Blue pen baby Wordplay lady Puzzler for the band Pretty bright Quiet smile You're making your crossword plans Fill machine-uh You must have seen her Solving 'cross the land And now she's grid-deep Always with me Many answers in her hands But oh how it feels so real Trying themes with no one near Only you and you can hear me When I say softly, slowly Hold me closer, bright-eyed solver Count the blank squares in the crossword Lay me down in sheets of newsprint You had a puzzling day today (It'll be Taupin the charts.)
@Mike - Wow, Mike - you have outdone yourself! And not by a tiny bit. You had me dancing along.
@Mike You're already taupin Taupin!
@Mike, Bravo! Tony Danza, move over! Brilliant, Mike!
@Mike. Took me a moment to recognize "Tiny Dancer." Of course and well done!
@Mike I was told I could use a Bernie Taupin but not sure my ex is impartial!
I finally got one! Monday is the hardest day of the week, right?
@Francis You do have a lot of other stuff on your minds out there, in occupied Minnesota...
@Francis It is! It shows in many ways. For example, having rested during the weekend, bears, tigers, lions, hippos and other apex beasts are at their strongest on Monday, so it's the hardest day to wrestle any of them. This translates into other fields, too. Congrats on beating the challenge 🥰
@Francis -- "It's been a tough and bitter fight, but with perseverance I was able to convince someone who had done the puzzle to give me their gold star!" Hah! Triple hah!
Or as we used to say, Hold me closer, Tony Danza…
@Steve L I always thought it was "Hold me closer, twiny cancer..."
@Steve L There was a "Barney Miller" episode with a Russian musician who loves America and wants to defect. He quotes the line from the song in a heavy Slavic accent. A TV moment that stuck with me. The episode is "Asylum." Could not find it on YT.
@Steve L I came here to say the same. I think it's the funniest mis-heard lyric ever, surpassing even "There's a bathroom on the right." from Bad Moon Rising. I always picture someone fueld with liquid courage at a karaoke bar discovering their mistake live on stage. Or not.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Put in a good word, perhaps? (4) 2. Yogi, once (4)(3) 3. Shiny little platters (3) 4. It takes a long time to get this (3) 5. Hearts or spades, but not diamonds (4)(4) EDIT BEAR CUB CDS OLD CARD GAME
My favorite encore clues from last week: [People often manage with them, in brief] (4) [It might come with a shell] (3) MBAS OAR
@Lewis My favorites from last week were both from Adam Aaronson: 1. [Ones running along a road] (9) 2. [Dough at a taquería] (5) SIDEWALKS PESOS
@Lewis But some of us think that getting OLD happened very, very fast!
As I filled in this grid, it seemed that every time I turned a corner I ran into answers that felt interesting – words that were common enough to be in most everyone’s vocabulary, but not used so much that they’ve become dull. Words like CHURN, GIRTH, UNKEMPT, TRYOUTS, DISARMS, and NORMALIZE. The star answers, IMO, were the three colorful song titles, but these other answers backed those star answers up, like backup singers behind a star singer, who help make the star shine. The result, for me, was a puzzle that was more than what we often get – a smashing theme surrounded by forgettable answers. No, the entire grid had an undercurrent of interest and beauty, and when I finished it, I thought, “Now that’s a high-quality puzzle.” And I felt good inside and out. I’ve had the same reaction to your other puzzles, Peter, and am very grateful for your work. Thank you!
To Peter Gorman: 1) Print out two copies of this post from @Lewis, 2) Frame one and put it on your wall where everyone can see it, 3) Send the other to your mother. What a beautiful review. You can be very proud, Mr. Gorman.
Welcome to the column Jo! Hey is nobody going to point out this was a pangram? That’s quite an accomplishment for a Monday! The theme was cute but otherwise unremarkable, and this was a fast solve even for a Monday, but besides smooth fill and a pangram there were some DISARMING entries like CURAÇAO UNKEMPT and SPARKPLUG.
