A fine thing, I'm smitten by the properly Wednesdayness of this, its joie d'esprit and adept intelligent friendliness, but does anyone say "page bookmarks"? Bookmarks. Page markers. But not page bookmarks. I was out in Easthampton visiting friends once, maybe 15 years ago, and it turned out that Thomas Harris and his wife lived next door (the author of "Silence of the Lambs" from whence that line about fava beans comes). My pal took me over and introduced me to Mrs. Harris, Thomas being away. It was cool. In her sitting room there was a hockey goalie's mask on the wall. Then I realized it was the mask that Anthony Hopkins wore in that movie when he was taken out of his cage! "Would you like to try it on?" Mrs. Harris said, behind me. I felt a chilly tingling creeping up my spine and didn't say anything. "Would you like a glass of chianti? I have some right here."
I give this puzzle a THUMBSUP! Get it? THELIKESOFYOU? I'll see myself out.
I particularly enjoy reading constructor notes that share stories of success after much persistence. Congratulations, Chad, on a solid and very likeable debut.
I love the irony of having the answer IQUIT in this puzzle, right up at the top even. Here is a constructor whose submissions were rejected more than 40 times – 40 times! -- AND HE CONTINUED TO SUBMIT! He had a dream and remained riveted to it. He followed the path of Thomas Edison, who said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”, and forged on. Bravo, sir. I am inspired by your example. In addition, I loved your play on the word LIKES in this theme. I loved seeing the symmetrical sing-song BUNGEE and MEEMAW, not to mention the long-O-tail set of ROBO, GUMMO, TRIO, EXPO, ARLO and wannabe AFROS. A fun solve, topped by the puzzle’s inspiring backstory, and the hopeful reminder that a long, long period of bad news can have a happy ending – well, your puzzle was a gift, Chad, along with a dollop of feel-good provided by Jeff Chen’s generosity in helping you throughout your trek. Thank you both – you’ve made my day!
@Lewis Not to mention, the echoing ATOP, ALOT, A TON. And the witches clues were fun. Plus, there is the web PuzzTrio(?) of HTTP, PAGE BOOKMARKS and JOB POSTING all crossing each other. Lol!
For most of my lifetime, the $10 Canadian banknote has had a purple hue. When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI, the banknotes were re-designed to show her likeness on all of our paper currency. It wasn’t until 1969 that portraits of past Canadian Prime Ministers began to replace the Queen on all but the $20 bill. John A. MacDonald graced the $10 bill until his image was replaced by that of Viola Desmond in 2018. She was our version of Rosa Parks; a symbol of the fight against racial discrimination. In 1946, she challenged racial segregation at a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, by refusing to leave a whites-only area of the Roseland Theatre. For this, she was convicted of a minor tax violation for the one-cent tax difference between the seat that she had paid for and the seat that she used, which was more expensive.
Before I was married, I too frequently ordered NOON IONS on lunch dates. NOON anIONS only if the date were a GORGEous SECRET CRUSH.
@Lame Science: Are you…the DOPPELGÄNGER of Sam Lyons? (Maybe everyone else already knows this; I must’ve missed your transmogrification.)
@CLM Lame Sciece didn't post yesterday, but did post either Sunday or Monday. (How quickly I forget.)
@Vaer Dear autocorrect, please explain to me why you didn't correct Sciece to Science, yet you manage to correct so many already correct spellings to incorrect ones.
@Lame Science That’s great! I wonder if Francis with his chemistry background ever shared NOON IONS with his colleagues at the lunch table. I usually order them with some romA TOMatoes, or in my Vietnamese PHO TONgue soup, they really spice it up!
Oops, sorry, @y’all. I forgot to un-Lame Science myself after doing that whole “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to @ad absurdum” thing the other day. @Vaer—Autocorrect is proof that AI is verging on developing consciousness and it ain’t a benevolent one. @SBK, it’s un-ai-uh-nai-zei-shun all day long and twice on Sunday.
@Lame Science I almost apat out my coffee laughing at NOON IONS. Will you have my children? (Once I get some somewhere I'll gladly get rid of them)
@Andrzej Doubtful, since I have a Samsung Galaxy phone.
@Sam Lyons The problem with your imitation is that the likes of ad absurdum couldn't tell a science joke if his half-life depended on it.
