18 across the clue is MIA and the answer AWOL. They are so not the same thing. And very offensive to any family whose loved one is in fact MIA -missing in action. As opposed to AWOL absent without leave.
Shelly, American English slang uses both MIA and AWOL to mean being mentally not (all) there. As a veteran, and as one with family and friends in various armed forces past and present, I cringed when I saw the clue and answer, but it is in the language.
@Shelly , I agree! I'm not a veteran or a family member of a MIA, but this still strikes me wrong. Even if Barry Ancona is right that it's American slang--and I've never heard it despite living in the US--it's still offensive. And wholly unnecessary, since there are dozens of better ways to clue AWOL.
@Barry Ancona Yes, but they are military terms of art that should be respected. A better clue was called for here.
Shelly, FWIW, here is a link to the thread from September 7, 2018, when MIA was clued as [AWOL, so to speak]. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/r6coe?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/r6coe?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share</a>
@Shelly I kept trying to make it something else because I could not believe that the fill would be what it in fact was. How could the editors let that pass? Didn't they know that it would seem utterly insensitive to call a person who could be dead or in a prisoner camp somewhere "absent without official leave"? Time for an apology.
@Shelly I almost never agree with complaints about cluing, but I agree with you 100% on this one. Both terms may be used by the civilian population to mean roughly the same thing, but there's just too much pain behind MIA to use it so frivolously. I think this was a rare miss on the part of the editorial team.
@Shelly I am of the Vietnam war generation and I winced as well, then flipped my thinking toward today's slang and understood the clue. But it got me thinking. Most people here today probably have no memories of friends on campus wearing their MIA bracelets with wrists turned green from the copper because the person whose name they wore has not come back. Your comment--and others like it below--brought back that unbearable sense of waiting for someone you will only ever know as a name, because they, unlike you, are not present in freshman class.
AWOL is not even a close synonym for M.I.A. The former refers to a violation of strict rules of presence and readiness, and can result in severe military discipline. The latter refers to the potential loss of a service person, often as the result of enemy engagment.
@Alex Barry I was absolutely stunned that the answer was "AWOL." One is a probable tragedy, the other deliberate crime. I do the puzzles with my husband and actually refused to type in "AWOL" for a bit, even when it became obvious that was the answer, because I really couldn't believe anyone would call them synonyms. Kept telling him we must be mistaken.
@Alex Barry I agree that it is insensitive at best, but I can kind of squint and see how someone who is DELIBERATELY missing during action can be AWOL. But it's a horrid clue/answer pair.
@Alex Barry Unfortunately, common usage has made them synonyms, Unfortunately.
@Alex Barry I came here to say the same thing. This clue and answer pairing is somewhere north of insensitive and closer to an outrage. We’re two generations past a time when most Americans might easily know someone who risks dying as an “unknown soldier” or whose remains are never recovered. That’s a good thing, and maybe the constructors are younger and can’t be held responsible for knowing the difference, but at least one of the editors should.
@smoakes I had AWay for a long time, thinking a song could start with BY. When I realized it had to be BLOWIN, and that gave me AWOL I was most unhappy. Not a good clue! Totally different meanings and connotations.
My love of air travel started to take off. Then it ballooned. (That's plane to see.)
@Mike Is aviation an avocation or a vacation. (Sorry to taxi you with such a question, but I wanted to know if it was a flight of fancy.) What's the emus' favorite airline?
@Mike you know how loved you are, but what a treat to see you as first comment!
I suggest a rule (or policy) by the Editors to avoid having a square that comes from two pieces of trivia, such as proper names, especially if the trivia is somewhat obscure. I didn't know either 70A (STEWIE) or 71D (ERIVO), and couldn't get their shared letter (E) without using the internet to get the answers, and I prefer to avoid that.
@Dan Fendel That’s called a natick and they are fairplay. There’s no rule against having to look up an answer. After a while you start learning the new trivia and it becomes something you learned.
@Dan Fendel Cynthia ERIVO is hardly obscure at this moment. She is all over various media because she is starring as Elpheba in the movie version of Wicked, which is about to open, if it hasn't already. STEWIE is not that hard to get if one knows Breanna's full name is Stewart and even if one doesn't, it can mostly gotten from the crosses, and if one had STEWI_, how many letters might logically go there?
@Dan Fendel I didn't know either name, either, but was pretty confident the missing letter was an E because 70A was something her fans call her. I can't think of any other letter that would turn it into an affectionate name, especially one that would roll off the tongue when yelled at a game.
