I was very confident in my made-up word, POOPART. Alas, it wasn't to be.
@Allison Did you read the column?
@Allison It would fit in well with poopular culture.
@Allison Poop art is what you get at the rear end of craftsmanship
Quite chewy, but interesting and lively fill. One query; what on earth were you all using at 2D before 2025?? Our brand new Grandson arrived last night. Beyond excited to meet him today, our reign as Grandparents begins. Apparently you can hand them back when they start crying, unlike when you’ve birthed them yourself and are stuck with the little blighters.
@Helen Wright Congratulations! I am grateful for every day as a grandfather.
@Helen Wright Congratulations! I'm 9 years a granny and every minute a joy.
@Helen Wright Congratulations! Enjoy that magical baby smell. Can't wait to join the club.
@Helen Wright Congratulation! To answer your question: Before 2025 we were using a driver's license that didn't have the words Real ID. If there's any other difference, I haven't a clue and would love to be informed.
@Helen Wright Congratulations! In our family we've had a complete switch: Four sons and three granddaughters. And... ... with their first names, our granddaughters are.. the A-team. ..
@Helen Wright Congratulations, you'll never be the same again.
@Helen Wright, 2025 was just the year when it was finally going to be required to travel by air, after many years of warnings. Half the country was panicking, and DMV office lines were blocks long. Many of us already had it for 20 years, since the “looming deadline” was first announced (I got mine in 2005). It just has some security enhancements over the previous versions of drivers licenses, and it’s more difficult to forge. Welcome to your Grandma era! I am also a new member of the club. It’s wonderful!
@Helen Wright - You are embarking on the best adventure ever. My only grandson is now in his first year of college, but many of my happiest memories the last ten years are the Road Scholar trips we took that are designed for grandparents and grandchildren - they are brilliant. Scotland, Wales, Iceland, and Tuscany - each one delightful. www.roadscholar.org
@Helen Wright Congratulations! The handover applies to soggy nappies as well! 😉 Good health and happiness to all.
@Helen Wright - We used ID without security enhancements. The RealID has several, including being linked back to our birth certificates. (Linked to passports, which link to birth certificates.)
@Helen Wright I got my mother a jacket from a [mostly T-shirt] shop in Ocean City MD that read: "If I knew grandchildren were this much fun I would have them first". She approved the sentiment but not the grammar. Alas she had given it away before she died so I couldn't inherit it. [The grammar bothers me a bit too.]
@Helen Wright Wow Thank you all for such kind thoughts. Just back from my first Grandma duties of cuddling, patting and changing two Punami nappies (diapers). Best day of my life! He’s absolutely gorgeous of course, with a full head of thick hair. Now I get to come home for a good nights sleep. Bliss.
I really didn't think I would see a picture of an echidna blowing a snot bubble today but here we are.
@Elbridge Gerry It’s definitely the best picture I’ve seen so far today, and it well probably remain so.
@Elbridge Gerry Thank you! I was about to ask someone what that creature was.
"This tiny blender doesn't purée anything!" "It's a small whirl after all." ("I have mixed feelings about that.")
@Mike If I reply to your comment I’ll be taking a big whisk
@Mike @Petrol I agree, however sometimes it’s all about immersion.
Mike, You really didn’t need the model that plays that Disney song as it merrily goes round. You’ve clearly given in to the process of “lifestyle: creepy”.
@Mike You could have gone in another direction... It's a Mall World Much to my sorrow. (Hate shopping.) A lot of folks have the mixer confused with the blender. Not the same. Let's see you make dough in the blender. Hah!
@Mike A whole new whirl! When mastication days are through No one to tell us, "Whoa" You better chew that slow! Or risk "finishing your season!"
@Mike Thank you for your words on processing your experiences, which clearly did not go smoothy, and foamented my recollections of the Osterizing Weekend movie I saw years ago, an Hauer and a half with Hurt and Bert and the others, another hot mess.
@Mike Back in the 70's we didn't need no stinking blenders; with a little ingested enhancement we easily imagined whirled peas
I'm with Sam on not knowing "rowdy" could be a noun, but M-W says it is true (second definition). This was my 1800th completed puzzle.