What a delightful gem of a puzzle. It brought a smile to my face, making this November day as sunny and warm as in the middle of spring. The joy the wonderful constructors and the unfailingly masterful editors so graciously allowed me and all of us to experience was beyond anything I have ever thought possible. I believed I loved my wife, my father, my dog. But no! I knew nothing of love. This puzzle showed me how insignificant all I had felt before had been. This, *this* is what true love feels like! I am so blessed to be alive and thus have the privilege of filling grids such as this - so full of effervescent wit, so fresh, so utterly cheerful. A thousand thanks. Nay! A million, and a kiss 😘
@Andrzej Why, Andrzej, I didn't know you had it in you! How too, too charming!《Bats eyelashes》
@Andrzej Sarcasm, right? We doing this again?
@Andrzej Someone got a good night’s sleep! 😆
@Andrzej What’s happening here What is this Why do I feel frightened
@Andrzej Actually, I am pretty sure everyone here prefers the other Andrzej.
@Andrzej I cackled out loud - thanks! I enjoyed the puzzle, too. Blue birds might be flitting about my head as I pirouette through my day
@Andrzej 🤣 No fair, you just made me do a Diet Coke spit take! 🤣 I'm so glad you finally know what love is and chose to share it with all of us!! 😍🥰😍
I enjoyed this one very much. It felt breezy (except for GUMMO, who was totally unfamiliar to me), but not so easy that I didn’t have to work for it. My personal preference is for entries/cluing that are challenging enough to require multiple passes, but which I can solve by thinking or remembering and not looking up, and that was this puzzle for me today. I’ve had 2.5 years of fun with the Mini, and just passed my 6-month mark of solving the full NYT crosswords (and nearly that same amount of time perusing these daily columns and comments). I think I’m hooked!
Well....congrats to Chad! (What a relief...a bad puzzle might have led to a H*nging Chad, eh?) But other than that, I was kind of "meh" with the puzzle until I read the column and the explanation of "THE LIKES"... I had a HI-HAT for the "drum kit" item...but "trap set" was what the percussion guys in the band called it. Wanted SCOPS for 'Old poets' but I guess that was too, too old. JFK before RFK (who is no doubt rolling in his grave). Fave entry: 44D, for "Important course in business, law, and medical school"...not to mention politics, parenting, and Life.
@Mean Old Lady I asked DHubby what the answer might have been ...his guesses were Finances and Money Management. (Don't worry; I kept him honest.) But I wonder how many people stumbled on that one...
Some really fun clues made for a most delightful solve. I enjoyed all of this puzzle, especially DOPPELGANGER, which was one of my first fills. My husband has one in Munich. A friend told us that when he was traveling in Germany, he "saw my husband" on the street one day and rushed up to him, grabbed his arm and said, "Why didn't you tell me you were going to be here!!" A withering look from "my husband" as he firmly removed our friend's hand from his arm, said something in German, and turned away. Our friend thought he must be hallucinating, because the double continued to look so exactly like my husband, even when he spoke. Folklore says we all have one somewhere. Do I?
@dutchiris This year a student in one of my classes at uni looks exactly like one of the actors on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It's uncanny.
@dutchiris When I was a post doc in Evanston, Ill., occasionally ran into a very pale, thin woman, dressed in black who looked at me and said "My God, you've been raised from the dead." It was so out of left field and absurd, not to mention spooky, I was speechless. One time and she tapped me on the chest with the back of her hand, and said, "Get back into your grave."
@dutchiris In college one of my philosophy professors looked so much like Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz) that i couldn't take in a thing that he was saying. My bad.
@dutchiris Years ago, when I worked in a pub. two of our regulars came in and did a double-take (appropriately) when they saw me behind the bar. "We've just seen you in a pub down the road!" Er, no, I've been here all evening. They knew me quite well, so this person must've really looked a lot like me. I never encountered them though.
@dutchiris When I was fourteen I had one named Joe. Several people told me about him. At one point his girlfriend walked up to me and called me by his name. I explained, several times, that I wasn't "Joe," but only ended up with a weeping girl standing in front of me, asking "Why are you doing this to me?" Also, unfortunately, he stole bicycles. I'm sure you can guess how that played out.
