That’s a high-quality Monday puzzle right there.
"I just adopted a baby cat!" "You've gotta be kitten me!" (These puns are a meowthful.)
@Mike Sounds like you're feline catty.
@Mike You must have a pawty for your Pixie-Bob's Gotcha Day!
@Mike Once again, another purrfect litter pun.
@Mike you should win a pet as your the prize for such puns, but that would be a cat-as-trophy
And when Julius Caesar was looking for his sewing equipment, he finally asked his friend: "Etui, Brute?"
@Isabeau ohhh I thought they meant medical needles. I was scared to Google it. This will help me remember, fantastic!
@Isabeau YES. I won’t lie, I spent about 10 minutes trying to fit this quip into the clue explanation. “This clue may feel like a betrayal to those who…” etc. etc.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Small roll (5)(4) 2. Wall hanging, maybe (2)(3) 3. Intel asset, for short (3) 4. Eau zone? (3) 5. What a flipping tool! (7) SNAKE EYES TV SET CPU MER SPATULA
@Lewis That last one particularly made me smile as we used ours to make pancakes for Father’s Day today. 🙂
This puzzle purports to be about baby animals, but a closer look reveals a stealth time traveling music concert. The show begins with Cab Calloway doing “The SKAT Song”, followed by The Red Hot Chili Peppers version of “Purple HAZE”, with FLEA on bass and guest Charlie Parker on ALTO sax. After taking in a few stops on the ERAS tour, Swiftie JOEY FATONE stopped by to perform his cover of PUPPY LOVE. (I hear the DEMO was great.) Next, YES wowed the crowd with their rendition of RIO, followed by everyone’s favorite KARAOKE hit, HELLO. (Personally, I think Adele SANG it better.) LIL Nas X did a few raps, and then it was time for the final act: Australia’s very own BABY ANIMALS! It was a great night at Madison Square GARDEN. I danced so much, I think I pulled a CALF MUSCLE. (Probably shouldn’t have worn KITTEN HEELs.)
@Heidi Loved your comment! Quite clever
@Heidi You definitely get more out of crossword puzzles than I do!
Entries like POPSICLE, PUPPY LOVE, AZALEAS and GARDEN along with the precious theme make this a Monday puzzle you can really fawn over. Always happy to see ALCOTT too. Nicely done, Jill and Michelle.
That’s a quality Monday puzzle right there, folks. Señor Gato KITTEN-HEELs every morning when I head to the kitchen to grind the beans. He waits for me at the top of the stairs, then matches me step for step as I sleepily navigate my way down. He’s been with us for almost 5 years now, and still it makes me break out in a wide grin each time he does it. He starts my day by wrapping himself around my heart like a warm blanket. Happy Monday, everyone.
@Sam Lyons 😻😻😻😻 my cat does something similar but not as polite... he does his best to be one step ahead of me, directly underfoot, possibly in a somewhat passive aggressive intent to break my legs.
I am so excited to see ETUI. All these years I’ve had that great word in my vocabulary, and I haven’t been able to use it for a long time!
Sue, We haven't been able to use ETUI in the crossword since January 2021 (its 371st appearance).
@Sue Yeah, I found myself taken aback at ETUI. It was like see a picture of a forgotten friend.
“Spot that may be affected by a charley horse”: The other side of the bed and its occupant. Who is startled awake by a sudden bellowing of loud OYS worthy of SATAN, uttered in the ALTO range by one who is normally a baritone.
@Cat Lady Margaret Such a coincidence to see this clue now because I hadn't had one in decades, and suddenly two days ago out of nowhere I got one so bad, I was still limping for several hours afterwards. It was indeed SATANic. My cat fled the bedroom in alarm. Now, if only the crossword could predict when these things will happen instead of taunting me after the fact, it could really make itself useful.
Tomorrow's puzzle got my streak all the way back up to one again! Several column readers wrote kind remarks in response to my moaning about how hard these puzzles were getting for me and probably bringing an end to decades of fun doing them. I thank you. One Sonnel from Isla Vista (I don't remember where that is either, though I have lived in California for a total of over 31 years, starting in 1935 and including the last eight) suggests, as others have before, that if I just keep at them they will get easier. In my case it is the other way around.
