Wednesday, March 13, 2024

I never metaphor I didn't like. (Or other phrases that function simile.)

Thank goodness for the down-crossers, because there was no way I was going to spell Chiwetel Ejiofor on my own.

Shoehorning the regional dialectal variant ‘RARED’ up into today’s puzzle was a clumsy stretch in an otherwise fun puzzle.

Re: Correction for Puzzle Wednesday 13 March 2024 Love NYT crossword puzzles. Thank you for keeping me company on many sleepless nights, the puzzles simultaneously helping and exacerbating my insomnia. I would just like to point out a small error I noticed. 31 Down : Variety of Indian tea . The answer according to NYT is CHAI. This is wrong. Chai is simply the Hindi word for Tea. When you say Chai Tea , what our Indian ears hear is Tea Tea ! Thus, Chai is not a variety , just simply a word meaning tea. Now, 1 Down : Variety of Indian tea , answer ASSAM is correct. Assam is a region in India which produces this tea. Just as Darjeeling is another tea producing region. Chai ( as per Collins English Dictionary ) in British English NOUN tea, esp as made in India with added spices. Priya

A couple of brief observations based on the Tuesday comments: I made a brief comment about how I partially filled in one answer based on the fact that there were multiple spellings for the answer, only to find out the answer was something else entirely. I then saw that this post was getting recommended at a fast clip, and as it turns out, it wound up being the most recommended post of the day. Thus I realize I have absolutely NO idea whatsoever why some things I say that I think are as ordinary as can be get recommended so fast, and other things I say, some of which I think are so clever, get two or three reccos, or even sometimes none at all. The day I announced I passed a streak milestone, I expected a lot of reccos, but yesterday's came out of the blue. The other thing I noticed in the Tuesday comments is that so many people had a hard time because they didn't recognize the sharp and flat symbols. In fact, a few of them thought that had to be able to read music to know them. I don't read music, and I recognized them. What's going on in the schools these days? You don't have to be Mozart to recognize sharp and flat symbols, do you? Put basic music literacy up there with cursive writing and analog clock time-telling.

If I had to translate English “Darn!” into German, the first thing that would come to mind would be “verdammt noch mal!” and the last thing would be “ach.” German “ach” corresponds to English “ah,” “oh,” “ha,” and “hah,” and in combination with other words, it yields a variety of meanings: ach je (“heigh ho”), ach ja (“why, yes”), ach was (“by no means”), ach der (“oh, him”), ach so (“so I see”), ach nein (“you don’t mean…”), ach wo (“no way!” or “get out of here!”), ach wie schön (“oh, how lovely”), die ach so eingebildete Dame (“the oh so hoity-toity lady”), mit Ach und Krach (“by the skin of one’s teeth”).

A good puzzle for the word history lovers. The etymons are as follows: Both -phore and -phor are from the Greek root that is a cousin of our “bear” (as in carrying, not the animal). Semaphore = bearing meaning; metaphor = carrying across/through. Ejiofor’s -ofor is from Igbo, a principal language of Nigeria, where it is a common name element meaning “set in the right direction”: Ejiofor = holding steady on the right course. An English counterpart might well be Steadman. Before is from old Germanic roots meaning literally “by the front” - in space or (as in the puzzle) in time. Four is the most strange, as it is clearly derived from the same root as other Proto-Indo-European names for the number 4, yet how it came to start with an “f” sound in Germanic languages (vier, fyre, four) instead of the kw/ch sound of all the rest (quattro, cztery, quatre) remains a mystery.

Fairly certain that chai is not a variety of tea but simple a beverage made with tea.

Just that you worked CHIWETELEJIOFOR into the puzzle… *golf clap* I first liked him when he played the bad guy in Serenity. cc: emu handler

Isn’t that a mixed aphorism rather than a metaphor? The first part, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going”, is not a metaphor, a construction that likens one thing to another, at all. The second half could be loosely considered a metaphor.

