I sprang to the comments because I couldn’t believe my EYEs… or Bs? Today is, in fact, my BDAY. Thank you, Ms. Uthlaut ☺️
@A Well, it was supposed to be a surprise. Happy birthday! 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸 🎂 🍸🍸🍸🍸 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
@A BDAY was an answer in the crossword on my birthday last October so I feel a kinship with you today. Happy birthday!!
Well, CUMBERBATCH wouldn't fit, so I had to settle for INE.
I must quibble with some of the definitions. — J.S.Bach wrote thousands of compositions, but none of them are études. (I think you would’ve had the same problem with Beethoven or Brahms). — Meanwhile, in Thailand, the currency is the baht. One baht, two baht, many baht. No such word as bahts.
@Alan Young With all due respect to Steve L, it seems you may have fallen into the Tamale Trap. This is an English language puzzle, not in แบบไทย. We run across this all the time. — — — — — — — — — — — —
@Alan Young Yeah, thought the same about "bahts", even though I'm barely familiar with it. It doesn't seem right. Like "yens". One emu, two emus, three emi.
@Alan Young one of Bach’s largest collections of works, the Clavier-Ubung, was written with just that in mind. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavier" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavier</a>-Übung
I found parts of this puzzle oddly sticky, particularly the northeast. It wasn't until I read the column that I noticed the likely culprit: the awkwardness of shoehorning every clue into a format that started with the letter B. I appreciate the whimsy of it all, but all of those Bs made the ride bumpier for me. It was ultimately solvable, just a bit stickier than I was expecting. I'm amazed that some felt this was as easy as a Monday!
A sphere drenched in hydroxide is a base-ball. (I wouldn't lye!)
@Mike Every time I see one of your puns I want to join in with something. But they're just so good I can't put them up against yours.
@Mike And don't disregard the ph of that sphere.
@Mike OH-OH, another one of your caustic puns...
I like the day-of-birth echo in the grid, with the theme, with [Bears, as a child] for HAS, with the BABY of BABY BOTTLE, and with USA, which brings to mind “Born in the USA”. I like the fact that MaryEllen takes her time with her puzzles, with her debut in 2010, followed by puzzles in 2014, 2020, and today. I like the cross of BATH and BAHT. I like the words GUST, RUSE, TEEMS, POUNCE, and COCKLES. The latter made me think of “Warms the cockles of my heart”. I haven’t thought of “Warms the cockles of my heart” in a long time, and remembering it did just that! What I liked most of all about this puzzle is how MaryEllen totally snookered me. After solving, I had no idea about the clues all beginning with the same letter until going to the puzzle review sites. I mean, look at that clue list and how obvious those starting B’s are! Yet it went right over my head. That takes high skill in clue writing. I was totally outplayed, and I love being outplayed like that. MaryEllen, thank you for that and for a puzzle that gave me so much to like. Given how you take your time, I don’t know when I’ll see your next puzzle, but I look forward to it!
@Lewis I was totally snookered by all the clues beginning with B, too. Painfully obvious now, though. I wonder what fraction of solvers noticed it.
It is simply wrong to clue ETUDE as Bach exercise. I am disappointed that was not caught in editing.
Agreed - it's a careless error. Chopin, Liszt, Scriabin (among others) wrote etudes. Bach wrote exercises for keyboard (preludes and fugues, two- and three-part inventions), but no one would label them as etudes.
@Jon not so, and although Bach may not have written works solely intended for students to practice, he wrote a large amount of material that was intended both for public performances and for private study/practice. Many of his pieces are a staple of learning an instrument today, and there are collections of études for piano, guitar and trumpet to name just a few.
I never notice anything unusual in the clues and today was no exception. That must have been difficult. Nice to see KAMALA (31A) in the puzzle and hope to see her in D.C. for a good while longer.(Am I allowed to say that?) This was just about right for a Wednesday for me, and I enjoyed it, Maryellen.
Isn't it wonderful that we, scattered about the USA and the world, can almost instantaneously communicate with one another, discuss things with one another, and insult one another. We're living in a charmed era.
