Had to but sniff the salt air this morning, catch the faint scent of lutefisk on the wind, and lo, mead-stained ancestral neurons fired: SHETLAND ISLAND was in before the coffee hit the mug. Of course, I’m still half-expecting my great-uncle Håkon to rise from his fjord-side grave—if that’s where he is; the aunts were vague when we asked if he’d been sent off into the North Sea on a funereal longboat instead—and send me a lengthy, only semi-joking email on the misspelling of the clue. (By bloodline and broadband, he’d always held me personally responsible for all NYT editorial decisions.) “Shetland?” he’d’ve said. “It’s not Shetland, Sam. It’s Hjaltland, and you, a right-thinking descendant of the Norwegian crown, must honor this. After all, what’s 600 years between warring kingdoms?” Then there’d be the usual paragraph on the stain on our Viking tradition that is my parents’ naming me Sam instead of, say, Sǽmundaða. Or Svanhildr. “Americans,” he’d sniff. “And BRANDY ALEXANDER,” he’d continue. “Brandy is what happens when you run out of potatoes and backbone. It’s the sort of thing a great-great-etc. granddaughter of Alexander II would sip while annexing our islands.” (Alexander II of Scotland started the pawning of Shetland, you see. Like, just the other day—ca. the 13th c.) Then he’d whip up a proper cocktail: 2 oz aquavit, 1/2 oz pickled herring dill brine, dash of bitters made from fermented Vōlsunga saga pages, stirred once, then thrown into the sea for luck. Skal!
@Sam Lyons This has to be one of my favorite posts on this board, ever. Thank you :) As I was reading, I kept thinking about my paternal grandfather, a simple man from a North Mazovian village, who died of vodka-related kidney failure after a life of skirting all rules in truly Polish fashion. How he'd cringe at his grandson, a lawyer! A Vodka-hater! Why is rule-skirting very Polish? We have this saying: "Polak potrafi!" It translates as "A Pole can do it!", and it basicly means a Polish person will achieve their goals no matter what - rules, decency, government, whatever. Many over here are proud of this characterization, and maybe it made sense in the many decades when Poland was under foreign rule or influence, when one had to skirt or break the rules to live sensibly. These days however, when we have our own sovereignty, laws, society and economy, "Polak potrafi!" is most often spoken by those who would make life harder for everybody by breaking the common-sense rules of social order. It made sense to defy the Russian and Prussian overlords in the 19th century, the German occupiers during WW2, and the soviet-aligned autcorats of the "communist" era - but why defy the rules us Poles have been making for ourselves in the democractic process to improve our welfare? Polak potrafi, indeed...
@Sam Lyons That was *such* a great read. Thank you so much!
@Sam Lyons Good story about King Håkon VII of Norway, who was a Dane and spelled it Haakon. Either way, the first syllable is pronounced like "hawk", which is important to our tale. During WWII, Haakon was exiled in the UK, but used to make broadcasts to Norway via the BBC. So he turned up one day at Broadcasting House, and the receptionist asked his name. Being royal, he announced himself using only his given name: "Haakon." (I imagine a sort of lofty scorn at this point, possibly unjustifiably.) The receptionist was unimpressed. Picking up a telephone, she announced, "There's a Mr Hawkins here to do a transmission, he says." (As part of the 80th VE Day here in Scotland, we've just been celebrating the Shetland Bus. Modified fishing vessels that would secretly ferry people and materiel across the North Sea to assist the Norwegian Resistance.)
@Sam Lyons A fabulous post. Naturally, all the Europeans who post here are thinking “yes, quite right. A mere 600-100 year break, what’s your point? “
@Sam Lyons I just think vodka is the most boring alcohol, ever. It tastes of nothing, it even looks boring. And, in Poland it's associated with rowdy groups of men drinking to excess and causing trouble - the culture of vodka drinking over here is about a lack of culture. There is nothing good about vodka, in my mind.
@Sam Lyons I'm glad you have better memories of and associations with vodka than I do. When a typical Polish person, especially from my youth, drank vodka, it was about getting drunk, quickly, as a goal in itself. Shot after shot after shot, bottle after bottle. Sad at best, disgusting at worst. I'm ashamed to admit I engaged in heavy vodka drinking once or twice, in the company of fellow legal scholars on conferences, and the memories are anything but nice. Also, for me, the spirit itself does matter. Vodka is bland and tasteless, and it looks like plain water in your glass - it's about the alcohol content alone. Now take dark rum, with its warm hues and rich flavour, and an aroma evoking burnt sugar. There is no comparison between the two, really. One of the reasons I dislike traditional, Polish weddings is how there will always be hundreds of bottles of vodka. Bad music, bad food, cringey speeches, the worst alcohol of all, and sweaty men in cheap suits drunk on it, everywhere. Meh.