@Dan Fendel Breanna Stewart is a two-time MVP of the WNBA (2018, 2023) and led UConn to four consecutive national championships. "Stewie" is what broadcasters refer to her on nearly every play. The clue is not obscure, especially given i) the huge uptick in interest in the WNBA this year and ii) that the NY Liberty (her current team) just won the 2024 WNBA championship.
@Dan Fendel I keep telling whoever is willing to listen that to be good at solving crosswords, you gotta read the rest of the paper. (Or be equivalently well informed.) Too many people want the puzzle to conform to their standards, rather than the other way around.
@Dan Fendel Sports and Theatre/Film are two very different wheelhouses, and both women are huge in their respective disciplines. Even with Tivo I can't avoid seeing Ms. ERIVO as I'm getting ready to skip the commercials right now, and yes she's on every talk show imaginable. And she's already won a Tony, Emmy and Grammy, making her one letter away from an EGOT. So... my BSMETER says she's not obscure.
Too, too many clues that basically hang on whether you watch as much (or the same) TV/ movies as the constructors. So many NYT crosswords like this these days. It just comes across as a very lazy way to increase difficulty, and is a far cry from the clever brain teasers and twists that these puzzles used to feature under a prior regime.
@JD Gold You summed it up nicely for me. Thanks.
@JD Gold -- Amen, amen, amen to every word you say! This has been an especially pop culture-riddled (-laden? -burdened? -overloaded?) week -- and your conclusion that all these constructors must spend their entire lives doing very little but looking at screens of one kind or another is my sad conclusion too. Because misery loves company, you might want to look at the Rex Parker blog comments over the last week. They have been absolutely scathing on the subject.
@JD Gold Completely agree. Something needs to change.
@JD Gold people have been carping in a similar vein for many years. Search the comments archive for "do better will shortz". And it's always people who feel like they are owed a puzzle where you are never forced to deduce an unknown proper noun from crosses.
@JD Gold Totally! A massive collection of Naticks and three-letter answers. I just wanted to get this puzzle ticked off, it brought zero enjoyment.
@JD Gold I hardly ever watch TV and I did it with no lookups and A TAD faster than yesterday. i do read some of the pop culture stories in online news.
@JD Gold ...and stop trying to make me care about the WNBA.
@JD Gold I scrolled down expecting to see the gatekeepers scolding you. Maybe they have decided it's ok to vent here.
Yes, yes. This criticism was spot on and extremely well put. A smidgen of significant TV culture goes a very long way.
I was disheartened to see that AWOL was equilibrated with MIA. Missing In Action is not the same as being Absent With Out Leave. For the friends and families of those who have been or are now MIA in a military sense, it is a great disrespect to suggest that took off without permission. Editors that clue could have been something else.
@Jan Reichard-Brown It is pretty awful. Can you imagine what the parent of a son or daughter who is missing in action would think of the casual use of this term? I sincerely hope this was nothing more than a brain freeze, but even if it was, someone should have been on top of it.
@Jan Reichard-Brown I would assume that nobody on the editorial staff ever served, or anybody else at the NYT, for that matter. Kids used to go to journalism school for the draft deferment, because it was the easiest major. Many of them went on to teach at J schools, which explains a lot about today's legacy media organizations.
For now on, whenever I see someone crispy on the beach I’m going to assume they’re there to GET SATAN.
@Jake that’s exactly what I was going to say!
I’ve never taken a hot air balloon ride, but I imagine it to be peaceful, lilting above the fray below, quiet, nothing to disturb you – relaxing, like tubing down a lazy river. Solving this puzzle had a similar calm feel to me – a theme that required no mental gyrations, a theme that unfolded gently. When I finished, I thought, “That was sweet” and sat in reverie for a moment imagining a hot air balloon ride, a blissful escape that left me feeling wonderful. Ahhh. Puzzles can do that too. Ain’t Crosslandia wonderful? Not that my riddle-loving brain felt left out. There was figuring out what the grid art was (looked like light bulb at first glance), and lovely wordplay to untangle in some clues, such as [Everyone in Georgia] for Y’ALL, [Ice belt] for SLAP SHOT, and [Kennedy for American, e.g.] for HUB. There were also sparks along the way: • Things people wear not clued as things people wear (CAP, HOSE, SLING). • Lovely answers (PLAY GOD, I GET THAT A LOT). • Splendid PuzzPair© (ABUT and BUMS). • Abutting trio of long-O enders (BESO, BOGO, MOTTO). All told, a fun and satisfying great escape, for which I’m eminently grateful. Thank you, Rebecca and Ariela!
