Great debut and interesting history to “throw shade.” The 18th century use came from “umbrage” with the idea that a displeased person had a shadow around them. Congrats to Mr. D’Alfonso
"I like to sit under this tree." "Sounds shady." ("I should branch out.")
@Mike Are you bragging that you're limber enough to sit on the ground?
@Mike Oak, eh, enough fir today. Maple some more tomorrow. I'm sure the emus are pining for it...
@Mike Sounds okay if everyone leaves you alone, but if someone should axe you to move, don't bark at them.
I’m a puSHOVEr for a puzzle with a lobster roll in it! And, to whom it may concern, the sauna covering here at our place is… NULL SET.
This checks the boxes for an excellent theme. It’s never been done before. It involves wordplay and is capped with an aha revealer. The theme answers have zing. And they are fresh – one has appeared only three times in the 80 years of NYT puzzles, and the others less than that, including answer debut LOBSTER ROLL. Bravo on that, Tim! Plus, there were little things I liked: • Wonderful answer set for a Monday puzzle, with very few if any no-knows. • ELSIE echoing yesterday’s GLUE. • Lovely answers, CLINCH, CHUCKLEHEAD, STAVE, CLARET. • O-tail row two, with NERO, CREDO, INFO, buttressed by nearby wannabe EMO. • ON THE GO abutting GONE. And a big thing I liked. I actually guessed the revealer before uncovering it! This is an ongoing challenge for me, something I’m weak at. But, THROW SHADE hit me, and I wondered, “Could it be? Could it be?” And it was! So, this is going to be a very good day. Congratulations on your debut, Tim, and thank you for a basket-of-goodies outing today!
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Student-run class? (3) 2. Chicken or mashed potato (5) 3. Something made just for show? (3) 4. Pass it on! (5) 5. Faux finish? (3) GYM DANCE SET BATON PAS
Unless I am wrong, and I am never wrong, I leave no correction marks on my crossword. I'm just *that* good! (And if anyone believes that, I have some nice fire swamp property I could sell them in HOG HEAVEN!) Before anyone THROWs SHADE my way, I'll confess that I would have had a couple ERASUREs today if I YEWSed a pencil to solve, but they're really CHUCKLE HEADed... I was going fast and reading too fast and I tried a couple times to write dane into 7D. Yikes! This is what happens when I try to best my Monday time. I think I'm way too clumsy to ever be very fast. Anyhow, fun puzzle! Nice debut! I loved reading that Mr. D’Alfonso got his start drawing puzzles into his grandparents' holiday cards! That's the sweetest and I bet they treasured them!!
Twas Sunday, and Tim's lobster roll Did debut and addle in the space; All outlaw were the bellhop toes, And the insects throwshade. "Beware the slowest men, my son The social bite, the pens that catch! Beware the nullset bird, and slap That Nero Midas Bandersnatch!"
@Whoa Nellie Woah, it's Nellie! ****************** ****************** ******************
@Whoa Nellie Lewis Carroll would approve, as do I! Emus in Wonderland
@Whoa Nellie Allow me to join the chorus of admiration....! Tim D'Alfonso is no doubt honored by this use of his fun Monday puzzle.
Constructor Notes: "I live in Long Island, N.Y. ..." Hi Tim, Thanks for the nice Monday puzzle. I don't mean to THROWSHADE, but don't you live *on* Long Island?
@Barry Ancona Seems pedantic. No one says I live "on" North America or "on" Des Moines. They are all geographies but people mostly are referring to the community they live within.
BA brings up an interesting point here. It’s true that “I live on Long Island” is certainly the most common expression, but I think it is just an idiom without much to explain it. As Hanson points out, people do say things like “I live in Des Moines”, “I live in New England”, even “I live in Hawaii “. But no one says. “I live in the upper east side”. You live “in” Queens, not “on” Queens. You may live “in” the neighborhood, but never “in” a cul-de-sac. It must be so hard to learn this language of ours….
