoline, but it's similar and is a strongly aromatic liquid (like gasoline), not a compressed gas like the butane used in disposable lighters.
5
@Thomas Gray I had the same thought until I looked at the Zippo website. Zippo now makes lighter inserts that use a battery or butane instead of lighter fluid.