Variety used to make haterade? The grapes of wrath. Some seemed to find it as easy as a Tuesday - I did not. It was mighty fun though!
@Mimi I really didn't 'get' that one, but you reconcile me to it with a hearty laugh! EMUs miss out Because They do not laugh
When number crunchers make wine, they use the grapes of math. (They keep a merlot profile.)
@Mike From the Ballad of Harry Lewis by Alan Sherman, famous for the album My Son the Folk Singer. "He was trampling through the warehouse Where the drapes of Roth are stored" Sadly, Sherman died at 48 after post-stardom hard times.
@Mike Stand clear, Syrah!, There's no Riesling with me when I'm Champagne at the bit for a glass of wine. (Thanks Sémillon for your understanding.) 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷
@Mike Do I like wine puns (and tuns)? You bet shiraz I do!
I really enjoyed this, which is surprising since I didn't have grape expectations.
Surprised the gameplay column including constructor notes didn't mention the most brilliant aspect of this puzzle, how it visually enacts how real news gets distorted when heard through the medium of the grapevine, just as the words themselves change and lose some of their integrity: talk becomes tock, etc. Rumors often begin with a seed of truth, but through multiple relays that truthiness loses its original shape -- or spelling -- the undertones become overtones. It's a potent tool for propagandists, as we learn every day... I confidently entered "kid" as a delivery that can't be returned, but that's because our boy, visiting from NY, left the kitchen a mess last night and this morning, looking over the wreckage, I definitely wanted to return him. I gave you a brand-new Ford But you said, "I want a Cadillac" I bought you a ten dollar dinner And you said, "Thanks for the snack" I let you live in my pent house You said, "It was just a shack" I gave you seven children And now you wanna give 'em back -- BB King, "How Blue Can You Get?"
I loved this puzzle, and the haterade drinkers can yoink the fun slang answers from my cold dead app.
Not sure if I love or hate the ATTAR/ITTAR and ICE/ACE cross. Feels like both sets of answers could have worked, especially since 'ittar' is another name for 'attar' (according to Wikipedia), and you probably can't return ice that you've bought once it's begun to melt... right? Right??? I was not familiar with the tennis 'ace', so TIL. Anyway, I've decided Sundays are my favorite crossword, despite how much longer they take me to do -- I just love the clever clues!
@Jess Agree!! I thought ICE and ACE were both amusing (and potentially correct) answers.
@Jess Yes I had ITTAR and ICE for a long time and finally tried A to finish the solve
@Jess I also looked at the Wiki entry for ATTAR and was surprised to see “ittar” as an accepted spelling variant. Interesting to me, however, is that xwordinfo has the former appearing 313 times while none for the latter spelling. What initially got me on that one was that I confidently entered “ester”, another entry frequently clued related to perfumes . That five letter entry has appeared a whopping 413 times, just not today!
Used to be not long ago I could never come close to solving a Sunday puzzle. Now it’s just how fast can I do it. So if you are new and still struggling, hang in there.
@Bill Robust agree. Lots of clever clogs in the comments note how insultingly easy it was - fairly discouraging for those of us of a different vintage!
After seeing Sid's name, I came into this puzzle with a burst of happiness, because there’s a bubbly element to his puzzles, always, something in them makes me, for the moment, very glad to be alive. I also had a scintilla of “Better bear down”, because he can be Sid Vicious, purveyer of brilliant but thorny cluing that sets the table for a serious solving effort … that always turns out to be worth it. But Sid has range, and today the fill-in was breezy, and the experience more like tubing down the river rather than running the rapids. What a lovely conceit, having to sound out in my head synonyms for gossip, thus hearing them, as they intersect with the tumbling grapevine. Simple and sweet – more Sid bubbliness. I liked the O-clump in the southeast, highlighted by OOO, not to mention the eight double-O’s in the grid, recalling Friday’s double-O fest. I liked seeing the abutting Greek letters ETA and DELTAs, as well as the English letters TEE and BEEs. And once again, I savored the air of Sid-fervescence that surrounded me as I solved, and stayed with me even afterward. Thank you so much for this, sir!