I thought this puzzle was just fine and ANDY.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Wheel on a school bus-themed cake, perhaps (4) 2. Halting speakers? (8) 3. Downward-facing dog? (5)(5) 4. This, too, shall pass (5) 5. Someone will pay for this (3) OREO SENTRIES CANIS MAJOR PHASE TAB
Hi Lewis, Welcome back. No doubt you extra-liked #3!
@Lewis The picture that went along with that puzzle was good, too.
@Barry -- Thank you, and Hah! Indeed. Oh, I liked the yoga element, but man, what a magnificent clue.
"Want to play Candy Land? Got a sweet deal on it!" "Gummy you should mention it..." (I'm game for puns, but these make me board.)
@Mike Candy Land is fun, but land sharks are more fun. <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=mmRVuB5exLM&si=J7yOsSLFnVGlTjPZ" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/watch?v=mmRVuB5exLM&si=J7yOsSLFnVGlTjPZ</a>
@Mike Sorry to say this on Mother's Day, but . . . Mah Johng was a rummy with a Chinese checkered past.
@Mike I would love to know if there is some mental exercise I could do that would eventually enable me to get from "funny" to "gummy". Its like...I don't know...it's like alchemy 💥💥💥
@Mike I wasn't sure about this, but then figured, oh chute, ladder rip. Sorry, if you think you have a monopoly on these, you don't have a clue.
@Mike Have you ever made candy yourself? When you test the boiling sugar water by dropping a dab into ice water....do you go for "soft ball" or "hard crack"?
Hahaha to the revealer! I bet Christina’s kids like that joke that goes “What’s brown and sticky?” A stick.
I'm an ANDY, in a (Polish) way. I didn't understand the theme even when all its elements emerged from the puzzle, and even having read the column once. Then I reread it and it dawned one me. OK. The themed entries are AND-Y as a mouth is tooth-y. The slightly depressed curmudgeon in me does not love the theme, but he is not annoyed by it, either. I'll call that a win 🤣 I filled the grid in standard Monday time, but as I was solving it seemed hard in places, to me, for a Monday, with quite a few unknows, including some of the themed entries. I don't drink cocktails so I'm hopeless with their names - back when I was an alcohol abuser I just drank straight whisky by the glass, and these days I stick to beer (most often non-alcoholic), wine, and an occasional cognac or brandy. CANDYLAND came up in these puzzles once before in the two years I've been doing them, but I only remembered it when I had almost the whole name from crosses. It's not popular over here, or it wasn't when I was a child. I also realized I have no idea what a MALT is. The word comes up in these puzzles quite often, and I think a malt shop featured on Gilmore Girls (yes, a middle aged curmudgeon may enjoy a light hearted, human interest show), so I thought I'd look the product up. There is no Polish version of the "malt" entry on Wikipedia, but one of the examples given is the Polish "podpiwek" - a drink I know well, and enjoy from time to time. Obviously though malts are less popular here than in the US.
BTW In Polish a monkey is "małpa" and APE is "małpa człekokształtna" - "human-like monkey".
@Andrzej Malt is something I know, used to own an ice cream shop. So malted barley (you might know that one from beer!) can also be used as a flavoring. You can add malt powder to milk, and it changes the flavor dramatically, and in my opinion, for the better. I'm not sure what's going on, but there is a unique depth of flavor. The common items flavored with malt powder or syrup are malts, maltballs, and malted milk. I assume that "malt" was shortened from malted milkshake, it's simply a milkshake (blended ice cream and milk, maybe flavored syrup) with malt powder added to it. Maltballs are bite-sized round chocolate candies, crunchy on the inside, chocolate coating. Malted milk has malt powder and something like chocolate syrup. Ovaltine is a big brand. If you have the choice of shake or malt, try the malt. IMO it's the way to go.
Argh, time stamp bug strikes again. Reposting a reply that is invisible at the moment. @Nora Thank you for the interesting and literally tasty details :) Malted milk drinks are completely unknown over here. They sound intriguing! I'll be sure to try one when I get the chance. Our podpiwek is very beer-like. It tastes sort of like a porter - it is very malty - but is completely alcohol-free. It used to be the drink of choice of farm workers for decades. These days it's been reduced to being a niche soft drink. I suppose "kwas chlebowy," which you may knows as kvass, is a bit malt-like? It is fermented, and grains are involved.