@kilaueabart Hi, I'm sorry they've gotten so much harder to do. From my mother-in-law's perspective of increasing memory issues, I understand as best as I can and I empathize. I always enjoy your comments and I hope that you'll continue keeping at them. Looking things up might keep you able to stay at them and having fun. I understand from context that you didn't need to do that before, but maybe it'll help them stay fun and keep you out here in this community that cares about you! All the best to you!!
@kilaueabart Of course I cannot know how you actually feel while doing these puzzles, but I've been following your posts, and even though I am aware of your difficulties, I am getting the impression you are doing fine, overall. You were my current age by the time I was born 45 years ago. I can't imagine myself as lucid and coherent as you are by the time I'm 90. You are an inspiration.
@kilaueabart My best to you! I don't think I'm far behind you.
@kilaueabart I think I remember you telling us that you had completed the Maui Run to the Sun multiple times while living in Hawaii. You probably can't do that anymore but I was a 10k runner who never even thought of attempting anything so demanding. As for puzzles, the saying that age and guile can beat youth and inexperience is often true. Hang in there.
Thank you to everyone who tried, and tried! to answer my questions about clues yesterday. You are all so helpful, it’s heartwarming.
The simple theme makes this an ideal Monday offering as it provides a great intro to the concept of theme for new solvers, many who have no idea that crosswords can have themes. Learning that can be a revelation, adding a sweet layer of enjoyment. As for me, an experienced solver, there was plenty of enjoyment as well: • Words I like (BEVELS, LOOPY, IN LIMBO, RECUSAL, STUBS). • The fun of trying to guess the revealer (I was close, thinking BABE). • Quirks in the answers: (13 of them contain long O’s, which seems to me unusually high). • Connections between answers (that lovely PuzzPair© of HEP and DIG IT). • TIL: (KITTEN HEEL). I never miss Mondays. Too often, today included, they include stellar moments I’m glad I didn’t miss. Thank you, Jill and Michelle, for a splendid outing!
In an effort not to be confused with other Beths that comment here, I changed my account name to Beth in Greenbelt, but it looks like the change isn't showing yet. FYI: Any Beth making comments about words that shouldn't be in the puzzle, especially without looking then up first, is not me. Speaking of Beths, ALCOTT's Little Women is how I got my nickname. My mom thought the character was so sweet. Apparently it didn't occur to her that it might not be a good idea to name a kid after the one who (spoiler alert) didn't survive. I'm not so sweet and always aspired to be a Jo, who was so much cooler (but not HEP). Sadly, trying to be cool never works. Just ask the kids who teased me for liking Donnie Osmond's song PUPPYLOVE better than Michael Jackson's ABC. Did anyone else have feelings about 5D and 30A appearing so near each other? I know, different person and different agency, but close enough to trigger the icks. TIL KITTEN HEEL, ETUI, and SKAT (as a game). Haven't been solving long enough to have seen the last two before. I don't usually learn new things from Monday puzzles, and I liked it! Despite the added crunch, I managed to solve very close to my PB.
@Beth when you post, look to the right of where your name/location are. There should be an “edit” link that should allow to make changes that will take effect immediately. And those changes should stick until you change it again.
@Beth I asked you this a while back, but think I did it too late in the day for you to see it...is that Greenbelt as in Maryland?
@Beth it turns out there are two different versions of Little Women, one in which Beth dies and one in which she does not!!! <a href="https://bookriot.com/does-beth-die-in-little-women" target="_blank">https://bookriot.com/does-beth-die-in-little-women</a>/ I figured this out in like 2019 or something when I decided to reread the book and she didn't die and I was super confused!
@Beth Etui and Skat were new to me, too. I'm sure we'll see them again and they'll be in our wheelhouse from now on.