@Lewis Hot air balloons can be at times quite noisy (you have to make the hot air that keeps them afloat, and those burners are quite loud). I've been to the balloon fest at Waterford, and it's indeed amazing to see the balloons getting ready to take off, or even just being inflated and lit up for a very pretty evening display. I had a co-worker whose deputy sheriff husband did some part-time work as a balloon chaser. He'd follow a balloon towing the trailer that they would pack up the balloon onto after the flight ended. You're never sure which direction they're going to go, or where they're going to land.
Sticks and stones can break more than bones and even letters can hurt you. I’m sorry to see this wonderfully lighthearted puzzle, otherwise so enjoyable, marred by the insensitive MIA/AWOL clueing. The editors really let the constructors down on this one. Hippocrates may or may not have said it, but ‘Do no harm’ is a good motto. In its long and distinguished history, the NYT Crossword has included other examples of unseemly clueing. Good riddance to all of them and precedent is no excuse. There is no way to tap dance around this. Sorry for the rant, but even a neutral Helvetian was dismayed by the lack of respect.
I think the MIA/AWOL issue in the puzzle today merits a letter to Joel Fagliano. While I'm 100% certain that it was done out of ignorance and not malice, I was disheartened to learn that there was much discussion about the same issue in the past, and yet here we are again. My best idea is to contact him, but if someone has a better idea, please let me know. I doubt the editorial staff reads the comments on a regular basis, so it seems that a more direct approach could be helpful.
@Nancy J. Hi Nancy, Pretty sure that Deb Amlen reads these comments every day. Certainly a note to Joel to voice your objection would be a great idea. While I have never written to him, I have contacted Deb on 3 or 4 occasions; she has always responded promptly.
@Nancy J. That’s a good suggestion. I don’t think it’s even a matter of ignorance as much as it is thoughtlessness. It is disappointing to think that this has come up before.
@Nancy J. (and everyone else who had the same reaction.) I wear an MIA bracelet in honor of a Green Beret who was shot during a helicopter extraction in Laos, just nine days after I was born. His body was never recovered. That's pretty much the opposite of getting too drunk on shore leave, and missing the liberty boat back to the ship. In defense of the puzzle staff, I doubt that we've designated any service member as MIA in a long time. We've gotten really good at search and rescue, for one thing, and DNA testing makes an Unknown a thing of the past. Still, somebody should have flagged it.
Smooooth Sunday. No playing Twister, no calisthenics, just some fun, uplifting clueing and solving. Really liked the clues that got cut! It’s better than a deuce in a flush? C’mon! That’s gold! Happy Sunday all!
@CCNY agreed!! Ariela had some amazing clues here. I for one don’t think I’ll be able to here 70A again without thinking, “aww what a cute wittle goulash”
I knew I was going to like this puzzle when I discovered the hot air balloon in the grid. For many years I had my students build and launch hot air balloons as part of the unit on gases. I also loved the supporting clues that went along with the theme. I enjoyed most of the other clues as well such as the one which referenced Alsace, where my grandfather was born and the Mandarin:Japanese analogy. It was my idea of a fun Sunday crossword: doable, entertaining, and with a moderate level of challenge. The only clue I felt was a bit off was the one with M. I. A. I’m not sure that A. W. O. L. Is a particularly good answer because the terms can refer to very different situations. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this.
@Robert Kern Yes, I was pleased to see the nod to the 5th Dimension and their beautiful balloon at 23A. The puzzle was great fun!
@Robert Kern , My grandfather was born in Alsace as well, his family had a winery, still there I think.
End of streak. Didn't finish this one; didn't even come close. Even after review I don't see how I could ever have gotten it. Lots of things that were never going to dawn on me from the clues. Actually surprised that everyone else found this one easy. Oh well. Puzzle find today: A Sunday from June 6, 2004 by Patrick Merrell with the title "Sunday Funnies." Not even going to try to describe it - will just say that all of the theme answers had 'cartoon' in the clue. Here's the Xword Info link if you care to go take a look: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/6/2004&g=2&d=D" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/6/2004&g=2&d=D</a> I return now to my home planet. ..
@Rich in Atlanta I needed about 30 lookups to finish this, so basically it was impossibly hard for me. (Btw, I tried posting twice yesterday and both posts never appeared on the board...)