Good to see this anchored by Andy Warhol. I love him. He could be coy, vain, silly, bland, but he could also make great art, and he backed it up with movies, scenes, photography, sculpture, happenings, music, and scripture, by which I mean his interviews, his Interviews, his diaries, and especially his "Philosophy of Andy Warhol," which, besides his "famous for fifteen minutes" quip also contains: I think everybody should like everybody. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art. I'm the type who'd be happy not going anywhere as long as I was sure I knew exactly what was happening at the places I wasn't going to. An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have, but that he - for some reason - thinks it would be a good idea to give them. You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you. The most exciting attractions are between two opposites that never meet. I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning. *** And that's just the tip of the Andyberg, with his strange immix of Carpatho-Rus background of rites, traditions, conservative yet joyous (the interior of the church Warhol attended here in Pittsburgh is resplendent with vibrant paintings & frescoes, gold illuminated vaulted ceilings replete with colorful folk renderings of scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary, it's like walking into a technicolor funhouse of deeply Byzantine Catholicdom).
@john ezra EDIE could have been clued to Sedgewick.
@john ezra Great catch on *ANDY* WARHOL! And the quotes are fabulous. Thank you for posting them.
@john ezra Look at you, just casually tossing immix into a sentence!
This evoked a couple of memories from many years ago: • I once worked as a waiter in a tony Upper East Side restaurant where Andy WARHOL came regularly. His dinner, every time, consisted simply of a plate piled high with French fries, on top of which he would empty a bottle of ketchup. He came with an entourage, by the way, and boy they had a good time. • TAXMAN came from the Beatle’s “Revolver”, an album that was practically all I listened to for months. Fun fact: The album was so named because that's what a record is on a turntable. As Christina says, this is a tight set of theme answers, and how fortunate for her that out of the small set of possibilities, she found two pairs of the same length. Sometimes the puzzle-making gods are kind! Sweet to see four ORs in the grid to go with all those ANDs. Also, improv performers will be happy to see YES next to AND. What a fun theme! Christina, your puzzles are always high-quality and sparked with wit. Thank you for this one!
@Lewis "Revolver" was the first grown-up album I owned. I'm not sure what prompted Santa to drop that in my stocking, but I appreciated it. "Tomorrow Never Knows" blew my young mind.
“ The thing about eating the black and white cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate. And yet somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved.” Who knew Jerry and Elaine were actually shopping for Oreos? Look to the Oreo cookie, Elaine!
@Heidi Yay, you!! 😂 I was thinking "Look to the cookie," myself as I filled it in! Priceless! That is a line that comes to me quite often and I love that it still lives in my head after all these... What decades? Yikes!
@Heidi i also admire the sentiment. But not to be a 24D, I think the cookie in question is not the NYT xword classic. A black-and- white is a largish round sugar cookie frosted with a half circle of chocolate and the other half in vanilla. Thus eating it so as to get both in each bite does require a bit of effort, as an OREO would not.
@@RozzieGrandma Pretty sure Heidi knows what a black-and-white cookie is and was just riffing on the clue.
I've never had a BRANDYALEXANDER but it sounds like something "The Dude" might have enjoyed if he ran out of Kahlúa. I would try it but don't really need all the ADDED SUGAR. This puzzle (and a pasta-related puzzle from 8/13/2023 that I did yesterday) made me wonder if anyone's ever done a blog where they try all the foods from crossword puzzles. How many OREOs would one end up eating? And Unagi sushi (BBQ EEL!) I've never heard of a PEDANT. I'm sure there's no one here who would be eager to explain what it means and the correct way to use the word. 😜
@Beth Look it up in your Funk and Wagnall's... (Just a suggestion..... she said, Laughin')
@Beth Someone politely referred to as pedantic, infers a condescending a-hole. A pedantic comment is usually a covert barb. (My many years in corporate America taught me that).
I solved this puzzle AND went straight to the cupboard for a brownie AND had to hold back on sipping some Sabra Liqueur of Frangelico while I was at it. AND of course my mind went to music and Mr. Sammy Davis Jr. belting out "The CANDy Man" AND so I went straight to YouTube. (<a href="https://youtu.be/rsp35yn411A?si=XUuMr7fDYKf16sQI" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/rsp35yn411A?si=XUuMr7fDYKf16sQI</a>) AND then I was remembering how just the other day I was sharing something I read about: how to make someone you don't agree with less defensive (or not at all defensive) – never use "yes, but;" always use "yes, AND" when counter-arguing. AND so I guess "AND" isn't just any old word; it actually hold power over people's minds. AND so I want to thank you, Ms. Iverson, for this sweet AND fun puzzle! It ADDED SUGAR to the start of my week. Very hANDy!
