Sometimes a puzzle is just a really good time. Tonight was easy, but very amusing and an impressive bit of construction. Thanks and congrats, Greg Snitkin Also, Mitch Hedberg is a legend. Dude has always made me laugh. That awesome delayed laugh, too. You gotta let his observations marinate and replay in your head before you realize how funny some of his stuff is. Gone too soon. Escalators can never break. They can only become stairs.
This has been my 1000th solved puzzle. Time fairly flew by and I thoroughly enjoyed most. This one was fun. Felt a bit easier than the normal Wednesday, but nice theme. Full meaning eluded me until I read the column. Thanks for the first 1000, looking forward to the next.
The computer technician didn't water the lawns. But he modem. (He must have known the grassword.)
@Mike He also planted things in the garden, sometimes working from dawn to dusk -- he would digitall day long.
Well, I reckon y'all got some of these clues right, but lemme tell ya, back in my day, crosswords were tougher than a two-dollar steak at a roadside diner! Sure, you got your "Cinnamon or cardamom," but where's the challenge in that? Real folks used to have to wrack their brains for hours just to fill in a single square! And don't get me started on them emoticons! What in tarnation is this world comin' to with all these winky faces and sad emojis? Back in my day, we didn't have time for such tomfoolery. Crossword puzzles were serious business, none of this smiley face nonsense! But I'll give credit where credit's due. Some of them clues like "Trojans' sch." for USC and "Elsa's sister in 'Frozen'" for ANNA, now those are respectable. But these young whippersnappers need to toughen up these puzzles if they want to impress old-timers like me. Ain't no room for softballs in the crossword game, I tell ya! And another thing, these newfangled abbreviations and acronyms make my head spin faster than a tornado in a trailer park! I mean, what in the name of all things holy is an "ATM" doing in a crossword puzzle? Back in my day, we didn't need no cash machines to solve a crossword. We relied on grit, determination, and a whole lot of elbow grease! But you know what really gets my goat? It's these young folks with their fancy gadgets and their internet search engines, thinkin' they can solve a crossword in the blink of an eye! Why, back in my day, we had to walk ten miles through t
@Aaron Nice to see you back. It’s been a long wh
@Aaron Feeling a bit grumpy, Aaron? I suggest a good croissant, with a bit of apricot jam, and a cappuccino. They'll brighten you right up and help you realize how much fun you just had last night.
This is a wow theme to me. Three totally disparate ways of interpreting “What IT’S all about”. This is a debut, but it's already clear that Greg has a crossword mind, -- Greg, whose brain, after hearing the last line of Hokey Pokey, immediately beelined to this not-so-simple-theme idea. So, it’s a wow in that he came up with this theme to begin with. But it’s also a wow in how the answer to the theme’s riddle became clear to me. First, I saw the obvious connection to HOKEY POKEY, then I oho-ed at seeing the IT connection with SCARY CLOWN, and finally I caught on to the I.T. link with COMPUTER SYSTEMS. Thus, rather than experiencing an explosive “I get it!” all at once, this cracking of the theme unfolded – yes, that’s the word – building, crescendo-ing along to a mighty understanding that felt mighty sweet and provided a long-lasting lovely aftertaste. That was easily the highlight of the puzzle for me, buttressed by how Greg came up with three theme answers and a revealer that satisfied the requirements of symmetry in a grid. Wow again. Greg, I’ll be watching for your name in future puzzles. Congratulations on your impressive debut, and please, keep at it!
Thank you! I came here explicitly to find this explanation of 20A!
That gleeful moment when you feel like you’ve figured out the theme, and are unimpressed…until… you look back. And get that ITS meant three, completely different, accurate things, making a Perfect Wednesday. Very nicely done. Color me impressed!
Pretty much no subpar fill, no trivia that couldn’t be derived from the crosses, and an elegant theme that gave me a chuckle at the end! (chef’s kiss)
I just got my best time 2 days in a row! Love the early Mitch clue. He was my favorite comic at the time of his death. Such a shame.
