I had a joke about a late breakfast, but I forgot the brunchline. (It was a meal good one too.)
In another life, I was a cast member at Spaceship Earth, so 1A brought a nostalgic smile to my face. Made some good memories slaving away for the mouse.
@Joe In my current life, I visit WDW twice a year and love Spaceship Earth, as well as Mission to Mars (I think the name's been changed to Mission: SPACE) and the newer Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind!
@Joe I knew I recognized it from somewhere, but being a West Coast guy I've only been to WDW once and I just couldn't place it. I think I got the P and the T and thought EPCOT! Duh!
I liked the puzzle well enough, and figured out the trick without really registering the brunch aspect of the bottomless answers. I needed lots of help from the crosses, as there were quite a few unknowns for me in the puzzle. One gimme, however, was the delightful Diana RIGG. While I know she was in Game Of Thrones, and stole every scene she was in, she’ll always be Mrs. Peel from the Avengers to me. I suppose those old episodes would seem horribly dated now, but at the time they, along with The Prisoner constituted some of the most adventurous fare on TV in the 60s.
@Marshall Walthew Oh boy, Emma Peal! A lifetime of infatuation. Did you catch on to the double entendre in her name, M-Appeal a marketing term for products attractive to men? She certainly fit.
@Marshall Walthew I agree. I liked Game of Thrones and all, but to remember her for this role is like remembering Bob Newhart for Professor Proton on Big Bang Theory. Leaves out a long glorious career. She must be rolling in her grave. Not sure if she’s been clued as an Avenger before (probably yes) but it would be a nice misdirect.
@Marshall Walthew Yes, the very much missed Ms. Rigg. Her role as Mrs Peel was very memorable. Seeing her in All Creatures Great and Small was wonderful until she wasn’t there anymore. A great lady, actress, lest we forget, not only a Bond “girl”, but one who married him! The puzzle was sometimes devilish, but attainable. I realized some of the fills must be BOTTOMLESS before I got the revealer. Well done.
@Marshall Walthew She was also wonderful in The Detectorists, one of my favorite TV shows, in which she played the mother of her real-life daughter, Rachael Stirling.
What a fun nightcap this was !! Still not so sure about SKIBOARD…
@Stewkak I hadn't heard of them either, but: <a href="https://skiboards.com" target="_blank">https://skiboards.com</a>/
@Stewkak TIL the difference between snowboards, which come singly, and SKI BOARDS, which, like skis, are paired.
@Stewkak I had "snowshoe" for the longest time... really messed me up, lol
Very clever! I guess you could call this an anti-rebus? I wonder if people who grumble about squeezing two letters in one square will appreciate the ability to simply leave one off. Probably not. I just hope the complaints are not BOTTOMLESS.
Ver cleve puzzl !!
There’s a Crosslandia moment that, even after all my years of solving, still amazes me. I call it the “Oh, hello!” moment. Maybe you'll relate. It happens when I'm stumped by a clue. The answer spot might even have some letters from crosses, but I just can’t figure out what that answer is. So, I go elsewhere in the grid, but very soon after, I return to that spot, and I easily see the answer. It doesn’t even come with an aha. It’s as natural as day. "Oh, hello!" How does that happen? There I am, totally perplexed, and then there I am, not even a minute later, and it’s completely obvious. That occurred a number of times in my solve today. There wasn’t a whole lot of splat fill; it was more a steady march aided by my brain working behind the scenes. Very, very satisfying fill-in today. This is a well-crafted grid, with a profusion of theme squares, but hardly a whiff of junk. It felt lively to me, no DEAD AIR. The cluing was so skillfully done, IMO, making me think, but eventually gettable – the perfect recipe for those oh-hellos. Sophia, you’ve got the knack and the talent, and I ADORE your puzzles. Thank you for a sterling outing today!
@Lewis I can relate. That happens to me a lot and I've learned to rely on it. I guess it's because our minds drift to different places in the course of solving the puzzle and maybe we just happen to be in the right place when we go back and look again. Oh - and of course there's also the magic of 'one crossing letter.' I'm amazed at how often that's enough to have something dawn on me. ....
@Lewis I get those as well, usually I will put the puzzle down out of frustration. Then come back in a little while and rattle off several answers as if it's a Monday. I guess it's just like at the gym when sometimes you need a little break and then can finish your workout readily, but with no break you bonk.