@dutchiris All my adult life I've run into people who insist they know me (and address me by a name not my own) and then question where I live, or used to live, or or or.... It can get quite awkward if the person is very insistent. Now that I'm (cough cough) O-L-D, with white hair, it doesn't happen... but out there in the world is someone with the same first and last (married) name who has also done a lot of writing about medical matters; we finally connected online. No physical resemblance, but of course we're both quite nice! LOL
calls to mind the old joke about Macbeth in his castle secure in Act V "Fear not till Birnam Wood Do come to Dunsinane,” Of course in the end the wood does come and (in the old vaudeville version) someone runs out on stage and hollers "CHEESE IT - THE COPSE!"
I’m thoroughly charmed with this puzzle and your constructor notes, Chad. Please Ms. Ringwald, made Chad’s request come true.
I not don't done did this puzz. Great theme! 18A seems akin to the multi-purpose "innit", innit. "Bruv, all them onions n bits n bobs dripping down your phiz make you look a right naff spotted deck, innu."
@ad absurdum You's a national treasure guvna, innu?
I hold an MBA and for many years was a partner in a small business. I was invited back to the University of San Francisco, my Alma Mater, as a guest lecturer on small business by the business school. In the course of a wide ranging discussion, I was asked to name the most important class I had taken for my degree. I immediately answered ETHICS. The hosting professor quickly validated my response and the class spent the rest of the time discussing the topic.
@Kevin D Was the discussion about how to avoid ethics? Kidding, mostly.
I'm glad Chad Hazen persisted! I found today's puzzle positively perfect. I hope to see more of Chad's puzzles.
Not bad at all once I found my footing! Seemed a tad daunting out of the gate, but once again some 30 odd years of American media exposure has left me with a somewhat valuable deposit of ASSETS for these puzzles. Definitely got caught on NOONIONS for a moment, the much more vampiric NOGARLIC was my go-to, but fortunately TRON got me back into the grid. I also experimented with the STOICS being important teachers to those in certain lines of work - I suppose in these ever rampant capitalist times I don’t often feel like I see businessmen and ETHICS in the same sentence… Happy to say I never said IQUIT. And I’m sure you are too, Chad. Great debut in the eyes of this relative NYT newbie.
@Nathan I just knew I wouldn't be the only person to put NO GARLIC and then have to retract it. Great minds think alike eh? 😂
Mostly enjoyable with an unnecessarily vague NE corner; IMP / UMPS / QUIRK / GUMMO and NIPPY did not fall into place as easily as the rest of the puzzle. I tried variations of NASTY / OUTS / GUIDO / ILOSE / IFOLD / IMOUT … due largely to the firm belief that JACKANAPES implied something plural, which surprised me when IMP worked. Anyway good puzzle overall, cheers.
Looks like the developers fixed the issue where one used to zoom to the top of the main thread when backing up from a comment thread. Now it's just buttery smooth right back to where you left off from. Well done 💻💻💻 team! I see you.
OK, there's one bit of crossword hoariness that's been irritating me for quite a while, so on the occasion of 48A, I will note that there is a frankly obnoxious bias built into this trite clue-answer pair, which is that you don't know if someone studying English actually knows more languages than you do in the first place. I have been a technical editor who specialized in prose from non-native speakers. "EFL," for "English as a foreign language," serves quite accurately. And it's nobody's business what time of day someone might have available for such training.
@Boris I don't get this. ESL means only that the student speaks /at least/ one other language--which seems a safe assumption. No ordering or significance is implied by "second" here; it's synonymous with "another". Fixing a problem that doesn't need fixing here, I'd say.
EFL is for people learning English in their country (where English is not a first language, e.g. Japan). ESL is for students learning English where English is a first language (e.g., Japanese learning English in Chicago) At least, that's how I learned/always understood the difference.
@Boris We have our first language, the one we learned in the cradle, la langue maternelle in French. Similar phrases exist in many other languages. All the other ones, in my opinion, are second languages. What are you going to do, rank them? By what, date or fluency? No one cares if it's the seventh language you've learned. People are interested, on the other hand, if it's your mother tongue. And some people (gasp!) learn their mother tongue from fathers! Soooo, parental language? But what about siblings and extended family? Can English be taught at night? Why yes it can! I'd even hazard a guess that nighttime is a common time for such lessons. Please stop manufacturing offense where none is intended. This is a puzzle, not the United Nations.