@Dave K. I only knew it as there’s a minor league soccer team in St Pete called the Tampa Bay Rowdies. I’m guessing their most fervent supporters are Rowdy hooligans.
Thanks everyone who supported me yesterday and ultimately convinced me to keep commenting. I’ll try to have a thicker skin, but I do hope we can not only be more thoughtful and respectful ourselves but speak up when we see inappropriate comments since the Times really can’t moderate everything—and recognize that everyone may have different limits about what is tolerable. Enough said. Anyways I could hardly stay away from a puzzle that references Reds fandom, even tangentially. I figured it had to do with wine but couldn’t pull the term out—in fact that corner almost stumped me until JICAMA crept out of the crevices of my brain. I loved this. It started a lot harder than it ended up for me, but a lot of sparkling entries and clueing. I especially liked a lot of the creative clues for some short answers —OWL, BIB, APB, TAN. Loved PLOPART, will definitely add that to my active vocabulary. I can certainly confirm the difficulty of 14 letter entries, this was an elegant grid under the circumstances, surprised they didn’t cave and just use a 14 x 16 (how do I know? Just submitted one myself, we will see if it flies). My only regret for the puzzle is the lack of a cleverer clue for ITSASMALLWORLD. Not that it’s a gimme—SPLASHMOUNTAIN has the same number of letters, ask me how I know—but get any piece of it and the rest is obvious, would have loved to have been stumped longer on such a fun entry. But overall tremendously enjoyable, and Rafael Musa rarely fails to deliver.
@SP I'm very glad for your decision. I missed the party yesterday, so for once I knew I wasn't to blame.
@SP Got one—how about “Disney cruise line?”
@SP I didn’t catch the full discussion, but I’m glad you’re still here. We can’t all agree on everything, but I think it would be a mistake to let some offensive comments keep you from speaking your mind. I believe the regular commenters are very respectful and open minded, for the most part, and it’s best to just ignore those who aren’t. Speaking only for myself, I find this forum (and the people who inhabit it) to be an invaluable source of sanity in a very insane time. ITSASMALLWORLD after all, and I’m glad to be part of this one.
@SP HAUNTEDMANSION also has the same number of letters...
@SP Glad you're here. But as a Cincinnatian, did you think even for a moment that "Reds' fandom?" might be CINCINNATI? (Yes, I know it's a Friday puzzle and I know the clue had a question mark after it, but it was hard for me to give it up.)
@SP I’m glad to see that you’re back! “Disney cruise line” is great!
@SP I wasn't surprised, after my reply to your post yesterday, that yours was gone. Glad to see you back.
I started to post this in Jaqui J's space, but rather than decided to use my own space. I like reading her posts. In the year I've been on this board, more than a few long-timers and prominent posters have taken hiatus. I'm not either of those two categories, but I had to throw in the towel at one point. Regrettably, I opted to resurface during this recent Great Southern Freeze-out. Perhaps going back in to the witness protection program is better suited for me again(?). I belong to only one other on-line forum, which is guitar-player oriented, and it's nothing like this one. It's much less contentious and essentially zero politics. I try to keep up my (now diminishing) writing skills through my memoirs and by posting a blog. That, and periodically going through algebra problems. There's always another X to solve. I want for SP, and several other great writers and scholars here, to continue to serve us with their artistic writing skills. I miss being around minds such as theirs since I've been retired. I gain lots of unique insight into what great minds think and I applaud their sharing it.
Fine Friday fun. Thanks, gents.
LIFESTYLE CREEP – Oh, perfect term! Gorgeous! Many TIL’s are instantly forgettable. This one is now etched in and I will think it when I see it. Mwah! Freshness: Nine NYT never-seen-before answers with their never seen before clues, including LIFESTYLE CREEP itself, as well as its antithesis (as Rex Parker brilliantly pointed out today) TINY HOME. Skilled cluing: Look at the one for OENOPHILIA, which in lesser hands would be given a direct clue, but here the clue is a misdirect, sounding baseball related -- Mwah again! My sheesh moment was when, with [Word with wax or butter], I fixated on the answer preceding those words, so when BEAN emerged, I actually spent more moments than I’d like to admit wondering what bean butter and bean wax were. I liked ICK sharing the grid with PLOP ART, as well as a trio of lovely smaller answers JICAMA, INLAY, and HIT UP. Lovely, skilled, and fresh – a satisfying jewel of a puzzle. High props, Geoffrey and Rafael, and a big thank you!
