Sam, it's not just that AL are the first two letters of the theme answers. AL is the state postal code for ALABAMA. AL is the chemical symbol for ALUMINUM. AL is a common nickname for ALBERT. Which makes it one step more clever than before.
Steve, Easter egg? Some consider another notable last name for AL as (52D) an [Apt rhyme for "bore"] and SNORE.
@Steve L You got it, and thank you! Appreciate you sharing it here. 🫡
@Steve L Oh, I missed that additional layer of meaning too! Makes it much more satisfying. Thank you for that!
D'oh! I can always rely on the solving community to catch the deeper meaning of it AL. The column has been updated to include a properly full explanation; thanks for spotting!
Said one leftover to another, "Foiled again!" (And that's a wrap!)
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Way of getting online that might sound like "beep beep beeHAW beeHAW beeeeeep SHRHRHRHRH" (6) 2. Screenwriter's way of re-introducing some characters? (5) 3. Turning point in telecommunications history? (6)(4) 4. Stressed half the time, say (6) 5. When doubled, something seen atop a pyramid? (3) DIALUP PASTE ROTARY DIAL IAMBIC POM
This one blazed with spark: • Three of the four theme answers being NYT debut answers, and the fourth (ALUMINUM FOIL) only appearing four times before in 80+ years. • Lovely answers, such as LAP UP, HUNDO, LIAISE, CRUX, and ALABAMA SLAMMER. • Freshness in cluing, such the colorful clue that enlivened the humdrum answer MUCH: [Shania Twain’s “That Don’t Impress Me ___”]. • The theme itself, three words commonly shortened to AL, given the perfect revealer. • Even an end-of-week terrific riddle clue, [What’s deep in the pit?] for TUBA. Combining spark like this with the relative ease of a Monday fill-in had a serious “Whee!” vibe. Sure, Mondays fill in quickly for me, a veteran solver, but the splat-fill often feels rote, with oft-seen clues and answers and a bland theme. But when spark peppers a brisk solve, suddenly that solve becomes thrilling, and in a way that can only happen very early in the week. That’s what I got from you today, Elliot, and on your NYT debut, no less (Congratulations!). You’ve blasted me into the day ahead, and pleeeze come back with more. Thank you so much for this!
@Lewis I loved the RIPE and SOUR adjacency, both the cluing and answers. And the placement right at the top, letting us know we were in for a fresh Monday! [Relax, or a place to relax] and the TUBA clue were top-notch, as well. Happy Monday(!)
@Lewis Thank you for such a kind and thoughtful comment – it's truly making my day (more)! Delighted you found the puzzle sparkly and to have garnered a "Whee!" from ya, and hope to do so again in the future. 💖
HUNDO? ONBLAST? I'm way behind the times (sigh). Both were new to me.
Same. This is the first time I’ve seen two unknown (to me) slang terms in one puzzle. Won’t be the last time, with my 68th birthday fast approaching.
@dutchiris Pretty sure I never in my 30 years online saw anyone use "On blast" in that sense, confounded me.
dutchiris, This may be nearing the hundoth time I’ve seen that one, but happy to tell the world, the first ever for ONBLAST.
@dutchiris et al I think of setting my Phaser or stun gun ON BLAST. Have never heard this used in a way to match the puzz-def.
@dutchiris I am with you. Who calls $100.00 "hundo"? I'm from the C-Note and Benjamin generation, I guess.
A wonderful memory from the 1991 Paul Simon concert in Central Park was when Chevy Chase joined Paul on stage to recreate the 'You Can Call Me Al' video. The crowd went wild. I really like how the theme references the postal, chemical and name abbreviations for AL. So clever! Congratulations on your debut, Elliot.
@Anita Thank you so much! I actually rewatched the Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park special just the other day, but I think I’ll throw on Paul’s tomorrow thanks to your comment.
I am finding this difficult for a Monday puzzle. It's nice to have one puzzle you can just bang out. Not this one.
