The puzzle was not difficult, but the theme fills made it fun to solve. It's never as easy as it looks to construct something like this. Thank you, Caroline and Freddie. LYLE wasn't the only one to LOVE IT.
I was going to shine the car again, but my efforts were rebuffed. (Don't rag on me for this one.)
@Mike Is it true what I've heard? That you can't polish a.... never mind. Do Emus come in a herd?
Sending Mr. Will Shortz best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Really enjoyed today’s puzzle. But please do not use a certain candidate’s name as a clue. Ever. We get twenty four hours a day of that. The puzzle is a refuge for me to relax. Not to be reminded of how bad the world is.
@Mark I couldn’t agree more. It’s the only time I frowned on this otherwise delightful puzzle.
@Mark IVANA see less of the Trumps, too! I’ll just keep on BIDEN my time until the election fever has passed…
@Mark Especially when the answer in question could easily have been clued to Ms. Humpalot from the Austin Power movies. !!! !!! !!!
I wanted this puzzle to last for a much longer time. It was a hoot, except for 38A which caused me to knit my brow and frown in disgust. Otherwise, it was like a glass of fresh lemonade on a hot day. A company I once worked for used to sponsor the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal event and subsequent reception. As a result, I got to know some amazing contributors to the arts and civil rights. The most memorable night was when I spent an evening with Dr Maya Angelou, enjoying her, her son and her friend, Oprah Winfrey. Glad I have photos because that era of my life is starting to feel like a fever dream. Bom dia, amigos!
@Pani Korunova - wasn’t she a marvelous person to converse with! What a voice she had, both literally and figuratively.
Really fun puzzle! Congrats on your NYT debut, Caroline.
I’m continually amazed that after all these years of crossword puzzles in so many venues, themes keep popping out – like today’s – that have never been used before. Props to you, Caroline Sommers, for picking this one out of the ether, and on your NYT debut – double congratulations! Props to you as well, Freddy, for mentoring Caroline and taking part in bringing this into fruition. Lovely variety in the puzzle’s theme people – Business person, singer, actor, and tv character. Also, lovely to see SLAW on the side. I was also amazed to see that the excellent [Have trouble with one’s balance?] as a clue for OWE, has never been used in any of the major crossword venues, ever! (“Balance” has been used – as in [Carry a balance] – but not played on.) This was a sprightly mood brightener for which I’m most grateful. Thank you, Caroline and Freddie!
Eclipse report from Asheville, NC. Because we were a bit out of totality, the sun never got to say “I’M OUT”, nor did the TEMPS drop, but, because of the highly unusual dimming, and the view of the sun in crescent, I still liked it A LOT.
@Lewis It must be so difficult to construct a puzzle these days and come up with something fresh and new. I'm in awe of those who do!
@Lewis Yes the theme is fun. But hard for me to believe that something similar has not been done before. You are the expert, so I bow to you! emu food more emu food
Nice grid today. Smooth solve with a witty theme and clever fill. I've been thinking about the Shortz vs. Fagliano editing conversation. I also wish Mr. Shortz a speedy recovery. The thing is, Will is 72 yo while Joel is 32. They are two generations apart and so it is obvious that they will have different editing sensibilities. Also think of their different exposures to world events. Will was born when Truman was president; Joel when HW Bush was in office. Shortz was 37 when the WWW was born in 1989; Fagliano was -3. Then there are the "police actions" and wars prior to 1992. And so on. I miss Will's wit and wisdom and welcome Joel's new and different perspective on the zeitgeist that finds its way into the NYT Crossword community.
@Chris from Utah *I* was born when Truman was President--1947. I am about to turn 77. If Will is 72, he was born during the Eisenhower presidency.
Congratulations on an amusing NYT debut, Ms Sommers! I’m sure we’ll be seeing more from you. Thanks too, Mr. Cheng!
@Eric Hougland Oh, yay! Thank you Eric!
