Anyone else have a kitchen drawer like this: Six Phillips screwdrivers but not a single flat one; Ten year old useless rubber bands; Little plywood marker showing “1” and “2” for remembering which side of the waffle is cooking; Laser pointer cat toy; Loose paper clips and thumbtacks (ow); Batteries, dead or alive; Large thing wedged back there that prevents drawer from opening fully; Possibly a few actual misplaced UTENSILS; And, oh yes: the shears for cutting a bouquet from the garden. Here, have some daffodils, everybody.
@Cat Lady Margaret you forgot the strange metallic object that no one can remember the use of, but everyone is afraid to throw out because they might need it. Usually located in between to a charger for a phone from the mid-00s and 27 pens in various stages of death.
@Cat Lady Margaret (As I was saying before he emus got in-between me and your drawer...) This is brilliant! Loved it! . . . . . .
@Cat Lady Margaret Your posts are always worth the price of admission but this one is by far my favorite. ALL of my kitchen drawers are like that!
Mission accomplished!!! New York Times daily streak now 2 years old as of today!! 721 puzzles! (Yes I counted a Leap Day)… go for 3?!😳😁
@Timothy Teasdale I hope you meant 731 days, or you still have 10 days to go! Congratulations, either way! (They must have told you there'd be no math.)
@Timothy Teasdale Congratulations! That's no small feat! At day 339, I haven't even a whole year yet.
Just noticed I'm at 731. Didn't even notice it was two years until I saw these comments.
PSST - any upstate NYers WANT SOME good KARMA? If you're in Putnam County and see a SENIOR loading groceries into a Subaru with DAHLIAS tags, wish her a pleasant day and tell her you're a puzzle fan like her son in JAPAN
This puzzle was a sheer delight to solve. I was very much in the same wavelength, with all the answers practically filling in by themselves. I chuckled at SOL (and was so thankful for it!) for reasons all here will know, and learned the term JAPAN varnish which I've only always known as lacquer. Finally the theme itself put a smile on my face as I love flowers. Long ago, when I was twenty, I wrote something about a boyfriend with whom the communication was absent, and it ended with the words "I know the desert Because I've been in the desert And so I can tell you It's flowers I like." (Side note: I had previously gone camping in the middle of the desert, and never went camping again, lol!) And so, leaving the desert behind, and back to majestic peonies... This was a heart-warming puzzle, with perfect clueing and beautiful execution. Thank you, Ms. Golden!
@sotto voce I was just thinking all the SOL advocates from the other day should be happy now. :)
@sotto voce What about plants and birds and rocks and things? Just wondering - did you happen to go through the desert on a horse with no name? Ducking and running. ..
@sotto voce Nice, Sotto! Wish I could remember things I wrote when I was twenty…I think.
With this puzzle, my streak is at 999!!!!!!!! I'm very excited about this. If I complete the Thursday puzzle on time, I really want a lot of gold star swag. NYT Crossword needs a merch shop.
@Classic Hip-Hop Fan For your big day tomorrow! <a href="https://store.nytimes.com/collections/for-game-players" target="_blank">https://store.nytimes.com/collections/for-game-players</a>
@Classic Hip-Hop Fan BTW, From what I’ve read in these comments, you have until you start your Friday puzzle to complete Thursday for a Gold Star. Never tested that on my own and your internal compass may not allow it. I wish you success. I never got half that far.
@Classic Hip-Hop Fan a few years ago, someone knitted a crossword puzzle beanie I think this is the one, if you are or know a knitter --- <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nyt-crossword-streak-hat" target="_blank">https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nyt-crossword-streak-hat</a> It would be very becoming on an emu's head.
Shattered my ankle in February and lately, I try to do *something* different and progressive -at least once a day- to keep a bit of sanity (and lose the crutches). This morning, I decided to sit in on our kitchen couch, (where I always did the puzzle before the accident) because the giant window next to it, looking out at our woods and creek, has a the sweetest apple blossom tree. When it wants to, it blooms. We can go three years without a bloom. I last year was a banner year, so our hopes were low. But it did! Yesterday, it was like popcorn popping! And if it rains, all will fall to the ground, so we are appreciative of every hour we can enjoy its gift! So, I decided to hunker down in my happy corner that I’ve missed so much, and solve my puzzle, with my tree. And then, *this* puzzle! It’s going to be a good day. Thank you!
