For those of you who are unaware (and I am guessing that includes many of you), today's puzzle is by the editor of the LA Times crossword.
@Steve L I knew I had seen the Patti Varol name somewhere. I do the LAX Sunday puzzle because the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel publishes it in the Sunday funnies.
@Steve L More trivia to accompany a trivia-heavy puzzle. Appropriate.
Subtle is certainly the word for the theme, really really subtle.
@Esmerelda I would say really, really, really subtle. (Mind sharing what it is?)
@Esmerelda A decent enough theme, but I doubt it helped a lot of solvers. This was basically a themeless puzzle for most, I imagine. Two of theme answers were names that a lot of people will know, but a lot of people won't know (AARON JUDGE and AUDRE LORDE). And AORTIC VALVE is pretty obscure for Monday.
Tough for a Monday. Too many US specific clues for a Brit today. No matter I’ll be back for more tomorrow
@Ian Hookham For obscure Brit clues, I txt my wife's friend in London. Does your wife have a friend in the USA?
@Ian Hookham Well, dear sir, this IS a U.S. puzzle created in the U.S. and published in a U.S. paper. Whatever did you expect?
@Ian Hookham, I was trying to solve one in the London Times the other day. They had CHAP as the answer for a clue of “Friend”. Chap?? Whoever says “chap” anyway? And then they had COLOR and FLAVOR spelt with a U!! I mean spelled. Oh, man, now I’m doing it!
@Ian Hookham Non US-specific clues: 8D, 13D, 31D, 42D, 64D, 35A, 50A, 58A That's not bad at all.
ARIL? ANGI? I’m not a fan, too obscure, especially on a Monday. (Not to mention AARONJUDGE (who he?) lying across ROGER ( who he?))
@Petrol AARONJUDGE and ROGER Maris are both legendary New York Yankees. New York, New York!
@Petrolin I'm quite I don't know the two highest single season goal leaders for PSG, but complaining about the New York Times including the two highest single season Home Run leaders for the New York Yankees is not, well, it's not a valid complaint
@Petrol Permit me to introduce you to my childhood hero, the late, great Roger Maris. Roger Maris was a quiet, shy kid from North Dakota and northern Minnesota. He was an astonishing ball player--power hitter, and less known for his rocket arm from right field. He only played for the Yankees a few years, once of which he topped Babe Ruth's season home run total of 60, although Maris played 162 games in that season, but Ruth only 154. He failed to hit 61 home runs in his first 154 games. He was widely hated in New York, because he was not press savvy like Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and others of the Yankees from that era. The press thought he was surly, and to an extent he was. But it was mostly misunderstanding. His story is brilliantly told in the HBO movie 61*. He died very young, 51, from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Thankfully, Yankee fans accepted him as time went on. And yet, he's *not*, I repeat NOT, in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He had a single season home run record that stood for 37 years. Before the steroid era. This is, in my opinion, the second most embarrassing omission in Major League baseball, right after ignoring the Negro leagues for decades, even though the Negro Leagues were every bit as good as the Major Leagues. I saw him once at an old-timers exhibition game at an All-Star Game in the early 80s. He must have been diagnosed about that time. Sorry, I get a little nostalgic, a little verbose when it comes to my guy, Roger Maris.
@Petrol ARIL is a word that I only know from crosswords. Doesn't show up as often as it used to, but will undoubtedly come up again.
@Francis. Your admiration is touching. Thanks for writing this
@Petrol ARIL was the Oreo in days of yore.
@Petrol Home run record holders. Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's homer record.
@Petrol Sorry, I just went back and double-checked where you are from. France doesn't have too much major league baseball. We wouldn't know too many soccer (football) players here.
"I love aerial photos!" "Yeah, you drone on about them." ("Don't you want to hear more?" "You can film me in later.")
@Mike I get used to get a buzz out o the big picture too. Now not so much.
@Mike you okay, hun? You seem to be looking down today
@Mike Puns, puns, puns. Snap out of it, won't you?
