I love a grid that doesn't require me to know people's names.
Oh the joy of finishing a Monday puzzle on Sunday night. That gives me time to wish everyone a happy week solving whatever the puzzlers set before us and be thankful for the people who create these puzzles and the ones whose comments are posted. I so enjoy the comments from across the U.S. and from around the world. You have broadened my view, provided laughs, puns, definitions, music, poetry and a range of opinions. Thank you. Peace and blessings to all - in all ways and for always. :}
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Game of throws (5) 2. On ice longer than normal, say? (2)(2) 3. One with an "accept all cookies" policy? (5) 4. Understudy opportunities? (4)(2) 5. Spot-checked? (3)(3) DARTS IN OT SANTA EASY A's DOG SAT
Often, the biggest Monday challenge for me is leaving the revealer blank, filling in the theme answers, and trying to guess what the revealer is. This is a skill I have trouble with. Today I did see SHARE, LIKE, and FOLLOW, and figured that the revealer would involve a pun based on a particular social media site. Not quite, and thus I needed a few crosses to get the revealer. But at least I got part of the way there – small steps. And my brain loved the workout in trying to figure it out. It also enjoyed scanning the completed grid and finding a trio of accessories (TIES, SASH, ANKLET), a quintet of “A” sandwiches (ARENA, ALA, AHA, ALDA, ALGA), and a pair of symmetrical rhymes (LASH and SASH), not to mention seeing that ANO is preceded by a word that contains it (HANOI). Also, a word I adore, PATINA. My heart smiles and warms all over when it comes across that word. Dena, congratulations on your NYT debut, and it is clear that with a Friday in the queue, you have range. Looking forward to that one, and I’m grateful for your puzzle today, which brought all these pings of joy.
@Lewis Mon.-Thurs. I, too, try to leave the revealer (or failing that, the last theme entry) blank until the end. I guessed today's had something to do with social media, but didn't guess SOCIALMEDIA. But I was quite impressed by two fifteen-letter (yet Monday-level appropriate) grid spanners. Fine debut, Dena!
Miss Piggy’s pronoun is my favorite clue ever! MOI? Ha!!
I Howled at “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by verbs’ past participles masquerading as adjectives (and vice versa).” Thank you, Sam!
To 55-Down: the corpus of Norse literature contains only two Eddas, neither of them a saga. A saga is a prose narrative written in a spare, chiseled style that resembles the writings of Ernest Hemingway. A saga is a sort of novel. The so-called Younger Edda, written by Snorri Sturluson ca. 1200 AD, is a poetic — a manual for poets. It contains a catalogue of verse forms, a dictionary of convoluted metaphors called kenningar, and a source book of mythological lore for use by poets. The Elder Edda, compiled later than the Snorra Edda, is an anthology of short narratives written in alliterative verse. Snorri wrote his poetic in an atavistic effort to revive ancient forms of poetry 200 years after Christianity had replaced the heathen pantheon and the old poetic forms had been supplanted by uncomplicated songs using end rhyme and were so uninteresting that few have been preserved.
Fact Boy, Glad you have the message ready when questionable clues for EDDA show up. It is sometimes clued correctly, as in these two random selections: Sun Apr 14, 2013 112A Collection of Norse tales Elizabeth C. Gorski Fri Aug 31, 2012 45D 13th-century composition Patrick Berry
@Fact Boy Filled it in without a second thought as 40, 50 years ago I was helping my Dad with the Daily Telegraph crossword and asked who on earth would know what an Icelandic saga was. "EDDA", he said, looking at me as if I was an idiot...
@Fact Boy As always, you are a marvel of information. As my students would always ask: Do I need to know this for the test?
@Fact Boy Alas, poor Snorri. I knew him, Horatio.
Congratulations on a clever debut, Ms. Witkes. You've nailed the zeitgeist of the times we live in, and the puzzle was a joy to solve. I don't normally post my time, especially because I'm slow and it's often nothing to be proud of, but finishing today at 09:30 immediately made me think of the famous 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. It was there that I saw Oasis play in 1994, on a small stage just two or three feet higher than the adjacent small dance floor, to a very small audience. The thing is, Oasis was already big in Europe and especially the U.K., very likely playing ARENAs. And here they were, in this tiny club, still unknown in the U.S., and the displeasure showed on their faces. One of my friends looked up at Noel Gallagher and flat-out asked him: "Is life really *that* bad?" He smiled for a second and then went rght back to looking gloomy. After that tour, they finally made it big in the U.S. and never again had to play the 9:30 Club. <a href="https://youtu.be/tI-5uv4wryI?feature=shared" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/tI-5uv4wryI?feature=shared</a>
@sotto voce Well, beat me by about 5 minutes. Also, probably described one of the reasons I never really got into Oasis. When you get to see someone in an intimate setting, it should be a joy. Saw David Bromberg at Cafe Lena with about 25 other people and it was like hanging out with your (very) talented uncle. Life is too short for prima donnas. Friends once saw Dylan where he played the whole concert with his back to the audience. Give me a break.
