39A. You may recognize SYLVAN from the following: Pennsylvania. Penn's woods. Transylvania. Beyond the woods. Spotsylvania County, VA, named in Latin for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood, later the great-great-grandfather of Robert E. Lee. PS. Deb Amlen would be a columnist emerita, not emeritus.
@Steve L I grew up in PA, so I should have gotten that one a lot faster than I did
@Steve L I recognized it from Lord of the Rings. The Silvan [sic] Elves are also known as the Woodland Elves
@Steve L There were figurines called Sylvanian Families, but when I looked it up, the US version was Calico Critters!
@Steve L I was going to say something the last time Sam called Deb our columnist emeritus, but I didn't. Hope she reads your correction.
@Steve L I personally don't like the female version of gendered terms, like emerita or actress. A lot of the time they come across as condescending, as though we need to specify that the person in question is a lady because it would usually be a man. See: poetess. Like a real poet, but a girl! Imagine that! I also have some very personal beefs with gendered languages, but that's a rant for another day.
Steve L, I first learned about ‘sylvan’ things stumbling around in the woods staring at my Silva compass, as a tenderfoot in the Scouting movement. One of the leaders explained about the Latin word, and a couple of us actually listened.
@Steve L If Deb were nonbinary and went by they/them, would it be "emeritum"? On that note, is there a nonbinary version of "sir" or "ma'am"?
@Steve L <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emeritus" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emeritus</a> No association with gender. Yes, I'm aware of the Latin, but it can now be used with anyone.
@Steve L Or, somewhat fittingly in light of the Potter clue, Boris and Natasha's famed home base of Pottsylvania. ' In Boris and Natasha: The Movie, it borders the fictional nations of "Wrestlemania" and "Yoursovania" '
Perfect throwback to pre-2020 Friday puzzles in terms of the difficulty level. Overall I found it quite tough but fair. More of these please!
This was really fun, but over too fast. BLOVIATES is one of my favorite words. I was after all once a lawyer. I liked having a clue for lab access point refer to a PETDOOR, while the clue to the answer next to it [Yellowish canines] solved to GOLDTEETH. That’s doggone clever. CULDESAC for [You can’t cut through it] was quite nice too.
@Marshall Walthew And one who BLOVIATES suffers from logorrhea. L
"You made it to the ice cream shop!" "Yeah, it was kind of a rocky road, though." ("Probably lots of cone-gestion.")
@Mike What a scoop! A sundae feature, that dishes the dirt!
@Mike If that's true, you've got a scoop. Maybe they repaved that road with quartz.
@Mike Yes, ind-Edy.
Mike, Here in Canada, to save time we can just Skip the Delicious. (It’s like Ooo! Brrr Eats!)
@Mike did you have to cross 31 pavers?
A beautifully crafted collection of culs de sac that made me back up and try over, again and again. The first word I spotted was GEST, but didn't risk writing it in because I thought I was being smart-alecky, then hesitated (briefy) about the SEX SHOP fill. I circled the grid, filling in and not filling in, delighted by what must be mistakes that led me to solid fills, and came to a halt in the NW corner. Suddenly I felt like a dolt because it was all so simple, and clicked together like a jigsaw. Thank you, Adrian, I was feeling really down when I started and finished it smiling. A delightful puzzle.
@dutchiris SEXSHOP was originally SEaSide, changed to SEaSite, toSEXSite and eventually to the right answer. I guess the fact that I stuck with "sea" for so long indicates it's been a while.
@dutchiris Admiring the plural of cul-de-sac. Brava!
I think the clue for the Midi’s 26 down needs to be “Exhilarate, with ‘up’,” not “Exhilarates.”
@Chris Johnson Yes, and 8 down has the wrong pluralization too (“Make arrangements” clues PREP not PREPS - should be “Makes arrangements”). Two objectively incorrect clues in the same midi puzzle is very unexpected.
@Chris Johnson These clues (now?) read as suggested, in my online version.