@Mike You too? I wonder if the emus are old enough to remember Francis Gary Powers... Or if they've seen Bridge of Spies.
Maybe it’s just the weekend catching up to me, but this felt a little trickier than a typical Monday. Fun puzzle but not quite the usual quick easy solve
@Mike I had one cheat (which I never need on a Monday puzzle). I'd never heard of 'angi' and couldn't think of what followed 'prayer', "prayer vi_il". Prayer vigil! I remember those, now....
@Mike Several have said this was harder. It was easier for me. I sailed through in 2/3 usual Monday time. Maybe it's because I knew ANGI and ROGER Maris? I think it's because I've told my kids, AINT GONNA HAPPEN too many times.
How I was able to complete this, and in good time, and without lookups, too, I will never understand - for me there were more unknown names and items of trivia than in many a late-week puzzle. Of course I never noticed there was a theme, either. I've learned of AEIOU from these puzzles - I still remember how stumped I was when I encountered that mysterious sequence of letters in a past puzzle. Still, to notice the thing was an undercurrent in today's puzzle was beyond me. Essentially, this solved like a themeless, trivia-heavy grid - not my favorite kind. The solve may have been quick but it provided no enjoyment for me. Bummer. The only semi-interesting thing about Poland the grid inspired me to say has to do with ROTC. We have nothing of the sort over here, possibly for historical reasons. "Studium wojskowe" ("Military course") was an obligatory month spent by male students on army training under "communism." (Men who did not go to university spent a year or two in the army). Most people in the studium wojskowe, like my dad, ended up with the infantry, and some with artillery, like my father in law. Of course they learned very little. My dad mostly remembers the rock-hard, salted herring they were served at the cantina. The concept of studium wojskowe, like almost everything else tied to the old, pre-1989 regime, was phased out under democracy, and it's unlikely to ever return by association to "communism."
@Andrzej May I ask why you put "communism" in double quotes?
@Andrzej I found myself in a similar position to you. A lot of proper nouns and the odd Spanish word I did not know. But the likes of Aaron Judge and Audre Lorde became obvious from the crossers and my having seen the names in previous NYT crosswords and some of the other words such as ANGI and ROTC were solved entirely by crossers.
@Andrzej I agree, I never got the theme until I read the column. But the trivia was on my wavelength, so I found the puzzle fairly easy. Most European countries have manadatory military service for men just out of high school, or near that age, so there is no need for Reserve Office Training Corp -- ROTC. In the US, people who want to have a military career, and have their college paid for by the military, can join ROTC. They do some summer training camps, and graduate with a college degree and an officer rank in the military. It's one of the ways the US keeps its all-volunteer army functioning.
@Andrzej It's possible because Poland is war averse (for obvious reasons), as opposed to USA who is pro war to serve the capitalist machine.
That was one of the least enjoyable crosswords I've seen for a long time: ANGI? ANAG? LANAI? RAID? And that was just the SE corner. Is TACH really a thing? And UPC? And AARON JUDGE crossed with ROGER. I mean, c'mon. If I hadn't seen ANGI in the column, I wouldn't have made it
@Søren Thustrup TACH is short for tachometer, and is a common usage here in the USA. ANGI was originally called Angie's List.
@Søren Thustrup Agreed - after last week's stellar puzzles this really felt like a step down!
@Søren Thustrup No offense to foreign solvers but I never understood why they complain about Americanism's in a crossword produced by an American entity for an American audience. As an American, everyone one of your complaints was a gimme for me.
@Søren Thustrup ANAG is an abbreviation that we do not commonly see in everyday use; one commenter pointed out that it's frequently used in (British-style) cryptic puzzles, but I've never seen it (although I admit to having done very few of those). This might be the only answer that's a little dubious from a US point of view. You might get a pass on ANGI, as that is a US-based app for finding tradespeople for your household repairs, and UPC (Universal Product Code), the bar codes found on practically everything, might be an unfamiliar abbreviation in Copenhagen (although I'll bet you have them). AARON JUDGE and ROGER Maris are famous baseball players, the former current, the latter from the 60s, so as a non-US citizen, those may be hard for you. I still don't understand how baseball has caught on in Latin America and the Far East, but Europe remains averse to the sport. RAID is a major bug spray brand here. LANAI is a Hawaiian word, but sometimes used on the mainland. And TACH is definitely a thing. Hope this helps!
