My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Pop art? (7) 2. Padded piece of paper, perhaps? (6) 3. Not in English, say (6) 4. "Ew, ew, EW!" (3) 5. Small cube (3) DADAISM RESUME ABSENT TMI ONE
I started off on the wrong foot with AHEAD instead of ON TOP, but quickly corrected my error. Today I learned about TOMATILLO. Nice debut of AYE AYE CAPTAIN. I'm surprised that never appeared before. Nicely done, Kiran. A fun theme with a L(I)TTLE B(I)T OF CRUNCH.
It has arrived: my day to be the pedant. A Venn diagram shows two (or more) sets, and there are several regions depicted: the elements that are in one set but not the other, either of the two sets, both sets, or neither of the two sets. The intersection is only one of those areas. The term “Venn diagram” isn’t a synonym for the intersection. Stick around, and someday you might be lucky enough to hear my thoughts on “exponentially larger.” Still haven’t met a nit that stops me enjoying a fun theme. Aye aye!
CLM, As long as we're being pedantic, wouldn't MAC be the union, not the intersection of "Computers" and "Pastas," and thus closer to being the entire Venn diagram? cup, not cap
@Cat Lady Margaret If the clue was What fits the Venn diagram of *both* "Computers" and "Pastas"? Would you find that satisfactory? I agree that that would be better clueing, but I think the words fits and ands make the clueing acceptable even without the word both
@Cat Lady Margaret So, where the circles overlap you find those elements that are common to both sets. That's the sense the clue refers to, synonymous with intersection, which I would say is how most people understand it. That's as far as I go. I tried to understand the additional distinctions you make, and I even took a look at Wikipedia, but it's too confusing for me! I'm ok with Edith Pritchett's Venn diagram cartoons in the Guardian, for what it's worth, but I usually go straight to First Dog on the Moon.
"You're hooked on fishing! Look at all this equipment you bought!" "But I'll go again, so there's a re-bait on it." ("Yeah, but they reel-ly lured you in.")
@Mike Good to know that you're not a piker when it comes to wader sports. ° ° ° ° ° ° 🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🦈
This puzzle is proof that Mondays can be easy without being boring. . . . . . Emus like clever wordplay. And so do I. Well done!
Being from Texas, TOMATILLO was a no-brainer (like me)! P.S. I just discovered Comments. What a fun bunch of clever brilliant people! P.P.S. (Not relevant to Crosswords) My wife and I both scored 2 in today’s Wordle using different Start words. We’re still in a mild state of shock.
@Damon from Austin Hard to describe the thrill as each successive letter turns up green. I got it in one once. How I wished I'd been paying more attention as it happened. I almost missed it altogether, taking a sip of coffee.
@Damon from Austin Hard to describe the thrill as each successive letter turns up green. I got it in one once. How I wished I'd been paying more attention as it happened. I almost missed it altogether, taking a sip of coffee. And welcome to the comments board. Quite a variety of people here--from crossword masters to annoying newbies like myself.
@Damon from Austin Re Wordle; me too! My normal starter has 3 iterations, occassionally they draw a complete blank, so I use my other starter, which uses the missing vowels from my starter word. Eureka! it was today’s solve. How satisfying (and rare) is that?
The i's have it! And fitting with the nautical theme, we have OCEAN, TALE, and NICE CATCH.
Kiran’s puzzles warm my soul, as they teem with humor and wordplay. Two examples: • The theme of his May of ’23 puzzle. Here are two of the clues/answers: [Length, for example] for SEVEN LETTERS, and [Scientific definition, for short] for ELECTICAL FAULT. • In another puzzle, his clue for MALL – [Chain letter?]. And here again today, humor and wordplay in his theme. This is one of those themes that can add an extra challenge – after uncovering the three theme answers, can you guess the revealer? (I, who am weak at this skill, once again failed, but had a grand time trying!) I loved the serendipities that popped up as well: • ON TOP being exactly there. • OCEAN crossing AYE AYE CAPTAIN (Hi, @Henry Su!). • AT BAT sharing the grid with STAB, which backwards is … • Four palindromes (ERE, AAA, AHA, ALA). • The tennis answer LET echoed by nearby abutting ACE and SETS. And my bonzo brain, which, every time I see BOX over NOTOK on the eastern edge, keeps shouting “Botox!” So sweet when a puzzle entertains on top of providing riddles to crack. Thank you for this, Kiran, and please, keep them coming!
