My NY's NYTXW Resolution: If I don't quite get the theme during my solve (like today's), don't get mad at the puzzle; use it as an opportunity to expand and learn a little something (which I did). Here's to a great coming year of solving!
@The Whip This theme segued nicely from a story I heard on NPR a few days ago. One of the most surprising things I learned: "The dreidel is best known as a beloved Hanukkah tradition. But it actually started as a European gambling toy, only acquiring religious significance* in the new world." *and acquiring the association specifically with Judaism <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/12/28/nx-s1-5238291/how-one-hanukkah-tradition-originated-in-european-gambling" target="_blank">https://www.npr.org/2024/12/28/nx-s1-5238291/how-one-hanukkah-tradition-originated-in-european-gambling</a> And when I looked up that piece just now, I found another fascinating story from back in 2008: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2008/12/22/98610612/no-gelt-no-glory-a-dreidel-champion-is-crowned" target="_blank">https://www.npr.org/2008/12/22/98610612/no-gelt-no-glory-a-dreidel-champion-is-crowned</a> The 2007 winner, Pamela "Pamskee" Goldman, had a world record spin of 17.8 seconds-!!
My ten favorite original clues of 2025 (in order of appearance): 1. [Switch hitter?] (7)(2)(5) 2. [Hunks of plastic?) (4) 3. ["Human beef" and "Chicken pox pie" on a menu, one hopes] (5) 4. [One who manages to get by?] (4) 5. [She's so full of herself!] (10) 6. [Pitches low and inside?] (6)(3) 7. [Phrase on ID tags] (6)(8) 8. [One whose hard work is showing?] (7) 9. [Way of getting online that might sound like "Beep beep beeHAW beeHAW beeeeeep SHRHRHRHRH"] (6) 10. [Drawer with knobs?] (4)(1)(6) FLICKER OF LIGHT John Kugelman KENS Jake Bunch TYPOS Ginny Too BOSS Katie Hale and Scott Hogan MATRYOSHKA Spencer Leach SUBWAY ADS Natan Last FAMOUS POTATOES Peter Gordon REALTOR Willa Angel Chen and Matthew Stock DIALUP Henry Lin-David ETCH A SKETCH NYT Editing Team (according to constructor Jim Burch)
Oops! Make that my ten favorite original clues of 2024! I'm sorry about that!
Correction #2 -- Constructor on the ETCH A SKETCH puzzle was not Jim Burch, but rather Jam Burch.
Well, I had no idea that ELMS were a symbol of wisdom. I just took that one on faith. So much short fill made this one a bit choppy. I mostly just came to wish the merriest of new years to all the wonderful puzzle enthusiasts in this community who daily take my enjoyment of crosswording to a higher level with their wit and wisdom.
@Marshall Walthew are they actually? I can’t find any mythology or folklore that actually associates elms with wisdom. Anybody have any sources?
@Marshall Walthew Celtic mythology appears to be the source.
Welcome back Will Shortz. I hope the new year brings you health and happiness. And all of us too!
@SusanEM Amen to that! And a happy year in your beautiful city!
A nice, seasonal puzzle that I wasn't expecting! A good one to remind folks that while one holiday may dominate the season, there are people who celebrate others as well. Fun, and educational. Thanks, Seth and Jeff!
@JayTee I think minor words like articles are considered kosher (so to speak) to repeat in long phrases.
Lovely answers always beautify the fill-in experience, and today we have SCAMP, I’LL BITE, SLOUGHS, DECOROUSLY, and NONE THE WISER. Three answers have never appeared in any of the major crossword venues: PUT IN WRITING, HALF DOLLAR, and WORK BAG. I’m amazed that the first two are showing up in a crossword grid for the first time ever. I love that DREIDEL never appears in the puzzle! In a lesser puzzle, IMO, it would have been the revealer. No, you don’t need it! A theme that reveals itself through suggestion is a theme of beauty. Seth Bisen-Hersh has a serious shot at Crosslandia history. He has had three NYT puzzles, published in this order: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Only Andrew Reis, has hit the cycle (a puzzle for each day of the week) in his first seven NYT puzzles. But nobody has ever hit the cycle in their first seven puzzles with the days *in order*. Oh, please, Seth, go for it! Not just a fill-in-the-box-and-move-on solve for me today; this set my mind spinning in many lovely directions. Thank you, Jeff and Seth, for a splendid outing!