@Søren Thustrup I'm sorry you don't like ALPACA FARMs? Honestly, I don't get the hate. There was a huge amount of great fill, and five fun theme entries. Have an OREO, maybe it will cheer you up.
@Søren Thustrup yes, a UPC is definitely a thing in the US and Canada. In Europe the equivalent is an EAN or IAN.
@NYC Traveler A tach is one of the most important things for a driver. Knowing where I am in the power band for a specific gear, when I need to shift,etc. I'd argue it's the most important gauge besides speedometer. Oil temp is also important. American drivers gotten very lazy. Knowing what those dials mean on your dash is a big deal, and arguably, you shouldn't be allowed to drive if you don't know what they mean.
Just made my longest streak of a lowly 29.
@Andy G You’ve got me beat. I can’t get over four.
@Andy G Think of it this way. Remember the feeling you had the first time you solved any NYT puzzle? Great, wasn't it? Now you can do that 29 times in a row.
@Andy G My streak is long because I always finish the puzzle. I have no qualms about looking up answers, especially proper names. And when I'm totally stuck -- almost every Fri & Sat -- I read the column. When that still doesn't do it I click on that link at the bottom of the column that says 'subscribers can see the finished puzzle.' Or something like that. I'd rather search and learn than have the Check Puzzle fill in the answers. I remember them better for next time that way.
Roger Maris was very kind to me when at age 12 I rushed across the street for an autograph. He ruffled my hair and it stayed unwashed for two weeks. My parents had to drag me to the sink. He did a tour at the Big Bear Grocery store. One of best days of my life.
@Laura, I love this!! ❤️
@Laura That sounds like a dream come true. It's really a shame that so few got to know who the (apparently) true Roger Maris was.
@Laura this is so wholesome. Thanks for sharing!!
Welcome to the NYT Crosswords forum. On Mondays we debate whether or not the puzzle was too hard (i.e. should have been a Friday). The rest of the week we debate whether or not the puzzle was too easy (i.e. should have been a Monday).
@Francis P. S. Although in fairness a lot of the "too hard" people today have the very valid complaint that American baseball was a key element in this one. I think they have a point.
Francis, And heaven help the lazy person who debates the wrong thing on the wrong day, because I plan my week around these debates, so clear your comments with my editor first, please.
I found this a little bit more difficult than the typical Monday, but that’s ok. I like that. ANAG is new to me, but fortunately I didn’t have to deal with it. It filled in through the crosses. As for ANGI… that’s the evil stepchild of Angie’s List. Or, the sold-to-the-highest-bidder website that emerged from the ashes of the neighbor-reviewed, non-ad influenced local services directory that failed to make a profit. I may be a little bitter because I once had this great idea for a website where people could find great contractors (or avoid bad ones) by reading about other people’s experiences… only to find out someone else had just started one, and her name was Angie. I’m also sad because I relied on that site, a lot, and it’s gone. The new version is just paid promotions. And now I’m back to finding people through Facebook. Anyone know a good handyman who does fascia and siding repairs? I’m in the market.
@Heidi Same with the NextDoor app. It started out as a site where neighbors could recommend service people, restaurants, etc. Now it's going the way of Angie's List, er, Angi. Sad.
@Heidi ANGI also supported Trump! That says it all.
@Heidi I completely agree. Angie’s List was a great way to browse for and contact contractors. ANGI is a great way to waste hours and give yourself apoplexy.
@Heidi Try Yelp. Also lots of ads, but also lots of reviews by real people.