Love THROWING SHADE. A fun puzzle for Monday, straight forward but nice entries. I’m filling time today, waiting for the call from future son in law; he’s proposing to our daughter in the next hour, at which point we scoot over to their house with champagne and flowers. It’s been a military campaign keeping it secret the last 6 weeks 🤐 I’m beyond excited.
@Helen Wright - never forget that “wright” means “person who makes something (happen). May it be well wrought today. 🥂
@Helen Wright Congratulation all round Helen! I hope there's better weather for it down in Somerset than I've heard reported from down south the last few days. West of Scotland had a mini-heatwave on Friday and Saturday, it was glorious!
@Helen Wright I'm so happy for you! I hope the proposal, the flowers and the champagne all went down a treat!
Don't let anyone see you bring a TOWEL in a sauna in Finland, though.
@Sonja Right? Saunas were not common in Poland in the 80s and 90s, but when people did have access to one, they always went nude, men and women, also together. My mother so enjoyed the experience she actually had a small sauna installed at home in the 90s. It's still there but nobody has used it in years.
I'm gonna keep publicly complaining here until the NYT crossword stops misgendering Elsie Fisher — it would be so easy (and more accurate!) to just describe them as an actor in clues.
Avril, It would probably be best to just say [Fisher of "Eighth Grade"]. That way, we neither misgender nor mislead, since for that film they were nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress. #####
@Avril Have you written in officially to suggest this? I'm not sure you'll be heard by the right people by only saying it in this comment section. I'm not implying that you shouldn't say it here just that you'll be heard by the people who can actually make a change if you write in.
@Avril I'm not sure if this is the best email to use or not but it sounded like it might work... <a href="mailto:corrections@nytimes.com">corrections@nytimes.com</a> !!
Tougher than usual for a Monday but a nice one to round off 104 Mondays (2years) in a row!
Woof! I usually come into Mondays thinking "can I get a PB?"... unless the cat is sitting on my lap forcing me to type one-handed. In this case I was typing two handed and things were looking great on the across pass. But started getting majorly bogged down on the - uh - downs. And to top it off, I had some ugly little nits in the end. Turned out to be probably close to a personal worst. But, a fair, fun puzzle even if tough for a Monday.
@MC That was pretty much my experience. I enjoyed the puzzle, but my solve time was closer to Tuesday than Monday. Going for motto and data rather than CREDO and INFO, not knowing CHUCKLEHEAD or that odds could be LONG and heaven HOT complicated things. Btw, in Poland, because of its long Catholic history, the word "credo" also exists, actually spelled the same as in Latin and English, but it is exclusively used in a religious context, to describe a confession of faith (so common this usage is in fact that an atheist like me knows it, too). Non-religious words to live by are always called a motto.
Nice Monday! Accessible but spicier than average.
I'm happy to see the reference to Mansfield Park. I just finished my fourth reading in five years.
I was quite confident about 16A, until additional DATA from the down clues provided sufficient INFO that a different answer was needed.
@Tom z I too had 'data' at first. Also, 'motto' at first. It didn't take me long until those answers changed. Very nice Monday!
Fun Monday puzzle. Just a bit on the slow side for me, but catching on to the theme and working out the shaded squares just added to the enjoyment. Was not at all familiar with CHUCKLEHEAD - more of a knucklehead myself. Back on a one day streak; we'll see how long this lasts. And of course my puzzle find today. A Monday from June 3, 2013 by John Lampkin. Theme answers in that one: PIGINAPOKE SOWSEAR PORKBARREL HOGHEAVEN HAMFISTED Thought that was a cute grouping. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/3/2013&g=11&d=D" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/3/2013&g=11&d=D</a> ...
I believe 20A would be more accurately referred to as an “actor”, as they use they/them pronouns!
@Das ....although those of us who still do not know who this person is, much less know of/have seen the show/play, would just be more confused. Mondays are meant to be easy. But thanks for the tip.
I confidently started filling in ITALIANSANDWICH for the Maine clue before I realized that despite the ubiquitous nature of that food in state it’s not the speciality sandwich we are known for.
@Gail the best Italian I’ve ever had was in Portland Maine. Yum. Had some good lobster rolls too!
