Way too many names for a monday (or any day)
@Girl house The only name I didn't get from the crosses was AKERS, and that was because I had misspelled LOCKE. Other Names were all revealed by crosses that were not too difficult.
The rare “this was a little tough for a Monday, no?” Mostly enjoyable, but definitely a lot of proper nouns.
@Logan I was a fan of the theme but had to look up a proper noun or two - haven't done that on a Monday in ages.
Not a good Monday (or any day of the week). Awkward crossings, too many names, some esoteric answers, and an ugly looking grid. I was turned off from 1A (BOFFO? Really??) and it didn’t get much better from there. Honestly surprised it made it through.
@Morgan You know, I've never been good at finding beauty and ugliness in thinks like crossword grids. Can you point me in a direction which will demonstrate objectively how the grid is "ugly"?
@Morgan @Francis @Andrzej @HeathieJ On learning to see Beauty I used to teach a class on Aesthetics, and, when teaching about the so-called "Ratio" tried to get the students to see that some rectangles are more beautiful than others. (Huh?) A square is just boring, right? And a long, thin rectangle is interesting, but not beautiful. With me? So there must be a rectangle that feels "just right". We can call it the Goldilocks rectangle. And once you "see" it, you see it everywhere: from the dimensions of the Parthenon to the size of (most) windows. It's kind of amazing. Isn't it? I'll leave it to someone else to try to apply this to crossword grids. Of course, some people never see it, alas.
@Francis What's nice about rectangles is you just have one "variable". You can keep one side constant and vary the length of the other side. This makes for an easy demonstration. And then you have the Parthenon to help you out.
"I know I've seen these plates and bowls before. I just don't know ware." ("I can almost pitcher it.")
@Mike Must have been a happy-day jar view. That was served up on a platter.
@Mike Your jokes are always sterling. You definitely urn your upvotes
@Mike The food on them looks delicious. I don't think anyone will carafe you goblet down.
Ok, for all of those of you who only see the gloom and doom side of me--I have a story that is coming close to warming the cockles of my heart. Whatever those are. I looked out the window onto my back yard a couple of weeks ago, and I saw a deer. That's not really that unusual, but this deer was in the process of delivering a fawn. So I got to see the little guy's first attempts at walking, his first feeding. Since then, the mother and her fawn have come back to the yard several times. The mother munches on our hostas, and the little one runs back and forth in the yard, sometimes kicking up his back paws. In my more pensive moments, I like to think of this as a metaphor the universe is playing out to try to cheer me up. Renewed birth. Rising up from the ugliness. That kind of thing. I don't know if it'll work or not, but it does make me feel there's hope, somehow.
@Francis The neighbors from the building across from our own have a dog. They let it out to do its business on the communal lawn. Sometimes I will be standing on our terrace, looking at that dog pooping, the scat left there to dry in the sun. A metaphor, if there ever was one. I like yours better though.
@Francis There is hope if you believe there is hope. If you give in to despair, then those who want you to give up have won. Keep watching the deer.
@Francis That's lovely, Francis! 💙
@Francis I always enjoy your posts, and today’s did not disappoint. (Really, it was deer.) Often my favorite comments have little or nothing to do with the puzzle, but I will add that Daniel Raymon did good and I done did it.
@Francis Warmed my cockles, too! Thanks for the big smile it gave me, the first of the day (it's 3 a.m. here on PDT, but it's still my day).
@Francis That’s just plain lovely. We also have deer in our backyard woods. As I solved today, the babes born last month made my puppies go ballistic. It happens often. But *twice* in the past decade, we’ve looked out and seen a tiny head or two, sitting just above the Creeping Myrtle that covers the hill beyond our creek. Somehow the doe lets her new babes know to lie down and stay put while she looks for food. Eight hours! Those sweet little heads stay, frozen, trying to be invisible, waiting for their mamma to return. No point to this rambling. Just sitting with this feeling of focusing on the gentle creatures on the other side of the glass.