To top off Sunday's love letter to Star Trek TOS, tonight we watched season three, episode 4 of Strange New Worlds and it's another beautiful love letter!! Especially loved Uhura's, as her holideck character, speech of the importance and wonder of sci-fi and the trailblazing nature of TOS. Be still my nerdy little heart!! 🖖
@HeathieJ HolOdeck, by analogy to holOGram -- i.e., 3-D animated reproduction. Not a Trekkie here, by even the most generous of yardsticks, but fond of SF in general.
Shout out to Roosevelt Island in the xword! I lived there for a few years a very long time ago. It was delightful. I had a panoramic water view and it felt secluded and quiet, even though I technically lived in Manhattan and had a 212 area code. When I was looking for apartments at age 21 it was much more affordable than Manhattan proper (although a bit harder to have a social life). My neighbors included a lot of UN personnel wearing interesting clothes from their native lands. For non new Yorkers, Roosevelt Island is located in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. It's accessible via the subway but also via a cool aerial TRAM that goes over the river at 59th Street. Oh and there's a bridge from Queens but no automobile traffic on the island. When I lived there the southern tip was off limits (of course we explored it) and contained the ruins of a 19th century asylum of some kind. I believe it's now a park and residences. I'd be interested to hear what it's like today.
@Lpr I've been fascinated by Roosevelt Island since I saw the movie "Dark Water" with Jennifer Connelly. I'd been to New York City a few times by then, but was still surprised by the island's existence. It'll definitely be on my to-do list if I ever get back to New York.
Can’t say I struggled too much with this one (6:13 to solve) but it did feel both crunchier and sweatier than your typical Monday. The vowel run helps explain the combo, though add me to the list of solvers who didn’t notice it until I read this column afterwards.
And here I was thinking it was a fun, easy Monday solve. Apparently I am in the minority, judging by the comments. I think I'll go play some Strauss and dance.
This felt a tad mean for a Monday. Way too many obscure/unknowns for some of us beyond your shores. Not the constructors fault, I don’t think they get a say on which day their work will run. I don’t like complaining, so instead I’ll go with Yay, for 30D. My girls say thank you. I’m trying to clean their fleeces to salvage enough to spin. It’s not looking good (long hot summer does not a good fleece make).
@Helen Wright their inclusion felt like a tribute to you! I also remembered that in the US, Ohio (my home state) has the largest number of alpaca farms, something I learned from a crossword a few months back. Those alpaca, they are everywhere!!
@Helen Wright we lurk in the comments often, to see how others like the puzzles. We don’t comment much. But when we did the puzzle today and saw 30D we thought of your alpacas!
Sorry, but this was a big thumbs down for me, for a Monday puzzle. I can manage one or two sports references, but this is far too much baseball. And two of them cross? C'mon. I've never, ever heard of Aaron Judge or Roger Maris (Maris Roger?) so the G was a guess. Also, I'm happy to learn new words like LANAI, but when it crosses with another super obscure reference like ANGI (I'm American but haven't resided in the US for many years), I ended up doing something I've never done on a Monday: I went through the alphabet and tried every letter in that square until the puzzle was solved. Took the fun right out, I'm afraid. I call foul.
@Jonathon Roger Maris. If you'd like to read a tribute to him, it's lower in this forum at this link: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/49aoun?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/49aoun?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share</a>
@Jonathon I consider LANAI almost crosswordese. It shows up pretty regularly. It's all those vowels...
The theme went over my head, like a drone taking an aerial photo of a herd of puzzle-solvers in the outback scratching their heads in puzzlement while the hungry emus stalk ever closer to them. How many of you discovered the theme while you were doing this one? I want to hear some bragging! Quiz: you all know that these two words have their vowels in order: abstemious and facetious (and can even include "y" if you wish, in their adverbial form). What are the one or two other words that contain the vowels in order? No cheating! If you know you know. Quiz #2: What (few) words have their vowels in backwards order (beginning with "u" that is)? I liked this one's push-back. Like a Monday cookie with some Wednesday walnuts. A Monday puzzle for grownups. Answers: Anemious – relating to or affected by wind, rarely used. Arsenious – relating to arsenic. I'd also accept Adventitious. There's a few others but no one ever uses them. Second quiz: Fooled yah: there's only one word: unnoticeable
@john ezra I discovered it after solving the puzzle but before coming here. I get limited bragging.
