At 12:45 a.m. on Sunday I received the dreaded, but expected, phone call that my 95 year old mother who had been receiving hospice care had passed away. Thankfully, she passed peacefully and with a minimum of suffering at the last. After making some phone calls that I needed to make to take care of arrangements for taking care of her body, and notifying other close family members I tried to get some sleep, but sleep would not come. So I opened the NY T Sunday puzzle and worked it. It was both therapeutic and poignant, as it was my mother who inspired in me my love of words, and,more particularly, my love of crosswords and other word puzzles. From a very early age I can remember the pleasure she took from sitting down on Sundays after church and solving the NYT Sunday puzzle. When I got older, I would sometimes help her with the puzzle, and when I got older still, we sometimes fought over who would have dibs on the first crack at the puzzle. She remained a puzzler right up to the end, although she never graduated to solving on line. So for me, sitting in my darkened bedroom, doing the Sunday puzzle was a comfort beyond words.
@Marshall Walthew I am so sorry for your loss and so happy that you have these lovely memories.
@Marshall Walthew I’m so very sorry for your loss. My dad passed in 1991, and I know I still feel closest to him when I’m solving the Sunday puzzle. Over 30 years later, it’s still a comfort. I’m glad you had a place to go where you knew you could find her.
@Marshall Walthew My deepest sympathies to you, MW. This was a beautifully written and moving tribute to your mother. I'm of the belief that she'll now be by your side, peeking over your shoulder as you do the puzzles, warming your heart and present every single day. I wish you well.
@Marshall Walthew I’m sorry to hear about your mother. My best wishes to you and your family in a difficult time.
@Marshall Walthew -- Your love and compassion come through so strongly; so sorry for your loss, and wishing you strength and peace during this difficult time.
@Marshall Walthew Marshall my thoughts are with you. My parents are in their nineties and there will be a void when they are gone that words will only partly fill. Thank you for your moving words on your mother.
@Marshall Walthew My mother did the Sunday NYT puzzle every week, too, even though she may have taken several days to complete each one. She was only a high school graduate, but she managed to get those puzzles done. Without having had that example, I might never have gotten the idea to start solving them myself. Sorry for your loss. Sounds like she lived a long and worthwhile life.
@Marshall Walthew I hope that sharing a good memory of your dear mother brought you a little relief too, Marshall and I loved reading about her. Thanks and I hope you find comfort and solid ground over the next few days.
@Marshall Walthew very, very sorry for your loss. There’s no playbook for what to do when these monumental, life shaking events occur. You did the best thing — what felt natural.
Marshall, I hope the Sunday puzzle will always bring you happy thoughts about your mother.
@Marshall Walthew All steadfast, intrepid Mom cruciverbalists, go to heaven.
@Marshall Walthew So sorry for your loss. I got my love for crosswords from my mother also. And the acrostics, at which she was an absolute fiend. I think that's the path that led a lot of us here.
@Marshall Walthew I'm very sorry, Marshall. May her memory be a blessing to you and your entire family
@Marshall Walthew So sorry for your loss, but thank you for sharing that with us.
@Marshall Walthew I am overwhelmed (but not surprised!) by all the kind words and thoughts from all my friends in this wonderful community. And though we’ve never met, I do consider you all my friends. Thank you so much. As words can do, all of yours have been a balm.
@Marshall Walthew what a lovely tribute to your mother. I hope your memories of her give you comfort at this difficult time. So sorry for your loss
@Marshall Walthew Somehow, mothers often become our conduit for love of words and puzzling. Starting almost 30 years ago I used to solve the Times crosswords with my mother after my father, her puzzle companion for 40 years, passed away, then my daughter joined in, and now after Mom has been gone for four years my daughter and I solve together long distance. This practice has long provided solace and comfort for my family as it has for yours. I offer my empathic condolence for your loss. Your comment rings so poignantly true for me.