A special Monday puzzle. Clever, with a delightful twist, yet completely accessible. Great work, Kiran! Also loved Sam’s column connecting a child’s thrill at simple wordplay to our feelings of pleasure as adults when gifted with a puzzle like this. Even as a quick solve, the fun and skill of it gather steam as you go, and suddenly the sum feels much greater than the parts. (Perhaps CLM will have something to say about how that math works.)
Hit a milestone 1400 streak today. Nice to do it with a cute puzzle. And I must add that, beyond the pleasure of the puzzles themselves, there's plenty of satisfying diversion here in this comments section. It's fun to see other people's obsessions play out, whether it's deep-diving into the crossword archives or pointing out the coincidences (OR ARE THEY??) of the fill, or even the popcorn-worthy battles that ensue. As I grow to recognize the names and foibles of the regular commenters, my world gets a little bigger. Thank you all. Now on to 1500! See you in three and a half months.
@David Reiffel Well done. You’re ahead of me by about 600!
@David Reiffel That's super impressive - Congrats!
Tomatillos are the main ingredient in salsa verde, which is fun and easy to make at home when tomatillos are fresh and seasonal (July to September). Choose firm tomatillos of medium size and tear away their papery husks. Cut into quarters and cut away any stem ends. For a pound of tomatillos: Add 1 serrano chile pepper (seeded & minced) and 1/2 of an onion (diced fine). Stir into sauce pot with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and add a cup of water or more but not too much. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer until the tomatillos are mush. Cook longer until desired thickness. Blend into a puree. Making your own lets you adjust the flavor to your own tastes. I expect to see them in the grocery soon!
@David Connell I’ll have to try this. My version calls for roasting the tomatillos, peppers, and garlic rather than boiling, and squeezing dry the fine-diced onion. It does come out of the blender a bit thick, though, so the addition of water might help.
@David Connell That sounds much like the recipe we used to use. It’s been a long time since we’ve made salsa verde. I was surprised (though I shouldn’t have been) by the number of comments about not having heard of TOMATILLOs before.
My favourite bit about the Monday puzzle is that nobody ever moans about the Monday puzzle being too Monday or more like a Monday or too Monday or did they get the day wrong is it Monday. Mostly I assume because it’s a Monday and most folk can solve a Monday precisely because it’s a Monday. Long live the Monday solvers. Down with the ease-a-centi and their appropriation of Monday in the service of Thursday and Friday.
I salute today’s constructor for putting together a whimsical Monday theme. It might have been fun to include “itisobvious” as one of the answers, although some might cavil that Captain Obvious is not, or at least not necessarily, a seafaring sort. Every high school math class that I took began with a unit on Venn diagrams, which usually took up about 10 minutes of class time. One never knows what life experiences will come in handy in the fine art of puzzle solving.
I just found myself staring at the puzzle, still, seconds ticking away on my timer, because I had just input the revealer and was suddenly plain caught up in the delightful cleverness of the theme and elegance of execution. I haven’t even finished the puzzle. Just came here to say this. Loved it.
Interestingly enough, there’s a theory that states Marion actually says ‘Itsumi’ Mario, which translates from Japanese to Super Mario. I guess we’ll never know for sure it it was a clever play on words with the Italian plumber saying it’s-a-me! First time commenter and also my fastest Monday with sub 10 minutes!
@Jan Apple Computers because of Apple Corp…the Beatles record label…was not allowed to be in the music industry. That even meant that their system sound names couldn’t sound musical…like “chime” So this became an issue with one of their sounds which ended up being called so-sue-me The tech told legal the sound’s name was sosumi a word of Japanese origin.
Some fine day, all the perfectly-clued-and-defined entries of a crossword puzzle will come together with all the finnicky and expert knowledge of its solvers, and peace will reign in he comments section. Some fine day, in the future…. But who knows Venn? I? I liked it, on the whole.
@JohnWM And that day the puzzle will be boring. Nothing would be more bland than perfect cluing.
Unsurprisingly I found this harder than usual for a Monday, so am disappointed that I’m the only one and will continue to blame jet lag. It was fun though, and very clever.
@suejean Jet lag is pernicious and subtle and lasts much longer than most people allow for. Glad you keep coming back.
@suejean You’re not alone. I also found this harder than the usual Monday. I had to double check that I’m looking at a Monday puzzle.
"... will continue to blame jet lag." suejean, I've always heard one day per time zone, and that was for folks in peak condition. emus do not fly
I's happy with this one. A mellow Monday morning musing. Think Ahab another cup of coffee.
Just got back from meeting my ten-week-old granddaughter and her four-year-old sister. Between all the tummy wiggles, swing pushing, and book reading I did manage, just barely, to keep my streak going. If they were easier than usual, then so be it. I'll take what i can get when I'm waking up two hours earlier than usual because someone is yelling "Grandpa!".
