We don’t always give a lot of love to Monday puzzles, either solving or constructing—at least I don’t. And I’m really not a fan of word ladders generally. But let’s give credit where credit is due—this was an extremely tight Monday puzzle with a ton of theme content, and to do that and make it entirely accessible to Monday solvers deserves a lot of applause.
A fun word ladder and a perfect puzzle for Earth Day. Excellent debut of GLOBAL WARMING. It’s about time! A nice follow-up to last Sunday’s Endangered Species theme. Great job, David.
I suppose I’m rusty, but this didn’t go smoothly like Mondays used to for me! Looks like I’m the odd person out though. Glad it was fun and easy for others! 😅
@Jasmine You're not alone. It seemed tougher than a usual Monday for me as well. At least Tuesday, maybe even a bit Wednesdayish.
@Jasmine I am right there with you! Normally I fly through Monday puzzles but that was not the case today. The SW corner got me.
@Jasmine. Thanx for speaking up! I generally don’t truck with folks who complain about puzzles - if you don’t like it don’t play, right? - BUT I was feeling this exact thing as I moved through the grid. Got the theme instantly and the word ladder was a fun twist - but man just felt bogged down for some reason. Glad it wasn’t just me and I am genuinely full of admiration for the creator / creative theme.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Cross fit? (4) 2. Bloomers worn around one's head? (3) 3. Bound for the big stage? (4) 4. Course addendum (4) 5. Partner ship? (3) SNIT LEI JETÉ SIDE ARK
@Lewis Love the recap and your choices. My favorite: '70s Ford GERALD
On this 54th Earth Day, it's sad to see that there are still so many who pretend that human caused GLOBAL WARMING (or the term I prefer, climate chaos) doesn't exist. We've lost decades to those who care more about money than they do about their (of other people's) children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. Ahem...... Well, I came here to talk about this lovely tribute to Earth Day, so I'll get off my soapbox now. David J. Kahn can be relied upon for a tight puzzle, and the word ladder, going from COAL to WIND was nice to see. There was more going on than in a typical Monday, and I appreciated that.
@Nancy J. I'm slightly annoyed that the puzzle centers on the problematic phrase GLOBAL WARMING, because the more accurate term is "climate change". Although the overall trend is for higher temperatures, climate change also manifests as more severe blizzards, more out-of-season weather, including hurricanes and tornadoes, and as you said, a more chaotic weather environment. Whenever one of these events collides with the idea that the planet is gradually warming, the naysayers and deniers are out in full force, mocking the notion that anything is amiss. "It's just weather." Or is it?
I've been progressively inching up my crossword solving skills since the pandemic....through managing the daily puzzles and backwards through the archives. This is the first time a puzzle pulled a variety of standard "tricks", made those tricks approachable to solve on their own, and (in hindsight) made the harder off topic clues easier to solve. I loved the theme, loved the solves, and loved the gratification enough to finally provide feedback
@Will Agreed! It’s a great moment when a puzzle weaves together disparate things. I liked this one!
I'm sort of betting that, Rex notwithstanding, no one is going to diss this puzzle. Not even the people who normally hate word ladder puzzles, of which I am one. But not today. It's a word ladder with a message, richly enhanced by the density of the other theme-related answers. And while I don't think for a moment that a mere crossword puzzle can do anything practical to end our reliance on FOSSIL FUEL, enhance GREEN POWER or solve the existential crisis of GLOBAL WARMING, it's still a worthwhile subject to build a puzzle around and this is an impressive piece of work. Usually a word ladder is just a word ladder and doesn't need to include any other theme elements. This does so much more. So let's give this elegant grid the kudos it deserves.
@Nancy I agree with the comment about the beautiful and poignant word ladder….. but why are we forced to like the fill? I didn’t like it, as it felt more like a Jeopardy trivia contest than a crossword….. way too many proper names. Is it ok to hold that opinion?
What a wonderful Earth Day puzzle. Thank you, David. (and Joel, for editing.) I think people who complain about this being a bit more difficult than a typical Monday should keep in mind what day it is and that the NYT does not create these puzzles out of thin air even if it tweaks them a bit. Out of all the submissions, this one was well thought out with an environmental theme and "easy enough" for early in the week. It wasn't exactly the level of a typical Monday, but the theme was more important. I don't think any of the clues were particularly tricky myself.