Yo, mystery writer, do your impression of Peter Lorre again! Excuse me, greatest comedienne of 70s TV, I'd like my steak blackened! Hey pal, please amputate my leg with that axe! DASHIEL, HAM IT! CAROL, BURN IT! BUDDY, HACK IT! Congrats to the puzzlemakers on their fine, witty, lively debut. Eclipse news. The sun actually shown here in Pittsburgh, a rarity in itself. As it edged toward 3:18, the Time of Totality*, I put Louie, the mini-aussie, on a leash and ventured out. There were people all over the neighborhood, in their yards, on their balconies, most with the requisite blue special glasses you could get at the local convenience store (or on Amazon). Stupid me, I had nothing but a plastic bag to collect Louie's opinions about life. The light was odd, almost like everything was hypercolorized, there was a grayish cast that was pearly and luminous at the same time, and there was a stillness as if the birds and the insects had been silenced by the oddity of this event. In eclipses past, some of the larger mammals at the local zoo had immediately started mating during the greatest darkness, but Louie and I did not feel those urges, toward each other or anybody else. Occasionally I'd look directly at the sun for a split second, expecting to see ... you know, the black disc of the moon with an aureole of fire...but saw only what looked like the sun. The bag, full by now, was no help. I loved it for the Twilight Zone effect it had on our neighbors, all in new light.
@john ezra It is a very unique light. One tip: look at the shadows made by leafy trees during an eclipse. You'll often seen hundreds of little crescent 🌙 and it's easy on the eyes also.
@john ezra LOL, "Louie's opinions about life." That's about the size of it - and what most opinions are!
Looper must be a regionalism. Other than that twas a fun puzzle to solve.
@Steve Where I grew up, it was a blooper. "... hits a little blooper over the shortstop that'll drop in for a hit!"
@Steve I grew up in the Midwest and live in the south, and have never heard LOOPER, either. It’s a blooper, y’all. That was the only sour note in an otherwise delightful puzzle.
@G and @Mar1, My husband was dozing off to sleep when I josteled him and said, "Babe, who's that rich guy in Omaha?" He's like, "What... zzz" and I'm like "Omaha, rich guy?" And he said "Warren Buffett" and fell back to sleep while I entered in buff it BUFFET! 😂 Obviously had to correct it but it was my first theme answer and at least it got me the second part! Hahaha! Yeah, maybe not going to win wife of the year this year... There's always next year! What a fun puzzle! I had the hardest time figuring out Jed Clampett. I never did like that show much... though it has a pretty great theme song. I kept thinking of Leave it to Beaver or the show with Patty Duke as identical cousins... for whom a hot dog made them lose control.... 😂 Those were probably the '50s though. Nice to know the NCAAP was around that long. I didn't know that. Everyday I feel slightly smarter from doing crossword puzzles nowadays. Although there are days, like this past Saturday, where I felt slightly more stupid, but overall it's two steps forward one step back. And I'm digging it!
@HeathieJ as a young girl who never felt very feminine, I was strangely mesmerized by Miss Jane Hathaway...
Although this puzzle had no more than the usual number of food entries, for some reason this one felt like *real* work--whether that ARTY TAPAS menu, with little servings of YAM fritters (three per plate, when served to party of two or four) and tuna tartare served in little savory pastry CONES, or the fancy French bistro, where everything is served A LA CARTE, even the bread for your Escargot au beurre à l'AIL, and where the wine list has a wide of selection of CABS. Very impressive, until I get the dessert menu, and realize one of the options is Gateaux au Chocolat LAVA:-( Just don't over cook your PENNE, and bring proteins up to their safe internal TEMPS. But I can't over stress the virtue of blanching one's broccoli! Whether you ultimately use it cold on a crudite platter, or hot in a stir fry or pasta primavera, or just reheat it in a microwave just before serving as a side. Drop it for a minute or a minute and a half, then shock it in ice water. It gives it that beautiful emerald green color. And if you're not too persnickety about things, and want to save the dishwasher a pot, blanch it in the same pot of water you then use to cook pasta, etc. It's the little things. For me Food COMA is what I feel upon returning home after a long Saturday night at work.