107A's clue "upper underwear" made me laugh. It sounds like a 7th grade boy's way of trying desperately to avoid saying the word "BRA".
I saw a killer robot from the Star Wars universe. My goddaughter saw a lion; her mother, a frog. Goes to show that puzzle art is in the eye of the beholder.
Not one, not two, but THREE Naticks in one puzzle. So much for the Times “strict rules” about creating. Too many names of vague “celebrities” is a cheap way to fill a puzzle, and I’m tired of it, because it makes for a frustrating solve. Also… AWOL and MIA are two completely different designations for a missing person, and to clue them as synonyms is offensive to any family with a loved one who is Missing in Action. It’s too bad, because the theme (and all the related phrases) was a good one a could have been a very satisfying and fun solve, if one didn’t have to keep going through the entire alphabet on more than one or two squares.
@Mimi - A couple of days ago, when you alluded to this "rule" you seem to think exists, I posted the only line in there NYT guidelines for constructors that seems to address this and asked you to point to an entry that violated this so-called "rule." I included a link to the guidelines, too. You did not respond to that request then -- will you respond to it now? If you want, I'll dig up my posting form a few days ago and repost it here for your perusal.
Atlas isn’t outside of 30 Rock. That’s Prometheus.
@Craig Correct. The bronze Atlas is at 45 Rockefeller Plaza. <a href="https://harkeraquila.com/71418/uncategorized/atlas-statue" target="_blank">https://harkeraquila.com/71418/uncategorized/atlas-statue</a>/
@Craig Well, JOAN OF ARC didn't fit...today.
I think BLOWIN IN THE WIND is the best song ever written, so nice to see in the puzzle today. I also liked the interesting looking grid. Fun idea for a theme. As usual I needed help and as usual don’t mind getting it. Looking forward to more from Rebecca and Ariela.
@suejean I was also very pleased to see an entry that references my favorite words & music artist of all time, Bob Dylan! I liked this puzzle: a brief review of foreign language skills (AMO, ARIGATO, BESOS, VON) and the mental image of the views from the HOTAIRBALLOON especially. The toughest part for me was the top center 3 letter word section, until I got MACARONIART, which reminded me that I'll soon be pulling out the Christmas ornaments from storage, one of which is a 30 year old gold-painted example of that kindergarten art form by my daughter.
I'm a native portuguese speaker and AGUA somehow escaped me! It was one of my last entries. It's better than Açaí anyways!
I see two songs linked in the comments, but not the one that first came to my mind when I saw the puzzle's title - I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8QL9cSYGVM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8QL9cSYGVM</a> I also see some discussion of Naticks, but not the one I was expecting. I happen to know of Colin Jost and J-Lo, but I can very easily see people losing a gold star there by entering HOST for 90A
Now Wikipedia tells me it's a Johnny Nash song oops my bad
@Bill in Yokohama I thought that square was going to cost me my gold star, because J-LO made lots of sense even though I didn’t recognize the movie. But until I belatedly and vaguely remembered Colin JOST, hOST made much more sense for someone in SNL’s “Christmas joke swap.” It turns out that the real problem was 105D [Seemingly forever], where I had EONS instead of AEON.
Did anyone else put this together? Jimmy WEBB (1A) wrote the song UP UP AND AWAY. I wonder if that was a coincidence. The constructor notes don't mention it.
@Amy I think that was a different James WEBB.
I expect our constructors will be off to Albuquerque for the mass ascension. Fun and smooth solve, Thank you Rebecca and Ariela
Smooth and charming. Thanks. Clue for 83A, [Soaks up some sun] clearly cannot be solved to GET SATAN On a Sunday morning no less! :)
While so many people are outraged by editing or lack thereof, I will add a current complaint and hope that Joe Fogliano and any other editors read it and take it to heart . I also hope that others agree with me. In recent weeks I have noticed an acceleration and multiplication of repeated clues within a week or two. these are readily discernible. It seems like AI is being used to construct the puzzles and is collecting or ignoring repetition. I hope I I am wrong. This would be a more serious outrage than any other, in my book.
@Skeptical1 I always thought that was at least partly intentional to "reward" people who do the puzzle regularly. The same words pop up throughout a week and in the mini, etc. .. I don't think it's a new thing?