Congratulations on your NYT debut, Dena. I'm looking forward to your upcoming Friday. 27A forced me to post this video: <a href="https://youtu.be/m_MaJDK3VNE?si=nwmFe6eyy76tG-xm" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/m_MaJDK3VNE?si=nwmFe6eyy76tG-xm</a>
@Nancy J. I remember that commercial! It aired during the Super Bowl. I think it’s simultaneously one of the best and one of the worse commercials ever made. Best because a decade later I still remember it because it was so funny, but worst because I couldn’t have told you what it was a commercial for if my life depended on it. Could you imaging what it took to make. Some of those shots are not CGI.
@Nancy J. I've never seen that commercial (No, I don't watch the Super Bowl, so thanks, I loved it!), and I was forced to watch the whole thing to figure out who sponsored it. Or, who it was sponsoring? Whatever...now I need to go find a cat to snuggle.
@Nancy J. Oh my goodness. Completely unaware of this ad of course, not being an American tv watcher. Made me laugh out loud. Am sharing it with my S-I-L, who frequently cites his work with our Parliament as LIKE HERDING CATS.
@Nancy J. Love that! I’ve never seen it before, made me laugh out loud. (Something my HP printers have never done 😊) Thanks for posting it!
27A. If this doesn't bring a smile to your face... <a href="https://youtu.be/m_MaJDK3VNE?si=F4c3cnlQH4lDERAB" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/m_MaJDK3VNE?si=F4c3cnlQH4lDERAB</a> Meow!
@Call Me Al Thanks, Al! Xoxo MOL No EMUS need apply
@Call Me Al Haven't seen you in a while, and good to see you back, my enigmatic sans-serif friend!
For the “fireman” clue, my mother is a firefighter, and feel that the word firefighter is more appropriate than “fireman.” There are brave “firefighters” everywhere.
@AB I agree. That clue should have been written differently. That the answer wasn't a clever twist on firefighter was really disappointing. (Thank your mom for me.)
@AB I couldn’t agree more! It’s 2024 and it’s time to retire firem**, and other words ending in man.
A very easy puzzle can lull you into cruise control and you stop reading the clues carefully, or even at all, before you enter an across fill. Got the "So Close!" message, took another look at the puzzle and had to start cleaning up the mess I'd made. Which was actually a good thing—I wanted a puzzle that took a little longer. It's Sunday afternoon, after all. Take a bow, Ms. Witkes, you're off to a good start. Thank you!
My quickest Monday yet and for that, I'm grateful, AES. It was definitely needed after a pretty painful, albeit enjoyable, Sunday crossword. I can feel the heat finally begin to dissipate from my over-strained brain. And to think we do this for fun?!! 🤣 Favourite clue: He-Man's twin sister. The joy I felt was immeasurable.
Regarding 4D, I will acknowledge that many — indeed most — of a municipality’s fire brigade are men, so the clue is perfectly acceptable. And yet … isn’t it a bit of a snub to all those woman firefighters who are undoubtedly just as brave?
@Strudel Dad Hence the clue's "e.g." ?
@Strudel Dad So no one is allowed to use the word fireman ever again? That's a pretty severe take, and unwarranted. The "e.g." was quite clear. The mailman left something in the box yesterday. He's also a postal carrier, as are his female colleagues. It's all right, really. /and the postman's never rung even once ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler
@Strudel Dad FWIW I (rightly) raised my eyebrows at FIREMEN too but could find a satisfactory way around it!
There's nothing wrong here. Since there's no specific time period in the clue, it could be referring to the past when "firemen" was the only thing to call them.
@Strudel Dad since the B in Bravest is caps, the word is used as a proper noun and not an adjective. For example, could it refer to the members of the NY Bravest FCU, of which firemen would definitely be a part. Seems reasonable in that case.