@Bill Our microwave has a Steam Cook option with cookware that is amazing.....even easier. Last night used it for chunks of butternut squash (then combined with spinach, garlic, cream, and some thyme and sage before adding the PENNE to coat...topped with Manchego and chopped walnuts to serve. It was enough for four.... or two 'Piggies.'
I don't know why Occam has a RAZOR, but all the crosses work, so either that's the answer or this is an unusually tricky Tuesday puzzle. I guess I'll go with the simplest explanation. 🤷♀️
@Bee Ostrowsky In philosophy, Occam's razor is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. Makes sense, right? emu food
Bee, Re: I guess I'll go with the simplest explanation. 🤷♀️ I hear you. do emus hear you?
This was a fun Tuesday, although I tried buffitbuffet before Warren Buffet before getting “it” and plunking in WARRENBUFFIT. After that the rest of the themers came pretty easily. I was happy to see one of my favorite artists, GOYA, in the puzzle again. Among many other treasures, the Prado in Madrid, has an astonishing collection of Goya’s works from all phases of his career. I hope those who were able to see it enjoyed the eclipse. Here, not in the totality zone, it clouded up just as the time approached.
@Marshall Walthew Lovely and informative post. Thank you, Marshall! emu food
Superb Tuesday puzzle. Loved the themers. Can't find anything to complain about!
I really enjoyed this. It was a fun solve, and even though it was quick, I still learned something new from it.
First time solving without using any checks! Hopefully the start of a streak. Not too many US references out of my wheelhouse today which helped this Londoner out greatly!
@James Is that London, England or London, Ontario? Wink, wink!! !!!! !!!!
I am almost 100% sure that this is a first-person CATE BLANCHETT story. A beautiful day in Central Park about 5 years ago. I'm walking down the hill that leads from the bridle path at East 97th street to the tennis courts. On the grass adjacent to the hill, an irresistible Golden Retriever (my favorite breed) is cavorting off-leash, sporting a wide smile that would melt anyone's heart. I do not even notice its person at first. Its person is a tall woman dressed in understated dog-walking clothes and I say something to her about the sheer wonderfulness of her dog. She says something back to me-- very curt, not at all warm and fuzzy -- and scurries off up the hill I have just come down. And while I don't recognize her face at all, I'm struck by that VOICE! I know that VOICE! It's the voice of an actress. Whose voice IS it???? I have to know. I HAVE TO KNOW!! And by the time I get to the bottom of the hill, I DO know. It's CATE BLANCHETT. Leaving me with two ways to interpret the incident: 1) CATE BLANCHETT is not a very nice person and, besides, she's sick and tired of having her life interrupted by gawking strangers because of her celebrity status. 2) CATE BLANCHETT likes being recognized. She EXPECTS to be recognized. And she certainly doesn't like playing second fiddle to a...dog!
@Nancy My one and only celebrity encounter was with Yakov Smirnoff...in a hot tub in Florida. We chatted a bit, and he said he was doing a show in Ft Myers that night. When it came time to leave, I said, "break a leg." Without missing a beat, he replied, "In Russia, when they say break a leg, you break leg."
Enjoy solving this puzzle, I did. Yoda Yoda Yoda. I achieved a new personal best streak: 1! (streak of being pretty sure I understand the relevance of Sam Corbin's photo choice)
@ad absurdum Yo-yo-yo-yo-Yoda: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUMCyAR6U0&pp=ygUNV2VpcmQgYWwgeW9kYQ" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-IUMCyAR6U0&pp=ygUNV2VpcmQgYWwgeW9kYQ</a>%3D%3D (or is that ya-ya-ya-ya? )
Anyone else initially put "Buff It Buffet"? I typed it in all proud of myself then realized I was probably wrong when "Love It, Lovett" wasn't the next theme answer. But I'm giving myself kudos all the same. LOL.
