When I took the test on precipitation, I got a pour grade. (But it was the best I could dew.)
@Mike Nothing to get steamed up about. Probably spilled over the word limit. Should have used the condensed version.
@Mike It'snow wonder. You're deep in a cloud, living the slush life of a mogul. But of course, it's your forte, and we know we can bank on you never to flake out. Punsily, I think you rain supreme.
Mike, Perhaps you were in the wrong science class and your exam & blue book was on participation. (Meteorology for 2000 Alex)
Timely theme. I think the only time I've seen a pie cooling on a windowsill is in a cartoon or comic. It never ends well.
@Nancy J. Then I take it you’ve never seen the classic and hysterically funny movie, Blazing Saddles. There was a scene there that also didn’t end well. 🤣
@Nancy J. Funny, I was thinking of Aunt Bee in the Andy Griffith Show. She was always cooling pies on the windowsill. (I prefer mine fresh out of the oven.)
@Nancy J. A fruit pie on the sill in Costa Rica would attract wild Toucans.
@Nancy J. In "Great Expectations," hadn't the meat pie Pip stole fo give to the convict been put on a windowsill to cool by Mrs. Joe, Pip's mean sister?
@Nancy J. I've cooled pies on my sill, and they've all ended rather deliciously, if I do say so myself.
Thank goodness it was a TENDRIL. That was not where my mind went at first!!
Yes, I did a double take a that clue! Is morning glory as common slang in the US as it in the UK and elsewhere?
@Chris. Oh yes…I definitely did a double take on that clue! EMUs love morning glory!
@Michael Oh my! I had never heard of that.
@Michael I was also somewhat alarmed by that clue! I wondered if the puzzle constructor was having a laugh, or it is not in the American vernacular…
Didn’t we just have that identical clue for ACTOR?
@Patrick Yes, on Jan 30, so less than a week ago. I am confused also.
@Patrick Not quite. Apparently, Walter Pidgeon retired from crosswords during the week.
@Patrick I'm bracing to see it 2-3 more times in the next month.
The cluster of circles in the puzzle's core were intimidating, so I tried not to look at them and danced around the perimeters of the grid instead. Clues kept giving me a wink and the fills started falling, until I was deep in the heart of the middle, with only one square that remained opaque. Then, there it was. All done, all too soon! The right puzzle for this evening, when we are both edgy from the day's news. I needed a place to calm down and so did my husband. He doesn't work puzzles (although a useful sort of walking encyclopedia of arcana), but he's there, poking at his iPad, and we are not watching a n y m o r e n e w s tonight. Kiran Pandey, thank you for this cool puzzle. a surefire pleasure.
My thoughts are with Californians who suffered a heartbreaking loss of over 2 billion gallons of stored water when our federal government ordered a dam opened with the claim that the act would deliver water to fight fires in LA, though it would've been well know that the water couldn't possibly flow that far south due to intercepting lakes.
@dutchiris Some events in the news this week made 19D an easy solve.
19D!!!! Not your father's New York Times puzzle.
The stars for me today were freshness and beauty, qualities that heighten the solve, that make a puzzle special, IMO. Freshness? Not only six debut answers – all worthy – but also four answers than have only appeared once in the Times puzzle, and another four that have shown up but twice. Among these 14 answers: BOSS LEVEL, TALK UP, CARRIES NO WEIGHT, WAFFLE FRY, and LEFT BRAIN. Beauty? In addition to those 14 answers are lovely one-worders: BRASH, CATTAIL, TENDRIL, SLEEK, HENNA. Random additional reactions: • I had P _ _ TS for [Gentle strokes] and it took me forever to figure it out. • SGT PEPPER’S thrust me back into my much younger head. What a gift that is; it’s like being beamed into another world. That Beatles album, which I listened to hundreds of times, defined a year of my life. • LUMEN tripped off Lumon Industries from “Severance”, a series I’m hooked on. • I, a wordplay fan, adored Kiran’s 5/18/23 puzzle theme, and I believe you will too. • For nonaphiles, know that today’s puzzle has nine nine-letter answers. Eagerly awaiting your next, Kiran, and thank you for this – the box was loaded with lovely today!