Thank you, Peter, for a "little" melodic start to the week -- I enjoyed this grid. Welcome, Jo -- your commentary brought delightful pre-gaming levity! Happy MLK Jr Day, everyone. He would have been 97 years old and, no doubt, outraged by what is happening over 57 years since his death. His words: "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends," once again, ring so true. I'm grateful for our little global community here where we must stay vocal and strong in the name of peace and justice. ⚖️☮️🫶🏼
So many long, interesting, and filled-with-connection back-and-forths in the comments. I love this forum!
@Lewis As do I, and you are a large part of why.
Okay, emus. If you really want to get rid of off topic posts, then here's your chance. What I'm about to post is as utterly absurd as it is potentially brilliant. I'm sure a lot of us here are older Americans. I mean, we're working *crossword puzzles*, so .... duh. I have found, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have found that when I'm barefoot or in socks, I have *much* more stability if I splay my toes (again, total disbelief on my part as I hate talking about feet or toes) and pretend I'm gripping the floor with my footses (see what I mean?). It's astonishing how much stability one can feel from the toes if you really focus on it. They are astonishingly powerful in providing just the tiny amount of force needed to stabilize an absurdly old and out of shape body. I think the number of years of wearing shoes has numbed our appreciation of the value of those ten little piggies. So, irrespective of any clue or answer in this puzzle, I'm wondering if everyone other than me missed the memo, or if I've discovered a silver bullet concerning elderly balance. This is a PSA concerning the danger of falls of elderly people.
@Francis Just last night I got a text from a customer requesting grab bars in the bathrooms of their vacation home. I now keep them in stock. Get your point on the socks, but those floors can be cold! Good luck with this thread.
Good morning Francis, Not sure about your toe theory but I am going to check it out. Regarding fear of falling, stay away from Crocs. Years ago while wearing them, I walked quickly through my garage that had a painted floor. One foot hit a small puddle and I may as well have been on ice skates. Smashed my knee without any chance of bracing against the fall. The damage done to my knee, tibia, and related parts, along with the world's worst ortho surgeon, has been life changing. Anyway, sorry for the off topic, but this is my PSA. Crocs at minimum should come with a strong warning.
@Francis i was at a zen retreat years ago and the roshi (master) challenged us to meditate into our toes, thinking of nothing else. not orthodox zen practice by any means. but a number of us reported a different sort of gait "sharpness" for at least a day or two afterwards.
@Francis Yes. Amen. I fell almost two years ago trying to step over a puppy gate. Crushed my ankle. nine breaks, two titanium plates and eleven screws later, I lived in a chair, in constant pain for months. Ankle is good enough to walk on, but my toes on that foot never recovered from being immobilized for so long. They're so very stiff. And as a result, my balance and consequent fear of falling again is *so* real. Not because of the crushed ankle. My toes! So I've started walking barefoot every day. And I bought a pair of "barefoot shoes." They're incredible.
@Francis Anything to help us get a toehold in these puzzles. (See, emus? It's on topic.)
@Francis My toes only go up and down; splaying them is something I don't know how to do. But living in Wisconsin, I've long since learned how to walk like a penguin and grab onto every handle I can find. I do some activities with the dogs at our local pound and some of them can really yank me around, so in the winter I frequently have to grab onto the chain link fencing just to stay upright between yards.
@Francis I hope I'm not too late to get my toe in the door. I have long toes (well, not t h a t long, but pretty long), and for as long as I can remember I have used them to pick things up off the floor, rearrange shoes to put them on, grip the shower floor, rake something closer so I can lean over to pick it up, all sorts of things. Once, in my doctor's office I handed myself something I had dropped, picking it up between my big and second toes my toes, and he said, You have prehensile toes?!! Well, why not? They have saved me from falling many times. I can't use them to play a violin or type a letter, but within their limitations, they are my very useful friends.
@Francis I have seen more and more research that has emerged on the importance of building and maintaining toe strength for preserving and prolonging good balance as we age. In fact, my yoga classes now include toe strengthening positions. Even taking a small rolled up dishcloth and grasping it between your toes regularly can help strengthen them. There are a lot of reputable sites, including the NYT, that provide recommended toe exercises. Stay safe, especially during this slippery winter weather!
@Francis Your post is still up so I guess either nobody flagged it as "off topic" or the moderators don't care. If you ever sprain a toe, you'll quickly realize how essential they are. Shall we talk about why puppies have wet noses now?
