Motto of an indigenous Iditarod team I’M INUIT TO WIN IT
[One of the 105D Levys tweaking the script] EUGENE EDITING
@Lewis I had a similar thought! One of the 105Ds putting a movie together? EUGENE SPLICING.
This was so good!!!! The puns OMG. I aspire to be able to think of stuff like this. Kudos to Rena. Really loved this crossword. There were moments where we got a bit frustrated but when we figured it out then we realised "OH THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND OMG NICE". A great crossword. You should be proud of yourself.
Can't decide between casting Dancy, Grant or Jackman? Sounds like a Hugh problem.
@Vaer Anyone else thinking of the numerous you/Hugh puns in "What's Up, Doc?"
The one thing I didn’t say when I finished this puzzle was Eww! A very nifty puzzle, Rena.
@Sam Lyons Off topic here, but I've started reading the Archive L-P xlation of The Magic Mountain and taking copious notes. Just over 100 pages in and don't find it tedious or boring at all. No insights to offer yet. Still "feeling out" the major characters especially Hans. Beginning to think that L-P's "simple minded" is closer to the truth than Woods' "perfectly ordinary". Simple in the sense of limited vision and experience. He is certainly no ordinary person. Whether he is "mediocre" as used elsewhere is questionable but depends on one's point of view. The mother of a marriageable daughter will think differently than a philosopher or sociologist. I did check to see that Freud's works on Dreams and Sexuality were published well before the time of the novel and its writing. We'll find out if sometimes a pencil is just a pencil. 😉
I didn’t even realize at first that AFTER MATTHEW was part of the theme set. Oh, “AFTERMATH”, good one! And it took me a minute to realize that the trick of THE SETTLERS OF YUCATAN derives from the board game “CATAN”. Flyspecked to change GAg to GAS. I knew gETLISTS looked wrong. Nicely done, Rena. Yew outdid yourself!
@Anita Never heard of the board game. Am I missing something? { ;-)
The first Sunday crossword puzzle I’ve finished without looking anything up!
Impressive puzzle. If you didn’t like it, I recommend checking out the revealer. (Also appropriate advice for those who rage about rebuses on Thursday)
Revealer? On this and most Sundays, you need only look at the title!
@Jonathan you are suggesting that the Us who might not like some puzzle are always the minority. On average the puzzles are great which is why we subscribe. It’s not an Us problem to hate some.
@Jonathan I mean folks can like/dislike puzzles if they want without having someone suggest they're wrong. This sounds like ragebait. Who doesn't love a self-satisfying and smug comment to demean solvers who otherwise didn't enjoy the puzzle? How quaint.
This was very clever and apart from the theme I thought it was a decent challenge for a Sunday. I especially loved TWO AND A HALF MENU. Here’s a few more I came up with: Top fishing spot in Louisiana? BEST BAYOU Illustrated Mark Twain edition? PHOTO FINN ISSUE Butler who’s not quite in the right place? ASKEW JEEVES Make some suggestions in the game of Clue? ACCUSE MURDERERS
@SP I meant to add, Caitlin, I loved your clever choice of picture today!!!
@SP, Excellent alternatives, especially PHOTO FINN ISSUE (I would have clued it Magazine with hotties from Helsinki?) I like how your last one splits the word apart, extra points for that!
@SP And one more: This chocolate drink is the best!? YOOHOO’S THE BOSS
@SP to spin off of your first one, Top Lovers Location in Louisiana - BEST BAYOU DATE
@SP and fantastic themers BTW. 👍🏼
@SP Got one more: Recruiters for a Dr. Who organization? (Or for non sci fi fans—Buyers trying to choose a condo?). UNIT PICKERS I can do this all day
@SP Just makes you appreciate how difficult it is to come up with themers because these ones are terrible!
@SP -- These are terrific. Bravo sir!
@SP Write an autobiographical blurb and include your birthplace: YOUESSAY.
