Before I can write anything else, I need a moment to regroup after reading the constructors' notes. I'm heart-warmed and a bit teary-eyed. I know how great it must be to get published, but there's not much that's greater than that love right there. Thank you, brothers Matz, for those notes, and for a puzzle worthy of kudos. It was a joy to solve, and gave me the aha I so look forward to in a crossword. It also gave me a flashback to when I moved to Austin. My brother had a band that played every Sunday at the same club. If I wasn't dancing, I was sitting in the back with the sound engineer, a lovely and funny original 60's hippie. At CLOSING TIME, he would announce: "If you're not with the band or sleeping with someone in the band, it's time to go home." Three Sundays later, when I finally felt more at ease with everyone who worked in the club, including him, I tapped him on the shoulder right before two a.m. and reminded him that I didn't fall into any of those two categories but was allowed to hang around. Without missing a beat, he spoke into the mic: "If you're not in the band, sleeping with someone in the band, or are the sister of someone in the band, it's time to go home." Thereafter, like clockwork, every Sunday at 2 a.m., you could see me smugly smiling.
What a warm, affectionate, and quick-witted thing for a brother to say. He sounds like an absolutely delightful guy, @sotto voce.
Bill Clinton’s is displayed…. 43D… I got to S_X and was aghast, decided 52A could not be EXEC. Held me up until the end. Then I thought… was the cat SOX now stuffed and in the Smithsonian? Finally SAX emerged in my mind and I finished. Thanks Matz’s! Fun little loop there.
@sonnel Ha! I briefly wondered if it was SoX too... And really hoped it wasn't! And then happily remembered his affinity for the SAX! ☺️
@sonnel Almost any vowel could have worked.
While most people there speak English, the Isle of Man has its own language, Manx, which is what I would've expended a language clue to refer to! There are plenty of punny place to refer to in Britain – Man in Manchester? – that don't run up against a local endangeed language.
@Michael OMG thank you! My thoughts exactly!!
For this kind of theme, I enjoy trying to make a clue that captures both versions of the entry. So here they are: C/LOSING TIME : Drinking slower and slower as you try to polish off your last beer. C/OVERCHARGE: how can it cost that much just to see a band’s first ever performance outside their own living room. (Hi, Sam.) C/LEANCUT: The butcher is so trim and fastidious, there’s no way there’s extra fat. C/RAMPS UP: the increasing yowling from the other side of the bed can only mean one thing: charley horse.
@Cat Lady Margaret So good! I always enjoy your comments of alternate clues/entries for a theme. Do you construct crosswords yourself? I’d love to solve one by you!
The more I have thought about this puzzle, the more I think it’s a perfect bridge for someone who is doing reasonably well with Monday and Tuesday puzzles but who struggles with Thursday trickery. You’re going along, filling in squares, and you hit something like 11D. The answer that fits the grid is obviously CLOSING TIME, but what does that have to do with “Not moving fast enough”? So you plug on, and eventually you see the revealer, which is simply beautiful and beautifully simple. Suddenly it all makes sense! Those of us who have been solving for years take these kinds of things for granted. I hope that many newer solvers were pleased when they got today’s trick. Thanks again, guys, for a wonderful puzzle and a lovely constructor note c
@Eric Hougland Part of getting to be an expert solver is taking into considering what day of the week it is, and any other circumstances (April Fool's Day, the Olympics, a major anniversary like D-Day) that may affect the puzzle. Everyone who has been solving for a month knows that Thursday is Tricky Day, but it also pays to realize that Wednesday can sometimes be Little Thursday. Today is one of those days. The key to this particular solve was filling in an entire area around one of the theme answers in a way that you were sure that the crosses were all correct, and then saying to yourself, "Obviously, something tricky is going on here; let's keep going, and we'll figure it out eventually, or get to the revealer." And not saying to yourself, "This is above my pay grade. There's no way I'm going to figure this puzzle out." Or even worse, "This is a terrible puzzle. The constructor is a sadist/lazy/incompetent/stupid/etc." (Of course, I'm addressing the general audience here, not you, specifically, Eric; I'm sure you knew this already.)