The SW corner was somewhat challenging for me. I thought Bruins were from Canada, so I was not quick to come up with UCLA (over the years l've learned the names of some of your sport teams and colleges, but I just can't see me ever remembering - nor caring about, really - which team comes from where). I didn't know beaing in LALA land meant daydreaming. I also had gOAd before I changed it to COAX. It took me a while to see thay mistake, because the two letters in the middle were correct, and the ones on the ends crossed with stumpers. You peeps take an EYE EXAM at the DMV?! On that topic: The differences between our countries are countless. Over here we don't have a specialized DMV. Your driver's license is issued by the county administration - at the middle tier of our three tier, autonomous local government - after taking a course at a licensed driving school, passing a state-organized theoretical and practical exam, and having your health and eyesight checked by a licensed doctor. The official at the county office simply checks your paperwork. Also, isn't saying "UPC code" akin to "ATM machine"?
@Andrzej I don't suppose you'll be surprised to hear me say that your system seems more complete and more logical. It's a very trivial eye exam. Not remotely like what you get in an optometrist office. You look in a screen, and they test your ability to pick something out a scene that is, I assume, modified to test peripheral and maybe color vision. It was never hard for me, except the last time, when for a second I couldn't see some letters embedded in a scene. I knew at that moment that the most likely reason for me to lose my driving privileges was because of eyesight, though I've been blessed with very good eyesight my whole life. Others here I'm sure are much more capable of explaining the DMV eye test than I am.
I was genuinely happy to finally remember AREPA, and on that note, I would like to thank the NYT for inspiring my wife and I to have one of the best meals during our 2025 English holiday. We visited Cambridge, among other places. A square in the cenyer of town was full of food trucks. One of them flew the Venezuelan flag, which caught our attention. They served arepas! "It's the thing from the crosswords!" I called out to my wife, "we have to try it!" The lovely owners served us delicious flatbreads stuffed with some of the best meat stew I've ever had in my life - juicy, tender, aromatic. Wow! I will never forget AREPA after that experience. If you're ever in Cambridge, check out "ManaCambs - Arepas": <a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/URTd7LqgkBQUBdxM9" target="_blank">https://maps.app.goo.gl/URTd7LqgkBQUBdxM9</a>
@Andrzej COAX and gOAd are very different words. COAX implies persuading someone into some action. It may time and effort but in the end the 'coax-ee' would act voluntarily. Goading someone is more antagonistic. Someone who has been goaded into doing something has been forced or triggered by violence or some other unpleasant affliction into some action. Their consent is involuntary, almost entirely coerced, along the line of a soldier 'volunteering'. A goad--the tool used to goad--comes from agriculture: a pointed stick used to poke livestock and force them to pull vehicles or move into or out of pens.
@Andrzej when I got my driver’s license in London some decades ago all you were required to do with respect to your eyesight was read a number plate on some parked car on the way to your car to start the driving test. The theoretical component involved the examiner asking a few questions after the driving itself was done. My kids who passed in Germany had at the time of the exam encyclopedic knowledge of all aspects of driving, day/night city/autobahn as well as having done a first aid course. Still being driven by them at first was somewhat terrifying 😀
@Andrzej my husband works for UCLA Health. UCLA is very popular and receives the most applicants year after year for the entire country. California universities in general receive more applicants because the UC system has a single application for all of its campuses and they don’t consider test scores (like the SAT OR ACT). I personally attended UC Riverside. <a href="https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/most-applied-to-colleges" target="_blank">https://www.collegetransitions.com/blog/most-applied-to-colleges</a>/
@Andrzej I wish that were so in the US! Unfortunately the process varies widely from state to state, and seems that most learn either through osmosis or GTA. Lucky you! (and in so many other ways)
Last night, we had dinner at home with my husband and one of his daughters (fajitas! yum!!), my husband was saying something about Yale (not a typical area of discussion for us) and I suddenly and excitedly blurted out, "Do you know who Yale's benefactor was? Elihu Yale! And do you know what they apparently call Yale students? That's right, Elis!!!" It all came tumbling out quickly. If I could have, I'd have slo-mo dived to put them back in but it was too late. You should have seen the oh so very hilarious side-eye look my husband was giving me, which just cracked me up. It was so funny! His daughter is used to our antics and just laughed and correctly guessed this was random crossword info on my part! Ha! What a joy I must be to have around! 😆 Nice, quick puzzle! Happy to see Minnesota represented, as well as some great tunes! Life's been a bit crazy but I'm trying to limit my doom scrolling activities... and as my acupuncturist reminded me: look for the light and be the light.