@Francis Love it! Especailly I loved cracking up at "paws" (instead of hooves)...reminding me of Marissa Tomei in "My Cousin Vinny" talking about the cruelty of hunting..... one of many scenes for which she won an Academy Award.
@Francis, Cockles are the wrinkles in the tissues of the heart. (NO CAP!). The expression is meant to convey a depth of emotion or feeling. This message has been brought to you today by the Department of Pedantry.
This one caught me off guard! Mondays are typically just a “how fast can I do it” day, but wasnt setting any PBs with this one, lol
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Stand next to a club? (3) 2. Put a pilot back into action (5) 3. To pieces? (4) 4. It's a straight shot (4)(5) 5. One taking the words right out of your mouth? (3)(6) TEE REAIR ODES NEAT VODKA LIP READER
10D and 22A was a stretch for a Monday to cross two proper names. I did not know either of these people.
Wasn't expecting so many proper names and naticks on a Monday
I started across, encountering Broadway, baseball, and assorted names and trivia in the first few lines of the puzzle. By the time I ended this pass, the grid looked like I was doing a late week puzzle - there were so many blank squares everywhere! The down pass helped, but I still wasn't finished. Several more passes were needed. The solve took Tuesday time, in the end, and I was able to deal with it without outside help only due to previous NYT puzzle experience: BOFFO I remembered today, somehow, even though it looks like gibberish to me, and it confused me greatly when I first encountered it here, earlier this year I think. This was my least favorite kind of puzzle: made hard for me not my witty clues but inclusion of proper names. PACO de Lucia was one of my few gimmes today. I really like his rendition of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Also, if you have VANITY PLATES, I will judge you by them.
@Andrzej Almost inevitably you'll know the the people I don't know in a puzzle.
@Andrzej I'm depressed at how many Americans didn't know John Locke, especially here so close to the Fourth of July. I bet that was a gimme for you.
@Andrzej Thank you for reminding me of Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, one of my all-time favorites, which I haven't listened to in decades. Off to listen now, instead of going to bed.
@Al in Pittsburgh Regarding John Locke and the 4th: Did you know that Locke's Second Treatise on Government thought that the foundation of "natural law" centered around the protection of "life, liberty, and...property"? Jefferson changed "property" to "pursuit of happiness", which sounds like an improvement on Locke's "materialism", but no one really knows what "pursuit of happiness" means, or how a government is supposed to guarantee it. I'll ignore the inconsistency of guaranteeing an inalienable right to liberty for all people while allowing the institution of slavery to continue. (That's not Locke's fault.)
@Andrzej -- Your first reply, starting "It's almost as if..." got me laughing out loud.
@Andrzej My husband had vanity plates for many years -- HITEK JD. He says the JD stands for Juris Doctor -- law degree. I claim it stands for Juvenile Delinquent. But, he was a patent attorney in Silicon Valley for 42 years, so saw lots of interesting stuff. He's retired, but spent the last 5 years writing a memoir of his practice -- called HITEK JD! He had lots of interesting experiences with the movers and shakers of this crazy place. The Kindle version is out on Amazon, and the print version comes out on Friday. Amazon self-publish is amazing! A "real" publisher wants $25K up front and gives you a few hundred copies. Amazon prints on demand, so no up-front costs. He doesn't expect it to be a big best-seller, but is a history buff and wanted to record his view of the last 50 years of tech innovation.
I knew LOCKE because of this: I went to a very mundane, low-level undergraduate school. I had no bread, and my local university was giving me an essentially free ride. But I got into a fairly prestigious grad school, but I had almost no experience with the kind of people who go to prestigious schools. I knew I was in a different world when I was in one of the bathrooms there, and there was an arrow pointing to the lock on the door, and the graffiti "John Locke". We're not in Colorado anymore.
@Francis One of the things I like about the Polish system of education is how egalitarian it is. Public schools and universities are generally free. They are also generally better than private ones. Thus, people from all walks of life meet there: rich and poor, from the country and urban centers, etc. I didn't appreciate this as much as I should have as a student, but now that I've been a uni teacher for 20 years, I really enjoy getting to know all those diverse young people, and learning from them about how different us humans may be. Reaching them all is one of the greatest, and most rewarding, challenges of my work.