I found this one to be right in my wheelhouse, and finished in almost the same time as Tuesday’s. The revealer made it particularly easy, but I enjoyed the floral theme enough to find the puzzle fun as I have been spending much time during the recent stretch of spectacular spring weather tending my garden (and my daughter’s as well). My only hiccup was at 8A because use of the word baby in the clue had me thinking singular and it took me a few beats to realize that since 43A was plural 8A should be too. I loved one of my favorite operatic sopranos, KIRI Te Kanawa, getting a shoutout. Her rendition of O mio babbino caro, my favorite aria, is sublime. As an avid birder, I was also pleased to see TEALS. Blue-winged and green-winged teals, which I can see during migration here in PA are elegant ducks in their breeding plumage, but the cinnamon teals I was privileged to see on my recent visits to San Diego are truly spectacular. Not puzzle related, but I was thrilled when my four year old grandson was able to beat me at backgammon this weekend without any adult assistance at any point in the game.
@Marshall Walthew thank you for explaining TEALS. I came to the comments specifically for that.
I love the rhythm of spring, where each flower waits until its time, and over days, weeks, and months, the blooms arrive in a glorious parade, one after another, each stopping before the grandstand in its moment of perfection – a procession of magnificent colors and shapes. Our peonies are about to pop; they explode like fireworks into huge bundles of beauty. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, look them up, then multiply that beauty by ten for the effect of seeing them in real life. Our lilacs were just at their peak, and when that happens we always see walkers-by stop and stand mesmerized by the aroma. I join the other commenters who are grateful to this puzzle for bringing flowers to the fore, commentators so grateful for what the puzzle evokes that little nitpicky puzzle elements fly out the window, lost in the euphoria. Who cares about them? Who even notices them amidst this spectacle of beauty. Adding to the joy, for me, is the collection of lovely first names spread throughout the grid: JASMINE, DAHLIA, SERENA, KIRI, HEIDI, TAMORA, VIOLET, OLGA, INDIRA. Heading out to walk our dog Teddy, and to witness today’s version of the parade of blooms. Thank you, Juliana, for creating a flower box today, which has deeply pushed my happy button!
@Lewis I too, love the parade of flowers. Here in California it's always daffodils for Valentine's Day, Tulips for Easter and now the roses in profusion for Mother's Day. My garden blooms on and on and I love it.
Lots of fun with this one. Not my PB for a Wednesday, but still managed a time much faster than my average. A case of putting the petal to the mettle? …… !!!!!! Emus, begonia!
Wow. Today's puzzle was another chance to smile at the creative ways that constructors find to amuse, entertain and edify solvers. Like a fresh bouquet, this grid is full of bright color! Thank you, Juliana! Joel Fagliano is making solving a hoot and a half! Love it!
Hark, how I loved this puzzle! What a fabulous way to kick off May Day. There's a pen and ink drawing on a note card that has lived on my fridge for 20+ years. It reads: Our life is shorter than flowers Then shall we mourn? No, we shall dance Plant gardens Dress in colors And teach our children To make the world more beautiful Because our life is shorter than flowers. "Toltec Fragment" is the only source cited. I wanted to share this with the constructor, may your Beltane be blessed!
42A "Their proprietors may be keepers." I thought it would be bees. Seemed so sweet and buzzy. Sad when it was wrong. 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 For you, Emu 🍯
@dutchiris I'm glad I'm not the only one! That was my first thought but it didn't fit with my crosses.
Many gardeners put their petals to the mettle. (But some just throw in the trowel.)
@Mike I put metal to the petals.....SNIP! Some say I'm prune to trouble...
This was such a fabulous puzzle for me! My grandma was a gardener and would always drag me to work with her when the weather decided it was a good gardening day. As a kid I would grumble, wanting to go play with my friends. As an adult, I cherish those memories. Thankfully I got 1A and 8A immediately so when I came to the revealer, I had an instant ah ha! moment. As a science teacher I don't use very many VIALS but I figured it out quickly when beakers and flasks wouldn't fit and tubes didn't make sense with my crosses. I appreciated the familiar KARMA to help with 32A's starting letter because music pop-culture and history is not my forte. However, the angry comment crew from Sunday helped me with SOL, which would have been lost on me without the music context. This is also one of the few Wednesdays I've been able to solve at all and I think I only had THREE lookups. Practice makes improvement.
@Katrina S. Way back when...(when I helped my granny with the crosswords,) SOL was often clued as the Sun. That didn't come up at all the other day... The endless arguing made me SO glad I played an instrument in the band vs being in the chorus!