Fun puzzle from one of my favorite constructors. Was almost done before I caught on to the theme but that just made for a nice finish. Really enjoyed it. More than a couple of puzzle finds today. But I'll start with this one - one of the most amazing pieces of construction I've ever encountered. A Sunday from February 26, 1995 by Fred Piscop with the title "Every Tom, Dick and Harry." Five 21 letter grid-spanning theme answers in that one, all with the same clue: "Tom, Dick and Harry." Those answers: THUMBVANDYKEANDMORGAN SEAVERMARTINANDTRUMAN MIXBUTTONANDBELAFONTE SAWYERCAVETTANDCHAPIN ARNOLDCLARKANDHOUDINI Can't even imagine what it must have taken to come up with all of those answers with the same length. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/26/1995&g=23&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/26/1995&g=23&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta And the other one - a Sunday from November 10, 2002 by Cathy Millhauser with the title "2-D" A couple of theme clue and answer examples: "Report on famine in utopia?" HEAVENANDDEARTH "What Roy Rogers had with dinner?" CAKESANDDALE "Noted lawyer with the "It" Girl?" BOWANDDARROW And some other theme answers: EYESANDDEARS THEKINGANDDI SNOWANDDICE And there were a few more. Here's the Xword Info link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=11/10/2002&g=106&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=11/10/2002&g=106&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta Both are outstanding but that first one is a marvel!
ANDY....as in "full of/having many ANDs"....meh. As the player of a woodwind...NO, one does NOT "carve" a REED, and most especially NOBODY, EVER "carves" a double REED. Frankly, I never split bamboo to make a flat REED for my clarinet; our Band Director actually had a slot machine that would dispense one for a quarter. REEDs don't last very long, but I did have a clipper that would renew the thin upper tip, which got the most wear and tear. Geez Louise. ...this foggy, soggy Monday is rendered even more unwelcome with stinkers like that... grumble grumble
@Mean Old Lady I scratched my head on that one, too. I assume you woodwinders trim them a bit for better sound?
@Mean Old Lady Alas, specialized knowledge can be the enemy of crossword enjoyment. (I mean this sympathetically, not in the manner one might use to call someone a 24D, of course). My sister-in-law, a professional oboist with a major symphony, certainly fashions her own reeds with various sharp instruments. If you asked me out of the blue, I would say she’s “carving” them, although I’m sure there is a more technically correct term.
@Mean Old Lady - you are free to complain about the use of the word “carve,” but I fear your post comes dangerously close to misleading the public. Oboists spend more than half their time fussing with their reeds, splitting, shaving, shaping, wrapping…The second an oboist gets more than three bars rest, the reed has been whipped off and attacked. Bassoonists too, but ever so much less furiously.
@Mean Old Lady Is your objection to the word "carve"? As far as I know, professional oboists always make their own reeds. I asked one once how many hours per week she spent on reed-making, and she said 20. I know she also practiced and performed a lot, which makes me wonder when she slept!
@Mean Old Lady My sister is an oboist who makes her own reeds. The process sure sounds like carving to me. And there is gouging involved. I didn't know they were made of cane, though; I thought they were bamboo, like clarinets.
I'm so pleased with myself, seeing BRANDY ALEXANDER right away, and getting ANDY. It's my day off, so I don't have to be smart about anything else for the rest of the day.
I think I'm going to start a new game where I eat an OREO every time it appears in a crossword grid.
@Sonja :-) Just one? Why not one bag? I mean, come on, aren't those of you in Finland desperate to become more like us Americans?
@Sonja wonder how much they’re paying to be mentioned every other crossword cause they’ve successfully implanted it in my brain
@Hamza The more a brand forces itself on me, the less likely I am to buy their products. I consciously avoid buying things subject to aggressive advertising. Resisting capitalism is one of my favorite activities 🤣
@Francis wait, what did I miss, why are we bringing our countries into this?
@Sonja Or carve out a reed for every oboe clue. No lack of either
Thank you, thank you, thank you for 8D. The ubiquitous misuse of "lay," even in hallowed publications — ahem — depresses me.
I thought the “double twist” was that each themed answer also included a boy name that wasn’t Andy … Alex, Dylan, Stan and Landis. Thought for sure that was part of today’s puzzle but perhaps coincidence!
@chef disch -- I'm guessing it's a pretty remarkable coincidence, but that's one great catch you made!
@chef disch Holy Catts! You're right chef! 17-, 34-, 42- or 59-Across contain at least 11 names. Not to mention, YALE, LEXAN and ISLA Nice catch!