I solved PUTINWRITING among the first clues and was VERY concerned about the circled letters for a while. Happy new year everyone, may it be better than the last. Lots of love ❤️
@Sonja Putin is a well-known world leader. Why couldn't he be a crossword puzzle answer?
A pleasure to celebrate the traditions of my Jewish friends with this puzzle. Thanks to my holidays with them, those answers were gimmes, except I didn't know that a dreidel is made of clay. I am so looking forward to spending time with my crossword puzzle friends in the coming year. Your comments are as happily anticipated as solving the puzzles and add a welcome dimension to my world. 🌠Happy New Year, 🕎Happy Hanukkah,🎇Happy Whatever you're Celebrating on this Day! * * * * * 🎊 🕎 🎇 🎆 🧑🎄 🎄 🎁 📖 🌠 🌃 ✡️
@dutchiris Dreidels can be made out of CLAY, as in the lyrics of the song, but most dreidels I see these days are made of plastic, or less often, wood.
I just noticed the editor. If I missed your earlier return, allow me to say welcome back Will Shortz!
@Dave S Will’s been back since last year!! But his return is still all the rage.
Very nice, and HNY, everyone. Was temporarily distressed by the reference to the Russian leader, til I saw it wasn't!
Oof, that was brutal for this none religious Brit. Couldn’t tell you what a Dreidel is, let alone what it’s made of or looks like. As for naming an airport near what I assume are motorways (freeways?). Tumbleweed. For that reason, today’s grid is one big TIL. Nothing wrong with that at all. Stretching the little grey cells is a good way to fall into the New Year. Happy New Year everyone. Hope the weather this fine Jan 1st is better where you are. Yet again we’re being battered by storm force winds and horizontal rain. I’ve dipped out of the traditional New Year’s Day walk, just not prepared to get soaked at best, flattened by falling trees at worst. Whatever happened to my temperate Isle?
@Helen Wright This Brit has come to realize that OHARE is a fairly common answer to anything involving five-letter airports, so that one went in as soon as I had a couple of crosses. NOHIT above was more of a problem, as was FTS two rows below, and DEE below that. Thank goodness for Christopher NOLAN, who singlehandedly rescued the NE for me.
Happy New Year everyone. I am so grateful to all of the amazing people who make this community so vibrant. The editors of Wordplay do a great job each day to keep things fun, light, fresh and informative. To the regular posters, I learn so much from all of you and I am grateful that you take the time to write thoughtful and constructive comments. To the constructors of these puzzles, I am in awe of your craft and thank you for making me chuckle every day at some of your clever clues. Happy New Year everyone.
That was so boss, the dreidel actually made of CLAY. Other pluses: CAN SO, a positive statement of one's abilities, rather than retorts to ad hominem attacks that also fit (I AM SO; ARE SO) which smack of the micro-traumas of childhood. Love seeing both WILLY and WONK, and the nice mid-19th century duo of Edwin Drood and Ahab. We played dreidels a few times as kids with our schmucky cousins from greater Scarsdale ("I bet you can't say the Hebrew on the dreidel!" "CAN SO!") -- just kidding, Dan and Ethan! -- and we always did use "Shin" for put in, "Hey" for half, "Gimel" for all, and "Nun" for none. Not that I think my opinion matters any, but I would've preferred the puzzle use the originals and not the translations, just to avoid ALL PUTIN, which seemed a grim portent for 2025, but I understand the need to translate for the masses. Can't remember if our holiday gelt bore the noble profile in relief of any important Jewish personage. Who might it have been? David Ben Gurion? Golda Meir? Barbara Streisand?