Aww, what a delightful bouquet of a puzzle! Loved it! All smiles about the theme! I especially enjoyed the clue for MORSE and actually snorted out loud (SOL?) at SOL for reasons I'm sure many here know. I put it in immediately and never could have before the other day! 😆 Also enjoyed Tuesday's puzzle, which I'm late to commenting on because of travel. I wish I'd have gotten the theme myself (and I know I would have if not for some very long days of travel and related issues, which made it a very disjointed solve) because I love Clue!! The game and the terrific movie! As a kid, when I played the game, using my little grey cells I always conquered all those other significantly less gifted sleuths, poor unsuspecting saps, and solved the murder... They didn't stand a chance against the likes of me and my grey cells! Mwahahahaa! Wonder why after a while none of my friends wanted to play with me anymore!? 🕵️♀️😆🕵️♀️ Also loved seeing BREADFRUIT in there. A favorite and, speaking of my travel, I'll soon be eating one fresh from the tree outside our (husband's) family house in Honduras! Delish!!
I wasn’t going to do this, but now I feel compelled. I hope I can help people break free from their binary thinking on “so” vs “sol.” It’s not one or the other. It’s both, and, plus. As my colleagues in international music societies often have to remind one another, it’s just a tool, it’s not the Bible, and though I don’t subscribe to the theology implied, I do agree with the point. It’s a tool and not the culminating goal. Music is the goal. Here’s the thing. The creation of the solfege system is credited to a monk named Guido. Guido d’Arezzo, one thousand years ago. He took a hymn, Ut Queant Laxis, and used the text as a mnemonic, using the beginnings of words in the text. The relevant words: Ut, resonare, mira, famuli, labii. Or ut, re, mi, fa, sol (why not so?), la. There was no “ti.” Someone else had to come up with that. Someone else also had to come up with syllables to represent the chromatic tones. There are lots of variations depending on whom you ask. The relevant point, all of it is a tool box of mnemonics with the ultimate goal of being able to read music and sing it in tune. In some people’s tool box, si is used instead of ti to represent the leading tone to the tonic in major tonality. In MY toolbox, I use si to represent a sharpened sol. cont. in reply . . .
@Jim Many vocal musicians, because of the nature of vocal singing and the nuances involved in singing vowels, don’t like using syllables ending with a consonant. That’s likely why we use do instead of ut, but also why they use so, or at the very least keep the “l” of sol silent. In sum, let’s stop the pedantic binary thinking of wrong and right. Sol and so are both correct, both widely used (if you haven’t seen it, you need to get out more), and are both very useful tools that lead us toward musical literacy. *Insert plagal cadence*
@Jim Oops, I just noticed I left out the Latin word from which Guido pulled out sol, or so. The word is solve.
This afternoon I asked my husband who is favorite singer was and he said Kiri Te Kanawa. This evening, there she was in the puzzle. We have been inundated with coincidences for the past few days. . <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddFj_eMPCnE" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddFj_eMPCnE</a>
@dutchiris todd barry did some funny bits on fallon tuesday night! cue twilight zone theme.
As I finish this puzzle in the waning hours of April, with the 30A weather predicted for tonight but pushed back several hours finally upon us, a certain saying comes to mind: April showers bring May flowers. Also, in the same puzzle: 27A: A little something something for the musical theory pedants of the other day.
@Steve L. Or, SO we have SOL . . . . . . Can emus do solfeggi
@Steve L And if we do a mash-up if both your inputs: Después de la lluvia, sale el...SOL! ;-)
Really enjoyed this one. Clever theme and a great 'aha' moment when I finally worked out WALLFLOWERS. And... first Fagliano era puzzle that I managed to finish below my average time. Roundabout answer history search led to a really cute puzzle. I might have done this one, but I don't really remember. Anyway... theme answers in that one were: OMARKHAYYAM OLGAKURYLENKO and OTTOKLEMPERER And then the 'reveal' clue and answer: "What 17-, 26- or 45-Across might say upon meeting 17-, 26- or 45-Across? :" IMOKYOUREOK I'm done. ..
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit! A nice, springy Wednesday, and close to my PB. Did anyone else confidently start out the Mini with MEH?
@Amy YES! 😁 I'm obviously very out of the loop with modern lingo.
@Amy Yep. 1A was new to me. The Mini is becoming my best source of current lingo.
For some reason, even though INDIRA rang a bell, I put INDeRA and EMIRATeS. A lovely crossword all up though.
@Michael I did the same, I think because EMERITI sounds pluralised already without the s on the end! I did think INDeRA looked odd though with an e in there, so tried INDIRA and got the grid.
Note from a long-time yoga teacher: The clue says LOTUS is a [Basic yoga position], but please don’t take “basic” to mean beginning level. It’s a difficult pose, often taking years to learn, if ever. My youngest son naturally brought his legs into Lotus up to maybe year six, and had he continued to do it once a day, he’d easily go into it today, but he didn’t and now it is very far from his reach. You can learn it with practice and patience, It actually feels wonderful, to sit in Lotus. But learn it from an experienced teacher, or at least through detailed step-by-step written instruction, because a wrong move or leg positioning while learning it can hurt your knee, sometimes badly. FWIW.