@Lewis I'll echo the other repliers here. I also think the fact that this phenomenon *surprises* us is evidence that we think about "work" all wrong--that effort must be conscious, grinding, and visible. That attitude is, I believe, an artifact of a factory-focused business mindset: someone not obviously working on a task in a way that is verifiable by a supervisor must be lazing off. I think a lot of us have internalized that mindset, and carry that supervisor around in our heads. Our brains are smarter than we are, if given the room to operate.
@Lewis I love the distinction between "aha!" and Oh, hello!" I shall endeavor to incorporate it into future posts.
I finished the puzzle, no help, but only by going over and over it, until RAGAMUFFIn cracked it open. The rest of it didn't exactly STREAKBY (one of my few early fills), and afterward, came to the column for some enlightenment. Thank you, Sam, for getting some of the "why"s unGLUEd. Sophia, (SOFIA was another early fill) this was a very challenging Wednesday, partly because there were so few OLEOs and TNTs clues, but I do thank you for those bits—some of them did SAVEmyBACO. Congratulations on your Puzzle #10. (I'm sure I must have worked the others, but were they all as tough as this one?). Thank you for contributing to us puzzle working fans' obsession. We need you!
Ate this one u! Deliciousl, delightfu Wednesda. With such a tasty theme meandering around some sticky names, forgiving crosses, and (maybe I’m just hungry, but) the culinary, curious query… which yummy dish will I find next? I’m callin’ it. Today is Greasy Spoon Diner Day. Thank you Sophia!
@CCNY, Which is where I’m reading your comment right now!
D8: UNITY I work quietly, wheeling over myself, a crow over death, a crow in mourning. I mediate, isolated in the spread of seasons, centric, encircled by a silent geometry: a partial temperature drifts down from the sky, a distant empire of confused unities reunites encircling me. (Pablo Neruda, last stanza of “Unity”) ™
I'm old and don't know very much. So it's a pleasure when I do. I love the old pre-war (i.e WWII) Looney Tunes and Disney cartoons. In one of them, Porky Pig is a farmer. He goes into his barn with a lit candle. He's going to candle the chicken eggs. In a 1938 Disney cartoon, Mickey is a magician who is being heckled by a member of the audience, namely Donald Duck. Mickey performs a trick and captures a miniature Donald inside an egg then holds it up to a candle so the audience can see a very angry Donald inside. He certainly was a bad egg. Prior to WWII most people lived on a farm. They would have immediately known what Porky and Mickey were up to. I don't really know, but maybe the origins of the expression "bad egg" or no longer known.
Clever construction, clever clueing, and lots of fun. Good work out!
@Julie not all are banned though, which probably would have been a better clue.... except that it's a Wednesday, so I think the clue was being deliberately obscure.
I got the theme but was stumped by the Rey, rpg cross. And the eel over there didn't help.
@Robco I knew both RPG and REY, but I feel you: that would have been a horrible section of the puzzle for me if I were not a gamer and SW fan. With the EEL at least the clue was fresh, for one of the stalest crossword words.
OK I had to look up a few. Enjoyable once I understood the theme. I thought it was a good lead-in to Thursday's always quirky puzzles; sort of a Wednesday and a half.
This was one of the VERY few puzzles for which the music came on when I didn’t expect it. I almost always have to go over my answers, but not this time. Clever puzzle.
@SamCorbin, I loved your column, and like you, I inexplicably made a big chore out of the NW with false starts like "debit" and " go up NORTH" (duh!). I was finally able to find an arrangement allowing Diana RIGG , forever Emma Peel. I'd never heard of or been blessed with a Bottomless Brunch, but when I got it, I was delighted that all the "too long " answers included brunch food! Very cute ! Fun solve!
@Sal Z Why thank you!! And I'm glad we both made it out of our corners.
Man, you retire after twenty plus years on the ski patrol and new things appear: SKIBOARD. I mean one could be board skiing, but.... Nice one Sophia including the shout out to yourself at 68A, Thank you, dk and ko
@dk Yep, never hear of that one either! I do remember when those new-fangled "snow boards" began to appear on the slopes though!