Bantu knot mention for Black History Month!!
My LIFESTYLE CREEP acquisition: a battery powered little whizzy doodad for frothing milk. To think I spent all these years just putting plain milk in my coffee!
@Cat Lady Margaret My blender makes great frothy milk.
@Cat Lady Margaret Yes! I have one of those somewhere. I usually drink my coffee black, but it was fun to whiz up some milk now and then. I think I got it at IKEA, but that was a long time ago.
@Cat Lady Margaret I had to quit coffee a month ago after a different NYT article commenter said it causes rosacea. My skin has improved since I quit a couple of months ago, but I sure miss coffee. :-(
I’m a big fan of Rafael Musa who seems like a happy person and whose puzzles always make me a happy solver. This first-time collaboration with Geoffrey Schorkopf was no exception. However, like Sam, I had never heard of 7Down and was ever so slightly disappointed that the L was not an O.
Hope to see all the aminophiles out for the peptide rally. Nice to see a puzzle with a bit of muscle and gristle to end the work week (for those who work).
Oops, forgot about the beanophiles. We (substitute for) meet at the gas station tomorrow.
Nice puzzle packed with some great debuts. I liked TINY HOME crossing LIFESTYLE CREEP. For some truly bad PLOP ART, here's Lucille Ball: <a href="https://time.com/4442285/lucille-ball-statue-scary-lucy" target="_blank">https://time.com/4442285/lucille-ball-statue-scary-lucy</a>/ Luckily, after 6 years, it was replaced with a better likeness.
@Nancy J. Update: It looks like Scary Lucy is still on display, but was moved 75 yards from where the new one stands in its place.
@Nancy J. The original looks like the Polish pope! (Please see my thread below)
"My echidna is missing!" "I'll issue an all-points bulletin." ("You're quilling me, Smalls")
@ad absurdum Wait a minute, what's going on here? Did you move to Munster, and more importantly, does one speak only in puns when that happens?
Tough one for me tonight but I learned a lot. I especially like "lifestyle creep", for its applicability to both one's behavior and certain public figures.
This was way too hard for me. The top half of the puzzle simply featured too many things I didn't know: REALID, ITSASMALLWORLD, JICAMA, HERS, [PLOP]ART, and GINSLING. I'm only somewhat aware of the word OENOPHILIA, but given how little crosses I had in that area, and how late-week the clue was, there was no way I would have been able to get it today. The result? I was so lost there I didn't even bother looking stuff up - I resorted to reveals. I've been a gamer for almost 40 years now and I've defeated thousands of bosses, if not tens of thousands. I've never used, heard or seen the term BOSS BATTLE - for me it's always been a BOSS *fight*. The entry was still a gimme, since "fight" didn't fit and "battle" was the only alternative that made sense (in a way), but I didn't like it one bit. I don't get why "Entered a bear market, say" solves to SLID. Any help, please? Of course it's not covered by the "tricky" clues section of the column. "A random selection of clues, explained", more like. Butter BEAN. Ok. But... Wax BEAN? BEAN wax? What's that? It always feels rotten to fail not because of clever misdirection but simply because the grid is so full of personal unknows. So no, I did not enjoy the solve.
@Andrzej A bear market on the stock exchange refers to a state of affairs wherein a majority of investors are selling, thereby causing stock prices to drop. This price drop is referred to as a "slide." Wax beans (the name comes from the texture) are among the nightmare foods of my childhood. They often came parboiled and in cans and at school and are the gustatory equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. Never had them fresh. Maybe they're better? Here's a nausea-inducing (for me) recipe: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT2-kTsla6I" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT2-kTsla6I</a>
@Andrzej Wax bean is similar to a green bean, string bean?, in shape and size, but a yellow color. To me, they don't really taste that much alike. Bulls and Bears are stock market terms. A Bull market is a rising market. A Bear market is a receding market, or a market that has SLID. And that is an extremely simplistic explanation.
