I visited an otolaryngologist, whose advice … FELLONDEAFEARS I visited another otolaryngologist, whose advice … SMELLEDFISHYTOME I visited yet another otolaryngologist, for which I … COUGHEDUPALOTOFMONEY I visited a chiropractor who … STRAIGHTENEDMEOUT I visited a psychologist, who … COUCHEDWORDSCAREFULLY I visited an ophthalmologist, who … WASASIGHTFORSOREEYES I visited an oncologist, who … CHARTEDMYPERSONALGROWTH I visited a veterinarian, who … SAIDIWASSICKASADOG I visited a physical therapist, where success … HUNGINTHEBALANCE I wanted to visit a neurologist, but I … LOSTMYNERVE
@Steven All of them are fantastic! Love the psychologist -- brilliant. .
My cardiologist's technology is state-of-the-heart. (Aorta know!)
@Mike I knew you'd come up with something in that vein. It was practically compulsory. ♥️♥️♥️ Dear emus, you do beat all.
@Mike Okay, I want to see you work in 'ductus arteriosis' and 'superior vena cava' (or 'inferior' if you're feeling low).... bet THAT challenge would drive you to ventricular homicide!
@Mike Yea, but can he diagnose my my car's dial's dysfunction ?
My hematologist was ... OUT FOR BLOOD. emus are red violets are blue
Due to a LEND/LENT tense misreading, that anesthesiologist incident LOST MY DOUCH, whoa. Poor old EEYORE, what a great clue, but I can just imagine his soliloquy: “Sigh. All the other things get fun zippy clues. Everyone adores CHIA pets, sure. Doesn’t everyone love saying VOILA, except when I come in the room. Let me find how many sad face EMOJI there are. That lion may have COWERED, but he got a boastful song to sing in the end. Meanwhile, here am I, just a sorry you-know-what. Oh well at least I got a clue at all.”
@Cat Lady Margaret My son spent about 9 months playing characters at Disney World some years ago. He loved being Pluto or Mad Hatter or Green Army Man. But he didn't like playing Eeyore. He said it was too hard playing a sad character in such a happy place!
Garden GNOME reminded me of the horror of travelling west out of Poland in the 1990s. There were no autostradas then (autostrada is what a wide, multi-lane fast-traffic road is called in Polish, from the Italian), so all traffic travelled on narrow roads through fields and forests. On the sides of those roads and at roadside rest areas there were hundreds of stalls where Polish people sold wildly painted plaster garden ornaments, mostly gnomes, bit also deer, windmills etc. It was so horribly tacky it made my eyes hurt. All those pointed hats, dead, painted eyes, grinning faces, mooning buttocks... It was the stuff of nightmares. So why all of the gnomes, and why in Western Poland specifically? Because the Germans loved their gnomes back then, and they flocked to Poland to buy them dirt cheap. Ruddy-cheeked Frauen and bemulletted Herren loaded Zwerge by the dozen into the trunks of their shiny Mercedes, Audi and BMW cars, exchanging valuable Deitschmarks for plaster... The 90s were a crazy time over here.
Deutschmarks, obviously, autocorrect missed the typo in German. . . . . Garden emus.
@Andrzej, How funny. At first I misread your opening as traveling west out of Portland and it made no sense at all. Now it's all clear! And I know the (in)famous garden gnomes well. One can only roll one's dead, painted eyes.
@Andrzej 20+ years ago, our nephew gave us a brightly painted garden gnome that looked a bit insane. It’s not ceramic, but some sort of latex or something like that. It hasn’t weathered well in the Texas sun and is now a uniform mud color. We were both surprised recently when my husband noticed it was made in Germany.
I visited the proctologist and now I'm ... I visited the urologist for a test and I ... I love punny themes like this that I have a chance of figuring out without many letters to help. Even if I don't figure them out, it's fun trying. SITTING PRETTY WHIZZED RIGHT THROUGH IT
This actually true, I took my son for his colonoscopy, and it seemed we were waiting a long time and the nurse came by and said. Sorry for the wait but the gastroenterologist is … ALL BACKED UP.