The fill was maybe a bit too easy for a Wednesday. But MY GOODNESS, the reveal was inspired. I can't believe HOKEYPOKEY was your starter. And you came up with the other two. Great way to make an entrance. Congrats on the debut Greg! I was an amateur to think McFlurry might be mint. Of course, it was OREO. Actually, I think the current mashup flavor is OREO Mint McFlurry. Nothing signals the coming of Spring more than a Mickey D's Shamrock Shake? amirite! (side note, that new Manga dipping sauce is pretty meh) So far this week, for me, each day's solve time has been faster than the previous day. By Sat, I may be sub 5 minutes! haha
@Newbie Oh no, the fill wasn't 'easy' at all. At first it looked hopeless. But as I worked on it, gradually one corner fell, and then another... Checking my Wednesday stats, I see my time was somewhere between 'best' and 'average', so not the slowest... I do agree the reveal was inspired, though.
Sam, I really enjoyed your “girl dinner” article. Thank you for sherpa-ing this one who doesn’t Tik or Tok. Greg, Congrats on a fine debut! Got a chuckle out of you dancing around the kitchen with your kids wondering “is this what ‘it’s’ all about?” Yes, yes it is.
Congratulations on an amusing debut, Mr. Snitkin! I particularly enjoyed the clue for PONTIAC. My mother owned a 1969 Firebird with a three-speed stick shift and a 350 cubic inch V-8 engine. That car was a lot of fun to drive, especially when I was 16. The crossing of MARADONA and ANTICS was inspired. Thanks!
@Eric Hougland Wow, that's cool. I would be so dead if that were the first car I drove... For me it was a Daewoo Lanos, and the only thing it had in common with the Firebird was stick shift (5 speed in this case. Practically no car in Poland was an automatic well into the 2000s). It had a 1,6 liter 106 BHP engine and I drove it like a madman. I have no idea how I survived - by pure chance I guess. I am very ashamed of what an idiot I was back then, at 20 (legal age for drivers is 18 here, but I had no time to take the course and exam before I turned 20. Getting into law school was quite a time-consuming effort). These days I drive much faster cars but I do it very slowly.
@Eric Hougland Oh and can you please explain the Maradona/Antics thing? I don't get it. Btw, I spent a week in Naples a month ago, and damn, how the Neapolitans worship Maradona is borderline disturbing. The guy has actual shrines in the streets, and he is styled as a saint in street art. Crazy stuff. . . . St. Maradona.
@Eric Hougland Yes, had read your comment - great minds think alike! As to Firebirds, the only experience to share is the skepticism expressed by my parents when my older sib's date drove up in one and HONKED the horn! Engine idling, made to wait, did not take the hint. One date only. Later reported to be a bit of a foreign spy - "russian hands and roman fingers"
Mr. Snitkin, you got IT, that certain something that great crossword constructors have! Congrats on a sparkling début. Synchronicity gave new meaning to TALKAHOLIC. Just as the puzzle dropped, I was getting off the phone with a friend of forty years (and no, I didn't meet her in the maternity ward...) She was drinking straight-up Cachaça, the Brazilian strong water, and she talked. And talked. And talked. For two hours, she talked. It's not her usual way, but throw in that Cachaça, and there you have IT, a literal TALKAHOLIC! Of course the puzzle had another layer for me and @Sam Lyons and @Newbie, making it even more fun. That's all in the @Sam Lyons thread. ;-) And, yes, I agree with everyone who found this an easier Wednesday, but variety is the spice of life, so why not? Thank you for a fun outing, Mr. Snitkin!
Fun puzzle that was just challenging enough that I had to take my brain off autopilot to solve. And I even got the theme. (Not necessarily a certainty in my world. )
I finished the puzzle, no look-ups, but 'What's it all about?" would be the fill if I were honest, because I didn't see WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT." I have never read a Stephen King novel, nor seen the movies made from his books, so "IT' was not on my radar. Computers have been my companions for the past 40 years, long before the perceived impact of I.T. (which has actually been with us from the beginning. in one form or another), and they have a much broader meaning for me. All that said, from reading other comments, the theme was clever and a lot of fun, even though the IT match went right by me. Hard to say if theme seemed too HOKEY or I am just too POKEY. I did enjoy working the puzzle, found the clues to be clever, and I am delighted to see you, Greg Snitkin, as a new addition to the world of NY Times puzzles. Now do get busy and construct another puzzle for us!
What have you American savages done with our (checks notes) cultural treasure the Hokey Cokey?