A delightful Monday, so welcome after Sunday's workout! I too had 'follow your heart', but quickly figured out it had to be a different end word. It was good to read the Wordplay as I'd missed the 'share', 'like', 'follow'. (As much time as I spend on facebook, one would think I'd have caught that!) I look forward to more puzzles from Dena Witkes!
Congratulations on the debut, Dena, and I'll be looking forward to your upcoming Friday puzzle. Thanks.
I'm looking forward to the Friday too, Dena, even if you're giving most of your family and friends a bye!
Great puzzle, Dena, and congratulations on your debut! Very clever and fun.
This was a weird puzzle for me - I think I've never had as much empty space after my first across pass on Monday before. In the end though I finished in a time within my usual Monday range, and three minutes faster than last week. I've been doing these puzzles for some 18 months now and I keep encountering clues about birthstones. I googled birthstone it and apparently it is a gemstone associated (how? Why? By whom?) with the month of one's birth. Is it common in the US to know about this stuff?
@Andrzej I imagine that there’s a subset of people who could rattle off all the birthstones associated with a given month, but I’d guess that *most* people in this country just know that they exist, and maybe which one is associated with their own month. Which ones? I can’t even be sure of that. All of which is to say that garnet was not on my radar.
@Andrzej I think it's a relatively common topic in new mom groups, as people like to have a something with the birthstone or birthflower of their baby. Personally I can only remember "Opal" as it is a frequent crossword clue.
@Andrzej It's in the same category as appropriate gifts for different anniversary dates, etc. - stuff that was some folk tradition, standardized more recently than we think for some commercial purpose, and the complex standard then given the stamp of "tradition" that seeps back into the folk understanding. I'm sure there are cultural histories already written.
@Andrzej funny, I had the exact same experience regarding the first across pass. Almost nothing clicked. Then with the down pass things cleared up. I'va also been wondering about these birthstones, we don't use them where I'm from. Apparently they are inspired by the bible where twelfe stones adorn the breast plate of Aaron (?). Then, a bit later, in 1912 The National Association of Jewelers standardize them. - so it sounds like a typical American intersection between bible reading and salesmansship, who'd thunk it :)
@Andrzej The concept of birthstones was a marketing ploy developed in the early 1900s by the jewelry companies in America. I would wager that Americans of a certain age know them well. There is still a lot of jewelry marketed that way today though. I remember it was a big thing when I was a kid to get your ears pierced with studs of your birthstone (since you had to wear them for a long time before changing them out for the first time). As a mother of three young boys, I don’t know if that’s still a thing anymore. I do see ads for necklaces, etc strung with the birthstones of one’s children. Did you know there are also flowers associated with each month??
Hi, @Andrzej! According to Wikipedia, your nation had no small part to play in the establishment of birthstones: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthstone#Western_custom" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthstone#Western_custom</a> But I found the information on the biblical Breastplate of Aaron, and @Welling's observation on it--an interesting TIL. Right up there with "traditional" anniversary gifts: ("Paper? Who gives paper? Unless it's the title to a new Jaguar, or a hefty wad of cash!")
@Andrzej It’s something little girls learn…which keeps the lore alive, at least in the US. I didn’t know it’s started as an advertising ploy, but guess that doesn’t surprise me.
Even the Mondays are getting difficult for me, so was not pleased to be reading how easy so many found this. I am impressed that it is a debut and did enjoy the solve, however.
@suejean Although I thought it was easy overall, my time was still much slower than my average Monday time because of some easy mistakes that needed correcting. Does that mirror your experience?
Hmm...I think TOOL BOX or TOOL KIT. TOOL SETs are for wanna-be DIYers; they probably don't know one hammer from another...and ditto screwdrivers and wrenches. And where are the saws, pliers, wire cutters and tin snips? Personally, I love that AD where the cowpokes are HERDING CATS. I am eager for FOLLOW YOUR BLISS to fall into disuse. It used to be enough for folks to FOLLOW their *hearts*...or at least *The Instructions* or the *Rules* or their *Noses*..... I'm taking FOLLOW YOUR *Leader* off the table.
MOL, I too wanted "box" before SET, but the clue said "include," not "contain," so I think we we both misdirected ourselves. No BLISS for me either. Links earlier to HERDING CATS ad.
@Mean Old Lady You have defined me exactly. I have a tool set because I don't "wanna be a "Diyer,"
@Mean Old Lady My tool box contains a mechanic's TOOL SET, which "includes" a couple hundred socket wrenches, and several screwdrivers, but no hammer. That's on my tool belt.