@Andrzej It seems so obvious to me (as perhaps it does to all "true" teachers) that education is a public good and ought to be financed publicly for the good of the nation. It should also be voluntary [beyond an accepted minimum], so that everyone there knows that they are the beneficiaries of a privilege to have this wonderful gift, rather than being there because it is mandatory.
Lock(e) two days in a row! What sort of sorcery is this!? Reminds me of earlier today. Got to go in the sea today and ran into some folks my husband knew long ago. It was lovely. We talked a bit about how it's nice to be here this time of year because of all the fruit coming in. The man asked if I like mango. I told him it's my favorite. He asked me if I'd ever eaten it in the sea. The sea!? Why, no... who has ever heard of eating mango in the sea!? Then, as if some magical mango man, he conjured up a mango out of the ETHER, or perhaps his pocket, and handed it to me. It was like a miracle on ice, only not. My husband laughed and told me they always used to eat mangoes in the sea. So today, for the first time, I ate a mango in the sea. What a world! It was extra delicious and a wee bit salty! Okay, ILLSTOP! I enjoyed the puzzle!! No OBJECTions. I started with STILLONTHEfence but the kindly crosses quickly disabused me of the fence and led me to the table. The rest came smoothly! I guess there were a lot of names, but today they were in my wheelhouse. Even AARON, which surprised me. I put it in right away but was prepared to remove it. TAGSALE filled itself in but I hadn't heard of it before. I assume it's the same as what I'd call a rummage, yard, or garage sale. Anyhow, my mother-in-law is having a bad night hallucination wise, it's going to be a long one for us. Thankful for puzzles to keep me going in the spaces between episodes. So hard to see her like this.
@HeathieJ Your post is so very... Human. The light sea mango story, your experience with the puzzle, the heartbreak of seeing a loved one deteriorate... The big things and the little things, the sad things and the happy things all make us who we are. Thank you for sharing, and please know I truly feel for you and your family.
@HeathieJ Yeah, Andrzej is dead right and expressed it so well. The ups and downs of even a single day. Whiplash. I hope your mother-in-law state gets to a calmer place. Wishing you the best.
@HeathieJ Mangos in the sea? or perhaps "under the sea"? Is that a thing? "Irregardless", any day that includes time in the sea, with or without a mango, is a good day. Enjoy!
@HeathieJ I too was at the sea on Sunday, and had mango! My mango was pre-sliced in a cup with a fork, with a good dose of lime juice, chile... and salt. Like they do. So I was anticipating that salty-sweet aspect as I read your post! Mmm, delicious! Plus, I love everything about this thread, from your usual knack for working the puzzle into your post, to all the responses. What a happy start to your birthday week!! 🌅
@HeathieJ I always enjoy your posts, but this one made my heart ache for you too. I just want to join the others in saying I’m sorry for what you’re going through with your mother-in-law. I’ve been in that situation with my own mother and it was so hard.
Lots of proper nouns and awkward answers made this a puzzle full of naticks. Generally unpleasant experience and a poor start to the week.
Good. Though seemed like a bit too many proper names for a Monday.
Was this crossword designed to get as many proper nouns as possible? Very unenjoyable Monday
Very difficult Monday puzzle! Still working on the puzzle and I’m already double my average time
Enjoyable puzzle. Felt like there were a few more naticks for a Monday than I expect. I knew OTIS Redding but not PETULA Clark. nor Paco and I prefer college basketball to pro So I had to stretch for Malone. As an English teacher I appreciate the word play around Still on the Table
Megan, There were some people you did not know, but were there really any Naticks? You stretched for MALONE. Did you fill PETULA and PACO from the crosses? If so, you had no (personal) Naticks. N.B. I filled PACO from the crosses.
Megan, You're an English teacher; I hope you appreciate usage. A (personal) natick is not an answer you don't know; it is when two answers you don't know cross, and even filling most of the letters from crosses you can't get the cross of the two words. You didn't know PETULA or PACO; did you know the answers that crossed them? If so, you had no naticks (and learned two new answers). (Since you are an English teacher. I hope you did know all the answers that crossed them.)