@Andrzej Can't help with the rest, but the Bear Market in US lingo is when stock prices fall because of general lack of enthusiasm among buyers. A bear market is one in which prices are SLIDing downward. The opposite is a Bull Market. Personally, I think the whole system is Bee Ess, where the B can stand for either bear or bull.
Ok, apparently I'm familiar with wax bean, but under its Polish name of "fasolka szparagowa" (literally "asparagus little beans"). It's one of the staples of Polish cooking, and a favorite with peopleof all ages, including kids. It never comes from a can over here - we buy it fresh, cook in salted (and possibly slightly sugary) water, and serve with "zasmażka" - fine bread crumbs fried in butter. It's an absolutely delicious side dish. I'm hopeless with stock exchange terminology. I can never remember if a bear market is good or bad (it sounds like it might be good - big and strong, no?), and I've never heard of "slide" in this context, or at least I don't remember having heard it.
@Andrzej Wax BEANS are similar to green string beans but they’re yellow. I was curious about SLID too. I think “Entering a bear market” refers to a decline in the stock market so SLID refers to a downward trend? I only got it on the crosses. Sorry you didn’t enjoy the puzzle! It wasn’t that easy, but I lucked out with knowing a lot of the answers without lookups.
@Andrzej I had a terrible time with this one as well. I wrote a post about it, but the emus ate it for a midnight snack. No idea why, but I expect they will vomit it back up by breakfast time. By the way, I thoroughly enjoyed your pedestrian crossing. Those BMWs are not to be trusted… but I’m sure the pedestrian had it coming.
@Andrzej I think BOSS BATTLE might be more common in reference to JRPGs where you traditionally control multiple party members; “fight” would sound wrong to me if you’re talking about Final Fantasy VII or Chrono Trigger, but it would sound more apt to me if you’re playing, say, one of the Resident Evil games.
@Andrzej My experience is just the same plus not knowing PSY or ANGI. The 'iconic' ITS A SMALL WORLD doesn't sound very exciting so I looked it up - hundreds of singing dolls 'frolicking in a spirit of international unity'. I have no words.
@Matt - Andrezj, the 8th Amendment to the US Constitution forbids the cruel and unusual punishment of eating American-style wax beans. If only our mothers were constitutional scholars we would have been spared. They do show up in three bean salad, which some people like.
TIL PLOP ART. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I've never run across that phrase before. As a teacher of Aesthetics, I had a unit on the controversies over public art, focusing on Richard Serra's Tilted Arc and Maya Lin's Vietnam War Memorial. Knowing the word PLOP ART would have made that unit substantially more amusing. <a href="https://archiveofdestruction.com/artwork/tilted-arc" target="_blank">https://archiveofdestruction.com/artwork/tilted-arc</a>/ <a href="https://art21.org/read/the-black-gash-of-shame-revisiting-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial-controversy" target="_blank">https://art21.org/read/the-black-gash-of-shame-revisiting-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial-controversy</a>/
@The X-Phile I'm a Vietnam veteran. Was in a company known as 'hard-luck Alpha.' There are about 35 names on that wall from my company during my time there. And.. I'm still in touch online with many members of that company, including our commanding officer who eventually became a general. As to the attitudes about the wall... I don't care. Those who were there know what it was like, and the misconceptions spread by those who opposed the war are... whatever. Doesn't matter. There's us and there's everybody else and that's it. ....
@The X-Phile I didn't realize that the VietNam War Memorial had been so controversial. When I stood there, its power was overwhelming. I found my classmate's name, thinking of his sister Pam and his mother (a nurse when I had surgery)... Stevie was only 19. I don't know how anyone can stand there without weeping.
@The X-Phile I remember when they put up the "bubblegum" statue of Albert Einstein, plopped down on a bench in DC. (Robert Berks.) It was not well-received at the time, but the tourists love to have their picture taken sitting in his lap. Anything by Richard Serra is terrible, or maybe I'm missing something?
@The X-Phile Yes, that one was new to meas well. But the crosses were kind enough.