@Marshall Walthew Good for your mother that at 95 she was still solving The Times crosswords, a testimony to her love of words and her pleasure in using them in innovative ways I am 90 now, and I hope that I will have as much mental ability in the coming years, too. Losing a parent is complicated, because so much goes with them when they die. Of course, you will always have her and as time passes you will have even more as things you have forgotten will come back to you. She was lucky to have a son who appreciated her and loved her. Our thoughts and condolences are with you, as you know. Thank you for telling us about your mother.
@Marshall Walthew I am so sorry for your loss. It's hard even when it's expected - but it sounds like you have some lovely memories, and I hope these soon stand as tall as the sadness. Please know that this stranger in Florida is thinking of you!
today is my birthday, and i solved the puzzle! I’m new to the crossword so this took me a while, but i did it. loved that several clues featured some amazing women of colour !!
@luna Happy birthday and congratulations!! Woot-woot!!
@luna Happy birthday and congrats! This was a challenging puzzle. Many happy returns of the day and the successful solve.
The door to the bank is so heavy, I can hardly budget. (Now I need some a-loan time.)
@Mike And maybe a glass action suit, no holds barred. I certainly wasn't your vault that your reserves were drained.
A poem for this puzzle, adapted from Sojourner Truth’s 1851 speech at a Women’s Rights convention in Akron Ohio: AIN'T I A WOMAN That man over there say a woman needs to be helped into carriages and lifted over ditches and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helped me into carriages or over mud puddles or gives me a best place... And ain't I a woman? Look at me Look at my arm! I have plowed and planted and gathered into barns and no man could head me... And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man — when I could get to it — and bear the lash as well and ain't I a woman? I have borne 13 children and seen most all sold into slavery and when I cried out a mother's grief none but Jesus heard me... And ain't I a woman? that little man in black there say a woman can't have as much rights as a man cause Christ wasn't a woman Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with him! If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it right side up again. And a bonus for anyone who has read this far: “Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - (E. Dickinson)
@Puzzlemucker I'm having difficulty in the hope department right now, but I'm working on it.
@Puzzlemucker Thanks for both poems. And it’s nice to see you back here.
@Puzzlemucker Love it! The stirring cadences, the flow, the economy of words, just right. @Hanson Always the party pooper. What's with you, anyway? "Nothing has changed" -- Jesus wept.
@Puzzlemucker -- Thank you for showcasing Sojourner Truth's powerful and beautiful words, and showcasing them masterfully. And yes, they make for a beautiful adjunct to this puzzle. It's always good to see you here. My heart lights up when I see your name. Regarding hope, mine is strong at the moment, hoping that enough sane people who are able will be able to apply a sufficient braking force to keep things salvageable. If my hopes are dashed, then it's time to work up a new game plan.
8D would have been a much better clue if we hadn’t just had “ID tags” with the same “hidden Idaho” a couple of days ago. Too bad these ran so close together.
@Coriander Agreed, got that one much faster than I otherwise would have
@Coriander I was thinking similarly. I know puzzles are created/submitted far in advance of their publication, but I think edits may be made up to the last minute; this seems like something that should've been changed.
@Bill in Yokohama True but the editors go over all the clues and change quite a few. I am also surprised they let this trick go through so close together.
@Coriander I guess it’s a case of YMMV. The two ID clues close together struck me as delightful.
@Coriander A good clue is a good clue. Proximity shouldn’t matter. I just consider it a case of great minds thinking alike.
Using only 33 squares for the entire theme gave Erik space to employ his remarkable talents on the rest of the puzzle. Today he used that to showcase notable people of color, yet there is nothing in his notes about that, making his point: Well, why should there be anything in my notes about that? Meanwhile, as with all Erik’s puzzles, this one is so clean, dust free. And, as with all his puzzles, no matter what the day, clued just right. I just finished his most recent New Yorker puzzle, one labeled “challenging”, and there it was, once again, dust free and clued just right. I can’t stress highly enough how gifted Erik is. What an elegant theme today! So simple. Two phrases that mirror each other in a lovely way, capped with the perfect revealer that ties them together. Props to Erik on this find. I smiled at the pair of clues that play off of popular names: [Game of throws] and [Hue granter]. And I enjoyed the neighboring PuzzPair© of ODD and EVEN. Most of all, I loved the quality of the puzzle, that Agard feel. I’ve grown to expect this from you, Erik, and I feel privileged to be able to do your puzzles and bathe in your skill, sensibility, and wit. Thank you, sir!