What a delight! I loved loved loved this gem of a puzzle! So cute 🥰😍😘 Um, no. A trivia-heavy grid? Check. A punny theme with a phonetic element? Check. I've never liked any Rena Cohen puzzle yet, even when she was not channeling John Kugelman. I actually figured out the theme, only to find it groans worthy. As for the fill... I tried to solve this puzzle unaided but ultimately I needed not only lookups (the closed-off area with CHAIO, TEMU, and ACT clued arcanely as yet another American exam) but also a check of the puzzle - a few crosses were beyond cruel for me, including YE_ ("Roger that!") and _ITT ("The Panthers of the A.C.C."). I put an S there, resulting in YES/SITT, which looks good if you have no idea what the Panthers, the ACC or Pitt are 🤷🏽♂️. Also, while ENTREE in an American context is an instant gimme, and I know how this meaning of the word arose, I still find it very strange, especially when clued as something following a *starter*... (It's day 16510 of my having never used the word "delightful" - or it's Polish equivalent - other than in jest, ironically, or to describe a dog)
@Andrzej A "starter" is the same as an appetizer, when you're sitting down to a delicious meal. The "entree," of course, follows the starter. Service compris.
@Andrzej Hahaha! I did not even read past so cute, knowing what that really meant for you. Haha
@Andrzej surely there have been clever elements of video games youve found delightful.
@Matt It's a good thing I know you're never serious (unless you're brown nosing David Kwong). Otherwise I'd be offended! 🤣
@Andrzej I read your first paragraph and though "Huh?? How could Andrzej's take be so different from mine? Then I read the second one, and now I feel so much better. And I don't like her puzzles either. Only in rare cases do I like a puzzle crafted by one who's less than half my daughter's age. I did finish it without any lookups, but that's because as a native speaker I knew more of the answers automatically. But like you, I thought the theme was weak, also had SITT/YES before I realized it was probably PITT/YEP.
@Andrzej, You got me with your first paragraph. Well done! Here’s a nit that I’m going to pick. Lately the number of replies shown to a comment (thread count?) has been wildly off from reality. @Andrzej’s post shows 5 Replies, but the actual number was 25. 25!! Considerably different having 25 to wade through compared to 5 (for us borderline OCDs). Definitely a first world problem, but still.
That was a lot of fun. Very impressive, Rena. However, if you find yourself having to flyspeck at the end and you're not particularly college sports-minded, 110 Across is YEP not YEs and 111 Down is PITT not sITT
@Vaer That was an unfair cross.
@Vaer Loved the theme and associated clues. But I ended up flyspecking for 30 minutes -- brutal! Troubles in the northwest and midwest, the southeast, and had to run alphabets on suspicious entries which, as later emerged, I'd gotten right in the first place. PITT, AGAVE, TEMU, APT, AREWEOK -- you are forever my enemies. Growf!
Caitlin describes this puzzle as having a "classic Sunday trick," and I agree. The entries are fresh, but the "trick" is more than twice the age of the constructor. Well done, Rena! (Drove past your campus last month.)
Congratulations on your first Sunday, Rena. I liked them all, but UNITES IN SHINING ARMOR was a favorite. The variety of ways to achieve the "U" sound and the placement, sometimes up front, sometimes at the end, was a nice extra. Now I have GEORGIA on my mind. Willie style: <a href="https://youtu.be/YMxdr78y-E4?si=-Iz1Gh7aF_-rzdQb" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/YMxdr78y-E4?si=-Iz1Gh7aF_-rzdQb</a>
Last Monday I had an hour long, two medico (M.D. and specialist) appointment, plus down the gullet procedure, then to T.J. for grocery shopping. Tues: Semiannual dental appt, teeth cleaning. Driver side door failed to unlock (had to crawl over gearshift to exit passenger side). Wed: M.R.I. (old folks taxi courtesy of city program) Thurs: Arranged door lock failure assessment, med. follow-up. Placed mega Costco grocery delivery order. Fri: Drove car to mechanic (door failed to shut and swung open on the way, dealt with it, but had to crawl over gear shift again to exit). Listened to mansplaining about how door locks work (I said I have driven this car for more than 20 years and know how they work). Imperfect solution to intermittent lock failure. (Fingers crossed) Every day: Worked the Crossword, Connections, Wordle, Strands, Letterbox puzzles, Watched PBS news, network news, Jeopardy, the remainder of Dr. Zhivago dvd. and Warriors games, when available. I am grateful that I can still do all of this, but I get a little worn out sometimes. More medico stuff to come.