I am going to tell a joke, and tell you why I told the joke, and none of this has anything to do with the puzzle, other than possibly 32D or 51A. You've been fairly warned. A elderly guy walked into a bar and ordered a scotch, a gin and tonic, an old fashioned, and a beer. He'd take then all over to a table and drink them, taking random sips for each. He did this every day for a couple weeks. The bartender finally asked why. Guy said, he was vet, and while he and his fellow vets couldn't get together, they all separately order each others favorite drinks, and it was the next best to actually getting together. One day the guy stopped ordering the gin and tonic. After observing this for a couple of days, the bartender sympathized with him--"Sorry. Looks like you lost one of your friends." "What? Oh, no. It's just that the doctor told me I couldn't drink anymore." My doctor had bad news for me the other day. She doesn't want me drinking anymore. I wish it worked like in this joke. I'm sure some of you have been told the same thing. I really don't think I'm a lush, but my liver disagrees. 14Ds don't do much for me anymore, so I'm not sure how I'm going to color my world any longer. Everything looks grayed out.
@Francis one day at a time is all I can say, xx
Have you ever thought about getting a dog? Mine have brought a lot of joy to my life over the years.
@Emily That's so funny you ask! I love dogs the moment I see them. Otherwise I never think about them. But... my wife is a HUGE dog nut. So I've had at least one (and most three) dogs in my life and house and bed for the past 35 years. Now, as I said, I truly love these dogs. They act a little sick and I get sick, too. And as each of them passed on, I truly, genuinely grieved (picking up the ashes of one of them a few weeks later, the nice girl at the counter had to come around and hug me). But for the very rare times we were left with zero, I couldn't help but notice how much simpler life was without dogs. Moreover, exiting the grieving period, I wasn't looking forward to going thorough that ever again. So, thanks so much for the kind, thoughtful suggestion. But yes, I have had a life with dogs. And every single one of them brings a tear to my eye even now. So I'm perfectly willing to admit dogs have made my life richer, though not simpler. 😀
@Francis Never too late to sample a low-dose edible provided by a knowledgable friend or purveyor or both...
@Matt I'm sure that ultimately it'll be a way of moving vices around. But my Prime Directive is that anytime I'm challenged in anyway I work very hard at feeling as deeply sorry for myself as I can. Just one of the features that make me such a hale fellow well met.
@Francis I used to drown my sorrows in alcohol for several years, but then I had my liver examined and I was told I had to stop. So I did. And you know what? I don't mind it. I didn't touch alcohol for months, to let my liver regenerate in peace, and these days I limit myself to beer, wine - not in excess though - and an occasional, small brandy. Being (mostly) sober improved my physical and mental health, so even though things around me are still largely depressing, I'm feeling OK. I'm no ray of sunshine in a gray world, of course, but life's liveable.
@Francis I like the joke. Funnily, I have recently decided to disrupt my own habitual consumption of alcohol, and within just a month, I’ve been surprised to observe my *taste* in beer, which had previously been quite stable for a ~couple decades, shifting subtly. Based on this experience, it seems pretty clear that my personal biome has somehow been reinforcing my drinking proclivities (which have mostly been mild as far as the spectrum of such consumption goes…but well above levels that Joe Biden’s surgeon general would have endorsed) in much more specific ways than I would have guessed. And it’s been interesting to *feel* some downstream effects of what I infer/assume to be changes in layers that are know to affect the psyche, but aren’t amenable to direct introspection. Anyway, best of luck with your changes.
@Francis It's drinking season for me. Which is to say that on Tuesday night, I celebrated Purim with a tablespoonful of wine. (Dalton Moscato white, a little sweet but very nice.) I woke up Wednesday in hell. Apparently, I bear the Ashkenazi gene that makes alcohol its own punishment. :-( But Everest awaits -- the Passover seders. Four -- count 'em, four! -- cups of wine each night. At least, they're not 8-oz. cups, they're spaced out over hours, and you need only drink the majority of each individual cup, not drain it dry--but it's still a challenge for me. So, Francis, know that I share your unhappiness when faced with what is for most everyone else a lovely pleasure -- just from the opposite end of the spectrum. There are lots of lovely non-alcoholic drinks, I keep telling myself. Le-chayim!