@HeathieJ Well, your story was pure light! Thank you for making me laugh out loud. Take good care. Sending you love. XOXO
@HeathieJ What she said! (@sotto voce!). Your story brought up the irrepressible giggles – they just kept growing and growing until I reached the "hilarious side-eye look" and I burst out laughing. You are the light! A joy to have around these parts. XOXO
@HeathieJ All I can say is, Thank God they weren't discussing octopus!
High QUALITY puzzle for a Monday, especially with the panagram. The song that comes to mind for me is Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men <a href="https://youtu.be/ghb6eDopW8I?si=XBwybiqE-fEMuSid" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ghb6eDopW8I?si=XBwybiqE-fEMuSid</a> Another favorite is Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons <a href="https://youtu.be/5qDusitZ9EU?si=mHPG4z29-7e9u_3t" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/5qDusitZ9EU?si=mHPG4z29-7e9u_3t</a> One more song I thought of was also a John Mellencamp one - Pink Houses because of the lyrics. There is a Little Pink House around the corner from me with a placard on the front identifying it as such. I think they Air B&B it. It is very charming. One might even be delighted by it 🤣 And YURI led me to think about the astronauts who just returned from the ISS early. I am truly lucky to live where I can regularly experience launch and re-entry of space vehicles on a regular basis. Thank you for this GEM, Peter.
@Jacqui J also realized today that SIA/SZA is my newest KEA/LOA. 😂
This felt like a special Monday to me. Spark plug issues aside, I thought the puzzle was fresh, fun, and cleverly constructed in a way that elevated my experience—pangram and all. Add to that the entertaining and relatable debut of guest columnist Jo Firestone, unexpected trivia in the constructor notes, and a lively comments section. Thank you one and all! This doesn’t happen every day. For a moment I was dragged out of my mundane workaholic stupor.
I could not UNSEE Bside for way too long.
Didn't recognize SZA or DOCTER, but that's what the crossings provided. Pretty mimimal (TINY, SMALL, BABY?) theme, but a solid enough Monday puzzle, and a pangram to boot.
I’m new to crosswords, but I’m getting better with each puzzle! Finished this one in 15 minutes 30 seconds relying a bit on autocheck. Is that frowned upon??
@Terri Glad you asked! As long as you conform to my personal crossword morality, no. Kidding, we really don't enforce cheating rules here, other than "Have a good time".
@Terri The only person you are playing against is yourself, so you alone decide if it's frowned upon. For myself, I love crosswords because I learn something with almost every puzzle. And that means I usually have to look up something. It might be before I fill it in; it might be after. But it's your rule, and only yours.
@Terri welcome to the forum! Everyone has their own “rules” for how they complete their puzzles. When I first started, I used the auto check feature. As I got better at them, I turned it off. I frequently looked up answers I didn’t know. I subscribed back in 2019. I now have a streak of unaided solves that started in July of 2021. It took two years to get to the point where I didn’t need to look up answers and I started remembering things from previous puzzles. My personal rule is that I can’t lookup any answer, but that is just my personal challenge to myself. I still look up answers I’m not familiar with after I complete the puzzle as I’m always interested in learning something new.
@Terri Congratulations. Add me to the chorus who say, finish the puzzles in any way you can. I’ve been doing the crossword for eight years (since I retired). I get that still makes me a relative noob, but I looked up and checked answers for a long while. Even now, there are weeks when I need to look up one or two to finish…but the only way to learn to solve is to solve.
@Terri The question doesn't come up if one solves via Paper and Pen, but you will likely need the 'helps' less and less over time. Don't worry over it. I started as a solver with Sunday puzzles in _The Plain Dealer_ (Cleveland newspaper) and it often took all week to finish one. I don't even know if the puzzle was online in the late 1990's, but I didn't have a lot of leisure time in those days.
