Three Mondays in a row solved completely on my own. It may not be a big deal for all of you, but certainly is for me 😄. It’s nice to start the week on a high, before getting absolutely slaughtered by this puzzle any other day of the week!
@Kellie Congratulations! Most of us started out being able to solve only the early week puzzles. Solving crosswords takes some practice, but the neat thing is that you will probably get better at it sooner than you would expect. Good luck and have fun!
@Kellie Way to go, Kellie! That's awesome!! As a still newer solver at just over a year, I can confirm that it is a big deal! Soon you'll conquer more days of the week completely on your own!
@Kellie It's always a big deal to start to get a handle on any day of the NYT puzzles. I'm a newer solver than most here, and I very much recall the feeling of finally not having to be afraid of a NYT puzzle.
[Ain't how it should be?] I loved this clue! And the puzzle was exactly how a Monday should be – breezy and a joy to solve. Ms. Penner and Mr. Sinnock, TIME AND TIME AGAIN you bring us delightful puzzles with creative themes. Thank you, and congratulations on winning an Orca!
Hmm...back when I wore "hosiery" we worried about RUNS, not SNAGS. (I go far enough back that I remember trying to get the seams straight up the backs of my legs...and Oh, that garter belt!) The advent of "Pantyhose" was rather fraught, as "one size fits all" made many of us get creative... Back in the Dark Ages... "Da Bomb" is DATED slang? I remember when classmates referred to our son (the math whiz) with that term... He is in his forties now, come to think of it. I need to go lie down now.
@Mean Old Lady SRSLY, I'm still learning the dated ones. Ain't that swell, daddio? This puzzle was boss.
@Mean Old Lady -- I also go back to the days of hosiery (I called them "stockings") and the perfectly ridiculous garter belt, but I'm pretty sure I wore only seamless stockings and never had to think even once about keeping my seams straight. Could this possibly mean I'm younger than you? Probably not. At this point I'm thinking I'm not younger than anyone.
@Mean Old Lady Speaking of DATED hosiery, my mom wore L'eggs, which came in plastic egg-shaped containers. She re-purposed them for Easter, hanging them on the pear tree in the front yard or filling them with Hershey Kisses and such.
@Mean Old Lady Same here on worrying about getting a run in my pantyhose... And keeping clear nail polish on hand, just in case. I'm glad you wrote this because I felt a little embarrassed that I ended up only getting SNAGS on the crosses... I was just too committed to the memory of runs. I'm glad I no longer have the occasion or expectation of bothering with hosiery. They were enough to gag me with a spoon!
"Can you fix my slot machine?" "Yeah, I think I can handle that." ("Then I can take it for a spin.")
Mike, You took a risk with that pun, *fixing* a gambling device? They might have bandit.
@Mike Ugh, another pun. I'll have you drawn and quartered!
@Mike I'm surprised the emus didn't disarm that one. (Figured I might as well chip in today.)
ITSON! Pumpkin Spice Madness is in full bloom. Feel free to shake your gourd in disbelief, or run to your local for evidence of - Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer Pumpkin Spice Spam Pumpkin Spice Doggy Cologne Pumpkin Spice Frosted Mini Wheats Pumpkin Spice Air Freshener Pumpkin Spice Moon Pies Pumpkin Spice Shower Gel Pumpkin Spice RumChata Pumpkin Spice Whipped Body Butter Pumpkin Spice Foam and Fizz Toilet Cleaner Pumpkin Spice Pop-Tarts Pumpkin Spice Body Scrub Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Flakes Pumpkin Spice Lip Balm Pumpkin Spice Potato Soup Pumpkin Spice Beef Chili Mix Pumpkin Spice Organic Hand Soap Pumpkin Spice Air Wick Plugins Pumpkin Spice Warming Massage Oil Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Pumpkin Spice Toxin Free Shampoo Pumpkin Spice Mozart Choc Cream Liqueur Pumpkin Spice Dog Treats Pumpkin Spice Cheese Pumpkin Spice Drunk'n Pumpkin Deodorant And yes, that miserable excuse for a cookie, that trite little hockey puck, a tired 4-letter spackle that glues endless grids together isn't immune to the madness. Timeandtimeagain I hold my nose to get that star [sigh] . . . the unpalatable, inevitable . . . Pumpkin Spice O R E O. 🤮 "Oreos....why'd it have to be OREOS?" "Oreos. Very dangerous"
Whoa Nellie, I love/cringe at your list, and accompanying commentary! For an alternate but appropriately disturbing take on just the Oreos, here is something freaky (new to me, hope it isn’t historical drama to others): <a href="https://vimeo.com/1006768776" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/1006768776</a>
@Whoa Nellie Our local craft brewery, Dogfish Head, has a pumpkin spice ale. I haven't tried it
Amazing crossword today. Fun theme, excellent grid, this is what I would call a perfect example of a Monday. Honestly, there is nothing I can nitpick on this crossword, which is a superb feat from the constructors. Good job!
