Driving a Zamboni is ice work if you can get it. (Of course this pun would resurface.)
@Mike It pays a whole lot of scratch in liquid assets. ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️ ⛸️________________________⛸️ ⛸️___
@Mike Figures. It's a goal. Cold hard cash. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler) /kinda rinky dink living though, skating on the edge
@B Speaking of “cold, hard cash”, a not inconsiderable — lawyers love double negatives — number of folks of my parents’ (and grandparents’) generation were always suspicious about banks. How could it be that numbers written — now even my age is showing — in a pass book could be relied upon as proof that the bank had the cash you gave it and would give it back to you whenever you wanted it? It is not uncommon for the executor of an estate of one of these folks who had to clean out the freezer — or icebox for those of another era — to discover blocks of folding currency hidden there for a rainy — snowy? — day. Cold, hard cash indeed.
@Mike Once again I was rewarded for checking here. The puzzle was good, but your comment is icing in the cake.
Well, this puzzle was right in my wheelhouse. In fact I solved it while watching the Ottawa Senators - LA Kings game. A couple of commenters remarked that the ZAMBONI graphic was the icing on the cake. I would point out that the ZAMBONI's job is to deal with the caking on the ice!
@Andrew Nice turn of phrase, eh. Thanks for providing me with a Saturday night smile. Happy Sunday and week ahead. Here's to smooth skating!
@Andrew, it's so good to see you! Please come back, more often!
@Bill I’ll try! Thanks for the encouragement!
@Bill I haven’t seen Puzzlemucker in these parts recently. Have there been occasional sightings?
The center ICE is brilliant. Five great clues and the multiple Is (ayes), Cs (seize) and Es (ease). The perfect example of repeated answers in service of a theme. The cool graphic of seeing the ZAMBONI at work is the icing on the cake. Congratulations, John, on hitting for the cycle, and with such a solid theme. Well done!
@Anita I agree that the ZAMBONI graphic is the icing on the cake. I'd also point out that the ZAMBONI's main task is dealing with the caking on the ice!
The theme with its ending animation was brilliant! I would have said the puzzle was "neat" but that means there was no ice! Constructors never fail to amaze me with their ingenuity!
Love this puzzle, with all its hockey layers! Even Adam Smith, a minor league Canadian defenseman of the 90s, good enough to warrant a wikipedia entry, gets a spot (he said defensively, as a defenseman would, that an "invisible hand" had guided the puck past him and into the net, on one -- fictional -- occasion). And Ronnie STERN who played in the NHL for 12 seasons; Michael DUMAS who played all of 8 games in the NHL but is now chief amateur scout for the Blackhawks; SILAS Griffis, who won 2 Stanley Cups, in 1907 and 1915, first with the Kenora Thistles, then with the Vancouver Millionaires. Having been in my 20s during the Mario Lemieux era for the Penguins was to see up close the rise and decline of a god. The themers were hilarious: Glossed Over, Smooth Operator especially. Loved it all. Makes me think of that old commercial for "Riunite on ice, that's nice."
@john ezra Hey, you forgot TESSA (44D) Bonhomme, who won hockey gold for Canada in the 2010 Vancouver games.
@john ezra Thanks for pointing these out, it brings an ADDED LAYER of enjoyment to a delightful puzzle.
The best part of reading these comments is that at 8pm pacific time there isn't one complaint or negative thing written. Let this be the trend we see going forward. #StayPositiveAlways :)
@Adam H I agree, but then looked at my clock and it's only 5:15 PST. I'm one of those who does the puzzle on the day it is for, not the night before the instant it appears. And usually not until after dinner. So, no one will probably ever read this comment. It's nICE to write it anyway.
2024 PUZZLE OF THE YEAR Hello all, This is usually the time of year when the puzzle of the year (POY) contenders are nominated. This year, however, I won't be able to run or participate in the process because it's been an extremely busy year for me, and I haven't done enough crosswords to know which should qualify. I kept meaning to get back in and play catch up in time to run the contest, but at this point, have to admit it's too late to get almost a years worth of crosswords caught up on. My sincere apologies. All is not lost, however, I am counting on my very able and competent partners who have been heavily involved in this process to run this year's POY. First and foremost, I'm counting on Puzzlemucker to take the helm. I'm also hoping Cat Lady Margaret and Eric Hougland will pitch in and make this work. Starting later in the year would work better as December puzzles will get a fairer shot at being nominated. PUZZLEMUCKER CAT LADY MARGARET ERIC HOUGLAND Please read the above. I'm counting on you guys. Would have loved to do this as usual, but seriously, life been lifin', and I've had an unbelievably hectic year. Again, counting on you, thanks guys!