Fun puzzle. Remembering how to spell CHIWETEL EJIOFOR probably helped me finish in a Monday-like time. It was nice to see clues for ODE and OSLO that I don’t remember seeing before — and that were educational to boot! And THE DUDE is always welcome. Thanks, Mr. Schmenner!

Like many of you I was unfamiliar with RARED up. I did find it interesting that its variant, "raring to go" uses both that pronunciation and that spelling. I had never thought about how that phrase came to be or exactly what it meant literally. As a wise man once said, "People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words."

Not a sportsperson, but shall we make a sport of Sam’s chosen photo? The two guys are a DUO doing Who’s On First over the phone. Nope, they’re discussing their favorite work by SAPPHO. SNORT, there was a joke told on the other end. They’re trying to set up a conference call between OSLO and American SAMOA. They’re wrestling with a MIXED METAPHOR: “you hold the phone while I play phone tag”.

Classic example of a puzzle with Stuff I do not know Crosses I know so I needn’t fret over the other stuff, …like the correct spelling of a phenomenal actor. I just wrote it. I still don’t know it. The beauty of crossing words…

Hi, I haven't started Wednesday's puzzle yet but I was browsing around and ran into this old Far Side cartoon! I've always loved the Far Side and this one seemed very timely in light of the today's/Tuesday's puzzle, which was pretty difficult for me partly because I don't actually read music even a little and probably partly because of feeling a little crabby. Could not resist sharing! Hope you get a giggle out of it! <a href="https://pin.it/7EGgv3mkL" target="_blank">https://pin.it/7EGgv3mkL</a> Do emus laugh and or read music?

Drew: Here’s my AULD ODE for you —-> Phor he’s a jolly good fellow! Phore he’s a jolly good fellow! For he’s a jolly good fellow! Fore he’s a jolly good fellow! Four he’s a jolly good fellow! Nice work!

This was impossibly hard for me - I tried not to look up anything and not use autocheck, but I gave up in the end. The sports-related theme hindered rather than helped me, and there was a lot of trivia I did not know, including naticky places where trivia answers crossed. Also, the 15 letter name of the actor I am simply too simple to remember - and believe me, I have been trying for years. Then there was the CHAI issue (I mean, I knew it would be CHAI when I got a few crosses, but it really isn't a variety of Indian tea), and the mysterious RARED up rather than REARED UP. Maybe it was a magnificent puzzle, possibly even a wonder of construction, I am sure somebody loved it, I should appreciate learning new things (how to wrongly define CHAI, maybe?), and I understand how hard it is to incorporate that impressively complex name into a grid. Was my mother a hamster and does my father smell of elderberries? Maybe, but I did not enjoy this puzzle.

Another day, another crossword scandal. This time it seems to be particularly around RARED. That's go down in infamy with PEG, another recent example. I had never hear it used that way. But the point is that crosswords explore language from many, many different angles. Some may say it's dialect--but dialect for some is everyday usage for others. And visa versa. It should be exciting and humbling to find that there are many nooks and crannies even in a language we think we know very well. Crosswords challenge you to learn new words and phrases, common here, rare there, and you overcome your blind spots by knowing enough crosses and making enough intelligent guesses to get past them. And that's why they're fun.

With ASSAM and CHAI, this one had a mini tea theme going, although I prefer Darjeeling or Ooolong. Some call Darjeeling the champagne of teas, but I prefer to think of Champagne as the Darjeeling of wines. Fun puzzle, if a bit on the easy side. Like THEDUDE, I abide, but I’ve always thought the past tense of abide should be abode.

i was disappointed that 26A - What's needed for a "Who's on First?" routine - was not YES! but otherwise great puzzle

Not sure I think of “several” in the same way this puzzle maker does, but overall great job!