@Lewis Thanks very much for this comment. Want you to know that I really appreciate your ongoing contributions here.
Likewise — thank you, Lewis! Sid Vicious is off duty today … it’s Sid Reasonable subbing in. :)
A Super Sid Sunday! Mind blown. Nothing too convoluted, just straight-up brilliant cluing with delicious misdirects and puns. And a thing of beauty, the way the theme answers emerge through the grapevine. All I hear is applause for this fantastic puzzle. If there's any gossip, it's just everyone wondering if the constructor is human or a visitor from a higher sphere. Your talent is phenomenal, Sid. Mad respect.
This was the easiest Sid Sivakumar puzzle I've ever encountered. It was also fun. And funny. Thanks, Sid. Now get back here soon, please, with another killer construction. The editors are keeping us off-balance this week (as is their wont), with gentle weekend puzzles following more challenging Wednesday and Thursday offerings. The grapes on my stone tablet did not turn color when filled; did they in the digital version?
Barry: I can sure make an easy puzzle, although it might be a long ploy to lull you into false comfort before my next brain-buster runs. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
@Barry Ancona I agree. Sid's last puzzle was also easy. I thought this one would be a beast, but found it very tame. But very enjoyable. The grapes on my sheet of paper didn't change color. The grapevine from my BW laser printer wasn't even green. But I like it that way.
As soon as I saw the constructor’s name I knew it would be a fun time. Sid, you had me at MERLOT. This one was quick and easy, I don't expect there will be much wining.
@Anita Hehe, I see what you did there. . . . . (will the emus?)
This was like climbing into a comfortable chair, with a crystal goblet of wine on the table beside you, the phone within reach (ringer off unless you needed it), a a clever and entertaining book, and time. The perfect way to spend a stormy Sunday afternoon, working a puzzle that was not a punishment, challenging but never bruising, a graceful, confident construction. Thank you, Sid Sivakumar, I needed this.
@dutchiris - Well said, and I completely agree. Artful, stimulating, and quite enjoyable.
@dutchiris Beautiful summation! A nice relaxing glass of wine was definitely needed immediately after solving Saturday’s BRUISING puzzle!
Came here because I don’t know DIC, and even that looks wrong. Thanks fellow solvers for juDICiously dishing the meaning.
So there’s another Sid Sivakumar, is there? A gentler one? One that doesn’t remind me of my kickboxing coach Chris whom I used to call Vlad—as in Dracula; as in, of the impaling fame; as in, “I did that thing to the Ottoman diplomatic messengers that I just. Can’t. Ever mention in polite company now.” (Hey, Chris, if you’re reading this, I miss you and your stopwatch…) They say the sun never sets on a Sid Sivakumar puzzle because even when it drops early in the afternoon folks like to wait till the next day so that they can get started on it early in the morning instead, like at 4am, so that they can have the two pots of coffee they’ll need to tackle it. (Okay, I don’t know if they say that. But they should.) A very cool concept: I loved entering letters under what (forgive me, Sid) I first thought was mistletoe. Fun fill, too. A shout-out to my girls HOLE whose music my angsty high school and college self did love so. Okay, and whose music I uploaded into a playlist just now and I’m now eyeing The Dog because my husband won’t dance with me to it. GOON IN. It’s what the mafia guys say when they recruit someone new. Thank you for a great puzzle to Sid (and the IT guys for the graphics), and Happy Saturday night to everyone!
@Sam Lyons I thought it was a beanstalk at first, and started looking for Jack and some magic beans.