@Mean Old Lady -I have a pretty serious shop that includes automotive and woodworking. There are thousands of dollars of tools in it. I have rebuilt more car engines than can remember at this point (though not in the past 25 years -- more into woodworking at this point). I have drill presses, table saws, miter saws, multiple routers, dust collection, and a robust collection of top-grade cordless tools. I have bought some of my tools in sets. I guess that means you think I don't know my hammers or screw drivers. O-kay...... I suppose I'm just a wannabe DIYer.
I saw SHARE and LIKE and knew that the next theme answer would begin with FOLLOW. But what would the fourth theme answer begin with? TWEET? RETWEET? REPLY? LOG OFF? When you have no experience on SOCIAL MEDIA, this is a very difficult question. BTW, which platform are we on, anyway? I forgot about leaving the fourth theme answer slot for the revealer answer. This is the sort of thing I do to make an unchallenging Monday more interesting for myself. It would have been fun to have had a theme that tied both halves of the theme together. Such as: What do a SHAREHOLDER and LIKE HERDING CATS have in common? Both have stock that can't be controlled? Nah -- you almost never have that kind of challenging macrothemism (yes, I just coined it) on a Monday -- so you just have to take what you get.
Good, long answers, no obscure proper nouns. And this puzzle deserves gold for the "Miss Piggy's pronoun" clue.
What a fun puzzle to start the week! I especially enjoyed the HERDING CATS clue since we herded our group of four felines up this morning to visit the vet for microchipping. They were not amused by the car ride! Thanks for the fun debut puzzle Dena, I look forward to your next entry.
Glad to see a new constructor. This was a bit on the slow side for a Monday for me, but managed to work it all out. Will admit that I didn't entirely grasp the theme, but that's just me. Unusual puzzle find today. A Thursday from December 23, 2010 by Oliver Hill and Eliza Bagg. Don't recall another one like this. Theme clues and answers: "What to use to spell 30-Down, according to George Bernard Shaw, reputedly, Part 1 :" THEGHFROMENOUGH "Part 2 :" THEOFROMWOMEN "Part 3 :" THETIFROMNATION And then - 30 Down: "Fish" GHOTI Can't say that I entirely grasp that one. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=12/23/2010&g=17&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=12/23/2010&g=17&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta The GH provides the F sound The O the I The TI the SH GHOTI is FISH
@JJ Didn’t George Bernard Shaw come up with that to illustrate the absurdity of how some things are spelled in English? (Oh why cant the English teach their children how to speak?)
Whither Savile Row? Black-tie dress is technically dubbed "semi-formal," with "formal" reserved for white-tie and tailcoats. Fred knew the difference: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0VeEqonEa0" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0VeEqonEa0</a> The downward spiral can be blamed on the slovenly Edward (VII), Prince of Wales, and, in America, those hoodlums of Tuxedo Park, New York. Myself, I'm more prone to favor demi-semi-formal wear: T- or sweat-shirt*, gym shorts, and baseball cap. (*muscle-shirts, or sleeves ripped off, are options during The Season.)
@Bill Oh, and at 58A I briefly wondered whether a non-binary Mx. Piggy had new PGPs.
@Bill I've been on an Edith Wharton kick, and I am just so glad I do not have to dress like that. I'm eternally grateful to the women who won me the right to wear pants. I've been seeing some young people wearing sweat suits out in public like it's no big deal, something that would have been unthinkable in my youth some 20 years ago. It's nice to see the kids living their best life.
Nice one Dena and you could not have a better mentor. Of the many stupid business posters... I did like the HERDINGCATS one.
If you asked me to look at the first three theme clues and asked me what they had in common, I don't think I'd come up with it in a million years. Even after getting 59A, I didn't notice what they had in common. Until I was done, that is, when I could read the clue carefully. (I had only digested the "Modern networking aid" part before answering and moving on.) I'd put FOLLOW YOUR heart at first, which cost me some time, and I went with the adjectival meaning of [Really bothered] at first, which also needed to be cleaned up. Up till those two minor setbacks, I thought I was in personal best territory. Still was a quick exercise and a typical Monday.
@Steve L I also fell into the FOLLOW YOUR heart trap. I know that FOLLOW YOUR BLISS is a saying, but to me it hardly makes sense as "advice to someone seeking happiness". Bliss is, after all, a state of extreme/ecstatic happiness. I laughed at the thought of advising someone to follow exactly what it is they're looking for.
I looked at the watermeal. Grody!