I HIT A SNAG and had to flyspeck. Everything looked AOK, but finally I focused my eyes and saw what was right in front of me: a MIsED METAPHOR. I swear I typed MIXED!! I was euPHORIC when I finally fixed it and heard the magic music. No look-ups necessary for this excellent puzzle, except one to confirm that CHIWETEL EJIOFOR's name was correctly spelled after the crosses filled it for me, but it was not a Monday or Tuesday puzzle, Drew Schmenner—definitely a Wednesday puzzle, despite having a few easy fills, which were startling, because it was almost devoid of any of the usual careworn clunkers. Very classy indeed. Thank you, Drew, and if you ever construct what you think is a Wednesday or Thursday puzzle, do bring it on.

I was thinking “Wow, this feels like a Tuesday!” until I got locked into the NW corner. I had no idea what ASSAM tea was and CHAI seemed too pat (and wrong). Fortunately, years og watching and rewatching Sex and the City made 17A simple and who doesn’t love THEDUDE? I freeze up at sports questions but TEXAN was right there! Somehow I knew ONEAL but only after reading these comments did I realize my brain knew Shaq is called the Diesel. Finally, I formally protest RARING in this usage 😆. I’m from the South (of the US) and we say and spell raring as it applies in phrases like “to go.” However, we pronounce the word with up, like a horse, as rarin’ but it is spelled “rearing” every time. Sorry but this didn’t work. Great puzzle otherwise! 👍🏾

“Chai” is not a variety of Indian tea, it is just the Hindi word for “tea”.

I spent a night in Pago Pago in American Samoa once. Just one night. I wasn’t planning on going there, but what a night it was. Next time I see you, I’ll tell you about it.

Well... I'm not an Able Baker, Charlie and this one wasn't Dog Easy for me (and that's about as much of the old phonetic alphabet as I recall - is there a Delta Echo* in here?). Anyway - mostly a typical Wednesday workout for me, but... did not know 38a (not even vaguely familiar) and ended up googling it (and googled a couple of other things as well). In retrospect - could I have worked it out from the crosses? Well.. maybe. But I didn't, and I really shouldn't have allowed that. I think I'll go into 'no googling' mode until my current streak (61 days) ends (which will likely be tomorrow). That's all on me. *I'm really more familiar with the more recent NATO phonetic alphabet, which is what we used when I was in service, and couldn't help but wonder if someone could make a puzzle based on that. Something like: BRAVOCHARLIE DELTAECHO GOLFHOTEL QUEBECROMEO I'll shut up now. ..

This one was a little slow for me but it was a good workout. I was delighted when I came upon 38A. My brain normally freezes in panic when I see a name with unfamiliar letter combinations, but CHIWETEL EJIOFOR just rolls off the tongue. He's an amazing actor as well.

Most of Sappho's works, as you know, exist only in fragments, sometimes no more than a few words, other times hefty chunks, with a few that may well be complete. To the modern mind, which is used to fragmentation and accustomed to works that have no beginnings or resolutions, she is particularly attractive, and a fair few very gifted authors & translators have rendered Sappho for us. Anne Carson, a poet who is a strange & wondrous amalgam of the postmodern and the classical, is a favorite of mine and her Sappho is both ancient and timeless. FRAGMENT 31 He seems to me equal to the gods that man whoever he is who opposite you sits and listens close to your sweet speaking and lovely laughing – oh it puts the heart in my chest on wings for when I look at you, even a moment, no speaking is left in me no: tongue breaks and thin fire is racing under skin and in eyes no sight and drumming fills ears and cold sweat holds me and shaking grips me all, greener than grass I am and dead – or almost I seem to me. But all is to be dared, because even a person of poverty *** As if it is an unconscious bias, perhaps on the synaptic, neurological level, I can never get the names right of any of the dozen or more truly talented & well established actors of African origin or with African-sounding names. It's something I'm a little ashamed of, though it's an xword-specific shame. Does anyone else have this blockage? Idris & Lupita, after that I'm cooked. Loved the SW theme! Go NM Lobos!