I can see clearly now, it’s a HOT AIR BALLOON! What a fun aha moment. I especially love UP, UP AND AWAY and BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND. Regarding Caitlin’s comment that the four entries 23A, 101A, 4D and 14D “enhance the theme”, from reading the constructor notes, I think it’s actually VICE VERSA and it's the “wee” entries that enhance the theme. I like seeing WASHTUB after the recent ICEBOX entry. . Excellent clue for SLAPSHOT [Ice belt?]. Thanks, Rebecca and Ariela. It was a fun ride.
Anita, I think Caitlin has it right. The four "wee" entries -- 39A, 65A, 104A, 108A -- are the official themers (as their clues should make clear). One revealer and four themers make a rather thin Sunday theme, so I was glad there were a fair number of unofficial themers.
@Anita IMO the long downs and 23A made for a nice post-solve Aha!
Late to the party tonight because of real life, I was surprised no one commented that it’s proofreaders who catch typos, not EDS.
@Steve L Also was surprised that no one complained that they put BRA in the puzzle again, and not any men’s intimates. Looking over the grid, 83A gave me pause as I wondered how if you go to the beach, you GET SATAN.
"...I was surprised no one commented that it’s proofreaders who catch typos, not EDS." Steve, Since there are aren't many typographers these days, there aren't many typographical errors, so there aren't many proofreaders. Most errors are caught by EDS (if there are EDS).
Macaroni art and grid pictures both make me tap dance. (Liked the puzzle words. Off to vape some ink.)
Usually AWOL is an irresponsible person who got drunk and forgot to report. MIA is someone who didn't return from a patrol or mission. I knew a family who's dad was MIA from 1962 until a few years ago when his dog tags and some other articles were discovered in a Vietnam hillside where his plane crashed. He didn't get drunk and forget to report for duty.
@CHW the gentleman on my POW bracelet was MIA from 12-5-1969 until his plane and remains were found and identified in 1997. RIP Capt. Patrick Harrold.
I had 20 Down as TYVM and 27 Across as BVMETER (body voltage meter) and couldn't find my error until I read the blog.
@Joshua Cooper I did exactly the same and gave up. Must be a Colorado thing.
@Joshua Cooper Figured it out without the blog, but that was also my only wrong letter ... (also in Ft Collins)
So I wanted Dorothy or at least Toto to be in this puzzle - but the grid art was excellent - loved it . Agree totally about MIA and AWOL not being the same at all . As to the comment about Stewie and Cynthia Erivo - I think the latter is incredibly well known and currently everywhere in commercials , bus ads , magazines .. so an antic but really not impossible at all . Happy Thanksgiving to all - let the fun of puzzles take you up, up and away from the chaos of daily life !
@Cathy Parrish Re: Stewie and Erivo I didn't know either name, but E was the only letter I considered. This was a case of using common sense and knowledge of how names work to get to the correct answer.
@Cathy Parrish No Dorothy or Toto but we did get the Wicked Witch of the West via Cynthia ERIVO.
Atlas, Prometheus--you've seen one Titan, you've seen them all.
I'm tired of the Super Mario clues that seem to appear way too frequently. Just boring. AWOL/MIA clueing was wrong. Why do they keep making this same mistake?
Here's a NYT Sunday puzzle from the good old days when there was no trivia. Give it a try. <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?psdate=2/15/1942" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Solve?psdate=2/15/1942</a>
@Barry Ancona You shared the solved version! Fortunately it has a 'clear' button. It gets dark too early now to do much yard work. But if I solve this, I may still successfully avoid getting laundry done. Will keep you posted.
@Barry Ancona I find your insinuation that this puzzle was full of obscure trivia surprising. I went to play your linked puzzle and was immediately hit with 3 clues in the top left corner that felt like obscure trivia to *me*. I don’t know generals, French physicists, or what BPOE stands for. If I committed to the whole puzzle, I’d hope I could start filling in crosses and figure them out. In nearly every puzzle the Times publishes, I see a comment along these lines. Might some trivia deemed “obscure” for you be common knowledge for another? I expect crossword puzzle clues to change as time passes. When I started to do the puzzle in your link, I struggled with the clues more than I do with current puzzles. Likely because I am a different age or of different cultural experience than you. Or a byproduct of two puzzles created at different times. I checked this Sunday’s puzzle again after seeing a few comments along your lines. There were a few names or trivia that I also did not know, but I figured them out via crossing words and some educated guesses for spellings. For example, when I had STE_IE, I thought a W made the most sense. Obscur for me, but now I know something new about a sport rising in popularity (women’s basketball). In the grand scheme of things, I am relatively new to crosswords. Maybe there’ll come a day when I find the clueing annoying or too niche. But I hope I remain open to what I learn from the process.