@john ezra As far as I can tell, Hanukkah GELT has Jewish symbols, like the Star of David, and especially the menorah, on it. I've never seen one with a portrait of a famous Jew on it, but I'd place my vote for Adam Sandler.
The dreidel tells you the overall theme of the holiday and the rules of the game: "A great miracle happened there" = Nes Gadol Haya Sham. Nes (nun, nothing happens); Gadol (gimmel, take all); Haya (hey, take half); Sham (shin, put in one). Loved this theme. Chag Hanukkah sameach and happy Gregorian new year to all!
@Classic Hip-Hop Fan The four letters do represent the phrase "A great miracle happened there." The following explanation tells why you take those particular actions: The dreidel in fact derives from a (non-Jewish¹) Irish spinning top known as a teetotum, which was used for gambling during Roman times. This had letters on its faces corresponding to the first letters of the Latin words for "nothing", "everything", "half" and "put in", which determined the outcome after each spin. From Ireland the teetotum was brought to Germany, where it was called a trendel, and was eventually adopted by Yiddish-speaking Jews. The letters, translated, became נ for nit (not), ג for gants (whole), ה for halb (half) and ש for shtel arayn (put in). Trendel, meanwhile, evolved into dreidel...Dreidels produced in Israel usually have a פ instead of a ש, standing for נס גדול היה פה /nes gadol hayah po/ ("a great miracle happened here". <a href="https://tinyurl.com/5h73s5xz" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/5h73s5xz</a> (The Hebrew letters above are in the same order as Classic Hip-Hop Fan stated them in transliteration.)
What a fun spin into the New Year! And now the song will be stuck in my head… Finished the puzzle and no happy music. Scanned all of the across answers, looks right to me. Scanned all of the downs until I saw 59D crossing 69A. I had SNOb/GELb DOH! 🤦🏼♀️🤣 Thank you to Seth and Jeff for kicking off 2025 in such a ‘spintacular’ fashion. Cheers 🍾🥂
@Jacqui J My exact same issue. Hope you still got your first gold star of 2025!
@Jacqui J I just posted that I had the same problem! Great minds think alike. :o)
@Justin I indeed earned the gold star. My streak stands at 1273 as of today 😅
I hope this puzzle would be animated with a spinning dreidel. But it was not to be. Fun to focus on another holiday beyond Christmas. Happy New Year everyone
I admit to being a know-nothing when it comes to anything related to fashion or executory(?), but “work bag” denoting something stylish for an executive?? Today I shook my head. Top puzzle of the year, so far.
@JohnWM I would have said an ATTACHE was a "stylish tote" if I'd had no crosses. It certainly fit.
@JohnWM I didn't care for it either...was looking for a snobby brand name like GUCCI FENDI or COACH (is it a coincidence that they all have 5 letters?). Even toyed with WOKEBAG as meaning a non-snobby brand. But kudos to the puzzle otherwise. Just under the wire to get a Chanukah puzzle in. Will they manage Kwanzaa?
@JohnWM --- lol lol lol That's a pretty snotty closing line, esp coming from NB. This former Quebecoise now knows there's a Dieppe in NB also, so merci bien for that increase in my geography file.
I smile when I see all the variants in the spelling of Chanukah, Channukah, Chanukkah, Hannukah, Hanukah, Hanukkah, and so on. I can't think of any other words that have such an assortment of spellings. HAPPY, HEALTHY NEW YEAR TO ALL! MAY 2025 BE WHAT YOU'D LIKE IT TO BE.
@Min Here is a good explanation as to why there are so many spelling variants: <a href="https://www.antidote.info/en/blog/reports/why-are-there-so-many-ways-spell-hanukkah-or-it-chanukah#:~:text=A" target="_blank">https://www.antidote.info/en/blog/reports/why-are-there-so-many-ways-spell-hanukkah-or-it-chanukah#:~:text=A</a>%20large%20number%20of%20variants,%2C%20phonetically%20speaking%2C%20is%20h.