This may be nitpicking, but wouldn't one who DECODEs (48a) be a cryptologist and not a cryptographer? One who would "Do some cryptography" as the clue suggests would ENCODE... Lovely puzzle overall though!
@Faith As a retired enigmist it could be either one.
Really fun Monday puzzle. After my failure yesterday, I had to do the Monday puzzle with no googles and I managed, even though TOMATILLO was completely unfamiliar. Just a really great moment when I caught on to the trick. Don't recall seeing anything quite like this before. And... of course I went and found an old puzzle. I'll put that in a reply. ...
@Rich in Atlanta As promised: Inspired by AYEAYE - I found a Sunday puzzle from July 12, 2015 by Patrick Berry with the title: "Start Again." I'd actually done this one but had forgotten. Anyway... a couple of theme clue/answer examples: "Glittering ballet costume? :" TUTUOFDIAMONDS "I'll obey your medical advice!" AYEAYEDOCTOR And a couple of other theme answers: MIMIANDMYBIGMOUTH COCOACONSPIRATORS Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/12/2015&g=53&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/12/2015&g=53&d=A</a> ..
My honors thesis in for APLit was on Moby Dick and iconoclasm in 18th century American lit. Always happy to see a reference to the white whale. Agree with everyone, a fun Monday. Thank you Kiran
@dk Are you sure it wasn't on time travel? Melville is 19th century, no?
Regarding the Venn diagram clue, I am always amazed at the number of pedantic comments that will spew forth regarding a clue that most everyone solved correctly. A clue is just that, a clue. Not a perfect definition. But how nice that we have so many experts who can show the rest of us where the constructor got it wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this Monday puzzle. Clever theme with solid cluing and a few tricks and imperfections here and there to keep the commentary juicy.
@Floridaworder Gotcha! emu food more emu food
@Floridaworder That a great way to look at at it. But this is the land of needless replies, extreme fact-checking and dictionary weaponizing. It is what it is. Gotta love it.
27D/41A hung me up for a bit because I was thinking like a Brit and had NOTOn instead of NOTOK. I should have realized that would be too clever for a Monday, or the clue would have been "Simply unacceptable, in Uxbridge" or something like that.
Note that I'm a US-American mostly unfamiliar with UK cities; I had "Ulster" at first but after looking it up and seeing it was in Northern/Ireland I thought they might not use the same term :-)
This was a fun Monday! I loved the theme and was amazed that the constructor found so many phrases that fit the bill. My only complaint is that I filled in some of the trickier clues completely with crosses, so I missed a couple of "aha!" moments. *pout* 😄
@Janine I do all the Acrosses first and started skipping some intentionally so I don't miss any of the Downs. The time suffers, but the extra enjoyment is worth it.
Macs are also raincoats. And McMaster University and McDonald’s and (usually) male persons whose name is unknown. Ducking and covering…
Too late to comment on the exquisite Sunday Puzzle due to Fathers' Day Festivities. But I have to, so I'll do it here. It was such a wonderful mashup of my two favorite NY Times games! That it was a fast solve was appreciated this Sunday. Funny story: my husband daughter and I went to an old NYC haunt, and new one for my daughter: The Holiday Cocktail Lounge on St. Marks Place. The bartender there has a bet with another bartender friend that she can come up with a Connections game every day for a month. She's into her second week. We not only played her connections games which were satisfyingly tricky, but we also gave her ideas for other connections games. A blissful way to end an excursion to the city for great Chinese food.
TIL what a TOMATILLO is, never having come across one before. Nice Monday, not taxing but interesting with a creative theme that made me smile. As they say in Parliament (and probably in the Senate but I haven’t heard it) The AYES have it, the AYES have it. Bravo. Nice debut.
@Helen Wright I was expecting that Parliamentary phrase to be the revealer...it fit.
Lovely Monday! I’ll be looking out for Pequod and Ahab references in the next one, Kiran! Some fun clueing!
@CCNY But no one ever clues QUEEQUEG....
@Mean Old Lady Tangentially, I have owned cats named Queegqueg, Tashtego, Starbuck, and Ishmael. Thankfully I never owned one named Stubb. After my daughter was born, cat names were Katie and Fluffy.
I loved the theme of this puzzle and found it so cute! However, I want to point out a couple of factual errors in the clues. First, cryptography refers to encoding, not decoding. The correct term for decoding would be cryptanalysis. Secondly, the clue about the Venn diagram should have referred to the intersection of the two circles, not the entire diagram. These are perhaps technical mathematical distinctions that a lay person should not be expected to know, but if a constructor delves into the field, they should be held to a higher standard.