So pleased to do an Agard puzzle. I think he's a genius, or at least supervocabularic. Maybe it's his glasses and freaky hair, or maybe it's because his puzzles are so fun and he imparts wisdom so warmly, like in his notes that hope is a discipline. Words to live by, or, as in some people's cases, to live by words. I don't know if it's a pattern, but loved the plethora of people of color in this grid: Griner, Vivica, MLK, Shacarri, Shah, Carlos, Simone, Octavia, and Yoda (Cmon, he's BEIGE!). Also liked seeing HE/HIM along with a possible portmanteau of someone who's both: SHIM. [Like content that causes secondhand embarrassment] seems to call for an adjective, CRINGY (in itself, a cringy word) -- is CRINGE now an adjective? Also good to see HOAGIE here. One of those words for such a sandwich that helps identify where you're from (subs, grinders...). I'm from hoagie country. And yeah, too bad on the Idaho/ID clue coming on the heels of an even better one a couple days ago. But that makes Mr Agard no less a genius!
@john ezra He’s that special blend of smart and respectful to the solver. Definite keeper!
@john ezra As a person who lived in HOAGIE country for nearly 20 years, I was happy to see that word. However, in Portugal where I currently reside, the only HOAGIEs I can get are the ones I make myself at home. Who’s interested in being an investor in an American cheesesteak and hoagie shop in Southern Europe 🤣?
@john ezra My husband came home a few weeks ago and I was re-watching Erik winning the 2018 finals of the NYT XW Tournament. Tried so hard to explain why watching such masterful power-solving by a great constructor is captivating! He didn’t get it. I even said, “Watch his hair bouncing! That’s not fun?” Either you’re a word-nerd or you ain’t…
Can't believe I fell for the ID trick twice in a row! I was seriously imagining a forbidden country like N Korea. You got me good Erik! 😂
How I loved this puzzle! I knew it was Erik when I reached my favorite Sci Fi author, OCTAVIA Butler. I was already cheesing for GRINER and BILES. Then VIVICA, SHACARRI and STELLA? I was in heaven 🙌🏾! By the way, OCTAVIA Butler wrote the PATTERNist series, which I’m one book short of completing because a title, Survivor, is out of print. She didn’t like it after it was initially published so she had future printings halted. Ms Butler, who died in 2006 at age 53, famously wrote Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. If you want a look at “elections have consequences,” check out these eerily prescient books. 📚 We need a win after a tough few weeks/centuries. The enjoyment I felt from this puzzle was — finally — something I could smile about. Yes, we have to keep hope ALIVE!
@Pani Korunova Oh my goodness, I left out Rev MARTIN Luther King, Jr. as well as the super talented CARLOS Santana! I’ll definitely share this puzzle with my adult children who would enjoy it. One son even looks like Erik!
So so many names. On a Tuesday. I eventually got them all with no look ups but the naticks were tough.
@SusanEM Oh dear, I hope you're read to justify your claim to The Natick Police. :D
@SusanEM The fact that you got them proves the rule. Names are rarely crossed when, if you think about it, you can't figure them out based on logic. It's a testament to the skill of constructors and editors that this is the case.
For probably the first time in my puzzling history, I knew every single name. Often, I have to figure them out like someone from another planet with a guidebook on how earthling names are configured. I love an Eric Agard puzzle. This being a Tueday, it's missing the challenge I associate with his name, but it was still a delight.
@LJADZ Brittney GRINER, SIMONE Biles, and SHA'CARRI Richardson are all extremely famous athletes who have been in the news a lot the past few years. CARLOS Santana is a legendary guitarist who played at Woodstock. OCTAVIA Butler was a legendary sci-fi writer. YODA is literally everywhere, in case you have been living in a galaxy far, far away for the past 44 years. I'll admit that How STELLA Got Her Groove Back is slowly fading into obscurity, but the other names are household names.