@Min In crosslandia it is usually TSAR, TZAR, CSAR, CZAR that gets us all riled up. It's the problem of translating from an alphabet that has letters for sounds that English doesn't have letters for. In Hebrew it's that back-of-the-throat coughing H sound.... Spelled with H or CH in English? Neither is quite right.
Many years ago I spent three weeks in Slovakia with engineering professors to try to heip them improve their English. Today's answer 'slough' brought back memories of an afternoon session which was filled with great laughter as we discussed the pronunciation of the following word list: bough ,rough, cough, dough,sough, hiccough, thought, bought, lough Enuf said about why English is difficult to master- especially the spelling
@coloradoz As somebody who speaks several languages: English is very easy given its extremely simple grammar. No cases, no declension, just a few basic tenses. The spelling - and the apparent disconnect between how words are spelled and pronounced - seems crazy at first but is not that hard to grasp with a bit of practice.
@Andrzej OK I'll bite, how many tenses are in other languages? I only speak English and French with any agility, and they are pretty similar. Languages and grammar are not my arena, but google tells me English has 16 tenses, and as a native speaker who reads, I know how to use them all (but not the names!). I will never be able to speak French with that level of ease, and I'm in the single-digits with tenses. Sigh. Declensions, shudder, I vaguely remember the word from Latin, but that's all.
@coloradoz English is, actually, about 85% regular in its orthography. That's not to say that there are no irregular words and spellings--often the more "ancient" words (forms of "to be"; know, gnaw, psalm--words that are preserved simply because they are so much in use--never supplanted or seldom altered.) On the plus side, nouns do not have gender--a huge help!
@coloradoz I taught a class in Hamburg, Germany, a few years back for those studying to pass the TOEFL exam -- required for English universities, and the Hamburg Business School. We had a fun class one day with gonna, wanna, coulda, etc. And also why "silverware" can be made from plastic or stainless steel. I know -- the latter are really "flatware." But does anyone really ever say that?
It was good to see a Hanukkah themed puzzle today. The dreidel made up entirely of CLAY was a nice touch. I see the CORER is back to haunt MOL.
@Nancy J. LOL not exactly haunting, but it is baffling to me to find a great tool being discarded in favor of complicated, clunky, and even inferior offerings.....
My pottery teacher has a young son who asked why the song says “…I made it out of clay…” when not *one* of their dreidels is made out of clay and his daddy is an artist and teacher of…clay. So he decided last month to make one. He did it, but was so relieved to get back to creating glorious urns and cups and other masterpieces. Much less difficult, apparently. Thank you Seth! And thank you to Jeff Chen for being such an willing supporter and co-creator, enabling newer constructors to hone their skills. Happy New Year all!
Happy New Year to all. And my annual thank you to all who contribute to the comment section. I have been reading and occasionally commenting for 5 years and have often been amused and/ or educated by the comments. Today is a good example. I did not know of the dreidle game. My teenage years focused on 'spinning the bottle', not 'spinning the dreidle ' , although there are probably some who did both. Also today, I commented how the answer 'slough' made me think of the various ways 'ough' is pronounced in English. There have been several replies indicating English is very easy to learn versus how difficult it is to learn. An interesting read. And with that, I will bow out- or 'bough' out.
@coloradoz there is a great scene in I Love Lucy where Ricky is bewildered by "ough". Here's link - I always laugh!
Interesting tidbit about dreidles. While the ones we, in the US, are familiar with have the letters nun, gimel, shim, hey, and they stand for "a great miracle happened there," if you purchase one in Israel, made in Israel, it will have the letters nun, gimel, shim, peh, standing for "a great miracle happened here." I have friends who collect dreidles, and there are so many beautiful ones, made of many different materials, but of course, many are clay. When I was a child we used either chocolate gelt or hazelnuts (filberts) in their shells as our coins. And no, we never got gifts every night. The dreidel design in the puzzle came to me pretty quickly, and I enjoyed this game immensely! Thanks for the fun, and happy New Year to all, and happy last night to MOT. (Members of the Tribe)
@Momerlyn Happy New Year and Happy Last night to you, too, from this MOT. We never got gifts each night, either, just one modest one. I remember getting the Candyland board game one year.