@Tito I'd be happy to help out to make the POY recognition possible. If you, Cat Lady Margaret and Puzzlemucker (if he's reading) will leave a comment at Diary of a Crossword Fiend, I can take advantage of my backstage pass (as it were) to get your email addresses. I have only a general idea of how you and Puzzlemucker worked the voting in years past. Thanks.
Oh, I know the word Zamboni well, even though I’m not an aficionado of the sport of ice and men. I only needed to hear it once in my youth and I was a fan. It’s just too much fun to say and see. Before today, there was never a Zamboni themed crossword, and I can imagine a dry version – a tribute puzzle with the revealer of ZAMBONI and theme answers that give bits of its history and function. But look at what John did. It’s as if he said, “How can it be done right, where future constructors don’t even consider making a new Zamboni puzzle?” To my mind, his going from a bald vague ZAMBONI idea – “It’s a fun word, how do I turn it into a fun puzzle?” – to an actual concept – having a closed-off rink in the center, a passel of smile-producing punny Zamboni references scattered about, then rewarding the (online) solver with a scampering Zamboni doing its thing … well, that was brilliant. Turning this into a Sunday grid took impressive talent as well – I mean, all the clever theme answers are symmetrical, for heaven’s sake, and the isolated ICE block has that sweet clue twist as well. For pop, John threw in eight debut NYT answers, including the lovely CLEAN SHEETS and the most lovely SMOOTH OPERATOR. This was an experience as well as a fill-in-the-boxes, and you nailed it, John. Bravo and thank you!
@Lewis ....of ice and men. teehee Thanks for that!
High school math teacher, coach, and master of the crossword puzzle. Wonderful example of the dedicated education professionals who teach our children for too little money and almost no recognition. Shame on us!
Skated through this one relatively quickly, and glad I didn't have to worry about thin ice. Some interesting cluing, but I didn't notice any dekes sending me offsides, or penalties for icing. Glad you finally scored the Sunday and the cycle! Thanks, John.
Wow can’t think of a Sunday in recent memory I enjoyed more. Very interesting tight theme, sterling clues with fun trivia (ALDA and ZSAZSA) and clever misdirection, and cute animation at the end. I got the ice in the middle immediately but that didn’t take away from the fun of figuring out the rest of the theme. Medium level of difficulty so should be fun for everyone
Why is there a blue Pac-Man eating the letters in the middle of my puzzle? (Pac-Man was originally called Puck Man, according to Wikipedia) Amazing puzzle in so many ways! Just wowed me. 48D along with the theme have inspired my new hockey-themed musical: "Crease". Transfer student Sandy comes to America and, being Australian, is amazed to see ice for the first time. (to the tune of "Summer Nights") Danny: Figure skating, gliding so fast Sandy: Figure skating, wound up in a cast Will she ever fit in with the hockey crowd? Yes. At the end there's a senior prom with a Winter Wonderland theme. Sandy shows up in a sexy leather goalie uniform. Danny: I got chills, they're multiplying Oh, duh, we're at an ice rink Sandy: You better lace up, 'Cause I need a goon Who can keep the wings offsides Then they fly off in the Zamboni. I'm still toying with some ideas for it. ("Look at Me, I'm Wayne Gretzky") Seems unoriginal? So sue me, sue me, what can you do me?
@ad absurdum Glad I read Wordplay today. Count me in as a backer!
The animation at the end is great!! Had to drag the laptop over to show it to my wife. Very amusing puzzle.
DOC for "Grumpy friend" is one of my favorite clues of all-time. Well done. -Dopey
Kristopher, [Grumpy friend] is a NYT debut clue for DOC, but even if it hasn't appeared in other venues, I'm not sure it would qualify for the Lewis List: we have seen [Grumpy co-worker] twice and [Bashful friend].
John Lieb, you iced it beautifully. I couldn't figure out where it was going until the Zamboni cleared it all up. What an unexpected delight that was! Congratulations on the triple axel in middle. I never saw it coming. Your debut is one we'll remember for a long time!
What? Wow. How? This puzzle, if it was at all obscure to you, I know why. It’s because it was *all* somehow, magically, mind-blowingly *my* wheelhouse. Ergo, the *me* you are, the more obscure the puzzle. MST3K Footloose(!) DUMAS DES Plaines SMOOTHOPERATOR ADAMSMITH ANSEL Elgort PEEWEE football YETI… I’m even boring myself, so I’ll stop. But, I now forgive my brain for using the space I need for like, I dunno…passwords? My next-door neighbor’s *name*? Which anniversary is coming up? Nope! That space is forever reserved for Burt LAHR SHA NA NA and ZSA ZSA. Add a little animation? What is this? My birthday party? I would cry if I want to, but I do not. Thank you John! In unrelated news, we may have been separated at birth.
