POD was pretty bad. Shoulda had an E with that clue.
1
PO'D? That's cheap and disappointing.
3
This was a lovely puzzle with lots of resistance. Yowsah! I finally got the best of it and enjoyed the whole process. With my college kids being sent home and all the unrest everywhere, crosswords are a nice distraction when I can fit them in. Someone here recommended 10/15/15, a Thursday. THANK YOU ! What a blast for Thursday lovers!
1
Loved this puzzle! Took a month off to start zazen and music lessons, but in this enervating time, the puzzle has a great calming effect, like jazz ballads and meditation. SPENDY made me laugh; reminded me of the term “judgy” and other fun new words.
Deb, that Jesus Lizard video was just soooo great! Thanks for that. As I’m collecting day-brighteners for Facebook posting during these extraordinary times, I added it to my list. Thanks again for this perfect touch.
Ruth
1
Writing this in a virtually empty coffee house. Heard this morning that all bistros, restaurants, and bars throughout France will be forced to close. The Apocalypse!?
Had POD at 56D, but didn't understand til the end. Last entry was to correct SuB (likewise didn't understand) to SOB.
Annoyed by HDL. Not the puzzle's -- mine. Just got tested and found it's now marginal after decreasing over the past couple of years. 🙁
3
@Ron We were 2 of 6 patrons last night in a downtown Austin pub that would’ve normally been standing room only on a Saturday night. A server — a student who relies on tips to pay bills — was crying. Broke my heart.
1
Wow, that was hard, above all the lower right area (E + SE). But fair and ultimately satisfying. Learned several new terms: bell lap, gravity fed, Jesus lizard. And I'm not sure if I'd ever heard of that Robin Williams film before. What a workout for me.
1
Poor PO’d. It’s not getting a lot of love today.
We see ID’d/ID’ed and OD’d/OD’ed clued all the time and no uproar ensues. Okayed/OK’d/OK’ed pop up with nary a peep from the solvers. And then, today, a veritable PO’d chorus at 56D.
Who hasn’t used PO’d in conversation at some point? (Those of you who have never been around kids or to the suburbs, or are just plain unapologetic potty mouths — y’all pipe down.)
Yes, it’s an initialism and thus, by definition, an abbreviation as well, but its common usage also raises it to the rank of a participial adjective. In fact, it’s used so frequently that if it lent itself to being an acronym like, say, snafu or laser, we’d dispense with the capitalization and forget it once stood for “pi...ed off.” We’d just say, “I was so pod yesterday, my hair was on fire.”
But PO’d doesn’t work spelled as “pod.” [insert emoji expressing dejection]
Could we treat it as fairly as we did OK’d by letting it become “okayed” and popularize “peeohed”?
Looks funny.
Or: there’s a vocal contingent of Hindi speakers somewhere lobbying against yet another word being hijacked by English only to be strong-armed to fit our grammar while we bastardize its meaning. Looking at y’all, “PJ’s” and “thug...” (“Peeoh” means “this” in Hindi, btw.)
Let’s show PO’d the same love we do OK’d. Both are abbreviations, but we only struggle against PO’d as a word because most folks know what the P and the O stand for while few are aware of OK’s birth as Oll Korrect.
4
@Sam Lyons
POD is a DOOK.
1
Half my average Saturday time. Felt like there were much tougher puzzles earlier in the week. JVSOCCER slowed me down a bit. But overall it was exactly the distraction I needed after poring over the outbreak numbers for hours this morning. Thanks!
Just waxed lyrical about the validity of PO’D without spelling out what it stands for and I got emu’d.
I’m not PO’d about it; not wearing an OMG expression; not ROFL’ing about the irony of getting emu’d for thoughts on a euphemized profanity; not even yelling petulantly, “Fine! IDC!”
It’s not like YOPO.* But I do look forward to the day EMU’D gets clued in a puzzle.
*Post
4
For anyone who hasn't seen CADILLAC MAN, it's really funny, and worth watching when some cable channel runs it in an evening slot.
1
I played JV SOCCER in high school, but was never good enough to make the varsity squad, as we had a high number of foreign students via the AFS program.
Nice, challenging puzzle, not mad at PO'D, as Radar used to say that on M*A*S*H. Wanted 23A to be HOJO'S (short for Howard Johnson's, but that would be a founder, not founders, which TIL were the Raffel Brothers.
1
Explain: does justice
.