Fantastic Friday grid. It was a fun solve for my evening. At the LAST SECOND, I noticed Dr P is back today! Glad to see you changed your mind @SP. This forum wouldn’t be the same without you. Thank you to Geoffrey and Rafael for starting off my weekend without any RED FLAGS 🚩
@Jacqui J I presume that you aren't talking about me....
So many personal resonances in this excellent puzzle! Let's start with Ursula K. LeGuin's *The LATHE of Heaven*. "Eighty dolls yelling 'small girl after all'": <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4WfWZPCnn8&list=RDn4WfWZPCnn8&start_radio=1" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4WfWZPCnn8&list=RDn4WfWZPCnn8&start_radio=1</a> (Sorry for the bad lyrics video, but for a hoot, watch the official one with the CC turned on!") "When I look at you, I see a rotund little budget-friendly me": <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZDwrzOkC6GI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZDwrzOkC6GI</a> [Tiny feature of a spork] gave me a bit of a problem, despite being a backpacker--I would call them "tines." My sporks have tiny clips, presumably so one could clip them to one's tool-belt, but I doubt that's a standard feature. But why has the spork never caught on, outside of the Great Outdoors? Eminently practical, especially when served apple pie, or birthday cake, a la mode. But here's my linguistic discovery of the day: "Spork" was originally a proprietary trademark--this I knew, although I'm not sure who held, or holds the trademark. But "Spork" was already an entry in the 1909 edition of the Century Dictionary, where it was described as "a 'portmanteau-word'". Wait! The term "portmanteau-word" was coined by Lewis Carroll, in *Though the Looking-glass*, which was published in 1871. By 1909, was the term common enough to be used as a descriptor in a dictionary entry? Finally, @Andrzej, I'm now reading Natalie Haynes' book of essays on (monstrous) women in Greek mythology, so a picture of a cute little echidna was happy coincidence!
@Bill I got my nephews titanium sporks one Christmas - they were planning a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch, and weight saving is at a premium there.
@Bill I loved Le Guin’s Lathe of Heaven. For a neighboring take on a similar theme, check out Thomas Palmer’s Dream Science. I’m due for a reread of both.
@Bill No one ever calls *me* cute when I blow snot bubbles
@Bill - LeGuin is one of my favorite writers -- and LATHE of heaven one of her more memorable works. It is too bad that the movie version of it has such poor production values -- it really could have been made much more thoughtfully.
@Bill I understand the spork to be a modern coinage, but not a modern invention. I remember my grandmother’s silver had small spoons with tines at the edge. We used them for pie ala mode. I was taught that they were called runcible spoons, a word I believe was made up by Edward Lear, used in his poem “The Owl and the Pussycat,” a childhood favorite of mine. This was in the early 1960s.
Great collaboration! Enjoyable solve, as always, when Mr. Musa is involved. JICAMA was my favorite afternoon treat when I worked at a hospital in East LA. The street vendors served it with chile powder and lime juice, sometimes mixed with watermelon. Yum! If only I could have had a GINSLING to go with it. Happy Friday!
@Valerie That sounds like a recipe I made called Rooster's Beak (Pico de Gallo). Lots of salsas get called Pico de Gallo, but this one really does look beak-like (the chile or paprika tints the white jicama pieces).
@Valerie I have no idea what JICAMA is but as you describe it it sounds delicious 😃 The internet describes it as tasting like a cross of a potato and kohlrabi. Nice. I'd love to try it one day.
@Andrzej - Water chestnut warmed and wrapped in US-style crispy bacon, held together by a toothpick. Add a warmed honey sauce to dip in.
this puzzle on reflection is a classic reason being it's not reliant on overused tropes - its one banger after another and funny! deriving meaning is always way more fun than recycling trivia kudos to editors thank the Universe Bezos doesn't own the Times
@acjones Yes, the once proud Washington Post. 🪦 RIP
@acjones I grieve over what happened to WaPo. I won't cancel, but I'm not likely to renew. Also, I upgraded my NYT Times sub from just Games to the whole package. It's no mystery why they are losing subscribers, when they are removing all the things that had made it good. Strange they can't figure that out.