This brought back a memory. My late father used to say that “ain’t” makes conjugation easy: I’m not—I ain’t You aren’t—you ain’t S/he isn’t—S/he ain’t We aren’t—we ain’t You aren’t—you ain’t They aren’t—they ain’t
@Crevecoeur "Ain't": How it should be.
How puzzles--and puzzle entries--have changed since I was a wee imp, working them at my Mother's knee! Obviously, the inclusion of computer lingo (ESC) and textspeak (SRSLY), but also the increasing multi-culturalism of America ([Carne] ASADA). But less common now are those flocks of sea birds, Latin numerals--although usually with some math involved, e.g. [CLXVII x VI]--and especially clues of the type [Surname and Surname]=PLURAL GIVEN NAMES. Their inclusion in a puzzle some people might find DATED, but I find a sentimental PERIOD PIECE. Finally, and sentimentally, although it doesn't fit the theme *exactly*--the second word is wrong--anyone fortunate enough to be tuned into NBC on November 28, 1985 witnessed this exquisite moment in pop music; the youtube clip of which I can watch TIME AND TIME AGAIN: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Na6UViqeY" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Na6UViqeY</a>
@Bill Ditto, As a wee sprog filling lights Out West, my crossword diet was too bland for corporate and brand names, slang, mild profanity, fly-by-night pop stars and topical treats. Clues were seasoned with prompts; abbr., hyphenated, two words, var. spelling, all neatly served in 15x15 grids. With digital animation, check/ reveal features, rebuses, creative grids (thinking "outside the box," anyone?) and seemingly every symbol up for grabs, our palates are stuffed with amazing wordplay. Thanks to hardworking, witty and wacky constructors, editors, and the crossword community, every day has a tasty spark! What will solvers be served twenty years from today?
I enjoyed reading about how the constructor couple planned out their crossword. However, if you want to learn what truly brilliant planners they are, check out the story of the plans they had for their wedding venue that went awry at the last second: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/495wt8xm" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/495wt8xm</a> Emus: Times up!
@Strudel Dad Neat story! They handled that well. .......................................... ..............................
A show of hands for everyone who thought of Barry Ancona and his favorite rejoinder when they filled in 57D 😄.
@NYC Traveler 🖐 I sure did!
@NYC Traveler I certainly did! But also, today on a lovely Sunday drive to enjoy some early fall colors and see what the world had to offer us, while passing through a small town, I saw Ancona sprawled across the wall of an office building. Obviously I had to look it up! <a href="https://www.anconatitle.com" target="_blank">https://www.anconatitle.com</a>/ Made me smile! Srsly!
Off topic. I’ve just bust a lung laughing at the sight of my small hound chasing a flock of pheasants around the garden. They’re bigger than him and can fly, when their small brains remind them. Doesn’t stop him trying though.