@Francis Yep. Grayed out. Exactly. For 10 years, hubby and I celebrated anything and everything, daily and with cocktails. A vodka spritzer with Italian blood orange juice was perfectly poured and beautifully waiting for me. Every day. In April, I nearly lost him. No more booze for him. Not a sip. Ever. It was a gut punch to our silly, rebellious lifestyle. We felt just as you do now. No color. Our Elixir for Life was taken from us. We felt mad and quite lost. Hubby soon found gummies are pretty cool. And I've found my cocktails are not daily (not even weekly), nor are they as much fun as I'd imagined. (I did find a hypnotherapy app I listened to before bed and it was surprisingly relaxing and effective. Weird, but any port... I *refused* to find "hobbies" to fill my time like I'm just waiting to be old enough to check out. I've found- I love some stuff. Making and eating delicious food, planning vacations, watching great movies (and actually remembering what we watched). I love constructing and solving puzzles. I love sleeping like a baby and waking up with big plans for the day. I'm finding cool, bright, new light in nooks where the booze was casting dark shadows. Anyway, I hear ya. Just allow the notion that the grayed out world you're seeing is dulled by the drinking. There's color behind the bottles. Bunches of colors. But for now, I'm sorry. That sucks.
@Francis Yesterday I replied to your comment with a beautifully composed, insightful, deeply caring and meaningful comment. Unfortunately, I did not copy it before I left the site, because it was actually so bland and pedestrian that it never occurred to me the wretched emus would ax it. Essentially, all I said was that it's harder to not do something you want to do than it is to do something, so avoid situations where you were accustomed to having a drink and go for a walk, lift weights, write comments, whatever for a while, until you get used to liquor-less days. Cranberry juice is actually pretty good, so when others are bending an elbow and you can't get away, try a glass of something else.
@Francis I don't know that I could possibly add anything to the lovely and enlightening comments you've been given here, but I feel for you. Though it'll end up being for the best, I'm sure, it's a harder than usual time to give up a coping mechanism. Wishing you the best, as always!
@Francis The joke is really funny; what you're going through, not at all. Please be brave, be strong, and seek out healthy alternatives and resources to see you through (hypnosis, acupuncture, substitution, etc.) Onward and upward until the colors come back – Here's rooting for you!
@Francis Thanks you so much, everybody, for your kind words. It's great having friends.
@Francis I have no advice for you that others here haven't already done. I have no story of how low one can go, etc., etc. All I can say is, JUST DO IT. AA for me, was a waste of time. I only lasted about a month's worth of meetings. The local AA gang here just isn't for me. I had a 7 month alcohol-free stretch starting last April, through Sober October, and the end of November 2025. I never felt so good. I slept well, thought more clearly, and ate better. After the first 3-5 days of zero alcohol, the first thing that I noticed was my mind was well on the way to it's former sharpness. After a month, my organs had already started to rejuvenate. Then, I felt my energy return. I noticed my cravings for sugar increase, but that, too, subsided. After 3-4 months, my metabolism was getting back on track, and little annoying internal medical issues subsided. I was a 2-pack-a-day smoker from 1980 to 1995, and quit that. Lungs cleared up and rejuvenated in about 10 years. Life was good. Then, recently, I gradually started introducing small amounts of alcohol and tobacco back into my system last November, and am sorry I ever tested the waters. Now, I notice redness in my face whenever I drink a 7-9% ABV beer. I drink wine about 4 nights a week, and hate it, because it interrupts my sleep. I now know that my liver, once again, needs a break. I have an occasional cigarette, just for the buzz, but I just stopped that now. I just want my mind, my metabolism and my old self back. DO IT!