The little headlight beams on the Zamboni, though!!! A triumphant debut. Congratulations and thank you, John.
@Lizziefish Yes! And also the gate opening and closing for the Zamboni.
My favorite crossword EVER!! So much fun to solve, and the animation was just delightful!!
We are now officially John Lieb super fans. Our family rates this as one of the most clever we have ever done. We were so charmed by the whole package. Thank you for the icing on the cake to our Thanksgiving weekend!
The onset of winter just makes me want to crawl into a cave and hibernate. Karma has it that I live in the Alps. So anything ice-related that can put a smile on my face is hugely welcome. Delighted by the Zamboni and the puzzle. As luck would further have it, my kids are ice-hockey mad, so I would like to give a shout-out to the New Jersey Devils and their Swiss-born center and captain Nico Hischier. No relation. But nice to feel a connection.
Well, we’ve had our first wet snow of the year, complete with power outage. What shall we use to clear the snow? The SLOW ROLLING action of me with my shovel? The FROZEN ASSET of the snowplow blade sitting uselessly unattached to the tractor? The SMOOTH OPERATOR with his misbehaving snowblower? I know! Time for a ZAMBONI! I must say I was impressed with how easily the little animated one cleared all the ICE away. Fun puzzle!
I haven't been able to complete a Sunday puzzle without reveals or checking the grid in a long time: my last gold star was on October 13th. It's becoming somewhat frustrating, especially as it has nothing to do with how witty the puzzles are: it usually is about the huge grids requiring the use of more proper names, brands, etc., than regular sized ones. I know my failures are on me, but that does not mean I have to like them. Not only was today's puzzle full of trivia, it also used some pretty strange words I have not picked up in my 38-ish years of learning English: SILAGE and CUTUP confused me, and BASAL metabolism (what is that?) crossing with TAUPES was my undoing. I had an "o" in place of the A. Looked good enough for (apparently slightly uneducated, despite my doctorate) me. That crossing was one of the reasons I gave up and turned on autocheck. I would also appreciate it please if the community explained the following clues to me: Businessperson bringing in beaucoup bucks - RAINMAKER? What are beaucoup bucks and what is a rainmaker, other than a kind of shaman? Grumpy friend - DOC? Fit for service - ONEA? Should I be parsing that as One A? What is that? And finally, I know what a ZAMBONI is, and over the decades I've noticed Americans love their Zambonis but... Why is that, exactly? I can't think of any utilitarian Polish machine that would evoke similar emotions.
@Andrzej Sunday puzzles are a chore for me… they start to feel tedious after a while so I usually use check puzzle at some point. I do feel satisfied when I can get through one without some random typo somewhere. I live in LA at the moment and this time of year there’s an ice rink in the park my apartment overlooks and there’s just something graceful about the big ol Zamboni moving about the ice. I have no idea about ONEA. I wondered as well. Doc is one of Snow White’s 7 dwarf friends, as is Grumpy. Beaucoup bucks is just a whole lotta money but rainmaker to me is not a business term as the puzzle implied. As a matter of fact rainmakers usually make it rain in NSFW places lol!
@Andrzej SILAS ATCO SSR SMITH killed me. i got annoyed. these didn’t help: buss, peale, silage, basal, one a, doc cut up. one day i’ll remember lahr.
@Andrzej during the draft days, the military used the designation "1-A" to mean "Available for military service." See here for other codes (the most common that we might see in another puzzle would be "4-F") <a href="https://www.sss.gov/about/return-to-draft/#s2" target="_blank">https://www.sss.gov/about/return-to-draft/#s2</a>
@Andrzej Our love of the Zamboni, which I assume applies to Canada too, is pretty funny. It's not recent, I remember college hockey games around 1980 (St Lawrence U, a strong hockey school in New York near Canada), and we all cheered whenever the Zamboni came on the ice. First, there's the name, then it moves so slowly, somehow that's adorable. And the person riding it, we all want that job. Go figure.
@Andrzej Don't forget the puzzle is constructed by Americans for an American readership in an American newspaper and solved--or not--mostly by Americans. Why would you expect to know all the cultural references or understand all the wordplay?
@Joya NSFW rainmakers? Guessing you mean strippers? Either way, the 💵 is raining down! I’ve certainly heard it in the world of fundraising.