@john ezra I noticed the theme while filling -- I think it was the AO- where I paused and glanced up at the AA- and AE- and AI- entries. I may not have noticed it with more common letter combinations, but ae- and ao- are both relatively uncommon in English.
@john ezra I only noticed the theme after reading the article. Subtle indeed.
@john ezra I’m going with vacuum and continuum….which may not be the answer to this question…but they are the answer to some question.
A baseball slugger intersecting with another baseball slugger? Really?
@Ben Both from the New York Yankees, but different eras. This is a New York-based puzzle, so I would expect something like this from time to time.
@Ben Both with homerun records! Nice.
@Ben Ha ha, made for some guesswork! Especially since derekjeter has the same number of letters as AARONJUDGE. I had to use crosses and educated guesses for the answers.
@Ben Hardly a natick since the missing letter is obvious if you’ve got all the rest
@Ben A little Judgey, perhaps?
Had my 53A replaced 4 years ago so every puzzle is a blessing. Thought we had a themeless going at first but soon caught on. Nice one and thanks.
[Roddenberry and namesakes] would have been a fun clue for GENES. Levy, Kelly, Wilder and Hackman are all good Genes. Sorry.
@ad absurdum "Wilder and Hackman" was a clue for that in a Sunday puzzle from 2008, but that was the only time it was clued like that in the Shortz era (and it was an answer 44 times). But... in the pre-Shortz puzzles... some clues: "Siskel and Sarazen" "Kelly and Autry" "Tunney and Sarazen" "Tunney and Kelly" "Littler and Wilder" "McCarthy and Kelly" "Sarazen Littler and others" And... various combinations of the above in other puzzles. ...
@ad absurdum Yesterday is gone. Look forward and boldly go where no one has gone before...the future.
ad absurdum, Of course Eu-gene (Levy) is the only “true” gene.
Interesting how the column is divided between people who found it easy (mostly American citizens) and those who found it difficult or unpleasant (mostly not Americans). I don't think I would have the ability to even attempt a puzzle in another language, let alone another culture. My hat is off to those of you who regularly do the NYT puzzle, and do it well. Yes, some of our cultural (many, I should say) clues are mysteries to you, but you have certainly learned quite a few of them as you have done more and more of these puzzles. You are challenging your brain, which is excellent, btw, for your brain health, and adding to our knowledge when you supply us with comparable information from your own culture. Thank you for sharing your own thoughts and experiences here; the conversation is every bit as uplifting as the puzzle.
Not a fan of this one at all, definitely not a monday-level puzzle and I really didn't enjoy a lot of the clues (ANAG & ANGI were both extremely frustrating)
After 2 mins: "This is easy, this is easy" After 15 mins: "Why you hate me so much?" :)
Re 3D: FRIARs, or Friars Mendicant, are not monks, and in general live in the community, nor in monasteries. L
Is today Wednesday? It sure seems like it......
I was clearly not the target audience for this crossword. Coming from both a geographic and demographic disadvantage this was quite a slog. Nevertheless I persist!
I'm so sick of "____: abbr." as a clue for words that have no standard abbreviations. Yes, typically in lazy fashion, the answer will just be the first however many letters of the "true" answer, but this is not always the case and is certainly not always the case for real-life abbreviated words! How am I to decide which letters the puzzle creator arbitrarily included in the made-up abbreviation? The truth is that this is a cop-out clue to force something that isn't a word to become a word, and I'd prefer some more transparency there, or at least a cuter clue. For example "ANAG" could've been something like "someone who is always getting on your case" as in "quit being such a nag." Is it the strongest clue? No, definitely not, but it's so much more transparent in its weakness than just pretending that anyone in their right mind would think "anag" was short for anagram.
