Hello from your long-lost correspondent, still wrested from communications by Hurricane Helene, with spotty cell service and no wi-fi, and still without water flowing from our spigots. This is hardly an adverse situation compared to that of many in the area, but it, in addition to the many tasks related to helping ourselves and others, has kept me from posting here, to this Crosslandia community that I sorely miss. Just to let you know that when regular internet returns, so shall I. It may be days; it may be several weeks. I have been keeping up with the puzzles and with tracking the clues, so that when I do come out with the “Best Clues of 2024” list, there will have been no omissions due to solving gaps. Wishing you all well, and looking forward to the day, when I can rejoin the conversation!
Lewis, Hang in there! Hope potable water (from the tap) will coming soon. And the rest of the infrastructure.
Lewis, I miss your daily posts, but this one tops them! :) Best thoughts and wishes.
@Lewis So glad to hear you are okay, and I hope you get water and power back soon.
I'm sitting there trying to think of ANY element with a "J" in its name. Clearly the number has to be the lowest possible four-letter word. FOUR? Then I see from the crosses that it's N_NE. Really? NINE? I guess they must all be up there among the obscure ones like lawrencium and nobellium. But what is RECIAT and what does it have to do with varnish? Finally, after WAY too much checking of all the other answers, it comes to me. How many brain cells were involved in this process? NONE.
I finished, and was scratching my head on the phrase “GO BLET”? Did some googling on what BLET means, and got a lot of stuff on locomotives and law enforcement. Huh. I then tried googling the phrase together, and I’m pretty sure the ipad made a loud Duh! sound as it showed me all the GOBLETS… Sometimes missing the clue is more fun than finding it.
I don’t want to be that name-dropping type, but Kristin WIIG went to high school with my husband, and her mother attended my wedding. Did we stay in touch? No. Do I remember her name or even vaguely what she looks like? Also no. But doesn’t it *kind of* make me Hollywood a-lister-ish? I think maybe. But, please- I don’t want y’all treating me any different now that you know. Celebrity is a burden I simply have to bear. (Fun puzzle! Thank you Gary and Doug!)
@CCNY I’d say you are Hollywood A-list material. 😉
A fun puzzling brunch with this one. I haven't had to crack a manual in at least 20 years, since the Internet... But we truly appreciate the puns and unique sense of humor. It seems very clear that this kind of theme isn't going to be written by A.I. any time soon. Looking forward to your next effort.
@M&M I’d like to agree with you on the thought that clever — or at least brilliant — puns will never be generated by A.I. And yet, who’d a thunk just a decade ago that we could have reached this point in mankind’s development of technology that enables A.I. to do the tasks that it is now able to perform. One might think that unleashing A.I. on the lowest form of humour is something no-one would think of doing or, if someone did think of it, would discard the thought in a nanosecond. Let’s reconvene in, say, five years to see where we are on that. You probably have all heard about Geoff Hinton, who has just received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Prof. Hinton is a British-Canadian computer scientist, cognitive scientist, cognitive psychologist, known for his work on artificial neural networks which earned him the title as the "Godfather of AI". A fun fact I learned from Google (so it must be true 🙂): He is the great-great-grandson of the mathematician and educator Mary Everest Boole and her husband, the logician George Boole.[96] George Boole's work eventually became one of the foundations of modern computer science. Speaking of A.I., I came across this cartoon in our Globe & Mail newspaper that gave me a chuckle (Sam, too, when I sent it to her): file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/3f/15/A6FAA4CD-EA3F-4F2D-B3A1-04386F65F4E2/IMG_2810.jpg (Apologies but I couldn’t verify that tinyurl worked to shorten this.)
Fun theme, with GOING OVER THE TOP being a favorite. 97A reminded me of being schooled by a GOAT. There were 2 GOATs on one of my routes. Abigail was older and shy, but William loved attention. The man who owned the property where the goats lived noticed my husband and I talking to and playing with William and came over to meet us. We asked if it was ok to give him a treat and he said carrots would be good. For our next trip, I cut up and brought some carrot batons and lined up about a dozen of them on a horizontal board on his enclosure that was about even with his mouth. Before he ate even one, he walked down the line and proceeded to rotate each one 90 degrees as if to say "See? This is how it's done." He then ate each one in rapid sucession. I had put them down narrow end facing him, and he apparently found it easier to pick them up the other way, which made sense once I saw it.