Can I just say how much I appreciate puzzles like this? I always enjoy the challenge of Sunday crosswords anyway - and never cease to be amazed at the constructors who put them together - but when they manage to come up with a theme and answers that are cute/funny too, that’s just icing on the cake. Great job, Scott and Katie!
When asked to provide a urine sample I was stricken with bladder shyness. My Urologist advised I be patient. He said: GIVE PEES A CHANCE
@Striker Is that all you are saying? You too, emus. ..
If it were up to me, the clue to 64A would be "First words of 'Ode to a noble gas'".
I am told that I make a very specific face when I reach the point in a Sunday puzzle where I am having a good time. This morning as I realized that the dermatologist had MADEARASHDECISION, the folks across the table from me exclaimed, "that's the face"! Apparently I experience a combination of "Oh, you think you are very clever don't you"! and "Now I have the confidence to finish the rest of this theme off"! But this is really because they seem to get more enjoyment from giving me their opinions of the puzzle while they watch me solve, than from solving on their own. Such is family And of course we laughed our way through the theme, and made short work of the fill. We have been enjoying the recent Sunday puzzles, even though we seem to be speeding through them faster than we might like. Keep them coming
Doesn’t 48D - TRI violate the rule that the clue can’t have the answer in it? Clue: “Hint to the number of ingredients in Triscuits.”
@One Way Ticket do you think it is wrong when they give us the first initial of the word in the clue? what about when they say “name hidden in ——“? i think three letters is fine. i paused for the same reason, but i don’t think it violates any rules. TRI isn’t a word that’s in the clue!
@katarina To me, it’s akin to a hypothetical clue: “Organ viewing an eyesore,” where the answer is EYE.
@katarina But perhaps I’m just a crossword “Karen.” I WANT TO SEE THE MANAGER!
True story: my friend had hip pain for years, despite physical therapy, massages, etc it kept coming back. A new doctor told her to try these shoe inserts, she was very skeptical. "I've done everything, and he thinks some inserts will really be the difference?" A few weeks later, I followed up with her. "How's your hip since using the inserts?" "Well, surprisingly, they actually have helped my hip pain. It's all but gone now." "Ah," I said, seizing the opportunity, "it looks like you stand corrected." I'm not usually so quick on my feet, so the memory of delivering that punch line in real time will forever stick with me. It was a pleasure to see it in this puzzle, and the puzzle was an all around joy to solve. Thank you Mr. Hogan and Ms. Hale for a wonderful Sunday.
@Jack Great story! (Is this person the forgiving sort who is still a friend? I was a little sad when our son graduated from Univ of Evansville; loved visiting that city with its history and heritage. We usually camped in Henderson KY (across the river) at the Audubon park...
@Jack I had a similar inspiration way back in the 1950s, when a friend came into my office dithering about photographs he was expecting in the mail delivery. I said, "Oh John, someday your prints will come." We both laughed hysterically, and later he told me that he had assumed I knew he was gay, but I didn't. I have heard that pun a couple of times since, but the first time I heard it was when I said it all that time ago. There is a surge of feeling something like joy when the pun angel whispers in your ear.
My psychiatrist gave me one of those weighted blankets. It's a shrink wrap.
A super fun puzzle today. While I appreciate the dad joke themers, EEYORE was this puzzle's crowning glory.
Thanks for the Sunday laughs, Scott and Katie. Here are my contributions. I visited my oncologist, who says he's TAKEN A LOT OF LUMPS. I told my orthopedist about my joint pain, and she MADE NO BONES ABOUT IT. Now a comment about 48D -- doesn't this violate the rule that the answer can't be in the clue?
Second try: A couple more contributions -- I visited the gastroenterologist but I can't ... STOMACH THE BILL I would have visited the anesthesiologist but he LOST MY NUMBER (I can't stomach hyperactive emus either.)