1
@Thomas Solomon I only got that with the crossings, but I'm going to suggest a shortening of "does justice to", e.g. "Miley does justice to her cover of "
1
A long slow solve for me, with lots of surprises, challenges, and at least one “stretch”. DOES justice was one of my last holdout spots, and it still seems off to me, though some of the comments justifying it made sense too. I got JANEDOES on my first pass—and very little else at that point. Had to do some research—for CADILLACMAN, one of the few Robin Williams films I haven’t seen or heard of, and for a list of state capitals, where PIERRE seemed like the only possibility. Many TILs today, including the rather scary Jesus Lizard. Thanks, Mr. Wentz, for a distracting Saturday challenge, especially welcome as it is a wet and stormy day here in Northern California. (No complaints, as we’ve been praying for rain and snow.) Stay safe my friends!
4
Another wickedly wonderful Saturday challenge by puzzle wizard Wentz!
I loved learning that there's a JESUS LIZARD who can walk on water.
That reminded me of a band I knew who always ended their performance with, "I Need A Whole Lot More of Jesus (And a Lot Less Rock and Roll). A great memory. And one of the greatest things about crosswords is that they're packed with great memories.
This one took me a while but the feeling of victory at the end was totally worth the effort. Thank you, Peter Wentz!
3
I’ve made it a few years back into the archives, and I’m learning which constructors I like the best. I was excited to see a Wentz creation today, and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve come to associate his puzzles with good, solid fun, and definitely a bit of a challenge.
3
Not a single guess on my first trip Across. Going down, ORSO guess for 5D, APOGEE obvious, maybe MAD for 56D, but couldn't come up with "Ramen topping"! No way would 14D be CARAMELCORN; I didn't have a single cross to suggest it.
Next trip across, can't believe I had to look at my medical record to come up with HDL, tried LAO under it, then maybe INCA and ASKS. That makes 2D look like AIRJORDANS, 20D DAHLIA and the timer, stopped as I write this, reads 20:00!
Gave up for night forty minutes later, over half-filled, largely incorrectly.
Slight progress this a.m., including a word I made up, SPENDY, but too slight. Went to column. BeGOne --> BUGOFF. _ETW_A_O_N --> gETseriOus --> SETTLEDOWN. BackLAP --> BELLLAP. r__CK_R --> FLICKR. That gave me enough to guess every square except the 12 in the SW. If "Ramen topping" is E____, that must mean some people put ENOKI on their noodles. (And surely AN is the right thing to add to CADILLACM__?)
Back to column to change ___NOmAD to STENOPAD which means "Peeved" is not maD. How would one write POD in regular text? "PO'd"? Anyway, the puzzle now thinks I solved it all by myself.
5
"Anyway, the puzzle now thinks I solved it all by myself."
Bart,
Bravo!
5
@kilaueabart
SPENDY is a real word! Might be regional, as I never heard it growing up in NYC, but I have seen it used by people from other parts of the country.
4
@Millie
Of course I realized when it turned out to be correct that I wasn't the first to make it up. And the fact that I did it on the basis of the E is suspicious. Had I really never seen it before?
And I'm still astonished at my CARAMELCORN. I don't really know what it is, but I guess I knew people buy it in bags.
Okay I admit I'm cranky (aren't we all?) but "pod" for "peeved" is an insult. First, answers are never contractions, unless it's a gimmick, and second, if an answer is an abbreviation it is always so specified in the clue, whether by the appearance of "abbr" in the clue or if the clue itself is an abbreviation.
Not kosher.
5
POD has previously appeared as clued. A host of other contractions have appeared quite often, just in the Shortzian Era: DONT and ISNT are two that I checked. XWordInfo has quite a bit of... info... on this, including a well built search function.
4
...and scroll down for Steve L's fine explanation of why no abbr. clue is needed.
2
@Jenna G. I accept your answer, but I still don't (dont?) like it. Pffft.
Great Saturday puzzle! Lots of fun misdirects and good clues. Like Caitlin, I looked ASKANCE at "DOES" for the intro to a phrase to begin "...justice", so we're soul sisters there... but where I got a little P.O.'D with Ms. Lovinger today was with her cruel little trick of giving us that specific link to the video of the JESUS LIZARD.
Like many, I am often attracted to these fun bits of "enhancers", and usually I learn something new. But today... omg. The "host" of whatever that show is was the most obnoxious personality to ever grace my screen, and he totally destroyed my peaceful weekend morning solve! My coffee got up and left the room.