@Lewis I read that LUMEN clue out loud to my partner because we’ve been watching Severence all week. One episode to go in Season 1!
@Lewis Same here. I bought SGT PEPPER as soon as it came out and still every note is familiar. Lightbulbs have a LUMEN number on the packaging.
@Michelle We’re about to start season 2 as soon as we finish the last season of Seinfeld. Can’t wait to see the outies again 😄
@Lewis If the popularity of "Severance" continues to grow, we can anticipate "Lumon" appearing in future puzzles. Heads up in advance!
@Lewis The you I am also thought of Severance, so I appreciate the you you are for bringing it up. The you I am also had the same head scratching experience with "Gentle strokes." And the 5/18/23 has been pulled up to puzzle out next. I'm waiting until all of the Severance season 2 episodes drop. It's funny, I can wait until mid March for them all but I simply cannot wait week to week to watch it now. I was obsessed with the first season! <a href="https://youtu.be/18tEP1gqHEY" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/18tEP1gqHEY</a>
A lovely, fun puzzle! No cheats! The last to fall was "fake tan" for BASE TAN, when I finally figured out 'boss level'. Thank you, Kiran Pandey! More please!
@Joan Yes, this! ^ I also had fAkE TAN first, wondering what BOkS LEVEL might be since I know nothing about video games and their lingo. It took some staring at BOks for the penny to drop.
Having been at odds with this puzzle might have to do with the fact that I am recovering from heavy anesthesia. I finally got through it! I just underwent a heart ablation to fix my AFib. I am thrilled that my heart is now beating at a steady rate! Resting rate is 50 which is a lot better than my all time low of 30. When I am active the rate is averaging 58. I can’t exercise for a while but I hope to be back on the trail soon to see how I do getting my heartbeat up to target. Last time I hiked I went into AFib and almost passed out. If you aren’t sure you want to undergo an ablation I’d like to assure you that it’s not a bad experience at all. Some discomfort, that’s it.
@Mark I am glad you came ACROSS a good doctor, and I am glad you won’t be DOWN long!
@Mark when they wheeled me into the cath lab I thought I was on the Enterprise! Amazing procedure and life changing
@PG Thanks for the chuckle! We are lucky to have one of the best heart hospitals right here in NM. Dr. Hoskins has the best of track records and a great person as well.
@Banjo Nelson Perfect analogy! Yes, the equipment is impressive!
@Mark My husband was lucky enough to have an electro cardiologist (I believe that’s the specialty) in the South Carolina where we lived. After two failed cauterizations, he underwent an ablation in 2019. What a difference! No afib since then. He feels so much better. Glad you do, too.
@Pani Korunova Yes, miraculous! Thank you. I’m glad your husband had a great outcome.
@Mark Thank you - and others - for your testimonials. I've noted on your comments before that I've been really afraid to get it. I'm doing well with the meds I'm on for AFib but I know it probably makes more sense to try to fix it, rather than keep taking meds for it. Anyhow, I really appreciate you reporting back about this and hope you'll be up and attem very soon!!
D15: BRASH I can’t remember feeling less brash in my life (well, maybe most of elementary school and all of junior high) but a revolution demands a certain degree of brashness, even if like a salon-acquired BASE TAN it doesn’t feel very organic. So I’m going to fake it till I make it. Remember the words of the great Muhammad Ali: “I should be a postage stamp. That's the only way I'll ever get licked." A CSD production.
@Puzzlemucker I like that you're owning BRASH and taking it on. When I saw it at the top of your post, I thought perhaps you were going to reference the BRASH attitude of the new administration (of which I hear more than plenty already). Taking a cue from Ali is a great way to reframe my thinking!
I'm happy for the solvers who enjoyed this puzzle. I found it annoying and frustrating.
@NobodyThree It wasn't that bad for me, but there was something kind of unsettling and scattershot about my solving of it. I was all over the place, looking for a foothold. Never really feeling secure. Blanking out on obvious clues. When I FINALLY got 27D, if fell into place.