Personally found it really, really, tough for a Monday. Relatively new crossword solver but first Monday in a little bit that I wasn’t able to solve completely.
Now I understand why Americans can’t pronounce aluminium correctly - sniff
Spmm, Heh heh. My mother used to tell us of an odd teacher she had, who considered herself very old-world-refined. She insisted on her students learning by oral repetition the “correct” pronunciation of both “aluminium”, and the equally extra-syllabic (in her world) “peninsulia”.
BEANIE babies brought back a sweet memory from when our daughter Emily was seven. This was when Beanie Babies were at their height, and she simply had to have one. There was no guarantee, and she knew it, because she knew how hard they were to find in stores. But come Christmas, she opened the package and there it was! Emily was the picture of ecstasy, of a life fulfilled. Until it was clear that the doll was defective. It didn’t talk! Emily’s ebullience quickly morphed into deep despair, the culmination of which was her sitting on the couch with the doll in her lap, singing haltingly through tears, from “Annie”, “The sun will come out, tomorrow…” The whole song. This is a family story now, and it’s stories like this that are the textures of our lives.
@Lewis I'm a bit confused about a talking Beanie Baby. I didn't think there were talking ones. Am I mistaken or did Emily just assume that they all talked?
@Lewis I'm with Vaer - don't remember any talking beanie babies. I was the wrong age to take part in the craze, but I have a younger friend who tells how an older woman ripped one out of her hands in the store. She was 8 when it happened.
Thank you for a fun Monday puzzle! I hope to see more of Elliot Caroll's creations!
@Joan Delighted to hear you enjoyed it! I hope so too :)
Nice puzzle. Not only do all the theme entries begin with AL but the first words are all ones that are regularly shortened to AL (or Al). Together with the song, that's a winner of a theme. I've been working on constructing puzzles now for a couple of years, but my themes are all kind of MEH. And I won't even start on the frustration of filling in the grid, where all is going well until I get to an unresolvable area that undoes the many hours I've already spent getting there. In his comments, Elliot alludes to the pain of bulldozing a nearly completed puzzle. What I'd like to know is how to tell when it's time to bulldoze, rather than continuing the battle to make the previous fill work, when it's never gonna happen.
@Esmerelda Thanks, and hello from TO! I'm afraid any of those unresolvable areas are pretty much where I start in with the demolition machinery, no matter how far I've gotten. It's not my favourite part 😅
Any puzzle with a TIARA in it is okay by me. And Paul Simon. The Call me Al video is one of the ones that I play in the morning to convince myself to get out of bed. And who in the 1990s can forget wanting Beanie Babies or having to hunt them down? Working in Manhattan, I was tasked with locating the harder to find ones for my nieces' Christmas presents. Also, working in a law firm during that time, I can say that Nuts the Squirrel was a very popular desk toy for attorneys and support staff with a sense of humor. I still have mine. Congrats on publication, Elliott
@Vaer Thank you so much! Sadly my Beanie Babies collection retirement plan was a bust, but I still have Pinky the Flamingo in storage.
What was that? L The mix of trivia and unmonday-like misdirection in the clues was truly unpleasant this early in the week. I can only imagine how a beginner must have felt facing this grid. I think I'm fairly experienced by now, but I solved this in a time above my Tuesday average, and slower than my fastest Saturday. I was so annoyed I actually looked up two pieces of trivia to be done with the grid. I want to relax on a Monday, not be challenged, so this was by far one of my least favorite NYT puzzles ever. If this ran on a Tuesday perhaps I would have been less critical, but c'mon, it's Monday!
