Hello everyone! I am the constructor for today's crossword. I will be replying to most (if not all) of the comments on here. If you guys have any questions or comments, feel free to ask and I should answer shortly. Thanks!
@Tarun Krishnamurthy congrats on your puzzle!
@Tarun Krishnamurthy Congratulations on a top-notch debut, and welcome to the crossworld constructors' big league!
@Tarun Krishnamurthy I loved your puzzle and hope to see many many more from you! Thank you!
My streak just hit 2000 after solving this puzzle. Just needed to tell someone.
@Art of the fudge Somebody who must not be named these days said 80% of success is just showing up. I'l agree that it's a necessary condition but certainly not sufficient. Competence, lateral thinking, and the ability to abandon preconceived notions are also required, especially in this activity. Congratulations.
About 20 years ago, my husband and I happened to be in India during the festival of Holi. A pack of young boys delighted themselves in covering my elderly, dignified husband in face paint. I filled in HOLI and had a happy memory in today’s puzzle.
@Sue I'm glad I helped you shortly relive that memory with my puzzle :)
Loved this one! Lots of fun entries and a well-hidden theme. Congrats on the debut — excited to see what you come up with next!
@Alexander Liebeskind Hey Alexander! I can't believe I'm replying to the constructor of the puzzle that became the very inspiration for my debut. First of all, thank you so much for creating such a stellar grammagram puzzle. I've always loved phonetic sounds and wanted to implement them in puzzles, and solving your puzzle gave me the AHA! moment I needed to start constructing. And thanks for the kind words! This is just the beginning :)
If you want to hear about anemones, well, polyp a chair! (I'll give my coral presentation.)
@Mike I tide to leave an anemonous comment so as to avoid a wave of hateful crustacean, but to no avail. Sea you later.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. How to become a whole new hue (3) 2. What memories are recounted in (4)(5) 3. *sheepishly raises hand* (2)(3)(2) 4. Notes you might take on a semester abroad? (5) 5. "Let me tell you ..." (4) DYE PAST TENSE IT WAS ME EUROS GIRL
Well, I’m often reporting my failed attempts at leaving the revealer blank, not reading its clue, and trying to guess what it is after filling in the theme answers. It is a skill that I’m weak at, ever trying to improve. So, there I was today, looking at the circled letters, and… and… I saw it! That SEA ANEMONE hit me right in the face! I slapped in that revealer, sat tall, and mentally took a victory strut accompanied by “Pomp and Circumstance”. Okay, maybe lots of people got this. But I don’t care. This was a Moment for me, one small step. Meanwhile, talk about a Moment! Here is a NYT puzzle by a high school student who has been making puzzles for but a year – wow! Not only that, three of the four theme answers – I CAN MANAGE, CANDY MACHINE, and CHUNKY MONKEY – are NYT debut answers, and so lovely at that – wow! I liked how the puzzle echoes yesterday’s palindromanza with two four-letter ‘dromes (MAAM and OTTO). I enjoyed seeing HOLI and HOLEY in the same GRID. And I smiled at the trio of answers that aren’t in this puzzle: ATOP isn’t atop, LAST isn’t last, and WEST isn’t west. This was an upbeat joy, Tarun. Thank you, and congratulations on your promising debut!
@Lewis I love this idea! Especially for a Monday. I'm going to try it today on some archives. And ditto on the rest. What a great debut!
Today’s fun typo: LOCH NESS MOBSTER. (Doesn’t work with the CNMNE theme, alas) What could be his life of crime? Selling counterfeit haggis. Watering down the whisky bottles at MacGregor’s Bar in Inverness. Vandalizing unlocked vehicles by leaving a set of highland pipes in the backseat.
@Cat Lady Margaret The Scottish Mafia, huh! That’s funny. Just picturing Elliott Ness hunting down the Loch Ness Mobster. !!!!! !!!!!
@Cat Lady Margaret (Second attempt) Scottish Mafia, huh! Gets me thinking of Elliott Ness going after the Loch Ness Mobster! !!!! !!!! !!!!!’
@Cat Lady Margaret (Am I really going to try this a third time just to get a pun in ?) The Loch Ness Mobster probably kilt somebody. (Now I have to leave out some giant birdseed or something?)