@Katie Household names? I guess it depends on the household. While I didn’t have any trouble with these names I’m sure there are plenty of folks who do not follow women’s sports (for the 3 sporting women) or any sports at all.
Way too many names in this one in my opinion
@Phil There's always a complaint about names. Some people like seeing names; others don't; still others don't care either way. It seems to me that today's amount is about normal. Let's see: OCTAVIA Butler SIMONE Biles SHA'CARRI Richardson Brittney GRINER VIVICA A. Fox MARTIN Luther King, Jr. CARLOS Santana From fiction: STELLA YODA Not clued as a name, but could be: GAGA RODS (Stewart and Laver) EDEN (Barbara) Not clued as a specific name: SHAH (pairs well with Dr. King, since that's what it means) The real question is, how many of these names are obscure? From an American standpoint, I'd say few if any; all of the real people are Americans, whether native-born or naturalized. All of the real people whose names are used except CARLOS Santana do have one thing in common; I wonder if this makes it harder for some solvers.
HeHi(s) for “pronoun pair” and (s)op for “something to wring” threw me off for a second, both seemed plausible. Had to go through the puzzle twice with a fine tooth comb to finally see it was better as HEHIM and MOP!
@ds Exactly my hangup, too, when I got the "So Close! ' message. Except I knew there was something funky with sOP. I just couldn't see it at all! 🤦♀️
@ds I think I went through the puzzle again 5 times before I changed the "S" to an "M". I kicked myself because when I originally entered SOP (because I already had HE/HIS), I thought, "That's kind of weird." But then I guess I normalized it to myself by the time I finished the puzzle. Of course, the funny thing is that if I had been working the print version with a pencil, I would have put the puzzle down five minutes faster (with SOP) and felt proud of myself and none-the-wiser.
Great puzzle, Erik! Clever and fun. Loved the shout outs to Octavia, Simone and Schacarri.
When I see Erik Agard's name as the constructor, I usually try to prepare myself for a real workout. Fortunately, this puzzle turned out to be a bit easier to work on, but was still as entertaining as those which are more difficult. A very nice Tuesday puzzle, thanks, Erik!
All right, I'll say it two. In re 8 Down. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well you can't fool me twice
A zillion misdirects, sloppy fills, pretending that a word is a word that isn't. Oh well, finally made it, with only a couple of look-ups that netted nothing. Veeeery tricky puzzle, Mr. Agard, and ultimately satisfying and fun (always is, when I wake up to the cleverness of the cluing). Thank you for a Tuesday that was almost a Wednesday. Question: If you put a stamp on a potato and dropped it in a mailbox, would it get to IDAHO?
@dutchiris What word “isn’t” a word? GAH? It’s in Oxford (though apparently not MW). As to your question, as long as you address it properly, it will: <a href="https://facts.usps.com/mailing-potatoes" target="_blank">https://facts.usps.com/mailing-potatoes</a>/
@Nick Thanks for the link! What fun. I read all the fun facts, they were very interesting !
@Nick perhaps @dutchiris is referring to “AEIOU” which was clued as a “word.” It threw me when I was trying to solve that one
Halfway through, I checked the byline to see who was doing this to me. Ah, of course. Erik Agard. Leave it to him to toughen up a Tuesday! Instead of SPENDing THE NIGHT on the puzzle, I had to sleep on it and then return to it over coffee in the morning to SAVE THE DAY. Erik's way of thinking and cluing always pushes me to try harder to get into his head and his thought process. Having it all finally fall into place, as it did today, makes me feel wonderfully victorious, as I do today. Erik, I wouldn't usually say this with a smile on my face, but thank you for messing with my brain! :-)
Bit of a workout for me. The 'reveal' answer was not a familiar term, so needed to work that out from the crosses. Interesting that that and both theme answers were making their debut in the Shortz era. Actually only SAVETHEDAY had ever been in any puzzle previously. Quite unusual puzzle find today, vaguely inspired by SHIM. Wondered about CHIM... answers and ended up at a Sunday puzzle from August 3, 1980 by Jordan S. Lasher with the titler "Titillating tunes." Almost all of the theme answers in that one were debuts, though some of them were at least familiar terms. Here are some of the theme answers: CHIMCHIMCHEREE ZIPADEEDOODAH TARARABOMDERE SNOOKEYOOKUMS TOORALOORALOORAL AHUBBAHUBBAHUBBA BIBBIDIBOBBIDIBOO THERADADADADASONG Don't think I would have had much of a chance with that one, but just a pretty amazing feat of construction. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=8/3/1980&g=102&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=8/3/1980&g=102&d=A</a> I'm done. ..