Very appealing puzzle for me! I LOVE that PUPPYLOVE is centered where it is. I don't know why it makes me smile. Maybe I like it so much as it sits atop ALCOTT. Laurie's deep, but I think ultimately, PUPPYLOVE for Jo, still gives me big feelings. I so completely rooted for them. (We didn't call it shipping back in my day! Har!) Still, by the end, I accepted Amy as not being such a bratty egg after all and enjoyed watching her grow. And I loved the more mature love that Jo found. Even if I understand (and applaud) that the original idea was for her to stay single by choice. But I do love love! A long-time favorite book. (But can we not discuss Bess' fate!? 😭) Anyhow, I really enjoyed the puzzle and the very sweet theme. Loved having TEENAGE in it and GARDEN. In my mind they are nice complements to the theme. Felt a little nausea while filling in 5D, but whatcha gonna do!? (I know which one it refers to btw, but still.) I especially liked the clue for a frequent flyer HOE - "Groundbreaking invention for ancient farmers?" Since I didn't comment on Sunday's puzzle, just wanted to add that I personally loved 1D for AHNOLD! I filled it in with the H on my first round and thought I'd probably have to remove it later, but it gave me such a big smile and it got even bigger when it got to stay!! I am sorry it gave so many people trouble though!
If I could edit, I'd add AZALEAS to my comment about GARDENS and TEENAGE. 🌸
@HeathieJ 😀 I think there is something really special about the first big Puppy Love. I know I've never forgotten mine, nor do I think I ever could. Regarding 5D: Is one thing for the apple to fall from the tree. It's a completely different thing for the apple to not fall at all, but sort of float around, encompassing itself and everyone in a misty fog.
@Francis Excellent description!! 10 out of 10!!
@Francis My memories of my first puppy love are marred by the fact it turned into a horrible, mismatched, borderline abusive relationship of 8 years, which made two people miserable. At least I learned from it, and never repeated the mistakes I had made then, again, but still... /Shudder
@Francis Meh, emus are my reply to you. Pox upon them!
@HeathieJ Beth was the one who D I E D. But you knew that.
@HeathieJ Sometimes I wonder if you and I are the same person, but then I remember that you're so much nicer than I! I could echo almost everything in this comment, including not commenting yesterday and loving the AHNOLD answer when so many others were freaking out about it. I'll leave my own PUPPYLOVE and ALCOTT thoughts in a separate comment.
@Beth in Greenbelt That is very kind of you!! And here's a fun fact that makes your comparison to me more interesting. My mom wanted to name me Elizabeth, Beth for short, also because of Little Women. She was put off by her mom and others saying they think Liz/Lizzie would be a better nickname and that's what they would call me. I've always been perfectly content with my name but I do think she should have named me what she most wanted and told them all to stick it (see, I'm not always nice! Ha!) but she changed her mind and named me Heather. So, I was almost also a Beth! Wouldn't that be something!?
Every Monday, after my weekly fencing lesson, I carry my epées home in my favorite étui. (It's a very large étui.)
I buy large sewing needles to stitch together pieces of sweaters I have knitted. Even now I can buy a group of those needles packaged in an etui. After I have lost most of the needles, probably between my sofa cushions, I use the now empty etui to hold toothpicks in my purse.
@Susan Holy cow, remind me to never sit on your sofa 😲
This definitely solved like a Tuesday for me, not because of the theme, which was cure and easy enough, but the overall fill, especially with so many proper nouns. Not a big fan. Also, justice for mezzo-sopranos, who never get any recognition.
@Sonja Yes, and not only in puzzles. Mezzos only get noticed for ARIAs and even then the roles are stereotyped. Most choruses and hymns are written for SATB groups. Even when more parts are written, you find Soprano II etc.
@Sonja Hey, as a "baritone", neither tenor nor bass, I likewise believe we get no respect. No respect.
@Sonja I fully agree. Way too trivia-heavy to be enjoyable. @Francis I'm so unfamiliar with musical theory, I have no idea what my voice type is 😆
Whizzed through this one. Does that make me a cracker animal puzzle cracker? You may LOVE a PUPPY but you must respect a cat. Tell a KITTEN to HEEL and see what happens. (Talk about SANG froid.) You'll have more luck saying SKAT! (I may have been SLOE to point this out, but ATLAS I must admit that I am LOOPY about felines. I do love them a LOT.) Thank you, Jill and Michelle, for the fun clues and a fun puzzle. I loved it!