… a business prospectus on a global chain clothier? MINDINGTHEGAP … a reference for dermatology students? SCOURINGTHESURFACE … a blueprint for landscaping? LEVELINGTHEPLAYINGFIELD … a seedy guidebook on robbing your creditor? JUMPINGTHESHARK … an eco essay promoting alternative energy consumption? PASSINGGAS … a community pamphlet on police relations? USINGTHEFORCE … a biography of music producer Rick Rubin? CUTTINGDIAMONDS
@Steven You're hired!! By emus And rheas
Here’s a chronological synopsis of the grail in Arthurian literature, beginning in the late 12th century: in Chrétien de Troyes, it is “un graal” (*a* grail) without physical description or explanation. The First Continuator adds a procession in which a hundred grails are carried on each of which is the severed head of a boar. Helinand, abbot of Froidmont, describes a graal as a scutella lata et aliquantulum profunda in qua preciosæ dapes divitibus solent apponi (“a wide and slightly deepened dish on which the wealthy are accustomed to being served costly fare”). Robert de Boron describes the grail as the dish from which Jesus ate lamb at the Last Supper; Joseph of Arimathea uses it to catch his blood as he hangs on the cross. In the Old Welsh Peredur, the grail is a platter bearing a bleeding human head. In his Parzival, Wolfram von Eschenbach describes “the” Grail (der grâl) as a stone with supernatural powers brought down to the earth by the neutral angels — the ones who did not take sides in Lucifer’s rebellion against God. Sir Thomas Malory’s “Sangrail” is covered with a cloth every time it appears, so no one can say what it looks like. Arthurian scholar Roger Sherman Loomis finds in the Grail tradition — if it can be called that — “astonishing disharmony [and] consistent inconsistency.” The OED describes the supposition that the Grail is a cup or chalice as “erroneous.” If you want to call [the/a] grail a goblet, it’s a free country; but there’s no basis for it.
@Fact Boy Well, if you’re going to start in the late 12th century, of course you’re correct. But in your effort to be concise, you’re leaving out a full millenium, aren’t you? Seems sloppy to me …
@Fact Boy All that said, it will forever be whatever prop they used in that Indiana Jones movie in my head.
@Fact Boy Man, that is all wrong. I saw the Grail at Castle Aaaargh. But a rabbit almost got me on the way there.
@Fact Boy Interesting to have such a wealth of diverse “data” about a mythical object. Thanks for sharing. Is the Holy Grail actually referred to in the Bible? Is there a connection with “…let this cup pass…”?
@Fact Boy This is why I do crossword puzzles. I learn so much!! Even though today it was totally obscure stuff I will not remember, which is OK because I won't need it again. I'm with those who like the one in the Indiana Jones movies. :o)
Update: As expected, my power went out soon after I posted yesterday. It came back last evening, but the internet is still out. I just tethered to my phone to get the puzzles and emails done and update here. There has been extensive damage to the grid just north of me and Versant says it may be several days before power is restored, especially to the Lincoln area; I am grateful to have had mine restored so relatively quickly. This is nothing at all compared to what Lewis and others have had to go through, though, and I am very grateful for that. Best wishes to the people affected by Helene and Milton. My remaining pup is still out of sorts, apparently wondering why her sister has been gone so long. They have never been apart more than a few hours as long as I've had them and the shelter told me they had been together all their lives. (They were 10 years old when I adopted them.) This must be disconcerting for her. Untethering soon after I post this. It's a glorious, if chilly, day here, and I might just take my pup for a ride.
CaptainQuahog, East of you, we had a very gusty day yesterday, but really no power outages to speak of. Also a crisp, sunny day here today - perfect for raking leaves, Thanksgiving dinner if so inclined, a walk or a ride. Enjoy!
@CaptainQuahog Dogs do miss the members of their pack— even the human members. Good luck with the hurricane recovery and your pup.
Gary and Doug, this puzzle was an unadulterated joy to complete!