The only time you would hear "OLE" at any football stadium in Brasil is if it were an international match against a Spanish/Hispanic team. No Brazilian says "OLE" at football matches! (The editors presumably know that Portuguese is spoken in Brasil). One might yell many things -- three letter examples could include "GOL", "OBA" or "PQP!" :)
@Super8ing "Ole" is so worn out it should be outlawed from weekend puzzles. But as you point out — if you're going to use it, use it correctly.
@Super8ing I'm not Brazilian. I've never been to a soccer match in Brazil. But a little research tells me the clue is fine. Questions for you and Jake: 1. Are you Brazilian? 2. Have you ever been to a soccer match in Brazil? 3. Did you do any research before making your assertion? 4. Are you sure? Note: I don't claim to be sure. But I assume the constructor and editors did some research, just like I did. <a href="https://www.italki.com/en/post/question-250765" target="_blank">https://www.italki.com/en/post/question-250765</a> <a href="https://supercampbrazil.com/home/ole-brazil-soccer" target="_blank">https://supercampbrazil.com/home/ole-brazil-soccer</a>/
Very good cluing today, misleading but clever with that 'OOHHH' payoff you want. I had a real tough time with OENOPHILIA cause I hadn't heard of the word, I kept thinking it was about Cincinnati Reds fans and the crossings were tricky. While I have heard of Singapore Sling I hadn't heard of GINSLING so I kept triyng to make it SINSLING or GUNSLING. Then I kept thinking PROP ART instead of PLOP ART. Then in SW area for the Swiss army knife clue I kept thinking it was OMNITOOL or POLYTOOL which made it tough to get any of the crossings until LIFESTYLE CREEP finally clicked.
Unique mini puzzle today. Joel has really been rocking it lately. I love the creativity coming out in his puzzles.
@Judith Fairview I did not care for it.
This was a buttery, smooth solve with *just* the right amount of brow-squinching for me. Heading to the airport to trade slush, ice, and frostbite for palm trees,'ocean, and my other man-kid. Happy Friday all! Treat yourself to something extra.
Typical tough Friday for me with more than a couple of complete unknowns as clued. Had to google a couple of things and then it was just a lot of working the crosses until finally dawned on me. Ended up being an enjoyable workout. And... ... my usual puzzle find today. A Monday from September 8, 2014 by Dan Schoenholz. Three 'theme' answers in that one, though they were not identified as such and they all had straightforward clues: BOOKOFMORMON DOORTODOOR VOODOODOLL And the 'reveal': "Milestone birthday, informally ... with a hint to 20-, 31-, and 41-across." THEBIGFIVEOH Always nice to find something a bit different. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/8/2014&g=39&d=D" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=9/8/2014&g=39&d=D</a> ...
This was a terrific grid with a few (too few) standout clues including [Reds' fandom] and . . . Hmm, guess that's it.
@John Carson Sweet put down, respect!
@John Carson, somebody posited the other day that the puzzles in the last two weeks, which seem decidedly easier, could be catering to the wider audience the NYT is seeking with the barrage of ads to share one’s subscription with family members. I think that’s an interesting theory, because there’s no question that the late-week puzzles have been easier than usual recently. I hope we go back to the more typical meaty challenges soon. While it’s exciting to have personal-record-breaking solve times, I prefer the satisfaction from finishing a difficult puzzle.
I had "LIFESTYLEGREED" for a while...
It's only a few hours before the next puzzle is released, but I've seen so many comments complaining about, and arguing against, "rowdy as a noun", that I have to step in. Of course our esteemed columnist made a complaint as well, and I tried to be quiet, but I'm just getting a bit too annoyed at the lack of knowledge being exhibited - especially by a professional wordsmith being paid to write about words and word games - to not chastise those who are less well read than they should be. Of course rowdy is a noun. Has been for close to 200 years (Merriam-Webster says the first know use as a noun was in 1832). Don't think so? Even the quintessential American man of letters, Mark Twain, used "rowdy" as a noun: "The blackbird is a perfect gentleman, in deportment and attire, and is not noisy, I believe, except when holding religious services and political conventions in a tree; but this Indian sham Quaker is just a ROWDY [emphasis added], and is always noisy when awake--always chaffing, scolding, scoffing, laughing, ripping, and cursing, and carrying on about something or other". <a href="https://www.twainquotes.com/Crow.html" target="_blank">https://www.twainquotes.com/Crow.html</a>
@Grumpy, I often feel that columnists are not on point. I feel like they should be verifying that their assertions are accurate before posting a column. At the very least, the editors should catch the inaccuracies. I'm familiar with rowdy as a noun, being well read and a class A word nerd. But had i not known it, I would have looked it up.