@NobodyThree A forum software glich ate my own long and well reasoned post (for once I forgot to copy it before attempting to post... the 1990s called and want their carppy internet user experience back) and I CBA to write it again so I'll just say here I share your sentiment, generally.
This was a breezy puzzle, quite welcome after yesterday's bit of an uphill battle. This is not to say that it wasn't clever and well executed, because it certainly was, and with a nice array of misdirects. I suppose what we find breezy or crunchy depends not only on our skill level and wheelhouse, but also on our expectations for any given day. And Will Shortz has definitely been throwing us off, which I think is a great thing. I very much enjoyed this puzzle Mr. Pandey. My favorite entry was TOUCHÉ since I just love the word and its usage. But today, I'm happy to announce, you don't get to hear it from me. Yay! I'll leave you instead with just a warm (devoid of RAIN, SNOW, and HAIL) thank you!
I was completely stymied by the northwest corner, but I stayed on Plan A. once I got down toward the center and got a couple of words I was sure of, it was smooth sailing. A fun grid I thought, well done!
@Schroedman significantly harder Across than Down in this puzzle I thought
It's a challenge doing the puzzle while under the influence of an awful cold that has fuzzed all my brain cells, left and right. (There were about 4 typos in that sentence before I fixed them). Here's hoping another day or two will bring improvement. That said, it was fun bumbling through this puzzle and eventually fixing my problems.
@Liz B I’m in the same shoes tonight. I’m not feeling good and had to take a break and come back to it
@Liz B I hope you feel much better soon.
@Liz B That is a challenge!! Congrats on getting through and I hope you feel better soon!!
Fun puzzle! As a Minnesotan, I feel seen. The SLUSH PILE in the alley is swiftly turning into a solid sheet of ice. Thankfully, I have my ice cleats.
One of the wonderful rabbit holes a curious person can go down is to study the many different ways that climbing/vining plants do what they do. There is real elegance and beauty in the way they take their place and follow their simple rules in order to maximize the results with minimal effort. I spent a long time in the piedmont woods of North Carolina daily observing dozens of different species, each with its own mode of twining, climbing, creeping, often two or three on the same support structure, whether tree, fence, electrical wire, or rock wall. Tendrils are only a part of a vast story.
@David Connell I may live in a huge city but there is quite a lot of nature near our place, including a tangled mass of life on the glacial-era riverbank of the Vistula. In summer the trees, shrubs, vines, flowers, ferns and grasses are so incredibly green and so amazingly intertwined in so many ways!
@DC Yes, I remember the great “recreational mathematician”, Martin Gardner, wrote a wonderful book “The Ambidextrous Universe” which described the climbing habits of vines. Seems 90% climb ccw and 10% cw based upon genetics. Our morning glory of today, also called bind weed, climbs ccw. There’s a famous old song about a bindweed falling in love with a “fragrant honeysuckle” which spirals clockwise. Cucumbers seem to be able to switch directions “at will”. And as you say, lots of other interesting climbing behaviors out there. For the song: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/v5rds8pc" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/v5rds8pc</a>
Judging from my times yesterday and today, either the early week puzzles are getting harder or I’m getting dumber.
@DT I'm starting to worry that i may be getting senile.
This puzzle was pretty typical Wednesday fare for me. As Sam said, it was BOSSLEVEL. I thought I would not make it, but it slowly fell into place. For some reason, I put mica and lime before the crossword standard, TALC, for 20D. I had rideSHARE before BIKESHARE. Salon bed took me to waxing, but that was wrong. The types of TANs are a mystery to me so I ended up getting BASETAN through crossings for 16A. One of my nemeses showed up again on 53D, EMEND. Speaking of again, I must ask why we get so many recycled clues lately? 10D [Hawke or Crowe], for example. I guess I’m going to need to TALKUP my FED son, a new dad, who’s worried to death about his job and that of his whole department. The flood of resumes that are going to hit the job market 😖. It’s a scene playing out all over DC and the US. Try to have a good day, everyone.
@Pani Korunova Nerd alert: minerals (and rocks) are assigned a hardness on the Mohs scale of hardness. Our friend TALC is the reference for 1, the softest. Diamond is 10. Every geology major learns the scale, and the mnemonic I learned was Tall Girls Can Flirt And Other Queer Things Can Do. T stands for talc, D for diamond.