Hey, "In the Midnight Hour" singer -- play that banjo! Et tu, emu.
Cute theme and a fun puzzle. Not particularly fast solve for me, but everything worked out from the crosses (oh... and a couple of googles). Answer history searches led to very odd puzzle find today - I can't even remember exactly how I stumbled across this one. Won't try to describe it - can't even say that I entirely get it. Anyway - a Sunday from March 23, 1975 by Tom Mixon with the title: "Mangled Music." Here's one sample answer: DOYLYCARTEBLANCHE And here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=3/23/1975&g=50&d=D" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=3/23/1975&g=50&d=D</a> ..
@Rich in Atlanta Maybe you already figured this out, but the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company premiered many of Gilbert & Sullivan’s operettas. I had never heard of Richard D’Oyly Carte until I saw the movie “Topsy-Turvy” 25 years ago.
Tuesday's puzzle is an absolute joy! Thank you, Caroline Sommers and Freddie Cheng. I hope to see more!
@Joan Thank you so much! I'm flying high today.
Great puzzle! Loved it, some nice long fills and it was fun to solve. I enjoyed a bit of puzzle synergy last night as I was reading before bed: a character demonstrates the SIPHONing technique in order to empty a vessel and get to the sediment at the bottom, complete with a scientific explanation of the phenomenon. Reminded me of the clue/fill in yesterday's puzzle. In case anyone's interested, it's from An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears, which essentially tucks a murder mystery inside a novel about the birth of the scientific method - might resonate with some of this crowd. I stumbled upon the rec from an NYT Books column, and it reminds me quite a bit of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, whose main character is modeled on William of Ockham, of the RAZOR. Synergy!
Overall, this was a nice Tuesday puzzle. I liked the italicized clues a lot, those were fun. I do have to take issue with "lopper", though. I know of "bloopers" or "bloop singles", but never heard them called "loopers" before. A quick Google search brought up just a single page that called it such. Besides that, though, it was all good!
@Troy I hear the verb form more commonly when enjoying baseball telecasts, as in "looped into left field for a base hit". The noun form in same telecasts does indeed tend to be "blooper", and the adjectival form is also of the "b" variety, as in "he's on with a bloop single into left field". The longer alternative form for this event is the "Texas Leaguer", which has a delightful origin story for all lovers of ancient baseball like me, per mlb.com: "A "Texas Leaguer" is a bloop that falls between an outfielder and an infielder for a hit. "Origin: Texas Leaguer dates back to 1901, when a rookie named Ollie Pickering made his debut for the Cleveland Blues (the franchise that would later become the Indians). Pickering had become a legend as a Minor Leaguer in the Texas League, and he was immediately placed atop Cleveland's lineup when he was called up -- he even holds the honor of taking the first at-bat in the history of the American League. "Pickering proceeded to have one of the most fortunate starts to his career imaginable, as his first seven plate appearances all resulted in bloop singles. His teammates decided to name the play after him, and it's stuck ever since."
Really fun puzzle! The theme entries were amusing and guessable, which is such a hard balance to find.
Late answer history search, vaguely inspired by LOOPER: YOOPER Nope - never been in a puzzle and not even in the Xword Info word lists. I imagine that's not a familiar term to many. Will just say that... I used to be a yooper. And... I'll add one of my all time favorite advertising slogans, from back in the 50's: "The best beer in the whole UP." Think about it. ..
@Rich in Atlanta - Beware those trolls under the bridge! EMUs ≠ Yoopers.
@Rich in Atlanta that's actually someplace I've always wanted to live. I'm a winter kind of girl.