@Grumpy I clicked on my own link, and got a "site can't be reached" error. After a bit of faffing about, I think the non-HTTPS (non-secure) site works, but you can decide for yourself if you want to try it: <a href="https://www.twainquotes.com/Crow.html" target="_blank">https://www.twainquotes.com/Crow.html</a> Or just search "Twain quotes crow" No matter how you find it, it is (as expected, given the author) worth a read.
@Grumpy I think the issue is not that it exists, but in this era is completely antiquated that people just don’t use it as a noun and are rarely ever exposed to it as such. Having to quote Mark Twain doesn’t help much in that regard. For these, usually the puzzle has to give a hint that it’s an archaic meaning, something like “rowdy, quaintly”
I had a hard time getting started in this one. Probably because I tried cincymania and cincymafia for reds fandom. I groaned when the wine connection became clear, and then the puzzle fell into place. Is PLOPART really a term that people use? I liked LIFESTYLECREEP, as an entry, not a mode of being.
Am I just getting dumber? When I started doing these puzzles a few years ago, I had lots of difficulty and needed many lookups— no surprises there, and no shame. But then I got better and for a long time, I was cruising through most puzzles with only an occasional hiccup. But lately… I’m seeing lots of “easy” comments about puzzles that were very challenging for me. Today, I got stuck early on and had to turn on “check puzzle” mode before I was even halfway through. I haven’t done that since the early days. Is it just me? Or are some recent puzzles objectively harder than the norm? Maybe it’s just brain numbing from the barrage of current events, but I’m starting to think I need to practice drawing some clocks.
@Heidi This puzzle's difficulty, for me, hearkened back to those of a few years ago. Which I am glad of. I've been cruising through most recent puzzles myself and have missed the crunch. So no, I'm guessing you have not gotten dumber. As for brain numbing, I don't know about yours, but I do think sometimes that happens to me. For the same reason you mention.
@Heidi I think my first reply got emu'd from quoting your question about yourself. Re-posting with a slight rewording. This puzzle's difficulty, for me, hearkened back to those of a few years ago. Which I am glad of. I've been cruising through most recent puzzles myself and have missed the crunch. So no, I'm guessing you have not gotten less smart. As for brain numbing, I don't know about yours, but I do think sometimes that happens to me. For the same reason you mention.
Just finished the LA Times crossword (am I allowed to say that here?) and it was co-constructed by Geoffrey Schorkopf. What are the odds of having two puzzles come out on the same day? I was happy to see his name because I thoroughly enjoyed today’s NYT puzzle and he did not disappoint. Check it out!
@Valerie I solved that one before this one. Did you notice OWL was a parliament member in that one?
I believe Mr. Musa and Robyn Weintraub must ritually ingest before constructing the same mysterious psychedelic which induces in the user a trance-like state resulting in exquisitely artful and delightful clueing. One of my favorite setters and a cleansing Friday grid.
@Matt I've been desperately wishing for trance-like states for months now.
Can someone explain how Mason solves to HARDHAT? I don’t see any reference to that as a name for a mason.
@Larry R HARDHAT can be a generic term for construction workers, plant workers, etc. That said, I don't know if I've ever seen a residential construction worker wear a hard hat.
@Larry R A mason, (e.g.) is a construction worker who would wear a hard hat. Especially working high up on a job site, maybe.
ohhhh those clues!! misdirected on several, so fun to finish i love it when i see a puzzle and i think it's gonna be so hard, and then i get it happy friday, everyone!
I feel like LIFESTYLECREEP could also be used to describe most social media influencers.