I see the constructor is replying to our comments today and now I feel a bit rotten about my post. Elliot Caroll, please don't take my criticism personally. You are obviously a much more talented and intelligent person than I am, and your puzzle is actually quite the feat of construction. Still, IMO it is not a Monday puzzle, and what I was objecting to was the day the puzzle ran on, given its contents. You clearly have a knack for misdirection, which would be brilliant on Wednesday or later. Just please, whatever day your puzzles feature on, have mercy on international solvers and please try limit the trivia 😉
@Andrzej -- Did you finally finish that Saturday LAT puzzle? Just wondering if it finally opened up ... Et tu emu.
@Andrzej Tsk. I never took you for a whiner! And now you didn't even stand behind your protests due to the presence of the constructor. Gotta own those posts! Just picking on you because the emus let YOU have as many entries as you want....
Glad others found it a little tricksy for Monday, I thought my last little grey cell had expired. Must. Remember. UK/US spelling/pronunciation of ALUMINIuM. Holds me up every time. ON BLAST a new one for me, plus of course I only know about RACCOONS from myriad US films/comedies/dramas. I love the term ‘trash bandit’. It was pesky seagulls when we lived nearer the coast. The noisy sky rats could get into any bin so the council handed out huge, canvas bags with heavy duty buckles. Worked well but didn’t stop the blighters trying. A great debut puzzle. I love the AL theme and how you connected such disparate things as a song title, a cocktail and a kitchen aid. Kudos.
@Helen Wright Thanks so much, Helen! I'm very fond of the "trash panda" as we sometimes call our unofficial mascot here, though I've spent a lot of time cleaning up after them.
I wish people would stop saying that this (or any) puzzle was too difficult, and instead say that it was too difficult "for me." I didn't think this puzzle was difficult at all; it was a pleasant and enjoyable Monday puzzle...for me. Nice debut, Elliot!
@The X-Phile I found this puzzle to be a bit more difficult than most Monday puzzles, so I agree with the many folks who commented similarly. What I find irksome is when someone says something like "Easiest crossword puzzle ever! I finished it in less that 10 minutes!" In other words, "I'm smarter than most of you." Your comment falls in the second category.
@The X-Phile Well, how ‘bout this: the puzzle was not extremely hard for me, but it took a full two minutes longer than my average solving time for a Monday. So I would call it difficult for a Monday puzzle.
@The X-Phile I appreciate your attempt here. The windmills you tilt at may not fall, but the attempt is noble
Agree with many that this was difficult for a Monday: POGS, ONBLAST, HUNDO. LIAISE.
There must be at least "50 Ways to Clue a Crossword," but hundo was a new one for me. I guess I'll make a new plan, Stan - whoever he is. Wishing you a smiled-filled week and smooth sailing puzzle adventures.
One of the most fun Mondays I’ve seen In a while. I love Paul Simon, and ALthough YOUCANCALLMEAL, is not one of my favorite songs of his (I’m more of a Rhythm Of The Saints fan), it was great to see that song used as part of a clever Monday theme. I’m also a big fan of ALBERTBROOKS, whose quirky, lowkey films like Defending Your Life, Mother, and Lost In America are quite charming. I also like cocktails, ALthough I can’t vouch for the ALABAMASLAMMER, as that’s one I’ve never tried, as I more of a traditional cocktail maker. ALL in ALL, this one was right up my ALLey.
@Marshall Walthew Thanks so much for this lovely comment. My fave song of his is probably "Still Crazy After All (AL?) These Years". I've also never had an Alabama Slammer myself, but might have to tomorrow. Cheers to you!
@Marshall Walthew I was initially startled that SLOE COMFORTABLE SCREW would both fit in and be accepted by the NYTXW.
Elliot, I'll echo what others have said: more difficult than the usual Monday--but in a good way; I picked up the "abbreviation," not the simple "opening two letters," level of the theme. By way of thanks, here's a short playlist, for you to download onto your iPod: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6bpS45cdw4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6bpS45cdw4</a> (something a little stronger than a Slammer) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urglg3WimHA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urglg3WimHA</a> (Sorry, I don't know enough abut Mr. Brooks for him to give me an ear-worm.)