@dutchiris What a week! I feel worn out just reading it... Continuing to wish you all the best!! I'm glad that you're able to keep up with your puzzles and happy distractions, amidst so much difficulty both in your personal life and in the world.
dutchiris, I'm glad I don't need a car...
@dutchiris Thanks for words of support. Part of what I am trying to say is that if you don't give up doing what you are are able to do, you are more likely to be able to keep on doing it. I will be 92 this summer, and I know some of it won't be possible forever (at least my forever) but I want as much as I can hang onto.
@dutchiris, Continue to take good care of yourself. We appreciate seeing your thoughts on these puzzles, and life in general. You are truly an inspiration to us all.
@dutchiris Can't believe you went grocery shopping after your down the gullet procedure. Some of the fiercest folks I know are in your decade. Maybe that's what it takes to get that far?
Great puzzle, but if the NYT really wants me to "share my thoughts", these are them: I'm finding it more and more difficult to enjoy crosswords. Each day I first turn to the news, and read about the military occupation of cities, ICE shooting ordinary people, individuals being pulled out of their homes or from their place of work, and maybe never heard from again. Some people tell me that I'm lucky to be living in Canada, but many Canadians are not feeling particularly safe today, just because there is a border. That means nothing, if Trump or one of his "kids" wants to retaliate for whatever reason and send troops to Toronto or Montreal or where? -- Winnipeg? Thunder Bay? Halifax?. Maybe there will be some justification given regarding fentanyl or terrorist cells, or critical resources. And I'm sure our prime minister will be concerned, as he always is, but I fear that that may be the extent of what our government would do about it. I love NYT crosswords, I love the puns, I love reading the comments in wordplay. But it's getting harder and harder to block out the rest.
The Times started publishing a crossword to provide a diversion from World War II news...
@Esmerelda What is the point of comments like these? Do you want a cookie for also being concerned about the news? Every day someone opts to post about the worst events in the world in the only comments section of the New York Times website that isn’t intended for it. You could share your thoughts anywhere else, on any other article, but it’s absolutely vital that you let everyone know that you’re too busy being concerned to do the puzzles. It’s attention seeking, and anyone who dares to say “could we not?” is made out to look like an ignoramus who doesn’t want to face the truth, rather than someone who just wants 30 minutes of peace and relaxation doing a dang crossword puzzle in the morning.
@Esmerelda Thank you for sharing your real thoughts. I'd wondered what it felt like to live close to our northern border. It sounds as though you are feeling about as unsafe as many of us are. I do take a glance at the front page before my solve each day. For survival's sake, I am beginning to figure out how to allow my feelings about all of that and my love of diversions such as crosswords to exist side by side. Feels as though my heart is getting stretched to allow grief and respite to coexist. Thinking of you.
@Esmerelda I'm sorry you spend your time fantasizing abut wars that don't exist. I would suggest doing more activities to keep your mind away from that, not less.
@Esmerelda Read the most recent Louise Penny novel.