I’ve pointed this out before, but here goes again: In the overwhelming majority of cases where the theme answers and revealer are in the Downs exclusively, their placement is directly related to the theme: bottomless would not work with Acrosses, while endless would have worked either way. Ditto for themes that play on “rising” (only works with Downs) vs. “backwards” (works either way). So anytime a theme shows up in the Downs, it’s a good bet that getting it depends on asking why.
WAY too many pop culture clues - pop signers, video games, pop tv shows -
Vernon, I too never know those pop signers. John Hancock I know.
I'm impressed by constructors who come up with such clever themes. This puzzle was fun and made me wish I had a mimosa to go with my oatmeal this morning.
Terrible puzzle. Random proper nouns, slang, and abbreviations everywhere with a thoughtless theme. Did AI create this snoozer?
@Michael No. AI is not that smart. The revealer and theme answers were what helped me crack some of the unknowns.
@Michael "With a thoughtless theme" gives you away. You simply missed the theme, and perhaps are not up to the challenge. Which is OK, one can improve, but that fact is not the puzzle's fault.
@Michael respectfully disagree. I think you can rewrite this comment from a more subjective place and a touch less mean-spiritedness
Did AI create Michael's comment?
@Michael and would have been way more balanced with just some better cluing. How about “Frog One Fernando” for REY, or “D&D” for RPG or “Original Avenger” for RIGG?
Anyone else had this experience: today and yesterday solving felt noticeably easy (and enjoyable) but times were actually slightly OVER average for the day. I don't obsess about time, but--as I suspect many in this community over a certain age do-- I do use it as a [totally unscientific] way to check if dementia is creeping up on me. On that note: the latest AARP magazine says you should read novels not non-fiction to keep your memory in trim. Apparently that's even a new diagnostic question. I guess I'm good so far, though surely one should read both.
@RozzieGrandma I had the same experience, Tuesday a delightful breeze, but Wednesday's was definitely rocky. I was trudging along, hoping to avoid a cheat. But I got 'felled' by what was surprisingly a Sports! question, "received a card, say". I didn't know they notified one of fouls by sending a card? (I love both novels and non-fiction. Best are the bios that read like a novel. I love the 'read and listen'.)
@RozzieGrandma I refused to renew AARP after they hooked up with United Health to peddle an Advantage Plan. Rip-offs! Basically, it's farming people to earn as much as they can by controlling whom you see for care, what drugs you can take, etc. For Profit!!!! shame on them. I read both (currently The Power Broker--Caro's Pulitzer of 50 yrs ago; and just finished 5 Tana French mysteries. Casting about for my next good read, and rereading a Frederik Backman novel.)
@Mean Old Lady Brava re UnitedHealth. And AARP appears to me as a sandbox for ads…nada mas.
Sam, I found this one really difficult, and couldn’t have solved it without your column. It would never have occurred to me to just leave off the last letter, even knowing the title of the puzzle.
Appreciative, For the record, only Sunday crosswords have titles; all Wordplay columns have headlines. In a themed weekday puzzle, there is usually a "revealer" clue and answer to explain the theme (or trick). In this puzzle, the "revealer" was 7 Down.
@Appreciative I'm so glad I was helpful!
@Appreciative I had to give up today and found your article after. Words should be complete!
Well... I've never ever heard the term bottomless brunch so this was quite baffling for me. Cheated a bit and managed to work it out, but even after reading all the comments I must admit that I still don't entirely get it. That's all on me. I'll head back to my home planet. ...
@Rich in Atlanta It’s just an all-you-can-eat brunch, like an upscale Golden Corral.
@Rich in Atlanta and all the second words in the starred entries finish with something you might have for brunch: syrup, egg, muffin etc.
@Rich in Atlanta Rich, off topic, but a while ago you cited a constructor who had 75 puzzles published years ago, Robert Katz, who turned out to be my father's first cousin. This was, I'm fairly certain, long before the constructors were credited. I know I've done them all, since I don't think I've missed one since 1964. Would you be able to direct me to at least some of them in the archives? TIA.
this is awful. 20 proper nouns? this is not a serious puzzle. what are we doing here?
Very clever! We love BOTTOMLESS BRUNCHes in my family. And we just rewatched Crazy Rich Asians this past weekend - such a great film. Congratulations on hitting double digits, Sophia!
This one was pretty amazing actually, well done.