It's the Internet and it's the year 2020... surely there must be hundreds of less annoying videos about such a fantastic creature!
Thanks, Caitlin. LOL Nice trick.
2
@Mimi
I am sorry -- I wanted everyone to see the lizard's magical water walk in slow mo and the statelier shows didn't have the footage, no pun intended 🤣
6
Agreed. Google “Attenborough Jesus Christ lizard” for an engaging presentation
1
@Caitlin
Haha... Thank you... I'm over it. And true, the footage was superb. :)
btw, This is me, Mimi, but my Times crossword account is formally under my given name of Marianna. When I solve on my phone it uses my nickname.
Glad Mr. Wentz gave us the origin of the POD clue, and I agree with Caitlin. Hats firmly on for the editors on that one.
Also agree with her take on DOES justice. If the editors didn’t put that in, they should have taken it out.
4
@Doggydoc Absolutely NOT on "pod" for "peeved". First, answers are never contractions - unless it's a gimmick - and second answers are never abbreviations unless specified. Totally unacceptable.
2
@thelynx , not sure I made myself clear: if hats off means good job, hats on should be the opposite. Especially if the hat is placed firmly on.
I have heard 'butt out' and 'buzz OFF' and 'bug out' (which doesn't mean 'scram'--just leaving, perhaps precipitately and perhaps deserting someone) --but never BUG OFF.
Tried KUDO for 'pat on the back.
Last thing into the grid was OEDIPUS (had to read that play and others in HS)...great clue!
Much easier than yesterday's puzzle, I RECKON.
3
Can you ask Will to do a special puzzle section asap (like the giant puzzle section before Christmas) so we can all have something to entertain ourselves while we are social distancing! Ask him to do it online! If you agree, share this!
8
Susan,
Have you solved every puzzle in the archive?
6
It would be more fun, though, if we were all working on the same puzzle(s) in the archive, though, so we could discuss them together.
1
ooooo, clever clues!
i struggled, i worried, i finally triumphed!
that was a good saturday!
4
For me, this solve began with a slow build of a filigree of answers across the grid that gave me footholds to complete the rest.
Somehow, I got JESUSLIZARD with just the "J," but that was an anomaly.
Held on to BEGONE in the SE corner for too long--BUGOFF is actually a much better answer, given the clue.
I find this type of puzzle a particular delight, as a thin network of answers allow the entire grid to unfold.
Thanks to the constructor and editors, who are responsible!
5
@Puzzledog
I agree with you -- and "filigree" is a great description of my first, second, and third passes through the puzzle. But it finally all came together.
2
PIERRE is the only state capital that does not share any letters with its state - a good trivia stumper.
15
Well it is Pi day, cooed Tom capriciously.
Tough solve for me. Had to look up the Robin Williams role and spell check some others.
Thanks Peter
4
First apropos of yesterday, red pandas:
https://youtu.be/y6GaPkkGZGw
These are twin babies from the Sapporo zoo in Japan (oh my god, the Maruyama zoo!) it’s quite a while ago, so they’ve both grown up and gone to other zoos and had their own babies.
The puzzle was fun but too easy. I’m sure there are others besides Nancy who groaned at SPENDY. But the Jesus lizard I threw down first thing but that was a real lift. Thank god for the big beautiful complicated amazing world of animals.
1
Looks like TPs are the new AIR JORDANS!
5
"Flickr is a popular photo sharing site"
2005 wants its clue back
28
@Dean 😂
1
🤣
1
I still use it... the collage-like layout is beautiful :)
1
After struggling everywhere, but hitting a wall in the NE, I realized I'd have to cheat to finish. And I also knew that once I cheated, I almost certainly would finish. Because the long Robin Williams title role would open up the rest of the section. And even though I had CAD-------N, I had no idea what the answer was. Was there a man's first name that began with CAD? I couldn't think of one.
This is the problem with proper names. You know them or you don't. I never heard of CADILLAC MAN. And I hate being forced to cheat.
Also: "Oh, that's so SPENDY." "Oh, what a SPENDY thing to do." Who said that ever? Spellcheck's not accepting it and I say: good for Spellcheck! SPENDY is trendy? I hope we can ENDY it right now and SENDY it packing.
Other than that, though, I loved this puzzle. What great clues for OEDIPUS; DUMP (that one I saw right away); STENO PAD; POSE and BURP. What lovely answers in GRAVITY FED; JV SOCCER; and NERVE BLOCK. And even though they're product names, I liked AIR JORDANS and ARBYS, as clued. A tough and engrossing puzzle.