@Gail As someone who has spent a lot of time in your State, I can whole-heartedly agree on the Italian grinders. For those starting to work up an appetite for one of these, let me refer you to Anania’s Variety, with two locations in Portland. They offer, count’em, nine varieties of Italian subs: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/cydde74w" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/cydde74w</a> Not sure if they deliver, though….
Congratulations on a fine NYT debut, Mr. D’Alfonso! Nicely done! I’m sure we’ll see you back before long.
Excellent puzzle with a fun theme, but for me quite a bit more difficult than usual for a Monday. I wasn’t quite the only one but near enough. As always, not a complaint, just an observation. I did catch on to the theme quite quickly, so that was fine for a Monday and I certainly would welcome another puzzle from Tim.
My never-satisfied brain started trying to think of other theme answer possibilities. There was CHURLISH, including HURL. But the treasure chest was LOFT. Because it has “of” in the middle, there are so many possibilities, all with verve, which I found with the help of the clue/answer tool on XwordInfo. Look at them! ROLL OF THE DICE SCHOOL OF THOUGHT ALL OF THE ABOVE BALL OF TWINE COUNCIL OF TRENT KERNEL OF TRUTH SMALL OF THE BACK SPOOL OF THREAD And longer answers, for if the theme ran on Sunday: IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT THE CALL OF THE WILD THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER THE MORAL OF THE STORY TRIAL OF THE CENTURY
@Lewis I know you're retired (or, that is my impression) but isn't it a bit early to start drinking? I see that both of us had the same helpful impulse to offer additional words for Tim's further works,... For you, it was a LOFTy pursuit!
At 10 years old, I don’t think I knew enough about responsibilities to wonder about those (or the lack there-of) held by retired people. At retired-years-old, I’m glad we don’t have a sea wall here, because I’m too busy to add that to my to-do list. But no complaining, got it made in the… time it usually takes on a Monday, actually a bit less.
@JohnWM Sea wall? Responsibilities of Us Oldies? What on earth? What puzzle are you doing? SMH Dazed and confused....
Aha. I just read our Constructor's Notes, and there's the sea wall and an impoverished impression of the occupations of retirees. (Tim, you left out taking pills and complaining about the younger generations.) Juuuust kidding! this was fun, and I think there's enough material for another puzzle along these lines. LOFT, TOSS, PITCH, FLING, and even STROW/STREW (to give folks something to whine about, eh?) I started with TORonto... Grateful for Set Theory, as otherwise I'd not have gotten the Rocker Reed. Hasn't CROW been on the menu quite often lately? On with the day!
Hardest Monday I’ve ever done, I honestly don’t understand how this was a Monday puzzle. Maybe I am alone in this, but I feel that it had a lot of niche references and phrases not many people say like CHUCKLEHEAD (never heard that, only knucklehead) and CREDO.
@Nicole I couldn’t agree more and you’re not alone. Mondays are virtually the only puzzles I can solve without looking anything up but today was like a Wednesday to me.
Currently on 232 streak, this was by far one of the easiest ones. I don't expect a challenge anymore, I'm too good at this.
@Juan That's the spirit... that sounds like famous last words.
That was definitely one of my slowest Mondays - I got caught on both data and motto, but sorted that out fairly easily, but I was so sure it should be bellboy (instead of bellhop) that it took me a lot of playing around to put right
I found some of the clueing on this one to be awkward, especially for a Monday.
Tossing all my inhibitions aside, I hurled myself into this one. This puzzle was at the perfect Monday pitch. Thanks, Tim. C'mon back, we won't yeet ya. Loved "your of yore" for 42D THY. I BET many of our international solvers had to stop and reorient themselves to the US roads to recognize rightmost as SLOWEST.
@Linda Jo and Strands was fairly easy once you're in the groove. Strands #190 “Go play outside!” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🟡🔵 Go play outside, emus.
Solid Monday puzzle. 5 minute solve. Oh, and I even had a LOBSTERROLL for lunch at the US Open, as I every year on Championship Sunday...