@Sam Lyons There’s only one of me, I’m afraid. I wish there were more — then I could put them all to work brainstorming more crossword ideas, à la Calvin from “Calvin and Hobbes.” Happy to hear you enjoyed this one, even if it was easier than you expected! Not all of them need to be a kickboxing workout. :)
Wonderful puzzle. The phonetic pronunciations especially tickled my funny bone. I find the association between ENOKI and ramen fascinating. Who started this, and where? I’ve lived in Japan for over 20 years and neither I nor anyone I know has even seen ENOKI in ramen. Ramen commonly features Char siu, green onions, menma (picked bamboo), and if it’s edgy maybe an egg, some nori, sesame, or fish cake. ENOKI is a must-have for hot pots, and also found wrapped in bacon. Someday maybe I will try to sneak it into ramen to see what I’ve been missing. People will ask me what on earth I’m doing.
Kate, ENOKI in ramen seems to be an American idea (as here) attributed without attribution to Japanese cuisine. <a href="https://foodhow.com/cook-enoki-mushrooms-for-ramen" target="_blank">https://foodhow.com/cook-enoki-mushrooms-for-ramen</a>/ Cheers, emus
I sometimes wonder whether constructors follow our end of year POY voting. I certainly hope Sid is aware that his "zipper merge" puzzle was the overwhelming favorite of this community for Sunday puzzle of 2023, and his puzzle of 4/8/2023 was themeless of the year. I was thrilled to see Sid's first puzzle of 2024, and I look forward to many more.
@Anita, I missed the POY voting — thank you very much for letting me know about it. Could you point me to where I can read that community discussion? That’s a lovely honor, so belated thanks to all!
Love Marvin’s version, but Gladys and the Pips had a hit with it first and she was (and still is) amazing: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWvwP72FuVg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWvwP72FuVg</a> I’m with Joe — our best days still lie ahead. Young people are going to save this country and world. Thanks, Sid, for an engaging and creative Sunday.
@Puzzlemucker As I said in another comment, how could I have not known that Gladys Knight originally recorded “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”? I blame Lawrence Kasdan, who used the Marvin Gaye version for “The Big Chill.”
@Puzzlemucker CCR does a nice version of I Heard It Through The Grape Vine too. It’s just a great song. It would have been appropriate to see a reference to Adele’s Rumour Has It or Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors in this puzzle too.
“Ooh, Sid!” “Ooh, Rapunzel!” (Nope) “Jack and the beanstalk?” (Nope) Later on: “DIC? DIC? Is this some new crude way to gossip about someone?” Finally: “oh, juDISHous!” (Yes, Sid, you got me.) In short: lots of fun.
In offering my opinion on the clue for which the answer is 'ziti', in no way did I mean or want to criticize or offend the constructor. I was trying merely to elucidate the answer word. This word is used in Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata, but probably no farther north than the Campagna region. Each Italian region has its own dialect, influenced by Italian itself and other languages. Anyway, I did not mean to stir up confusion and debate, and certainly did not want the dear readers and crossword constructor to argue or be offended in anyway. I do thank , however, those of you who understood my intention. We are all passionate about puzzles, but in the end they are games. BTW, am Italian by birth but have spent 62 years in this country, my home. 🌻
@Teresa Carioti My background in Italian is just two terms of it in college (although already having studied Spanish and French, I got a fairly good handle on it in just a year). But I was a little puzzled by the contention that ZITI meant "brides", particularly because it had a masculine plural i ending. I also realize that Italian is still less standardized than most other European languages, because Italy wasn't unified until 1870. When I learned that in my world history class in 11th grade, I was quite surprised. As a result, I didn't feel I could comment authoritatively about whether ZITI being brides was correct. I did know that Google Translate didn't support it; it said that brides was "spose", which I would have said in the first place. So I'm glad you corroborated what I thought. It's always good to hear from someone with experience and knowledge of the subject.
@Teresa Carioti - I replied to a criticism of your comment yesterday -- I hope you saw that I was more or less defending you. (I have a reputation among some folks here of rebutting any and all criticisms of the puzzles, when I really only do so when a criticism really needs rebutting!) Thank you for the clarification you provided in this comment -- it addresses the question I posed yesterday about differing dialects in the region.