Two excellent revealers. SOUNDS LIKE A YOU PROBLEM has a fresh ring, and the title “Use Your Words” perfectly encapsulates what the theme does – YOOsifying words. I like that the yoo sound is represented five ways – EW, IEW, YU, U (used twice), and UE, and that it is echoed in MALAMUTE. BONSAI looks and sounds beautiful, and trips off beautiful images in my head. NABOO looks and sounds silly; it warms my heart because it’s the kind of word my older sister and I made up as kids, and worked to death, making up sentences that included it. PITT – With “The”, in the beginning of its second season, and I’m as hooked as I was in the first. Serendipity watch. Both meanings of DOUGH back-to-back: Yesterday’s [Dough at a taqueria] for PESOS, and today’s [It might raise a bunch of dough] for YEAST. Also, today’s NW has two list-shorteners: EST and a backward ETTAL (close enough). Fun, brain-loving resistance, memories, and sparkling wordplay – a lovely box to unwrap. Thank you, Rena!
Errata -- Change EST in the fifth para to ETC. I'm sorry about that!
My next door neighbor uses the phrase “SOUNDS LIKE A YOU PROBLEM” on a regular basis (not necessarily directed at me, but in relaying stories about work) 🤣 We binge watched Schitt’s Creek during Covid. Funniest show I’ve seen in a long time. Lots of talent in that LEVY family! I think it’s time to rewatch the series ☺️ Thank you, Rena. Fantastic Sunday grid 🤩
[One of those “Schitt’s Creek” Levys tweaking the script] EUGENE EDITING
@Lewis Humans now releasing captured posts.
Lewis, I gather the version of this post that appeared yesterday was your second submission. Well, the newcomers can see it without scrolling!
Very sorry about this near-dupe. I thought it was emued last night because of the name of the show, but after it not appearing while others did appear, I also thought it might be permanently lost, so I changed the wording slightly and posted again, and it instantly appeared. Life in the comment trenches...
No…there are no eels in our pie and mash!
Exactly,they don't seem to know much about British culture & cuisine.
Came here to say exactly that! Jellied eels are an old fashioned Cockney dish that no one really eats anymore. Pie and mash is most likely to be Steak and Kidney or Chicken and Mushroom, for example.
@Tim eels come with a traditional pie and mash from London. Mince beef inside the pie, liquor (parsley sauce) and eels is the dish.
@Tim There's a local landmark near me called Eel Pie Island. We may not eat the things now but they were known once.
Several years ago, on a trip to London, we visited Greenwich and ate at Goddards, a traditional pie shop. There were eels. I guessed that clue right away from that memory. A nice new clue for EELS. About London's most traditional dish of pie mash and liquor <a href="https://share.google/m03tlgZGSE6LCRRGd" target="_blank">https://share.google/m03tlgZGSE6LCRRGd</a>
@Tim If one were to eat such, would it prompt one to visit, " The # 2 spot in London"?
Fun puzzle and theme! I had more of a "ni" problem than a "you" problem—not so much because of the knights who say "ni"— though they are quite a pestilence upon our land, not to mention the passing ruffians who say it to old ladies at will.... Sad days, indeed. Sorry, I digressed again, my problem with "ni" was the word SniTS instead of SPATS over at 85A. I do not know violin speak, nor am I strong in the Star Trek prequels. (Please don't yell too hard at me if that's the wrong terminology. I just couldn't really get into the earlier episodes that were really the later episodes or vice versa.) Anyhow, so I got the horse feathers message and considered doing a check puzzle because I hate looking for errors on Sunday, but since that was my last area to complete and I was pretty sure everything else was likely okay, I looked there and played around. Yes, yes... UnBOW could just as easily be UPBOW and I suppose NABOO as likely as NiBOO. So there we are with happy music and a gold star that I think I'll keep all for myself.... I'm very selfish like that.
@HeathieJ Ugh!! Obvs, I meant Star Wars prequels. That you could yell at me about, but that was just because I type about Star Trek far more than the Wars.
@HeathieJ I thought at first you were making a bilingual pun: In Mandarin Chinese a “nǐ” problem IS a “you” problem.
Don’t mind me. I’m just in this thread to soak up the Monty Python love.
@HeathieJ Rogue One is my favorite Star Wars movie. No cute furry characters or cute squeaking robots, and devastating grim ending.
@HeathieJ, “horse feathers message” I love it! 😄 I call it the “close, but no cigar” message, myself.