@Andrzej The comic strip Peanuts may be part of the Zamboni popularity. Charles Schulz was an avid hockey player and built an ice arena where he coukd play and for Sonoma County residents to enjoy. The Peanuts comic had Snoopy or Woodstock driving a Zamboni many times. <a href="https://www.snoopyshomeice.com/zamboni" target="_blank">https://www.snoopyshomeice.com/zamboni</a> Somehow I missed the local news that their propane powered Zamboni is now an EV.
@Teresa because NYT considers itself global. It bought out the international herald Tribune, a paper I miss. It takes the money.
@Teresa see <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/international" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/international</a>/ and <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_International_Edition" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_International_Edition</a> It also includes puzzles
@Andrzej Grumpy is one of the 7 Dwarves; his friend, another dwarf, is DOC.
@Andrzej BASAL metabolism, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is “the minimum amount of energy required to maintain vital functions in an organism at complete rest.” It’s one of those phrases I’ve heard often enough that the Fill in the Blank clue was easy, but I couldn’t have told you what it meant. (Thanks for asking about it; maybe now I’ll remember what it means.) DOC and Grumpy are two of the dwarves in the 1937 Disney animated movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.”
@Andrzej I'm always in awe of non-Americans doing an American crossword. Like you've mentioned before, how successful would a non-Polish person be at a Polish crossword? It's not just knowing English words, it's all the cultural context that contributes to the clues and answers that you have to work through. I also enjoy your comments here. :-) Basal metabolism, as I'm sure you've already looked up, is the rate of energy consumption by a body at rest - how many calories you burn just by existing. This apparently slows down as we age and thus we pack on extra weight. Never mind the common sedentary lifestyles these days, right? Silage sounds gross, but it's just the leftover stalks and leaves from when a crop field is harvested. That plant material is separated from the crop and fed to farm animals, cows and pigs typically. Here's more than you ever wanted to know about it: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silage" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silage</a>
@Andrzej Beaucoup is a French word meaning “a lot”, popularized in America by military returning from Vietnam, a formerly French possession. The Rainmaker was a book by John Grisham (that I recommend), otherwise I probably wouldn’t know the term. Made into a successful movie I didn’t see. As Eli described, in the book it’s used to describe a lawyer that brings in big cases with big payoffs.
@Andrzej obviously all your questions have been answered by now. I googled a few items, and "beaucoup bucks/money" is a real phrase that folks use. And wiki had this to say about RAINMAKER: In business, a rainmaker is a person who brings in new business and wins new accounts almost by magic, since it is often not readily apparent how this new business activity is caused. It means generating substantial new business or additional cash flow[1] from sources sometimes outside established business channels, sometimes by connecting with people in non-traditional or hidden markets, and sometimes by prompting current clients to spend more money. A rainmaker is usually a key figure in the business or organization,[2] not merely a salesperson, but a principal or executive who is usually highly regarded within the enterprise.[3]
Oh my goodness, what a delight of a puzzle. Could well be my favourite of the year. Tough enough to make me work but thoroughly enjoyable, with such a fun theme. I thought I was going mad with the ice block at first, but then ZAMBONI filled in and it began to make sense. I skated for my school back in the 70’s, it took me right back. Huge fan of Mr Buttigieg, though couldn’t remember his town. TIL there was an original Moulin Rouge film. Finally, I have the wonderful SMOOTH OPERATOR as my ear worm of the day. Lovely.
What fun! As someone who skates recreationally, and who is a big fan of figure skating competitions ( I already have my tickets to the 2025 World Figure Skating Championship, which will be held in Boston in March) I was absolutely tickled by this puzzle. The rink was the last thing I figured out, and the graphic of the "machine" clearing the ice was so much fun.....great job!
I always love an animation as a reward for finishing the puzzle, and this was an especially fun one!
Everybody knows zambonis go in circles! Just kidding. I loved this!
This one eventually won me over. I was originally frosted by the self contained central square, especially when I found that all the across answers within the square were ICE. I never like disconnected sections like that. I warmed to it a bit when I picked up the hockey theme, and when i finally got the trick with the IIIIIs, CCCCCs, and EEEEEs as the downs I had thawed completely. The Zamboni graphic was fire. Count me a fan. Thanks to John Ezra for pointing out all the subtle hockey references that I, who am not a hockey fan, never would have caught.
That animation at the end was so delightful—thank you to both Mr. Leib and the NYT tech team for pulling it together!
Today’s puzzle was both the most impressive and most fun that I can remember.