@Andrew F I can only tell you it has been thus for the past 70+ years.... And it is assisted by "The POKEY Little Puppy"...(children's book)...
@Andrew F Not to worry, mate. We know the Scots invented everything! 😉
I did not understand the theme (I had no idea what HOKEYPOKEY was, so any theory I had about the theme I could not confirm using the third themed entry), I did not know most of the trivia, and the clues in the bottom third of the puzzle were cryptic to me, but I managed to solve the puzzle without any lookups in 17 minutes. I'm quite happy with that 🙂 As for the theme - having read the column I see one of my theories was correct, and apparently What it's all about were the lyrics from a song I have never heard.
@Andrzej " ... from a song I have never heard." Be glad.
Fun puzzle, inventive theme, and just the right amount of grit for a Wed puzzle, thanks Greg! I did get a little hung up in the SE corner, trying to cram "SWORD" into 52D. But was fun working out my error and finally getting "STEED". Though I proudly did NOT try to cram "BRADY" into 6D, like I'm sure a lot of folks did. You know who you are :-) Happy hump day!
@Bret This helped me finish the puzzle, thanks!
@Bret By the time you type in BRADY for the 'retiree,' he's already come back out of retirement.... or so it seems.
@Bret well, as a Saints fan, Brady was not the first name that came to mind!
Regardless of what theologians, philosophers, cosmologists or any one else might say, the final analysis always boils down to the Hokey Pokey.
Hmm.... Coincidence? MARADONA and the "HOKEYPOKEY" in the same grid . . . Shilton's right hand in, Maradona's left arm out, He gave the ball a little pinch And the Brits still jeer and pout. He got one past the goalie and Agentina gave a happy shout! The Hand of God is WHATITSALLABOUT!
@Whoa Nellie As I commented earlier, the crossing of MARADONA and ANTICS was just inspired. Divinely inspired, even.
Where to start? This is a great puzzle, but with a classic American/British gap in linguistics and a real trigger warning for us Brits: We say HOKEY COKEY, not pOKEY. That threw me for a while. I wonder where the difference in lyric occurred? MARADONA. Ok, if you were placed, as I was, in a room full of hyper excited England football fans, watching England v Argentina in the 1986 World Cup quarter final and had to witness a) that ‘hand of god’ cheating goal and b) the bewilderment, disbelief and eventual anger of an entire nation, then you might understand the existential pain caused by that players name. I’ll say no more except, loved the puzzle 😃 IT. Hah, made me smile. I ain’t afraid of no clowns.
@Helen Wright My wife is a huge football fan, and all she can think of when Maradona is mentioned is the 1986 hand of god thing. I have a different gripe with him - Poland's most prolific sports commentator for many decades, Dariusz Szpakowski - a horribly annoying man, for whose carreer I have no rational explanation - had a mannerism of always mentioning Maradona by his full name. During any game that featured Maradona, Szpakowski shouted DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA time after time after time. I wanted to reach into the TV and gag the guy. I can actually feel the anger stir in me at the memory alone, after all those years.
"IT" was a wonderful NYT debut. The image of Mr. Snitkin doing the hokey pokey in the kitchen with his three little kids really brightened up a dark & rainy Virginia day.
Sorry, forever tired of the myriads sports references, especially to specific players. Three in this puzzle. Aren’t there famous mathematicians, physicists, biologists, astronomers, chefs, philosophers, authors, architects, artists, composers, explorers, politicians, inventors, world leaders throughout history, social crusaders, …. Well, you get my drift.
@zelda I would go further to say that during the last, oh say five-six months, I have noticed increased dumbing down in puzzles, by means of too many repeated words, too many proper names, too many repeated references to mid twentieth century pop lit, and derivative pop movies, too few creative phrases, too few really good plays-on-words. To test my hypothesis that this is happening (likely through use of technology such as AI) I went into the archives, and found those puzzles to be much more difficult and much more interesting to solve. As I say, it's only a hypothesis so I'd be interested to know if anyone else agrees-- or if they disagree, why.
@zelda Why are athletes somehow “less than” to you? Athletes are extremely popular in this country and are fully deserving of being included in a crossword. I don’t happen to know a lot of mathematicians, physicists, biologists, architects, or composers. Perhaps that makes me somehow “less than” to you, too.
