Oh... and people seemed to enjoy my list of wordplay jokes from yesterday. Here's just a few more that I came across: Prison is just one word to you, but for some people, it’s a whole sentence. Scientists got together to study the effects of alcohol on a person’s walk, and the result was staggering. I’m trying to organize a hide-and-seek tournament, but good players are really hard to find. I got over my addiction to chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts. I won’t lie, it was a rocky road. What do you say to comfort a friend who’s struggling with grammar? There, their, they’re. I went to the toy store and asked the assistant where the Schwarzenegger dolls are and he replied, “Aisle B, back.” What did the surgeon say to the patient who insisted on closing up their own incision? Suture self. I’ve started telling everyone about the benefits of eating dried grapes. It’s all about raisin awareness. ...
@Rich in Atlanta I went to a zoo that had only one animal- a dog. It was a Shih Tzu.
@Rich in Atlanta Thanks, your puns are rich. Enjoyed both sets. 😁
@Rich in Atlanta If you grow up in the Rockies, you take the mountains for granite.
This is Lynn Lempel's 102nd puzzle in the Times, the vast majority of them early-week; 73 are Monday puzzles. I remember someone remarking that this speaks to Lempel's brilliance because paradoxically Monday puzzles are the hardest to make lively and still worth doing for the highbrows out there. When her 100th puzzle aired (3-6-23) Rachel Fabi wrote, I spoke with The Times’s senior puzzle editor, Joel Fagliano, about Ms. Lempel, whom he called “a pro in every aspect of crossword making.” “One of Lynn’s hallmarks, in my book, is just very to-the-point, interesting and engaging clue writing,” Mr. Fagliano said. “This was an easy edit.” This puzzle fits the bill, too, with enough zhuzh* to keep anyone's attention and some quality wordplay. Ma in drag, woot! My only quibble is that the revealer really does seem like an awkward afterthought: HALFTIME could have been half anything: halfwit, half empty, half hearted, better half... Loved all the great words, especially rennet -- threw in a little Thursday action there did yah? -- and good to see poor old Duncan, I guess you can say he had it coming -- and Klondike and Antlers gave the southeast quadrant of the puzzle an abnormally chilly NW blast, where the ORE is. Heck, in a minute I'll be reciting "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" if you don't watch out. *Yes, I do feel a sense of potential future self loathing for having written "zhuzh," but I also refuse to replace the word. It deserves its short, ugly life in our tongue.
@john ezra Zhuzh fits a nano-theme of the puzzle: “The earliest records of zhuzh show that it is part of Polari, an argot used in Britain since perhaps the eighteenth century primarily among gay theatrical and circus performers. The claims that the word was borrowed from Yiddish or Romani are not supportable.” M-W
I want to say I do understand how a halftime break is like the break in the middle of the words, so of any possibility, halftime as a revealer is the best choice there is, but I'm of the mind this is a puzzle that doesn't need a revealer. .
@john ezra Embrace the zhuzh lol. I think it’s quite useful for describing that *little extra* in ways that more traditional words like embellish can’t quite manage.
Maybe it’s just a sign that I’m getting old, but to me erotica and PORN are two very different things. The toughest moment for me was trying to figure out what word came after SEAL. Of course it had to be SEAL ION!
@Andrew I agree. I had SMUT on my first run through. I consider erotica to be written while porn to be visual
@Andrew I agree totally with the erotica/PORN difference, and thought the same thing when I filled it in.... buuut, they are close enough (cousins, maybe?) for a crossword hint. ............................................... (lol @ SEAL ION)
@Andrew Funny, I briefly questioned that too but, not being familiar with either, I figured NYT would know better. I see Andrew is from Ottawa (like me) and Janine is in BC… maybe it’s different in Canada! LOL
Fun solve! This might be my first Tuesday completed without any lookups! The theme became evident to me with 36A, and I was bemused by 26A. Definitely a STRESS-free puzzle, crafted by a talented WORDSMITH :)
@A Congratulations on your awesome milestone, and a great puzzle to hit it with!