How do we appease the emu gods? They aren't too short but lately more and more of my posts don't get posted. Anyhow, I want to share that I had a moonroof once. It was in a 1981 Oldsmobile Toronado. Hardly a sports car, unless looking sleek while blaring '80s mix cassette tapes down the highway is a sport, and it dang well should be. Maude was one sweet and smooth ride. There aren't even enough Os in smooth to describe Maude. At around 210,000 miles, her transmission gave out. Tragically, it didn't really make sense to repair. Decades later, I drive a bright orange car named Ollie! She's more zippy than Maude was but I love her equally. The only thing she lacks is a moonroof.... and a cassette player. Anyhow I really enjoyed this puzzle! Loved Chiwetel Ejiofor as a spanner! And I loved the theme -- even though I'm not a sportsy person, I got it in under average time. And not being a sportsy person, but coming from a family of sportsy persons, I confidently plugged Oiler in for the Houston NFL team. As I think about it, I think it's been decades since they were Oilers but nonetheless, that's what came to me. It didn't hold me up for too very long because I sort of remembered something about the Oilers becoming the Tennessee Titans maybe... I haven't googled it and I don't really care but it all worked out. Oh yeah, my Wisconsin roots require me to now yell, GO PACK! Or whatever. 😂🍸😉

I may as well be the first to bring this up. Eve ENSLER, or at least the person who became famous under that name, has decided to go by the mononymous and even monoliteral name of V. (Part of an apparent spate of late-alphabet extreme shortenings, along with the post-Twitter X and the post-Kanye West YE.)

An alternate clue for 38A: "A jumble of improbable letters comprising a name that you've seen before and that is indeed worthy of being known, only you DON'T know it -- and not only didn't you know it today, but you won't know it tomorrow either, so don't worry your pretty little head about it." Ah yes, the rest of the puzzle. Nicely chosen themers in a nicely conceived puzzle with a very nice revealer. By far the hardest clue for me was "Sensation on a roller coaster." Nothing I wanted there fit: not TERROR, not NAUSEA, not VERTIGO, not PANIC. I've never been on on a roller coaster, so I've never experienced a GFORCE -- and that's the way I intend to leave it. A pleasant puzzle with the CHIW guy fairly crossed, thank heavens.

I had a moonroof once. It was in a 1981 Oldsmobile Toronado with a V8. Hardly a sports car, unless looking luxuriously like you borrowed your grandparent's car, while blaring '80s mix cassette tapes down the highway is a sport, and it dang well should be. Indy Maude with her V-8 engine was one sweet ride. There aren't even enough Os in smooth to describe Maude. At around 210,000 miles, her transmission gave out. Tragically, it didn't really make sense to repair. Anyhow I really enjoyed this puzzle! Loved Chiwetel Ejiofor as a spanner! And I loved the theme -- even though I'm not a sportsy person, I got it in under average time. And not being a sportsy person, but coming from a family of sportsy persons, I confidently plugged Oiler in for the Houston NFL team. As I think about it, I think it's been decades since they were Oilers but nonetheless, that's what came to me. It didn't hold me up for too very long because I sort of remembered something about the Oilers becoming the Tennessee Titans maybe. Oh yeah, my Wisconsin roots require me to now yell, GO PACK! Or whatever.

Quick work on this one, although I had to depend on crosses for a couple of themers. The actor was nearly my undoing, as I rarely watch movies, but I had heard of him, but had a difficult time trying to decide if I spelled the name correctly (I did). Thanks, Drew, it was (a little) stressful, but still enjoyable. @Sam My last car had a sunroof/moonroof combination. As a sunroof, it slid back into the rear part of the car's roof. As a moonroof, the rear part of the glass raised up, creating a smaller, mostly rear-facing opening. I preferred the moonroof function, as it was quieter when moving, and it did a good job of letting hot air escape when trying to cool down a car that had been parked in a sunny, hot location.