@Terri I've been solving for years, and it took me about the same amount of time to solve this one as it took you! The time doesn't matter much to me. I do the puzzle first thing in the morning, and a lot of my "solve" time is spent spacing out and wishing I was still in bed. You can solve the puzzle however you want. Times, streaks, look-ups, none of it matters as long as you're having fun!
@Terri, So glad you asked this! This whole thread could be a primer for how you solve a crossword. Such good advice.
@Terri I've been doing these for about a year. Use your own criteria, but when I sense that the puzzle is no longer fun for me, I turn on the autocheck, not really to check my monkey punching, but because so many clues have multiple correct answers. As a last resort, I start to look stuff up. The only time I ever really get just angry is with the rebus, and I think there was one puzzle in 2025 that actually have numbers in it.
For submission to the editors suggestion box: In paragraph two, today's Wordplay author states, "I know nothing about sports..." I often wonder if this is true, or mostly true, about constructors and their editors in general. There's plenty I know nothing about, but sports is not one of them. So I find it curious that sports terms are so often mangled or down right mistaken in sports related clues / answers. Yesterday we had the bewildering assertion that a basketball ref would issue a traveling violation warning. No. Never. And then just the day before a tennis shot described as a DINK instead of a drop (shot). What? And just prior to that, the assertion that a layup could be somehow described as LAID IN. I know this has been defended as "it's okay because it's a crossword." As a sports person and sports fan, sports should be accurately represented, not twisted to suit the constructors fill, IMO.
@Kathryn Amen! That's your fourth strike, editors! One more and you're out!
@Kathryn I am not a sports expert whatsoever, but I do know that "traveling" is a basketball game violation that a ref would call -- when a player moves while holding the ball, rather than dribbling. I found it to be a clever little misdirect clue.
@Kathryn ...hit Submit too early... It reminds me of the TV game show Jeopardy. Sometimes the contestants don't know a single answer in a sports category. But there will probably never be an error if the subject is table tennis since Mr. Shortz is an avid fan. 🙂
I'm back to doing crosswords regularly after a long hiatus studying for exams! Today's was fun and satisfying, and I didn't need to google anything or use AutoCheck -- both big wins for me today. Happy MLK day everyone.
@Izzie, Are you studying architecture, by any chance?
I gotta remember AREPA… got roti and naan in my memory, but AREPA still eludes me. Never eaten one! Maybe I’ll make them myself, then I won’t forget. They look tasty.
Had a AREPA on Friday. Very tasty!
@sonnel An AREPA has become my favorite ballpark food at Nationals Park in the last two years.
@sonnel <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4d9ugb?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4d9ugb?rsrc=cshare&smid=url-share</a>
@sonnel They are tasty but I wouldn't call them flatbreads since they are filled. Maybe not always?
I was not familiar with the Billy Joel/Ray Charles collaboration. Billy idolized Ray. It's got a nice bluesy, r and b feel to it. (Big surprise.) Kind of nice on a snowy Sunday evening. <a href="https://youtu.be/XUNOmN3YVL0?si=oSwEiz0wFq7pOBcB" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/XUNOmN3YVL0?si=oSwEiz0wFq7pOBcB</a>
@Vaer How about thread with people’s favorite “Little” rock or blues songs? Here’s Howlin’ Wolf’s version of Little Red Rooster (yes, I know, 16 letters): <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vr-DR5HdKw" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vr-DR5HdKw</a>
@Warren Go for it. But I've got Paul Simon's Baby Driver stuck in my head right now.
@Vaer Very nice. I saw Ray Charles perform a gazillion years ago in a college auditorium. He's amazing. I guess I've seen the movie RAY a few times. Shoulda been a RAYLETTE. REALLYNICE to hear him perform with Billy Joel and read the lyrics in Braille. I've never seen him do that before.
@Lucky13 I see you're a newbie. Welcome. Your is enthusiasm is nice to see. And I hate to be this person, but we don't usually use all caps when posting here unless it's to post an answer from the puzzle. You had me looking for Wake Up Little Susie in the puzzle.:)
I know it's a Monday, but I'm a relative NEWBIE (five months), so I'm glad I got this one done WITHOUTANYLOOKUPS. By the way, Jo, could a nine-letter word for a “hand-held blues instrument" be a SAXOPHONE?