Lovely puzzle, satisfying and fun. My partner giggling and giving me “I think it’s TWOANDAHALFMENU” will be a rush that lasts a lifetime
Because I really never grew up, when I saw the clue for 96A, I immediately thought LOO, but dismissed it because.... I laughed out loud a few seconds later when I the crosses confirmed my juvenile first guess.
Hi Captain Quahog, I thought the same, but figured now that FBOMB is acceptable, it's okay to let my mind wander to the gutter or the LOO.
@Captain Quahog There's a portable toilet company around here that has We're #1 in the #2 business on their units. I put LOO in without hesitation, but still snickered.
Final-round voting on the 2025 Griddy Awards is underway until 11:59 PM on January 25. You can find the ballot here: <a href="https://form.jotform.com/260166070446150" target="_blank">https://form.jotform.com/260166070446150</a> John Ezra, Marshall Walthew and I were pleased to see so many votes for the nominated puzzles. The final round ballot is much shorter than the first round ballot — there are five finalists in four categories. The puzzle descriptions are meant to simply remind you of the puzzle. We hope you’ll find the ballot user-friendly. If you have any trouble with it, comment here. One of us will see it. Thanks for voting!
@Eric Hougland Ryan McCarty’s 1/11/25 puzzle is a Saturday and is in the early week category on the ballot.
@Eric Hougland It’s also in the themeless category. Very exciting. I have a strong Sunday puzzle preference. Hope it wins! Thanks again to you, John and Marshall!
Eric, Where's my I VOTED button?
@Eric Hougland Thanks to everyone who put this together. All worthy choices I think.
@Eric Hougland Voted! A bit bummed that my top Sunday (Star Trek) didn't make it to the final round, but my second favorite did, so go democracy!! Thanks again to you all for doing this for us!!
@Eric Hougland Voted! Thanks to you, John, and Marshall for organizing this!
@Eric Hougland Done! Many thanks again to you, John, and Marshall for all your hard work to make this happen!
@Eric Hougland Minesweeper (10/2) for the win!!!
@Eric Hougland I can't resist saying that I hope whoever wins the prize chooses to keep it and not re-gift it to a certain grifter 😁
Quite a fun puzzle! I love the wit of the 'yoo' answers. I very nearly had a cheat free puzzle, but... I had 'GAG' for 'hilarious thing' , not GAS. And yes, ('get lists' doesn't make as much sense as SET LISTS.) But... Thank you for a lovely start to the week!
@Joan same here. I thought maybe it was a list of performers they wanted to get, maybe lingo I hadn't heard. It was a me problem lol
@Joan I think GAS and GAG may be a new kealoa.
This was a classic classic puzzle! So delightful!(I would have said "entertaining", but Andrzej.) Talk about perseverance! Rena Cohen spent half her life after her first submission waiting for her first acceptance! Rena, I bow down to you(because I don't know how to upbow)!
Eels?! Those sound like the worst pies in London. (Look, I made a mash.)
@adieu absurdum Even worse than Mrs. Lovett's?
@adieu absurdumand completely non existent too! Pie and mash is made with meat pies (beef steak and possibly kidney). Not eel.
I am well familiar with the particularly pedantic or snobbish bent of many of the commenters here, but I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, and reading so many complaints was mystifying to me. I couldn't help but enjoy the irony, given 67A. I could just use that as my reply to all of them.
Got closer to finishing this than any other Sunday, but still about 10 clues short. And that took almost 2 hours. As usual, did not see the theme and didn’t even realise there was a theme until reading the column. Overall a fair challenge for my level. Considering the long entries there were very few answers that seemed they’d been bashed in to shape to make them fit, very well put together.
@Niall Sunday puzzles always have a theme - figuring it out is the tough part. More than once I’ve solved a puzzle but not understood the theme until reading the column afterwards!
i think this was the first sunday puzzle i did without using the wordplay column! i had a lot of fun with it, especially the theme. i loved the theme answers. great job!