@Momerlyn --- Sorry, Momerlyn, there's a nit-picker in every crowd, and I'll take the hit today. The dreidel letters stand for Ness [miracle]Gadol [great] Hayah [was] Sham [there], so it's the Shin standing for 'sham', which will be replaced by a Peh which stands for Po, one of the ways to indicate 'here' in Hebrew. None of which detracts from your interesting observation, and apologies for my nitpicking ways
I'm sure y'all are awaiting my update on 33A....ha ha. On ebay I *DID* find just the thing I want....in its original packaging...for $29+. Nope, just can't bring my thrifty old self to do it. I may get the $9 "zucchini and jalapeno" tool... (moved it to my cart.) Meanwhile, informed DHubby that we need to go to some flea markets and junk shops... (I also broke a glass measuring cup--the kind with the measures molded into the vessel--and need a replacement... Before I gave in and had the carpal tunnel/cubital tunnel surgeries, I dropped quite a few things, including my fave coffee mug! Tht was the last straw!) Oh, the puzzle! Thanks, Seth and Jeff....but did we ask to learn Chinese? You didn't even say if it was Mandarin or what. [SHRUGS OFfooey] DELICATELY befoe DECOROUSLY Surprised to learn that Shetland is also a breed of sheep; James Rebanks doesn't raise them. (His three books are great reads! Especially for small farmers/gardeners--encouragement and validation for many of my practices back in Ohio...) I actually didn't/don't know how to play this game, but those are fun hints. Happy New Year, everyone. In a couple of weeks we start the 1,460 day countdown.!
@Mean Old Lady No joke, some of us were hoping for an update on 33A. My perusal of EBAY offerings suggests you may be looking for the “NOS Pampered Chef Apple Corer #2415” which evidently is a discontinued item. Perhaps someone here can help you find this. What does it do, or not do, that makes it so unique? Perhaps Bill from Detroit can suggest a similar tool…
@Mean Old Lady After chuckling that it was in the puzzle again today, I was absolutely thinking of you and hoping you'd made some good progress at 33A!
@Mean Old Lady So sorry you've been missing out on the beautiful Shetland wool yarn from the isle of Shetland. It's been a staple in my knitting bag for decades. <a href="https://www.jamiesonsofshetland.co.uk" target="_blank">https://www.jamiesonsofshetland.co.uk</a>
@Mean Old Lady Ah, thrift shops and ebay are the way to go for old kitchen utensils. I usually look for Ekco Kitchamajig, a 50s/60s slotted metal spatula that is perfect for scooping out the cat's litter box. Today's plastic litter scoops always break. And for ye olde 3-tine granny fork that my mom always used to scramble eggs. There are a few of those on-line, but you never see them in retail stores anymore. I didn't realize that the old apple corers had gone the way of the dodo. I haven't baked apples in decades.
@Mean Old Lady I used to have a jalapeño tool that was kind of a serrated spiral thing—it worked great and I’m sorry I’ve managed to lose it at some point along the way!
At least we'll get at least one more day after the countdown is over, thanks to a Leap Day. Any more good emus?
@Mean Old Lady By the way, there are corers that can allow for desired depth of core. Look up drill/corers that spiral cut to whatever the desired depth and then the core can simply be pulled out.
Nice way to celebrate New Year’s Drey! I realized I had forgotten the rules. Great cluing with HALFDOLLAR and AHAB.
Oy vey, what have you done to me? Now I'll be humming the dreidel song all day! :-)
Ha! Everyone was looking for a New Year’s puzzle!