This puzzle sure did have some ADDEDSUGAR! Sweet theme! I didn't really pay attention to it as I was completing the puzzle, but I did stop to appreciate it when I was done filling it out. Fun one! I always like themes that showcase these sorts of connections in language. Plus, it felt a little close to home for me. Though I'm too much of an OLDIE to even consider attempting HANDSTANDS at this point in my life, I do love a good BRANDYALEXANDER, though my favorite would be a grasshopper. CANDYLAND was my favorite board game growing up. And the SHETLAND TV series on... Acorn, I think, is a shared favorite in our household. And it's also the only reason I was able to quickly fill in 59A so easily. Who says watching TV is a waste of time!? And fun fact, if you ever come to the Twin Cities and are on this side of the river, make sure you go to the Candyland store in downtown St Paul. It's right next to an excellent restaurant called Afro Deli and Grill, and all the other fun of downtown St Paul. Everything is great at Candyland, but they are the originators of the so scrumptious Chicago Mix popcorn: seasoned popcorn, cheddar cheese, and caramel. Got themselves trademarked and everything!
A lovely Monday puzzle as always from Ms Iverson. What I mused as I quickly filled the grid was how much knowledge I seem to have absorbed by osmosis: I have never seen or drunk a MALT, yet knew instantly that was the answer. Ditto CANDYLAND. Never seen it, never played it, but I knew it. I’m building a vague repertoire of sporting names/teams/terms, obviously gleaned from the crossword. Some I recall instantly, others I need a lot of prompting. I guess the above answers have appeared before, but I have no recollection of them. The brain is a wonderful treasure house.
@Helen Wright My favorite malted milk was Horlicks…I know it was from the UK. No longer?
I must be entering my second childhood at age 76 because, as I was solving this puzzle, I thought, "at last a constructor with my consciousness." Indeed, there was so much in the fill that came straight out of my culture back in the '60s. Whatever, thanks for a nice Monday morning romp through my nostagia.
Seemed like a solid Monday puzzle, though I didn't heed (or need) the theme in any way. Took me a bit to note that each thematic entry contained AND twice, which is apparently often enough to earn it the descriptor "ANDY". In retrospect, the PEDANT in me is now unhappy that two of the themers literally contained ANDY. Whatever. Time to serve up a final exam, with another one on the menu for tomorrow ...
@Xword Junkie "In retrospect, the PEDANT in me is now unhappy that two of the themers literally contained ANDY." At first, I though that *was* the theme, but HANDSTAND disabused me of that.
A charming puzzle from Chrisina. And fun to see ANDY WARHOLa in the grid among other relics. TAXMAN earworm, anyone? But apparently this OLDIE is not smarter than a 4 and 7 year old, because it took me forever to understand the revealer. (No need to explain. I've got it now.)
@Vaer SRSLY Autocorrect? You don't catch that I mistyped Christina? SHEESH.
i spent way too long thinking “how interesting to learn that Montana has a Spanish Lotto!”
@deborah Too funny, me too. I would have done the puzzle in 15 min flat had I not needed to know it was gold and silver!
deborah, I frequently look at the wrong-direction clue as a word takes shape from the crosses, so I was briefly intrigued to learn that Montana is the only state with a Spanish pedant.
@deborah Now that's funny. As a long-time puzzle solver, I knew that Montana's state MOTTO is "Oro y Plata" but I didn't realize it was the only Spanish one.
Thank you for the great Monday puzzle! I bet it isn’t easy to construct a clever but easy puzzle!
Oh wowie! This was such a fun puzzle for me to solve. I’ve been teaching myself how to crossword for the last year and I was able to finish this one quickly and with no hints! Brought me back to my TWEENS beating the neighborhood kids in a good ole game of CANDYLAND. Now to celebrate with a BRANDYALEXANDER. Cheers!
So I wrote to @NYTgames because I thought the comment-reply count was wacky (it says "3 replies" for example and you click on the replies and there are 8), and, like Steve L., I wouldn't see my own comments or replies loading for quite a while. Turns out that the Times considers these things an improvement. Here is Alex C.'s reply to me on this front: "Thank you for following up and providing these details. From what I've observed, the missing replies or inaccurate count may be due to some replies or comments being from the person who originally posted the comment. To clarify, I believe what you’re experiencing is normal, as a result of recent intentional changes to make the comment section more streamlined. As you mentioned, clicking through to open the whole thread will display all the replies." I don't see this as streamlining anything. It strikes me as misguided and more confusing than anything else. What would really improve comments would be: * providing an "edit" option after one's comment is submitted. Since other papers have that (WaPo for example), it's doable. * getting the emus to relax on words that stick in their craws but are standard everyday English and which even appear in the very puzzles being commented on. * "Streamlining" when comments get posted instead of these occasional delays that confound everyone
@john ezra I could live with using the timestamp to see all the replies if hitting Back to all Comments didn't take you back to the top of all the comments.