@Bill Wow. I have to take this opportunity to publicly avow that (1) Weird Al is my top AL, and (2) this song is actually one of my favourites of his. Rest assured I sang the chorus frequently while constructing this puzzle. Can't believe I didn't mention this in my constructor's notes. Thanks for uncovering this easter egg and for your sweet comment!
Congratulations on a nice debut, Elliot Caroll! As Sam Corbin noted, this is a wonderful puzzle for someone who's just starting out solving.
@Eric Hougland Thanks so much!
Especially fun because our cruise ship was just pulling out of a gimme for me, NASSAU, as I filled this out! We do so love vast blue expanses!! A hair or two slower than I've been running for Monday but no good reason why... Hmm, maybe the day drinking.... Har! Maybe tomorrow I'll see about an ALABAMASLAMMER! And I might just request YOUCANCALLMEAL in the piano bar tomorrow night!! But seriously, a charming theme and a pleasure to complete! Congrats and thanks for a sparkly fun debut!!
@HeathieJ I loved Alabama Slammers when I was... Let's just say at an age where I based my interest in drinking establishments on whether or not they carded-?! Back then I also liked that cocktail's tart cousin, a Teeny Weeny Woo (also called a Woo Woo). Both were red. And sweet. And strooong! Funny enough, when cosmos became a thing, I wasn't interested. Maybe I'd had my fill of cranberry with those Woos... You'll appreciate that my favorite drink -- back then and for years -- was Jack and Coke. Now I prefer bourbon, usually straight. But you can judge how sweet I liked them back then!!
@HeathieJ Thank you so much! Hope you're having the best time, and PLEASE let me know if you manage to challenge the piano bar with this one!
This was a fine debut puzzle, but in my opinion not a Monday puzzle. At least I wasn’t the only one who thought that. It was fun to hear so much from Elliot and I look forward to see what she comes up with next.
What's deep in a pit? Good one!
This one brought a smile to my face. A clever puzzle with some fun clues that require a bit of pondering (e.g. What's deep in a pit?). This one took me a tad bit longer to solve than my usual time for a Monday. Thanks, Elliot, for all your work on this crossword! Another wonderful debut among many of late.
@Mark Thanks for working through it! I'm glad it made you smile :)
@Elliot Caroll You are welcome! Looking forward to the next!
Great Monday crossword for a rainy day like the one I am having. Enjoying some fresh biscuits on the sofa with a couple of candles and a nice view of the Christmas tree. Very cozy, thank you! 😊
Seeing Albert Brooks' name brought a big smile to my face.
@Michael I was blanking on his name for some reason. Remembered his brother being "Super Dave" Osborne, and their real last name being Einstein. Took a while for AB to finally click in. Strange.
@Joe V How did I not know these things?? And I thought I was a fan. Talking about Albert Brooks just makes me want to rewatch Broadcast News. Such a quotable movie. Paul Moore: It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you're the smartest person in the room. Jane Craig: No. It's awful.
Great debut, Elliot! Congratulation!
Enjoyed this debut! Another one, please?
Cool puzzle. A bit more difficult that most Mondays, and I welcome that, so I thank the editors for placing Elliot Caroll's well-constructed puzzle here. Paul Simon is one of the great US songwriters, right alongside Frank Zappa and Bob Dylan. The greatest North American songwriter is Neil Young, and I have a special fondness for Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed. Albert Brooks has created some excellent films. I enjoy his wry take on life, particularly in Modern Romance and Lost In America, which are two American classics. (I do wonder whether anyone has ever called him "Al" -- I haven't watched the documentary yet, so that might be a way to find out.) Plus, Brooks's brother, the late Bob Einstein, is one of the funniest guys ever, so I was happy to think about him as well, particularly his years on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Why do some people still call aluminum foil "tin foil"? I have read any studies on this, but I suspect those people also say "ink pen" and perhaps even "icebox". If you say "tin foil" I'd be interested in a response, because my curiosity is now piqued. Alabama Slammers will remain a mystery to me. I gave up alcohol 5+ years ago, because it was enough already, but if I ever have a terminal disease, I will welcome bourbon back into what remains of my life. And now with YSSY playing in the background via Bandcamp, I'll continue through the rest of the NYT Monday puzzles. For some reason Eric the Actor just popped into my head, so I'll say, "Bye for now."