@Francis the original version of that joke is the guy in the Irish bar on St. Patrick’s Day.
In a few weeks, I will taking a roundabout drive from Florida to a tennis tournament in Houston. The drive will take about 10 days. Among other things (namely restaurants), one reason I'm doing the drive is to further my goal of visiting all 450 units of the National Park Service. As of 2021, I had been to all the units East of the Mississippi, but this will be my first chance to visit the ones that Biden added. One of those new units I'll be visiting is the Medgar and Myrlie EVERS Home National Monument in Jackson. I was not familiar with the poem, but having that stop on my itinerary made 46A a gimme. Wouldn't have known/remembered the name otherwise
@Steven M. I actually thought that clue a little too over-explanatory-! I don't know of any well-known [Medgar] other than EVERS, and Medgar Evers College – part of CUNY – is practically right around the corner from me here in Brooklyn. The anthem is one of Nina Simone's; to my knowledge not a poem, but a romping tune. I like to link to the artist's channel when possible (as here), but look for other videos on YouTube of her live performances: <a href="https://youtu.be/WoLWMv9E7iU?si=z5Q0FH0rnGfEWSUO" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/WoLWMv9E7iU?si=z5Q0FH0rnGfEWSUO</a> ... I'm grateful this was a gimme for me, because it was the *only* fill I had in that section for ages and ages. And an FL-to-Houston trip immediately brought to mind all the great food along the Gulf coast. Yum!
I humbly nominate 31D [Shelters some look to when duty calls?] resolving to TAXDODGES to be one of the slyest commentaries on who pays for America and who doesn't. "When duty calls"...not when narrow interest calls.
@Francis duly noted, & note this, too: a duty is a form of tax
Now that was awsome! The puzzle seemed inpossibly hard at first, but then it began to open up bit by bit. For the first time in what? two weeks? - we've been presented with some proper misdirection in the form of multiple truly puzzling yet ultimately gettable clues. I was afraid I would have to resort to lookups in the trivia-heavy SW corner but in the end I managed to handle it without crosses. Last June Adrian Johnson had one of the least enjoyable puzzles of my life published, but today he has redeemed himself in my eyes 🤣 Now for some Polonica - I liked the clue for PET DOOR (mostly because it reminded me of Jorge the Lab, gone but not forgotten), but the thing itself is unknow over here: our houses have no pet doors. Is it about security? Our climate being cold for much of the year? I'm not sure, but I'm betting on the former. Poles like their doors super-sturdy, thick, made of steel, with bolts akin to those on bank vaults. I suppose it's a 1990s thing - after the collapse of the old regime in 1989 crime rates skyrocketted due to a (temporary yet painful) collapse in living standards, making Warsaw one of Europe's most dangerous cities. These days things are very different - Warsaw is prosperous and super safe - yet old habits remain, encouraged by insurance companies: to get the best rates for your home you have to have those heavy, bolted doors.
@Andrzej I think I tend to be more security conscious than the average American. I think that owes more to my guinea pig-like tendency to stay out of trouble, than to the neighborhoods I grew up in, which were by no means "mean streets". Nevertheless, I tend to use almost every lock that is available. My greatest freedom is in Grand Marais, where I don't bother locking up in the day time.
@Francis Locks! Again, they are an insurance concern here. To get the best rates, you need to have two tamper-resistant, unpickable locks on your main door, unless the door is equipped with those vault-like bars: then one lock is OK. Poles loved their locks even before 1989. One type, called Skarbiec (literally: vault or treasure trove), came with a huge, complex key, that required you to not only turn in the lock but manipulate it in specific ways, pulling on it and pushing in sequence, and possibly changing the direction of the rotation. Of course, thieves knew all the variations of Skarbiec locks, so they were no problem for them. But boy, were they annoying for normal people! Back then it was standard for neighbors to water plants for one another when people went on holiday. Learning your neighbors' Skarbiec lock trick was such a chore! But people still did it, as community spirit was a thing. Now both Skarbiec locks and neighborly love are gone...