I see a little theme echo in RAN ON, as in “This electric product ran on COAL, while that one ran on WIND.” I love OBI under GOBI. Say that five times fast! A lovely puzzle. Our first word ladder in what feels like a long time, and I’m not ready for this genre to die yet. I think there are more clever angles that can come to it that have not been outed yet. Also, this is a brilliant piece of construction – smooth and Monday perfect, despite its very-high 65 theme squares, more than a third of the white space! David J. has been making NYT puzzles for more than 30 years, and, to me, behind his puzzles there’s a boyish enthusiasm, an unflagged joy of wordplay. Thank you, David, for brightening crosswords for so long, and for a meaningful-yet-fun time in the box today!
Great theme! I enjoyed trying to solve the word ladder without the crosses. I'm not complaining but I agree with others that this was tough for a Monday (particularly the southeast). It took me double my usual time.
More of these please David. I enjoyed your themed ladder puzzle. I cannot recall coming across one in a few years or ever. A reminder that a message can be more powerful when communicated in a way that is thought provoking whilst also entertaining. Cannot wait for your Next Level Special Sunday Puzzle David!!!
@Judith Fairview I’ve been doing the NYT crossword since the 80s and there was a time when word ladders were a sort of regular thing. They are my favorite crossword “theme” so to speak.
I did not know that it is Earth Day today, but happy to fill it with this very well constructed puzzle. I’m a fan of word ladders so this was right in my wheelhouse. The fill was slightly crunchy for a Monday, but such an interesting concept made it a joy to tackle. Happy Earth Day everyone. I will celebrate by walking the hound through our beautiful, if still slightly damp and muddy Somerset countryside, listening to the knocks of the woodpeckers while the dog chases up a few pheasants. There are worse ways to spend the day.
Knowing that it is Earth Day explains why it is a bit trickier than a typical Monday. It certainly was a lot of fun; I really enjoyed the ladder. Definitely looking forward to more from David.
@Sam Corbin No apology necessary on "quip of Theseus." I thought it was a brilliant play on words, and I vote that it become the new name for "word ladders." For those not in the know, the "ship of Theseus" is an old thought experiment in which, bit by bit, every piece of Theseus's vessel is repaired and replaced until noting of the original ship is left. The question, for philosophers, is, "Is it the same ship after all these repairs? If not, when did it became a different ship? Only after the last repair? After the first repair???" Ah, philosophy! I originally learned this paradox as "Locke's socks," to which we students would say, "Darn those socks!"
This was the toughest monday I’ve had to solve in a long time
Loved this fun and enjoyable puzzle especially as it’s been a while since we had a word ladder - apt, engaging and smart thank you David!
Minor nitpick I suppose, but Dr. PHIL is not a doctor anymore. His license to practice was revoked, he just plays one on TV.
@Robert Forbes I think playing one on TV is what is meant, perhaps by the phrasing... Like the old commercial for Vicks 44! youtu.be/ts0XG6qDIco?si=X0hWoSO8CdMqwojt Unlike Bones McCoy on Star Trek, and others, who, definitely was a doctor not a ________. youtu.be/vlWcGOQXspY?si=X1OO2glwOEUME1yY
@Robert Forbes Dr Phil is not an MD. Phil McGraw has a PhD. And I've never heard of a PhD being "revoked".
As with many puzzles that include pop culture clues, your level of difficulty may depend on your familiarity with those particular references. Some days I know them, some days I don’t. Today’s came easy to me, so I breezed through the puzzle as if powered by the wind! Enjoyable puzzle, great theme, and a good old fashioned word ladder to boot. This was a very COOL Monday.
This was HARD for a Monday. Too many proper nouns and having some of them cross. Ugh. I've noticed Mondays have been a bit more challenging than they used be... I hope this isn't the new normal. I love being able to breeze through Monday! It's a nice way to start the week... Also, what is a word ladder?
I like the theme, but to me this was bit challenging for a Monday
Really fun for a Monday! Happy Earth Day, everyone pick up one piece of trash off the ground :)
Earth Day has always meant so much more to me than a litany of our failure to protect and sustain the planet we live on. It is a day to honor, celebrate, and be grateful to Planet Earth. This planet is all we have, and it gives us so much. Without Earth we would not exist, and whatever we can do to acknowledge our responsibility to be guardians of the planet is vital. But we should also take time to marvel at its beauty, its variety, its life-giving abundance, and celebrate that we are the beneficiaries of this abundance, This puzzle on this day may seem like a minor acknowledgement of our debt to the planet, but it is important to include an awareness of what Earth Day means in every way we can. We are abusing the earth we live on, and a crossword puzzle can be another reminder to stop doing it.