This is a Wednesday in disguise. Over 7 minute solve, and I count at least two Naticks. I was able to correct them, but it was only by guessing. I had LOChE misspelled crossing with AhERS. I knew Locke could only be spelled LOCHE or LOCKE, but Michelle Ahers and Akers were equally plausible. The other is VAIA/ASSA. I had VAIo/oSSA. Knew it had to be vowel, and O was my second guess. But those aside, I was already at 7 minutes before I started looking for mistakes
Steven M., I think the editors expect solvers to have heard of John LOCKE. Michelle AKERS is optional. I'm a bit surprised you didn't recall VAIO or OSSA from earlier appearances here (if you knew neither IRL). There did seem to be more proper names than usual.
I had two different crosses that I didn’t know and had to run the alphabet until they looked right to me. VAI_/_SSA as well as LOC_E/A_ERS. I tried out each vowel the 27D/41A intersection and ran the alphabet to get LOCKE/AKERS and the gold star 😅😮💨 I am only one more day away from achieving a 4 year streak of completing these puzzles without assistance. Thank you to Daniel for a clever theme and slightly harder than usual for me Monday!
@Jacqui J That’s an amazing streak. Congrats!
@Jacqui J Wow, 4 year streak, that's crazy. I just crossed 100 days last week, feeling pretty good about that. I was stuck at 71 days for like 6 months.
I think this puzzle may be easier for older solvers, but for those of us born after 2000, it was definitely tricky. I would say the number of proper nouns push it past Monday difficulty, and, overall found it frustrating.
@A wish they'd ban proper nouns. They're the worst part of crosswords.
@Will I love proper nouns. They give flavor.
@A I was born before 2000 and I struggled with it. I think it skews even older than that. But I also think the commenters here tend to be older than those on Reddit which is why more people liked it here then there. I didn't like this Monday personally at all. Way too much PPP. Even if I can get some from cross es, on a Monday I shouldn't be relying on crosses for 20 of the clues.
23 proper nouns... when you are working the downs beginning at 10D, of the next 15 clues, 9 of them are proper nouns. then, crossing LOCKE / FRESE / AKERS. one of the laziest nytxws i've seen published.
@Charles Why do you think it's okay to make an insulting comment because you didn't know the answers to some of the clues? They may have seemed hard for a Monday, but wasn't that your problem? (And presumably you meant FRERE Jacques.)
welp he can go back on hiatus. it didn’t feel like a monday puzzle at all. very obscure. not fun.
Another frustrating Monday with, in my opinion, far too many specific people names needed to be known. Least fun aspect of NYT crosswords is when they introduce too many. I dont mind a couple since you can easily context clue them but this one had 6 or 7 very specific names in pretty key spots. Doesn't quite feel as fair
I’m very surprised by all the complaints about names. Yes, there were quite a few (9, by my count) for a Monday, but most were far from obscure. And all were easily filled with the crosses. Only two names crossed: AKERS and LOCKE. I am not familiar with AKERS, but I think anyone who doesn’t know LOCKE should blame their high school history teacher, not the puzzle. I also think there’s no excuse not to know AARON Copeland or OTIS Redding. And even this sportsball-ignorant solver who’s never watched an entire game of basketball knew Karl MALONE. Names, yes. But they were Monday-level names. With Monday-level crosses.
@Heidi Names are tied to things other than people. OSSA/VAIO was easy for me, but brutal for other folks on a Monday. I count fifteen or more proper nouns in this grid.
Strands Monday theme is super tacky given recent events. Do better.
@Lisa Yeah I sent a "feedback" about it, just brainless. I didn't understand the title after solving it, so I looked it up, and my goodness the lyrics to that song do not help.
@Lisa - Strands switched to a different puzzle sometime during the morning. I only learned because I compare results with my son who lives in California. By the time he got to it, 3 hours behind me, he solved a completely different puzzle. Check it out. Too bad they didn’t catch the tasteless timing sooner!