@Andrzej 🤣 "..thieves knew ... so they were no problem for them. But boy, were they annoying for normal people! " Basically the story of every security device ever created, mechanical or digital.
I wish the midi and mini had their own forum… no offense to anyone here who wants to discuss them, but it can get confusing when comments show up here with no context. I’m often left wondering how I missed a particular clue until I read a reply and realize “oh, midi.” Happy birthday to Adrian’s foam pit. What a great metaphor.
@Heidi, 💯 recommends for your comment.
PURA VIDA! That's exactly what it says on the well worn tee shirt my nephew sometimes wears when he visits from Costa Rica, where it's pretty much a national saying. This made me think of him, and that always makes me smile. I wouldn't have minded if it was a little tougher, but how could I not love a puzzle with such great clues for START BUTTON, SEX SHOP, PINKY SWEARS, GOLD TEETH, CUL DE SAC and TAX DODGES? Then there was BLOVIATES. What a perfect word, even though it made me think of someone I'd really rather not think of, especially in the morning. And finally, SYLVAN. It has so much more atmosphere than plain old WOODED, which brought to mind, "In the Pines" <a href="https://youtu.be/2MkfTYPmLlA?si=HOlTZ8eetYM7W8Q" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/2MkfTYPmLlA?si=HOlTZ8eetYM7W8Q</a>- Thanks, Adrian. When I saw your name, I knew I was in for a treat.
Really liked this one! So many great clues, but the one for CUL DE SAC was delightful. I actually double checked halfway through the puzzle to see if Robyn was involved.
It was torturous… And ever so enjoyable! I don’t care that it took me 50+ minutes with absolutely no assistance whatsoever. This is what a Friday puzzle is supposed to be.
A very satisfying Friday. I’m slowly but steadily improving on the long, wordplay-y answers!
One of my faster Fridays. It orobably would have been faster if the puzzle hadn't sent me on a Wikipedia side trip that involved the entire article on Roald Dahl, several articles about planes that he either flew or shot down, his wife, Patricia Neal, who was the actor in "The Day the Earth Stood Still" who spoke the line "Gort...Klaatu, Barada, Nikto" (which, incidentally, stuck in one of my neighbor's head to the point that he has the phrase in brass letters across the front of his house), and Romanichal vardos (Dahl owned one that was used as a playhouse for his kids, and later as a writing room). I briefly and reflexively made a mental note to read more Dahl to my boys before remembering...oh yeah...they're middle-aged men now. I really enjoyed this puzzle. I am usually very cautious about filling in long entries without a lot of crosses, but i did so several times today. Really fun cluing, and very rewarding to figure out.
48A: Inuk refers to a singular person, and isn’t used interchangeably with Inuit. Humbly submit that the NYT crossword team takes some time to learn correct/contemporary usage around this, because I feel like I often come across misuse of Indigenous terminology here. Never mind some real dingers in the archive (Māoris, Eskimos etc). Not trying to word police, but this is actually just incorrect. As a Canadian solver these pop out at me pretty sharply. Just saying.
A Friday with an appropriate difficulty level! Thank you! BLOVIATES is such a good word. It conjures in my mind a fully-inflated puffer fish, mouth agape.
Much harder puzzle than the rest of the week and Fridays lately, with a lot of really satisfying clues. PINKY SWEARS for "Digital deals for young people". Love those kinds of clues that make you think about them a different way. Southwest area I have some problems with. I still have no idea how POTTER and GEST fit their clues at all. In the same area, EVERS, KATO and ARDOR right next to each other crossing PURAVIDA, none of which I'd ever heard of, basically a huge swath of clues all crossing each other requiring very specific esoteric knowledge. That entire area was one huge Natick.