I really liked this puzzle. I thought the clueing was fun and made me think, but not so hard that I had to step away multiple times. I loved the theme and thought they did a great job. I’ve read through some of the comments and I see many are peeved about the M.I.A. clue. I was in the USAF and I knew they were going for AWOL immediately. I wasn’t offended or anything because I always assume (maybe wrongly) that most of the puzzles are created by lifelong civilians and they don’t really know much about the military. It didn’t take away from the fun of the puzzle for me.
It took me far too long to realize there's no G in BLOWIN' IN THE WIND.
@Shrike All that time, which other letter had you omitted?
@Shrike I had a similar problem. I thought of blowing in the wind early, but it didn’t fit so I thought it had to be something else, or that the words between blowing and wind were something different.
Possible alternate clue for 112A: [What one looks like from a 93A]
Am I the only one who saw a stylized picture of a space alien’s head in the grid art? 1 across only reinforced this interpretation. As did the apparent smile in the middle of the face 👽🤓 .:.:.:.:. .:.:.:. .:.:.
@Jeb Jones - That's what I saw, before I grokked the theme. 🚀🛸🛸👽👾
@Jeb Jones You are not alone.
My flyspeck square was the S in BSMETER. My normal texted reply of gratitude is TYVM.
@Amy agreed. I had written in TYVM and couldn't figure out how BvMETER was supposed to work (it didn't). I've been playing around on the internet and online communications since Al Gore invented it and cannot remember ever seeing TYSM even once. It does make sense and I can believe that it's in use in some communities but I haven't ever seen it. YMMV.
Well this was a fun one! Lots of fresh fill and a bunch of entries I've not seen before. Congrats!
Well, someone has to throw this in, might as well be me: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQiBq8YSTxc" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQiBq8YSTxc</a> Nice Sunday; not as quick as I'd like, but got it done in a reasonable amount of time. Thanks, Rebecca and Ariela.
@JayTee We can fly! Was checking to see if anyone had posted that.
@JayTee for years people have been trying to create a theatre piece out of the songs of Jimmy Webb, and I think the title was always "Up, Up and Away". A google search suggests that they have not, thus far, succeeded. My personal fave from his catalog is "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress". Here's a version from Tom Wopat that I love. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaOs-bpIVKw" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaOs-bpIVKw</a>
Lovely puzzle! I love when it feels like I’m on the same wavelength as the constructors. The solving was smooth as butter and the theme entries made me smile.
Interesting mix of comments. I'm one who found it pretty easy, in shouting distance of my Sunday best. Still, I thought the constructors' approach of adding difficulty with a lot of very short words, must have been a challenge. Somebody must know what the most three-letter answers in a Sunday is, but it occurred to me they might have been going for it. Lots of unknown proper names for me, but nothing that couldn't be deduced or guessed from the crosses. As to 97D, I never knew it was a portmanteau, although it makes senses. Also never heard of Veet, but apparently NAIR isn't the only entry in that category. Thanks!
@Jack McCullough VEET used to be know. As Neet. Why the N was changed to an N I can’t tell you. I also don’t know if that makes it any more accessible for you.
It’s already noted but I want to reiterate: AWOL and MIA are not synonyms.
While I understand people pointing out the difference between MIA and AWOL, I do think there’s a bit more to the story. MIA as a military term has a specific meaning, but colloquially it has become a somewhat tongue in cheek way to say a person is absent or inaccessible. AWOL has a separate military meaning, but the colloquial usage has evolved in the same way. Personally, I’ve heard both MIA and AWOL used in meetings where one participant was meant to join but didn’t and is now not answering their phone. It’s a bit of a stretch, and I feel like the clueing should hint at informal usage if they’re going that route to connect the two. But I do think it’s defensible.
Stephen, Both MIA and AWOL have been clued to their military and casual meanings dozens of times in the Crossword without giving offense to anyone. And the editors were scolded the last time there was offense (2018). This was an unforced error.
Is it Monday already? (Ooh, I hope that doesn't trigger anyone.)
Charming! I didn’t need the theme per se to pick up on the shrink-y trends. It felt very whimsical, in a good way! But upon completing the puzzle I loved the strong mental image of just floating away, watching everything get smaller and smaller.