Pretty straightforward for me today. Unknown were only JOEY and SOSA and Charley, although I got them all on the crossers. I did happen to glance at the time and it was 16 minutes - a few months ago it would have been about an hour! ETUI is a favourite of The Guardian crossword for obscure words that are used a lot. It was like meeting an old friend.
Back in the Maleska days, ETUI was about as common as OREO is today.
@Flyboy54 The difference is that we sometimes use the word "OREO" when not solving a crossword,...
There were three crosses I had no idea how to deal with: SKA_ x _ESTY JOEY FA_ONE x _AMP RF_ x _ITTEN HEEL Since we're talking three crosses, I couldn't do an alphabet run, so I looked stuff up. Three times. On a Monday. By the time I had to deal with those, I was already quite annoyed by there being a lot of trivia in the puzzle, which I never enjoy, especially on a Monday. Names, titles, abbreviations, cultural references... Meh. My solve took Tuesday time, and without lookups I would have needed reveals. The them was OK, at least, but it's getting harder and harder for me to deal with cutesy stuff with what's going on in the world. Chicks, joeys, puppies running around with autocracy, climate collapse and war in the background...
@Andrzej I sometimes like to think "what is the exact opposite way" of reacting to something. Your final paragraph, I desperately want to agree with you, but this is the opposite. "Gray skies are gonna clear up! Put on a happy face. Brush off the clouds and cheer up! Put on a happy face." Seems to work for some people. Maybe I should fake it till I make it?
I've just read the other comments. Apparently in ETUI I missed today's most controversial entry. It filled itself with crosses, so I didn't even spot it. I usually solve across first, but today I was so confused by some of the across clues I switched to down first somewhere along the way. Interestingly, first, I know ETUI as a word very well. It is a common name in Polish for a smartphone or glasses case, and my maternal grandmother always kept her keys in etuis. Second, I would not have got the word as clued today. I've never seen or heard ETUI used to describe a case for needles, and my wife has not, either (her vocabulary is generally better than mine).
@Andrzej It is so freaking hard. At the same time, the puzzles are a short and happy distraction. I just hate it when things like 5D, and yank me out of the blessed distraction.
@Andrzej Surprised to see that you had trouble with SKAT. We know that you're a gamer. Not a card player? Or is it called something else in Polish?
@Al in Pittsburgh I am stricly a video gamer. I don't do board games, and I haven't played actual cards for... 25 years? I used to play bridge (pol. brydż) in high school, and canasta (kanasta) with my family before that. From 19th century books I learned about whist (wist), bridge's ancestor. As for cards on the computer, like any Windows user, I also played solitaire and hearts for years. I dabbled in video game poker, but only with AI opponents, and never really got the hang of it. That's it. SKAT does not ring a bell. I might have heard of it before - my memory these days is horrible. I checked Wikipedia, and apparently it is or used to be a popular card game in Poland, but mostly in its regions influenced by German culture (West and South West), so not in my Mazovia (Mazowsze) region.
@Andrzej I'm surprised you had a problem with TESTY, a word that could be applied to some of your posts. :)
@Vaer Apparently it's not a word I use, at all, even though it applies to my attitude perfectly, which I know now that I looked up the definition 🤣. I used to be much worse, BTW. You're experiencing the improved Andrzej. Scary thought, eh?
@Andrzej I could definitely see not knowing about RFK stadium or KITTEN HEELs, but once you figured out the theme, which I assume you did, I feel that should have made the missing letter in _ITTENHEEL obvious. I myself never heard of a kitten heel until it appeared as part of a grouping in Connections some time in the past year or so. 🤓
@Jeb Jones You're right, of course. I suppose by that stage I was so annoyed by the puzzle I switched off reason and just wanted the whole thing to be over. Testy, indeed 🤣
That took up a Wednesday-worth of my time. A lot of rearranging and guessing. I'd have worn through the paper with an eraser if I was solving on paper. I couldn't unsee FAT ONE when I had gathered enough crosses for JOEY FATONE's surname, and assumed he was the victim of a cruel nickname---which seemed plausible since we were teasing about Arnold Schwarzenegger's accent yesterday. Was fortunate to know about "charley horses" and "supermarket RAGS" from time spent living in Canada, which probably saved the day, but it seemed like a hard Monday. I found the theme more "Ew" than "Aw", but I do develop Cute Toxicity Syndrome when exposed to even low doses. And unlike many happy reminiscers here, I never experienced PUPPY LOVE and am not entirely sure what it entails, or the derivation of the metaphor.