@Steve Tin is quicker to say than aluminum? Especially if you say it as 'aluminium' as I do. Actually I would say 'kitchen foil' - and clingfilm for Saran. I'm quite a recent solver and found yesterday's tortuous but this was really easy! I don't know Albert Brooks or Yeun or Dae, but got from crossers. In fact I puzzled over how to solve 'comfy pants' which I would call 'elasticated waist trousers' (don't you 'pull on' every pair of trousers?) and I was thinking of Bridget Jones' 'big knickers"!
@Steve I say tinfoil in my head when I think of it, but translate to aluminum foil if I have to say it out loud to someone else. Tinfoil's lodged deeper in my brain because I learned it first. It's also more fun to say, especially if you're talking about conspiracy theorists; wearing tinfoil hats they're just silly but if they were wearing aluminum foil hats? Maybe a more serious threat and if it's a family member you'd feel compelled to call the guys in the white coats. And now I have a different earworm. They're coming to take me away, ho ho, he he, ha ha. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fn36l_z3WY" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fn36l_z3WY</a>
@Steve Appreciate this great comment! Admittedly, I thought I wrote a Wednesday, but I'm sure the editors are discerning. I'm so glad you were up for the slight Monday challenge all the same. (And that you included two Canadians in your great songwriters list. My roundup includes Aimee Mann and Carole King.) Thanks so much for checking out the music, and for reminding me to get to the "Defending My Life" doc on my watchlist.
@Steve No quibbles with your choices but, is there no room for women in your greatest songwriters pantheon? What about Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case and many others?
@Steve I'm in the TIN FOIL camp; just commented myself that it may be an age thing and your comment suggests that it is. "Ink pen", however is more a dialect than an age thing. People who pronounce "pen" and "pin" nearly the same (some African-Americans, some Southerners white and black) say it to disambiguate, especially if they want to borrow one.
@Steve I can only say any such list of great songwriters is subjective, and I go with what speaks to me. I acknowledge and respect that others' lists will be different. Joni Mitchell is to me the greatest North American woman songwriter, and is indeed in my all-time top 10 list of great North American songwriters. As to the narrow time band of my list, mentioned by @Steve L, that's the era that speaks to me, and also it stands my test of time. More recently -- starting about 10 years ago -- I have heard some pretty great stuff on Alt Nation. I remember when I discovered that channel on SiriusXM and said, "Finally, modern music I enjoy." Maybe some of that music will stand my test of time. In the 90s and forward my favorite songwriters off the top of my head are almost surely Guy Garvey--mostly of Elbow (and not North American, so I shouldn't even mention him, because that opens up a much broader spectrum for consideration) -- and John & John of They Might Be Giants. The people who come to my mind as the great North American songwriters of today are Lady Gaga, Lana del Rey, and Billie Eilish. In fact, zero great men songwriters come to my mind in the current era. Thanks for all the discussion about music and tinfoil, et al. @Shan: I remember that Napoleon Bonaparte III song without even clicking your link. I was a dedicated Dementian or Dementite back in the day. @Andrzej: I'd definitely give your playlist a listen.
It always amuses me how you guys can get away with omitting entire syllables from “aluminium” 😊
@Richard It's 'cause we're so frisky. Henry Kaiser built the geodesic KaiserDome out of four syllables, so that settles it . God, haven't thought of that in ages...went to the *territory* science fair there in 1959
Fun puzzle! The theme quickly clicked for me. I think I had an edge. Not a PB, but one I'll remember! 15A. I read it as BLACKBOARD attachment, so filling in the crosses had me wondering.