@Boris in German “Deutsch als Fremdsprache” is distinct from “ Deutsch als Zweitsprache” with one being German as a foreign language as opposed to German as a second language. My understanding of ESL is that it aligns better with DaZ i.e. it’s there to help people function in an English speaking world rather than teaching English as a language at mother tongue level. The article is only available in German but some translation service may work well. <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsch_als_Fremdsprache" target="_blank">https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsch_als_Fremdsprache</a>
@Boris Over here we just call languages other than Polish "języki obce", literally: foreign languages. Actually, Polish is occasionally called a foreign language, too. Polish language courses offered to immigrants are called "Nauka języka polskiego jako języka obcego" - "Learning/teaching Polish as a foreign language" (our word for teaching and learning is generally the same).
@Boris - It's called ESL some 90 miles north of you. And at Wisconsin ESL Institute in Madison.
The two uses of the word 'prop' is very clever. I was relieved not to have to live another day in a capo scandal. If the banjo players come out of the woodwork to protest 'knee,' I'm cancelling my wife's overpriced games subscription. I don't expect an uprising between the hihats and snares, but it would be comical. The cowbell people may be offended, though. Thank you Deb for today's image of the twins. I'm guessing thats either a meetup of identical twins, or the girls spending time with their two PEEPAWS (or papaws).
@Jerry Your first guess was correct: <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-sweet-twins-lisa-and-cora-pose-dressed-as-a-devil-and-news-photo/1247892" target="_blank">https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-sweet-twins-lisa-and-cora-pose-dressed-as-a-devil-and-news-photo/1247892</a>
Although health care is probably the first place I would like us to emulate Canada, I enjoyed thinking through 40A. I knew it couldn't be ONE, because I was aware that years ago Canada had taken the necessary step to popular acceptance of their dollar coin: elimination of the unit note. Thus, I quickly filled in TWO, and then I realized they had probably done the same thing when the introduced the Toonie, which got me to TEN. Of course, aside from realizing that they're different colors, I have no idea what color Canadian bills are. Cash has become increasingly irrelevant, but I still enjoy getting dollar coins (typically in rest area vending machines), and I wish we would eliminate the dollar bill so that people might finally start using what I still call a silver dollar. Good challenge for a Wednesday. And thanks once again to Jeff Chen for his contributions to crossword culture.
@Jack McCullough yes - not so much use for physical cash anymore! But it's always a pleasure seeing our $10 bill. Beyond its lovely purple, it celebrates hero Viola Desmond, who like Rosa Parks, refused to take a seat at the back (of a Nova Scotia movie theatre, in Viola's case). She stood with courage and tenacity, through ridiculous legal battles and at high personal cost, to end segregation here.
@Karl M the thing about it is, I don't think Viola Desmond's actions in the 1940s were widely recognized across the country until into the 21st century. We've needed to learn how to mark our heroes. I'll never forget my goosebumps the first time I stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall, and read his words there. Or how it felt to sit in Rosa Park's bus seat at the Ford museum in Detroit. (And I made a mistake above- I'm sorry! Discrimination would have been a better word. There wasn't codified segregation. But the discrimination was deep and the fight goes on for too many people here.)
Ah, that purple mint ten majesty. (Colourblind, so I often think it’s blue. And I don’t notice blushing. And I think “page bookmarks” sounds odd.)
I loved this puzzle and the theme! A great debut, Chad. I had a few wrong answers but was able to figure them out easily enough. A great start to my Wednesday. Y’all have a good one!
Natick focal point today will be 7D and 18A. I guessed right, but the two proper names seem fairly obscure and uninferable to me. The astronaut was not one of the most famous; certainly Sally Ride and Christa MacAuliffe, the teacher who perished in the Challanger disaster, are better known. And the indigenous Canadian would be an outright guess for practically everyone south of the St. Lawrence Seaway. And maybe for many north of it. I guessed N correctly, but it could have just as easily been Y. Or even J. I can see people having a fit over this crossing, and I wouldn't blame them.
@Steve L Well I thought it was related to Inuit, so I guessed that as well, and AN-A had limited options (maybe a Y). So I think it was guessable but you are right, not many would know either outright.
@Steve L Not to mention knowing the ten dollar Canadian banknote is purple! I know Inuit are native people but didn’t know Innu is the singular form of Inuit.