Sorry to post about this here, but does anyone have any idea on why NYT has zero coverage on the "No Kings" protest yesterday which was the third largest in US history??? Nothing on the front page and nothing on even the US Politics page. Did I just miss it somehow?
@Lyla <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/14/us/protests-news?searchResultPosition=1#the-no-kings-protests-were-the-work-of-hundreds-of-organizations" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/14/us/protests-news?searchResultPosition=1#the-no-kings-protests-were-the-work-of-hundreds-of-organizations</a> Includes yesterday and today updates.
@Lyla Don’t say sorry to post this here—just don’t post it here. No matter which side of the aisle you are on, this is not an appropriate forum to be reminded of politics
Lyla, At the top of the "front page" there is a search box. If you enter No Kings it has links to several articles.
@Lyla I agree that it's an inappropriate comment for the crossword, but I also agree that despite any articles available via the search feature that NYT's coverage of the nationwide protests is oddly muted and disproportionate to the significance of the events.
Aaron, If you agree the subject of news coverage is not appropriate for these comments, why are you commenting on it here? Let's get away from the news and back to today's Crossword: How long do you think the 30A clue will remain valid? Does 42D still mean anything?
@Lyla I’m sorry to continue stoking a fire that most of us feel is completely out of place, but since others have provided the link to NYT’s coverage of the historic protests, I’ll just add that, if it seems to you as if said coverage was not prominent enough, consider that it was competing against news of a politically motivated assassination (and the ensuing, ongoing manhunt) in the United States, as well as what could be the beginning phases of *the* major war in the Middle East — the one we’ve been fearing for decades. So, no, it’s not like the NYT didn’t want you to know about the protests. Yesterday was just that crazy, eventful, and depressing a day in the annals.
@Lyla Click on the Today's Paper link. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper</a>
@Hanson Bummer. Looks like no one can help you.
a.a., Bummer. Now it looks like you responded to a ghost.
Loved this from the GETGO.
The return of ETUI! Other than the sewing kit, this was a tight puzzle with little crosswordese. I loved RECUSAL, IN LIMBO, and BOSOM, which reminds me of Anne of Green Gables. The inclusion of JOEY FATONE and Louisa May ALCOTT brought me back to my childhood, five hundred years ago. I can't say I experienced PUPPY LOVE with any of the members of N*Sync. I was more into the Lord of the Rings. Yes, I was one of those kids. (I'm still one of those kids.)
Little women, walkin' down the street ... Cute theme. Jill and Michelle are wizards of awws.
@ad absurdum Are they wearing KITTEN HEELs?
Hep? Rags? Etui? Skat? No thanks
@Matt Ok, sir. Whenever you have any other words you have no desire or intention to learn, please don't hesitate to let us know.
@Matt It’s not as though you didn’t have forewarning regarding ETUI: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/28/crosswords/crosswordese-quiz.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/28/crosswords/crosswordese-quiz.html</a>
@Matt I'll have "Stuff Matt doesn't know" for 200, Ken. (These things are not as obscure as you think, except maybe ETUI. But it's appeared 372 times, so you should learn it. SKAT has had 198 appearances, by the way, and HEP 179. RAGS has appeared 170 times, but not as clued. The singular has appeared a few times clued similarly, though.)
It was a fun theme, Jill and Michelle, so looking forward to more from you.