@Chris 32A [Worker involved in firings?] is a POTTER who makes objects out of clay and fires them in a very hot kiln/oven. 46A Medgar EVERS was a well-known civil rights advocate.
@Chris What lucky13 said. Plus, ARDOR is a very common word, and the Green Hornet appeared several times on the popular camp 1960s “Batman” TV show. I found this area difficult too but with patience I was able to solve it without lookups.
@Chris <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gest" target="_blank">https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gest</a>
@Chris I agree on pura vida. I’ve been studying Spanish for years and have never seen it. Googling it, it’s usage seems to be limited to Costa Rica. Foreign words and phrases are fair game, but not words that many native speakers wouldn’t know.
@Chris you're so right - knowledge of Medgar Evers should NOT be esoteric. Not in the United States. Please, please take a few minutes on this Internet to learn a little about him.
Happy birthday to your dad. I've read this three times- "..he was a trustworthy foam pit who allowed my sisters and me to bounce and flip through the world with curiosity — a dependable resource and support system that never limited how high we could leap, but always cushioned us when we fell..." and it gets better every time. Hug 'em if you got 'em.
Loved the use of BALKAN... which I had initially written as BALcAN... which let PRANcED make a fool of me. 🙄 25:38 1710 day gold-star streak! 🌟
@PhilO I’m always learning about those of us who do these puzzles. Do you use any assistance at all? That’s over 4 1/2 years of a streak. I’m just wondering.
@PhilO @George @SteveL Thank you both.
My dad used to talk about his Uncle Wayne, married to his mother’s sister Lottie. We have a picture, a thin farmer in profile, holding a scythe. His real name was Sylvanus! Those wacky PA rural folks. We looked it up when I was younger and found that it means some kind of woodland deity. I’ve loved it and the word SYLVAN ever since.
@Hazel F "Sylvan" is a great word. Fun to read, fun to say, fun to hear. Thanks for the origin story.
@Hazel F How do you get Wayne from Sylvanus? They should have called him Forest.
Congrats to the seasoned CW veterans; I suspect most of you loved this one. For me it was brutal, but, gotta start somewhere. Cheers.
@Joe This one clocks in as Very Hard, which is just fine for us seasoned veterans; I'm sure the newbies had some salty words about it. From xwstats.com: 🌎 Global Stats Difficulty Very Hard Median Solve Time 17:02 Median Solver 16% slower ⚡27% of users solved faster than their Friday average. 9% solved much faster (>20%) than their Friday average. 🐢73% of users solved slower than their Friday average. 44% solved much slower (>20%) than their Friday average.
@Geoff Offermann I like to imagine we veteran veterans most enjoy puzzles that insist our minds wander. & when that delightful thing happens, who really wants to rush it?
Great cluing, and a few bad guesses made for a challenging and fun Friday. Thanks for the mental calisthenics, especially since I am still sitting on my hindquarters nursing my snow shoveling injury. PS I was TODAY years old when I learned that it wasn't spelled "calisthenTics"! LOL
Loved 6 Down! Sam Corbin is right-this word should be used more often. A one hour and 47 minute speech might be an example.
@Indy Puzzler I wonder who you're talking about. (The BLOVIATing comes more from the lack of substance than the amount of time wasted.)
I knew BLOVIATES only because within the last week I looked it up after it was used in an article about things said by you-know-who. It was easy enough to infer the meaning within the context, but I wanted the precise definition. The first time around, years ago, I learned the word "egregious" for how often it showed up in criticisms about you-know-who. So my vocabulary is growing. I just wish it wasn't with words I'd rather never have to use about anyone or anything. SYLVAN saved the day. Such a beautiful word. There is a neighborhood in Portland by the name of Sylvan Heights. Until now, I thought it was someone's surname. Now that I know better, I'll never again take that exit off the highway without feeling like I'm entering the lovely poetic aura of it. As for the puzzle itself, thank you Mr. Johnson for your cluing expertise that always challenges and humbles me, as well as for your constructor notes that are always inspired and wrapped in words of love and gratitude. I leave you all with Fleetwood Mac, TUSK: <a href="https://youtu.be/ATMR5ettHz8?si=4v_CJl1VZui6_Q5K" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ATMR5ettHz8?si=4v_CJl1VZui6_Q5K</a> Have a great weekend, everyone!