I'm not buying the complaints of the "it could be ACE/ATTAR or ice/ittar" crowd. Just consider what you'd be saying if you had ACE/ATTAR and the given solution were ice/ittar. First. consider ATTAR vs. ittar. ATTAR is the normal English word for it; see this Ngram comparing the two: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2s4yr4tb" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/2s4yr4tb</a> Note that ATTAR completely dominates ittar, by about 30-1. Ittar hardly even registers. It also out-Googles ittar by about 40,000,000 to 1,000,000; most of the first few pages of ittar show foreign sources or actually use ATTAR. When you Google "ittar definition -attar", your hits go down to a few thousand. So yes, it's a thing, but it's not common enough to expect to see it in a crossword. Now, let's look at ACE/ice. ACE fits the definition perfectly, because an ACE in tennis is a delivery (serve) that cannot be returned. You just have to know a little about tennis to get this. Ice, on the other hand, is rarely delivered anymore, but if it is, and it's still frozen and packaged (I assume bagged ice these days), I don't see why it couldn't be returned. To chose "ice" as your answer is a stretch, one you would only make if you didn't see another alternative. In the case of both words, a much better alternative was there. New solvers should commit both to memory, because they'll come up again frequently. ATTAR 313 times; ittar none. ACE, at 968 times, is clued via tennis about once or twice a year; ice has never been clued by "delivery".
@Steve L *Thank you.* Yes. This. (Say it louder for the emus in the back.)
@Steve L agree! I had ice/ittar and it turned out to be the one section holding me back from solving the puzzle. I knew attar was more likely but had convinced myself that ice was clever: Ice can’t be returned because it will have melted 🙃 to my fellow ice/ittar believers: Relax- It’s a Puzzle!
@Steve L I did try ICE first, but I had never seen/heard the term ITTAR. But... I knew the word ATTAR (as in "ATTAR of Roses" which word I read in Alcott's book _Eight Cousins_ back in the early 60's) and then the A/ACE made the clue all the more clever! So I was completely happy. Your lengthy protest doesn't convince me at all that the i is an acceptable entry. Sorry!
I loved this puzzle!!! The grapes and the grapevine clues helped fill the grid considerably. And the rumour puns made me laugh. HATERADE, POEM, FRAME, REEL, ARSE, BEES etc. so many great misdirects. Whoop-de-DOO!! GROOMERS, SAGE TEA and a CAT SPA, so it was also very relaxing. Happy Sunday everyone!
Now what om earth were those strange curly green things cascading down my puzzle, beginning at 8D? All I could think of was IVY. Was this going to be a puzzle about the Ivy League? But once I had HEARD THR?U??, I immediately went to write in THE GRAPEVINE in a still pristine section of the grid. So that curly green thing was a grapevine, not ivy. At that point I already had MERLOT but not the other grapes. So getting the revealer would make everything easier. And I didn't find the puzzle all that easy. Now I'm finished. And I don't understand the gray squares. "I am NOT reading the blog until I have figured out the gray squares all by myself" I declared virtuously. Aha! It's what we're hearing through the grapevine -- and not very well. ROOMER/RUMOR. TOCK/TALK (not in NYC, we wouldn't!) DERT/DIRT. NEUS/NEWS. DIC/DICK??? DIC/DICE??? What on earth? I come here. Aha. I see IC now! DIC/DISH. As in "judicious". As I said, not that easy a Sunday-- at least not for me. But very playful and a lot of fun. I had a good time.
@Nancy As a NYer who worked very hard to lose that accent, I still can't bring myself to pronounce "talk" as TOCK. Somewhere in-between, but in my head I'm still saying TAWK. Surprised you didn't find this puzzle easy. You and I are often on the same wavelength.
Fun fun. The only thing missing was upon completion, the vine to come alive with sparklers and colors and Jack appearing from behind the beanstalk and Princess Fiona to make an appearance with jazz hands and rapenzel with her long hair too….
@Mu, before beginning the puzzle, I was anticipating a Jack and the Beanstalk theme!
A very clever puzzle, Sid. Well done. Here are a couple observations. 16A: Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised to see NSA lurking near to THE GRAPEVINE. 88A: MOO evokes a rustic version of the theme -- HE_RD THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE. Lastly, 1A makes me ask: Q: "What is the path for food taken from a mess hall?" A: "GI tracts." And that includes leftover PONE from Saturday's puzzle.