@Nora Merci, Nora. I wish I could learn all the subjects that ended at the 101 level for me in undergrad. So interesting. I hope I can lock it away for another occasion 😊
@Pani Korunova Best of luck to your son. I'm worried about the adult children of many of my friends, who (the kids) are dedicated public servants.
@Pani Korunova I have a FED son, too. Scary times....
Re. Sam’s column: Easy Mode may help to solve the puzzle quicker, but does it really do anything to develop “solver’s intuition”? In my experience, learning how to handle a clue like “focus group” meant tackling it head-on, solving through the crosses or by looking it up (and saying “ohhh… now I get it!”). If you simply avoid the tough clues, how do you ever learn their tricks? As a relative newbie myself, I would advise other newbies to just work the puzzle, forget about Easy Mode. A couple of years ago, I couldn’t solve a Wednesday puzzle without a lookup or two (or three…). Today, I had none. And that’s why I say looking up an answer isn’t cheating, it’s learning.
@Heidi I agree wholeheartedly. However, I don’t know if becoming an advanced solver is everyone’s goal. I’d be happy if my grown kids did Monday with me.
@Heidi Absolutely what you said about Easy Mode. Fine for whoever wants to use it, but it eviscerates the soul out of a Friday puzzle, and let’s be real, it exists because the NYT has brought in a huge number of new solvers by isolating the Games subscription from the news one. Generally, the difficulty of the puzzle matched the typical NYT reader, but then suddenly, non-NYT readers were trying to solve, and complaining a lot. Hopefully, late-week puzzles will continue to be difficult, and the NYT won’t pander to the complainers.
@Heidi That can be hard to do for folks who are new/learning and want to improve but struggle to juggle it alongside lots of other obligations. I have been solving the NYTCW consistently for over a year now (430 day streak), and while I’m a lot better at it than I was when I started, I still couldn’t finish this one without lookups, even with coming back to it 3x throughout today. I’ve accepted I’ll just have to play the long game here — maybe in another year or two I’ll be able to get through several days/weeks in a row without any lookups.
Wow, this one was MUCH simpler--accessible clues, plus a really apt thought at 19D (speaking for those of us who read the news and need to send a msg to a species of 40A.) Didn't we just recently see exactly the same clue as today's 10D? NOAM Chomsky is one of our modern geniuses, contributing in a number of fields. I read _New Directions in the Study of Language_ during my senior year of under-grad work. Fascinating. The Sixties were about more than protests and war! Another such man was Uwe Reinhardt, whose research in political economy revealed--wait for it--the single greatest guarantee of educational success for children! It was *the economic means of survival* for the family: a living wage. I was torn between GAME POD and GAME PAD. An area of ignorance for me. Oh, well.
@Mean Old Lady GAME Boy > GAME PoD > GAME PAD. I’m not much interested in video games, either.
First time I’ve seen Rot in hell as an answer, pretty rad
Lately, I feel like I'm regressing a bit in my solving skills. Everything feels a little harder to me lately. Today's puzzle included. I got it without helps but there were a lot of wrong answers first and it took me almost to my average, which I'd been consistently beating for a while until lately. Anyhow, might just be that I'm in a bit of a funk these days and my head maybe isn't all the way in the game. That said, I enjoyed today's puzzle a lot, even if I did have to go get my pearls for clutching a few times! Har! Appendages, gentle strokes, and 19D. I thought, surely not! (Fanning myself) Ha! Getting the theme with CHAILATTE / HAIL helped me quickly fill in the other two themers. Happy birthday to CARRIE who's apparently NOW EIGHT! Fun having two revealers.
@HeathieJ You're not regressing - imo it's the editing. It's been off recently, with puzzles often too easy or too hard for the day... I've been enjoying them less to the extent that I'm considering taking a break from solving.
@HeathieJ I'm feeling the same way. I've been thinking during my solves "wow, my head is really fuzzy". Nothing seems to happen with ease. It's all a struggle. I think you and I are both suffering from the same thing, and I'm pretty sure we both know what it is--I feel like a stranger in my own country, and I know that a sizable fraction of the country absolutely hates people like me. I have a real case of the heebie-jeebies, like I might have were I to "play" Russian Roulette.