@suejean. Yeah more like a Wednesday for me, but I could see it as a tricky Tuesday. Way too many naticks for a Monday- even the columnist had trouble which should have been a clue this was put on the wrong day.
In Junior High, everyone's favorite teacher, our English teacher, rewrote the lyrics of Downtown, instead singing about Noun Town. She would even occasionally put Downtown on the jukebox at lunch and walk through the cafeteria loudly singing her version. Love it!! I think about this a weird amount of time for so many years later, and certainly anytime I hear the real song. Loved her commitment to the gig and to her students. She was an unforgettable hoot!
HeathieJ, Grinnell College, 1965 April 21: Classics Professor John Crossett delivers what he calls a “non-lecture” offering a close reading of Petula Clark’s hit single “Downtown” in North Lounge. N.B. North Lounge was the dance space in the student union. He used the juke box as a lectern.
@HeathieJ - My experience with that song was just as indelible, if a bit more mundane. It was on the radio constantly the first year I was out of college. I had moved to Pittsburgh with my new husband, after acquiring an MRS along with my BA. Our apartment was about 1/2 drive away from the Pittsburgh downtown where we both had new jobs, along a route that gave us sights of the city buildings as we drove together. In my memory, Petulia Clark was belting that song on the car radio nearly every morning.
The mention of Copland is so American and nostalgic! His Fanfare for the Common Man is played by everyone and was even covered by ELP back around ‘75, or so. Thanks to Daniel Raymon for the memory. ELP also did Tocatto, and unrelated, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, but I digress There's just something about the word Ether that fascinates me. Not in the chemical sense, more in the literary and metaphysical sense. The theory of a substance that “permeates all space, including the interstices between the particles of ordinary matter.” Or the “refined element supposed to be breathed in heaven or by the gods.” It just seems to transcend the human imagination. I can't explain why, I just like it. I love that Locke and ether are side by side, by the way. I had done a study in college on John Locke’s modern idea of tabula rasa. Makes for very interesting and some often-heated discussion, as it's believed to be pure conjecture. It's best to read up on it, since much of it is based on opinion. I could do the theory no justice in this forum. Trivia: the “Locke” character on “Lost” was named after him. Mr. Eco was named after Umberto Eco. IOBJECT to AM being stereo. From the early days of amplitude modulated radio characteristics, stereo is just not possible. Frequency modulation has the design and characteristics to broadcast in true stereo. Both travel through my favorite “ether,” with FM being to a lesser distance and strength. But, I suppose I'll get over it.
@Jerry I get and share your fascination with ether. The word is used so often, yet almost nobody ever stops to think what it means, what's behind it. Those of us who do experience a moment of wonder. I used to do research into telecoms law. I learned about radio fequencies, and how their use is regulated. Factual knowledge stripped away some of the magic of the concept of ether. Your post made me realize this, with some sadness.
@Jerry Agree re. AMSTEREO! I filled in fMSTEREO and thought, "that's an odd clue, spoken word stations are notoriously on AM". Though according to Wikipedia, there were some fascinating techniques for achieving AM stereo, including broadcasting the left and right channels on two different frequencies, with radios needing two separate receivers to tune in to each. Until, I'm guessing, some executive/engineer told them to stop being silly and just use FM instead. But I'd wager the constructor wasn't thinking of that... Still, great puzzle otherwise!
@Jerry agreed. As Tim said- while technically possible to broadcast AM in stereo since 1993, very few stations ever bothered to so not many manufacturers bothered.
@Jerry I suspect that your love of ETHER has to do with its connection to ETHEReal, a lovely word with powerful resonance for something so "airy". But perhaps it's also fascinating as the material stuff of the heavens, beyond the air of our atmosphere. Posited by the ancient Greeks, and still believed in up through the 19th century, as the stuff which carried light waves. (How can you have waves without a material that transmits them?) It's only with the Michelson-Morley experiment of 1887 that the existence of ETHER was "disproved", and the heavens became a place of vacuous nothingness. Yes, I prefer (a)ETHER, too.