Thank you, Jill and Michelle, for a lovely and breezy puzzle. If it were a color, to me it would be BABY blue, refreshing and easy on the eyes. If it were a song, to me it would be one that's a shout-out to RIO de Janeiro. It's called "Aquele Abraço", which is an expression of sending out a great big hug. Gilberto Gil, one of the great Brazilian musicians, composed it as a HELLO to Rio, sending it "aquele abraço", when he was exiled to London in the 1960's for speaking out against the Brazilian military dictatorship. The song endures 'til this day as a timeless ODE to Rio. <a href="https://youtu.be/zFGMLQ3q15c?si=DmI88KAJpuy7aaCn" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/zFGMLQ3q15c?si=DmI88KAJpuy7aaCn</a>
Had mAGS for RAGS which does fit the clue, and mFK Stadium seemed as plausible as anything else to this non USian.. (I mean, of course I’ve heard of RFK, but who knows what y’all name your stadiums after.)
@Alexis “MAGS” would work, but not all that well. RAGS is more specific to the content of those mags. And just so you and others know, RFK stadium is named for RFK Jr’s dad, not the currently living one…
Supermarket tabloids is RAGS??? That is a very weak clue. “Mags” is so much more obvious, it makes the clue really invalid. Could have been “What comes before riches” or something more playful. I feel aggrieved because I did the rest of the grid no trouble but I had to check the answers to get this one, and I hate doing that - especially on a Monday!
@Petrol Right? RAGS came to me in the end, but that area of the puzzle was very unpleasant, probably mostly for us foreign solvers. I needed three lookups today... On Monday!
@Petrol RAGS came to me immediately on the first go round. mAGS never even occurred to me. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rag" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rag</a> I think it just goes to show what we're familiar with varies widely. I found it a great clue! I am sorry that it was frustrating for you though! I've definitely been there!!
@Francis Are you actively trying to make my day worse by reminding me of baby talk, one of my major triggers? ;p Speaking of which... As you may remember, Polish uses declension. When calling out to someone, we use the vocative case. For example, my name in the nominative is Andrzej, but in the vocative its Andrzeju! Why am I writing about his? Well, for some reason, most children are allowed to not use the vocative case. Yesterday I was a on a very pleasant bike ride when I heard a shrill yell of a girl calling out to her grandma: BABCIA! BABCIA! Ye gods! it's not babcia! It's babciu! I just don't get it. I was taught about the vocative case early, and I don't understand why most parents just don't bother. It's so easy! And the children already know cases, anyway, because it's impossible to speak Polish without that. To me, that yell of BABCIA! was equally annoying as dindin here a few weeks ago :P
@Petrol RAGS swam out of my memory after mAGS failed. I recalled the phrase "supermarket rags" being uttered disparagingly in Canada. It's not a phrase I hear in the UK. (Nor does anyone here get a "charley horse", which I thanked my time in Canada for teaching me.)
@Oikofuge Charley horse made me switch from solving across to down. I was beyond confused by that. Looked it up later. So... A cramp? That's what we simply call it in Polish (skurcz; Karolek and koń don't come into the picture)
@Petrol MAGS would probably have a "for short" marker on it. But RAGS is a well-known expression for the National Inquirer and other disreputable papers available near most supermarket checkout counters in the US. As Heathie said, RAGS was instant for me, and MAGS never occurred to me.
@Steve L In Polish we call all those the same - each is skurcz, a cramp. We may describe what kind of cramp we mean, exactly, e.g. menstrual cramp would be skurcz menstruacyjny. We don't have a special name for the night-time leg cramp. It's just, well, a cramp 🤷
@Petrol RAGS as clued is a pretty common term here. Our neighborhood newspaper is called the West Side Rag. (Although it's now online). <a href="https://www.westsiderag.com" target="_blank">https://www.westsiderag.com</a>/ The clue is valid,but I can sympathize with it being unfamiliar to you. I continue to be amazed by solvers for whom English is not a native tongue.
@Petrol I had problems with this puzzle. But I got rags quickly. That is a negative connotation of the Enquirer and other "mags."
Embarassingly slow, and I needed lookups! On a Monday! :(
@Sanjana TBH that's on the editors rather than on you. I almost never need lookups on Mondays, and today I had to take three.
Easy, breezy Monday puzzle (or is that "easy peasy"?) with a pleasant theme, for this solver. The inclusion of ETUI and SKAT and HEP (not to mention ETS and A LA and CHE) were reminiscent of the fill of puzzles gone by. A nostalgic walk in the park (with a PUPPY).