This was a fun puzzle, but surprisingly difficult for me in places. I knew some of the words others seem to have struggled with (EPAULET, SPOOR, and even SKOR - I have previous NYT puzzles to thank for that, because that product is unknown in Poland, or maybe even Europe). What gave me problems were ENID (I sadly know next to nothing about either Oklahoma or Tennyson, and that corner gave me trouble in general, so I had no crosses to help me; I ended up looking ENID up - my only google search of the day) and EASTER. In the end I realized the clue referred to an Easter egg hunt, but it occured to me late because it is not a thing here, or at least nobody had heard of it when I was a child. The Polish Easter-time tradition is to go have a traditional food basket blessed by a Catholic priest at church, and given its religious nature me and my family of atheists never engaged in it. Not quite as fun as an egg hunt, eh? I once went with my then-girlfriend to have her basket blessed and all I got was holy water in my eyes - the priest was apparently bent on blessing everybody and everything in the room, not just the eggs and sausages. He might as well have turned on the overhead sprinklers. The thing priests use for the purpose - a thing like a small broomstick, basically - is apparently called an aspergillum in English. I bet we will see that as an answer on some Saturday.
@Andrzej Or maybe ASPERGE as a verb; I just checked Google to make sure it is.
@Andrzej "The Idylls of The King" is a Tennyson work that most students encounter in HS and/or college... I may be misremembering ENID's appearance. She is frequently featured in xwords, however. I tried SKOL for the candy, which did not work at all well. ROLO is the other one that appeals to constructors, along with SKOR. I don't have a "sweet-tooth" so those always trip me up. I make an exception for REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups, however.
A puzzle theme based on dooks! Did you DOOK? Who'da thunk it? !!! !!! !!! !!!
@Steve L Came here to make almost the identical comment!
@Steve L I did DOOK! Thank you for asking. :-) . . . . . . .
Total delight of a puzzle. The sign of a good theme is when I chuckle under my breath loud enough for my girlfriend to ask what is so funny from the other room.
"Want twelve cheap watches?" "Nah, they're a time a dozen." ("Don't tock to me that way!")
@Mike I'm TICKled by your humorous offerings... but I wonder how this will wind up when your boss finds out how much time you're spending on WordPlay!
@Mike Are they so cheap because they're second hand? Hard to dial back my curiosity on this. No time for emus!
@Mike Sometimes your face-itiousness is alarming, sometimes a bit of a snooze, but I can't face the day without it.
That was fun. A perfect Tuesday—no empty filling for this tasty puzzle, and some delightful fills. How long would it take to collect all those what-ever-they're-called to have enough for a puzzle theme. I sailed through the puzzle, enjoying every second of it, and sorry that it was over so quickly. Thank you, Lynn Lempel. GO ON, SQUAD was inspired.
After reading the column’s explanation of the theme, Bilbo Baggins said of the puzzle: “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” And I agree. cc: emu handler
Is NOIDEA an ALT OID? “Alphabetical quintets: I’s, O’s, U, A’s, ____?” ANDES Great Tuesday puzzle. Surprised that Lynn had any doubt that it would pass “Has to pause while speaking?” (MUSTER).
I thought this one had some good WORDSMITHing, and I found the themed answers delightful. As is often the case I got them from context and didn’t see how the first four letters of each made two two letter words until I looked at my completed puzzle. I guess I’m a little dense tonight because I don’t see how HALFTIME relates to the wordplay. Interestingly (at least to me), all the people appearing in the puzzle, DUNCAN, ANNIE, and CAP’N Crunch are unreal. Well, actually, I guess Macbeth’s DUNCAN is based on a historical character. Speaking of Macbeth, while hiking with friends in Scotland a few years back, we happened upon a country graveyard which contained a tombstone commemorating a women with the surname Macbeth. Imagine my nerdish delight at discovering the grave of Lady Macbeth.
@Marshall Walthew. HALF TIME: a break in the middle, which is what is happening to each of the four letter groupings at the start of each theme entry.