@Steve Including me! But this was more fun. The intersection of Christmas and Hanukkah plus the New Year equals--I don't know. Happy holidays, everyone. And thank you, Seth and Jeff.
@Steve L 37D will have to suffice, I guess.
@Steve L Interestingly, Hanukkah will cover almost the same ground in 2027. Starts the evening of December 24 and ends at sundown on January 1.
Yes, hi there. Just FYI: Registration for the 2025 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament opened today at noon Eastern time. Please form an orderly line and *Deb is immediately trampled to death* <a href="https://crosswordtournament.com/info/brochure.htm?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3DFiIzPOdacLLaZGQIQyJ3fr4siJy16H76i59FkMckHYXJ60k14321MjM_aem_AVpL4fJlxwiAQhSNEVru1g" target="_blank">https://crosswordtournament.com/info/brochure.htm?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3DFiIzPOdacLLaZGQIQyJ3fr4siJy16H76i59FkMckHYXJ60k14321MjM_aem_AVpL4fJlxwiAQhSNEVru1g</a>
@Deb Amlen Am booked ard ready. Yeah! My first ACPT! Looking forward to it.
@Deb Amlen I’m thinking of Deb as Kevin Bacon’s character at the end of Animal House” shouting “Remain calm. All is Well!” <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBiLeVy45k" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBiLeVy45k</a>
@Deb Amlen I wouldn't dare! Wishing everyone good luck.
That was a fairly quick solve for me, despite having no clue what the theme was about. I spent some time trying to puzzle out the connection between Shetland ponies and merino sheep, before the crosses forced me to think of OVINE. Was bemused to discover that a WORKBAG is a stylish tote for an executive, rather than the battered canvas bag full of tools that the phrase conjures up for me. NONETHEWISER was also a surprise, there being no connection to something nefarious, hereabouts. I most commonly hear it as a criticism of a bad explanation: "Well, he gave me a long lecture about it, but I ended up none the wiser." Fun, all in all, but the theme left me NONETHEWISER until I came to look at Word Play.
@Oikofuge For me, none the wiser definitely you are being intentionally kept in the dark to protect you as much as to deceive. Perhaps too many gangster films growing up. Or is this perhaps a NYC thing? I see that your interpretation seems to be the prevailing one, but I see evidence for mine (and the editors') as well in corpus searches.
How lovely to see a Chanukah puzzle for the last night of the holiday! Is this the first one ever? (I refuse to use the spelling that begins with H, which seems to have become the de facto spelling, since it doesn't accurately portray the correct pronunciation). This year was the first time since I was a child that we actually played dreidel. We used chocolate coins from Trader Joe for the gelt, and the winner was the only non-MOT at the table! Terrific construction, PUTIN notwithstanding. Thank you, Seth and Jeff. And Happy New Year to all.
@Times Rita TR: go to the app store on your smartphone and you can download a digital dreidel game. On Android it's called DROIDEL.. replete with the dreidel song Happy 5785!
So much trivia and a theme based on a song I don't know... Not an ideal start to the year for this non-American.
@Andrzej Hee! This U.S. born American had no idea what the theme was... I finished in pretty good time but for the first time in as long as I can remember, I had literally no idea what the theme meant until I read the column. I always give it a few minutes to think about it if it doesn't come immediately but this time, total learning experience! Happy New Year to you!
@Andrzej it's not trivia to many.
@Andrzej As I've pointed out before, it's a puzzle constructed by Americans for an American newspaper read mostly by an American readership. For that audience, it's entirely appropriate. All others take their chances!
I thought it was an upside down goal post. That made absolutely no sense 😂
@Andrzej a non-NYer, more like, I'd say! As a NYer I found this very easy for a Wednesday
@Andrzej It all depends on where you live in America. I grew up in New Jersey, where there's a large Jewish population, so this was easy for me. Had I grown up in Minnesota, things might have been different. Maybe one day we'll get a puzzle about lefse and lutefisk?
Tough but fair puzzle. Happy new year everyone! Buckle up, this is going to be a rough one.