I didn't like this crossing not because INNU is a tribe that is obscure to most people, but instead because this obscurity seemed out of place in this Wednesday puzzle all of whose other entries are strictly familiar.
@Steve L I had the AN and then figured it was going to be ANNe or ANNA and reasoned that with the middle name LEE, it was much more likely to be ANNA. Totally forgot about the INNU cross which got filled in on its own.
BUNGEE and INNU and TEE delayed my solve time because I for the life of me couldn’t figure out what BUNGEE could be. Then, duh. Can only be grateful basic cluing trucks still trip me up, otherwise what fun would this be? Lovely puzzle!
Typical Wednesday workout for me. And... had to stop and ponder for a moment after I had it all filled in before I entirely grasped the theme. That was a nice touch. And... puzzle find today was from a search for DOPPELGANGERS. That only appeared in one other puzzle and it was one of five theme answers in a Tuesday puzzle from February 15, 2005 by Gene Newman. All of those answers had exactly the same clue: "Ringers." And the other same theme answers were: LOOKALIKES IDENTICALTWINS SPITTINGIMAGES DUPLICATES Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/15/2005&g=35&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/15/2005&g=35&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta Oh, and one more puzzle find. Can't even remember exactly how I stumbled across this one. Anyway - a Monday from April 11, 2011 by Ian Livengood. All of the theme clues were for 'villains.' Some examples: "Batman" villain : THEJOKER "Superman" villain : LEXLUTHOR And other theme answers: HANNIBALLECTER VOLDEMORT MORIARTY I can think of one other current 'villain' that might fit into that kind of puzzle someday, but I won't mention it. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/11/2011&g=36&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/11/2011&g=36&d=A</a> ...
Loved this puzzle. Nice debut. I agree Anna crossing innu is a bit of a Natick. Had NO GARLIC before NO ONION, but a four letter Atari related movie ending in OA, but TRON did work so onion went in place of garlic. Personally I happen to hate raw onions and love Italian food so don’t mind garlic food on a first date. I do mind someone my age still living with parents and still… ok, I will stop grumping about my last first date
I always feel safe when I see Jeff Chen’s name on a byline, and today was no exception. This was a pretty fun solve, and actually even a bit of a challenge for a Wednesday, I definitely had to jump around a bit before getting a firm foothold. The ANNA/INNU Natick didn’t bother me; I wonder if any of our foreign friends who don’t like brands (not naming any names) will get put off with ASICS on top of PABST. And anyone who doesn’t know MEEMAW never saw “Big Band Theory”or “Young Sheldon”. I thought this was a charming theme and I love turns of phrases that can be twisted like this, even if it is something that people say in movies but not in real life, in my experience. Fresh theme entries and some great additional clues—GORGE, HAIRSTYLES, BUNGEE, notably. Congrats Chad and I’m thrilled you stuck with it. I thought I may have had the record with upwards of 30 rejections before I got published—some of us don’t mind hitting our heads against the wall, apparently, or at least enjoy creating puzzles so much we don’t mind if they never see the light of day. Keep them coming!
@SP I owe knowing PABST Blue Ribbon to the brilliant Lana del Rey's "This is what makes us girl". Thus it's one of the few American brands I know, and that actually reminds me of something enjoyable. Never having tasted the product is probably a bonus. ASICS shoes have been offered in Poland for decades. I was a runner for several years when Jorge the Lab was young and I had to find ways to tire him out. The specialty runner's shop in my area was were I learned surprisingly many shoe brands. However, Avia I only recognize as a gas station chain in a European context. I know ASICS from watching sport, too.
Congratulations on the debut, Chad. Persistence pays off! And I really liked your constructor notes, so I tried to do my part to help you out… <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQqiNZzFZFpL2IVWzRwAmdZ8neRqjmsg395uik0/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/p/DQqiNZzFZFpL2IVWzRwAmdZ8neRqjmsg395uik0/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ</a>== Hoping Molly Ringwald makes your wish come true.
Molly Ringwald is also an author who has done book signings in my little town. Movie 16 Candles is a classic. Thoroughly enjoyed your puzzle. More please.
I recently learned that COPSE can also be a verb, meaning to thin out a thicket so that the remaining trees will grow straighter. The context was English bowmen encouraging the growth of yew trees, from which they could later make longbows.