Happy Lunar New Year everyone! And loved this puzzle! A very nice surprise for a Wednesday.
So many unknown proper nouns, unheard-of cultural references and abbreviations, and a theme I'd never heard of. Absolutely skin-of-the-teeth solve without lookups. Day saved in the NE by the late realization that [Minnesotan trio?] was wordplay, not another flippin' sports reference. In the SW by realizing that ["Same here"] was DITTO, not meToO. In the SE by belatedly noticing that Guddi isn't actually a designer brand. In the NW by the surprising discovery that Diana RIGG had a role in Game of Thrones. The only upside was that I have actually SKI BOARDed, so got a welcome gimme there. Not a fan of themes that involve a grid full of non-words, but hey-ho, it's a thing, and at least it didn't stop me completing, albeit in what must have been considerably over my usual time.
One last reminder to vote for puzzle of the year. Ballot here (easy to use and anyone is welcome to vote): <a href="https://form.jotform.com/250186385916162" target="_blank">https://form.jotform.com/250186385916162</a>
I was unfamiliar with BOTTOMLESS BRUNCH, so I googled it and was surprised to learn there is a brunch and bottomless brunch culture in Warsaw, loaned from the US. In fact, my wife and I seem to be in its demographic, theoretically. However, neither of us is on social media, and we never do popular things just because they're popular, which probably explains my ignorance. Why go out to eat with people who are there mostly for virtual likes when I can enjoy a late, slow, weekend breakfast with my wife in the comfort of our own home? As for the puzzle: I'm not a fan of Thursday-style gimmicks on Wednesdays so I can't say today's grid made me particularly happy. I figured out the trick on the first clued entry but at best I shrugged at it. The fill didn't spark joy, either. Overall the puzzle was OK-ish I suppose, but I would have enjoyed it more with some additional editing, and on a Thursday.
@Andrzej My last Bottomless Brunch was about about 12 years ago, when my toddler showed up at a late Sunday breakfast sans diaper.
@Andrzej Fwiw, BOTTOMLESS BRUNCH has been a thing long before social media was a thing. That said, why go out to eat with people who are there mostly for a cheap boozy buzz when I can enjoy a late, slow, weekend breakfast with my partner in the comfort of our own home? It's interesting to hear that you would fit in the brunch demographic in Warsaw. Here in NYC it's definitely for a younger crowd -- even moreso when the beverages* are unlimited! *Brunch beverages are either mimosas or bloody marys and their variants. How much orange juice with cheap bubbly -- or horseradish spiked tomato juice and booze -- can one tolerate with one's pancakes? 🤢
@Gig Mine was at a nude beach at a Club Med.
Wanted the rebus "up" to finish cough syrup for a long time. I've been doing these puzzles since 1966 and cannot remember one with missing last letters. Of course, at my age a good memory is just another memory.
Who is REY? What happened to Leia--or however she spells her name--? What are we supposed to do with the leftovers? They don't add up to anything! (Certainly not a hill of beans!) SUDOKU isn't the "logic game" I've come to expect. KENKEN is a math challenge, IMHO. I thought Diana RiGG was dead. Long ago. NAOMI Novik? "Scholomance"? What th'??? Aren't those PRESS-ON nails? (Our son told us his bear had "Press-on claws." ) Am I a "VINTAGE" human? We went to EPCOT (the only Disney thing the kids enjoyed) but it as LOOOOOOOOONG ago. That corner nearly kilt me. I take it this is our introduction to SOFIA/Sophia Maymudes. Yikes.
@Mean Old Lady REY is the protagonist in the latest trilogy.
@Mean Old Lady Diana RIGG died a few years ago. I had no idea she had been in Game of Thrones, and I watched that. So was Oona Chaplin, by the way.
@Mean Old Lady KENKEN does use rudimentary math skills (unlike Sudoku), but solving it is predominantly a matter of logic
@Mean Old Lady REY is the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, but was abandoned by her parents on a remote planet because they knew they were about to be killed by Palpatine's minions. She was discovered/“rescued” by Rebel forces and developed Jedi-like abilities, and had a hate/love attraction with Han & Leia’s son Ben (Kylo Ren). Eventually faced her grandfather in the climactic scene of the ninth movie.
Does one go to BOTTOMLESS BRUNCH without wearing pants?