When the theme dawned on me, slowly, steadily, as a good theme should, I was just grinning from EAR to ear. Settlers of YuCatan was my giveaway and the bonus was that it took me back to the days when Catan was our favorite family game. So much to admire about your construction, Rena! Congratulations on your first Sunday, and here’s a hope there will be more to come.
Finally got the theme with the last theme clue I sussed out — men/u. I enjoyed this puzzle — and the variety of phonetic presentations! Thank you, as always, for the cognitive calisthenics.
Can't say I was a fan of the mini this morning.
Fun puzzle, congrats to Rena on the successful Sunday debut! 'Sounds like a you problem' is a great idea for a theme, and it delivered.
So many fun moments in this one. Best Sunday in a while. Well done!
Totally agree! Looking forward to digging up any of the creator’s prior puzzles that I haven’t done yet. Lovely start to my Sunday morning.
ILOVEDIT. Got AFTERMATTHEW first of the theme entries, noticed the phonetic u, confirmed the theme by entering THESETTLERSOFYUCATAN, and giggled quite a bit. Had GAg before GAS (I see I'm not alone) but gETLISTS didn't work. Otherwise pretty good wavelength for clues. Having played violin helped ... I didn't know VOILE (or DINKS) but dredged it up from somewhere in the recesses of my memory.
@Isabeau. Gas/Gag added 10 minutes of search time. Getlists *did*'work for me, unfortunately...
For 75A "Dove's dwelling" - I pointed toward my window and said "right there!". A bunch of mourning doves like to hang out on the window ledge during cold days.
@Mike General question: are mourning doves really the same as pigeons? Look awfully similar to me. I ask because your comment reminded me of the [clearly] pigeons who have taken up residence under our solar panels (ousting the sparrows who were there first). We are trying to view the resultant pigeon guano as garden fertilizer but it isn't easy. How do you feel about your birds?
Rena, I loved solving this puzzle. It was fun, entertaining and witty.
Me? Yes, I loved the puzzle — but what cracked me up was the last sentence of Caitlin’s commentary. I mean, it was hilarious!
anyone else think the mini was super hard?!
@Matt definitely more challenging than usual. Just over a minute when it’s typically closer to 30 seconds or so for me
@Matt Never heard of the two people and had the one animal where the other belonged at first. Fortunately knew the French verb.
@Matt It's unsolvable, for me. I enjoy Olivia Dean's music but I have no idea what genre it is 😃
@Vaer Ditto, except I had to use Google Translate to get the French verb. Having to look up an answer when solving the mini is humiliating.
First, the stinker: 54D "Loses freshness." WILTS, DROOPS, SPOILS, DISCOLORS, MOLDS, AGES, GOES OFF, CURDLES,...we COULD go on, and guess what? We would never say, write, or think STALES. When your bread dries out, it's still not STALE, but it's a good time to make French toast, like we did this morning. There are many things that *do* GO STALE, like songs, jokes, and some foods--though there are edibles such as broccoli that go limp and lose freshness... but we do not say, "The broccoli is STALE." We just toss it or steam it anyway and serve it up with butter, lemon juice, and a guilty smile. Cough cough. Other than that, clever, fun, and finished--just what one wants a puzzle to be on a Sunday morning --if possible, with French toast, butter and maple syrup, and fresh fruit.
MOL, I've not used stale or stales as a verb either, but it is one, and M-W actually has a recent verb cite related to food. <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stale" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stale</a>
@Mean Old Lady Right there with you. I thought that might be it, but had to fill in all the crosses before I committed to it. Still wasn't sure.
@Mean Old Lady Speaking of Elaine Chao, which you did elsewhere, here's an obituary of her younger sister, which delves into the Chao family influence in this country. If you have some spare time you might find it interesting. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/business/angela-chao-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FVA.2gSl.IkenMT6alZWd&smid=url-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/business/angela-chao-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FVA.2gSl.IkenMT6alZWd&smid=url-share</a> Angela's death was rather horrifying. She drowned when she backed her Tesla into a pond on her Texas property and couldn't get out of the car.