@john ezra - What I have been most annoyed by is that I will the post post and the “initial replies”, then click on “see all replies” and when the whole thing opens up, other replies are added _within_ the chain I have already seen. People are replying to undisplayed comments. This latest round of changes is the worst in a decade.
john ezra, Whether improvement or not, it is not even operating in the manner described as "normal." Some replies still never appear, some only show up (for you) when you click a timestamp, and then don't stay visible, some replies post instantly, even before notification, some take minutes or hours after notification to show up. Definitely still in Beta.
@john ezra What is frustrating about all this is that you and I, and I know many others, have written to Customer Care and have received a range of responses. I posted my most recent reply the other day but I'll post it again here: "Hi John, The comment section may be showing fewer replies because only direct replies to the original comment are being displayed, while nested replies (replies to replies) might not be included in the initial view. This approach could be intended to streamline the viewing experience, reducing clutter in threads with many nested responses. However, I understand this makes the VAR function appear inconsistent, especially since it used to show after 3 replies, and now it’s not triggering reliably. Your workaround of clicking the timestamp to display all replies, and the fact that emailed links show all replies, aligns with this explanation, the timestamp likely forces a full thread reload, including nested replies, while the email link bypasses the streamlined view. I’ve tested the thread you shared, and I can confirm the VAR button isn’t consistently appearing, which suggests a potential change in how we display replies. I'll note this ticket as feedback for our team to review and consider as we continue to look for future improvements for our solvers, thank you. Lovedeep D. Customer Support Specialist The New York Times" More in the next reply.
@john ezra Curious to know of others who have received responses from Customer Care and what the NYT team has said.
@john ezra Streamlining!? Is there an alternate definition of that word that I'm not familiar with? It's kind of like: "Inconceivable!" "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
I had no problem with Lewis's favorite original clues from last week, specifically 1. Wheel on a school bus-themed cake, perhaps (4) OREO But I have to say, nobody but Christina Iverson could possibly pull off 54A, [black and white cookie], OREO. There you have it, the quintessential Monday puzzle clue and answer.
@Roberto Given that it's Christina Iverson, I have to assume that the appearance of both OREO and ESSO in the same puzzle is done with a wink and a nod!!!
Roberto, I’m waiting for someone to clue Oreo as simply [Four-letter word] (or maybe that’s already been done)
JohnWM, This one is somewhat in the spirit of your suggested clue: Tue Aug 27, 2019 2D Most common commercial name in New York Times crosswords Daniel Raymon
Can someone explain why MOSAIC is clued as "Art with fancy tiles (that might produce smiles)"? I understand the first part about art with tiles, but what is the connection between MOSAIC and smiles? Thanks in advance!
@Bobby I looked up mosaic smiles and there doesn't seem to be anything special about it. Just a bit of extra rhyming for fun then: styles-tiles-smiles. Not exactly an integral part of the clue, but no harm done :)
@Bobby Right? Same here. The second part of the clue confused me greatly and delayed my answering it for some time. I've seen countless ancient and modern mosaics, and smiles are not a common feature, at all. A mosaic might produce a smile, sure, but so may any other medium. Very strange choice of clie, especially on Monday.
@Bobby Seem to be a lot of websites with the title of Mosaic Dentistry or Mosaic Smiles. Maybe a franchise sort of thing?
Same here. It acctually lead me to put on post-it. (for post-it art) So sad to bad :)
O no, I see a crossword coming from Christina featuring UNO, Eno, Ono, ano . . . This one was adorable. 'specially kuz my lil brother's name is Andy. 45D, why does MOSAIC conjure smiles? It's been A Rainy Night in Georgia.
@Linda Jo Sometimes it feels like it’s raining all over the world.
What a nice respite from a challenging weekend to do this breezy puzzle in my fastest time ever! Almost half the time of my Monday average, and I wasn't even rushing. Thank you for restoring my faith in my crossword prowess (let's see how long it lasts) 😆
SALT and ADDED SUGAR? Bobby Kennedy does not approve. I'm fine with it, though, as I do love a chocolate MALT.
@Grant And now I want a salted caramel chocolate malt. Thank you for your help in planning my menu for the day.
"Mandy, there's a minister handy . . ." A fun one. Many thanks. Very busy day yesterday so just getting started on the Sunday puzzle. Comforted by the comments that it was a toughie as I'm struggling to break in.
Just finished BEQ's Sunday workout. Need to catch my breath. Well done and thanks.
I received the Gameplay email this morning and couldn’t stop laughing. Thank you Sam Corbin, what a treat!