@Lewis Easy for little kids with flexible joints. Used to be a cinch for me when I was a youngster. Now that I'm in my 60s, it will not be happening ever again. Not that it would be impossible, but not worth the effort and risk.
What a delightful theme. In fact a delightful puzzle, and for me much easier than yesterday's. And it was also fun that one of the theme entries is my lovely granddaughter’s name. Come back soon, Juliana. (Another lovely name)
Today’s puzzle was so lovely I just spent 5 min trying to find a place to leave a note for the creator. I loved seeing this be if my favorite fantasy authors make an appearance, and the garden theme was just wonderful! I had two of the perimeter clues when I figured out “wallflower” - it made the remaining perimeter words great fun to solve.
Lovely! Got the revealer with just one flower against the wall, and this was easy and fun all round but still felt fitting for a Wednesday. No frigging sports clues, large flightless birds (that I saw this morning on the way to work), black white cookies, and only one name that I didn't know. Downside: that darn Disney song on a loop in my head since the first clue! Thanks anyway! 😘
@Horsefeathers Oh, wait, I forgot to ask: JAPANS???
I wonder why 39D wasn't clued "Shrinking ______" to echo the revealer. Lovely, lively, colorful puzzle. And now, back to our musical: GUENEVERE: Tra la! It's May! The lusty month of May! That lovely month when ev'ryone goes Blissfully astray. Tra la! It's here! That shocking time of year When tons of wicked little thoughts Merrily appear! It's May! It's May! That gorgeous holiday When ev'ry maiden prays that her lad Will be a cad! It's mad! It's gay! A libelous display! Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes, Ev'ryone breaks. Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes The lusty month of May! Whence this fragrance wafting through the air? What sweet feelings does its scent transmute? Whence this perfume floating ev'rywhere? Don't you know it's that dear forbidden fruit! Tra la la la la! That dear forbidden fruit! Tra la la la la!
@ad absurdum (CONT.) GUENEVERE & CHORUS: Tra la la la la [etc.] GUENEVERE: Tra la! It's May! The lusty month of May! That darling month when ev'ryone throws Self-control away. It's time to do A wretched thing or two, And try to make each precious day One you'll always rue! It's May! It's May! The month of "yes you may," The time for ev'ry frivolous whim, Proper or "im." It's wild! It's gay! A blot in ev'ry way. The birds and bees with all of their vast Amorous past Gaze at the human race aghast, The lusty month of May. CHORUS: Tra la! It's May! The lusty month of May! That lovely month when ev'ryone goes Blissfully astray. Tra la! It's here! That shocking time of year When tons of wicked little thoughts Merrily appear. It's May! It's May! The month of great dismay. GUENEVERE: When all the world is brimming with fun, Wholesome or "un." GUENEVERE & CHORUS: It's mad! It's gay! A libelous display! Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes, Ev'ryone breaks. Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes The lusty month of May! From Camelot, Sawalot, Conqueredalot
This was a solid, enjoyable, breezy Wednesday puzzle. Nice theme, didn't get all the themers instantly but I rose to the occasion. After being about a day behind with the crosswords cuz of a busy Sunday, I put my petal to the metal and caught up. I like a puzzle that leaves you smiling and nodding. A nice mid-week mid-difficulty level, no STEM grant needed for this one but that's apt for a Wednesday! Might be an enjoyable solve even for someone who's green at it. Doesn't knock you to the flora with difficulty, likely wouldn't pistil anybody off, offers a potpourri of subjects (but isn't loaded with *too* many pop-py references that might incite impatiens) and is just overall a nice little puzzle that grows on you. Lilac'd it! 🌸 "Did you like it too," I aster? 🌸 "Aster?! I hardly know her!"
I like when the grid matches the theme, which seems to be the case here. Happy May to all!
Really delightful, with some great clueing.
I loved “sound made by a sneaker” and somehow zeroed in on it immediately, despite the misdirect. Also fond of the dotty and dashing inventor. Overall, a sweet and breezy puzzle for me.
My mom taught me to celebrate May day when I was young - I would make cones from construction paper, glue on a paper strip for a handle, and then fill with flowers from our garden and hang the cones on the neighbors' doorknobs. Delightful tradition, and a delightful puzzle today!
27A -- HAHAHAHAHAHA ! Appeasing the pedantry from last Sunday's comments. I love it ! Everyone happy now ? Fun puzzle.