@Patrick J. Doh! Facepalm. Thanks for enlightening me. I think some sleep is in order.
Perhaps our Londoners will contradict me, but I think the clue at 36A makes the classic mistake of thinking Big Ben is the clock, when it is in fact the bell in the clock tower. …… !!!!!! Emus, begong!
@Strudel Dad (Attempt no. 2 - emus begong) According to the U.K. Parliament, "Big Ben is probably the world's most famous clock." <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben" target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/big-ben</a>/
@Strudel Dad Can you explain the emu references I'm seeing? I must have missed something.
I must admit, I've never heard of either SPOOR or EPAULET. That was way too tough of a crossing for a Tuesday IMO
@Steven M. I’d heard both though they are definitely tough words for a Tuesday. Still tricky for me though as I was more familiar with the spelling “epaulette” (from French épaule meaning shoulder), and while I knew the word SPOOR from reading, and that it was something involved with tracking an animal, I was not completely clear on the actual definition. I guess I thought of it more as the animal’s scent (or something like that) that lingered 🤓 .:.:.
As a habitual ALTOIDs carrier I was delighted that my beloved mints made an appearance for the first time in my crossword career. Congrats to Lynn on a minty fresh Tuesday puzzle.
I am awarding this puzzle the affectionate, somewhat Seinfeldian title of "The DOOK," because that's how I'll always think of it. I don't really get today's revealer and, in fact, would have used DOOK as my revealer for this puzzle, with the revealer clue "Perform adequately." But for long-time puzzle buffs, this puzzle doesn't even need a revealer. We all know what a DOOK is and I found this puzzle absolutely delightful. And I was SO slow getting the trick because I didn't see it at MAIN DRAG. "What on earth?" I'm thinking. Saw the light at DOOR NAILS, after which I went back to MA IN DRAG and said: "How clever!" I then guessed the next two themers with very few crosses. All the DOOKS are clued exceptionally fairly and with real specificity -- making the "Aha" moments even better. And what a gorgeous junk-free grid! I found this a really enjoyable Tuesday puzzle on every level.
@Nancy I did enjoy the puzzle, but I think your suggested revealer would have been much cuter and would have resonated well with this audience. Seems that DOOK has only appeared three times, and only once with the meaning you suggested (12/16/14, “Scrape by”). I look forward to your construction of the next DOOK themed puzzle!
@Nancy Even though DOOK has rarely been an entry, it (somewhat controversially) may have been involved in a theme. If you look at Thursday, 3/28/2019 the theme clues might be classified as DOOKS. For example, 17A was “Tome”, with the answer of FROMWHEREISTAND. Steve L was the first to comment on that puzzle and there ensued a lively discussion ( Wen, Morgan, and Puzzlemucker) on whether the term DOOK could be used to describe anything but an entry. It’s worth a relook!
That SPOOR / EPAULET cross was not called for
@Dave I tried right away for EPALET -- but it was too short. Knew the item, just not the spelling. And then SPOOR came up somewhere from the depths of my brain. Isn't it really the poop trail left behind?
The best kind of puzzle must be amusing, cleverly constructed, and have a representative from the animal kingdom for whom the wee pup BB feels an affinity. Today's installment meets all three requirements neatly, meriting a full-throated ARF! from our merry girl. And, of course: The one-L lama, he's a priest. The two-L llama, he's a beast. But I would bet a silk pajama There isn't any three-L lllama. On a side note, I don't get the "slippery" elm business. What's that about, anyone?
@Foster there's a tree called slippery elm. Some people use slippery elm bark as a remedy for sore throats.
@Foster It's a variety of ELM, thought to have medicinal qualities. You've really never heard of it? Emus Are Slippery
@Foster LMGTFY Slippery elm, also known as red elm, gray elm, soft elm, moose elm, and Indian elm is the species ulmus rubra and is native to North America. (Thanks Wikipedia).