I object to calling an a.m. radio a stereo… a.m. is generally broadcast in mono.
cmb13, Yes, AM is generally mono, but... <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_stereo" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_stereo</a>
@cmb13 Agreed. That answer seemed way too forced. I listen to a lot of FM and AM radio, and own a relatively high end radio receiver -- and I had never heard of AM stereo.
So, I tried imagining a still life painting that included objects from the puzzle, and mine had a MASK in a bowl, a small SLAT on a plate, and SOBA in a pitcher. While solving, I tried guessing the revealer after uncovering the theme answers, and I actually thought it could have something to do with a still life painting. I got no farther than that, but felt mighty good anyway, I, who usually do so badly at this game. By triggering my imagination and riddle-cracking muscles, this puzzle got my thumbs enthusiastically pointing up. The puzzle has pop, with three NYT answer debuts and five once-befores – answers including I’LL STOP, STILL ON THE TABLE, EAT LOCAL, I OBJECT, STARTING PITCHER, and VANITY PLATE. I liked EVIAN crossing WATER. I loved the theme because of its subtlety. Daniel, you are just a Saturday away from hitting the cycle. Go for it! And thank you for a splendid outing today.
@Lewis I think I'd make the puzzle still life with a BASS fish on the plate. And ICE WATER in the pitcher. That'd be a drawing or painting challenge, ice cubes in water in a clear glass pitcher.
The most Friday-ish Monday ever. Not a fan. Puzzles that are heavily dependent on proper nouns (particularly obscure proper nouns), for me, end up feeling quite cheap. Glad that the older crowd enjoyed it, though.
Lovely Monday puzzle with a bit of crunch. I didn’t know the Flamenco guitarist, the soccer star, the computer brand, or the basketball player—but got them all with help from crosses. I’m sure you won’t let the complaints in the comments bother you too much. So many of us enjoyed it and appreciated a Monday puzzle that didn’t just whizz by.
This was a lovely puzzle. I enjoyed it greatly. Thanks!
Harder than most Mondays for me but I liked some of the entries I found trickier (PETULA and BOFFO and AKERS come to mind). Thanks for a fun start to the week!
The Tuesday-est (perhaps Wednesday-est, all things considered) Monday puzzle ever. Did not enjoy.
@Kristopher -- according to the metrics at the XwordInfo site, including word and black square count, and answer freshness -- today's puzzle is equivalent to a Wednesday puzzle.
Quite crunchy for a Monday. Glad to see I’m in good company and it’s not just me. No complaints though. Love the theme, plus we got the TATE in there. Not the Modern though; I’m not a fan. Too Brutalist and ultra modern for my pedestrian taste. Give me the National any day. Needed the crosses for all names except LOCKE and the sublime OTIS. Had my usual blank space for the sporting names/positions. Ditto tv channels, actor and quiz show. Didn’t slow me up too badly though. My heartfelt sympathies to all suffering with the situation in Texas. Puts my grumbling about a lack of rain here into perspective.
@Helen Wright Thank you for recognizing that. The central to west Texas region is notoriously arid and dry river beds are scattered throughout the landscape. Even with the sophisticated warning systems, a flash flood of the Guadalupe happens so quickly, it's difficult to avoid the disastrous effects. The dried-up streams that branch off of it will fill up and take everything out in its path. Then, just as quickly as it destroys, it stops, and the streams dry up again. What happened to our French Broad River in Tn and NC is not as common as the flooding in Tx. That disaster was devastating, as well, just very low casualties. Good on you!
Live! From the table, it’s still Saturday-level complaints! Starring all your favourite Not Ready For Prime-Time-Monday Players (each one with a proper noun for a name). I liked this puzzle. Fresh is better than a rerun.
@JohnWMthis was way harder for a Monday. Many clues were vicious or just out there. Don’t like foreign languages in a puzzle.
Ah, Petula Clark. The unattainable ideal for a 13-year-old me. I still watch this from time to time, daydreaming... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWTun8B1lHg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWTun8B1lHg</a>
@Francis, You have great taste! Petula Clark was awesome.