"Why are demos formal, and EPS not?," he extended, demonstratively. The cringing cringer cringed a cringe cringe cringely. An Erik Asgard puzzle will often put me in this state of mind: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXmnmvDl-ao" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXmnmvDl-ao</a>
@Bill Whoever programs most spellcheckers/autocorrection software must be a bigger fan of the Narnia Chronicles than crosswords.
@Bill Thanks for the link! Love me some B52s serious camp…
How I solved today's puzzle: When I get to the bottom, I go back to the top of the slide, Where I stop, and I turn, and I go for a ride, 'Till I get to the bottom, and I see you again (IDAHO) (I got blisters on my fingers.)
8 down is such a great clue!
@Chris g I agree, and yet... Clearly, puzzles are written far in advance of their publication, but that clue would have seemed more amazing to me had Saturday's clue, [Phrase on ID tags] for FAMOUS POTATOES, not beaten it to the punch. What made Saturday's clue great was not only the wordplay on ID, but that of "tags" for license plates, which are not only known as "tags", but serve as IDs, too. (For more like today's, see 1/7/22: [ID seen at the post office] for IDAHO; 3/9/16 [Place where you need an ID to get mail?] for BOISE,among others.)
@Chris g I agree. One of my favorite clues ever. For those complaining about similarity to a clue from Saturday: 1. Today's constructor did not construct Saturday's puzzle. 2. I can barely remember what I had for lunch today. I certainly don't remember specifics of Saturday's clues.
@Zézito But the editors can and do review the clues and can change them, so I’m surprised they didn’t change this one. Also typically you wouldn’t have two letters like this from the clue and the answer—ID and IDAHO—which the earlier clue did not suffer from. It’s not a big deal but as a constructor if I came up with that clue independently I would have wished the editors would not have kept it.
@Chris g , My favorite as well
Wow! A brilliant theme that is striking for its economy. I was excited to see Erik’s name as the constructor, we don’t see much from him lately. A recent newsletter pointed out that in 2019 he published an astonishing 21 puzzles. Come back soon, Erik.
@Anita So well put. My sentiments exactly, all around!
@Anita Erik now regularly constructs for the New Yorker, which is probably why his puzzles are rarer here now (as does Patrick Berry, another wonderful name you no longer really see in the NYT!)
The SHACARRI/OCTAVIA/CARLOS/STELLA group of crossings felt a bit too naticky for me, but the rest of the puzzle was really fun! Especially loved seeing YODA!
An Agardian Tuesday? Just show me where to sign! Take my money! Oh, wait. You already did! The alliteration, tongue-in-cheek humor, frolicking fun clues that I could *feel* Mr Agard attempting to simplify to make this an early-week puzzle. Could have been a Thursday or Friday (sans theme) if he had Agarded the clues a bit more. But he didn’t. So I got *more* than my money’s worth. Hee-hee! Thank you!
My favorite crossword so far. Finished in record time, too!
For those who have the time ... The comments today are, for the most part, rich and civil -- worth a read, IMO. Et tu, emu.
"Mr. Agard used just two themed entries to achieve the wordplay in his revealer, but the effect was exponential." It was? Where? What did I miss? Cute enough little Tuesday theme but I didn't notice anything clever except the two theme answers and the "revealer"....
@B Well, since both themers have the form (x the y), then one might argue the revealer had the form x^2 the 2xy the y^2. Or maybe Sam's just using vivid writing.