@Hafiz So sorry! I recognize that my warning may have had a kind of "pink elephants" effect on fellow curious minds. Don't worry: we'll get through this.
Great debut and also looking forward to the upcoming Friday puzzle (talk about a teaser!). In a previous life I dipped my toe into aquatic vegetation management so I had to look: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolffia" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolffia</a>
A cheerful Monday puzzle with every entry perfectly clued by our "constructrix." I got through this in record time! For a while, decades ago, I worked at a PR firm that promoted tech clients. It was at this firm that I first encountered a brand-new thing called social media. All who worked at this firm were exhorted to open accounts, and to start liking posts about our clients. I thought it was among the most ridiculous things I had ever heard of, contrived and questionable at best. Then quite a few years later, we were supposed to embrace the next trend, and tweet! I wish I still thought of it all as ridiculous, because now it all seems sinister.
My fastest time ever, only 15 mins 6 secs. I expect it's just luck I was on the setter's wavelength (I'm not yet ready to talk about wheelhouses). Only clue I couldn't even guess was SASH; when I was a Girl Guide there were no sashes. It helped that there were no proper names or brand names or TV channels (so many!).
I'm late getting back to the Comments, and someone else may already have said that "Follow your bliss" was a mantra popularized by Joseph Campbell in a PBS a series of conversations with Bill Moyers, "The Power of Myth." Worth reading the Wikipedia article about Joseph Campbell: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell</a> From Wikipedia: The Power of Myth is a book based on the 1988 PBS documentary Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. The documentary was originally broadcast as six one-hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) and journalist Bill Moyers. It remains one of the most popular series in the history of American public television. " If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. . . you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time."
@dutchiris That was a wonderful series on PBS and a wonderful book too. But I didn’t remember that Campbell introduced us to “follow your bliss”. Thanks.
Congrats on your debut puzzle, Dena! It was fun and fast and perfect for a Monday. I had to finish the big Sunday puzzle this morning before doing today’s. It was a big, complex, terrific puzzle but I ran out of hours in the day. Happy Thanksgiving to all 😊🍗
Just upgraded my subscription to include Crossword and today's 11/25/24 was my first one. I always enjoyed the Mini for years, but thought that the full NY Times crossword was designed for nerdy English majors. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it was very straightforward and I did pretty well. So I now get to have more fun with the Times games in my morning routine. Thanks guys!
@Gomer I started doing them regularly several months ago. I used to only be able to do the Mondays and Tuesdays and now I can usually solve the whole week (with a few googles near the end of the week). It’s so fun to watch your progression over time.
@Gomer Okay and good for you, but remember that it gets progressively harder through the week. Saturdays are generally more English Major territory and Thursdays are... interesting. :) ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
Fun puzzle today. Easy, yet slower than my average. I had one or two ordinary errors that needed to be fixed, but the really worst one was just overlooking the tense of a verb, so it wasn't until I got through the whole thing that I realized LEVIEs should have been LEVIED. I was doubly tricked by think that LES went in the across space, because he appeared earlier in the puzzle. And for a bit of musical history, you might enjoy this picture of LES Paul holding a "Nocaster", so called because it didn't yet have its famous name, given to him by Leo Fender. <a href="https://guitarriego.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Les-Paul-con-su-Nocaster.jpg" target="_blank">https://guitarriego.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Les-Paul-con-su-Nocaster.jpg</a>
I've never heard FOLLOW YOUR BLISS and had follow your heart instead.
@Midwest Sounds like a wishful T-shirt slogan, along the lines of, "Living my Best Life," or "Feeling Blessed." Heart was my first pick as well.
A straightforward Monday for me. Hadn’t heard of FOLLOW YOUR BLISS before, but then I have zero presence on any SOCIAL MEDIA. My son in law often refers to working with our MP’s (Members of Parliament) as LIKE HERDING CATS.
@Helen Wright FOLLOW YOUR BLISS is a phrase coined by the writer Joseph Campbell, author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I suspect that's how this song got its title. Give it a listen! The title is appropriate. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xvYhbAzXco" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xvYhbAzXco</a>
I was all ready to be sad over the Las Vegas A's clue...but I'll happily take a WNBA team as the answer. (Alas, Oakland! Maybe the Athletics will stay in Sacramento???)
@Kat Oh, so that was about basketball? I got the answer from crosses and never stopped to wonder what it meant.
@Kat Maybe because of Caitlin Clark, I don't know, but women's basketball at both the university and professional levels has become quite popular lately. When I read the clue I immediately thought of the Aces WNBA team. I'd be willing to bet that was the constructors intent.