"Now a comment about 48D -- doesn't this violate the rule that the answer can't be in the clue?" Henry, It certainly looks that way to me. Does a biscuit have two ingredients?
@Henry Su the I in TRI was the last thing I filled. I was convinced it was wrong because it was in the clue.
I love it when a pun puzzle has answers that are not in the least bit tortured and are completely in the language. It means that you can guess the answers with a minimum of crosses -- and it's the guessing of the puns that provide all the pleasure of a pun puzzle. Right? This one was perfectly swell. And in fact it was the themers that helped me with some of the rest of the answers that I didn't know, like the partner of Hoda, the security camera letters and the "Sweet but Psycho" singer. Remind me to miss that one. My kind of Sunday puzzle -- smooth, well-clued, and amusing. I enjoyed it a lot.
My surgeon is a comedian—he LEFT ME IN STITCHES. And don't forget the nurses—they CALL THE SHOTS.
Well, I love riddles, and my favorite part of filling this in was guessing the theme answers with as few crosses as possible. That way, when the answer came, it came with an “Aha!” as well as a “Hah!” So, that made the puzzle fun. Puns are so subjective. An eye-roller to one brings a guffaw to another. My favorite pun of the theme group was STAND CORRECTED, which brought an enthusiastic “Yes!” That, plus varying degrees of smiles on the others, made the puzzle funny. Give me fun and funny any time. Life brighteners are a gift, and your puzzle, H&H, was just that. Thank you so much for making it!
Then there's the story about the dermatologist who quit and went into the clothing fastener business. Seems he'd rather make snap judgements than rash decisions. This was fun and fast, as it should be when the theme answers come to you as soon as you read the clues, so that filled in a lot of real estate very quickly. And also caused a few groans and smiles. Thanks for a fun Sunday, Katie and Scott!
My dentist originally wanted to be a dermatologist, but she only graduated from her pre-med program by the skin of her teeth.
Two things I’ve learned the hard way- - Dog/baby gates are very dangerous. - No matter how funny you think you are, you will never, ever be able to tell the moth joke and do it any justice. Norm was a genius. Thank you Scott and Katie for a lighthearted, punny romp!
@CCNY The only thing I actually "got" was your hint about how you shattered your ankle. Did you try to hop over it? Hope you are in less pain...or at least hope that the ice packs are in constant use!
Wow, my Sunday personal best of 16:25! An improvement of more than three minutes. I enjoyed the puns and the rest of the puzzle.
@Turing That’s impressive! My juvenile self wants to respond with a themer along the the lines of “I visited Dr. Ruth but it was . . .” OVER TOO SOON. If English is not your first language, or you are not an American ex-pat, color me doubly impressed.
I had LEaSEE and ISOSCELEa, as I was not very familiar with the LESSEE spelling and thinking the latter was a variant of ISOSCELES. It took me a few minutes to find my mistakes. Could someone who rents out garden bugs in pairs could be called the Lessor Of Two Weevils?
@Peabody Your comment has reminded me of this brief scene from Master and Commander. <a href="https://youtu.be/440l8poSQiA?si=Rj6wC1mtKVBzixp6" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/440l8poSQiA?si=Rj6wC1mtKVBzixp6</a> Let me be, emus.
My chiropractor overcharged me, but when I showed them the bill, they MADE AN ADJUSTMENT. Ha. Ha. Ha.
This puzzle was COB, and I loved it. My favorite of the themers was MADEARASHDECISION, but all were worth a chuckle or two. I liked CRIER for old yeller as well. I was glad to see EPEE restored to its rightful status as omnipresent crossword glue, and in the same puzzle as the dreaded OREO. I remember the first word that I recognized as routine crossword fill when I was a puzzle newbie back in the sixties: ERN or its variant ERNE usually clued as sea eagle. I can’t recall seeing it for quite some time. Perhaps it’s an endangered crossword species.