@Rich in Atlanta As I believe CQ may be alluding to, this topic has come up several times in this forum. There are multiple entries in Wiki related to the subject, including a pretty extensive discussion of linguistic elements at play. Almost thirty years ago the NYT ran a piece about yoopers that’s still fun to read: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/bdfwp7ux" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/bdfwp7ux</a>
I startedIT, yadda yadda yadda, completeIT
A great example of playing with words and names in today’s puzzle. I didn’t find it too easy ( but then, I never do) . I really enjoyed reading the constructors notes and look forward to seeing Caroline and Freddie again.
Nice job, Caroline and Freddie. I'm glad you two connected. Congratulations on your debut, Caroline. I'm sure you'll be back.
There aren't a whole lot of puzzles that make me grin with delight these days, but this surely was one of them. Not because it was easy (which it was), but because it was clever and fun. WARRENBUFFIT set the tone, so it was only uphill from there. Somehow I knew CATEBLANCHIT would be one of the entries even before I got to that one! Only sticking point for me was LYLELOVEIT. I had no idea he and Julia Roberts had been an item.What a mismatch! But it worked out easily from the crosses. Looking forward to more from this dynamic duo...or solos.
@Times Rita If you blinked, you missed it. emus barely had time to flap their feathery wings...
Spent WAY too long trying to make Margot Rabe pun work.
@sblythe Huh? emu food more emu food
@Bonnie In 56A, the acclaimed Australian actress I had in mind was Margot Robbie, and the broccoli I had in mind was broccoli rabe. I was momentarily convinced there was a joke in there somewhere. There was not.
Couple of giggles with the longer clues. Very fast solve
Sigh. The pendulum is swinging widely (not so much wildly) without Mr. Shortz. This Tuesday puzzle was fun/cute, but was pretty much as easy as an average Monday (notwithstanding the moderately hard April 1 one). Meanwhile of course the Fridays through Sundays have been making people swear, sweat, and defenestrate. Ah well, things change...
@B Thanks for the new word: “Rare way to yeet a person from the second story window?” de·fen·es·trate verb 1. RARE throw (someone) out of a window. "she had made up her mind that the woman had been defenestrated, although the official verdict had been suicide" 2. remove or dismiss (someone) from a position of power or authority. "the overwhelming view is that he should be defenestrated before the next election"
@B It was as easy as a Monday, for me, but I think some of the themers justify it being a Tuesday. Lyle Lovett and Jed Clampett are somewhat difficult references in 2024.
@B I found this quite a hard one to finish, not knowing Lyle or Tiki Room. The nature of the themed ones is if you solve the theme the whole cross becomes much easier.
Thanks to Sam Corbin for noting that "in recent years both bartenders and industry professionals have worked to repair the cultural damage done by tiki’s terminology and aesthetics." The repair is much-needed.
Fun, clever, and a no-stress solve.... just how I like my Tuesdays. Monday was a fun nod to the eclipse, so this week is going well so far. Looking forward to a witty Wednesday to ramp me up for a tricky Thursday. :)
Congrats on the NYT debut, Caroline Sommers. This was a terrific collaboration and a really fun solve. I also appreciated the story behind TIKI ROOM. I was quite surprised to see that Tiki bars went all the way back to the 30s. As a Boomer I kind of assumed it came along in the 50s or 60s. The article Sam linked was very informative.
29 across. As a lifelong baseball fan - shouldn’t it be blooper?
For all my complaints about the weekend, this was a really fun one. Immediately went to buffetBUFFIT, but the downs didn't work, realized it had to be WARRENBUFFET. Was looking for some variation of Nicole Kidman for the last one, but I thoroughly approve of CATEBLANCHIT
@Steven M. For that last one, I tried some combination involving Margot Robbie and broccoli rabe.
This was just so cute and fun! I started out “LOVEIN” Lyle, but of course that didn’t work. We may indeed love Lyle, but apparently not in a puzzle 😊 Thank you Caroline and Freddie!