@Eric Hougland Second attempt here. I'm going to edit out some words that the emus might not have liked, and you can imagine what I originally wrote. Of course, as soon as I send it, the original will probably appear. Part of getting to be an expert solver is taking into considering what day of the week it is, and any other circumstances (April Fool's Day, the Olympics, a major anniversary like D-Day) that may affect the puzzle. Everyone who has been solving for a month knows that Thursday is Tricky Day, but it also pays to realize that Wednesday can sometimes be Little Thursday. Today is one of those days. The key to this particular solve was filling in an entire area around one of the theme answers in a way that you were sure that the crosses were all correct, and then saying to yourself, "Obviously, something tricky is going on here; let's keep going, and we'll figure it out eventually, or get to the revealer." And not saying to yourself, "This is above my pay grade. There's no way I'm going to figure this puzzle out." Or even worse, "This is a terrible puzzle. The constructor is (any one of various negative things)." (Of course, I'm addressing the general audience here, not you, specifically, Eric; I'm sure you knew this already.)
Song from "The Little Mermaid's Toy Story": "You've Got a Fin in Me" (I know all the scales of that one.)
@Mike Little Mermaid's fave hymn is "Rock of Ages, Clef for me..."
I love Wednesday puzzles. And this one is now my favorite. Thank you Matz Bothers for a fast fun fabulous puzzle that made me smile all the way through it. No look-ups needed. Very enjoyable and proof that an "easy" puzzle doesn't have to be boring or without great wordplay and tricky challenges. Nicely done! We're gonna have Saraha dust blowing our way and it'll be hot...over 100 hot here in Texas. But no matter because we are celebrating our own Simone Biles and her team for winning Gymnastics Gold tonight. Congratulations y'all! Cheers from Texas. Y'all stay cool and out of the Saraha dust.
That’s a heartwarming story, two brothers, one in high school, the other in college, brothers who adore each other; they make a puzzle together and it gets published in the Times. It’s a worthy puzzle too, with an elegant theme that brought me, and I’m guessing others, a sweet aha when its gimmick became clear. And the grid not only has hardly a whiff of junk, but brings loveliness: SEE PAST, GUSH, PERUSE, MIMIC, and OPENS UP. There are four answers that have never appeared in the Times puzzle before, and I’m amazed that three of them – BROADCASTER, CLOSING TIME, and CRAMPS UP – never have. The fourth, LEG DAY, is a gym term that I loved seeing. I don’t know how the MATZi found these theme answers, but all four of them make wonderful wordplays – bravo, gentlemen! Congratulations to you, Ben, on your debut. And thank you both for a bright and splendid outing today!
Loved everything about this, from puzzle to column to constructors' notes (so sweet when two brothers express such love and affection for each other and for their parents, it's a tear jerker for me every time!). For a while, with LOS Cruces rather than LAS, I had ROKER / OKTOPI. Funny to think about Al Roker (lovable NERD BROADCASTER) wearing a bib, he was bear-huggably pudgy before engaging in serious weight loss; now he looks positively gaunt, and I rather hope there's something he can FEAST ON with pleasure. There's a meme in there somewhere. And heck, "Oktopi" sounds good & Greek to me. I forget where the purists stand on octopi versus octopuses, but it's always good for a dash of bile in the comments section. They can duke it out with the duck lovin' anti-foie gras crowd; Jackson and Ben may be in for a bit of grief for referring to it as a "duck delicacy." About 20 years ago, a restaurant near us was picketed for serving foie gras. It was such a different world back then. The right-wingers within the GOP were playing the long game and putting all their chips in place (just look at the Supreme Court), and we just stood by, picketed duck liver, and watched. A neat paring of CLOSING TIME crossing OPENS UP, CRAMPS UP next to LEG DAY, and a fortunate grouping of SPHERE, UNDER THE SEA, and IRONS, for as we learned from yesterday's puzzle, under the sea (and under land), this sphere we live on is composed mostly of iron.