Fun puzzle! I’ll join the choir of people who struggled with EPAULET / SPOOR for a minute there — that tiny bit was tougher than most Tuesdays, but I’m not mad about it! Fun anecdote: I’m the weirdo who figured out 17A was probably either “pA IN DRAG” or “MA IN DRAG”, and expected to need to use the cross to determine which parent it was. Somehow forgot that these puzzles aren’t going to just invent a phrase for the sake of making it work. Took the revealer for me to realize the more clever double meaning.
Fun, quick, clever, amusing! Thanks Lynn Lempel, for another example of doing what you do so we’ll.
Always a pleasure to solve a Lynn Lempel construction. Because of the way I was meandering about the puzzle, BE AT THE CLOCK was where I figured it out. Would have loved to have seen the version with Mo Rocca. And here's Elvis for the GO ON SQUAD. <a href="https://youtu.be/7IMRStIaTL0?si=OxUcjNtkNGkhmJSN" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/7IMRStIaTL0?si=OxUcjNtkNGkhmJSN</a>
A great Tuesday puzzle. Some fun clues and, appropriately, a bit more difficult than a Monday. But most important -- long-timers here will remember that I get all pedantic about the differences between true seals and SEA LIONs. This clue got it right! I would have gritted my teeth and grudgingly accepted the answer, had it been "SEAL" but I wouldn't have liked it. The classic, barking "SEAL" you see at a circus is not a true SEAL, but a SEA LOIN. I suppose some of the sounds SEALs make could be interpreted as barks, but not nearly as clearly a barking sound as a SEA LION. SEALs typically make a bit of a growling sound, with a great deal of rasp to it. Think of what Henry Kissinger would have sounded like if he were to produce a low growling sound. All that vocal fry! That is what a SEAL more typically sounds like. Well done!
@CaptainQuahog - My typo up there has me wondering... Would SEA LOIN be a good thing to grill? Probably as good as EMU dummies!
@CaptainQuahog When I was stationed at the Presidio of Monterey, I would frequently drift off to sleep to the sound of SEA LIONs barking down at Fisherman's Wharf.
Sam, compound pangrams don’t bother me at all. I think it’s like that dress that consumed our attention a few years back — was it white and gold (yes!!) or two other colors that I can’t recall? I think compound words are like that - binary. You see ‘em or you don’t but it’s no indication of whether you are a WORDSMITH or not! Lynn, I liked the three military entries, even if one is CAPN Crunch 🤣. As a former Air Force member, I remember being so proud to reach E4 (equivalent to CPL), that I hardly think of it as a low military rank. I supervised several people who were of actual low rank but who had responsible positions, as well. I also enjoyed seeing EPAULETS, which came later in my military career. The three words that I only got through crossings were RENNET, SKOR and ENID. After solving the puzzle, the former word led me down a cheese-making rabbit hole that I was happy to hop out of! I really didn’t enjoy learning how the sausages were made! Also, my Oklahoma geography is very limited. Quick and fun puzzle. Crunchier than yesterday, as it should be. Aproveitem o dia, amigos!
Overall I think I *did ok* by catching on when the GOONSQUAD came into view. But I am not one to . . . . . . "Tout one's square dance moves". BRAGADOSIDO
This is a really fun and impressive theme. It's not terribly difficult to find four-letter words that can be split into two words, but to find legit phrases to use them in? Wow. HALL!* *Ha, L.L.!
@mead absurdum You had mead absurdum. Dook, dook, goose.
One of these days, I will remember it’s CAPN CRUNCH, not CAPT CRUNCH. Today was not that day. 🤨
Liked the theme. I often don't do Tuesdays but I'm glad I did today. Clever.
Regarding Sam's column photo, a previous caption read: "The head chef of the Savoy restaurant in 1924 with an easter egg he made containing jewels inside a chocolate jewel casket." That's a nice DISH, and it makes for a great HALFTIME show. What's next for this EASTER meal? PRIME RIB? Served with KLONDIKE potatoes perhaps? <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024349-prime-rib" target="_blank">https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024349-prime-rib</a> NO IDEA. DREAM ON.