Ah time, the one thing I wish I had more of (except this afternoon watching "Deadpool & Wolverine" with my wife, both of us simultaneously declaring to each other we've never seen a more garbled, unfunny POS in our lives, and wished it was over sooner). It's providential, in this fine Monday puzzle, that there are other "time" phrases found in the grid that are relevant to my life, at least, to wit: LAMAR TIME Anyone who watched Lamar Jackson today throw the prettiest last second touchdown pass ever seen, propelling his Ravens to victory, now knows about LAMAR TIME. It turns a Steelers fan such as myself ice cold. MOCHA TIME comes at dawn, after a bad night caused by your sleep apnea. All hail MOCHA TIME. TIME SHANKS Referees make them at the worst possible moments in important games, mistakenly subtracting precious seconds from the game clock, for example. But if you say that the American Revolution succeeded the French Revolution, that's also a TIME SHANK. Oh, here's one that can be added to the themers: AIR FLOW; I see that creep is getting a lot of AIR TIME now that the election is around the corner, and FLOW TIME is the time it takes to complete a task, it's a common enough phrase...when I hit a TIME SNAG, as is often the case, it definitely slows down my flow time. "Will you hurry up?" she snapped, "It's nearly SOIREE TIME." I was struggling with my ASCOT. "This isn't ASCOT TIME" she hissed, tying it for me. "There," she said, "IT'S ON."
@john ezra If you were ice cold after the Ravens game, I can't imagine your temperature after the Sunday night game that just ended. Soooo close! It looked good with about four minutes to go then at slightly over a minute loss seemed inevitable when Dallas had first and goal from inside the one. Then a few teasing rays of hope as they were pushed back. Finally doomed by a desperation fourth down TD with time running out. Aargh.
Bit of a workout for a Monday but a very enjoyable puzzle. And.. wondered if this kind of theme had been done before and stumbled across a similar puzzle from September 6, 2011 by Susan Gelfand. DOUBLETIME was the reveal in that one and the theme answers were: TRAVELCARD TRIALPERIOD ZONEOUT and SLOTMACHINE And then... DOUBLETIME led this ex-GI down a different path and I found an appropriate puzzle from Monday December 6, 1999 by Gregory E. Paul. The reveal answer in that one was: COMMAND, and the other theme answers were: DOUBLETIME ATTENTION ABOUTFACE PARADEREST I'm done. At ease. Fall out. ...
TIME AND TIME AGAIN we have a Monday puzzle with a revealer that applies to both parts of the themers. A classic presentation well restaged here by the Winnipeggers. N.B. I found them gently clued for the most part, but did the construction really require 20 proper nouns?
Is a puzzle that finds a word that goes with both sides of a two-word phrase twice as good as one that goes with only one side of a two-word phrase? No. I'd say it's at least four times as good. It's certainly at least four times as hard for a constructor to come up with. This puzzle takes a TEPID puzzle-type that I have always found dull as dishwater and elevates it to something eminently respectable. And while it wasn't an especially exciting puzzle to solve, I tip my hat to its smoothness and even more to its density of theme answers. Nice job.
Hi, Nancy! Any more news from Lewis? . . . . . Worried emus
@Nancy Always alert for new anachronisms, I wonder how many of us have hands-on experience with "dull as dishwater". Can an anachronism be new? Hmmm.
SRSLY? I just left the Bengals game after a heartbreaking loss to the Baltimore Ravens and you have to remind me again of LAMAR Jackson?!!! Thanks a lot!
@SP Although I do have to give him mad props for this play. <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/lamar-jackson-throws-the-td-pass-of-the-year-amid-4th-quarter-comeback-in-cincinnati-video-195710283.html" target="_blank">https://sports.yahoo.com/lamar-jackson-throws-the-td-pass-of-the-year-amid-4th-quarter-comeback-in-cincinnati-video-195710283.html</a>
@SP Hey, an upside for the Bengals - the snazziest uniform in the NFL, plus those QB frosted locks - MEOW!
@SP Yeah, my son-in-law was bemoaning that game. I'm so glad I've been able to shake the sports habit. I'm so much happier than when I was consumed by that stuff.
@SP When we lived in Cinti, we called the team "The Bungles"... Then one of our HS ftball heroes went off to Penn State (Joe Paterno visited to recruit him) and after graduating played for The Ravens. (Kim Herring--great kid) So, 'fraid we were floppin' agin ya.