16A should be 42A. I'm not sure why I typed 16A. Thanks, emus.
One issue: ittar/ice vs attar/ace for delivery that can’t be returned. Ice melts! No returns!
I don’t even understand ace. I thought the explanation would be here.
@Ariel I came here to say this. I couldn't figure out why I didn't get my star and had to look forever to find iTTAR /iCE instead of ATTAR/ACE. Both work and are correct.
juDICious therefore dic=dish, very clever, took me a while. Thanks for a fun puzzle.
@Asher Ohhhh... (literally said that out loud upon reading this). TY!
Superfun puzzle although I'm disappointed that a homophone of "scuttlebutt" couldn't be found. And I can tell I'll have a welcome earworm for the rest of Sunday. The only song to reach #1 on the R&B charts with three different singers: Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye and Roger Troutman.
Oh this puzzle was fun!! I got the initial part of the theme early on and know my fruit varieties well enough that I could fill in the vine early on. When I got to, and filled in, the 13/61D revealer I only had “rumors” solved but was absolutely thrilled at the play on words!! The remaining words, once I got them, were equally as delightful. Overall the puzzle was really smooth to complete and I didn’t find myself getting stuck in any area. I wouldn’t exactly call this puzzle easy, but it definitely went down like a nice, smooth wine! Thank you Sid for this playful Sunday offering.
A perfect Sunday puzzle, tricky but doable. I got HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE fairly quickly which was a big help. Thanks for the ear worm Sid. Can’t go wrong with a bit of Marvin. CBS, before TBS before PBS. Not being au fait with US tv or golf generally, that little segment took me far longer than it should have. Fave clue for today; flight segment. Excellent misdirection. It’s actually not raining so I’m off to slosh in the mud for a while, the woodpeckers are calling.
@Helen Wright Totally fair not to know American television channels -- and for most (like university abbreviations), I struggle with them, too. PBS is a bit different, and hopefully this tip will help in future solves! It stands for Public Broadcasting Station. As such, the fare tends towards the educational, historical, and generally more wholesome. If one doesn't know Clifford the Big Red Dog, however, today's clue might not have helped! (In addition -- before the advent of streaming services that cater to specific types of content -- PBS was almost exclusively where one would find British dramas!)
I may be reading too many fairy tales lately, but my first thought on seeing the grid was a giant beanstalk.
That was fun! I enjoyed the grape 🍇 talk as a wine lover. Wasn’t a big fan of the shaded phonetic gossip words but the puzzle overall made me think of Gladys Knight and the PIPs singing I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE as well as a vintage Fruit of the Loom commercial.
@Pani Korunova Interesting. You hear the PIPs. I hear Marvin Gaye.
@Pani Korunova Wow! Over 50 years and I never knew that Marvin Gaye was covering Gladys Knight. Sincere thanks for enlightening me! (Let me add a plug for one of my favorite music websites, secondhandsongs.com. They list a mere 293 versions of “I Heard It through the Grapevine.”)
@Pani Korunova And I hear CCR (if the link doesn't work search "CCR grapevine"). <a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ccr" target="_blank">https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ccr</a>%20grapevine%20videos&FORM=VIRE0&mid=6F31629B809446E153806F31629B809446E15380&view=detail&ru=%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dccr%20grapevine
The FIFA World Cup question should specify ‘Men’s’ - because if you’re just looking at most appearances overall then I think the answer is a woman. (Kristine Lilly with 30?)
FMax, Your point is well taken, but until the names of the events are changed, the answer is correct. (Lilly played in the FIFA Women's World Cup, Messi played in the FIFA World Cup.) emus nil ...