Talk about GLOBALWARMING, I left my chop salad out on the back patio for a hour, and all the icebergs wilted. (tugs red tie) cc: emu handler
18A had GREtaPOWER for awhile, seemed plausible!
The "wood" clue doesn't work. The production of wood doesn't add to global warming--it reduces it. The constructor probably meant the production of energy from wood by burning it, but that doesn't follow from the clue as it's worded.
@M. Hogan I agree that one is suspicious. A possible definition of fossil fuel is "carbon that has been in fuel form for a long, long time, and is a sink of carbon in the environment". So plants and animals that died in the Cretaceous and are now a slurry of hydrocarbons are fossil fuels. A potato, which can also be burned to form CO2 and water (we do it when we eat it) is not a fossil fuel because that potato was carbon dioxide before it was taken from the atmosphere by the growing plant.
@M. Hogan from the lung association website. Burning wood produces emissions that are widely recognized as harmful to human health. Many of these harmful emissions can occur both indoors and outdoors. People with lung disease face special risks, but so do children, older adults, people with cardiovascular disease and diabetics.
Very satisfying for a Monday puzzle, a lot to chew on. I enjoyed it! Yesterday, I was sad first that I waited until the end of the day to do what turned out to be a crunchy puzzle; then, I was sad (and confused) about the technological thud (with the effects not happening); and finally, I was perplexed that the comments were closed before I could ask a question (which ultimately was answered by one of the 500 or so responses). Do we know why comments were closed? Happy earth day, fellow crosswording earthlings! 🌎
Breezy and delightful! The word ladder was fun. I’m glad Sheryl LEE Ralph has been getting her much deserved flowers. She’s terrific on Abbott Elementary, such a fun (and on point) show. Thank you 😊, David.
Thank you, David, for a lovely puzzle. See you next time. Happy Earth Day, all.
A perfect puzzle for Earth Day. Bonus: My cousin appears at 29A! And... a bit of an Easter Egg -- one of my very favorite SNAILs are the TURBAN SNAILs. Placing TURBAN right atop SNAIL is very apropos. I wonder if it wan intentional?
Ooft, this was a bit of a miss for me. I really liked the theme going all the way through, and the “word ladder” was fun, but clueing felt pretty crunchy to me (and not in the way Thursday-Saturday does), and some of the fill felt very rough. LOUSESUP? TRITEST? Multiple proper noun crosses ANNE/LEE, ROXIE/LEN (To be fair, they’re pretty easy ones to guess)? SE corner almost lost me, where I originally had naH and None instead of MEH and NADA, plus I’d never heard of OLIN…. Though I feel like this particular complaint is less problem with the crossword and more with me not being on the same wavelength as the constructor today ! This one just didn’t really hit for me, but that’s ok, there’s plenty others.
@Bryony Yeah, I don't know how LOUSESUP and TRITEST weren't the tricky ones. All the ones in this article that were considered tricky I got pretty quickly. There were a lot that took me a while though.
Loved this puzzle for Earth Day! Very appropriate. Took me longer than my Monday average though.
I really enjoyed today's puzzle. I love topical themes and the word ladder was fun. This put a smile on my face. So thanks!
Eh, this was hard for a Monday puzzle. I figured out about 90% of it but some of them just felt weird so I had to look up the rest. "Ages and ages - EON" stuck out to me. Surely it should be EONS? Or AN EON? But not just EON. Even knowing the answer it looks odd in my opinion. LOUSES UP was also a really weird one, I can say I've never heard anyone use it a single time... TOSCA/ATHAND also had me stuck.
@Chris I agree about EON. You can replace in sentence, say, "it's been ages and ages" with "it's been eons" or "it's been an eon" but not "it's been eon". Is there a crossword rule that articles can be freely added or subtracted? LOUSES UP or "don't louse it up" is familiar to me - maybe it's regional (I'm not from NYC).
Quick and fun puzzle! I enjoyed it! Like Sunday, but to a lesser degree by far, I had some trouble in the Middle North because I immediately had put solar POWER instead of GREEN... and then didn't know the Sweeney Todd actor or the character in Chicago. I was able to work it all out by crosses though. That kept me away from a best time but still well below my average. Enjoyed it and I appreciate the message! I also want to add that it seems everyday or so out here, someone is complaining about emu comments and some seem genuinely angry and claim it's unnecessary. I don't really understand or relate to that level of irritation and ire for a comment section of a crossword puzzle but I'm another witness to the enigmatic emus. I posted something on Sunday's puzzle about 4 hours ago. I thought it was long enough but it was probably my fifth comment, it was one responding to a person feeling defeated about the puzzle and it still hasn't shown up. Now, obviously, not getting to see a comment from me is nobody's big loss but I was trying to be supportive. If I think to check tomorrow, I won't be surprised if it showed up in the wee hours. It's a real thing and if you want to try to be helpful to others and answer stuff, or just connect, it's easy to get caught in the emu filter. And in a world gone mad, why is it so angering to see emu and padding in the comments? 🤷♀️ Let us all look to the emus and give mushy PEAS a chance!