9
@Nancy What does “cheat” mean. If looking up answers on line is cheating....I’m often cheating.....and have been for over 50+ years.
3
Golfsan,
That's what it means, but I doubt you've been looking up answers *on line* for over 50 years.
6
N.B. I should say "I''m sure that's what Nancy meant," and it's what I would mean, but to paraphrase Tom Lehrer, some would call it research.
7
Took me much longer than recent Saturdays. No gimmes on first run through (I missed 16A: Unnamed women - had I seen it, it might have given me an anchor). I had to resort to searching for NL Central teams and state capitals which might be pronounced with one syllable. I'd gone over the capitals in my head and I knew that one but I had no idea that the locals pronounced it with one syllable. Living in Louisville (also French-derived) I should be used to that: here it's two syllables and not the three we transplants give it.
One I had those two answers and after spending an age with LASTLAP and LPGA it fell fairly readily into place. Good puzzle. But I am a little PO'd about one clue.
1
Fun lively puzzle! Nice work. Quick question to fellow solvers - I get confused on when one needs to add to a clue an actual abbreviation, a “for short”, or any other hint that the answer is in abbreviated form. In this case for example I expected such a hint for the clues to TVS and on P.O.’D - how come they are exempt?
2
@Royce Ferguson
You'll find less signaling toward the end of the week, with the least on Saturday. In addition, letter combinations that are pronounced as is (in other words, you say TEE VEES and PEE OH'D) don't ever require signaling; only abbreviations that are normally read out in full do (in other words, you'd have to say "Sat., Mar. 14" as "Saturday, March 14th.")
8
Thanks Steve! Very clear and helpful
2
@Steve L
@Royce Ferguson
Good question and answer, which I also appreciated. I hadn’t known that distinction. There were two other examples in this puzzle: HDL and JVSOCCER.
Whew, I had to "wrench with power" all the neurons in my brain to solve this wonderful Saturday puzzle. What a delight! And, Caitlin, OH I would love to SEE those dahlias in person! Thanks for that.
Now I must begone, I mean BUG OFF.
4
I stubbornly refused to change FLOSS and that cost me in the final NE quadrant. The hygienist *allows* me to RINSE. The hygenist *orders* me to FLOSS.
DOES anybody consider 16A and 20A to be a dupe? (I have not had time to read the comments.)
HUTU before SERB, BE GONE before BUG OFF, and I think I went through every midwestern baseball team except for Milwaukee.
Unfortunately I cannot unsee the portmanteau of 21A and 25A.
Thanks are in order to my wife who gave me TAZO tea, and unlocked the center of the puzzle for me.
3
"DOES anybody consider 16A and 20A to be a dupe? (I have not had time to read the comments.)"
Andrew,
Unless I missed it, nobody brought it up before you. I wonder, though: does a dook count as a dupe?
It's a DOOP.
1
In all CANDOR, I really enjoyed this one! It was a real ego booster (as opposed to a FAKE ID). I didn't see a FLICKR of hope at first, but I RECKON it was alright by the time I was entering the BELL LAP.
4
Back by popular demand, (Puzzlemucker being very popular in these pages), it's Canadian Clue of the Day! Now you can visit Canada while staying in the comfort of your self-isolation!
Rules: I give the clue. You find the entry in today's puzzle.
We'll start with an easy one:
"Two-syllable Trudeau"
Have a nice day, eh?
6
@Andrew 13A
3
@Andrew 25A: ____ the puck.
@AudreyLM
This JUST IN! you got it!
2
It's good to see that men can make good puzzles too.
4
Another high-quality, yummy treat from one of my favorites. Peter Wentz, ever the teacher of something new to me (GRAVITY FED, JESUS LIZARD), ever the amuser (clues for ARREST, DUMP, OEDIPUS, PETS, SPEAK), and ever the motivator ("I know if I stick with this, it will all make sense and I will feel so good for having done it").
Presenter of answers that tickle my fancy (CANDOR, BELL LAP, AIR JORDANS, JESUS LIZARD, ASKANCE), thrower in of quirky tidbits (that triple-L smack in the middle of the grid).
And once again, here it is, an artistic PW piece, sparkling as ever. Thank you, Good King Wentz-Is-More, once again.