@Mean Old Lady Just because you don't use "stale" as a verb, doesn't mean it's incorrect. I got that answer immediately, because I use that word that way. I also describe the process as "staling", which probably also makes you mad, for some reason. Consternation about language seems silly to me.
When I get stuck, it’s almost always somewhere other than the ‘tricky clues’. Today it was at the YEP/PITT intersection, where I had an S instead of a P. SITT doesn’t mean anything to me, but neither did PITT until I gave up and looked it up.
@N.E. Body 🤦🏼♀️ Thank you. I've been trying to find my mistake! I didn't even notice the meaningless sITT until your comment.
Whew. And Wow. Was really puzzled for quite a while but finally catching on to the trick was just a huge turning point, and it was a ton of fun pondering and working out all the theme answers after that. Pretty impressive to come up with all those answers. And - one puzzle find today. Nothing really amazing but just kind of cute. A Monday from November 5, 2012 by Andrea Carla Michaels. One theme clue and answer: "Wynken's fishing buddies" BLYNKENANDNOD And you could probably guess the clues for the other three theme answers: LARRYANDCURLY DEWEYANDLOUIE CRACKLEANDPOP Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=11/5/2012&g=43&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=11/5/2012&g=43&d=A</a> ....
Nice puzzle! Pretty simple theme and for me it was a quicker solve than usual. More of us need to be ok with "this puzzle didn't match my knowledge" and remember that this doesn't mean it was too hard or unfair. It happens! The stars do or don't align.
Another case where knowledge gets in the way. The gospel of Mark is the oldest according to most scholars, so it can't come AFTER one of the others. But of course that's not the order in the Bible. Enjoyable puzzle. Annoyed at myself for having MAMI and then changing it because I misremembered the cabinet secretary as CHOO. Fortunately the comments straightened me out.
@RozzieGrandma You took the clue too literally. The ordering of the gospels in an actual Bible is Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
@RozzieGrandma I also wondered whether the clue referred to the age order vs New Testament order, which was one of the reasons I held off on entering it. Unlike you, though, I couldn't remember the age order.
Absolutely loved this theme. Well done! I laughed out loud at DOTS, and just so many good clues throughout. Schitts Creek and the LEVYs mentioned!!! 🙌🏼 My favorite comfort show. Thanks for a truly enjoyable puzzle, Rena!
You could definitely tell it was a constructor on the younger side. Starbucks drinks. Star Wars prequel reference (Queen Amidala) and never heard of anyone refer to a “beastie.” But workable even for us oldsters!
@Agarre I recognized beastie from William Blake's poety. The Beastie Boys apparently took their name from his poetry from what I've heard (confirmed by Wikipedia).
@Agarre Starbucks is 54 years old. Star Wars is 48 years old. Been around long enough for oldsters to have heard about both.
@Agarre The first prequel premiered almost 30 years ago...
“Sounds like a you problem” is a phrase I should use more often. Thanks!
@H.T.S. Not if you want to keep your friends and your job. [Just mutter it under your breath]
Riffing off @Vaer’s brilliant “Sounds like a Hugh problem” “Jackman’s first love who drove an econobox made by Zastava Automobiles” HUGHSYUGOGIRL “What she said when he became too possessive” HUGHYOUDONTOWNME “Which led to . . .” YOUGOHUGH
@Puzzlemucker Here's Leslie. <a href="https://youtu.be/I8YNK3IFnDQ?si=JbFNVDmyd--bkn3i" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/I8YNK3IFnDQ?si=JbFNVDmyd--bkn3i</a>
@BR The theme was really not great and I was taken out at the Intersection of voile and dinks.
@BR I thought I was the only one! A tedious slog, the puns weren't cute or even "Dad joke"-worthy. I second that "Meh" ....
Two references to Settlers of Catan in a row! Love it!