@sotto voce It’s refreshing to encounter a Fleetwood Mac spirit. Great mind!
@sotto voce, Your selection of TUSK is perfect! 🙏🏻
I posted this yesterday but it was kind of late in the day and I think it's worthy of more people seeing it. Cracked me up! Two favorites of NYT crosswords are SNL and Gen Z slang. For your viewing and edification pleasure: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw0ifECyfPI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw0ifECyfPI</a> As for this puzzle, very enjoyable! Little on the tougher side for me but ultimately I finished in about average time.... Or did I!? I failed by one square. Wah wah! I didn't know what sylvan meant (thanks for the tip you wrote earlier, Steve L), so WOOlEN seemed okay and TAXlODGES felt fair enough as a shelter. First I wondered if it was ski lodges, for people who had to do their business, meaning go to the bathroom. 😆 Just silly of me though. I don't do our taxes, but I have certainly heard of tax dodgers, so there was really no valid reason for me to not get it, since I did get the tax connection. It's all good! It was a fun puzzle! I always enjoy stacks! PURAVIDA, LIVINGLARGE, PINKYSWEARS, and LETSDOLUNCH were my favorites.
@HeathieJ Great link! I think I may have low key killed (un-alived?) a few terms in my life, as well. Sorry, kids. You weren’t alone at putting an L at that cross: I thought “tax lodges” seemed like perfectly reasonable places to hide your money, and for all I knew, “sylvan” was a kind of sheep. One blue star later, I learned a new word. Wah wah yay?
Putting on my Fact Boy hat… let’s talk about LUNCH. Not too long ago (okay, at least a few centuries) lunch wasn’t a thing. People cringed at what was then a contrived shortening of “luncheon”. (Think riz for charisma) And “luncheon” exclusively referred to a slab or even a hunk of something (hopefully) edible. E.g. a luncheon of cheese or a luncheon of meat. _Finally_ the time we now dedicate to the meal that we call lunch was largely ignored. People had dinner much earlier and would end the day with supper.
@Mishlev thank you factboy. I hope your facts are factual because I don't think I will investigate further, certainly not before supper
For much of my life I've known lunch from American TV only. Traditionally Polish people had breakfast at home (śniadanie), second breakfast (drugie śniadanie - a sandwich at work or school, say), dinner (obiad - a midday, substantial meal, at home on the weekend or at a work/school cafeteria on weekdays), podwieczorek (literally, pre-evening[meal] - a light snack around 5 pm), and supper (kolacja, a substantial, family meal in the evening). These days it's all much more fluid, and lunch has become a thing.
@Mishlev There is, or at least was, a class aspect to lunch in the UK, as ever. Working class people had a midday meal that was dinner, maybe a school dinner, served up by the dinner ladies. At the docks and factories there was a 5 o'clock hooter, and a huge swarm of people would head home for tea at about 5.30pm. This was a cooked meal. Around 9pm adults had a snack meal, called supper. My father always had an egg and toast. Now there are few factories and even fewer docks. Other folk: lunch - in the middle of the day, afternoon tea - a literal cup of tea, sandwiches and cakes at 4pm. Dinner - any time after 7pm, also called supper.
FILMED ARTSY VIDS RAW STARTBUTTON SLIP CAME PEAKED OHENRY OPENS S€XSHOP PRINTRUN TONS LIVINGLARGE
@Becky [Second try, first got emu'ed] What a chanson de GESTe! LETS DO LUNCH, and then maybe TEE UP my PIPE ΩRGΑN
@Becky I'm sorry, ma'am. Is this man bothering you?