@Chris I agree. However, things can be even worse. I recently remembered a puzzle where kilogram was abbreviated as KIL... Making up an abbrevation for a word that already has a single acceptable one seems even worse than randomly abbreviating random words to whatever.
Just FYI - alpacas don’t produce wool, they produce fiber.
@C And I found the alpacas in Ecuador looking like they were literally sick of tourists trying to pet or take pictures with them :)
@C As an Alpaca owner I concur.
I appreciate Sam pointing out the good and the bad. I agree that UPC was cleverly clued and that ANAG should never appear in a crossword.
@Eric maybe ANAG in reference to a horse... No, not that, either.
For an 11-Letter AY entry: AYESHA CURRY (restauranteur and Steph's wife)
I didn’t find this difficult, but I do think the clues are pretty niche and clunky for a Monday. I don’t mind this so much later in the week in the service of a great theme (lord knows I’m guilty of it in my own puzzles) but this didn’t seem to merit it. I do think ANGI is fair, Angie’s List was pretty popular, kind of like Craig’s List, although not everyone may know about the name change
Enjoyed this. The theme was so subtle I missed it. Still enjoyable. I am amazed, every day, that someone has been able to put a puzzle together where there are words that cross other words and they all fit! Not something I could do. Thank you!
This is by far the hardest Monday puzzle I've ever seen. Five or six clues that are from super obscure spheres of knowledge. ELIDE? ANGI? What the hell is a LULU and who knows the acronym UPC? Way too many obscure acronyms, this is like a Wednesday,
@Chris I think elide was the only stretch for a Monday. The others you listed, I think they are everyday terms.
@Chris I mean no disrespect, only curious, how old are you if you don’t mind me asking? Lulu is pretty common, but then again I’m 64. Look it up. As for upc, it’s the bar code on everything that’s gets scanned at a supermarket, etc. Maybe you know it as a bar code?
@Chris Universal Product Code. It was a big deal when bar codes became wider spread.
@Chris I know LULU from Bugs Bunny cartoons, “Watch that first step, it’s a LULU,” as the character falls off a cliff.
@Chris Anyone who works in a retail establishment would know the acronym UPC. So, like, only milliions of people.
@Chris Funny, all those were gimmes for me. ELIDE I know because it shows up in puzzles regularly. Today at work I was scanning UPCs for inventory. LULU could have been 'oner' -- but crosses got that sorted out quickly. I forgot ANGI had dropped the E when it quit being Angie's List, but got that on crosses, too.
In the spirit of if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all, I’ll just say that this puzzle does not meet the editorial standards of the NYT.
@Andrew To which editorial standards are you referring? I'm confused.
@Andrew I'd love to know why. I feel like I'm a harsh critic, but this puzzle was fine by me.
@Andrew I don’t think you met that spirit.
@Andrew I thought it was very easy, and the theme a bit obscure. But I quickly solved as a themeless. Is that what you meant? Or what editorial standards?
I really enjoyed this puzzle. Zero lookups, a little crunchy, but I was on the same wavelength with this crossword constructor. Being a baseball researcher is so fun when it actually helps my solving, but given that I'm a Negro Leagues scholar, the clues are rarely within my wheelhouse; today I happened to know the multiple specific clues. That being said, ARC was my last to fill in, and I agree with others that I didn't love that clueing. I'd definitely recommend the movie 61* to watch to learn more about the Maris v Mantle home run race. Billy Crystal directed and co-produced it as a love letter to NY baseball, even though Tigers Stadium was used as the filming location for Yankee Stadium. As a Tigers fan, I love that detail :-)
@Lizzie Boredom You're a baseball researcher! That is too cool for school! I would love to read more about the Negro Leagues. Do you have a suggestion? I really love 61*. I don't know how many times I've watched it.