Great Monday puzzle. Chucklehead - one of my most favourite words. It’s an old English word for stupid one. It was also an oft used word by Coach Lubbock in the 90s series Just the Ten of Us.
Thank you for this excellent Monday puzzle, Tim. 54A reminded me of LOUreedia, the velvet spider that lives underground. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loureedia" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loureedia</a>
@Nancy J. I was very taken by the concept of a velvet underground spider that a researcher named after Lou Reed. Somewhat horrified to learn of the method used by the mother velvet spider to feed her young. Eww!
@Nancy J. At this point I think it would be folly not to point out that a member of that spider genus has been located in the Middle East which has markings reminiscent of the Joker. It was named Loureedia Phoenixia in honor of Joaquin Phoenix. No kidding…. <a href="https://tinyurl.com/5hbwczjd" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/5hbwczjd</a>
I didn't like this at all. Too many proper nouns but also weirdly simplistic clues that stumped me for how obvious they were like 17A and 42A. Not a good Monday
@Shawn Not sure how obvious those or any answers are to others. For example, with the S already there, I as an experienced solver, entered SWAT. Tell me that's not a viable answer! As for 42A, many new solvers will look askance at the fact that THE is in the answer. Out of curiosity, what's your limit for proper nouns? And why do you think there should be a limit in the first place?
I don't think I've ever struggled so much with a Monday. I am sad that I didn't remember the phrase 'EAT CROW' from its inclusion in a puzzle last week, but I'm certainly eating it today.
No Thinking Required -- with the exception of one answer that I didn't know because that math term wasn't in use/vogue when I was taking math way back then. At least I don't think it was. NULL SET is a part of what's called "set theory", right? And I never heard the term "set theory" in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry or Calculus. It's been alluded to hundreds of times in the decades since and I have always wondered just what the bleep set theory IS? FULL SET looked better to me than NULL SET, but I didn't think that ESPN had an ESPF offshoot. So I guessed right. As for everything else in the puzzle -- I never paused once to raise my pen from the paper. Really easy, even for a Monday.
@Nancy Set theory is a branch of mathematics. You've probably come across it with Venn diagrams. Like there's a set of all US Presidents, and a set of all US Senators. A few people will be members of both sets, like Obama, some only members of one or the other. Most are in neither set. Although like a lot of math, it's pretty esoteric. But it shows us in several sciences. The one I'm most familiar with is with chemistry. Group theory is a branch of set theory which helps describe the shapes and symmetries of molecules.
@Nancy There are those who would argue that set theory is right at the core of all mathematics. There's a long tradition of [high] schools on both sides of the pond doing their damnedest to put students off the subject by making it tedious, mechanical and repetitive. I was lucky enough, 60 years ago, just to catch the turn of the tide for one year only.
Same experience for me. New PB. I didn’t look at a number of crossing clues because it was so obviously right.
Btw... EKG is German elektrokardiogramm ECG is American electrocardiograph It is just one of my pet peeves. The clue should reference (German).
Janis, If medical websites (in the USA) use them both, I think the puzzle can too. <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ekg/about/pac-20384983" target="_blank">https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ekg/about/pac-20384983</a> <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/diagnosing-a-heart-attack/electrocardiogram-ecg-or-ekg" target="_blank">https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/diagnosing-a-heart-attack/electrocardiogram-ecg-or-ekg</a> <a href="https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/electrocardiogram-ekgs" target="_blank">https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/electrocardiogram-ekgs</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocardiography" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocardiography</a>
@Barry Ancona Agree. As an ED physician I can tell you that EKG is the most common daily usage, notwithstanding etymology.
I can’t find anything definitive on this, but I’d guess that EKG is preferred over ECG because it is more distinct from EEG when spoken aloud, and also can’t be confused with echocardiogram.