Fun puzzle with Zamboni is a winner! Kudos to the constructor and the folks making the cute graphic.
Great Sunday crossword. The animation at the end was a treat!
I thoroughly enjoyed doing this puzzle! And what a bonus at the end--I sat there looking at the puzzle for a good long while when it was done.
In addition to the personal connection mentioned below, there was so much in this puzzle to remind me of our place Up North--located on a small inland lake, about two hours from where Ex-Mayor Pete e famiglia have famously made their new home. Thereon, the resident loons teach their loonlets to dive, our neighbor flies a green and white flag--go Spartans!--and, in summer, I might do laps across the lake in my Speedo--the water is clean, but natural, untreated with xenon tetrafluoride (Hi @super8ing!), so best to shower well afterwards. In winter, when the lake is frozen, our neighbors might clear the ice for pick-up games of hockey, but, alas, no Zamboni:-( The surrounding countryside is inhospitable for most agriculture, save potatoes, and fields and fields of silage. Quite beautiful, in its way.
Terrific…the center solve and graphic ending are fabulous. Thanks!
Loving the little zamboni smoothing the ice. A fun animation as a prize for completing the puzzle is most welcome!
A perfect day: puzzle solved and Michigan beat that other school (again).
@Dave I thought of the poor ohio fans when I saw the center of this puzzle. Go Blue!
I never solve on Sunday nights, but we are visiting a friend, and she is also a puzzler. So we did it jointly! This was a fun solve, not too fast, not too slow. We loved the Zamboni at the end! What a lovely way to spend part of our Thanksgiving Day weekend, doing something I love with someone I love! Thanks!
Mr. Lieb, I really, really enjoyed this puzzle. First, I was that kid for whom the ZAMBONI was the highlight of the game or show ! I would still dearly love to ride on one, see it up close, look underneath it. Second, you managed to include my hometown DUMAS (Texas) and the hometown of my husband, SOUTHBEND ! As we say here, chapeau !
@Jim Greetings from your husband’s hometown!
I work as a sports reporter in the evenings, after my regular job, currently mostly covering hockey, so this puzzle was right up my alley and brought a huge smile on my face (along with a sudden onset of giggles when I figured out the down entries in the rink, and then again at the animation). Quite a power play from Mr Lieb. What a pleasure to solve!!
Hi Caitlin, At first glance, I thought the deck (subhead) on the column was just boring, but then I realized you'd snuck in a DOOK. Well played. John Lieb makes a nice Sunday debut.
@Barry Ancona In other words, that dook on the deck was a real deke.
@Barry Ancona THANK YOU. I was supremely confused about what a DOUP was. I assumed it was some French word for fancy hair. I now realize I've been DOOKed.
Somebody please explain for us mere mortals.
INERT gases aside.... Once upon a time a local rink had a contest and the winner got a ZAMBONI ride. The contest was a sellout. Nice one John
My favorite clever puzzle in a while. I live in a family devoted to hockey - the Pittsburgh Penguins, of course! So thanks for the delightful start to the end of the holiday weekend.
I can't remember ever having so much fun on a Sunday puzzle, and the surprise at the end is priceless! I feel sorry for folks solving on paper – you're missing a real treat.
Ken, Folks who solved the puzzle on paper who can read your comment here can re-solve or reveal the puzzle online to see the treat.
@Ken you’re right. That was extremely cute on the online crossword. Loved it!
Such a clever and delightful puzzle! Thank you, John Lieb!
ONEA related to the draft should be retired. The US draft ended in December 1972, & it only affected men age 18 or older. Thus, the only people familiar with this term are males at least 70 years old, & people who solved prior NY Times crosswords.
@Kevin Davis I wasn't familiar with it but I got it from crosses and it sounded like it could be logical...
@Kevin Davis. Or people with older family members who were rated.
@Kevin Davis I'm in neither of those categories, and I got it right away. How 'bout the siblings or offspring of the potentially draftable guys? Or their friends? Or just people who knew of it at the time, or at a later date? I don't think it's in need of retirement, after all we have E'ER and ERE and THOU and DOTH and DOST. We e'en have HEP, DRAT and MEAD. Just my opinion. Forsooth!
@Kevin Davis There is no draft at the moment, but that could change with the drop of a hat. Or a bomb. Men ages 18-25 must still be registered for the Selective Service, and the classifications could become everyday words again faster than you could press a red button.
@Kevin Davis Or just, you know, people who watch It's a Wonderful Life when it's on every year. ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
NOICE! In addition to the Zamboni animation at the end, there was lots of fun wordplay and stretchy clues to challenge my brain.