Fun puzzle. Bit of a workout but everything fell together from working the crosses. And had to stop and ponder for a moment when I was almost done before I caught on to the theme. That's always a nice touch. And... an appropriate puzzle find for today. A Monday from January 20, 2014 by Elizabeth C. Gorski. Theme answers in that one: LINCOLNMEMORIAL CIVILRIGHTS IHAVEADREAM WEAREFREEATLAST and MLKJR Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/20/2014&g=38&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/20/2014&g=38&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta Oh, and one more. A Monday from January 20, 1986 by Joy L. Wouk. Answers in that one: CORETTASCOTT IHAVEADREAM CIVILRIGHTS MARTINLUTHER Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=1/20/1986&g=52&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=1/20/1986&g=52&d=A</a> ...
Arrgh. I'm just here to find out what goes in square 41. Here we have a True Natick. Nice Monday puzzle (even if often out of my wheelhouse.) In case a road trip takes you across the country using I-40, a stop in LITTLE ROCK is worthwhile. Heifer International's headquarters--right next to the Clinton Presidential Library--is educational and intriguing. Just down the street, the Central Library has significant displays--for instance, re the detention camps where Japanese citizens were incarcerated despite their Constitutional rights. The Presidential Library (one of several 'green' buildings) brings in important artists (Chihuly, for example, and amazing Lego constructions). Cross the Arkansas River on the old railroad bridge if you feel like it. Tucked a couple of blocks away, a Historic Arkansas Museum is worth a visit. As the state was part of The Louisiana Purchase, the French influence and heritage is evident (as long as you ignore the actual French pronunciation for, say, Petit Jean Mountain/River or anything named for Aux Arc.)
@Mean Old Lady Box 41 almost has to be an S, since "for two" signals a plural (of whatever the named things might be)!
What a nice, fun puzzle for a Monday. Thank you, Creator. And Cheers! to my fellow humans of Earth. Remember the old saying, 'this too shall pass'.
A good theme to start the week. I especially like the oxymoronic BABY GRAND. Has there been an oxymoron themed puzzle? There must have been but I can’t recall. The revealer puts me in mind of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell singing “A Little Girl from Little Rock” in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. Talk about spark plugs.
Regarding 42 D, If you look closely at the recent "gift", it says "Noble Peece Pryze". That Machado is *such* a joker.
OMG I FOUND MY MISTAKE It was the the 25 square. I had GAg/gETLISTS A GAG is definitely an hilarious thing. And a GETLIST sounds like something a promoter would procure. Think, "Here's the list of artists I got for the concert." Of course, the correct answer is GAS/SETLISTS
@Steven M. That's what I originally had. My second thought was that the S made more sense, though I was mostly unfamiliar with "set list". Congratulations on finding it!!!!
@Steven M. Yeah, that same thing held me up for several minutes yesterday.
@Steven M. Somebody had to come in last, I guess.
The thrill I feel when I check to see if a puzzle includes every letter of the alphabet is ridiculous, and my heart falls when the fill fails to fulfill my hope. It's actually pretty rare to see a 15x15 pangram! So thanks and congratulations to Peter Gorman, for a lovely puzzle and a pangram! Enjoying the quality of the puzzle's clues and entries slowed me down from my normal Monday pace! Loved to see SZA and Rep. Omar in the puzzle! I also chuckled at "Sporting blade" as the clue for the ultra-common EPEE, even though Jo called it out in the story without an Errol Flynn hat tip to the wit.
@Jeremy Do you really check every puzzle you do for pangrammitude? Really?? How long does it take for a Sunday puzzle? For the giganto-grid at the turn of the year?
To all the SPARKPLUG quibblers, I offer these words of wisdom from the inimitable Bruce Springsteen: “You can’t start a fire without a spark.” 🔥 And I don’t think he meant just Hemis.
@Loopy Maybe Bruce never had a magnifying glass. 🙂
Loopy, The crossword spark-plug anthem, courtesy of Michael Jackson: <a href="https://youtu.be/1XMvPTFzgVU?si=q12r-tq2H9vCPZk2" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/1XMvPTFzgVU?si=q12r-tq2H9vCPZk2</a>
Having a bit of a problem with spark plug as devise for starting an engine.