Thanks Jill Rafaloff and Michelle Sontarp. It's refreshing to have a straightforward puzzle in these times of heavy PPP, obscure crossing acronyms, puzzles turned every which way but loose. Also uni and bi-directional rebuses and missing letters. I was looking forward to a pangram. It's ok to use the letters Q, W, and X now, even in Türkiye. <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9s99f4x" target="_blank">https://tinyurl.com/y9s99f4x</a>
Last time I sang karaoke was in 1990. Also was the first time I sang karaoke. (Oops. Sang should be “sang.”) And yet, in my head, I feel I need to know what song to have locked-and-loaded, just in case. Am I the only one?
@CCNY I have a solution to this problem, which has worked more than once, and never failed. I sit out karaoke. The following day, I lie. "Hey, Oik, we didn't see you up singing last night." "Sure you did. 'House of the Rising Sun'." Then, on a rising note, "You mean you don't remember my 'House of the Rising Sun'?" "Oh, gad, sorry, yes." People have since spoken, spontaneously and admiringly, of my ability to nail 'House of the Rising Sun'. If only I would use my powers as a force for Good in the world.
Yes! Not just me! And Oiko, that’s my MO with hubby when I spend too much shopping, or want him to agree on something. “This dress? I’ve worn this a hundred times. Do you seriously not remember it?” Or “We talked about this. I said I liked the brown, you said it was too dark, I reminded you that you said the same about the last one and that you should just defer to me about decorating the house, and you said, ‘That sounds like something I’d say.’ “ Not proud, but also… kinda proud. I like your style.
@CCNY I love to sing, but I hate to solo, and I know I have a very limited vocal range, so I generally panic in karaoke situations. “House of the Rising Sun” is a good one! Also Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice”.
@CCNY I always do "Love Potion Number Nine"
My wife and I did a mean "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" 30 years ago.
My husband and I always duet on "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers. It gets the crowd going.
@CCNY Never done karaoke. Sounds kinda fun tho if sufficiently lubed. Do they have a monitor for the words? With my memory I'd have to just hum without a prompter of some sort.
@CCNY Back in the day my go-to was Sledgehammer. Although I once got a good reaction for "I Kissed A Girl" by Jill Sobule (RIP).
@CCNY Meredith Brooks' "*itch" works for me and always makes the crowd happy to sing along :-)
@CCNY I love karaoke but almost never get to do it. I can’t sing, but I love it anyway. First time I did “Love Shack.” The second time, a total stranger asked me to sing “I Got You Babe.” I’ve also done “Hit Me with Your Best Shot.” Karaoke is a place where I can play a role for three minutes and not care what people think of me.
Solid Monday puzzle, with some nice long vertical entries. Wasn't familiar with KITTENHEEL or JOEYFATONE, which perhaps explains why this one took me almost ten minutes. Does anyone still play SKAT? Used to be especially popular with German-Americans. Long ago. Don't think I've seen ETUI in quite some time. Almost forgot this crossword staple.
@Xword Junkie I still play skat with friends! It’s a great game, although I prefer sheepshead (schafskopf) and doppelkopf. : )
@BookishSort Thanks for the reply. I wonder if the emergence of auction pinochle caused the popularity of skat to decline? Both are excellent card games for three players.
Fun Tuesday puzzle. Mostly a fairly smooth workout for me; JOEYFATONE being the one completely unfamiliar answer and just had to work all the crosses for that one. That inspired one answer history search today. Looked for the string of letters FATONE. And... only one other answer that contained that was: dayoFATONEment. Appeared once in a pre-Shortz puzzle. And... this was the second puzzle for our constructors. Went back and looked at the first one from a couple of years ago. That was a truly amazing puzzle - I'll put that in a reply. ...