TIL on OBOE. Growing up the old man's call sign ended in . . . OSCAR PAPA CHARLIE! . . . which we could hear from his "shack" and sometimes with the audio displayed in squiggly lines on the TV screens. Great, accessible puzzle with a cute theme. Many thanks.

Today I learned about Franklin Foer, Jonathan Safran Foer, and Joshua Foer. None of them appeared in the grid, but my search for homophones of "four" proved to be more interesting than the puzzle itself.

Bemused/troubled by the number of commenters here who "of course" "couldn't possibly" have known Chiwetel Ejiofor. This amazing actor with multiple awards and award noms made such an impression on me in 12 Years a Slave that I could never have forgetten him. There is value in remembering names that don't sound like one's own.

As I filled in the answer for 10D, I was saddened that Drew Schmenner has absolutely NO IDEA what "sports car" means.

Merriam-Webster says that a horse rising up on its hind legs is “rear” up. Just saying. They may also have “rare” up but I didn’t look because if they do I’ve never seen it used.

Props to Drew Schmenner for fitting in Chiwetel Ejiofor. Yes, I didn't know it, but the crosses were good. I did look him up afterward, so I learned a little more, as well. Personal comment on the Mini - I really dislike the word "zhuzh"!

Any puzzle with the gorgeous and Uber talented Mr Ejiofor is ok with me. Yes he was amazing in 12 Years A Slave, but my go to for him is always Kinky Boots. What a performance. It would have been so easy to go full Drag Diva, but he kept it the right side of the line, with a superb, nuanced performance of a damaged child rising above the chaos. Plus it’s a seriously funny film. Oh yes, the puzzle. An excellent Wednesday grid. My total ignorance of sport, US or otherwise, didn’t hold me up, though I needed to say the answers out loud to get the theme. His name is pronounced EjiofEr in British English.

I was amazed I was able to solve this puzzle without help. Chiwetel really stopped me fir awhile but I was able to fill down clues. Thank you for an enjoyable puzzle.

I appreciate that the constructor notes mentioned this being, in their mind, more of a Monday or Tuesday difficulty. It was certainly one of my fastest Wednesday solves ever – the only slowdown being 38A. I knew the actor's name and could picture his face, but could only guess at the spelling.

Thanks Drew Schmenner. Great fun on a Wednesday. Can't believe I got 48A and 54D. I put it down to osmosis over many NYT puzzles.

Wanted roll bar instead of MOONROOF. Thought 38a could not be correct. But we got it done. Thank you Drew

I would like to thank the cooking shows for 2D. And the tea-growers of India for 1D and 31D. And my piano teacher, circa 1959, for 52D. And all of the Crossing Downs for 38 Across, without which I would be lost at 44A. Fave clue: 41D. Nice little chuckle! On with the day: VROOM-VROOM! I almost forgot: SamE might like to look up a recipe for a batch of TUILE wafers. Sheesh.

Came here looking for fellow tea lovers objecting to the CHAI cluing, and instead found the CHIWETEL EJIOFOR fan club (of which I am a member). I had an uncomfortable visceral reaction when OLE Miss crossed with the actor who played the title character in 12 Years a Slave. If I were the constructor/editor, I would have clued differently.

Zhush? Never heard of that word

CHIWETEL EJIOFOR--now, there's a household name for you. As a person who dislikes sports in general and despises basketball in particular I can't say I particularly enjoyed this otherwise easy puzzle. In my own solving I give myself a free pass to look up sports celebs, rappers, and obscure cable TV actors, all of which constantly clutter up NYT crosswords and which I do not in the least blame myself for not knowing.

Loved the puzzle! Also been a big Ejiofor fan since he was the baddie in Serenity - was very fun to confidently type his name in to todays puzzle. Highly recommend The Shadow Line if you want a good BBC detective crime drama.

Strands today. Anyone else playing? Strands #10 “One thousand followers” 🔵🔵🟡🔵 🔵🔵🔵🔵