Many thanks to all you ERICA’s out there who happen to be nurses. (I mean you among them, ERICA, at UCSF). Thanks, I enjoyed this quick solve.
I finished today's puzzle rather quickly but I did not get my gold star. In the end I found the error - I had IOwA rather than IOnA. The thing is, I know virtually no US sports team names, and the one golfer I have learned about is an amateur and probably not much of a golfer at all. I have noticed though that very often the teams are called by their state or city. So here was a team for which I had IO_A, and it crossed with a golfer's name. IOwA was the only thing that made sense to me, and I did not pay much attention to ARwIE - I just assumed it was a somewhat strange surname of a guy whose parents named him Palmer. I've seen way stranger surnames in these puzzles in the past! I only caught the mistake while reviewing the puzzle. It definitely was a Natick, for me.
I just realized i do recognize one proper golfer, Tiger Woods, because he has featured in many headlines even this side of the Atlantic over the years. [Emus and tigers may use palms for shade]
@Andrzej Yeah that was a Natick for me too... I guessed ARtIE and then sat there wondering what IOtA had to do with the NCAA 😂
@Andrzej In regard to IOwA versus IONA, does “M*A*S*H” run on TV in Poland? Because, “Hawkeye” Pierce (played by Alan Alda) had that nickname because he was from Iowa, and the University of Iowa athletic teams are the Hawkeyes. Might be helpful to know when Iowa and Iona both seem possible.
@Andrzej You might want to remember Arnold/Arnie Palmer because he also has a drink named after him..Iced tea plus lemonade. Presumably he drank it while golfing to keep a clear head. imagine my horror while googling it to check the ingredients, to find that a SPIKED variation is available in cans! JUST SO WRONG!
Gosh, now I’m even finding a Monday puzzle a bit tough. Fun though, and a great reveal entry.
A fun one today, in spite of a few unfamiliar names and sports trivia (thankfully the crosses were kind). I thought the theme was great and the puzzle well clued, my favorite being 67A [Ain't how it should be]. I'm curious if that clue has ever been used before, because it's quite clever!
@Janine The exact clue was used once before for the answer ARENT, on 12/9/09. But [Ain't right?] has been used 5 times, and [Ain't grammatical?], [Ain't correct?] and [Ain't polite?] have all been used once. Of course, similar clues have been used for ISNT, including [Ain't the way it should be?], [Ain't fixed?] twice and [Ain't right?] 3 times. [Ain't as it should be?], practically the same as today's clue, has been used once for ISNT. All in all, enought similar clues that many experienced solvers knew what they were looking for.
My favorite clue was including MII without mentioning any avatars in Japanese Mario-themed gaming systems.
Oh Lord, the virus that keeps on giving strikes again. It’s been a while since I struggled with a Monday, but there were a couple of corners that my brain couldn’t configure. Razors crossing a sports team crossing Roman numerals. Oy, as I’ve learned to say thanks to the NYT. Also, the phrases may be DATED to the constructors, but they haven’t made it to my green pastures yet. rATED? nATED? No, that’s not a word. Because guess what? I didn’t know the Mexican? dish either. Or the sports person. All the above pity party aside, a lovely theme and a good construction. If anybody wants me I’m over here in the corner, coughing and hacking. Any FIERY feelings are definitely OFF. I can barely summon up the energy to make a hot cuppa.
@Helen Wright I hope you feel better soon!
@Helen Wright Feel better! Rest well with your cuppa.
@Helen Wright @Elle @Amy Thanks for the good wishes. I am well and truly sick of this bug.
@Helen Wright So sorry to hear. Reminds us that we may never be completely out of the woods. A couple from our church caught it while on an recent organized tour in your fair isle: one cougher on the bus infected just about the whole group. One guy in the couple not very sick; the other guy pretty miserable. Both up to date on vax. better vax than no vax! guess it may settle down like the yearly flu: get vaxxed but every few years you'll be a bit unlucky. I'll take unlucky over dead or hospitalized.
I like to use "ain't" humorously. Then the language snob inside of me (who sounds just like my mother - who else has that inner voice?) speaks up and says "What if someone thinks you don't know better?" (Loved OBI crossed with OBIE.)