@Francis Well said! Apparently yesterday the art installation in Manhattan called Portal -- where participants in NYC and Dublin could see and interact with each other in real time -- was taken offline because, in among the genuine attempts at connection, there was too much "inappropriate behavior" (so-called on the 11 o'clock news, at least!). ^^ That may well be the longest sentence I've ever concocted! Sorry! (Also, I did reply late to your comment yesterday addressed to me. 🙂)
To anyone worried about the use of "etude" to refer to some of Bach's compositions, I urge you to 1) Look up the dictionary definition of etude to see how flexible it is 2) Google "Bach etudes" to see how widespread the usage is 3) Write me a 500 word essay on descriptivism vs prescriptivism in linguistics. Due on my desk Monday morning. -Mr. D
@Dan They’re gonna do that third one. (8:20am ADT)
@Dan #3, done. Descriptivism and prescriptivism represent two contrasting approaches in linguistics, shaping how language is studied, understood, and taught. Descriptivism emphasizes the analysis and description of language as it is naturally used by speakers, while prescriptivism focuses on establishing rules and norms for "correct" language usage. This essay will delve into the fundamental differences between these two perspectives, their implications for language study, and their influence on society. Descriptivism, rooted in the belief that language is a dynamic and evolving system, seeks to understand language as it is spoken and written by native speakers in various contexts. Linguists following this approach analyze language patterns, structures, and usage without passing judgment on what is considered "right" or "wrong." Instead, they aim to document and describe the diverse ways in which language is used, acknowledging the rich tapestry of linguistic variation and change. Descriptivism recognizes that language evolves over time, influenced by social, cultural, and historical factors, and seeks to capture this complexity in its analysis. Prescriptivism, on the other hand, advocates for the establishment and enforcement of linguistic norms and standards. Proponents of prescriptivism believe in the existence of a "correct" form of language that should be up....
@Dan well I don’t know how legit or not the clue is, but after reading some of the complaints, #2 is the first thing I did. And the answer to how widespread that usage is is “not very”. “Bach concerto” ~1,000,000 results “Bach etude” ~8,000 results For the number of results on a google search, 8k is an almost vanishingly small result. Clearly some people have used it, but not enough to say it is in common usage, and definitely not accepted usage. .:.:.:.:. And of the top hits from that small number, none of them appear to be from a definitive source.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but ETUDE is wrong. The five-letter Bach exercise should be SIT-UP. Bro had famously ripped abs! The highlight of his concerts was him ripping off his shirt to show off his six pack! (Actually he ripped off almost all his clothes so he could feel the air on his g-string.)
@ad absurdum I know every here is complaining about the ETUDE clue, but my piano teacher gave me etudes for practice. I loved them because they were melodic, yet orderly, and made me feel as though I were playing something grand, while my fingers were memorizing important sequences.
@ad absurdum I heard he was using steroids for a while, but he had to quit because it gave him Bachne.
It was BEEyuteeful and BEElightful. Please, noone say it was too easy to BEE a Wednesday Congratulations! You solved a Wednesday Crossword in 31:05. YOU HAVE A 3-DAY STREAK It was my first three day streak.
@Joan from Brooklyn congrats! Also nice to see others who aren’t like “ugh this was a slow day for me, only got the Sunday in 11 minutes :(“
Big Three for Dwight Schrute: Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica. I’m another one who missed that all the clues started with B, and once I went back and looked I wonder exactly how I missed that. Which has me wondering how many other things I miss on a regular basis. Now I’m questioning my life. I thought this was a perfect Wednesday, and fortunately my tastes run more toward The Office than Bach, so I had no issues with it.
Wouldn't it be great for someone to construct a puzzle made *exclusively* of prior clue/answer pairs that were endlessly controversial in the comments? Words like "absym", "etude", "apolar", "arctics"...? You'd be able to determine who did the NYT crossword by whether or not their heads had exploded.
B-b-b-but I just got here! Glad to see a continuation of the arborial theme of yesterday's puzzle, with Beech crossing Chestnut and the Ashiest Baseball Bat of all time. Speaking of Cabinets, sometime in the 1950s my father built a lovely one out of chestnut to hold his record collection; the cabinet had a darkly glowing ruddy warmth that was a delight to my eye. I agree with Alan Young (in comments here) that Bach never composed anything titled or known as an etude, but-but-but I rather think of the Well Tempered Clavier as a series of etude-like compositions, and there is the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, which might count. Bobby Burns also liked his b's (feel free to quit reading after the first quatrain). There grows a bonnie brier bush in our kail-yard, There grows a bonnie brier bush in our kail-yard; And below the bonnie brier bush there's a lassie and a lad, And they're busy busy courting in our kail-yard. We'll court nae mair below the buss in our kail-yard, We'll court nae mair below the buss in our kail-yard, We'll awa to Athole's green, and there we'll no be seen, Where the trees and the branches will be our safeguard. Will ye go to the dancin' in Carlyle's ha'; Will ye go to the dancin' in Carlyle's ha'; Whare Sandy and Nancy I'm sure, will ding them a', I winna gang to the dance in Carlyle ha'.