Patti Varol is a good puzzle editor. Glad to see her get one of her own published here. Her LAT edited puzzles are run by the Wash Post. A few weeks ago, the Post reformatted their online puzzles into an awful neon color chiclet tile design with each puzzle load preceded by a mandatory ad. As a longtime Post subber, I refused to even view those puzzles and sent the department comments about it. The Post has now made the online puzzles more palatable, so I'm glad to say that Patti's edited grids are back in my daily life.
@Mortiser Same experience with the Washington Post. What were they thinking?
Wow, that took WAY longer than a normal Monday. Mainly because I apparently don't know how to spell the name of the Star Wars heroine. Rae? REa? Oh, REY! My New Hope is that I will remember that spelling for the next time it comes along!
@Dave Munger I initially had REN 👀👀 dude was obviously not much of a hero in the traditional sense ...
Not a fan of this one - certainly not a Monday level crossword! I had to check a few times I was on the right day! Usually the niche American culture references dont fox me too much but this one had way too many that us non-americans would just never be able to guess. Abit disappointed....
I struggled a bit on this one, 2:xx slower than my average. Theme went right over my head—when I saw the section of the column regarding the theme…just, what? Makes me a little concerned for my -actual- Monday tomorrow. Would prefer a less Monday-y Monday.
ANGI for Angie is right in vogue now. Pants are now pant, canned food is now can food, frying pans are now fry pans. These are just a few of a zillion examples of lopping off a letter or two, and for what? Does it actually save enough space to save on paper, lower advertising costs, or have any benefit to anyone? The NY Times and The New Yorker are both doing it now.
@dutchiris I presume it was because someone had an ANGIE app first.
Did I spot the "vowel progression"? No. Do I care that I did not spot it? Of course not. I haven't even had a whole cup of coffee (black, half-caf.) Nice Lil Monday Puzz. Personal connection to the puzzle's content: PhysicsDaughter was born in 1980 with an AORTIC defect (which was bad luck) but was resuscitated by a NICU team from Children's Hospital of Cincinnati (which was very good luck.) Welcome to Parenthood! Would you believe we went on to have a little brother for the complete set?! He doesn't do xwords any more, and she only does crosswords when she's here visiting or recuperating from something; oh well. I tried. Someone else will have to supply the Next Generation of solvers!
@Mean Old Lady So you can imagine my joy when my son invited me to join his leaderboard a few days ago! I didn't even know he was doing the daily puzzles! We are well matched, I am proud to say. I also invited my brother to join this morning; he is in the hospital currently, awaiting tests, tests, and more tests for post-surgical issues and needs to be diverted. It's all in the family! (PS ...and when you said you hadn't even had a whole cup of coffee, I realized mine was still sitting on its warmer, next to me! Thanks for the reminder!)
Difficult but not for fun reasons. So much crossing of niche names and words, and specific trivia, in relatively closed corners. Didn't leave any fun to solve my way around it, just slog and lookup. And there has to he another way to hint Adele at this point I swear that skyfall clue makes a weekly appearance.
@M Sadly, my sister is not as famous as the singer who shares her name.
Not one of my favorites, but as a dyed in the wool Yankees fan, the crossing of the two N.Y. sluggers was heart warming. Sadly, when Maris bested Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1961 he had to put up with much derogatory press and undue pressure, causing this pleasant, honest man to actually begin losing his hair. He was a gentleman, but a person not suited for the press coverage in NYC. It is also fitting that Judge bested the 61 home run record set by Maris, a fellow Yankee.
@Ken S So true about the great Roger Maris. I saw a pregame interview when he had been traded to the Cardinals and it seemed like five hundred pounds had been taken off of his shoulders. Smiling, good humored and still a winner. I'm also glad that Judge was the one who eclipsed this amazing record. A good guy and wonderful baseball player.
@Ken S, And I believe Roger Maris’s family was sitting in the stands when Judge broke the record, and he went over and acknowledged them.
Super easy, typical Monday. There were no 35A's for me. Didn't even notice the theme though. I think maybe it was a bit too subtle.