I miss Will. I hope he’s coming back. These puzzles are choked with pop culture and sports. Let’s return to literature, fine arts and classical music! You know. The thing I KNOW!
@Harriet I truly think you're misremembering. Here's Will's last puzzle, March 13. <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/13/2024" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/13/2024</a> Note the TV actress, the cartoon neighbor, the grid-spanning actor with the African name, the art patron, the NFL team, the NYC arena, the mattress brand, the basketball tournament, the children's book character, the movie character, the screenwriter, the college football team nickname, the feminist author, the NBA star, and the cosmetics mogul. (Despite the fact that I chose his last puzzle, it was a random guess as to what I'd find.) Maybe you mean Joel is allowing more youthful pop culture that you don't know...sorry, then. That's surely not going to change, or crosswords will go the way of the buffalo.
@Harriet Agree! And if we can’t have that, then at least a fair mix of literature, art and classics amongst the pop culture and proper names.
I loved this puzzle! The best early week puzzles for me are breezy with a few good dopamine hits sprinkled throughout. Refreshing to have a puzzle where the celebrity names are contemporary women of color (and the best speculative fiction author of all time). Can’t wait for the next puzzle from Mr. Agard. More please!
Super frustrated on this one today. I had HE/HIs and sOP... Both reasonable answers to their respective clues. Had to peek at the answers to find where I had strayed.
@Alex We had the same mistake! Wasn’t sure about SOP, so caught it after a brief review. Fun puzzle. Clever clue for IDAHO.
@Alex “His” is not a pronoun. Also, wring a sop?
HIs can, in fact, be a pronoun. A possessive pronoun. However, a possessive pronoun doesn't work in that construction; it would violate parallel structure. HIM is the better entry of the two. By far.
I made a comment last night that I meant to be a criticism of my own stumbling, fuzzy-minded, idiotic mistakes and was taken instead as a criticism of the puzzle. Rereading my comment, I see how that happened. GAH! I liked the puzzle, enjoyed the puzzle, admired the puzzle, but was working it while I was listening to the Warriors lose a game they should have won. They were also shooting themselves in the foot, and I couldn't concentrate on solving the crossword. Mr. Agard, I thought this puzzle was AOKAY!! Thank you, and considering the plethora of puzzles you have contributed to The Times, I'm trusting that you will no doubt be back soon.
@dutchiris Don't worry, I think your intent was clear to most of us. Some people don't read the comments carefully and come away with the wrong idea.
TIME BUDGET... wouldn't that be something for a person living with OCD? I wanted CRINGY at 20A. How many spellings are there for 11D? I tried HE/SHE for the pronoun pair; anyone else? I also tried ONE ONE for the tied score. Quilt tradition calls for 1/4" seams; in real life, we go for a "scant quarter-inch." Roughly. But nobody would use a 'percentage' term in this application. Same goes for pie. Nobody would say, "Let's divide the pecan pie so we get roughly 17% apiece." Srsly. Plus they would pronounce 'pecan' correctly: puh'KHAN.
@Mean Old Lady That sounds like a challenge. From this day forward, I will say “who wants approximately 17% of this pie?”
@Mean Old Lady The clue didn't imply that anyone spoke that way. And yet, one SIXTH of a pie is about 17%. Even if it's a PEE-can pie. Which is what it is in New York. <a href="https://farmflavor.com/lifestyle/how-do-you-say-pecan-mapping-food-dialect-trends-across-the-u-s" target="_blank">https://farmflavor.com/lifestyle/how-do-you-say-pecan-mapping-food-dialect-trends-across-the-u-s</a>/
@Mean Old Lady et al. I agree--I would never offer someone "17% of a pie"--just think of that poor last person who only gets 15%! It's always "who would like 60° of this pie?" (In fact, my usual pie plates are much larger, from which 36° is an ample portion.)
@MOL et al For me, it’s π/3 radians….or should I say “pie/3 radians”? Pecan π, of course.
@Mean Old Lady if you don't know what a mental health disorder is, it's best to avoid using it as a generic adjective. It takes away from understanding a legitimate diagnosis that many people struggle with. Budgeting time is not a diagnostic criteria for OCD. Having a day-planner goes back at the very least decades.