Seemed so easy at first I was not even going to go past the third row but WARRENBUFFIT got me hooked and I had fun guessing the other names. Cute and clever and congrats on the debut! Finally! finished Saturday's early this morning with help from Lewis' top five list yesterday. A satisfying workout indeed. Managed to watch 1/2 of yesterday's celestial capers before the clouds rolled in and got a couple of fairly decent photographs (taped the cardboard glasses to the front of the camera). My thanks to all.
You can base a theme on proper names that perhaps not everyone knows as long as the surrounding fill is easy enough. In this case it was more than easy enough. While not exactly a laugh-fest, the puns were adequate to build a puzzle around, I suppose. I learned that Julia Roberts used to be married to Lyle Lovett, so my morning wasn't a complete waste. They seem like a strange couple to me; do they to you too? This was fine for a Tuesday. Joel is probably trying to make it up to us for the torture he's been putting us through on Fridays and Saturdays. This was a creampuff.
@Nancy Hey there! Yes I agree that Lovett and Roberts don't seem to go together. Well, that marriage didn't last ... as her current marriage has lasted for 22 years! I also agree that the themer surround fill was quite easy! I kept noting that! Thanks for your post!
@Nancy Your “odd couple” comment made me think of a Calvin & Hobbes strip where Hobbes is learning to play music and Calvin asks him why. Hobbes, who is often dreaming of finding a romantic partner, says something like “Have you seen who Lyle Lovett and Billy Joel are dating?” Loved that comic strip!
@Nancy et al I always think of Ric Ocasek and Paula Porizkova as the ultimate "odd couple." He was really weird looking, and she was the top supermodel at the time.
Anyone who has watched Caddyshack will know that a LOOPER is a caddy who works for the golf club, a loop being a round of golf. (I carry my own clubs, thank you very much.)
@Grant Sorry but never watched Caddyshack and don't know of anyone who has. Heard the name. Guess it is Google time? TY emu food
Loved the Office Subs pic chosen by Sam. Subs as in Submerged? Thanks for the giggle, sam. emu food more emu food
Lots of fun and quickly done. I miss Jimmy Buffett and would like to have seen his name in the puzzle, but Warren's okay, too. They were asked if there was any relationship between them, but the answer was no. Thanks, Caroline and Freddie! Four Corners, FL did not have much of an eclipse effect. Was watching the light outside the windows at the library and didn't really notice much of a change. Didn't bother to go look, I've seen better before.
@JayTee Everyone in the world seemed to be out in NYC at 3:00 today but IMO the eclipse was a real nothing burger. Just a good opportunity for people to bond over a natural event, although that's a very nice thing given the state of the world these days.
Loved CATE BLANCH IT--just a funny scene played out in my head.
@Kristopher OK, so spill it! What funny scene? emu food more emu food
In this weeks Gameplay newsletter, there is a link to a Sam Ezersky puzzle from last years ACPT. I found it to be tricky but fun, so if you're in the mood for a bonus puzzle, I highly recommend it.
@Nancy J. Thanks! I get that email, but I missed the link.
Initially I thought this was too easy because I rarely get the left upper corner first; but it became more difficult as I moved down. I loved the clue "have trouble with balance" OWE. Guess I was thrown off by my medical background....the theme was just plain fun! Thank you Caroline and Freddie! PS Great puzzle and UConn wins, what a day!
Cosign that LOOPER is a very weak alternate to BLOOPER (do a Google search on both words and you’ll see). Although you could make it a baseball term by referencing pitcher Braden LOOPER! Or you could go another direction entirely: “Big Bird malapropism for local shopkeeper” It’s fine, really, as the crossings and clue make it obvious. It’s when it’s in a Saturday desert that it’s more irritating.
@NY Expat Once I solved to LOOPER, I immediately thought of the 2012 film of the same name starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt: <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276104/?ref_=ext_shr" target="_blank">https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276104/?ref_=ext_shr</a> Elsewhere in the comments someone suggested cluing IVANA to an Austin Powers movie. Never have I been more supportive of using pop culture in the crossword!! Haha. (Even though personally I don't have an issue with proper nouns and the like, especially when well crossed.)