Aw likewise a treat to read this! ☺️
@Glo What is the Gameplay email? Can you tell me more, or should I ask Sam?
Here's the musical interlude for today's puzzle. If you've got four minutes, here's a song that's lyrically one of the most amazing that I've encountered in a long time. It's something that is incredibly relatable to anyone who is married or in a long-term relationship: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGbmYyb37fI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGbmYyb37fI</a> Listen closely. Try not to cry.
@Steve L Not bad at all - thanks, Steve. The song may be about Andy (Andrzej), but the guy is very much like my wife, apparently🤣, and I really can't live without her.
@Steve L Thank you so much for posting that. I loved the song, and it did make me teary. I will definitely listen to more of her songs.
@Andrzej Some lines remind me of my wife. Some remind me of myself. And we, shall we say, disagree a lot, especially lately. Maybe too much. But I can't live without her, either.
@Steve L So fitting for today! Thanks, Steve.
I got distracted by the “Andy” in the first two theme answers when trying to parse the clue and had to consult this column, but now I see it and think it’s cute!
Very fun, but over too quickly! The only real "tricky" clue I came across I think was SSNS since I didn't know the format. Thanks Christina, please do a Sunday-sized one next!
@Alex Christina is the constructor or co-constructor of 11 Sunday puzzles already. Here are the dates of two of them. Feb 7, 2021 and 5/19/2024
Well if it hadn’t have been for Montana’s confusing introduction of a Spanish-language lottery I would’ve made it under 5mins on this one 🤦♂️
I'm thankful for putting alcohol consumption in my not-so-distant past, otherwise I'd try a 17A digestif. I'd probably have omitted the Alexander, who knows. Every crossword puzzle seemingly contains an oboe clue, but I did not know those talented woodwinders carved their own. Nice! Thankfully we guitar players don't make our own strings. Ed King (Skynyrd) used a seashell for a plectrum, for what that's worth. I have to wonder which songs would define as a 38A, in our modern age? A while back the NYT Crosswords promised to contain more modern and less dated references. These past several months, I see a lot of texting and modern slang clues, (yeet, imho and whatevs pops up a lot). So a 38A would be a 3-month-old song by the myriad of Lils and Bois, and Ye is ancient, I suppose. eesh!
Very cute theme! And if you have one minute, check out Jim Carrey at the 1996 Oscars(pictured in today's column): <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bill120281/video/7234196564955237678" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@bill120281/video/7234196564955237678</a>
@ad absurdum I know it's still early, but that made my day.
I posted this in some replies but there's no guarantee they'll be seen. I've noticed a number of comments about the MOSAIC tiles and smiles clue. I think it's nodding to the psychology of color... and color's impact on mood. I'm not saying this little Google I did is definitive or scientific but it makes the connection to the clue for me: -- Check out this article about how mosaics can impact your mood positively. <a href="https://www.mozaico.com/blogs/news/how-mosaics-affect-your-psychology-and-why-you-should-use-them-in-your-home-decor" target="_blank">https://www.mozaico.com/blogs/news/how-mosaics-affect-your-psychology-and-why-you-should-use-them-in-your-home-decor</a> Also, here's a quote from a blog post: “These tiles don’t just cover my walls—they make me smile every morning when I make my coffee. And isn’t that what home should do?” <a href="https://fediverse.blog/~/Mosaics/The%20Beauty%20of%20Artistic%20Mosaic%20Tiles" target="_blank">https://fediverse.blog/~/Mosaics/The%20Beauty%20of%20Artistic%20Mosaic%20Tiles</a>
@HeathieJ I interpreted the "smiles" in the clue to be an extra hint that the tiles can be in tiny pieces that could actually form a "smile shape" on top of the cutesy aspect of rhyming with tiles. I could be wrong.
@HeathieJ There are a lot of dental clinics with the word MOSAIC in their name, but I can't find a definition of mosaic that includes teeth so that seems a little stretchy for a clue.
Fun little puzzle! I enjoyed being able to breeze through it after slogging through the weekend's offerings. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy (usually!) the challenge of Thursday through Sunday, but appreciate the relative ease of Monday through Wednesday. Thanks for the sweet breather, Christina.
Cheerful and tasty, a perfect puzzle for a Sunday afternoon and for brightening a Monday—not a slog and not boring. Good job, Christina. I loved your puzzle. (Thank heave for that "Pralines and Cream" in the freezer.)
@dutchiris heaveN. Keyboard is taking naps.
Delightful fun for a dreary drizzly afternoon.
@Liz B You ought to be in sunny Minnesota, where it's 90 F, in this early day in May. Thanks, fossil fuel companies.