Oh Sam I loved your comment about ‘deploying your ink sac’ in the event we all have to endure the octopuses/octopi debate yet again. And although I think I recall enjoying the March puzzle of Mr Matz somewhat more than this fraternal joint effort, it was still very sweet and just what one needed on a day of feeling less than well…
Before I post my comment about the puzzle, I couldn't help but think about this Beatles' song inspired by a large number of the comments today, and the answer at 50 across. Seems like a nice coincidence: I'd like to be UNDERTHESEA in an octopus's garden in the shade ....
I am loving the puzzles this week! Although I will admit they’ve definitely been tougher for me than usual, so I’m both excited and terrified to see what’s coming up next. 🫣 Loved the Under the Sea theme. Very clever, and brings back a hilarious, fond memory of watching the OG Little Mermaid with my older brother. Thanks to the Brothers Matz for ending my challenging day with a smile. 😊
I don't know which I enjoyed more, the puzzle or the constructors notes. Then there was the bonus, CLOSING TIME. Tom Waits: <a href="https://youtu.be/ZGWJ5XiwbV0?si=8TqS4MYehjOCzCcT" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ZGWJ5XiwbV0?si=8TqS4MYehjOCzCcT</a>
@Nancy J. One of my all -time favorites. Thank you. The music plays and you display your heart for me to see I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me… I could fall in love with that song a million times… .
For once I actually needed the revealer to figure out how the themed answers work. But, once I got it, it came together nicely. I’m not going to GUSH about it, but it was a solid puzzle.
This was a c-harming puzzle that did me no harm. ;) I don't know how they got that specific theme from the song, or came up with several answers that worked so well, but I thought it was pretty clever. A very enjoyable Wednesday!
I thought this was a very CLever puzzle, with or without the fulcrum. (C what I did there?) Thanks, BLOKEs. . . . . Emu food for good measure… just a yard or two.
I CLOVE this puzzle, thank you to Brothers Matz!
Always refreshing to see an ocean- (or sea-) themed puzzle, even if it includes the execrable OCTOPI. Yes, it is an acceptable answer for a crossword. (Unlike soooo many commenters here, is don't reject legitimate words just because I, personally, don't like them -- and I certainly don't insult the constructors and editors.) Speaking of which, kudos to Sam for the ink-sac comment. Well played!
I currently have a stye on my eye, and it still took me a minute to get that clue 🤦🏼♀️
It's a good thing I don't care a whole lot about time, at least when it comes to crosswords... In regular life, the passage of time seems to be C/RAMPSing UP at an alarming pace! Back to my point, I don't worry about time much in crosswords yet, which is a good thing because I had to stop and let my husband know that I was pretty sure the comment section was going to be on fire tonight re the great octopuses/OCTOPI debate. I'm pretty sure he was fascinated by my commentary before I allowed him to go back to watching swimming. I was just waiting for more women's gymnastics, myself, so I did the puzzle. When I got to the revealer I was a bit concerned because I don't know anything Disney, so I moved on and while I was filling out another answer completely unrelated, all of a sudden UNDER THE SEA popped into my head! Fun theme! I really enjoyed it all! Remembering the song was almost as rewarding as earlier today when at the end of a meeting I said I would email someone about that thing right away. I didn't write it down because I was going to do it right away. As soon as the meeting ended, I started an email and completely forgot what am I supposed to email about. Wracked my brain and then started to freak out a little bit, because I knew it involved my boss. Three hours later it popped randomly into my head and I took care of it right away. I guess the song revealer had a little less at stake, but I was still equally happy! 😁 Thanks for another fun one!