@john ezra The second verse makes it sound like they knew about sex in Burn's time in Scotland. I thought we boomers invented it in the mid-sixties?
I generally consider myself to be an observant person, but then I solve the puzzle, indulging the theme, all without noticing that every clue also started with a B.
@Sonja esp if doing so on a phone where you see only one clue at a time
🅱️limey! 🅱️ecause I was 🅱️ARred from 🅱️reezing through this 🅱️rainteaser by references that 🅱️oggled my 🅱️rain, and 🅱️eing 🅱️are a 🅱️estie to 🅱️ounce ideas off of, I 🅱️anked on the 🅱️ane of 🅱️ing’s existence (Google, my 🅱️eloved crossword-helping 🅱️lessing) to 🅱️egin 🅱️iting 🅱️ack the clues that had 🅱️efuddled this 🅱️aby crossworder to 🅱️eat the 🅱️runt of the puzzle. It wasn’t too 🅱️rutal though, not enough to 🅱️reak me! 🅱️ounded to the end before class ended. (ok I’m 🅱️urnt out of 🅱️ words hehehe) emus, I didn’t grab 🅱️reakfast before my 8:30, but I’m picking up a snack 🅱️etween classes. lmk what y’all want
So today actually is my birthday! This was such a fun treat that I was convinced the app had secretly replaced today's real daily puzzle.
@Charles Happy B-day! May your solves be just challenging enough, and may you come out on top... for today, anyway.
1. Bach never wrote any etudes 2. The plural of Baht is Baht, not Bahts (I should know after living in Thailand for many years)
@Pj I got "etude" even tho my first thought re students was Chopin.
@Brad Ellis Might want to do a quick Google search for "Bach etudes" if you think he is "in no way" associated with etudes.
@Pj (spoilers) I came here to complain about your first point as well: Bach didn't write etudes! Also, Aesop didn't write "Belling the Cat" although it's been attributed to him. Usually NYT crosswords are edited better than this. What happened?
Ok I love this one, because May 15 is my birthday!
Wow, what a perfectly timed puzzle! 5/15 is my mom’s once a year celebration! :)
@SS Fun fact. There are a couple dozen unique commenters currently. There's a better than 50/50 chance that at least two of them have the same birth date. (Note "birth date", not "birth day"). Details upon request.
How did you know today is my birthday? Thanks. Playful puzzle And, no, Bach didn’t compose etudes.
How could I complete this puzzle and never notice all the clues begin with "B." Wow!
Loved it. The NE corner slowed me down with its clever amalgamation of Bing Crosby, invertebrate life forms and Olympic sports. Cheers
Boy, do I love KABOBs (Browning beauties is a job) But bring me *no* KeBaBs, Because t’would make me CRAB Both be sticks with meat (By the way a tasty TREAT) But that spelling I find rude so Bear with me my bad ‘TUDE. ( If bad POESY makes you blue, The blame is mine, emu )
@CCNY Love it! Especially using 'TUDE, very nice. Lotta tude out there today... Emutude.
Is it just me, or did this feel like a Monday puzzle instead of a Wednesday? Nothing wrong with that, but now I'm afraid Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be killers to make up for this one.
At first, I was a bit frustrated, I was starting to rack up a few cheats. "Beldames!?!" On a Wednesday??? Happy B'day? Was the creator addressing a particular solver? But after reading the Wordplay, I understand why. I'd failed to notice all the clues began with 'b'. I didn't pay attention even to the 'B-B's of bumblebee, baby bottle and baseball bat (B-B-B!) Well made puzzle! Thank you!
At first glance, the list of clues brought a smile when I thought of my childhood piano teacher who always wrote on the front page of my lesson books: "Never B#, seldom Bb, always B♮" A bright, beguiling Wednesday puzzle. Enjoyed it.
35 years ago I memorized the banner statement on the Budweiser label (as a fun challenge while drinking them of course:). Today that party trick finally paid off! “This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age. Our exclusive Beechwood Aging produces a taste, a smoothness and a drinkability you will find in no other beer at any price” Fun and quick puzzle. Almost half my Wednesday average. I wonder what beer the Emu drinks?
@Kevin Smith are you even supposed to be here today? (that was a movie reference, sorry couldn't resist)
Wow! This can't have been easy to pull off. The cluing part, I'm talking about. And it's done here SO smoothly, that I didn't even notice that all the clues began with a B until I hit the HAPPY B-DAY revealer. Now either that's very adept cluing or a very myopic and unobservant solver. In my case it's both. And while I tend to dislike a great many stunt puzzles, I really like this one a lot. Nothing is tortured or distorted. Everything works. Which is amazing, when you think about. If you doubt what I'm saying, try this exercise. Take a NYT Wednesday grid from the recent past at random. Try to clue every entry with a clue beginning with a B. You'll probably give up by 5A. I'm sure I would. Very nice job, MaryEllen.