@Philly Carey I bought an EV in September and just came back from a three-week road trip. No spark plugs, so no tune-ups. No oil, so no oil changes. Maintenance involves tire rotation and various inspections. Brake fluid once in a while. But you do have to know where you’re going to stop for a charge ahead of time.
@Philly Carey I agree! Diesel engines start without one, and any engine that needs one to get started also needs one to keep running.
"Hand crank" fits, but it doesn't cross.
Agree. Not a great clue. Saying a spark plug is used to start a car is like saying gasoline is used to start a car. A better clue would be "Device used to KEEP a car running" (still not crazy about calling a spark plug a "device").
@Philly Carey - The spark plug sparks the engine.
@Philly Carey It is a device used in starting an engine. It doesn't need to be the only device, or used to start every kind of engine, to be a correct clue.
I LOVE a fun puzzle & this fit the bill! The theme was good. I knew those songs - yay! We used to have a combination eye/sign exam at the NCDMV. Now they just test your eyes. How else are they supposed to know if you need glasses to drive? 🤷🏻♀️ Thank you, Peter! Have a wonderful Monday, y’all!
A Goldilocks Monday for me. Halfway between my average and best times. As one who has worked on thousands of gasoline engines in my lifetime, I cannot go without saying that 35D could have been clued with much more accuracy. I was also surprised to see how many downs were completely filled as I blasted through the across answers.
@Thad Haha! A Goldilocks Monday - I like that! Mine was too!
Nice, very fun puzzle! I may be nitpicking, but SPARKPLUGs aren’t technically really a “device to start an engine.” They fire continuously as an engine runs to trigger combustion, but the device that actually starts most modern engines is a starter motor initiated by the battery. Spark plugs are involved, sure… but only as much as any other component of the engine necessary to keep it running, such as a carburetor, fuel pump, etc.
@C - I bumped on this, too. I would have been happier if the answer had been "glowPLUG" Of course, that wouldn't have fit in the space... but if it were plural, it would!
@C Bugged me, too. I don't think it's a nitpick to say that one is just plain wrong.
@C A diesel engine self-ignites the fuel after it starts, and the spark plug is not used after the engine starts. The clue is a misdirect but pretty accurate as written.
Here’s my poem made from today’s puzzle: <br> <br> a/ the coffee rings <br> bronze shadow things <br> of you of coffee measurement of <br> in-progress projects shifted <br> to spent <br> d/ lines of code <br> maps for a prize <br> a tooth a pulse a soul <br> and a fork at the spot <br> where the fork is <br> at the a/ side
Here’s a thought: Maybe they can get Dr. Oz, Aaron Rodgers and Mayim Bialik to write guest columns until Ken Jennings gets the job permanently.
@Steve L Aaron Rodgers does have a lot of free time coming up, and probably more in the foreseeable future. I would be happy to see Mayim writing anything, she is a treasure, and would probably be a good crossword commentator.
A fun one. Clue for SPARKPLUG could have used a bit more juice. This morning's TIL is that there is a Big Rock, Arkansas: <a href="https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/big-rock-5492" target="_blank">https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/big-rock-5492</a>/
@John Carson I seem to be alone in thinking this, but to me the clue seems to be close enough to be acceptable. If your car won't start, one of the first things to check is if you've "got a spark." Unless you've got a diesel, your engine won't start without SPARKPLUGS.
@John Carson I agree. Not a very good clue. How about “Device providing ignition in an engine”? Yes it helps start the engine, but then it keeps firing hundreds of times a minute to keep it running.
If anyone wants a bit more of a challenge (in a non-archive puzzle), Erik Agard has a LITTLE ROCK over at The New Yorker.
I’d like to see “Q-Tip” clued as something to do with “A Tribe Called Quest.” If crossword setters think all of us know Elton John and John Mellencamp songs, I think they could throw in some famous rappers rather than dropping store brands as the clueing.
@Mango Yeah, 'cause rappers are *never* included. 🙄
@Mango I have no idea which rappers are famous, but the idea that there is a shortage of clues calling for rappers is just bizarre. Just this past Thursday we had: 24 First name in rap? And plenty of specific rappers' names.