Idaho seems to be popular these days 😃
@Ιασων Famous Potatoes will not be ignored
Is it supervocalics you're looking for? How about facetious and abstemious? Add the Y if you'd like. I knew today would be slow because I must have left my mouse at work. The touch pad is a clever device, but slow. I realize I'm showing my grumpiness here, but I get annoyed every time I see CRINGE used as an adjective. I suspect I'm not alone around here.
Jack, When I started editing, CRINGE was not an adjective, but since this was an Erik Agard puzzle, I HEDGED before entering the last letter of 20A.
@Jack McCullough I had cringy until the very end.
@Jack McCullough I like CRINGE because it's a perfect word, one we were somehow lacking. Like "hanrgy," which is the perfect way to describe my cat when she wakes me up at 6 a.m. by biting my face.
@Jack McCullough I love how flexible English is in this regard (and others). Favorite example: Don't harsh on my mellow.
Am I the only one who gets annoyed when they make up words and then base a puzzle around them? I have spent over 30 years in the corporate world, so you would think if a phrase like “timebudget” actually existed, I would have heard it.
@Richard Ciotti It may or may not be used in the corporate world, but much like a financial budget, it can be used by people to schedule their time. <a href="https://www.usemotion.com/blog/time-budgeting" target="_blank">https://www.usemotion.com/blog/time-budgeting</a> I don't do it, but I have heard of it.
@Richard Ciotti Apparently 'you would think' wrongly: <a href="https://www.herzing.edu/blog/five-tips-create-time-budget-youll-use" target="_blank">https://www.herzing.edu/blog/five-tips-create-time-budget-youll-use</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/time-management-fundamentals-14548057/budgeting-time-for-your-most-valuable-activities" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/learning/time-management-fundamentals-14548057/budgeting-time-for-your-most-valuable-activities</a> <a href="https://hubstaff.com/blog/time-budgeting" target="_blank">https://hubstaff.com/blog/time-budgeting</a>/ ... and many more.
@Richard Ciotti - I used to participate in the discussion forum related to the Mac Power Users podcast. It is full of people who obsess over things like productivity, especially GTD (Getting Things Done, a book famous in the productivity community), which $300 pen writes better than the other one, and so on. (My suggestion to them: don't spend all day writing in an online forum about $300 pens and how to be more productive.) I did find useful information there, once I waded through all the obsession about productivity and pens (among other things) but I don't visit there very often these days. Constructing a TIME BUDGET is a huge part of the entire GTD mindset. And of the productivity mindset as a whole. It was not constructed out of whole cloth by the puzzle constructor -- it's a real thing and is out there in the real world! A good rule of thumb, before ASSuming that something doesn't exist simply because YOU have not previously heard of it, is to do a quick search of the googles. Had you done so, you would find that this is a "real thing." I also searched the comments in the Mac Power Users forum, and there are several hits for TIME BUDGET.
@Richard Ciotti Also, since you mentioned being in the corporate world, do you perhaps occassionally glance at the Harvard Business Review? Here's an HBR article ( <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/01/time-management-is-about-more-than-life-hacks" target="_blank">https://hbr.org/2020/01/time-management-is-about-more-than-life-hacks</a> ) where the following sentence appears: "Create a time budget that details how you spend your hours during a typical week".
@Richard Ciotti Time management is definitely the prevalent term, especially as managers delegate multiple responsibilities to subordinates. Then, when things go wrong, it's always the subordinate's fault for poor time management. Ask me how I know. But yeah, I've never heard of time budgeting, either. Next topic: work/life balance.
Got that sinking feeling when I saw Erik was the constructor, but then realized it was a Tuesday, so I relaxed and enjoyed it. I admit that I am wondering how sOP is a thing to wring.
Regarding the ID clue: I find it odd that Sam didn't mention two such similar clues in such a short period of time. It makes me wonder about how the staff works: do all columnists solve or at least review all puzzles, or only the ones they write about? How far in advance do they write the columns? Knowing that puzzle publication dates can be set months in advance, do the editors go back and review the puzzles in relation to the ones that will be published at around the same time to look for things that might need to be tweaked? None of this is a complaint. Just a thing or two to ponder. Great puzzle. Thx Erik.