Webster's answer to Sam's question about the noun "rowdy" is: since 1865 rowdy 2 of 2 noun plural rowdies : a rowdy person : tough First Known Use [as a noun] 1865, in the meaning defined above (<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rowdy" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rowdy</a>)
@Grumpy I was thinking someone would make this comment! I've used rowdy as a noun, although certainly not often. It's funny because it's archaic and prim sounding.
I felt like I was moving slowly, especially in the SW. I then finished well below my Friday average. I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle, both the clueing and the fill. LIFESTYLECREEP is terrific. I’ve been a car nut all my life and fondly remember my folks 1954 Ford wagon, lacking absolutely everything I take for granted in my 11 year old Subaru.
The clues were tilted just enough to keep me guessing (which I try to avoid), and had me heading off in wrong directions. (Something) greed? Is there a team called the gUBS? Looking back, it all seems so confident and solid, very professionally cool, but solving it, well, that was a bit of a challenge. When oenophilia emerged, I did a forehead slap and saw the red. I had been so fixated on a sports team that I felt like some dumb hooligan off the street, with no class at all. Dario, it isn't easy to pull off a Thursday with just plain old ordinary, sophisticated cluing, but you did it, and with a debut puzzle. Congratulations.
@dutchiris If it's OK for a team to be called the Dubs, why not the Gubs? Anyway, I had GREED up there as a guess as well, until I couldn't make anything work with it.
@SamCorbin While I bristled a little at the hooligan clue, our local pro Soccer team is the Tampa Bay Rowdies, so I guess it makes sense.
@Dawn But try it in the singular (as HOOLIGAN is) and it's really....No.
An echidna blowing snot bubbles from the edge of its snifter? Nothing to snift at. Love that photo choice, Sam. Excellent puzzle, Geoffrey and Rafael, thanks. I dithered a bit at 55D, clam and oyster BarS, and 62A, BEes wax or butter. "The ambiguity is criminal." That applies beyond the puzzle these days.
@Linda Jo Well, there's BEE Bread, but no BEE Butter, so my first thought (which of course was BEE) had to be edited.
Really liked this puzzle, felt spot on for a Friday. Thanks, G & R.
Great clues, no groaners, awesome Friday
There was a very active thread that covered several topics, and now it is deleted. Why? One of the topics was about deletion of comments. How ironic and frustrating for those participating that it was deleted. I wish NYT would err on the side of not deleting comments. If some comment is inappropriate, commenters typically are quick to call it out. I prefer freedom of expression, as long as one is not personally attacking someone (or something) in a hateful manner.
@Jim The deletion of that threading yet more proof of the low standards of moderation on this board. It's all arbitrary, unprofessional and disrespectful.
Wow, geez. Personally, I don't mind if my more boorish comments get removed, I probably deserved it. I had some great laudatory comments for Andrej and Nora that evidently were deemed unfit for public consumption. It does make me wonder if someone on this board has the power to pick and choose which ones are deemed worthy of this great media giant and report back to the mother ship. Wait, that's too conspiracy theoretic, I digress. I've posed this question previously as to how Flags are handled in this forum. Does it depend on how many flag the topic? Who does the flagging? Is it the same with the highly unbiased articles written by this great example of American media at its best? Eh, maybe an SP-inspired absence is in order.
@Jim I had two comments on the subject of cryptids blocked yesterday. Nothing saucy whatsoever, but they never appeared.
Similar to Sam and other solvers, I also got silly on 7D. But mine was PopfART, as in a very made-up term for pop art. Delightful.
Fridays always make me reflect on how bad I am at crosswords. Oh well. Challenging and some clever clues. Thank you, creator. Cheers.
Still new to the crosswords...this was close to a Friday PR for me! My mark of shame though is failing to understand TOTALLIE to the point that I googled it multiple times and couldn't figure out why no one was asking what a "totallie" was. Now, a "total lie"-- that I understand!
Joanie, We call that a DOOK. It has happened to all of us. (Eventually you DO OK.)
It’ll take weeks to get that ear-worm* out of my head, otherwise enjoyed this one very much. *not spelled out in case you dislike it as much as I do.
@Jeanne Give this a try. Give into the ear worm. Listen as intently as you can for a while. See if it goes away. If it doesn't go away, introduce a new one to combat it.