Here is a post from the New Yorker puzzle department announcing some changes to their weekly offerings. They are adding two mini puzzles a week, among other things. <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/articles/introducing-the-new-yorker-mini-crossword?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Crosswords_Tuesday_031924&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bea139024c17c6adf1d37a0&cndid=50640135&hasha=512f327e01370471591d63ebff1858e7&hashb=9f9e90ac21b5594a7f13cc6bad26b7d00639e873&hashc=d02f1be5eff6c43f0f6f248dda0a2578a3da714a1d925509ad97424c115e4d7e&esrc=subscribe-page&utm_term=TNY_Crosswords" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/articles/introducing-the-new-yorker-mini-crossword?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Crosswords_Tuesday_031924&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bea139024c17c6adf1d37a0&cndid=50640135&hasha=512f327e01370471591d63ebff1858e7&hashb=9f9e90ac21b5594a7f13cc6bad26b7d00639e873&hashc=d02f1be5eff6c43f0f6f248dda0a2578a3da714a1d925509ad97424c115e4d7e&esrc=subscribe-page&utm_term=TNY_Crosswords</a> Will that link work? We'll find out. Emus, does Macy's tell Gimbels?
I'd say, "not too cleaver" but it was! Ms. Lempel and The Times giving us a nice Tuesday diversion? LETTUCEENTERTAINYOU
@Whoa Nellie My version of that particular play on words has always been: LETTUCE LEAVE HE SAID CRISPLY Ducking and running. Hi emus. ..
A lovely easy, breezy puzzle! Other than the one commenter's observation that the 'Q' is for 'questioning', it is perfect. Thanks! Gluten free cookies for the emus!
Thank you, Ms. Lempel, for another wonderful puzzle. I laughed out loud more than once.
This puzzle gets a big thumbs down. As noted, this is the second version and you can tell it. The "gag" was quite hamfisted. Having the clue be "first half" instead of "halftime" seems much more appropriate, especially since there is no element of "time" in the gag, besides the poorly constructed center question about meeting at Big Ben (which is the bell, not the clock!) Pretty disappointing that this was deemed a NYT quality crossword.
The Big Ben clue was so poorly constructed I had no idea what was meant whatsoever, and I bet nobody else knew, either. There can't possibly be any person alive who naturally associates that name with the tower or the clock. All I see in my mind when I think Big Ben is - obviously - the bell. The very assumption anything other than the bell might be universally recognized as Big Ben is preposterous indeed. Pshaw!
I’m always happy when I open the app and see it’s a Lynn Lempel puzzle! Another fun one!
In case you missed the way Sunday’s Schrödinger puzzle worked, there’s a nice animation at xwordinfo.com. <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/17/2024" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/17/2024</a>
@Eric Hougland Thank you ... I had a very busy Sunday ... managed to complete the puzzle while falling asleep at the end of the day but forgot to ever go back and understand the trick. (I'd only entered THE SOUTHEAST.)
Someday I may not need my wife’s help with Shakespeare clues, but I will still ask because as @Sam Corbin recently wrote in wordplay, it’s fun to do puzzles with someone else. Cheers to all
I can't lie. Spoor, eau, and epaulette had me scratching my head for a minute there.
Really fun puzzle. A longer than usual Tuesday workout for me, as I had to work the down crosses for each of the theme answers, but that just added to the enjoyment when each of them finally dawned on me. Answer history search today was inspired by USSR and led to one of the most unusual puzzles I've ever encountered. And... it was another "it's all in the clues" type of theme. I'll put that in a reply. ..
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: A Sunday puzzle from January 2, 2011 by David Levinson Wilk with the title: "Works in translation." Seven themers in that puzzle; don't think I would have had much of a chance on this one. Clue and answer that got me there: 1968 hit song "Nazad": BACKINTHEUSSR A couple of other clue and answer examples: 2003 film "Érase una Vez" : ONCEUPONATIMEINMEXICO 1934 novel "Maw'id" : APPOINTMENTINSAMARRA Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/2/2011&g=38&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/2/2011&g=38&d=A</a> ..