@Barry Ancona (written as a new comment because my reply didn’t post three times already) I don’t think it’s accurate to call a deli that sells Reubens “kosher-style”. But one may call it a Jewish-style deli. “Kosher style”, in my experience, means specifically that the business doesn’t have pork or shellfish, and has either dairy or meat, but not both, without the products actually certified as kosher. Many Reform synagogues allow kosher-style food in their building because nearly all members do not keep kosher, but it would be unseemly to serve bacon cheeseburgers.
@Steve L It posted once at 9:10 according to its timestamp. It's just not visible unless you hit the timestamp.
@Vaer Star Trek must be running the show here now, because the cloaking devices have been engaged.
@Steve L All the best people have cloaking devices.
Steve, "The Reuben sandwich is a North American grilled sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread. It is associated with kosher-style delicatessens but is not kosher, as it combines meat and cheese." <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_sandwich" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_sandwich</a>
@Steve L Reubens disappeared from restaurant menus in the '90s and '00s, outside the New York area. But they've made a big comeback in the past ten years. Now, several restaurants claim to have the best Reuben sandwich in our neck of the woods. I just wish they used a heartier rye bread.
Steve, Of course I agree with you that it is absurd. That it is in Wikipedia shows the absurdity is widespread. But then, my late girlfriend's father, born in inland eastern Europe, a cantor at a Conservative synagogue, would never touch pork products but enjoyed lobster. And a friend with a PhD in linguistics would not eat "pork" chops but would eat ham and bacon. WHATEVS!
Steve, I wrote a long response, which has disappeared. tl;dr: I agree with you. It is widespread.
I used to drink 3 brandy alexanders before work
This puzzle was fast and fun. Not at all ho-hum. Loved the theme. Thanks Christina.
Is it okay if I start a connections thread here? I'm just so tickled. Don't think I've done this before. (I've tried, but it's not always easy to know which color category each group will be assigned.) Connections Puzzle #701 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨
@Beth There's a Connections Companion thread and you can find the link at the bottom of Sam's column. I'm not in charge, but I would prefer you didn't, because even if you don't give spoilers sooner or later someone can't resist doing so.
@Beth I have to agree with Vaer. I've had Connections spoiled on here before for me and it's disappointing. I appreciate that you aren't giving any spoilers but as Vaer says, it's bound to happen. That said, a hearty congrats!! I love getting the reverse rainbow. I try really hard every time but you're right that it's not always easy to know. Sometimes I 'm really surprised by what is considered tricky. But I guess that's the same with all of our different experiences out here. Anyhow, here's to many more reverse rainbows for you!!
@Beth Just saw your response now, becauseit was hidden by our lovely comment system. I didn't mean that you needed to do that. I just meant it wouldn't be good idea to continue to post here on a daily basis. And I do get being happy (and surprised) about getting purple first.
@Beth i always try to do it in reverse order, but rarely succeed at guessing which is which!! Nice one!
Not to be a PEDANT about the mini, but DELIS serve meat, appetizing stores serve cured fish
@Steven M. Except…one can walk into a deli and get lox
To discuss the concept of the appetizing store vs the deli. Back in the day when there were many kosher delis they would serve the meals layer in the day which had red meat. But by the nature of being kosher wouldn’t have milk products like cream cheese. And thus the niche for the appetizer store which sold milk products AND proteins which could be eaten with those milk products. Which is why smoked fish comes into the picture. There is no prohibition of having fish with milk. And that’s how you get a bagel with cream cheese and lox. Of course over the years the number of kosher delis has shrunk…And so a Jewish style deli might easily have red meats and fish. Take Zabar’s as an example…Are they a deli? Or a market? A little of both I guess…AND if you go to their website in search of smoked meats…They’ll be sold in the appetizing department.
Steven, You can get a Reuben at a "kosher-style delicatessen," so I think at this point it is beyond pedantry to suggest you don't get lox at a deli.
@Steven M. Definitely spoiled as a New Yorker. 😂 When my family moved from Long Island to Indiana in the late '80s, the best (bad) bagels we could find were at Dunkin' Donuts.
@Steven M. The New York bodega, or corner grocery store, is usually signed as a DELI, but it is not commonly called one by the general populace. It's called a bodega. They're the ones with the toilet paper and batteries, and since they're technically DELIS, they can figure into the discussion. A real DELI as a New Yorker would call it would primarily make sandwiches and hot entrees, whether Jewish or Italian or just general purpose, often with eat-in service available, and might sell some packaged items, but not aisles upon aisles of them. @RozzieGrandma Yes, stores can sell both, packaged separately, but the general discussion is about DELIS that sell prepared foods. Kosher restaurants and the like are either milchig (dairy) or fleishig (meat), but never both.