I usually do the puzzle in the evening, but I was so intrigued by the lovely green graphic that I did it right away this morning. Also because I’ve greatly enjoyed Mr. Sivakumar‘s previous puzzles, and correctly guessed that I would really enjoy this puzzle as well. I’m pleased that I figured out the intended theme word in JUDICIOUS, but I did miss one square - the Y crossing ALY and YOINK. I thought the word was BOINK and I wasn’t familiar with the gymnast. I don’t worry about streaks, though, so I wasn’t at all upset about missing the one square, and now I’ve learned a new name and a new sound for future puzzles. I had a lot of fun doing this puzzle although now I have a certain song stuck in my head as an earworm!
@H Miller Made more lively by that slight stutter of a missing syllable, non?
Finishing up, was going to come here with a nit to pick. Didn’t like iCE for “Delivery that cannot…” And somehow iTTAR was fine as a word to my Sunday morning brain..? But, got the “…at least one square…” and flyspecked… Oh. ACE! And music! So, no nits to pick at all! Fun one! I don’t read the titles so I thought it might be a Jack and the Beanstalk theme, but was thrilled with wine and gossip! Whimsy abounds! Happy Sunday!
@CCNY I had the same issue at 38A/38D. Both sets of answers work. ICE/ITTAR and ACE/ATTAR.
A very enjoyable solve. I really felt like I was on the constructor’s wavelength for the whole thing and had a rollicking good time. The theme was also fun. Of course, my first attempt was wrong and I had to hunt around for a while. I had “ice” as a delivery that can’t be returned—because it melts, of course :).
@PC Same here on ICE. I hope neither of us is old enough to remember when the ice was actually delivered (see: “the iceman cometh”). And it took me awhile to figure out how ACE worked
@PC we did the same! It even works with the across clue because iTTAR is another name for ATTAR!
I knew this was going to be fun when I saw the vines running down the middle. I stumbled over a few things, like ALI G - I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to fit 'come on in' into not enough squares. Westerner (BC, California, Utah, Arizona) all my life, and TOCK and talk are homonyms to me. It's interesting to see all the people who pronounce them differently. There was another puzzle a while back that gave me trouble because it rhymed words that didn't rhyme in my ears. It was using an east coast pronunciation, if I remember correctly. My personal Natick was ALY Raisman/YOINK. I thought for sure it was DOINK. I've since looked up Aly Raisman and I do remember her from watching the Olympics with a gymnastics-loving niece.
@Shan I don’t follow gymnastics, but crossword puzzles have taught me the name ALY Raisman. Or is it ALi? I can never remember.
@Shan ALY was the last think I entered. I went from bOINK to dOINK then finally YOINK. Now I'ma Google YOINK to see what that's about...
For the life of me, I had SAWWOOD--spent so much time figuring out that quadrant it's about time I SAWLOGS again... Stupid emus
Kristopher, I wanted SAWwOod first too, but before ripping it in I took a cross cut. In crosswords, too, measure twice... Can emus do a jig? Could I cope if they did?
Late start today but what a treat. Great to start with a MERLOT. As a theme lover I had plenty to love with Sid's puzzle full of theme fills. I also love it when the constructor respond to the comments as Sid did to several today. My favorite Sunday for a long time. My poor memory also affects my memory of the constructors , but I won’t be forgetting Sid.
Delightful puzzle. Thanks, Sid. My favorite chuckle-out-loud answer, to 117-Across: "A seat in the London Stock Exchange"... across the way from 107-Across: "Keister." Butt these clues do make for a cheeky solve.
Really enjoyed this one. Thank you to the constructor. Fun and just challenging enough for a Sunday.
Everybody, GOON IN!! 😉 Had a hard time getting past lAND SHARK but I otherwise made better than normal time and lots of smiles! It would have been easier on my laptop because the grapevine, which I loved, made it a little bit hard to see crosses on my phone app.
Let's discuss Tourette syndrome; we need to have a TIC talk. Wildebeests? No - that's GNUS to me. The spare bedroom? Oh - ROOMER has it. Where was I? Oh yeah; Memorable puzzle; not an easy one for me, of course, with very little on first pass and I ended up solving it bottoms up. And... will confess that I didn't catch on to the shaded crossings until I went and reviewed on Xword. Still found it to be an enjoyable workout. Of course I have a puzzle find today. I'll put that in a reply. ..