6
Also bogged down in the southeast with "beat it" then "be gone" before getting it right
1
Whew! That was a fantastically satisyfing Saturday--took three or four separate visits to complete (and the requisite Saturday despair once or twice, which makes the victory that much sweeter). Also delighted not to come here to a chorus of folks saying it was too easy. Had paw of napping adopted senior cat on my left wrist throughout most of the solve. For anyone struggling with anxiety, I highly recommend cats. They are so delightfully self-involved, will not exacerbate one's anxiety by exhibiting any concern for you, which I find extremely restful.
23
Ah yes! My cat likes to climb on my lap every morning while I do the puzzles. I’m not sure I can do one anymore without a fur ball warming me up.
5
Letter Boxed
B - E (5), E - S (8)
Yesterday:
CLIPBOARD DUNT
1
This was a tough one for me. Lots of blanks. Had GRAVITY without FED, LIZARDS without JESUS, and SOCCER w/o JV. Took way too long to recall CADILLACMAN (running through Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams, and others). Favorite clues: OEDIPUS, DUMP (!), BURP. A good workout.
2
SPELLING BEE GRID
E B C H I T W
WORDS: 22, POINTS: 78, PANGRAMS: 1 (1 Perfect)
First character frequency:
B x 4
C x 2
E x 2
H x 1
T x 9
W x 4
Word length frequency:
4L: 11
5L: 7
6L: 3
7L: 1
Grid:
4 5 6 7 TOT
B: 2 1 - 1 4
C: 2 - - - 2
E: 1 1 - - 2
H: - - 1 - 1
T: 3 4 2 - 9
W: 3 1 - - 4
TOT: 11 7 3 1 22
Two letter list:
BE-3 BI-1
CH-1 CI-1
ET-2
HE-1
TE-4 TH-1 TI-1 TW-3
WH-4
48
FWIW, I don’t mind if someone beats me to the punch on the grid post. I got a late star today.
4
@Doug I had a slight bug in my perl code that was mucking up the grid or I would have posted. All fixed now.
I expected a few compound words with today's letters.
4
@Dave my first reaction was “uh oh, we’re in for a big one” when I saw the E and I. Got a pretty quick QB with an assist from Doug and Kevin Davis.
2
**S P E L L I N G B E E H I N T S**
22 words, 78 points, 1 pangram.
6
Hints:
Tree that sounds like a sandy place
Show with Samantha, Darren, & Endora pangram
Quote, or give a traffic ticket
Engrave
Moral
Supermarkets the last few days, adj.
Person you’d call to fix your computer
“You,” archaically
Donate 10%
Quaint, in UK usage
What birds & Trump do frequently
Sound you make going down a slide
Stone you use to sharpen knives
Exclamation of relief
31
@Kevin Davis Well that was an easy one. Where's Doug? :-)
3
@Kevin Davis
Didn’t need the clues today, but enjoy reading them anyway
2
I had ‘begone’ for bug off for the longest time which really hamstrung me. Otherwise, I had fun with this — enjoyed the four Ls in the middle that also resemble an L, though it had nothing to do with the puzzle.
You can tell this was created some time ago because I don’t believe Flickr is as popular anymore.
6
@ET I love flickr. I have 12,000 photos there arranged in albums. Its great for hobby and serious photographers. I've joined many photography challenge groups. I've got Flickr friends far and wide. Maybe it is less popular but I'm on the site daily and still about a million and a half photos a day uploaded to flickr worldwide.
Also Deb is wrong, one doesn't have to join or log on to see photos. As long as the photo is public, no registration required. That was true in 2002 but not for many years.
1
@Santi Bailor
Welcome to the “It’s Caitlin, not Deb” club. Like learning to ride a horse, at least 50 falls before you’re a pro.
11
ET, same here with begone.
1
I startled a Jesus lizard in Costa Rica once. And then it startled me when it ran across water! I still tend to think of it as a "Hayzus lizard"--Spanish pronunciation rather than English.
6
The northeast has me stumped. Finally took out floss . Tough puzzle today.
2
Same! I had CLUE instead of TRON for too long
1
Nice tough puzzle! Is ENOKI on ramen a thing in the states? It is not used that way in Japan. (As an alternative I highly recommend bacon-wrapped enoki!)
3
@Kate Tani
I thought the same thing. It should be put in nabe or nimono. We always put it in mizutaki. It’s hard to get good shinachiku here so maybe they put it on for chewiness.
I grew up in Kyoto. Very nostalgic.