@HeathieJ I retired from software development because my short term memory seemed to be failing. That, and that my short term memory seemed to be failing.
This definitely falls into the category of, “How did they think of that?” So fun. Congrats to the Matz brothers.
Brilliant! Inspired! Ingenious! Into my running list for "Puzzle of the Year" it goes. It broke with the mantra I've developed through experience and that I was telling myself: "If there's a mismatch between the clue and the answer, the trick is in the CLUE!" So I reread every clue, looking for a change of letter or a reversal of the phrase or...something. But that wasn't it at all. Because I didn't know the song upfront, there was no early tipoff. I had the UNDER, but was it UNDER the SKY or SEA or SUN? Only after getting UNDER THE SEA did I see that when you remove the C from the starred and completely in-the-language answers you get a different completely-in-the-language answer that completely fits the clue. Wow! Could I have solved the puzzle without figuring any of this out? Sure -- but that's not the point. What a really clever puzzle!!
@Nancy It’s on my POY list, too. It’s just a great “Thursday lite” theme.
Note to the brothers Matz: The above comment is an honor of unparalleled magnitude! Nancy, a supreme constructor in her own right, is known for shredding a puzzle to pieces with her wry, dark, and wicked sense of humor we so love. So, not only have you escaped her funny tear-downs, you've made it into her POY list! Trust me when I say you'll want to print her comment and frame it! :-)
OCTOPI made me smile. Some of the clueing helped with seeing the double plays. Ball? SPHERE. I’m guessing lots of millennials now have the CLOSING TIME song stuck in their heads. Which, if you care to fact check, was written about N overdue baby who just loved being in utero.
@Red Carpet I'm waiting for the inevitable torrent of complaints that OCTOPI is an incorrect plural; that the first part is Greek, so the -I ending, which is Latin, doesn't belong, blah, blah, blah. It's a correct form, if not a common one, because English. It's in the dictionary and the ship has sailed. But those complaints will come...
@Steve L That's all well and good, but according to the rule of "which word is the most fun," the correct plural is octopodes.
Saw OCTOPI and expect there’s some grumbling below, but c’mon… We all got it because most of us learned it in school. Where the stuff they teach you is *supposed* to be correct. Like the food pyramid. Or the planet Mars. Or how sharks *breathe* by moving through water… Or…oh never mind. Now I feel old. But OCTOPI was a gimme. Love the brotherly duo, both for the clever puzzle, but endearing constructor’s notes just put the whipped cream on top of any fun solve. Thanks for both!
A fun puzzle! I was so pleased with myself when I figured out the theme. I would have been quicker to hear the music if I had known how to spell 'foie gras', as I had 'fois gras', remembering only 'fois' means something in French. That, and two typos meant my going through the alphabet to learn what of Clinton is in the Smithsonian failed. I didn't know he played the sax! I hope we see many more puzzles from the Brothers Matz!
@Joan Familiarity with the Animaniacs theme song is very helpful for that clue.
@Joan More like: Clinton blew into his SAX....those puffed-out cheeks prove he didn't have proper instruction...and don't get me started on embouchure....
Congratulations on a fun NYT debut, Ben Matz! I confess that I was a bit miffed when I saw the clue for the revealer because I don’t know any songs from “The Little Mermaid” — and then I got a few letters of the answer and realized I did. Thanks, gents!
Regarding nicks … many long years ago, George Foreman was being interviewed by David Letterman and somehow the topic of shaving cuts came up. George changed my life. He said to Dave: “The problem is, you think _you_ are shaving yourself.” (In German class, we learned it: man rasiert sich: one shaves oneself.) “But what you need to know is that the razor was made to do what it does. You need to let the razor fulfill its purpose by shaving you.” I haven’t had a shaving cut since I saw that episode. Let the thing do what it was made to do.
A CHARMONIUS collaboration. (The word's not in the puzzle but if I put it in all caps the spell checker accepts it). Well done and thanks.