@Jim I’ll be surprised if nobody complains about that one now the shoe’s on the other foot.
@Jim I'm a music guy. I have a song for everything. Everyone, sing along ! <a href="https://youtu.be/K75g7eRhH9M?si=OKJfr-A8Px6pdqAl" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/K75g7eRhH9M?si=OKJfr-A8Px6pdqAl</a>
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, Blowin' through the JASMINE in my mind. RE: 12D; Is SENIOR Prank Day still a thing? My class dismantled a VW Beetle and re-assembled it on the roof of the school. Ah, good times!
@Grant Well, there's a mondegreen for you. I always thought there was a CHASM in my mind!
Fun puzzle with a cute theme. I'm glad to see "Sol" spelled correctly after the brouhaha in the comments from Sunday's puzzle. Japans seems questionable, although Japanning is apparently a legitimate technique. Can someone explain how TEALS is dabbling ducks?
@DocP TIL Teal ducks dabble, that is eat at the surface of the water as opposed to diving to catch food.
@DocP Me too!!! Now, one of us needs to write out solfège correctly in a puzzle.
@DocP teal is a type of duck…and they happen to be in the sub family of ducks called dabbling ducks.
Wallflowers, plus ceiling flowers and floor flowers for spatial effect. We already have 3D movies and surround sound, why not surround scent? 3D Smell-O-Vision -- what a concept! While all the fragrances are absolutely delightful individually, their mixture made me a little dizzy and brought on a slight background headache. I hope I'll live... if not, what a way to go!
@Laszlo , It’s great to see you again; it’s been a long time.
First day of spring here in Blighty. And a fitting theme as my lilac and honey suckle are doing their thing and outside smells enticing. And a Wednesday puzzle that’s delighted pretty much everyone. Well it’s a good day when everyone can do a Wednesday and not be giving out.
Indira indera indhra emiratis emirates emiraths? Tamara tamora? Psss psst seals teals? Today's puzzle was very easy to fill up, but I had to brute force single letters of some obscure clues. Great reminder to improve my trivia knowledge!
I enjoyed this puzzle a lot, for a Wednesday it was a great blend of familiar words, tricky clues, and new terms. I especially liked how the puzzle itself looks like a flower too! Excellent work.
I was so excited to see TAMORA Pierce in a puzzle!!! Absolutely one of my favorite young adult authors and I hope she gets some new readers from this because she's the greatest! ♥️
@Sarah Me too! I just posted a similar comment, and in a weird coincidence, we share the same name!
Fun little Wednesday puzzle! Clever theme, and one of the few Wednesdays I've completed with no lookups for fill (I did have a spelling error for Indira Ghandi that I had to look up). Also SO excited to see my favorite YA fantasy novel author of all time in a puzzle! If you have daughters/granddaughters in the 10-21 year old age range, please recommend her to them! She is an amazing author, esoecially for young women!
A very fun puzzle, completely delightful! Happy May Day, if you celebrate!
This was so speedy, but I enjoyed the theme and having a break on some of the Wednesday trickier puzzles. Had a couple of the clues I didn't bother with and relied on crosses, but most of them were cleverly done. Lovely spring theme fit for the sprouting leaves and blossoms!
Puts me in mind of Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears Prada): “Do I smell freesias? If I see freesias anywhere… I will be very disappointed.” Lovely puzzle, perfect for May Day. Thank you, Juliana! A welcome distraction from news of the day.
A lovely bouquet of a puzzle. I don’t know why wallflowers are linked to shy/forgotten types, they’re a beautiful flower in their own right. A simple Wednesday, easy to fill, easy on the eye to admire.
@Helen Wright I didn't know wallflower is a real flower! I've only heard it of those who stay on the sidelines socially... Like, one hanging out against the wall at a dance, instead of getting involved.
A clever concept, well executed. Quite a few clues had my brain twisting, which is one of the main things I love about doing crosswords. The sensation of the mind untwisting back into alignment as the answer becomes clear is very satisfying.
So pleased to see the clue for 64A! She’s one of my all-time favorite authors.
@Liz me too!!! I was delighted to encounter her in this puzzle and I hope the inclusion will inspire some folks to check out her (amazing) books!
What a treat. The SW was especially chewy for me. The garden is in bloom, Mama Junco in the hanging fuchsia is still guarding her five eggs against me and the 10 lb. canine master of the realm, the last of the cherry blossoms have fallen, and the tomatoes can safely remain outside at night. Life is good.
Love this puzzle! It's been awhile since I've had a *happy gasp* moment when I realized the theme. So delightful!!!