@HeathieJ It appears the emus decided to make up for not posting your last comment by posting this one twice! 🤣 I think arguing with emus is like fighting FOO, it’s a silly contest that leaves you with NADA.
@HeathieJ I’ m glad you brought up the emu non-believer comments which we see from time to time. A couple of weeks ago I posted about the appearance of a decent length comment of mine which eventually appeared four days later. Please let us know if your original comment posts. As I’ve said before, those who cannot tolerate a few extra lines on a crossword forum post should get it that they are suffering with a real first world problem (unlike today’s theme which is a real whole world problem).
@HeathieJ I knew LEN Cariou from "Blue Bloods"...unusual surname.
I remember when, not at all long ago, Mondays were no challenge. Last night, partly due to not noticing the word ladder (nor even remembering how one worked), plus allowing a same answer WOOD a second time at 39A, I gave up last night with one empty square, the 37D/49A crossing where I had WA_/_ISHING, hoping that a good sleep would lead to an answer. This morning after a mental alphabet run I couldn't think of anything better than perhaps DISHING for 49A and filled in the D with no good result and turned to the column. Oh! Clicking on 1A highlighted a bunch of answers showing me immediately how to fix that wAD problem. But I had to scroll through one more time to find out that I had failed to fix my E in 45D CUEDeN! Yay! Monday done in only 47:23, including interruptions.
Several people have commented on the use of Word Ladders in these puzzles, either they don’t care for them or they miss seeing them as often as we used to. I was reminded of a themed Sunday puzzle from 9/20/2020, entitled “Word Ladders”. It indeed had a word ladder, with circled entries indicating the ladder. But there was quite an additional twist, and those who don’t remember this particular puzzle may want to check out. The column that day was written by Helen T. Verongos (anybody more senior than me remember her?). You should definitely look at the column (especially Bill from Detroit) as she included a priceless video link on how to make Crème Brûlée àla Amelie.
@Hardroch I’ve been reading Wordplay for four years now. I remember when Helen Verongos occasionally sat in for Deb Amlen.
@Hardroch I found the above Sunday puzzle to be so remarkable that I went back to look at some of the commentary that day. David from Weston wrote in to point out a bit of the history of word ladders and I was surprised to learn that they seem to have been invented by Lewis Carroll (Christmas Day, 1877). A quick look at the Wiki entry provides some interesting background as well as theory, such as the relevance of the “Hamming distance” between the first and last word. Anyone working on Lewis’s (no, our own yoga dude from NC) post-puzzle FAVA/NADA puzzle may want to read up on this. Start with: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/3fes3ab7" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/3fes3ab7</a>
I enjoyed this puzzle! It certainly didn’t make me want to go nuclear (ironically, given the theme, neither did the puzzle)
Thank you for this so relevant theme, and a great Monday puzzle. Since we have signed up for all renewable electricity, my iPad used no coal to solve it. Here’s a program that has a lot of potential to regenerate wildlife habitat in North America, a spin-off from Doug Tallamy’s books Bringing Nature Home and Nature’s Best Hope. Excellent science-based work. <a href="https://homegrownnationalpark.org" target="_blank">https://homegrownnationalpark.org</a>/
@Crevecoeur Thank you so much for sharing this!
Initially taken up short on 35A's clue I did the required Google search and turned up . . . ". . . In fact, some smokestack emission tests show burning wood results in carbon emissions 2.5 times higher than natural gas and 30 percent higher than coal. Second, harvesting trees for fuel leads to more carbon release than if they remained in the forests to grow or, if they are dead, recycle carbon into the soil." We are surrounded by seasonal campsites and there are weekends, during air inversions, that the smoke from the campfires is like thick fog. <a href="https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/centers/private-forests/news/burning-wood-caring-for-the-earth" target="_blank">https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/centers/private-forests/news/burning-wood-caring-for-the-earth</a> Was fun descending David's ladder.