Enjoyed the puzzle, thank you Gary and Doug! It reminded me of my biggest faux pas during a job interview. It was the last one with the person currently in role I was interviewing for. Interview proper was done (thought I did ok), and we were just making small talk. Context : Anand had just moved to Singapore from India a few months before. Me : How do you like Singapore? Anand : It’s great! Me : It’s so clean and efficient right? You know what they say, Singapore is Asia for dummies! *pause* Me : Not that you are a dummy! *oops* Lol, I was so embarrassed. He just laughed, albeit a bit shocked. PS - I did get the job though! 😊 Happy Sunday all from Singapore, the little red dot.
@Nina I always heard it called easy Asia, but Asia for dummies is funny! I visited once and look forward to being back there someday.
DIDOK looked funny, right? A newly discovered ratite A new mixed drink A new compostable plastic A new political party Stage name for artist performing “when I am laid in earth” as a rap I might start using DIDOK instead of DOOK, just for a change. (coming to you from stretch.year.thousands)
@Cat Lady Margaret I like to add a little didok to my nofee sometimes.
Cat Lady Margaret, Jealous! Loved our too-short time on Skye - wishin’ and hopin’ to return some day. We stayed in a cottage with a fantastic view near Portnalong.
@Cat Lady Margaret Thanks for reminding me of the m o s t beautiful lament of all times! Here's a version that soothed my broken heart after the greatest love story of my life ended far too soon. There's something in the mixture of pain and gratitude of having had that experience, that this haunting music is able to express so magnificently. <a href="https://youtu.be/DbXvEWxpKRc?si=7ke2Uq32pkbKcbxV" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/DbXvEWxpKRc?si=7ke2Uq32pkbKcbxV</a>
At last, a Sunday puzzle that this 90 year old can solve - even the text-speak was guessable. No raps stars, football players, tech terms - bliss! Thank you, constructors!
This puzzle took me 56.67% of my Sunday average, and 38.44% of yesterday's time. One of the fastest Sunday times I've had in quite a while, after one of the slowest Saturday times. How I calculated: <a href="https://rechneronline.de/add-time/time-percentage.php" target="_blank">https://rechneronline.de/add-time/time-percentage.php</a>
@Steve L Interesting. A little quicker than Saturday for me and about 2/3 my Sunday average. I’ll never beat my all time best Sunday of 18:51. Today’s was 28:15.
Steve, A Monday-level Sunday seems an appropriate change of pace after an actual Saturday-level Saturday. And I found it funny. And I can't tell time.
@Steve L Off topic. A hat tip to the never say die Mets for their victory over my Phillies, and wishing you happy viewing in the Dodgers series. They’ve come a long way since the days of Rod Kanehl, Choo Coleman, and marvelous Marv Throneberry.
@Striker Happy birthday, little Striker! I started the Sundays in the magazine but once I got the app, I just wanted to beat my own time. Once I realized I was missing a lot of the creativity in the construction and solve, I decided to stop and enjoy the process. I imagine you're doing the same.
All done. Bartender, a round for everyone, on the house!
@Dave Make mine a double!
A new Sunday PR! This felt like a Monday, especially after battling that terrorizing Saturday *all day*. I could not finish, and honestly, I did not even come close. The fact that so many of you seemed to manage is astounding. Just when I thought I was getting good at this thing. Props to all you puzzle gods on this forum. I’m confident I will never get to your level if you solved that Saturday without a cheat. Meanwhile, thanks for the fun Sunday and restoring a bit of my confidence, Gary Larson and Doug Peterson!
@Striker Hardly gods, mere demigods at best. Although BA often comes close to apotheosis. But don't sell yourself short--Saturday was verrry hard, even for long-time solvers. I'm confident that, with time, soon you'll be acing puzzles of that caliber. I can still remember the first Saturday I completed--it was from the mid 2000's: at that time, I worked in pencil-n-paper, and--for me at least--internet-search cheats were an impossibility. The breakthrough entry involved knowing that Ian Fleming was the author of *Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang*. If you want to wean yourself for cheats, may I suggest limiting them to "is that really a word?" sorts, where you take an educated guess, then see if it's correct. As opposed to just tying into the search field: [david bathsheba 1951 film kieron moore]. And of course, real wordplay, as opposed to fact-based knowledge--will never be "cheatable", unless it involves coming to and reading the Wordplay column, or, if that fails, scanning the comments. Not that I've ever resorted to such means . . .