2
@Kate Tani @Frances
Best not to put ENOKI on anything just now.
Four deaths, over 30 hospitalizations in 17 states from Listeria contamination of enoki [origin Korea but packaged by California distributor]
@Caitlin. The term BELL LAP is standard terminology. The ringing of a bell to signal the last lap is almost universal, often a close up of this is shown.
And, by the way I really should hav twigged to 2D a lot faster.
3
My daughter's first week of college, she went to a bar with a FAKE ID (or a legit ID but not hers). The Iowa Ciyy police came in and she was arrested. She is 5'3" and had the ID of a friend who was 6"0".
9
@coloradoz
I'm glad it's not just my kids.
2
IMHO, Two sports clues that slightly mar an otherwise enjoyable puzzle. Easier than Friday this week.
17A - JV is a specific level in school sports, hence not a ‘for kicks’
26A - could be better clued in the plural ‘Greens’; unless it is an intentional Saturday misdirect
@XWordsolver
"Kicks" was the hint for soccer.
9
Green or greens? Although there are 18 greens on a standard golf course, you pay a green fee to play. Golf has a problem with plurals.
@Jack Sullivan
Not a golfer, nor a fan, but GREENS FEE seemed fine to me. A quick Google search shows a fairly even distribution:
https://tinyurl.com/yxytwghu
Such fresh, sassy cluing tonight. Lots of OH, I SEE moments.
As a rabid Running UTES fan, I filled in PO’D without a second thought the moment I had FAKEID, which was a gimme for reasons we really needn’t probe. Thankfully, SOB was clued as blubber and not as uncalled-for strong language. I RECKON the latter might’ve even triggered a string of ABUSive language on my part, such as ‘shoot,’ ‘flip,’ ‘crud,’ and, of course, the peerless ‘fETCH.’ It’s what happens when you start a displaced Utahn down the memory lane to the land where March weather may call for a DRESSY fleece, but never for a/c at midnight.
6
@Sam Lyons
New brand of March Madness this year, eh wot, m'darling?
[sigh]
Never really developed a rhythm on this one. It fought me at every turn. Nevertheless I thought it was a good challenge with several good misdirects. My favorite was “Refuse to go there”. I must admit I was completely dump-founded by this until I thought of an alternate pronunciation. Appreciation to this author.
14
Thanks for that comment on “Refuse to go there”. I didn’t get the joke until I read your post. 🤦🏼♀️🤣
2
Re your take on POD, Caitlin, je suis d'accord.
The French has nothing to do with the clue, or answer. I like to converse in my second official language now and then.
4
@Peter Jackel
Vous vous appellez vous PIERRE Jacques L?
I dated a landfill manager once, but she dumped me.
(What a waste.)
27
Oh no, that stinks.
(I hope you didn’t go out and get trashed.)
14
Mike,
She'd had her fill of you.
13
@Mike
Was the she the one who accused you of being plastic?
I hope you recycle these puns into a book one day.
7
Whoo, this was a toughie. Of all things I doubted my first guesses for 1 across and 1 down, which turned out to be right.
Alas, I stubbornly stuck with KNOCKITOFF for 27 down, which conveniently allowed for 57 across to be GETOUT. Thus, the lower right portion of the puzzle eluded me. Still, grand fun.
1
And here I thought I was gonna be the only one to think of the band for JESUS LIZARD! (Hopefully this means that Mr. Wentz will forgive me for always imagining him to be a certain Fall Out Boy lead singer.)
The archive is wonderful! I use it every Thursday without fail.
2
Some of this was definitely out of my wheelhouse, as my TV/movie knowledge is sorely lacking due to non-exposure. I did know PIERRE because I had been corrected by relatives we visited in SD. I don't normally think of kids playing junior varsity sports, since elementary schools don't do competition sports here. Teens would have worked better. After that, things went fairly well, but it took a bit of time to finish out.
@Caitlin
You have to join Flickr if you want to post pictures, but non-restricted photos are available for anyone to view. To get past the opening screen, search for a user name or something else, then you'll get some menu options.
1
JayTee,
I agree "kids" are too young for JVSOCCER, which (IMO) makes the answer a case of GREENPAINT.
3
Considering that unusual clue for POD, we were let off easy with the regular clue for SOB!
7
I RECKON it ultimately is legit but I DOES think DOES justice is a little sketchy
5
Can someone explain 56D? How is PEEVED a clue for POD?