@HeathieJ I had to go back and look for the pearl clutching opportunities. I remember wondering about the one about rotting, but I didn't see anything else. I know you are tough and flexible, so I can't help wondering what you were referring to. PS I hope you feel better soon. It sounds like you have the tools, based on other comments you have posted.
@Francis Me too. I know exactly what you mean and every day things seem to get a little scarier. One for in front of the other . . .
Is 8D really a thing? I’ve only ever heard FINALBOSS. I did a google and will begrudgingly admit that 59A is the correct term for that kind of controller, though I’ve never heard it before. All in all, I found this very challenging for a Wednesday, but I may just be grumpy about…life. *sigh*
I noticed the golf clues first, then the Indian food & drink ones, then the morning glory appendage clue (well done Sam Corbin for referring to that one in the piece while maintaining a straight face) - and finally I noticed the precipitation words. (Rain is slush?) Great crossword, loved solving it! There were many I didn't know, but crossing letters were merciful to me today. Nice work and thanks! BTW, a totally separate rant if I may: on the topic of the Monday vs Friday, Easy vs Difficult thing mentioned in the piece: [Ones doing the filming on a set] vs [Focus group?] - These aren't necessarily easy & difficult clues, the difference for me is that the first is gettable on its own and the other needs crossing letters to confirm/justify it. Focus group? = camera crew? No, but if you've got CA_E__C_EW you can sigh and put it in. If you had CA_E__K_RS you could sigh and put in "caretakers". I come from the British tradition of cryptic crosswords where every clue should lead to one and only one answer. It's a necessity in grids without so many crossing letters, but at least it doesn't confuse "vagueness" with "difficulty". In a straight definition clue vagueness excusable (e.g. "Fast" (5) could be brisk, quick, rapid etc without any crossing letters), but when attempting to be clever/cryptic it's not so fun to have many possible interpretations. If it's not good enough to get it on its own, use a more straightforward clue. Love from the Guardian, Times, Private Eye, etc
@Alex and don't forget The Telegraph (oops, The Daily Telegraph)! It's where I first attempted cryptic crosswords, then moving on to The Times. I remember many a crowded morning commute from St Mary Cray to Victoria, during which I chewed the end of my pen, alongside many bowler-hatted gents, all of us endeavouring to finish the puzzle before pulling into London.
Breezed though till my confidently filled in rIdE SHARE brought me to a screeching halt. Had to go and start the coffee before getting back to the puzzle. It’s been awhile since I needed the incubation effect. Thank you, my industrious hippocampus and neocortex, for staying busy while I ground the beans, and bringing about that aha! moment when I picked up my phone again.
True story: In the spring of, oh, 2010, I was living in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, OH, in a fourth-floor walk-up of a 1920's brick apartment building--hardwood floors, leaded glass windows on the cabinets. My unit was in the back, and there was a large oak just outside the dining room window, and squirrels would run along the oak, or clamber up the brick walls (or, at times,_in_the brick walls), and perch on the window sill. Very adorable. Now that spring, in the Manly Month of May, I was doing a driving vacation to visit friends out east--first in Ithaca, NY, then on to Boston, MA. As house-presents, the morning before I was going to leave, I baked two rhubarb pies: a Large pie, and a Very Large pie (40 oz. and 56 oz. of fruit, respectively); and once the were baked, I set them to cool--well, not on the windowsill exactly, but on the radiator in front of the dining room window--while I left to run some errands. When I got home, I found a hole had been chewed through the window screen, and about a third of the Very Large Pie had been eaten. From that moment on, they were no longer adorable, but rather could ROT IN HELL!
@Bill There’s no love lost for squirrels in my house. When we lived in Austin, my husband tried to grow tomatoes one year. The plants did well, put out fruit, and just before the tomatoes were ripe, one or more squirrels came and took a bite out of every single one. I guess the squirrels learned that they don’t like tomatoes.
@Bill Did the other 2/3 taste good?