@RIch Garella Thanks for bringing a splashful of negativity/ anxiety/ worry to the crossword Comments. I have no problem with RL (real life) being part of Comments, and on election night we all kind of commiserated, but I'm not a big fan of strolling/scrolling through the Comments and from above getting a small bucket of molten lead tossed from above (or below, actually) of a pointless invoking of "Let's All Feel Real Bad About the Future". Didn't need your pointless invoking of that here. Even accidentally bumping into your comment a 2nd time while checking again for new Comments was still/again a bummer. And again, I don't have issues with people bringing RL into the comments, it's not all cruciverbalism by any means, but I really don't appreciate the "half-empty-glass" of water (or something more toxic) being hurled into this pleasant New Years Day puzzle discush out of the blue. Didn't need your warning, a compact kernel of "Let's all be agitated and get ulcers". POINTLESS comment. Didn't need it. Don't appreciate it.
Briefly alarmed by PUTIN's presence, but the grid fell into place eventually. I haven't played dreidel since kindergarten, but that song has stayed with me over the years. My mother used to put GELT in our stockings every Christmas. Am I the only one who hates it? It tastes like foil. Anyway, happy new year!
Happy New Year 🎆 everyone! Last night, who would know that regency wear would be ALLTHERAGE? The Bridgerton NYE Ball was a capital success! Everything was done DECOROUSLY. My husband and I were underdressed as we did not wear authentic period clothing as most people did. At least one friend’s outfit was tailor made! One slightly bitter note occurred when some NOSY locals made the mistake of asking my husband what was going on with all the Black people gathered, saying it in a rather unpleasant way. Granted, it was a 90% Black American affair at a Black-owned venue in a European country! My husband replied to their BIGOTed curiosity in his characteristically Slavic manner. They fled 🏃♂️ 💨. My hubby laughed so hard. He’s such a SCAMP. This was a super quick puzzle that was mental sorbet after far too much *vinho tinto* 🍷. Thank you Seth, Jeff and Will.
@Pani Korunova inquiring minds would like more details on that "characteristically slavic" reply but good for him.
@Pani Korunova Have not watched the series, but I have read the books quite a while ago. I'm getting a distinct Lady Whistledown vibe from your comment.
@RozzieGrandma He told them some choice words in English and then walked toward them and said some very choice words in Slovak (Russian sounding to most people) to them about being racist and that’s if they have a problem, please bring it. He’s very fit and intimidating for a 52 year old. They saw the anger flare and left in a hurry 😂
Not at all familiar with the basis for today's theme, and must confess that I still didn't grasp a number of theme answers after I finished. Managed to work it all out but remained appropriately puzzled. Even after reading all the comments I'm still not entirely getting it. That's all on me. Appropriate puzzle find today - a Tuesday from July 20, 2004 by Nancy Kavanaugh. Four theme answers in that one, all clued quite straightforwardly. And... there was no reveal tying them all together. Those theme answers: NONETHEWISER SOMEPEOPLE MOSTWANTED ALLYOUCANEAT Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/20/2004&g=20&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/20/2004&g=20&d=A</a> ...
One gold star to start the New Year off but oh so many to follow. Whoopee! Quick Wednesday but a nasty Thursday looms. Happy New Year!
Happy new year, everyone! Life’s been a lot lately and I haven’t been solving as frequently. That said, one of my highlights last year was sharpening my crossword saw. Thanks to all puzzle creators, editors, writers and this community. PS - trying to get back into it this week and glad I got to finish this one even if I have never played the dreidel, nor heard of the related poem. 😊 favourites today : YELL, CAB, OBIT
CORER broke my Wordle streak a few weeks ago—and now it’s in the crossword twice this week. Am I being punked?
@Erica Marcus You and MOL, who's looking for an old-fashioned apple corer.
Enjoyed this puzzle and learned something I didn’t know about Hanukkah traditions. Nice collaboration, Seth and Jeff!