I would never have figured out this fantastic theme without the revealer! Maybe because I'm only vaguely familiar with the book and film "It", so the title didn't come to mind. What is that makes this Pennywise so scary? Is it just that he's pound-foolish?
Goofy me! Finished the puzzle super quickly but had to read the article to understand what the theme was all about! Fun solve!
Don't feel bad if you missed the "McFlurry flavor" clue. You will likely live longer than the people who got it right. Okay, that reads a little snarkier than I intended...
@Jeff Z You imply that there exists a person who has found a McDonald’s ice cream machine that *isn’t* broken…
@Jeff Z No thanks. My go-to is the Heath Bar Blizzard, from Dairy Queen. And yes, the milkshake machine is always "broken" at Mickey D's.
Finished the puzzle, looked, scratched my head and had a "DOH" moment! Really cute theme and construction. Any crossword with Minnesota icon Mitch Hedberg is a win as well.
Just started the puzzle but I have to give props to for recognizing one of my favorite late comedians, Mitch Hedberg. "This shirt is dry clean only which means.... it's dirty!"
@sotto voce & @Newbie Maybe you two will see a band in the grid to continue yesterday’s vibe? For now, PONTIAC Firebird and David bOWIE will do it for this child of the 80/90s. Oh, and “It” had me sleeping with the lights on in 1986.
@Sam Lyons @SV The Kinks' LOLA is all I could find. I actually did the puzzle right on the release, so I could hopefully find Souixsie, as discussed. But alas, no such luck. I guess the Psychedelic Furs didn't make it either... "Well, I'm not dumb but I can't understand Why she walked like a emu but talked like a man..."
@Sam Lyons I very carefully went through the grid word by word! Newbie doesn't get to quit his job -- no Siouxsie in sight. But "new" for New Order showed up twice, in ANEW and NEWSY. Also, the "talk" in TALKAHOLIC hides one of the most phenomenal and most underrated bands of the 80's, Talk Talk. Mark Hollis, the frontman, was a genius, nothing less. Needless to say, I own all of their cd's. It's difficult for me to even decide what to post, but here are two songs-- Life's What You Make It: <a href="https://youtu.be/l3VqAsMXE7o?feature=shared" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/l3VqAsMXE7o?feature=shared</a> Tomorrow Started: <a href="https://youtu.be/OcA8C38311A?feature=shared" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/OcA8C38311A?feature=shared</a>
The theme made me smile, and I have no complaints about the fill. Lovely Wednesday puzzle, on the easier side of a Wednesday but still felt reasonable for the day. Awesome stuff, thank you Greg Snitkin!
@Jackson Thought I had commented this for a minute. LOL.
This theme got a rare, out-loud chuckle out of me! Very satisfying.
What a delightful theme, and so well executed. Congrats on the debut!
Great puzzle, although I had to read the column to get the revealer, and as a huge King fan, I was ashamed that the penny (haha) didn’t drop for me on IT. I do think Sam gave away her age, however, by not recognizing those two great 80s icons, the POWER TIE and the PONTIAC Firebird.
This puzzle was a delight all around, one of my favorites I’ve done in a while! I especially enjoyed the clue for 19A, and when I got the revealer I couldn’t help but smile!! I’m very happy I decided to do this before work instead of at lunch like I normally do, because I feel like it put me in a much better mood for the day.
This puzzle had some nice clues, but the word "sammie" makes me cringe. I suspect it is an overreaction, but I hate that word so much, I almost skipped today's puzzle. The is a small deli in a village where I spend some time in the summer. They have that word written on the window, and I just can't.
@Margaret I don’t care for the word “sammies” either, but it is a convenient way to signal that the answer is a shortened or casual term.
@Margaret I’m guilty of using that word (blame my grandparents 😉), and one of my sons forbade me from saying it to him from a young age—so I guess you’re not alone in your aversion!
The theme made me smile and fit together nicely. Thanks!
@Joy M. Glad to read all your parts are aligned! 😉
Wow, this is an inspired theme, Greg. For me, HOKEYPOKEY is how I made the "sense" of the revealer, and the other senses then dawned on me. Nice double tie-in with the Mini: (1) the parasite infecting both HOST and BONG, and (2) It as both SCARYCLOWN and EVIL. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w-VWPCrX6E" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w-VWPCrX6E</a>
Edit: remove the "the" between "made" and "sense" Sometimes I wish there were an edit function.