Every birthday eve I take myself out to a nice dinner and do the NYT Crossword. Image my joy this evening! Thank you MaryEllen!
"Blake and Alexis's favorite song in Dynasty" Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered Which this puzzle was decidedly NOT. A fun one. Thanks, MaryEllen. Now for some Thursday trickiness.
Today's puzzle was brought to you by the letter B. Thank you MaryEllen
What a fun puzzle. I did notice fairly early on that all the clues started with B. That helped with some of the solving. It was a good Wednesday puzzle -- a bit tricky, but not insanely difficult. And no rebuses (rebi?). Hurray! Not going to get into the controversy over Bach and etudes. That way, madness lies. It's a crossword puzzle, folks, not a PhD thesis. Enjoy. A very Happy BDay to you, MaryEllen. Hope to see more of your clever constructions.
@Natdegu You're right. It's not a PhD thesis. It's WAAAAY more important than that. There are streaks of gold stars to consider.
Everyone seems to be upset over the usage of ETUDE but I was over here stuck for a very long time because I was trying to fit some variation of BOOBIES into "breast milk container"! No offense to the pumping mamas out there, but to get pedantic, the container is in the name 🤣
ETUDE, Brute? et tu, emu?
Barry Ancona, “No thanks, Julie, they haven’t been invented yet.” (apologies to Wayne & Schuster & Bach and his peeps)
A lovely puzzle that warmed the COCKLES of my one-chambered heart. Always pleased to see my cousins among the cardioids included. I'll even accept that terrorist of the inter- and subtidal, the CRAB as a welcome addition.
@CaptainQuahog The Anti-Defamation League of Crustacea would like a word with you in the back room.
I spent way too long trying to make the Brewers clue about actual beer brewers; I am sure someone has used a bat as a mash paddle so I guess it could work both ways.
@A, it’s my B-Day today, too. Thought today’s c57 Across clue was a special message (just for me) from the NYT crossword puzzle family, but I am happy to share it with you (and anyone else born on the best day of the year)!
Great Job MaryEllen!!! Amazing Every clue beginning with B on top of an incredibly fun solve filled with all kinds of Bee things. I cannot imagine how long this Crossword took you to construct. All I can do is tell you how much your efforts are appreciated. I'm anxiously awaiting for your next puzzle no matter what letter you zero in on ...
Bach did not write etudes. It wasn’t used as a term until decades after his death and his music hasn’t been (mis)classified as one since the 1980s.
@KT yeah this stumped me for that reason but then I figured either I was misremembering or the puzzle editors didn't know.
I enjoyed this swarm of Bs, although it took flight faster than Monday’s and Tuesday’s puzzles. There were a surprising number of misdirections, (brewer’s implements indeed), but so many crosses that they weren’t to hard to suss out. And I did appreciate NICAD as battery type rather than AAA.
Actually, the big boiler in the picture at the head of the column brews wort. It’s not beer until it’s been fermented. 😜
Really enjoyed this puzzle. Thank you.
Has anybody caught the issue with ETUDE yet? I'm surprised nobody has commented on it so far... EMUs always scan the comments to see if a topic has already been raised...
@CaptainQuahog Is that sarcasm? I've read the word ETUDE more times in the past 24 hours than in the past 71 years.
By the time I’d gotten BUMBLEBEE, BABYBOTTLE, and BUBBLEBATH, I had a pretty good idea of the theme. Big smile when I noticed it extended to the clues as well. But that smile quickly turned to a frown when I got mired in the impenetrable (to me) northeast corner. By far too many proper nouns in what might otherwise have been a delightful puzzle. Bah, humbug!
@kittenhoarder I also got hung up in that corner! Tough one for a Wednesday!
@kittenhoarder I only see one proper noun in the northeast, 9A, and very very few in the grid overall. I admit to not getting DECCA on its own, but the crossings were more than adequate to fill it in. That said, that corner was pretty tough! My lack of knowledge of archaic nouns -- bondservant and beldames -- really slowed me down. Didn't help that I initially chose the wrong half of biathlon and plunked in gun... Guess I haven't watched the Winter Olympics in too long! 😂
What puzzles me is that International Bee Day isn't until May 20 -- which in the bargain is a Monday and would have gone just fine with this puzzle.