@Justin That was for the illustrious hometown New Yorkers. This one’s for we Mountaineers. Happy New Year from Boulder! Shoutout to Betty Buckley in 29A.
Several years ago we took our young kids to visit friends on the Upper West Side. They got to see menorahs in every window and help us make latkes. When I was explaining the dreidel game, I pulled out the iPad and found a Disney-seeming link. Well, it fractured all the adults. Don’t know that it taught the kids anything. (As I discovered later, it was made by Harvey Fierstein and the cast of Hairspray.) Happy Hanukkah, everyone. <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lAAfPvOD7s&pp=ygUcSGFydmV5IGZpZXJzdGVpbiBkcmVpZGwgc29uZw" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lAAfPvOD7s&pp=ygUcSGFydmV5IGZpZXJzdGVpbiBkcmVpZGwgc29uZw</a>==
@kkseattle it was originally written by Marc Shaiman and Trey Parker for an episode of South Park, sung by the Broflovskis, Eric Cartman and Stan Marsh. The Hairspray gang recorded it for Carols for a Cure, Volume V (2003). In addition to Harvey I can hear Shoshana Bean, Jackie Hoffman, and Dick Latessa. Apparently "Fantachan" decided it belonged in the mouths of Disney characters. If you want to go full-out musical theatre nerd, you can listen to seth rudetsky deconstruct it. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ZBSgAAvm8" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ZBSgAAvm8</a>
A simple and pleasant Hanukkah puzzle. But why OHGOD have SNOT as the final horizontal? A rather unpleasant end to a festive puzzle. How about SLOT, with Jessica BIEL as the crossing?
@Xword Junkie 'SNOT a bad idea.
I beat my average significantly despite not knowing the details of the theme. It's always nice to learn something new. I would have finished even faster if I would have known it's "gelt" not "gelb."
@Paul The same here! I searched for an embarrassingly long time for my error after finishing but getting 'at least one square is amiss'. In exasperation I finally gave my phone to my daughter. She does not do the crossword, and after only a few minutes, she declared 'I got it!', having realized snob should be snot.
Thanks for making it solveable for those who don't have a clue about the theme!
Fun, quick solve to breeze into the new year!! Happy and healthy one to all!!
Fun and quick! The construction is admirable and adorable. Happy 2025! ✨🎉💥⚡️❄️🎆
Seth, Jeff: "TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES." The puzzle favors us ex-pat Noo Yawkuhs who grew up with that song and its irritating melody. On my first trip to Disneyland, I was sure that the song "It's a Small World After All" was penned by an adult eager to retaliate with an equal irritation. The dreidel has four Hebrew letters on it. They stand for nun, gimel, hei and shin. When I saw the central outline of the dreidel in the center, I wondered if those names would appear elsewhere in the solve. Instead, to game-related words in the circles showed up. Well done! I can still recall seeing little mesh bags of chocolate disks covered by yellow foil to resemble the "gelt" What a nice way to get to the final hurrah for some holiday traditions. P.S.: Look up the meaning of the four dreidel words. Nice sentiment. Bill
@William Schrader William Schrader of PSInet? Those were the days, my friend. The Hebrew letters stand for “Nes Godol Hayoh Shom.” In English: A Great Miracle Happened There.” Knew that since childhood, but never knew of the game. Must have been a NY thing.
@SteveG_VA Hi Steve... Yeah NYC had plenty of kids who knew the game. None of my friends made their own. Now, the kids would not dream of setting down their devices to spin a little top! But WAIT! Go to the app store on your smartphone, and download the dreidel app! Then, play while you pray for some unexpected peace and sanity in 2025. Mazel tov Bill
Wonderful to see a Hanukkah-themed puzzle today, and very well executed! Happy New Year all, and the very best wishes for 2025!
Happy New Year, everyone!! 🎉🍾🎈🥂 And an especially happy one to Will Shortz! So glad to see your byline again. May 2025 bring you many moments of happiness.