@Tara I think you're right about the Venn diagram, and you don't have to be a mathematician to understand the intersection of sets. However, "cryptography" in "Standard English" has come to mean not merely the "writing" of codes (from "-graphy"), but the "study of codes," and so includes both coding and decoding. Imagine if we were as strict with the meaning of "geography"!
Tara, Discussion of the Venn diagram started here early yesterday evening. There are only 58 posts at the moment, but here's a shortcut to the discussion: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/3vnu28?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/3vnu28?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share</a> emus like shortcuts
@Tara Clues are not definitions. They're supposed to point you towards the answer. Thus, although the Venn clue was imprecise, it wasn't wrong, and it sufficed to point people towards MAC. As for cryptography, dictionaries and encyclopedias disagree with you: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/cryptography" target="_blank">https://www.britannica.com/topic/cryptography</a> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptography" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cryptography</a> Maybe people involved in mathematics and cryptology reserve a distinction beyond what is found in the clues, but both of your nits are an example of TCS (Too Close Syndrome). You're too hung up on what the professor taught you to realize that there's a broader or different common meaning. Now go do some grocery shopping and when you're done, stand on the line segment to check out.
A perfect Monday puzzle. Made me happy as a WONDIWOI TREE KANGAROO! And don't call me Ishmael.
A fine Monday puzzle. I confess that 40A had me scratching my head for awhile. I quickly saw that "computers" and "pastas" shared just 3 letters, p, s, and t, so surely those would be the 3-letter answer to what fits the Venn diagram. Oops, not so surely. The A in 32D told me I was wrong, but at first I couldn't imagine what else would fit the Venn diagram. Duh.
@Juanita Don't feel too bad, I did the puzzle on one and it still took me a minute to figure that out.
It was captain HOOK at 41A that cleared my erroneous NOTOn at 27D. I always enjoy it when the theme works towards the solving of the puzzle. . . . emu
@Patrick J. Yep, same here. I’d figured out the theme, but did question myself for a moment; is there a captain HOOn that I was unaware of? Doh.
Fun puzzle. TY, Kiran Pandey for your submission. Now I know for sure what zhuzh means. I had to be reminded! Looking forward to more from you!
Thanks Sam for sharing the other half of the revealer. How clever, sorry you weren’t able to include Captain Ahab, Kilian. Next time! Favourites today : SPICE, TOMATILLO, NICE CATCH My 40th Monday in a row!
I am a musician. I have been since I was 5 years old. I have dedicated my life to music. Which is why I find any reference to the tin-eared and talentless Yoko Ono as a "musician" profoundly insulting.
@LJADZ This comes up every time she's clued that way in a puzzle. And since both of her names contain a lot of useful letters, she appears a lot. It's something that, regrettably, we have to live with, because they'll always use her name in puzzles, and it doesn't seem likely they're going to change the clue to "She broke up the Beatles".
@LJADZ Perhaps you don't know that she plays lovely classical piano, a real contrast to Lennon's style. That's not what the clue is referring to, probably. I'm old enough to know that there's no accounting for taste, and I'd never suggest that you have to love "Sisters, Oh Sisters" as much as I do. Wisdom, oh wisdom, that's what we ask for now.
@LJADZ "tin-eared and talentless" That's some real smug talk there, Mr. Lifelong Musician. Do you want to know how many classical artists of all types have been called that? I'm not saying Yoko Ono is going to be Aaron Copeland or Vincent Van Gogh. But of all people, you, as an artist, should realize that no one...no one...gets to dictate the definitions.
Was so excited to have some desperately-needed rain that I am late to the party! How fun to have a tricksy puzzle on a Monday morning! Old folks like me want ON AIR for the 'broadcast.' My grand-dad worked for WSB Radio in Atlanta for many years--an electrician, but also an inventive sort, figuring a way to allow FDR to give a radio address without leaving his vehicle. He stepped up and shook the President's hand...proud of that the rest of his life. Of course I wanted a COLANDER instead of a SIEVE, but I do use the latter when washing brown rice before cooking it. But it's a big SIEVE, so I call it a 'strainer'.....never a 'sieve.' Maybe it's all in my head. Is 'Childiish Gambino' a real person? (As is, "otherwise known as"?)
@Mean Old Lady Childish Gambino is the stage name of Donald Glover. I don't think he's using it much any more.