Solved it, but somehow didn't enjoy doing so. Found the "theme" somewhat lacking. Actually, very lacking. And some of the clues just annoyed me. "Hue granter?" for DYE. Trying way too hard to be cute. And "Half of a rhyming synonym of 'haphazard'." Clunky. It's Tuesday. How about just "_____ skelter"? Guess I got up on the wrong side of the bed today.
@Xword Junkie. I hope your day gets better. I like the HELTER clue precisely because it wasn’t no-brainer that the Fill in the Blank clue would have been.
FREE SHIMs for GRINER and MARTIN! That’s it. Carry on. No, it’s not. Why aren’t ballerina flats called shims? We have wedge and platform. Seems like we need a Shim shoe for shimmery days.
@Red Carpet Shim shimmery shim shimmery shim shim sheree?
In today’s mini crossword, I was surprised to see the relatively mild word that satisfied the clue “boiling with rage”(?)
@Reagan Agreed! I had IRATE instead of ANGRY for much longer in that space than I care to admit.
That link to is R a vowel is great! I'm so glad I read Wordplay today. As I learn French, the importance (and weirdness) of R is especially apparent. Born in Ohio, my Rs are huge!
@Nora R is NOT a vowel. However, it is a very powerful letter, and it ALTERS every vowel it is attached to: AR, OR, ER, UR, IR... so that the "short" sounds are no longer what is usually heard. Our 26-letter alphabet must serve us in our language, which uses roughly 46 sounds. Despite the irregular words, English is 80% phonetically regular, so phonics are an invaluable tool for reading and writing. Overcomplicating things with weird claims such as "R is a vowel" just confuses matters. GAH!
Needed more research than usual for a Tuesday, but luckily I don’t mind.
suejean, Luck has nothing to do with it - you are clearly disciplined in what you mind! (ref: constructor’s notes) :)
Good job name checking three fabulous women athletes.
Yesterday it was “irreversible binomials.” Today it’s the always-flipped “head over heels” which (why?) was supposedly in the good old days the proper wrong way up as “heels over head.” The black and white picture shows both. Thank you. Learned some names of people today. Off to learn about the people.
On 41D I tried sneered, scorned, and snorted before I found the right answer. I’m grateful 69A gave me some small compensation for those extra errant efforts.
My enjoyment of this puzzle is at ODDs with my appraisal of it. I enjoyed it quite a lot as Tuesdays go, appreciating its relative crunchiness and the attempt to find off-beat clues -- some admittedly more successful than others. But TIME BUDGET is not exactly an in-the-language phrase. I fed TIME BU into Google and TIME BUDDY came up first. That's not exactly an in-the language phrase either. TIME BUDGET came in fourth, I think. And then -- isn't there sort of an unwritten rule that you have to have either four theme answers or three theme answers and a revealer in a themed 15x15 puzzle? The theme is awfully thin here and I found myself looking at the Downs to see if Erik had slipped in one more themer there. None of this in any way diminished my enjoyment of the puzzle -- and if I weren't on a puzzle blog, I probably wouldn't have paid attention to any of it. Very pleasant Tuesday.
@Nancy You mean you never have to BUDGET your TIME? I think it’s a fair answer.
@Nancy I didn't find the theme thin. The puzzle has two common phrases- SAVE THE DAY, and SPEND THE NIGHT. Day and night cover the time, save and spend cover the budget... it seems complete. I'm not sure what could be added to make it better. I'm a person who definitely needs a TIME BUDGET, there never seems to be enough to get everything done! 😫
I'm surprised nobody else has complained about NO PROB. The answer is a shortening of the phrase NO PROBlem, so I think there should've expected a hint in the clue that the answer was abbreviated.
@Grumpy -- FWIW, I think the clue -- ["You got it!"] -- which is an informal way of saying "You've got it", gets across the informality of NO PROB. Et tu, emu.