@Striker Don't be ashamed of needing cheats! For me, Saturday's impenetrable puzzle required thirty three cheats. I've been solving puzzles since the early 1970s, and don't think I'll ever get to the point where Saturdays can be solved sans looking up answers. And I loved today's puzzle as well.
Very fun! Also quite fast for me except for one little area. The last few days, it's been just one little area that I really struggle with... I had ____INGYOURGOAT down in the low left but I just couldn't come up quickly with the front part of an expression. I had STY and the TER of ORBITER but i really struggled with the rest of that little box. Probably doesn't help that for a while I had parody for the Holy Grail clue. TONTO reminded me of how much I enjoyed watching the old Lone Ranger TV series as a kid. They ran it every Sunday morning.... Looking back, talk about problematic! Of course, I had no idea back then! But when you know better, you can do better! On a lighter note, anyone know what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow!? Emus, run away, run away!!
@HeathieJ Ditto! This was a fast solve overall, but that SW corner... I had ____INGYOURGOAT, too. I'd gotten all the other themes, but this one was true to its words! I had STY, and all of ORBITER. And then... blank. All of it in that little corner. Probably doesn't help that I wanted a Monty Python reference for [The Holy Grail, e.g.]. I've ASSUMED that's what you were thinking with 'parody', amirite? ... So there I was, nodding along as I read your comment, completely in sync. And then: TONTO?! I never saw that in the grid-! Turns out I'd skipped over [Spanish for "foolish"] on the first go, and it filled in on crosses without my revisiting it. Like you, I had a very different experience of the tv show back in the day to how I feel now. (Uh, Johnny Depp in the role!?) And TIL 'tonto' has a mean meaning, so I feel even worse. Without knowing anything about unladen sparrows with which to lighten up! :)
@HeathieJ "The Lone Ranger" and "Gunsmoke" were radio programs for us. AFN (the Armed Forces Network) broadcast those on Saturday mornings...ah, those thrilling days of yesteryear, hearing Rossini's "William Tell" trumpet part.... We did not have a television until 1958. I don't recall seeing the program then, but there was a series called "The Gray Ghost" about a Confederate 'hero' (?Francis Marion?) that was very popular in Arkansas....where we were stationed at the time....(one whole month before we were packed out and on our way to Hawaii, where TV was only available via tape.. I think we were too old for Lone Ranger, but Huckleberry Hound was a lot of fun.)
After Saturday, I really wanted a breezier solve. This puzzle stepped the difficulty down just enough, yet managed to stay fun and clever. In other words, it did NOT get my goat.
I really enjoyed that crossword! Some challenging clues, but the cross clues were never the same type of challenging (for example, I'm relatively terrible with pop culture names, so when a puzzle has cross clues with obscure pop culture names, I'm pretty hopeless and often have to look them up). And the theme was fun, and the clues for the theme made sense to me. I'm only six months into doing these, but this was my favourite Sunday puzzle so far
I'm certainly not the fastest solver; a Sunday crossword typically takes me a hour. I completed this one in 44 minutes with no lookups! Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians.
So many puns, so little time. Loved this one. I got all the theme entries and thoroughly enjoyed figuring them out. What a blast this puzzle was to play. Mr. Larson and Mr. Peterson created a witty and charming puzzle. I especially liked "Getting your goat" and "tackling dummies". Thank you gentlemen and the NYT crossword team. Cheers from Texas y'all.
Quite an ejoyable puzzle with some fun clues. I hit a few snags though. I solved the puzzle largely unaided. However, I was defeated by Natick central up top with the golfer, the train, a brand, a product, baseball players - all crossing and mocking me. I actually remembered RORY from previous puzzles but I forgot how to spell Alou - I thought ALOO, maybe (possibly because of the proximity of the Indian food clue). Google came to the rescue in the end. Sooner State city... I've learned of ENID from these puzzles, but this clue was a huge mystery to me. I googled Sooner State and now I know it's Oklahoma but dang, was that clue hard for a foreigner. At least this foreigner, anyway. I just asked my wife if she has heard of Sooner State... And she has! But even she could not recall which one it was.
@Andrzej I lived in a state that bordered Oklahoma (Colorado) for my first 21 years. The first I recall hearing of Enid, OK, I was probably 40 or so. So, yeah, it'll show up in crosswords for its vowel:constant ratio.