@Call Me Al Yes, but I'm still not sure about your sans-serif handle . . .
@Call Me Al I thought of you as soon as I saw the revealer, and came looking for a comment from (or about!) you! 55A takes seeing oneself in a puzzle to a whole other level. Cheers to that!
@Call Me Al Oh! That explains it. I read it as blackboard too. I had to go back and check what it actually is. Head slap.
Liked the puzzle. Although I've done a few Tuesdays faster I didn't find it as difficult as some others noted. Love a Paul Simon clue. There were a few tight spots but it fell into place with a small amount of lateral thinking. Probably filmdom was the stretchiest and least satisfying clue of the bunch but most puzzles have one or two of those. Nice to see a fellow Canadian around here!
@Scott Is it already Tuesday in Saskatchewan? I think of living in your Province as somewhat similar to being in MS--a sparsely populated state. Oft-overlooked! My sister and her husband lived in Toronto for 35 years....O, the traffic!
This was a terrific puzzle, Elliot, debut or otherwise. Nice use of the three different meanings of AL. I'm looking forward to more.
Who knew that the CIA had such a puckish sense of humor? It's not tricky and it's not challenging, but 31D -- which gave me a delicious bit of info I didn't know -- is one of my favorite clues ever. I also love the Stephen King quote at 62A. The theme was a SNORE -- but as long as a puzzle is fun, I don't really care about the theme. And, because I am one of the world's laziest people, my original answer to "apt rhyme for 'bore' " was CHORE. Lovely clue for TUBA. Do I care what the crossing letter between the abbrev. at 27D and the middle name at 39A is? No I don't. My small act of protest is to leave it unfilled. I thought this was considerably harder than most Mondays, so I rather liked it despite the tepid theme.
@Nancy A better clue for IMDB could be, "Online resource for everyone who never heard of "Minari" or any of the actors in it." The clue for TUBA was perfect, though.
@Nancy I know you probably don't want to know, but IMDb stands for Internet Movie Database. I finally looked it up a while ago after not being able to remember it a few times, and now that I know what it means, I never forget it.
Thanks Elliott! This made for a fun Monday. I tried making a crossword puzzle once and had to bulldoze it after about five words -- it's harder than it looks 😲 Good job!
@Ken Thank you, I appreciate it!!
Super fun and fast after yesterday’s challenge that I just barely finished before this one dropped. Two of my favorite movies and my favorite song in high school (I may or may not have called my h.s. girlfriend Betty, and well, you know what she called me).
@Justin You have great taste :)
Very enjoyable Monday puzzle. I finished this in just about exactly my Monday average time. And I always enjoy it when constructors respond to comments here.
Not a fun Monday for me. Thought this was supposed to be the easiest to solve. Didn't like this one at all.
Bah-dum-dum-dum! Love that song, love the video. (Remember when Chevy Chase was fun?) But most of all, I love Albert Brooks. While he has never received the National Treasure status he deserves, I am delighted he was chosen here to represent the ALs. Ms. Caroll clearly has excellent taste. As for the difficulty of the puzzle, I agree that it required a bit more thought than the usual Monday, but I appreciated that! Besides, anything I had to skip over initially was amply aided by the crosses. I thought it was a great start to the week. And it made me smile more than once, so thanks, Elliot!
@Heidi Thanks for this kind comment and making me smile in return. I'm delighted you welcomed the modest challenge today. BAH-dum-dum-dum!