@Marshall Walthew ERN was here just two weeks ago, but it was clued as a “[s]uffix with east or west.” Its two previous appearances had similar clues; the “sea eagle” hasn’t been seen since October, 2021. ERNE has been showing up once or twice a year for the last few years. It was more frequently seen before then.
@Marshall Walthew Etui was the first crossword word I remember learning back in the 80s. I was going through a major depression, and doing the NYT crossword was somehow kind of soothing.
Hogan, Hale and hearty laughs. Thank you both for a sunny pun-day. My nephrologist left no stone unturned. It’s a side splitter.
22A I visited today's puzzle constructer and... I enjoyed this puzzle so much, I'm at a loss for words.
I went to the psychiatrist, who… FELL OFF HIS ROCKER I went to the OB/GYN, who was… BUSY AS A BEAVER I went to the surgeon, who… CUT ME SOME SLACK (Pardon me for going a bit blue.) Another fun one! Thank you, Scott and Katie.
This one was sooo much fun. A little harder than the last month of Sundays, but never punishing and always clever. No look-ups necessary, because the fills I didn't know, the puzzle did, so if a made a rash decision, when I corrected myself the puzzle gave me the nod, and I didn't miss a beat. If you can't have a picnic on the grass, an après ski will be as near to perfect as you can get. Thank you, Scott and Katie, you gave us a lovely Sunday diversion, the reason we come to the puzzle.
This puzzle was absolutely delightful - I literally cackled aloud at DIDNT MISS A BEAT, MADE A RASH DECISION and SAW RIGHT THROUGH ME. I originally guessed LOST MY NERVE - but that would happen at the neurologist, right? Thank you for lighting up this dreary Sunday.
I'm super happy to see lots of women in STEM pop up in this very medically-themed puzzle - spotted both ADA Lovelace and EMMY Noether, and surprised Grace Hopper didn't make it in somehow. Kind of shocking and sad that Noether is a debut in NYT, but hopefully she'll make plenty more appearances going forward!
All these wine valleys. I’m waiting for Barossa, Hunter, and Yarra. (Victoria, NSW, and South Australia respectively) They’re where emus get their wind
@Patrick J. Fun to be had with the Coonawarra (indigenous name for honeysuckle) terroir - the best reds
@Patrick J. Your comment got me thinking of Eric Idle and the Monty Python sketch extolling the virtues of Australian table wines. "A lot of people in this country pooh-pooh Australian table wines. This is a pity, as many fine Australian wines appeal not only to the Australian palette, but also to the cognoscenti of Great Britain." And also of a panicked moment of pre-lockdown preparation in March of 2020 when I was admonished by one of your fellow citizens who spotted me in line with a bottle of Yellow Tail, saying "You know we don't drink that stuff, right?" I assured her I use it only for cooking. :-)
“Old yeller “ made me immediately think of the movie by that name, a total tearjerker, and that’s what led me to “crier”. Fun and funny puzzle.
I set up an appointment with the gastroenterologist because I… HAD A GUT FEELING ;)
That was a pun fuzzle. Actually a good long workout* for me, of course, but had an enjoyable time working out the theme answers. In the vicinity of 'dad jokes,' so right up my alley. Was surprised to see that almost all of them were debuts, as they're very much in the language phrases. *When solving (especially on Sunday), I spend a fair amount of time away from the keyboard with my browser flipped away from the puzzle, so the official time is for only when I have it open. But.. that official time today was: 59:59 And that led me to my one answer history search today: JUSTASECOND Been an answer in two puzzles. I'll shut up now. ..
@Rich in Atlanta Late puzzle find, inspired by a search for 36d. A Wednesday from July 16, 2014 by Daniel Raymon. Three theme answers in that one: SCALENE ISOSCELES EQUILATERAL Each of the clues for those referencing a set of three circled letters in different sections of the puzzle. And then - those circled letters together spelled out something (you can probably guess what). Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/16/2014&g=36&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/16/2014&g=36&d=A</a> ..
I went to my doctor and said, "I feel like a deck of cards!" She said, "Shuffle over there, I'll deal with you later!"