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: Stumbled across this one with a search for answers containing ROOMER. One of the strangest puzzles I've ever encountered. Anyway... a Sunday from October 6, 2002 by Myles Callum with the title "Twice-told tales." The clue/answer that got me there: "Boorish boarder regretted scuttlebutt" RUDEROOMERRUEDRUMOR One other clue/answer sample: "Depressed Dvorák was spendthrift" BLUECZECHBLEWCHECK And a couple of other theme answers: DENSEDEARDENTSDEER SELLERKNEWCELLARGNU* *And yeah - GNU could have gotten me there too. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/6/2002&g=27&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/6/2002&g=27&d=A</a> ..
Times Wayback Machine and Truncated Fill Records presents: The Best of the Missing Link Earworm Collection, ersonally curated by the talented DJ Sid Sivakumar!) All the hits that stop and make you wonder, "Have I started fogetting song lyrics as well as other words?" 😉 Heard Through The Grapevine. Reach Out, Be There. Got To Give Up. Mercy Me. Ain't Proud To Beg. Love Is (A Heatwave). Beechwood 5789. He Was Saying Something. I Second Emotion. You Can't Love. Beauty Is Skin Deep. No Sunshine. For Once In Life. Let's Get On. Pappa Was A Stone. Don't Leave This Way. (Don't just sit on your patootie, get up offa that thing and . . . )
According to the "National Day Calendar: website, today is National Drink Wine Day! I don't know if this is just a Canadian thing or not. But if it is, our neighbours to the south (note the spelling) are certainly welcome to join in! I too was stumped for a minute or two with DIC/DISH, but got it. Without the help of wine too (the sun's not quite of the yardarm yet...)
@Jim Hey, thanks for that!! Yum.
@Jim well...if I must, I must!! I'll make the "sacrifice"!
@Jim Thanks for the info on National Drink Wine Day. Now to figure out how to make it different than any other day! 🍷
This would have been the ideal solving experience for me if I hadn't needed to hunt and peck for my error (always especially rough to do on a Sunday!) I didn't remember the perfume clue (it's come up in puzzles before) and I thought iCE was a pretty clever (if old-fashioned) answer to a delivery that can't be returned. Ah well; I got there! And I really enjoyed this puzzle.
@Swift I initially had ICE, but the perfume answer didn’t look right. When the music didn’t play, I returned and swapped the I for an A and voila!
@Swift For the next time you have a mistake, especially in a Sunday puzzle: If you have the Games app on your phone, there’s a List display that puts the answer right next to the clues. It’s a much more efficient way of finding errors. I solved this one quickly and expected to have to look for a typo. I was surprised that I didn’t have to do that.
A single google, . snatched from the jaws of a victorious gymnast . by uncertainty over . an appropriate start to some pig non-latin, . sans comic relief. . You heard it here first: wh(y)?
@JohnWM so many reasons to love your comment. Yoink? Really? Yes, I googled to check her name too.
We never heard of ALIG. However. my jar of CONCORD Grape jelly did save the day. Fun puzzle for this wino household. Thank you Sid.
@dk Ali G another alter ego of the brilliant Sasha Baron Cohen. Famous for not letting his talk show guests in on the joke. Here is a sample of his interview skills with none other than Noam Chomsky: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOIM1_xOSro" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOIM1_xOSro</a>
@dk ALI G has made 14 previous NYT crossword appearances, including two in 2023.
A pretty smooth puzzle that I finished at around nine minutes under my average. I do have a question about something I’ve noticed before: when I got the star, it showed my time as XX:09, but when I went back to look at the puzzle a couple of minutes later, the time changed to XX:08. As I say, I’ve noticed this before, and it always changes to a time slightly faster than it showed initially. Anyone else ever see this? More significantly, if I recheck a puzzle often enough, will the time roll back enough that I’ll break through the space-time continuum and I’ll actually solve it before I begin?