@Andrzej Oklahoma was, at one point, the Indian Nations, which at the time were recognised as actual nations by the United States. It was settled because white settlers wanted their land in Georgia, Alabama, Florida and elsewhere...so they took it. Moving those tribes to what is now Oklahoma meant a long forced march from the southeastern United States, and about a third died along the way. The "five civilized tribes" set up farms, towns, a legal system, banks... However, after some years had passed, white settlers were moving west, and they again wanted places to live, and there were the Indian Nations sitting on all that land... so they took that too. When they did so, it was done by "land runs," whereby thousands of people at a preset date and time rushed across the border to establish claims. Some of them cheated and snuck across the border ahead of time in order to get the best land. Those people are celebrated nowadays as "Sooners," and are seen as embodying the rugged pioneer spirit.
Hi Andrzej, I could have sworn you had written "I googled Sooner State," but if I only imagined it, you can now read it here. ENID is the most populous city in Oklahoma in Crosslandia, with 736 entries, although it shares clues with two authors and Geraint's wife. ENID with the city clues alone far outnumbers TULSA at 110. Oklahoma City has never been an answer. El Reno appeared once; I may be one of the few solvers not in the state to have ever heard of it.
Where punctuation: When I first read "Simpson's judge," I thought of the judge who occasionally appeared on "The Simpsons"--did that character have a name? Then I remembered that there was one judge later named Constance Harm. But three letters, hmm... Because it said "Simpson's judge," not "Simpsons' judge."
@Jeff Z Right, the one, who, in his heart of hearts, wanted to shout to the world, GUILTY!
@Jeff Z Voiced by the inimitable Jane Kaczmarek. Swoon. I was surprised to see Judge ITO in post 2020 puzzle!
I just watched the leaders of the Chicago Marathon coast by at the 6 or 9 mile mark. A dozen runners in the lead pack, followed every 30 seconds or so by another pack. What are they thinking about? "Where the heck is the next water station? Someone please give me a goblet of water." "Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip." "Ooh, I got a Tinder match half a mile ahead of me! I gotta pick up my pace!" " Wonder if anyone's ever had a crossword theme of racing puns. I'll see if Jeff Chen wants to collab." Anywho, it's quite inspiring. Until you remember that once they finish they'll probably post their times. Kinda gauche, no?
a. a., Now that an emu has reviewed the posts, your very funny echo of "gauche" lost its prior mention. It's still funny.
@ad absurdum I once ran the All-Army Ten Miler, AKA Run the River Bridges, and I spent a good twenty minutes in intestinal distress, searching desperately for a porta-potty. What I was thinking is not printable here.
@ad absurdum We’re in Chicago cheering on son. Had nasty leg issues after mile 24. Eventually recovered enough to finish, though much slower than prior times. First time here, love the city. Going out for a celebratory steak dinner. Perfect weather for a marathon (Ruth Chepngetich set women’s world record!), though son said he wished it was 10 degrees cooler.
Nicely chewy Sunday puzzle. Thanks, Gary and Doug. But one answer that just annoys me no end. 42D, INSPO. It just grates on my ears. So crude and inelegant. I've heard it before but I don't like it. It cheapens the whole process of thought, ideas, creativity, art. As if inspiration is just a mass-manufactured product anyone can buy at any dollar store.
@Linda Jo I have never heard that, and I only got it on crosses, and I totally agree with you. It's pretty tacky. I definitely get inspirations, but never INSPOs, for my quilts!
A fun Sunday jaunt, 40 seconds from a personal best. After I got ahead of the learning curve and realized I knew the score I began picking up steam and soon went over the top and hummed a little lilt. Didn't even need cue cards.
Fun puzzle. Southwest corner crushed me.
@Tommy That is my trouble spot too. Came here to see if I could get a hint from someone. Will read some more comments and may get lucky. Or perhaps something will just clear up in my brain.
@Shari Coats Didn’t have to read more comments after all (but I will now). I went back to that little SW corner, took away TBonds and put in TBILLS, and, poof! Got the happy music 😊
@Tommy Same. Took me 10 extra minutes to get through it. My time was so good up until that point. WTH is "tilt at"? Sigh.
@Shari Coats I had to give up on my insistence that the holy grail was a beacon (based on the Monty Python film)
I like a puzzle with a lot of theme entries, especially nice long ones, so really had fun with this one. My favorite was 41A, but they all made me smile. Gary and Doug make a great team, looking forward to more.