I got 24A from the crossing clues, but was completely stumped how it made sense. I kept reading "bothered" as an adjective, compounding the error by parsing the answer as (1)(4) or (2)(3). It's always a little disappointing to finish the puzzle and not understand the answers, so I was relieved when it finally clicked.
@Tom You meant 40A, I gather. Figuring out where you got athwart of 24A...was that part of the trickery in the puzzle?
This is the first time I gave up on a Monday grid. The problem with and old sock could be the sole, and the target of mascara could be a lass. I spent 30 mins scanning the puzzle before giving up :(
Ofer, Darn it, I think you may have found a technically defensible nit there. And while the lass may hope the mascara is aimed with a little more precision, I know I am comforted to learn that all my missing and discarded socks may have gone to their blissful resting places - despite the holes in their souls (sic).
I think my shock and befuddlement at 33A being clued with "campuses in Boston and Worcester" got the best of me - I think I would have destroyed my Monday PB otherwise. It's not wrong, but as an long-time former Amherstite (Amherstonian?) it still felt wrong to overlook the OG UMass. (Also, question: it's almost always styled UMass, is that an abbreviation or just a word?)
Get it but cheers from us Worcesterites (Worcesterians?) ! And UMass Worcester was in the news recently for the Nobel awarded to Victor Ambros
Gary, In the NYT Crossword, UMASS has always had an abbreviation or informal signal in the clue. (So has UCONN).
@Gary I skipped over that on the first pass, too. I think of Amherst, Boston, Lowell and Dartmouth. Had no idea they have a med school in Worcester.
I'm always amused by the idea of HERDING CATS, but my favorite thing about this puzzle might be the clue for 16 Across.
Like herding cats?? I *hate* herding cats! And is Sam on the take now for Big Watermeal Pix? How many centavos per click? (I know I’ve accounted for a pretty ugly penny already this morning) Fun. Friday?
@JohnWM Milking cats is even harder I've heard.
@JohnWM I am most certainly not in the pocket of Big Watermeal
Nice Monday puzzle, I got a little slowed by FOLLOWYOURdream. Nice to see UMASS clued to something other than Amherst. I see in 2012 the clue once was [Campus near J.F.K. Library]. Off topic, the Munch painting “Death and the Child” looks a lot like Seibert’s reaction to the late missed PAT in yesterday’s Commanders-Cowboys game… <a href="https://tinyurl.com/469h4vcu" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/469h4vcu</a>
Great line from the great movie "Caddy Shack": "Loofa my back?"
Is it just me or have Monday puzzles gotten more thematic as of late?
@Jamie MORE thematic? But all Mondays are thematic. How can it be more thematic? (Asked in the voice of Hermione Granger asking "How can you be Nearly Headless?")
"...as of late?" Jamie, Mondays are definitely more consistently thematic than they were 35 years ago.
Open for debate - is it PA-tih-nuh, or pu-TEE-nuh?
@Mike I've always pronounced it puh-TEE-na, though I've also pronounced the adjective "patinated" as PAT-in-ay-ted. However, my first experience of the word was listening to a recording of William Faulkner read his own work (I think it was "Light in August"), and he pronounced it puh-TYE-nuh, with a beautiful drawl. Never been able to get that out of my head.
@Mike Thank you for asking that! I've been pronouncing it PA-tih-nuh, my wife pronounces it pu-TEE-nuh, and both of us think we're right. 😄
Reading Wordplay before solving, I was careful to stop short of any spoilers. The caption under the photo, "Perches in a coop? Or purchase in a co-op?" had me hoping today's puzzle would feature long, homophonic answers. That made me dive right in. Oh well, it was still a fun puzzle. So... are there any puzzles in the archive that feature homophonic phrases as answers?
@Michael Well- couldn't find one with phrases but there is one with homophonic clues. A Thursday from April 21, 2011 by Julian Lim. In that one, the 'reveal' clues (4 of them) were of the form: "Solving Hint Part 1" and then "Part 2," etc. And those answers were: EACHONEWORDCLUE INTHISPUZZLE ISAHOMOPHONE OFITSACTUALCLUE And then some sample theme clues and answers: "Lessons." EBBS "Urn." MAKE "Bolder." ROCK "Tails." LORE "Pores." RAINS "Flea." ESCAPE "Sail." AUCTION "Chews." TAKE "Waist." RUIN Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/21/2011&g=42&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/21/2011&g=42&d=A</a> ...