Congrats to the constructor. That's what this is all about!
The theme brought to my mind the music from the 1966 movie, “Alfie”, starting Michael Caine in the title role. Cher sang the song “Alfie” over the closing credits. The opening line in the song is “What’s it all about, Alfie?” Here is Dionne Warwick singing it: <a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=alfie+shirley+bassey+sings&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a5017b0c,vid:Lf_htGioHY8,st:0" target="_blank">https://www.google.ca/search?q=alfie+shirley+bassey+sings&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a5017b0c,vid:Lf_htGioHY8,st:0</a> ?????? ………. Emus, begone!
@Strudel Dad I’m pretty sure it was Cilla Black singing the title song? Perhaps they changed it to a better known act for the US/Canadian market. Cilla was an icon here, as much for her tv work in later life as her pop songs in the 60’s. Happy to be corrected though.
Professor Moriarty was NOT a professor of ‘math’, but ‘maths’. In fact to be precise, ‘mathematics’ Dear oh dear…
I blind wrote GRAND CONCLUSION for the revealer and had it for a while before realizing A) none of the crosses worked, and B) it had nothing to do with COMPUTER SYSTEMS or Pennywise or the HOKEY POKEY. When I realized the *proper* revealer, I gave exactly the big dumb grin I hope the creator intended.
Oh this was fun! It sparkled like a CAVA, with wit and joy. Loved the HOKEYPOKEY. Why, - YES, LETS! And a smile to you too LOLA - what a great song. Thank you Greg!
Today's word found in both the NYT and LA Times/WaPo crossword puzzles is: "Lola" (the bunny from Space Jam).
I had to read the revealer a couple of times before I "got" IT. I groaned out loud, but it was a groan with a smile. 🙂
@Janine Haha, I also groaned out loud (with a smile) when I finally got the theme. For some weird reason, I enjoying successfully solving the puzzle without any hints, while also not getting the theme at all. Makes me feel like I really nailed the crosses and progressing in my "journey to Saturday".
There was a time when classes for 'children with special needs' were not mandated; parents banded together to found classes and pressed for public, inclusive education based on sound goals...(i.e., something more than doing the HOKEY-POKEY.) You can probably tell my BSEd graduating class consisted of a mere 13 students with the "new" major of "special education." (Most of us had double majors in elementary ed.) Passage of 94-142 was still well into the future. I had never heard of SCARY CLOWN (praise the Lord!) and I still don't "get IT." Will have to read the column for the (likely underwhelming) explanation. That said, I was certainly challenged by this puzzle, with the comedian, movies, rappers, a futbol star, and more. PhysDau informs me that HER generation says BURN for 12D. (Mine says, "Oh, SNAP!") What, pray tell, is a SNITKIN? A wee little SNIT? an argumentative relative? A tiny, cunning bird? The smallest-possible slice of dessert? A charming word should never be wasted...
@Mean Old Lady The *Scary Clown" andwer was a reference to the Steven King book "It" and the subsequent movies based on the book.
Here I am at last! Woke up very late. Had to get the apartment ready for my cleaning woman. Got a new grid proposal from my puzzle collaborator on our latest collaboration. Forgot completely that I had left today's puzzle on the dining table -- half done. So, obviously, I wasn't completely riveted. All those names. Nor had I any idea at that point that there was a theme or what it was. Finally got back to it hours later. Whaddaya know -- the theme's terrific! Adorable and very imaginative. I could never have predicted it. Or should I say IT? Every time you think no one can ever come up with a completely new puzzle idea, someone does. (The best news about my having forgotten about the puzzle? My earworm's vanished, too. I'm of the generation that sang that stupid HOKEY POKEY song -- mostly at Camp Pinecliffe, I think, but maybe at P.S.6 too. Being me, I remembered all the stupid lyrics. So that before I set the puzzle down on my dining table, that idiotic song was playing over and over in my head. Now it's not. A very good thing, too.)
@Nancy I’m glad you got rid of the earworm. The song works well as a revealer, but I really don’t care for it as a piece of music.
What a great debut Mr. Snitkin! I loved your clever and fun (punny and funny) puzzle. And that's what it's all about, eh? Thank you.