Thank you.
@Lester Jackson
PO’D. Short for “pissedoff”
Maybe emus will let through if one word instead of two .. .
3
Never mind, it just dawned on me. POD as in PO'D. =)
1
@Lester Jackson
Glad to see you were not PO’D about it. =)
1
In these very difficult times, I would like to express my gratitude for the wonderful people who bring us the NYT Crosswords & Games site.
106
100 percent agree. Well stated.
1
@Gary B
The puzzles bring us all some magic and comfort when it's needed most. And virus free--other than the virtual kind--which I hope happens to no one!
Wishes to everybody for good health and safety now, and better times in the future.
3
@jbesen Hear, hear!
2
OH I SEE -- a challenging puzzle! Enjoyed speaking Pig Latin as a kid. AMSCRAY pretty much entered our lingo!
2
Ditto. And the Spelling Bee.
1
Because Panda day was celebrated (early) yesterday, I was wondering if pi day would get anything. Yes, sort of, in 37A. Happy rhubarb-raspberry, y’all!
12
Margaret, I love rhubarb pie, but why adulterate it with raspberries?
@polymath, heh. Irrational to you, transcendental to me!
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A very tough Saturday for me. Very few gimmes. Kept waiting for my “Saturday brain” to kick in, but it was stuck in Wednesday mode for the first 20 minutes or so. Finally got the three middle long downs, which went a long way but still left much of the bottom corners to wrestle with. There simply was no let up, no ENO, no ERE, not even an EKE. Even the gluey entries had bite (FRY, POD). Thank goodness for TVS.
All in all, an amazing Saturday with a triad of “men’s week” entries meeting in the bottom center: AX MAN, MR. NOBODY, CADILLAC MAN. (Not to mention JESUS LIZARD). Indeed, this might be the most male-centric puzzle in a long while: add in OEDIPUS, AIR JORDAN, the BUSHES when Yale was all-male, BREWER; the most notable females in the puzzle, JANE DOES, are anonymous. Not a complaint, just an observation. Like I said, an amazing puzzle which I am proud, smug, and thrilled to have completed.
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Archived puzzle recommendation: if you’ve got time on your hands and didn’t already do it, Kevin Der’s 10/15/15 Thursday puzzle will keep you occupied for longer than most Thursday puzzles. The most challenging — and frustrating in a mostly good way — Thursday puzzle I’ve ever done. That week was a special week, as constructors were asked to stretch and do puzzles that had never been done before. I haven’t done the rest of the week yet, but plan to.
8
@Puzzlemucker I recently went through the NYTimes archives for Thursdays since 1993 but double checked on that one--and it was one of the few I missed. So of course I was compelled to complete it and yes, what an incredible feat of construction. Also, my head hurts.
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@AudreyLM
Definitely. Mine did too. Took me 3 sittings.
Much harder than the typical Saturday but ultimately much more rewarding.
Bravo !!!
4
Dental hygienists don't order what the 19A clue says they order.
@Michael Dawson
Huh? While “order” might be a bit strong, mine has definitely told me to RINSE.
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@Michael Dawson
Mine suggests a RINSE. Dentists order them. About two years ago my dental hygienist went to work for another dentist. I followed her there and her new boss definitely knows it!
BTW, I am not a pharmacist. My avatar was easily readable as "Reg eX" when I posted it. Does anyone know how to update them? That option seems to have disappeared.
@Kiki Rijkstra
When you write a post on here, you will see an EDIT button to the right of your name. Clicking that will allow you to edit your ID, info, etc.
3
Better than average Saturday and faster than Friday.
1
Better than average Saturday and about 25% slower than Friday.
The photo of the DAHLIAs is amazing! I saw the dahlias of Harrogate a couple of years ago when I visited Suejean. Not as big as they look in the photo, but still gorgeous.
DOES was the first thing I thought of for 20A, probably because I just recently sang a version of Micah 6:8, which includes the phrase "to do justice, and love mercy." But even though I thought of the word, I did think it was kind of random and general, and I didn't put it down until I had some of the crosses.
LAST LAP before BELL LAP and SARAN before HEFTY. Overall, it was a lively and fun puzzle.
7
Liz, so nice to remember getting the together; it was fun to meet you and Mr. B
5
I continue to be impressed by the constructors and editors. That they can make a puzzle that is on the edge of impossible but ultimately solvable. Once again, after two or three passes I felt hopeless, but slowly it fell into place.
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