@Grant And while I'm on a longbow kick, at one point in time, there were less than a dozen of the original Agincourt-era articles in existence. When they raised the Mary Rose, they found hundreds of them, many in pristine condition.
@Grant see, this kinda stuff is one big reason why I read these comments!
Awesome debut, Chad Hazen! I'm so glad you persisted, and I hope to see more from you. You and Jeff make a great team! Thanks, also, for sharing your submission journey with us. What a fabulous example of perseverance! Happy, happy Wednesday, everyone!
Nice play on the phrase THE LIKES OF YOU. Great fill too, especially DOPPELGANGERS, SECRET CRUSHES, GORGE and IGNEOUS. I'm glad you kept trying, Chad. Lynn Morris with THE LIKES OF YOU: <a href="https://youtu.be/Rv30IB50uFI?si=LZF41Wye7ThPH4nw" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/Rv30IB50uFI?si=LZF41Wye7ThPH4nw</a>
Great job you guys! I don't know why but I've always liked that Have your people call my people line.
One thing you can be sure of when a puzzle author makes his debut: they will read every single comment. So, Hi, chad! Your job, which you say you love, reminds me of the Cheers episode when Norm finally gets the gig of his dreams: beer taster at a brewery. In case you've never seen it: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgouWHo4RhU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgouWHo4RhU</a>
I’m seeing some comments that make it sound like this one was tricky for many? I had the opposite experience. Flew through this in less than half my average time while watching old Crocodile Hunter reruns. Nearly a PB. Leave to Steve Irwin to get the brain firing. Fun puzzle!
Very close to the Platonic form of a Wednesday NY Times crossword, in this ingenu's opinion.
Felt like I was struggling but finished with no mistakes beating my average time 😳😜
I hope Chad updates us if Molly responds. As Mike would say, that would be "classic".
Congratulations on your NYT debut, Mr. Hazen! Nicely done! About halfway through last night, I got too sleepy to finish. Coming back this morning, the NE seemed to take forever to figure out because I wanted TOre or TOrn for [Snagged] and couldn’t come up with IGNEOUS until I got the O. It didn’t help that except for Groucho, all of the more famous Marx Brothers used five-letter stage names.
Didn't find this "very likable". Solved it, but felt little excitement or interest. PAGEBOOKMARKS seems an awfully contrived thematic entry. Found the theme rather dull to boot. DOPPELGANGERS and MEEMAW were interesting. The latter came easily since I have been re-watching episodes of "Young Sheldon" recently. Don't think I've seen INNU before.
@Xword Junkie I thought SECRET CRUSHES was redundant. I once told a girl at a high school reunion that I'd had a major crush on her back in the day. She said, "Wow, I had no idea!" Um, yeah, that's basically what a crush is. And yes, we hooked up that night.
@Xword Junkie Inuit I’m familiar with but INNU was new to me as well.
Just to be picky, the Marx brothers had nicknames that they used on stage and in the case of Gummo who rarely went on stage and managed the other brothers, his was a nickname and not a stage name
@Ian Hookham That was my initial thought as well, but I looked it up, and he got the name when he was part of the vaudeville act, prior to when he went into the military and got replaced by Zeppo.
Gummo is to the Marx Brothers what Peyton Randolph* is to the Founding Fathers. Tricky clue! *I’m sure someone will tell me I’ve got this wrong! Apologies in advance!
New-ish solver struggled in the top right corner mainly because the only Marx brother I know is Harpo but also because I was working on 12D (Jackanapes) my understanding is that if the clue is plural the answer must match it. Can someone explain why this is IMP and not IMPS? Thank/s
@RF Jackanapes is a singular noun, and it means a conceited or impudent person.
@RF someone has probably answered this elsewhere (or maybe here before my answer posts), but it’s because jackanapes is a singular noun, not a plural. Etymology Middle English Jack Napis, nickname for William de la Pole †1450 duke of Suffolk (from <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackanapes" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jackanapes</a>)
@RF FWIW, I struggled a bit in this corner for the same reason(s). Seemingly plural clue, paired with the Marx brother I’m least familiar with. I was not familiar with the definition or etymology of the clue, but could IMPly it from similar terms. In the end, I had to admit that it was my failing on the 11D cross which was the real barrier to a complete and easy solve.