Nice steady fun puzzle. I like Sundays if nothing else for the extra size. If it were not for the natick bundle at Alou, MARC and Rory in the central north I would have had it. Rory, Cory, Tory, MATT MACT (I thought that one might be it, metro area capital transit?) and what do I know, maybe theres such a thing as a tee card. Oh well. It was still back to the fun after the slap-down yesterday.
The triple stacks yesterday readily popped into my mind, which made the solve quite speedy, and they helped again today. GETTING GOATS indeed. That’s the biggest evolution in my solving—which began near the start of Covid: wordplay used to be an impediment, and now it’s a shortcut. Balancing enjoyment with rigor, I often employ check puzzle instead of flyspecking if I complete but get no music. Deploying Check Puzzle repeatedly helped me see what was going on in many an “unsolvable” puzzle, and seems a venial sin compared with just looking up an answer.
@Jennifer Try to move on to (metaphorically) banging your head on the wall just a bit further. You may find you didn't really need any of those cheats to complete successfully. Good luck. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (I do this instead of emuing)
Ingrates reminds me of Maurice from Northern Exposure. I’m sure he must have said it once or twice.
Thank you for a completely enjoyable Sunday puzzle! I managed it with no cheats! (Contrast that to Saturday's puzzle which required 33 cheats, a new cheat high.) And I love the punny titles. More like this, please?
Really enjoyed this puzzle, though I did bang my head against the wall for quite some time sorting out MARC (no clue but I assumed it would end in DC) + ALOU (vague memory from other crosswords, but no confidence) + TYCO (another vague memory but I would have believed neCO or pretty much anything else) crossing with RORY (absolutely no idea: dORa? dORY? cORY? Was the themed idiom actually about knowing a SCalE and the golfer named dale?!). These, combined with the fact that “A lOt” and “A TON” both worked for 11D, meant there were far too many permutations to cycle through. Probably spent half of my solving time finishing that bit at the end. But that’s my problem, not the constructors’. This was a great Sunday.
@Stephen I grew up in Maryland, and I had a hard time coming up with MARC. They operate the Park & Ride stations for commuters to DC, as you correctly surmised. As with any city laid out for horse and buggy traffic, parking is almost non-existent. I relied heavily on the METRO rail, but I did once take the MARC out to the airport.
@Stephen I got MARC from my spouse, who was raised in the D.C. area. In the past when I've asked him about clues that I thought he might know he's been mostly unhelpful, so I was happy that this time he immediately got the correct answer.
A big thank you to whomever mentioned SAAG Paneer the other day, in the SECRET MENU discussion. That helped a lot, as I can never remember Justice STEVENS.
@Grant Yes! I was thinking the same thing. Huzzah!
@Grant It was Bill from Detroit (see above) and I'm still salivating jealously... Emus need not apply
After no end of trouble with yesterday's puzzle, this one was perfect to finish off the weekend with. Funny theme and about the ideal challenge level for a big Sunday solve. Great job by the constructors!
For others also confused, on Chanuka the candle left UNLIT until the last night is the leftmost candle *from the view of someone looking in your window* - not from the one lighting the menorah.
@SD huh? The candles are added from right to left, the same direction as Semitic languages are written. From one's OWN perspective. My first (mis)read of the clue had me thinking it meant one candle was ALWAYS left unlit. Like leaving an empty seat for Elijah at a seder.
@Sadie agreed. I truly think this must have been an editing error.
Interior design is not decor. Interior decoration is decor. Interior Designer is a licensed professional who is responsible for building codes, spatial analysis, sustainability measures, occupant health and safety, and at the very end, finishes, and fixtures. We have standards and laws to uphold, we are responsible for ADA compliance. An interior decorator picks our pillows and curtains. An interior designer makes sure a space is safe, compliant, and efficient. Signed, a frustrated interior designer
Sarah, [Interior design] is a perfectly fine *hint* for DECOR. Crossword clues need not be and often are not definitions. Don't expect to see an ASID mission statement.
@Sarah, thank you for saying so. I left my interior design career over 20 years ago, and I still ground my teeth entering in that answer.
@Sarah while the profession isn’t decor, one could refer to designing the interior of their home and be referring to decor.