Before they were transferred, our minor league team played against the "Trash Pandas"--which never failed to crack me up. I didn't go back to look, but I assume the emus never released my Sunday post re ELAN (clued as "Gusto"....more than a stretch) which had included my illustrative anecdote. Pfft to emus. Today's CLUNK: $100 = HUNDO. DHubby joins me in UGHing. I always reverse the last two letters in the "online source for cinephiles", and 39A name did NOT offer enlightenment. Anyone here refer to FOIL as AL? ....I thought not. I started this solve at 61A, so it solved very smoothly until I read the cocktail ingredients. Srsly?? Two Mystified UGHs on that one. Life is too short to get involved with Southern Comfort, I'm pretty sure. This year's fruitcake is being "Bourbonized." With the real thing.
@Mean Old Lady Not sure I get your quibble about aluminum foil. People do refer to aluminum itself by its chemical symbol AL. I wouldn't refer to just anyone named Brooks as AL, but I would refer to anyone named Albert as AL. Fun fact; Albert Brooks' real name is Albert Einstein.
@Mean Old Lady I'm assuming she meant that many of us still call it TIN FOIL, which it hasn't been since whenever I'm too lazy to look up. Is there an age divide on this, I wonder? Will try to remember to ask my 40-somethings daughter and daughter-in-law next time we see them.
I agree with today's column; this was a lot of fun and a great way to start the week. The reference to the great song by Paul Simon and the "tuba" clue made me smile, too! Thanks @Elliot Caroll for an entertaining Monday puzzle; I'm looking forward to your next one.
@Dave Thanks so much! Glad it got some smiles :)
I enjoyed this, especially the reminder of the song. The HUNDO/YEUN crossing was a bit of a Natick for me because I thought that U might be an O, and tried it that way first. I hadn't heard of the ALABAMA SLAMMER and couldn't remember FARSI at this time of night, but I got them from crosses. Congratulations on the debut!
Delightful debut! Smooth solve with a simple, charming, Monday-appropriate theme. Several of the clues evoked nostalgia for the times in my life when I first encountered them - the Graceland album, the Anne Shirley books, even (somewhat embarrassingly) the Alabama slammer. Welcome, Eliot!
@Melissa M. I'm with you about the Alabama Slammer. 😳 I loved those things way back in the day, and the answer was a gimme -- even if TIL what exactly goes into them-! Paul Simon's Graceland, the Beanie Babies craze, the early days of both the iPod and IMdB. This puzzle spoke to this Gen-Xer!
52 down was a delight! Bore/snore. Great Monday puzzle. Thank you.
Ok I’m crying foul on “PULLON” pants 😂😂 What pants are NOT pull on?
@Marty Am I the only one who puts on their pants head first? 😮
@Marty Pull-on pants are any pants that rely on elastic fabric or waistbands to stay put rather than zippers, buttons, etc.
Really miss Will Shortz's editting.
@Norwood Yes, I do, too! Especially when there are too many clues with movie or pop music content. Not all of us are teenagers or twenty-somethings living in our parents basement!
Retiring You Can Call Me Al? Because of hearing loss? It's practically a spoken word song. I don't get it. Sad in any case. I hope he improves... ____________________ Jesse Goldberg 8/28/2024 for Puzzle of the Decade (emu filler)
@B He mentions it in this interview from a couple of weeks ago. I'm blown away by everything he's doing to be able to perform at all. <a href="https://youtu.be/H5wdvaBAPaM?si=CId1VVjxGNk7PVX1" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/H5wdvaBAPaM?si=CId1VVjxGNk7PVX1</a>
@B In his own words: “I’m going through my repertoire and reducing a lot of the choices I make to acoustic versions,” he noted. “It’s all much quieter. It’s not ‘You Can Call Me Al.’ That’s gone. I can’t do that one.” In other words, probably the horns. 😉 (As @Mike said!) <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/paul-simon-wont-play-you-can-call-me-al" target="_blank">https://ultimateclassicrock.com/paul-simon-wont-play-you-can-call-me-al</a>/ The article also mentions the work Simon is doing to support hearing loss research. But for him, I can't imagine he'll improve to a point where he can reprise a song like this. One can hope!