Surely I’m not the only reader who thinks the NYT should have held its Monday Strands until a day when the top story isn’t about 20-some children dying at a summer camp. That was poorly done.
@Shawn Marie Oooh, that is too close to the bone. I'm guessing because it happened over the weekend and Monday's puzzles were set up last week. I've been following the news. And our local congressman had granddaughters at that camp.
@Shawn Marie Strands has been re-released, at least on the app. I solved the original a little over an hour ago. My mom just sent my her Strands score and it was a different puzzle. Of course, it’s 10:45 am on the east coast so pretty late to change it, but I’m still relieved.
@Shawn Marie You're not. Someone mentioned it last night after it dropped. As Chelsea mentioned, there is a new puzzle on the app now. I completed the summer camp one a couple hours ago and just looked at it again and it's gone.
I don't get the complaints for this one, it felt super Monday to me. Finished under 4 minutes, below Mon average for me, maybe it just happened to hit specialty knowledge I'm lucky to have? I did find it weird to include Ask Me Another, a mid-tier radio show/podcast that's been off the air for four years, but I listened to the whole run of it so it wasn't a problem for me in this puzzle.
Daniel should have stayed away, this was dreadful for a Monday
@Chris That's a mite harsh. What made the puzzle dreadful for you?
@Chris For future use: it's very possible to dislike a puzzle without making it personal about the constructor.
A surprisingly tough Monday. normally I finish in about 5 minutes, this one took me 13. Feels more like a Tuesday.
Years ago, I was drinking a bottle of EVIAN when it occurred to me that it was 'naive' spelled backwards. Haven't bought one since then. ILLSTOP now.
@RI guy I’ve recovered from the same afflicti… er… affectation. I had picked it up as a teen reading Colette.
@RI guy P.S. Actually I just stopped by to say hi.
@Sam and G Sorry to say that last night the news reported that the Seine was closed to swimming due to high bacteria levels.
Finished after looking up a good lot of obscure people and US sport stuff, a bit of a slog to be honest. Only 3 themed entries, and only using the second word of each - I often check the Wordplay column and notice that I missed something amazingly clever in the theme, but this time no. Contrary to the constructor's notes the theme wasn't clever (although I agree it wasn't complex either) and the fill wasn't straightforward. My advice to the editors would have been: get rid of the theme, swap a load of the names for less frustrating fill, and turn it into a Friday puzzle.
I know it wasn't so for others, but very Monday for me. My first clue was putting in the word PITCHER. The first part of that answer came a little later. Next clue was when I filled in COLLEGEBOWL, which, as kids, my brother, sister, and I watched religiously. I know my brother could have beaten every one of those panelists, every time. Then I got the revealer, and the theme fell into place. I had no problems except for not knowing the name of the computer, but finally got that. Quick, Monday, and fun. I enjoyed this start to my week. Go ahead and grumble, those of you who must. You love to blame the creator and the editors for your own lack of knowledge and refusal to look things up. But you know that you can't hit 100% with every puzzle; there's always the gallery of disgruntled next to the gruntles. (No, it's not a word; don't bother looking it up. I already did.)
@Marlene, Count me in with the gruntled! (Love that “word”!)
I have to ask: The picture with today's column -- I did not know you could have cows living so close to a marshmallow farm. It seems the sanitary issues would be complicated.
@CaptainQuahog Makes it easier to fix your COCOA.
CaptainQuahog, Raising beef, or running a dairy, that close to a giant marshmallow facility probably does break some food safety regulations. But who ya gonna call?
@CaptainQuahog That's where Peeps are made.
Am stereo is not a "band". Am radio possibly works but this is just a bad clue.
Will, A question mark on a clue that is clearly not a question is an alert that a word or phrase in the clue is going to be stretched beyond its normal meaning, usually in support of a humorous(?) misdirection.
@Will I had the same thought. Is there even such a thing as AM stereo? FM, yes, but AM?
Not sure why so many disliked the puzzle. I found it a usual Monday. I mean, c’mon, it even had “eely”!