“Ain’t how it should be” (67A) was my favorite clue today. 57D, otoh, made me feel old.
@Bill I loved this too—tricky for a Monday, though! I was surprised it got through!
I srsly lkd ths pzzl. Bt pls dnt vr mk n sng nly sms lngg. (I seriously liked this puzzle. But please dont ever make one using only sms language.) Et tu, emu?
@Rusty Wheelhouse Oops. Sorry. That last word should read ‘lgdg’. Emu Autocorrect strikes again.
@Rusty Wheelhouse as we old folks say, from your mouth to God's ears.
Breezy puzzle. Thank you for my late night fun solve, Desirée Penner and Jeff Sinnock! Congrats on your wedding. All was perfect in the end! Enjoy your wonderful marriage emu food
Well it took a few minutes to recall INDY, but when we did; Goldie the star greeted us. Fun solve, thank you both. Perhaps the award should be the Oreo instead of ORCA: Just a thought
@dk SRSLY? No ORCAs in this puzzle....
Congrats on The Orca! I will have to go back and try that one after enjoying this one so much. I like to do that from “time to time”.
Peter, Peter pumpkin eater, Had a wife but couldn't keep her; He put her in a pumpkin shell And there he kept her very well. Wow, that's pretty dark, locking up your unfaithful spouse? Do kids have any idea what they're saying? There's a theory that a "pumpkin shell" is a chastity belt. There's another theory that Peter murdered his wife and bricked her up in the cellar.
@Grant Yikes! I didn't know the dark history of that! I do cringe whenever I hear children doing ring around the rosey though!
Our columnist asks: 17A. Am I just a naïve New Yorker or did some of you also assume that [Century 21 rival] referred to the longtime Manhattan department store? Hi Sam, I did not, but since you did, what five letter rivals, if any, came to mind? P.S. New Yorker, fine, but why naïve?
@Barry Ancona There’s that big one with the parade.
Some possible "rivals" in New York, but none with five letters: <a href="https://www.timeout.com/newyork/shopping/best-cheap-clothing-stores-in-nyc" target="_blank">https://www.timeout.com/newyork/shopping/best-cheap-clothing-stores-in-nyc</a> ###
@Barry Ancona I did first think of the department store, which I worked across the street from for a few years, but quickly moved on from that when I couldn’t think of any 5-letter competitors. It was only after I got a few crosses that I realized it was the real estate company and not the dept store.
I jumped to see “boss” clued this way. There were only a few years when we (people my age give or take three years) authentically used the word “boss” and it has always been a sign of the passage of time in my mind. Swell, peachy, keen, neato, cool, groovy: kids older than we were. Rad, awesome, gnarly, bodacious, fly, so on up to bussin’: kids younger than we were. “That banana seat is boss, man!” “So boss!”
@David Connell Are you talking about Strands? I don’t see “boss” in any other of today’s NYT puzzles. You and I are almost the same age. I don’t remember my grade-school peers using “boss” that way. Perhaps in the boondocks of Burlington, Vermont, we were still stuck on “cool” (which is timeless, right?)
It's about time! A snappy Monday puzzle. SRSLY. (Where have I read that, Barry?) On Lewis' behalf, I notice and appreciate the OBI/OBIE cross. A momentary hang-up for me at the cross of a NCAA college and an actor, but guessable, so not rising to the level of a Natick. A mite disconcerting to see Ozzy atop the column. I hope he doesn't try to bite off an emu's head.
Regarding 49D, an ascot is not a scarf. It is an elegant substitute for a tie, but it is definitely not a scarf. On the Strands front, I found today’s puzzle the most difficult ever. If this puzzle had an escalating series of difficulty such as the crossword, this would be a Friday for sure.
@Ettagale Strands #218 “Most excellent” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🟡🔵🔵🔵 It covered a wide span.
@Ettagale Strands #218 “Most excellent” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🔵🟡🔵🔵 I had a hard time getting started with this one. But I liked the visual of the Spangram.