Absolutely delightful puzzle, with rich fill and perfect Monday clueing. It always shocks me when a high-caliber constructor is still a teenager in high-school, and today was no different. My other shock was finding out that I've been mispronouncing ANEMONE my whole life. I'm relieved I've never had to utter the word out loud, and am thankful for that saving grace (and saving face.) I didn't look at the revealer while solving and got it from the crosses. Then I sat here, voicing C-N-M-E and kept thinking, "Seen me." Yes, my friends, it's always been "Sea ann-eh-mone" in my head. Ouch! And so thank you, Tarun, not only for an accomplished puzzle and delicious solve, but also for teaching me proper English!
@sotto voce Thank you so much for the kind words! I have always loved phonetic sound gimmicks and was glad for my debut to be a theme based around it. I'm glad you enjoyed the puzzle!
Sorry. C-N-M-N-E. Even more confounding to me while I solved. But today I learned something new and it's a glorious feeling.
Welcome to this community, Tarun! I hope to see much more of you in the future.
A refreshing puzzle that lightened a difficult day. Sea anemones are lovely creatures that have a fairy-like quality, perfect complements to their dry land cousins, and some of their color was needed today. Tarun Krishnamurthy, your enthusiasm for words and the fun of interweaving them into a puzzle in innovative ways gave us a first class Monday crossword. Thank you, and I'm sure we'll be seeing you around. (Soon!!)
@dutchiris Thank you so much for the kind words and compliments!!!
Poor Nellie! She just wants to be seen... and we go calling her a MONSTER for it! Poor thing! Hopefully, she at least believes in herself, even if too many others SCORN her very EXISTence! This was a personal best for me! Huzzah! I was enjoyably flying through and didn't pay attention to the theme until I was done (but before reading the column) and really appreciated it! I have no idea how I confidently and correctly plopped in GATO for "Cat in Spanish"— Senor Nathan from a thousand years ago high school Spanish would be so proud! Favorites were: EDAM (Answer to the riddle "What cheese is made backward?") and HOW (Question that anagrams to another question.) Also, 29A (Who might say "Take me to your leader") because it reminded me of this Far Side puzzle: — www.pinterest.com/pin/321163017173660767/ and also this one: — www.pinterest.com/pin/121245414956363877/ Thanks for the fun puzzle, Tarun! And congrats on your fine debut!! There was no SADNESS in my solve! Best to you on your ongoing constructing journey! 😊
@HeathieJ Were you around when Sam Lyons was here regularly and always mentioned her cat, Señor GATO? That might be how you knew it. !!! !!!
@HeathieJ Pssst - It's "Nessie". Cheers.
An extraterrestrial walks into a record store, approaches the counter, and says to the clerk, "Take me to your lieder."
Tarun, that was delightful. I love learning about other cultures so please continue to add references to your future puzzles. I was surprised to realize that I already knew HOLI but much of your very rich culture is still unknown to me. Similarly, I’m also surprised when I know any math or music answers 🤣. Your puzzle has boosted my confidence in these areas, as well. Enjoy your senior year!
@Pani Korunova I'm so glad you enjoyed my puzzle! I aim to continue including fill that speaks to my Indian culture, so stay tuned!
I found this puzzle super helpful, because for years I have been saying "anenome" (not a word) instead of "anemone." Representing the word in letter form was instructive for both solving and pronouncing.
@Jeff Z I’m the same. It just sounds ‘right’ as anenome doesn’t it?
A delightful puzzle followed up by delightful notes from the young constructor, what a great start to the week. I don’t usually have to feed the emus, but perhaps I need to now as my brief comment hasn’t appeared.
Four themers AND a Reveal! My favorite ice cream (when I'm willing to take the consequences)! The plesiosaur (which I do believe once lived in LOCH NESS)! What's not to like? Well, it was Over Too Soon, and I got the 'marine creature' At Once Which ruined the surprise.... But it is, after all, Monday. So long, and thanks for all the fish!
@Mean Old Lady lactaid tablets are my friends.
Absolutely fabulous Monday! Congratulations, Tarun, on your clever and engaging NYT debut. Judging by the comments thus far your puzzle was clearly a crowd pleaser, and your amazing young energy is contagious. Also loved your notes and Sam’s column. And the term grammagram!
@M. Biggen Thank you for the kind words and compliments on the notes :)
Came here specially to say what a clever theme this was, especially for a Monday. Super congrats on finding out it's your first NYT crossword AND you're 16! Looking forward to more.
Wow-fast, fun, and clever! Great puzzle and debut! I totally agree with Sam about recommending this to friends getting into puzzling.
Fun one! Am I the only one that went back to read the circled letters, and found it so enjoyable, I read all of them! Just for the fun of saying Cee En Em Oh Née… Lovely debut! Thank you! Have a great week, all!