I would never eat foie gras. And I only ever consume mermaid-safe tuna. I don't know if I'm more amazed that there are four entries that are legit things with or without C or that these constructors found them. I woulda thunk they'd have to resort to silly phrases like "hew toys". (Not that I have anything against silly themes.) They certainly made a Splash with this puzzle.
Fun, Jackson & Ben, thanks! I was flitting about this one, hadn't got the theme yet, or a real toe-hold, and decided that 31D was EXTRALEAN. Wondered if TSA lines were extra long. Wondered what I was even doing. Came to my senses and it all fell into place, and it was the most fun I've had on a Wednesday puzzle for a while.
Congrats Brothers Matz and thanks for a fun puzzle! I breezed through with no lookups and 19 minutes under average. These are my favorite kind of puzzles- a fun theme, clever clues, and widely used words.
@Sam agreed really appreciated that it wasn't full of proper nouns or archaic language.
I tried coming up with more theme answers, but they all sounded dumb. I crest my case. Et tu, emu.
Fun puzzle. Typical slow start for me, but once I worked out the reveal and caught on to the theme it all fell together smoothly. Couldn't ask for anything more. Had a couple of puzzle finds today. I might put those in a reply. ..
@Rich in Atlanta Yes please do! I love your suggestions.
Gentle reminder to new and old solvers: when the theme is in the downs, that fact is 99.99% part of the theme: “under the…” Whenever you spot down themes, look for that kind of connection.
@David Connell Good point. I’m grateful that the NYT only publishes puzzles with theme answers that run down when it’s essential to the theme because I find it very difficult to read long down answers. It’s usually true — possibly always true — that you can rotate a crossword grid 90° and turn the across answers into downs.
I would venture to say that the BLANKS in Scrabble are actually by definition the least valuable tiles.
@Shrike Technically they have no value themselves, but they make it possible to get high scores when combined with your other tiles, which makes them invaluable. 🙂
@Shrike Blank tiles make it infinitely easier to play a bingo (using all seven tiles). Since you get a 50 point bonus for doing that, blanks are very useful.
I was ready to be mad when CReePSUP wasn't correct. I went through a whole series of thoughts . Who says it CRAMPS UP when things increase sharply?! Arrrggghhhh wait oh I misinterpreted the Under The Sea reference haha I get it now. Fun one.
As far as I know, foie gras usually refers to goose liver of fattened geese. (The fattening is inhumane and illegal in many places.)
@shelly The clue is correct; FOIE GRAS can be made from either goose or duck. I feel goose is better known and perhaps more common, but that doesn't obviate the choice of duck. Of course, as you say, force-feeding the birds is rather barbaric, so the best choice is probably to eschew either one.
@shelly There is a more humane foie gras, made from the livers of geese who naturally gorge themselves. <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/01/487088946/this-spanish-farm-makes-foie-gras-without-force-feeding" target="_blank">https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/01/487088946/this-spanish-farm-makes-foie-gras-without-force-feeding</a>
@shelly I disagree. I believe foie gras is often made from duck and it tastes fantastic.
On the analogy of tripods, octopods—octopodes is too much to hope for and octopuses seems to be the norm— is preferable to the sad and erroneous octopi, which is long past its expiration date. I look forward to the day when neither the Crossword nor Spelling Bee accept octopi. On another Latin related clue, opus just means 'work', not 'great work' which is 'magnum opus'.
@Lorenzo The term octopod is broader than just octopus, so its plural octopods is not exactly synonymous with OCTOPI or any of the other plurals of octopus. As for OPUS, you’re talking about how it’s used properly in Latin. In English, it’s often used with the magnum sense. Have a tamale.
Excellent puzzle - you guys rock! You make a great team. Got any sisters? (I ask this strictly from a cruciverbial interest.)