Epaulet? Spoor? Definitely did not beat the clock on this one. Fun puzzle for a Tuesday but definitely felt more like a Thursday puzzle to me.
@Lake life A few people complained about EPAULET. It’s what acap’n Crunch has on the shoulder of his uniform: <a href="https://uni-watch.com/2023/07/27/capn-crunch-gets-important-uniform-adjustment" target="_blank">https://uni-watch.com/2023/07/27/capn-crunch-gets-important-uniform-adjustment</a>/ Not a very crunchy puzzle, though!!!
This was a lot of fun and clever!
Lynn Lempel's 45 years of NYT puzzle creation certainly shows with this very clever theme. The fill was fresh and kept my interest, making it a most enjoyable Tuesday. We even had A Visit from the Goon Squad, which has never been clued to Jennifer Egan, although she has been clued to it.
@Nancy J. As it happens, I’m in the process of reading that book, so was amused by this answer
Fun and clever. Didn’t click until GOONSQUAD. Need more tea. Happy Tuesday, all! …
Very clever! Like one of those 3D stereograms, it wasn't until paused the puzzle and went for a coffee refill did my brain unscramble GOONSQUAD and I "got it."
Quite tricky but fun Tuesday puzzle but I got the dreaded “keep trying “ message. Naturally I was hoping I would get a clue after reading the column and comments, but seem to have every thing people mentioned. I do have one entry I don’t like at 26D, but all the crosses seem to be correct. Oh well I’ll see if I do any better with the Wordle.
Very clever puzzle. Believe it or not, my mother used to read me a book about rennet when I was little. It was published by the Junket company and was called "Flibbity Jibbit and the Keykeeper." It was a favorite in my house, we were crazy about that book.
@Margaret I got curious about this book and it turns out you can read it online! <a href="https://junketdesserts.com/flibbity-jibbit" target="_blank">https://junketdesserts.com/flibbity-jibbit</a>
DOOK, Dook, Dook..(...of Earl, Earl, Earl.) Very cute! I started at the bottom with RENNET (anticipating some outcry, there). Some really nice, not-so-common WORDS in this puzzle by the amazing Lynn Lempel. "Shining brightly" sounds nice, while AGLARE means one is wincing from a beam smack in the eye... Ow! I wonder when "BEAT THE CLOCK" was retired as a game show...Are they falling out of favor, or just relegated to day-time TV? Sometimes I watch "Jeopardy!" Which comes on here at 3:30, not in the evening. Hmm ....is "Chopped" a game show? Obviously there is not much too say here, other than "Thanks!!"
@Mean Old Lady “Chopped” is a cooking contest, not a game show. There are there contestants and three rounds. A panel of judges votes after each round. One contestant is eliminated after each vote.
A dook-apalooza! And I did do ok at this puzzle. Thanks, Lynn! An anecdotal aside. I recently picked up an old science fantasy novel at the library's book sale, Dragon Wing by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Page one begins with a large cart being pulled by a "tier". A tier in this alien world is a stubborn and unpredictable enormous bird. Their wings are large and covered with soft feathers but almost completely useless. They can however run extremely fast on their powerful legs. These huge birds had been known to suddenly turn and viciously snap at anyone approaching them from their blind side. An emu by any other name . . .
As others have noted, this seemed Thursday-ish level of trickery for the themed entries. Even some of the non-themed clues came across as being a little more difficult than a typical Tuesday like 8D’s SPOOR and 46D AGLARE. I really didn’t quite catch on to the theme until reading the column, but somehow 52A did immediately register as GO ON SQUAD rather than GOON SQUAD, as it was the only theme entry I was able to complete based on the clue with help from just a few crosses rather than all, or nearly all, the crosses. Fun puzzle, and maybe a little more satisfying to complete under my average time than usual.
I always enjoy Ms. Lempl's puzzles. The revealer made me think that TIME was involved in some way...did I miss something?
@Jeanne Yes, I was looking for that time connection too. Maybe it's just time to split the word in half.