When my insurance company didn't cover my acupuncture treatment, I GOT STUCK WITH THE BILL. It was nice to see ODYSSEY vertical. For those of you not following NASA's Artemis II mission to the Moon, the landing was a bit of a hash, and the lander is apparently lying on its side.
@Grant If it works, up is negotiable. Top and bottom will not be as affected by gravity as they would be on earth.
@Grant I’ve been following the landing, too, and I can’t find any news on *how* getting the Odyssey upright again will be accomplished. Presumably the team has planned on this eventuality. The lunar night is coming! The Japanese vehicle’s comms didn’t survive it…
I went to see the oral surgeon, and now I’m a bit down in the mouth… (Well, alrighty then, now I know why constructors make the big bucks; those dad jokes are not all that easy to come up with. Those preceding me slayed it, though—if you can actually use “slay” when describing corny humor.😁)
I loved and laughed often with this theme. Thank you for a fun Sunday puzzle. I had a personal Natick where 77A has natural decoration for some bookshelves. Of course, I have one on my bookshelf but I didn't even think of it...
Definitely a groaner with the jokes. I enjoyed it, though, and was tickled to see Vinnie Barbarino make an appearance. Thanks for a fun puzzle.
I would like to thank the universe for the combined talents of everyone who brought the picture of a pack of goth weiner dogs into being.
Whew, that was a workout for me. Took me forever to catch on, got the lightbulb moment with the dermatologist, the rest then followed relatively easily (for a Sunday that is). Puns aren’t really my bag, but I loved the clue for EEYORE. I was sure I’d made an error with 2 Es at the start of a word. Thanks for the brain melt and the laughs.
@Helen Wright The EEYORE clue is one of my favorite things about this puzzle.
My new glasses are making their debut this morning...but those tiny numerals are still tough to descry. I hope my loud "ARRGH"s did not disturb you! I had to erase STINGY (well, most of it) at 127A, and exchange the SKIS fora SLED at 46D...but otherwise this puzzle was a breeze.... and I DIDN'T MISS A BEAT. PhysDau is still working (I got a head start) but she did comment, "We've seen most of these specialists!" All too true....but where are the orthopedists, orthotists, orthodontists, physical therapists, and ophthalmologists? (Can we expect "Special Treatment, #2"?) EMMY Noether? Well, how about Mathematician RUTH ANN ENOCH? EMMY died too young, but my friend Ruth was honored by an invitation to speak in Germany just a few years back. (Now a Professor Emerita)
@Mean Old Lady I somehow over-typed and deleted a "followed in the footsteps" observation... Oh well. Wish the US would adopt some of the educational practices in place in Germany... (per a current Forbes article...)
After the last couple of days, this puzzle was a breath of fresh air for me. Which is simply to say I was on the same wavelength as the constructors. Loved the cluing. Give me a good pun any day of the week.
Great amusement! And it was the theme that led me to fix my "so close" and get the gold star. I had "URAL"(sea) and "MADE A RUSH DECISION". And I saw that I had indeed made a rush decision when I should have made a RASH one. Which made sense of the dermatologist joke. Happy Sunday.
I visited CICERO, who LEFT ME SPEECHLESS. I visited ELISHA (Otis), who GAVE ME A LIFT. I visited EEYORE, who KICKED UP A DUST. I visited the GNOME and GOT BENT OUT OF SHAPE.
@Fidelio My wife laughs at her own puns, but I'M A GROAN MAN
Thanks for the laughs, Katie and Scott. You should be chiropractors because you cracked me up.
Busy day, so got to the puzzle late and will just add that I also found the punny theme a delight, well worth waiting for. Can’t pick a favorite, they all made me laugh.
Fun puzzle, and many more fun suggestions in the comments. And ADA and EMMY in one puzzle was great for a theoretical/computational physicist! Incidentally, Noether's theorem (the connection between symmetry and conservation laws) forms the underpinning of all of modern day physical theory, and there is a very nice "In Our Time" podcast about her for those interested.