@Eric Hoagland I’m pretty sure that the evil creatures who would take one bite out of and then discard the just-ripe San Marzano tomatoes I used to grow in pots next to my driveway were chipmunks.
Excellent Wednesday fare!! Thanks Kiran, that was fun!
Had to use the LEFT BRAIN to solve some of these clues this evening, but got it done. Don't miss the HAIL or SNOW, or the resulting SLUSH PILEs (or the frozen fingers). As for a BASE TAN, I can get that just walking outside most days, but I do try to control my sun exposure—I see the dermatologist too often as it is. Nice puzzle, Kiran, and thanks!
How seasonally fitting. Where I live, we don’t even try to label the wetness that falls from the sky. In my house the word *schnay* covers many ilks of dripping, falling coldness, but most days we just call it wintering. It wintered schnay last night, but it was a small dusting of schnay, so, no complaints. Thank you Kiran! Happy hump day all!
I had HELL worked out in 19D, but not the upper part. GOTO -- too short SEEYOUIN -- too long I was so delighted when I figured it out! Such a useful expression!
@Fritz Useful yes. I think it at least 20 times a day.
I had FAKETAN, instead of BASETAN, and since I am not a “gamer” I was unfamiliar with the term BOSSLEVEL. I was stuck for a while with this one. My solve time was more than double my average for a Wednesday. And now I have Thursday to look forward to! Lol
Even though the local weather forecast is for some "freezing rain" today, I never got the theme and struggled for quite a while. I was ready to be a grumpy old guy and shout 19 down at this Pandy person! However, once I realized that Hawke & Crowe was not Ethan, the gold star and music soothed the beast. Thank you Pandy person!
@Once a Marine Yep, I just saw the brining trucks go by; expecting an ice-covered world by tomorrow morning.
@Once a Marine I put Ethan there, too, and then wondered why I had done that when I reread the clue.
Thought this puzzle was refreshingly modern and clever. Really enjoyed it! 19 down to those who don't agree. (Kidding!)
I’ve been having my evening posts show up the next afternoon… Will this experimental line (22:43) end up in the SLUSH PILE? It was only too bad that “wintry mix” could not have been included in today’s puzzle. How I love that euphemism.
@Cat Lady Margaret You led me to an answer history search. Was quite surprised to find that WINTRYMIX was ever an answer in only one puzzle - a Sunday from August 4, 2024 by Scott Hogan and Katie Hale with the title: "Weather, man!" Clue/answer in that one: "Eclectic holiday party playlist? :" WINTRYMIX And some others: "Like one's mental state before morning coffee? :" MOSTLYCLOUDY "What you might find on the counter after making ice cream sundaes? :" ISOLATEDSPRINKLES "Smashing clarinets and oboes? :" DAMAGINGWINDS "The Road Not Taken" enjoyed over breakfast? : MORNINGFROST And there were others. And all of those theme answers appeared for the first and only time in any puzzle. Was quite by that. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/4/2024&g=94&d=A" target="_blank">https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/4/2024&g=94&d=A</a> ...
Another enjoyable crossword. I assumed WAFFLEFRY was one word, the name of the place where waffles are made, but on investigation I find that it's a variant of potato. I thought Oz referred to Australia, of course, not an amount; we're into grams now, although the old system is still used. Tanning beds are an abomination, never heard of a BASE TAN, a bit like an undercoat? I've never played a video game, at any level, never mind BOSS. Everything else eventually fell into place.
@Jane Wheelaghan yes I've read enough British AND Australian stuff that I also went there with OZ? Is it still said much?
A lovely puzzle, some crunch and a nice theme (well, for those of us in warmer places). SLicK (4D) slowed things down for a spell.
@Mike Two reasons why I moved down from Wisconsin; fortunately, we only got pea-sized HAIL a couple of times in 28 years, but SNOW got to be less and less fun as the time went by. Glad to be enjoying the recent temperatures.
It would appear 19-Down is too uncivil for the comment section haha Really enjoyed that entry while solving, cool to read it was a focal point in the construction
@Adin I was wondering when someone would comment on that. I'm generally not the pearl-clutcher type, but I was surprised to see that the Gray Lady allowed it.