Tarun, may your debut day be filled with U4EA and X2C. This puzzle was a BUT! Et tu, emu.
Wow, I was just totally on the same wavelength as the constructor and editor and somehow cut over 20% off my PB. After completing over 10 years of puzzles, I thought the days of the big Incremental time drops were well behind me. Fun theme, to boot!
@Aaron Congratulations on the PB! I'm glad you enjoyed the puzzle.
Always nice to see a new constructor, and it's a very good Monday puzzle (which are often tough to construct). No complaints (well, maybe I got through it too fast), few sticking points, and I ended up with a good time (and had one, too). Great debut, and thanks, Tarun!
@JayTee Thank you for enjoying the puzzle!
Congrats on a great debut! A perfect Monday puzzle. I'm 10 years older than you and have been solving crosswords for as long as I can remember, but I'm still struggling with constructing my own. You are an inspiration and I hope to see many more puzzles from you in the future. I really LOVED your theme! (and that's saying something since I usually dislike "phonetic themes") And it's my American partner's birthday today who taught me at the beginning of our relationship how to pronounce "sea anemone" correctly and while he's still struggling with Monday and Tuesday puzzles, I have a feeling this is the perfect one for him. Thank you! T
Hi Tarun, Great puzzle. Lots of fun. Hi Sam, In regard to your puns, I don't see an enemy, I see a fun commentator.
Terrific debut, Tarun. I'm always happy to see new, young constructors with such high-quality puzzles.
Finally beat my record with a 3:31! I think I’d have to be on a keyboard to do any better than that, since my thumbs could barely keep up.
@Joe I was under five minutes *with* a keyboard, and that's about as fast as I can read and type. On a phone, there would be no way. Sub-five has happened for me before, but it's been rare. A delightful five minutes,though!
It was absolutely delightful. I couldn't agree more with your assessment and recommendation to share with that friend who wants to try the crossword. Looking forward to seeing more!
@Val Thank you so much for the kind words!! I aim to produce more crosswords; this is just the beginning :)
@Tarun Krishnamurthy I'm impressed that you're willing to come to the comments section - it's oftem full of complainers who hate everything. However, I loved your puzzle and I'm trying to get my friend to try solving it. I love that you are from my town too. Looking forward to more from you!
This was a very kind, gentle grid for a Monday, particularly as I’m feeling a little delicate this morning after drowning my sorrows at England’s defeat in the Euros final. To see it’s been constructed by a 16 year old gives me hope for the future. Well done young man, may we see many more from you. I had phonetically grasped the revealer from the start, so that was a huge help, though I always want to pronounce it anenome, ANEMONE just doesn’t trip off the tongue as easily. Or is that just me? Even without a hangover?
Fun puzzle and an impressive debut. Hope our constructor doesn't have to 'see an enemy' in the comments. Looking forward to more. And.. of course my puzzle find today. A Sunday from February 11, 1996 by Harvey Estes with the title: "As Elmer Fudd would say." A couple of clue/answer examples: "I.R.S.'s tax portion, seemingly? :" ALLTHEWAGE "Marry feisty lady? :" WEDHOTMAMA And some other theme answers: WAYNEDANCE ATANYWEIGHT SMOKEFILLEDWOMB Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/11/1996&g=101&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/11/1996&g=101&d=A</a> ..
As I was solving this, I realized it was a great puzzle for new solvers. No (or very lttle) crosswordese, direct but clever clues that took a little thought, and no tricks in filling the answers. Then I read wordplay and found Sam saying the same thing. It's a good day!
Congratulations to you, Tarun. While I already knew how to pronounce ANEMONE, I once again learned something interesting from Sam’s column; namely, the original meaning of SCION; namely, a twig. With the benefit of that info, I finally twigged to what I assumed were the clever minds behind a fertility clinic in Toronto heretofore mysteriously called “Twig”. !!!!!!! ?????? Emus — not to be confused with colourful marine creatures — begone!
@Strudel Dad - think “family tree” and “where are your roots?” and it all meshes together.
Great debut, Tarun! Clever and fun. Always amazing to see quality puzzles from high school students. Can’t wait to see what you do next!
I wish I could attach a photo to this comment. In the glass showcase in my dining room, I have a beautiful piece of glass. It is colorful and swirly, with little points coming off its "arms." I love this little guy, who immediately jumped into my mind when I read the revealer, because he is a SEA ANEMONE. By then I already had most of some of the long clues filled in. So clever! I loved this game! Not a single look up; clues I didn't know first time around were easy enough to get from the crosses. A perfect Monday!