@Sarah I understand the frustration with the confusion of interior design with interior decoration, but I don't think it's fair to dismiss decor as "pillows and curtains" either. Especially in open-plan spaces, interior decorators transform and define spaces with furnishings, color, fixtures, artwork, and much more. Decor can make or break a space which has been designed to be compliant with building codes. There's no need to diminish the contributions of other occupations.
Bogged down in the NW corner, with only a tiny cluster of blank squares remaining, Did some seriously wrong thinking, finally googled DINO (my only look-up) to confirm I had the right pet (ORLEAN was my first fill, so it had to end in O), Finally hauled out wetland, entered LOWLAND, and ta-da, I was saved. Not a difficult puzzle, but fun to work. Thank you, Gary and Doug. Keep up the good work.
After having no luck yesterday with multiple cheats, today was almost a PB. That felt better!
Before I started the puzzle, I had looked up ZORSE (after I tried Zordle and a few other misses)...how mean that we don't get to test the Beta. However, I could only find a sample via Google, which was all too easy... and I'm not sure how many of these could be concocted before the well runs dry. Oh, the puzzle. Well, that was fun. The little NW corner was the most difficult for me. WETLAND, LOWLAND, FENLAND? Washing is a specialty of mine, but is it dirt, spot, runs, mark, goop...? Pureed sweet potato is the only thing I've never had success washing out of a blouse (right after Baby Laura learned to do that blubbery noise...) Some very clever clues in this puzzle (not all of them being themers)... Was not the novelist a bit obscure? [scowl] Also, some of these manuals would be superfluous; children do not need help GETTING YOUR GOAT. The baseball themer was my fave!
@Mean Old Lady I’ve never read “The Orchid Thief,” though I truly enjoyed the movie made from it, “Adaptation.” Maybe it’s the missing S in Susan ORLEAN’s surname, but that name is pretty deeply lodged in my brain.
@Mean Old Lady "and I'm not sure how many of these could be concocted before the well runs dry." Spending the weekend in Ontario with my in-laws, I got a chance to try Zorse this morning (a brief respite from the family hullabaloo); my feelings exactly.
Mean Old Lady, I saw and endorsed your Zorse comment shortly after it landed, but had to scoot. See my reply to Bill above. I also did a Zorse “survey” in which I mentioned (among other things) my sense it seemed to have a shelf life. But eh - it’s a word-based distraction. Could be worse.
What a breezy Sunday, hit a new PB! Just tore through this puzzle until I hit a brick wall in the SW. I spent over 25% of my time just in that section because I didn't have any crossers, took me forever to get the answers. It's too bad, I was on pace for a sub 20 min solve, which is a personal milestone I've been trying to hit this year. Oh well, there's always next week.
@Hello World Congratulations on your new personal best! You’ll get under 20 minutes. That was my goal a few years ago, and I’ve managed to achieve it more than once.
@Eric Hougland Thanks! I'm pretty close, in the low 20s now. I think I'll get there by the end of the year, fingers crossed!
In a just world … just right for an October Sunday in an election year during the mlb playoffs. Thanks, guys. Ya made me smile
@Clem And the first full weekend of hockey, yay!
My first comment must've offended the algo, but I did want to say that this puzzle, without comparing to any other puzzle, was a fun, breezy solve that I enjoyed very much. For the record, I enjoyed the OTHER puzzle, too, just differently.
@Mark I don't think anyone, the NYT staff included, understand the algorithm. Quite possible you did nothing wrong, and it will appear after a period of time (hours, couple days).
@Mark I feel that it's kind of an offense to real, well developed, and arguably-near-intelligent algorithms to call the pre-K level E.M.U. filter set an algorithm. :) (Also not crazy about the abbreviation algo, but that's just me.) ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (I do this instead of emuing)
@B If you'll explain E M.U. I'll consider never using that abbreviation here.🙂
How about: A sing-by-the numbers primer for emus: Learning to fly (but I ain’t got wings.) The emu and I think NASA is on to something: <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/extravehicular-mobility-unit-emu" target="_blank">https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/extravehicular-mobility-unit-emu</a>/
Less noodling time would have given me a pb…and easy Mac as well.
On one hand, this puzzle did some things right. But was it a textbook example of a Sunday puzzle I would love? IDK…