@The X-Phile Depends if you're wearing trousers
@The X-Phile I believe your allowed to wear chaps to a bottomless brunch.
@The X-Phile Perhaps on the first Friday in May...
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle! Clues were exceptional! For some reason I thought the missing letters would spell something. 🤷🏻♀️ Keep up the great work. The first thing I do in the morning is the NYT crossword with coffee. You made my morning ritual truly enjoyable! Thanks so much
Ooh the grumps are out in force today. Must be the taste of Canadian like weather you’ve been experiencing. While here in Alberta we were 20 degrees (Celsius) above normal for January. Stay warm and maybe enjoy a BOTTOMLESSBRUNCH with some Canadian bacon.
Essential advice: Always read the column before commenting. It's crazy how many are not doing this today.
Mr Dave, In that regard, today is no different from any other day.
I started this puzzle while preparing to spend the day in EPCOT! This is one of the best coincidences that has ever happened to me.
Have to say that KSU was perfectly appropriate for a NYTimes Crossword, because they're located in Manhattan. That was obviously a gimme for this Jayhawk. Not too troubled by this one, as most answers fell into place easily, and the ones that didn't got mostly filled by crosses. Was puzzled at first by the themers, but as it got to be a pattern it helped with the revealer. Really liked the "Goes a-courting?" clue. Am not familiar with ski-boards, so I wasn't sure of that one, but it wasn't where my typo was… Thanks, Sophia, and congratulations on number 10!
@JayTee I used to live across the street from Manhattan University, which is not in Manhattan (it's in the Bronx!). So what goes around comes around, I guess!
@JayTee Kansas State was the first school to come to my mind, so that got filled in quickly. I see others were thinking of Kentucky (KSt) and there are plenty of other possible three-letter wildcats (New Hampshire, Northern Michigan, Johnson & Wales, Chico State). It would have been cute if the clue included “of the Little Apple”.
Too much junk fill, esp the three-letter entries. Acronyms and nonsense "words" like ENS, AGER, CSA, LAA, DEL. Entirely forgettable puzzle.
@Andy A bit harsh, I think. ENS: phonetic spellings of letters are fairly common in these puzzles (I have learnt this the hard way!), AGER is not a nonsense word, but the characters you have to add to the word in the clue to make another word or phrase, DEL: makes up a common key sequence to reboot your computer. I'm with you on CSA and LAA though - absolutely no clue!
This one went way over my Wednesday time but I enjoyed the struggle! I didn’t even have to consult the column for help. Woot! I wrestled with several items but I got hung up on 31 Across. I kept trying to make Lea (sic) fit. *Ducking as Star Wars fans and people with any cultural knowledge hurl objects at me.* Hey, what can I say … I am a complete Star Trek fanatic and have only a cursory knowledge of the Star Wars universe. Didn’t know REY, but I didn’t think lPG was a gaming thing. I pretty much enjoyed the gimmick. It felt like Thursday, but the days are topsy-turvy now. Boy, do I miss my ROOMBA. We named her Rosie, after the robot maid on The Jetsons. She was essential for constantly picking up the fur of our beloved, late German Shedder, I mean Shepherd 😁. If we get another GSD, we will get Rosie II. I didn’t care for 27A, [Minnesotan trio?] ENS. I felt FOULED! 🤣 Feliz quarta-feira! Happy Hump Day! 🖖🏾
@Pani Korunova German Shedder! So true. Excuse me now I have to go vacuum.
@Pani Korunova, I had EmS there for a second, thinking that it was about 3M based in Minnesota.
As SARA and her bandmate Tegan might say, this crunchy Wednesday puzzle was awesome. And any puzzle referencing the late, great Dame Diana RIGG is more than okay by me. Nicely done, Sophia.
Love Spaceship Earth. Proudly wear my "If you can read this... Thank the Phoenicians!" hat, which almost no one gets.
One of the cleverest crosswords I’ve ever done. Despite it taking me four minutes longer than my average Wednesday time! Kudos to the constructor!
The column opening contains a spoiler... “What’s a [Ledger entry], five letters, blank-blank-T-blank-Y?” The actual clue is [Ledger item], which solves to ENTRY. No subs on duty?
@Andy The column is all about spoilers, isn't it?
@Andy Oh, shoot! You're right — that's been updated, and thank you for catching it.