A Monday that almost threw me. I couldn't make sense of the crossing of 23a and 21d because I've only ever seen 21d spelled one way and 23a was just wrong otherwise. Is 21d thus spelled a thing over there? Also, my LOI was the junction of 63a and 57d, a crossing of an unfamiliar phrase and a TV character. A cultural ocean indeed! Glasgow's equivalent scepticism [sic] to 1a is so ingrained in the city's character that our annual literary festival is called "Aye Write". Also, given 54a, I'm sure others will wish to pause to remember Brian "Herbie" Flowers, who died on Thursday last week. Nice guy and unassuming colossus of popular music who provided the distinctive bass riff on 54a's signature song as well as some memorable tuba on other songs on the 1972 album it appeared on. Not only that but he appears on far more popular and jazz tracks that many people realise– check the small print in your album collection. Any producer knew that if they wanted deep and growly, Herbie was the man to call.
@Rosalind Mitchell Yes, it is almost exclusively EKG in the US, and very rarely EcG.
@Rosalind Mitchell There’s no reason to refer to answers by their numbers. The assumption here is that everyone reading the comments has finished the puzzle or has come here for help, so no one worries about spoilers. Using the actual answers will make your comments easier to read — and probably easier to write. Thanks!
A flea isn't an insect. /copyeditor
@Lisa Houlihan Yes, it is. Maybe you're thinking of a tick? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea</a>
@Lisa Houlihan Yes it is. It's not a flying insect though. Fleas are of Class Insecta, Order Syphonoptera. Syphonoptera is also the title of the poem by Augustus de Morgan that begins Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum. And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater fleas to go on; While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on.
@Lisa Houlihan - It most certainly is! I've also been called an insect -- in that case the jury is still out...
Probably the wrong place, but I'm wondering why I pay for a yearly subscription. In the last 3 weeks, I solved the puzzle,, got the congratulations, but also a blue star which remains. In that span, this has happened at least 4 times all on different days, The last example was yesterday. Yes, all tho non-credited puzzles are correct and it is irritating beyond belief. Contacted support but have yet to receive an answer. If you're going to sell a product, enough effort should be taken to make sure it works.
@festy If you used the answer checking tools then it negates a gold star. That's all I can think of.
Is this the first time Chucklehead has been used? I love the word, use it all the time - mostly aimed at other drivers on the roads. Just curious.
@Cele Two previous CHUCKLEHEADs: 7/25/85 [Dolt or rockfish] 6/7/64 [Black-bellied plover] My usual word “aimed at other drivers” involves a different body part.
@Cele I haven't seen/heard CHUCKLEHEAD in a long time...brings to mind Moe yelling at the other two Stooges. It made me chuckle.
@Cele Are those drivers taking up residence in the left lane with the cruise control set for 5 five over, thus rendering SLOWEST incorrect? 😉
Fun puzzle! Yay! emu food more emu food
@Bonnie Nice to see you here!
Fun puzzle! I had no idea that “throwing shade” went so far back. And what a sweet story from the constructor about making puzzles for his grandparents! As a (half-) Finnish-American, I am glad to see that an actual Finn has explained the nudity appropriate to SAUNA. That answer stumped me at first, though it was easy enough to get from the crosses. Happy semester, to all who are into that sort of thing!
Wondering if the “in Long Island” was the author’s or was an editorial correction? People are throwing shade at the “in” but I know that true Long Islanders like myself say “on.” Hope the NYT didn’t change the geographic vernacular!
If you got rid of the shaded letters, this would have been a great themeless puzzle. Enjoyed it very much.
@Red Carpet If you got rid of the shaded letters, how would you explain 63A? Just curious. !!!! !!!!
I found this a particularly enjoyable solve. First off, because I've always been fond of the phrase "throwing shade," secondly, because of the self-referential nature of the theme. thank you, Mr. D'Alfonso! In the 1970's, in the Estonian SSR, "don't compose a piece of music of an overtly religious nature, or at least title it thus, if you have any hope of performance or publication" were good words to live by: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT5PuKrUv6o" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT5PuKrUv6o</a>
I can’t see references to 57D without thinking of Fred Armisen!
Your solution to 70 Across is correct only if one goes the long way around the Earth.
@Don You are mistaken, unless you know of a Monterrey or a Miami other than the obvious one. Monterrey is in Mexico, just south of the southern tip of Texas. Miami, Florida is practically due east of it as the crow flies.