@John Oh yes, wood smoke is a significant air pollutant -- not good for those with sensitive lungs (like me!), and thus of course everyone else... With the clue today referencing *production*, it made me think of energy created from wood -- namely charcoal. (Of course, the clue was a bit of a misdirect, since "wood production" makes one think of *growing* trees -- and forests!) A number of years ago, I learned about charcoal being a larger environmental problem than I'd previously considered. I read about how the production and consumption of charcoal was devastating the environment in Haiti, where apparently it is commonly used for cooking. (Since I no longer have the article I read, I should probably find a reference to share!)
Great, fun and fast puzzle. So perfect for Earth Day.
Very enjoyable Monday puzzle. On the slow side for me, but catching on to the theme was a big help and that's always a nice touch. Didn't notice the extra part of the theme until I was done and that just added to the fun. Forgive me for the following. For no discernible reason, an old wordplay-ish joke dawned on me this morning and I was stunned to realize that it involved two 15 letter phrases. Specifically: THISISTHEAWNING (of the) CAGEOFASPARAGUS Nope - didn't think there was any chance of that ever being in a puzzle, but ASPARAGUS led to my answer history search and one of the more remarkable puzzles I've ever encountered. I'll put that in a reply. ..
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: A Sunday puzzle from December 13, 1992 by Michael Priestley with the title: "World Market." A couple of sample clues and answers: "Lebanese tuber?" BEIRUTABAGA "Japanese gumbo ingredient?" TOKYOKRA Some other theme answers: OTTAWATERMELON HELSINKIWI CAPRICOT SOFIARUGULA Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=12/13/1992&g=107&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=12/13/1992&g=107&d=A</a> ..
Nice nod to Earth Day...... really nice puzzle even though AORTA was clued as a vein, when it is THE major artery supplying the spinal cord and lower body.... I entered TUNED at 25D before having to change everything but the T. DIES OFF before OUT And I revisited my Sunday grid and figured out where I'd gone wrong....67A. I had ARM, having misread the clue as one word--Partnership, as in "my good right arm"/aide. That provided the K for the exclamation (which of course we all got ahead of time off the J.) I had been briefly thrown off after seeing JEST, because I expected the other Lock Letters to spell an actual word. That really would have been impossible.... Guild meeting today. Adieu! (Wordle in 3. I never start with that word, BTW. Consonants carry more information, as a rule. )
@Mean Old Lady in my version the AORTA is clued as major blood "vessel" - did yours actually say vein?
Great puzzle with fun word ladders. This felt more challenging than a typical Monday crossword.
I loved the message- we should do more- and cross clues and delighted in figuring them out from crosses. Brialliant, challenging Monday! Thanks, Mr. David J. Kahn
Oh goodness! I am embarrassed to admit I entered DonNEDON instead of DAWNEDON for 11D! Haha I don’t know what possessed me but what’s more surprising is I didn’t notice it when I went back up to solve the NE corner. It was the last section to fall. Doubled my Monday time lol. That’s what I get for doing the puzzle the night before. I usually never do that. Back to routine!
Puzzles, in order of preference (though I like them all): Thursday Sunday Saturday Wednesday Friday Tuesday Monday I can’t explain. I just know this to be true.
I was a bit surprised that 48D was clued with two initialisms but the answer [HOSTS] want an abbreviation at all.
@Eric The convention is that if the answer is an abbreviation, initialism or acronym, there clue should signal that. The converse is not true; an abbreviation, etc. in the clue doesn’t mean that the answer cannot be a “regular” word.
It wouldn't have fit, but the nerd in me was hoping "Slowpoke with a shell" was going to be SLOWBRO
@Ian I would have loved that too but it would break crossword rules with "slow" in both the clue and the answer. What about this instead? Leisurely dude in a shell Doesn't feel like a Monday clue though.
enjoyed this puzzles gimmick much more than yesterday’s! almost daily, there’a a clue that somehow directly relates to my personal life. today it’s 56D. as i type this, my chocolate LAB, Hazel, is snoring at my feet. have a great week, everyone :)
"Energy Source whose Production contributes to Global Warming..." The production of wood is presumably the growth of trees ...a process which sequesters carbon and does not contribute to climate change?
@L wood burning for hear is how I interpreted it.
L, Fair point. The idea (I assume) was to [cleverly] use identical clues for 35A and 39A. It does take a backflip to make it work for 35A (i.e., production of energy from that source, rather than production of the source of energy).
@L - Timber harvesting can theoretically be carbon-neutral, or even a net benefit, but most current forest practices, when all inputs and outputs are taken into account, especially the loss of carbon that had been sequestered in the soil, do contribute to GLOBAL WARMING/CLIMATE CHANGE.