@Mango Rappers show up frequently in the puzzle. In fact, MF DOOM made an appearance just a couple days ago.
I would have had an easier time had I known the three letter singer or how to misspell normalise. SPARKPLUGS do not start an engine. They keep it running. The ALGORE clue was delightful (sorry Andrzej) Overall a very nice puzzle. A tad chewy as I could not recall any of the songs and didn’t know DOCTER. It came together pretty easily in any case.
What a thoroughly delightful, yet tricky Monday puzzle! I loved the wordplay of the theme - LITTLE ROCK. 😄 And even the trickiness was fun. I had “Sia” for 41A (though I don’t know either her music or SZA’a for that matter), had “cold” for 62D, and had “waist” and “torso” before GIRTH for 53A! Lots of interesting words in this one!
@Cherry I started with SiA before I realized it was SZA as well. I plugged in the ‘i’ without really reading the clue. It’s the newest KEA/LOA 🤣
A fun thing I sometimes attempt with early week puzzles is to create a frame of letters by filling all the outside letters of the grid. Surprising how often I fail even with the Mondays. Today was one of those rare triumphs.
Thanks for adding a new one to the list of TLA tautologies: GPS System, ATM Machine, and now UPC Code.
There are too many Springfields in America. It’s like a virus. Having to guess which one made me sic(k, emus?). Sure, eventually I caught (on to) what was going around. But it didn’t even rhyme, which is all that matters - not if your Springfields was ill.
@JohnW--But only one is a capital city, same with lots of Jacksons, but only one capital.
So close to beating my Monday challenge of filling it out sequentially with no skips or mistakes, but I was undone by my own hubris in jumping at SMILIES rather than SMILEYS Better luck next time :/
One more puzzle find. A Tuesday from January 7, 2003 by Peter Gordon. Five 15 letter grid spanning entries in that one, including a triple stack in the very middle. Those answers: PANAMACANALARAB RAMADACATAMARAN ALABAMAMAHARAJA BANANARAMASAGAS BABAWAWASAVATAR Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/7/2003&g=31&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=1/7/2003&g=31&d=A</a> ...
@Rich in Atlanta I know I could just look this up but sometimes it's fun to imagine how these were clued.
5A: "Factory-made" butter is also produced by churning, so [Old-fashioned] doesn't seem to be needed in the clue. Any current dairy folk care to comment?
@Barry Ancona I'm not a dairy guy by any stretch, neither currently nor in the past. But a quick online search led me to this: "There are essentially four types of buttermaking processes: - traditional batch churning from 25- 35% mf. cream; - continuous flotation churning from 30-50% mf. cream; - the concentration process whereby “plastic” cream at 82% mf. is separated from 35% mf. cream at 55°C and then this oil-in-water emulsion cream is inverted to a water-in-oil emulsion butter with no further draining of buttermilk; - the anhydrous milkfat process whereby water, SNF, and salt are emulsified into butter oil in a process very similar to margarine manufacture." (<a href="https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/dairyscienceandtechnologyebook/chapter/butter-manufacture" target="_blank">https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/dairyscienceandtechnologyebook/chapter/butter-manufacture</a>/) So it seems there's more than one industrial-scale method of making butter that doesn't involve "old-fashioned" churning. Who knew?
@Barry Ancona Well, having gone on a few grade school outings to “historical“ sites, I’m very familiar with what an old-fashioned butter churn is. I even spent a few minutes working one — and boy, is it hard work! Perhaps some machines in industrial dairy works are actually called “churns,” and perhaps they aren’t. But the clue had resonance for me, and it was nostalgic to see the noun form of the word.
@Barry Ancona Are you messing with us? If someone else posted what you just did, you would reply, "An old-fashioned butter maker is a CHURN. The clue is fine."
@BA Coming across that clue some 24 hours after you did, my first thought was the same. How else does one make butter?
Stonelets, as it were. I knew the songs, but can't say as any of them qualify as earworms for me. A smooth Monday puzzle, thanks, Peter.
@Linda Jo I knew/know NONE of the songs. I have *heard of* TINY DANCER. Finished with a wrong/blank square at 41. Bah.