@Rich in Atlanta I agree it was a fun puzzle, but I hate to break it to you - today is only Monday! ;-)
@Rich in Atlanta As promised - their first puzzle was a Sunday from September 17, 2023 with the title "Classical music." I'm sure I must have done that one but of course have mostly forgotten it. Anyway... a wonderful puzzle: one that was all in the clues. Some examples: "Supplication to Ares (Plastic Ono Band)" GIVEPEACEACHANCE "Warning to Icarus (The Beatles)" HERECOMESTHESUN "Request to Prometheus (The Doors)" LIGHTMYFIRE "Comment to Aphrodite (Roy Orbison)" OHPRETTYWOMAN "Criticism of Narcissus (Carly Simon)" YOURESOVAIN "Entreaty to Hades (Electric Light Orchestra)" DONTBRINGMEDOWN "Congratulations to Eos (Cat Stevens)" MORNINGHASBROKEN Just a ton of fun. Here's the Xword Info link. <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/17/2023" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/17/2023</a> Looking forward to more from these two. ...
I certainly don't want to start another debate, but I spent yesterday with the family and didn't get a chance to check the replies to my post about "Ahnold". Just a quick thanks to Barry and Steve for a more accurate representation of what I was trying to say. I did mislabel Ahnold as a "nickname"; "variant" would have been a much better way to put it. I stand by my original assertion with that substitution, however. Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to those two; hope I'm not stirring up the pot again. Thanks to Jill and Michelle for a quick but very enjoyable Monday puzzle!
Gonna shamelessly brag that this was EASYPEASY for me. I always try to do Mondays on downs only and would have made it except that I had GITGO instead of GET so had to find out why FLIA wasn't a thing. TIL that KITTENHEELS have thin pointy heels. I had thought that cluing them as any kind of STILETTO was a mistake, but all the internet images proved me wrong. And here I thought I'd been wearing them most of my life when all I've been wearing were almost-flats. Do those have a name? (Have I mentioned that I loathe high heels?)
@RozzieGrandma Me too. I remember stumbling around in them as a teenager and coming home with terribly sore feet after a night out as a twenty-something. In my thirties I said, "No more!" and haven't worn them in decades.
SLOE, HEP, ODEON, and ETUI all had me second-guessing. A harder Monday for sure!
The fill today definitely felt more Tuesday level in my opinion. There were several proper nouns that had me completely stumped. Still a fun one overall
Somebody has to! link to Paul Anka <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyshr1hhv3E" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyshr1hhv3E</a>
30 Across: no longer FDA vaccine approving org.
@Michael Hendler It still is. For now, anyway. But I did just read that they're making stricter standards for approval of COVID vaccines for folks under 65.
Just stopping in to see if etui is going to get hate for being too hard.
@Paul Just wanted to make ETUI feel welcome. Was thinking that there could be an i spy or bingo type of game to play with these appearances in the puzzle.
@Paul I personally am awaiting the return of ANOA and ADIT.
I happily put in ETUI right away. I learned it a few years ago via the crossword blog "Et Tu, Etui?", and today was the first time I could put it to use!
Very musical puzzle. Inspired by 43 down <a href="https://youtu.be/-I7R8-g_G0Y?si=mXs9CpJxbaV5vp92" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/-I7R8-g_G0Y?si=mXs9CpJxbaV5vp92</a> And because there's never enough Jimmy Cliff, a bonus song. <a href="https://youtu.be/BpQrLUopf-k?si=IVBOFS1vWIHPtaJ6" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/BpQrLUopf-k?si=IVBOFS1vWIHPtaJ6</a> But then how can I leave out Chubby Checker? <a href="https://youtu.be/LiGhPD0GXhM?si=hZux-9tHEFTCsVxc" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/LiGhPD0GXhM?si=hZux-9tHEFTCsVxc</a> There was a puzzle?
Just to liven things up this Monday, only used the Down clues. It was SLOE going, but kinda fun.
This was an 11:59p Monday puzzle to be sure. Doozy.
Fun Fact about 5D: RFK Memorial Stadium (FKA DC Stadium) was owned by the federal government until 1986. JFK used that as leverage to force George P Marshall to integrate his NFL team, as the Washington team was the last holdout in the league. Wow, just imagine an all-white football team. They're tearing down the old stadium, and the replacement is due to be completed by 2030, when the Commanders will finally move back from Maryland.