Mar in PA: Are you aware of the father and son team of glassblower, the Blaschkas? In the 1800s they created many amazing glass creatures (also flowers) and their works are on display in many museums, most notably Harvard's Museum of Natural History. There are some at the Corning Glass works, which might be closer to you (I assume you're in PA). Is it possible you have one of these? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_sea_creatures" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_sea_creatures</a>
Good morning. Snazzy theme for a Monday, made all the snazzier by knowing I am old enough to be the grandma of the constructor. Great debut! On another note, zipped right through the mini on the acrosses, blithely filling in "rings" for the Olympic symbol. Bzzzzzzzzzz!
This was a sensational debut. Fresh fill with a fun pay-off that made me smile. Everything you could hope for on Monday. Look forward to the next puzzle from Tarun.
@JBW Thank you so much for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed!
Congratulations on a fine NYT debut, Mr. Krishnamurthy! I’m sure we’ll see you back here soon!
Outstanding debut. A clever theme and solid fill. Congrats to our constructor! After getting ICANMANAGE, I filled in the three other CNMNEs immediately. But I didn't get the theme until the revealer.
One of easiest Monday puzzles I’ve done. 6:40 and didn’t have to read Sam’s tips to solve it.
@Sean Peterson That's wonderful to hear!!
Fun crossword, thank you. I struggled a little with the SW corner, I’ve never heard of a BOCA BURGER & aren’t very familiar with Ben & Jerry’s (it’s a new arrival here), so having two brand names cross each other made me doubt my other answers. And I’d be ashamed of my music degree if I didn’t politely say that it’s very rare for the brass section to be called “horns” in an orchestra. I entered “brass” first and that also threw me off in that corner.
@Rebecca Thanks for giving a different perspective on the crossword! I rarely get an international audience on my puzzles so this is great to know. Thanks for still enjoying the puzzle!
@Rebecca I struggled in the SW section, too, for exact same reasons.
@Rebecca I took HORNS to refer to French horns, which works just fine.
For a sixteen year old this is an incredibly clever and impressive puzzle! Great job Mr. Krishnamurthy :D PS, is there any reason GRETA is highlighted when you click on SEAANEMONE or is that just a bug?
Great debut! Well done. I've seen the high school related term "rising senior" here before and not quite sure what that means. All the other upper class kids are sleeping in? :) Each day that this "senior" rises is a gift.
@John “Rising senior” refers to a student who will be a senior when the next school year begins.
John, I've heard "rising senior" during the summer for many years now. I did not hear it or use it during the summers of 1963 or 1967. Senior. But not a super-senior.
A great debut puzzle, and a fun solve. Well done, Tarun!
@Kristin Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed!
Nice Monday puzzle! I love to see so many teens constructing puzzles! Bravo Tarun!
@NYTXWorderSince2020 @NYTXWorderSince2020 Thank you so much! Excited to see more teens onto the cruciverbal scene.
The SEA ANEMONEs on the Oregon coast this spring were spectacular. I was there for some unusually low tides, and so there was much to see, including their color contrast with the many-hued starfish. The circles justified me but now it makes sense. Clever!
Such a fun puzzle! Reminded me of one of my favorite books as a kid: C D B? D B S A BZ B! R U CP? Can’t wait to C and B entertained by Tarun’s next puzzle!
@Catherine Hanna I've been looking unsuccessfully for online examples to link to some Dan Piraro comics from years ago that had slightly stretchy grammagrams as a themes. In lieu of a link, here's one I remember: Customer F U N E X? Waiter S V F X! Customer F U N E X N M? Waiter S V F X N M! He did a bunch of similar ones, and they were fun to decipher.
Really fun puzzle! I love an easy fill Monday to gently find my way in to the week, and this one gave me a lovely surprise with the revealer, a new vegetarian meal to try and taught me some Latin, what more could you want.
Congrats on your debut, Tarun! Looking forward to seeing more grids from you.
Is it a rule that ETSY must be mentioned at least once per week? The other sites must be feeling left out by now
Ashley, So far this year, 4 ETSY to 2 EBAY. Overall, 86 ETSY to 124 EBAY. But EBAY has been in the grid since 1999 and ETSY only arrived in 2014. When do you think ETSY will take the lead? (223 EMUS)
@Ashley I suspect you can buy a BRA on ETSY, but I'm not so sure about an OREO. What used to be Charlotte or Norma is now clued as Issa. Some words are just really handy for a constructor trying to fill in a grid.