@Ettagale Tell it to the dictionary: <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascot" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascot</a> <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/ascot" target="_blank">https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/ascot</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/ascot" target="_blank">https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/ascot</a>
@Steve L I did check a dictionary before I made my comment, wanting to be sure I wasn’t off the mark. Then you found other dictionaries that did call it a scarf. Potato potato!
@Ettagale Strands #218 “Most excellent” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🟡🔵🔵🔵 Hot, hip, fire puzzle. But cool/coolness is still my go-to. The last three, in the bottom half, took me forever.
A delightful Monday puzzle, fast but also fun. Thanks a bunch, Ms. Penned and Mr. Sinnock.
Oh what fun, it is to slay On a Monday crossword day! 🤩
Is UMP not short for umpire over your way (and so should have an abbreviation indicator in the clue)? .
@Steve It is, but I think that the shortened version of ump has just become very standardized to have it is known on its own. I think it's a definition onto itself! Like I didn't give it a second thought, but I can understand how one would if they weren't in the U.S.
@Steve INTRO: There are loads of words that come from longer words in English (as well as other languages). Although they may be shortenings. Sometimes, we immediately know what the full word is; other times, the full word becomes obscure. How many people know that DECAL is a shortening, and what it is a shortening of? When a shortened word becomes a word by itself, (PUB, CAB, LAB, etc.) there is no need to indicate an abbreviation. UMP (and its cousin, REF) fall into this category. RECAP: Shortened words that are now words on their own do not need to be marked as abbreviations.
When my husband and I started going out he once lent me the book ‘Time And Again’ to read when the choir I accompanied was on tour and we’d be apart! It’s a great SciFi novel set in mid 1800’s Manhattan. I wonder if the constructors ever heard of it. Please keep warm this Winter in Winnipeg!
@Charlotte Also thanks for the really delightful Monday!
If you're like me, 47A was another tricky clue - not because the state Hochul's the Governor of is obscure or hard to look up, but because my first instinct was to write in New york. When the crosses started to look nonsensical I started wondering if I was misremembering her state, and only after figuring out one of the crossing Downs in full (and I'm not sure I'd have figured it out if it weren't 34D specifically) did I get NY STATE.
Where do I find the Weekly Crossword puzzle that is referred to in the game newsletter? I don’t see it in my NYT game app or on the NYT app. How dumb am I that I can’t find it?…
@Jane Conradi I believe I am referring to the Puzzle of the Week?
@Jane Conradi Sam Corbin is referring to the monthly bonus puzzle. For whatever reason, I think the only way to get to it is through a web browser. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords</a>
@Jane, i don’t get the newsletter so i’m not sure but maybe you’re referring to what they call the “Monthly Bonus” puzzle? It’s called “Netflix and Chill” this month. They’re generally Monday- or Tuesday-level hard, and they have a single theme for as many clues as possible. Anyway, it’s not available on the app for some reason, but if you scroll down on the nytimes crossword webpage (nytimes.com/crosswords), you’ll see the link to the Monthly Bonus next to links to the past week’s puzzles.
Objection! I went to the Times subscription website at 8PM on Sunday, and the Sunday crossword had been replaced by the Monday.
John, It has not been replaced. On whatever platform you're solving, go to this week's puzzles or the archive. The Sunday puzzle is there.
@John Hornik Overruled! 👩⚖️ (What Barry said!)
Because I don't know my Roman numerals very well and because apparently I don't know my Gillette razors very well, I ended up with FeElY at 54D. Feely...
@HeathieJ This is such an unforgiving comment section... Somehow I fat fingered the submit button way too early. Anyhow, feely felt like a very poor answer to the clue that I could not possibly ABIDE... but also could possibly fit. If it were not a great puzzle... I'm really glad that that wasn't the actual answer! FIERY is much more appropriate! Fun and fast and sparkly! I really enjoyed it! Theme seemed fun and clean! TIME AND TIME AGAIN, I am glad I found my way to the New York Times crossword puzzles!! Also I loved that OBI and OBIE crossed! Happy Monday, everyone!!
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