@Mean Old Lady Childish Gambino, when not doing music, is Donald Glover, maybe best known at this point for creating and starring on the tv series Atlanta, which I think was on FX. He had a small, but crucial, role in the movie The Martian, which I recently watched again and enjoyed on cable.
The cross of 55A and 49D reminded me that while OYVEY is often heard on shore, its equivalent on the high seas is AYE, Yai, Yai, CAPTAIN.
This theme is truly clever! Loved the name of the captain after the double I's! Sheesh, did I ever!!!! Don't know how the constructor managed. Again, TY, dear Kiran! emu food more emu food
Got the I I bit almost immediately, but took me to the end to realize the Captain bit. 6 minutes, slower than normal, but I was a little distracted while solving. I very much appreciate the more proper clueing of IMAX tonight than the last time the word was used. Yes, I will die on that hill.
This was a fun theme. Don't know if I'm overthinking but are we not going to talk about the third i in America? imu imu
@JB Yes, it would have been cleaner if there weren't that third i . But it wasn't circled, so let it slide. Imagine all the imus Livin' life in peace You You may say I'm a dreamer
@JB It's AYE, AYE CAPTAIN. In other words, the two circled I's precede the captain. They can't be part of the captain, so I don't see any problem here. !!!! !!!!
Hi, Kids! Remember learning about The DEW Line? This is a distant early warning for all y'all that the clue for 40A, which uses the term VENN DIAGRAM is....imperfect, or ill-considered, or, or.... Well, there's a thread way down there that will eat up the rest of your morning, much like a lurking crocodile... So, you are warned. Emus Were Not Necessarily blame But Stood by and let it happen
@Mean Old Lady Oh God, I dew remember the DEW line. For over twenty-five years between the Cuban missile crisis to the fall of the Soviet Union, I developed a certainty that I would ultimately witness a nuclear war, I think it turned me into a pessimist, or more of a pessimist than I would have been naturally. Existential dread. And it feels like it might be returning, although it seems more likely that one political party will unify with Russia to squelch people like me.
An easy perfectly Monday puzzle for me. I quickly figured out the AYE AYE part of the theme, but I'm so happy I read Sam's column afterwards to learn that the CAPTAIN bit went over my head and it made me appreciate it more!
I finished this last night in very short order. Because I'm generally not very fast, I like to see how fast I can go on Mondays... but that means I sometimes miss the fun of it. I don't care much about time so maybe I should stop caring at all—including Mondays. For example, I completely missed the fun secondary theme during the solve, which is too bad, but I'm glad Sam called attention to it! Also, I'm just going to say it, my favorite was MAC! I've read the comments, so I understand the Venn diagram controversy but it is one of the clues that caught my attention in the moment and made me chuckle. Yesterday, I was going on about how glorious TACOs are (not mere snacks) so today I'll add that they are especially superb when they include salsa verde! It's my favorite—and TOMATILLO went right in. Also, I always love Sam's choice of photos! They are occasionally lost on me but not usually—but they are never spoilers! Not a problem on my phone, but when I solve on my computer, I can't help but see the photo below the puzzle (at least not that I know of), so it's nice when they are funny nods to the puzzle but not spoilers.
You know what no one ever says? "Fishing hook."
Tom, I hesitated entering FISHING HOOK yesterday, and wondered if it would be called out. You never see it in print either. Best Saltwater Fishing Hooks <a href="https://www.tackledirect.com" target="_blank">https://www.tackledirect.com</a>/
@Tom I’m sorry, but I just don’t get this quibble. Whenever I went fishing I carried a pair of snell-nosed pliers to assist getting the fishing hook out of the fish’s mouth. Occasionally it might be a treble hook, but we still used the singular. Same as a fisher person showing up in the ER to have a fishing hook removed from his/her hand, I don’t ever recall more than one hook.
I enjoyed this clever puzzle. The only clue I had an issue with was: Yiddish "Yeesh!" (49D) = OY VEY. At the risk of coming off pedantic, YEESH! is used to express irritation or eye-rolling annoyance. Whereas OY VEY in Yiddish is used to express dismay, grief, or worry. It literally translates as “Oh, woe”, meaning “Woe is me”. It doesn’t necessarily have to imply that dramatic a reaction but it conveys fluster more than eye-rolling exasperation.
@Sharee OY VEY is, as most Yiddish words are, very flexible. I can envision situations where it can be used in place of YEESH! YMMV, of course... !!!!
For “Participated in an Ironman, e.g.”, I confidently put TRIED (as in TRIathalonED). What a clever clue, I thought! A little too clever for a Monday, though, especially without a question mark.