Well... typical Wednesday workout for me, and had to cheat a bit in a couple of places. And... must admit that I somehow managed to not catch on to the trick with the circled letters until after I was done. No big deal. That's all on me. I'll put my puzzle find today in a reply. ....
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: A Thursday from February 7, 2008 by Kenneth J. Berniker. Don't recall seeing another one quite like this. The reveal clue and answer in that one: "Restricted space ... or a hint to the answers to the six starred clues :" NOFLYZONE And a couple of theme clue/answer examples: "*Classic comical restaurant complaint :" THERESAINMYSOUP "*Advice to a careless dresser, maybe :" ZIPUPYOUR And some other theme answers: VENUSTRAP WEIGHTBOXER INFIELDRULE Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/7/2008&g=24&d=A" target="_blank">https://xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/7/2008&g=24&d=A</a> I'm done. ....
Tough for a Wednesday, at least for me, but I loved it. Clever and fresh fill. INTERN near SLUSHPILE, BOSSLEVEL crossing GAMEPAD, CHAILATTE crossing TEAS… Took me a while to break through some places and open my foggy brain a bit. WAFFLEFRY is not one that came easily to my LEFTBRAIN, to say the least! Thanks for the excellent puzzle.
A puzzle with two revealers! Clever. So glad for the constructor (and for us solvers) that ROTINHELL saved the day.
@Esmerelda One other thing: Though I loved the revealer SLUSHPILE, to be precise, slush is not a mix of rain, snow and hail, but of melting filthy snow laced with salt and little pebbles, usually forming not piles, but vast seas you must wade through to cross the street, and which only the most watertight boots can keep out.
Oddly I have "A little help from my friends" whirling about my ethernet. ko just gave me the " I can't believe you are such a dork" look. We stumbled over OZ, but got er done. Thank you Kiran
I enjoyed this one; it was tough but fun. Had final boss before BOSS LEVEL. Thought maybe CARRIE'S NOW EIGHT was some saying I'd never heard of until I read the column >headslap<. Clutched my pearls a bit at 19D. And found my error reading the column when I realized Oz was an abbreviation for an AMT and not a wizard putting on an AcT.
@Erma I had the same reaction to "Oz", thinking it was referring to the Wizard. It's interesting how the dot between the "z" and the comma seems to disappear! "Oz., e.g."
@Erma "CARRIE'S NOW EIGHT" has to be one f the best dooks I've heard in quite some time, although she's now, um, fifty-one: <a href="https://reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/1c5kmr9/opinions_on_stephen_kings_carrie_50_years_after" target="_blank">https://reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/1c5kmr9/opinions_on_stephen_kings_carrie_50_years_after</a>/
@Erma I did the same thing you did, filling in "final boss" but sometimes the final boss comes back to life and you must do more damage to clear the BOSS LEVEL. I chuckled when I thought of it this way.
Flashing back to yesterday's theme; might one order a CHIA CHAI LATTE at a chichi coffee place? Not that I would.
Excellent puzzle, felt just right for a Weds, even though my time was 10 min slower than average. Great to see ASCII in there, UMP and SGTPEPPER should have been clued as abbr, didn’t know about OPENERA but was able to solve with the crosses, instead of PLANT I had SHILL for a while which took me a long time to delete. I always think of Chiun from Remo Williams saying, “You move like a pregnant YAK.”
@Charles Nelson Reilly I thought the same thing about SGTPEPPER, but then reasoned they got away with it because that is the full name of the album and track — it is never written as “Sergeant”. But that’s just my guess.
@Charles Nelson Reilly UMP is a word. It doesn’t require an abbreviation marker. English has hundreds of words that are shortened forms of other words, but I don’t have time for a full recap. SGT PEPPER is the full name of the fictional bandleader as spelled on the album cover.
Finished it, streak intact, but didn’t enjoy it.
I found the SE corner very naticky, but perhaps it’s just me. Didn’t see any other comments stating such.
Some never-seen and clever clues. Had to re- think a few that would otherwise seem easy. Look forward to more. Thanks.
Loved the low amount of proper noun clues, fun solving! One of my first Wednesdays completed with no outside help