Very satisfying AHA moment when I caught on to what “Under the sea” meant which certainly helped to get the long vertical entries. Also lovely notes from Jackson and Ben, as many have mentioned, and hopefully we will see more from them.
An entry in this puzzle made me a little sad as it’s a byproduct of, essentially, animal cruelty. I hope that our society eventually makes it to the point where that entry can be clued to reflect the inhumanity that goes into producing this (utterly unnecessary) “delicacy.” Relatedly, OCTOPI are intelligent and emotional, and I never knew they had three hearts?!? All the more reason to leave them in puzzles and off plates. A great puzzle today - fast but clever.
At least The Brothers Matz are not 8 and 10 years of age or something outrageous like that. At least promise us that you have had some fights, like average sibs, okay? Juuuust kidding. Congrats. Come back soon, ya hear? Wanting a bit more of a struggle today, but even as I write that, I think a trip to the dermatologist (with her freezer gun) and Day 3 of a serious Heat Advisory really should be enough excitement. What's the difference between a duck and a goose? (39D)
On the easier side but very clever! I appreciate the fact that even with the C the words still have some other meaning 👏👏
Seemed like a very solid Wednesday theme to me, with some interesting non-thematic entries to boot. I must be on the right wavelengths so far this week. Solved this one in about ten minutes, which is about half my Wednesday average. Certainly helped that I more or less got the thematic trick very early.
Very fun Wednesday puzzle. Theme was easy to parse out. Very much enjoyed it. I prefer octopi so that was no big deal for me. Great job.
Was late getting back here to post my puzzle finds. Did them in a reply to my original comment, but I doubt many will see that, so I'll put them here again: Here's one of them: A Sunday from July 8, 2007 by Elayne Cantor and Nancy Salomon with the title "R-rated film remakes." One clue/answer example: "Remake about impiety during a storm? :" SINNININTHERAIN And some other theme answers: RISQUEBUSINESS THENAUGHTYPROFESSOR BROADCASTNUDES SAINTMISBEHAVIN THEBAWDYGUARD Here's the Xword Info link for that one: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/8/2007&g=88&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/8/2007&g=88&d=A</a> And.. the other one: A Friday from April 28, 1989 by Joel D. Lafargue. Theme answers in that one: THEGREENEHORNET BROADCASTGNUS THEMAUDESQUAD DANSONINTHEDARK That's it. ..
@Rich in Atlanta Those sound fun! Thanks for sharing! Reminds me a little of one of the favorite ones I've done in my not quite a year of crossword puzzling. Sunday February 4th, Hollywood Remakes. So much of the theme cracked me up!
I doubt very much that I'm the first to comment on this but for the three letter word starting with S and ending with X for "Bill Clinton's is displayed at the Smithsonian, for short"... I had to really restrain myself from filling in SeX. I mean, it is *Bill Clinton*, after all. I could just see a big ol' poster of him au naturale, grinning his big Arkansas boy grin. Probably right next to the blue dress. I'm a proud voter, but I'm not always proud of what I'm voting for.
@Francis Some of us worried that it might be a taxidermied SoX the cat. Although I'm pretty sure his name was spelled like the foot garment. And not to be confused with the blue dress garment. Yeesh!
@Francis I thought the same thing!! Very clever clue from the constructor!!
I raised my kids during the Disney boom of the 80's/90's, so "Under the Sea" was a gimme on my first pass, and set the stage for the rest of the puzzle. I did have to switch "Pens" in to HEMS in, but that's on me. Happy Wednesday!
@Amy as someone who was raised in the 80s/90s, I was in the same boat on “Under the Sea”…and I also started with PENS rather than HEMS :)
It's my birthday! A fun solve to start the morning. Minor bone to pick: I believe the plural of octopus is "octopuses," not "octopi."
@Remi Happy birthday! I think OCTOPI sounds pompous and affected, but since it’s in the dictionary, it doesn’t bother me too much to see it in the puzzle.