@Becky RAW? I think that you may have broken the LAW?
One more puzzle find. A Thursday from February 7, 2008 by Kenneth G. Berniker. Some theme answers: VENUSTRAP WEIGHTBOXER THERESAINMYSOUP INFIELDRULE ZIPUPYOUR BYNIGHTER And the 'reveal': "Restricted space... or a hint to the answers to the six starred clues:" NOFLYZONE Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/7/2008&g=37&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/7/2008&g=37&d=A</a> ....
At no point was I sure I'd finish this puzzle, It was a "keep the faith" solve and Saturday-hard for me. And while I probably "suffered" too much to have had a rollicking good time, I did appreciate the fact that the difficulty was mostly in the fiendish cluing and not in a lot of pointless trivia. BLOVIATES was my big coup at the top of the puzzle. I got it off just the BL. Great clues: CUL DE SAC; OTC; GOLD TEETH; PINKY SWEARS; TAX DODGES. This last one I saw once I had TAX. I also was looking for some kind of TEETH and not some kind of dog, but couldn't fit YELLOW TEETH in. Are GOLD TEETH better than YELLOW TEETH? I'd say no -- after all, you can whiten YELLOW TEETH and there's not much you can do about GOLD TEETH. A big objection to the clue for DATING UP. You can be dating someone who's richer than you are, but if he or she is less well-educated than you and/or not quite couth to boot, you are DATING DOWN. Just saying. A tough, well-constructed Friday that I enjoyed...sort of.
@Nancy O thank you. My hubby has all sorts of illustrious ancestors and I lack them. I told him he "married down." But here you mention EDUCATION and I have more of THAT. This comment of yours made my day!
@Nancy and @Billie @Spaight Both are dubious things to consider IMHO. What about character? You're only marrying down if you marry someone nastier than you. After several unhappy relationships with Ivy League "educated" guys who couldn't handle a woman who was "smarter" than they were, my sister was blissful with a community college guy who didn't feel threatened. As I said: character.
Thank you, Adrian, for a fabulous Friday grid! I particularly enjoyed "digital deals for young people" -- gotta love tech-free agreements!😂
I am really hoping this puzzle lives up to standard in terms of difficulty. It took me somewhere between a normal Friday time and what I used to think of as a difficult Friday. I mean, right off the bat, [First impression of a new video game?]. I didn't even know there *was* a start button in video games. Likewise, I've never heard of, not have I ever, dated up. Or, more likely, I never did anything *but* date up, and didn't even notice how poor I was, back in my dating days. So this was a decent challenge for me. I'm hoping to hear it took my main man, Barry, more than three minutes.
@Francis Maybe the old arcade games had a real Start button, but my experience, at least on a PC, is that the game is started by clicking an area on the screen that says PLAY. A metaphorical button, I suppose. As for your liver, I'd be guided by the experience of your closest relatives and associates. I've come to the conclusion that the lived experience of people with the same genetic, cultural, and environmental background is a better predictor than one based on the average of a large random sample. Good luck.
LET'S DO LUNCH at the ICE CREAM BAR. There are plenty of good ice cream places in PennSYLVANia. (Preferable to spits bars anyday.) Say uncle, FESTER.
@Linda Jo Our one-time Puzzle Pal, PecanTart, attended the Penn State ICE CREAM course and gave it a glowing review at one point. DHubby remembers the Dairy BAR fondly.
I'd like to thank my freshman year English literature professor for centering our entire class for that semester around the OHENRY prize stories. That was my first real entry in the bottom half of the puzzle, so I couldn't have done it without you. TAXDODGES, BLOVIATES, and GOLDTEETH in particular tickled my fancy today, but I will give a nod to OTC as a response to "unscripted." Very proud of my 17:59 time today! Well constructed puzzle, just enough to keep me second-guessing myself as I went around the grid.
i found this impenetrable. maybe I'll come back to it tomorrow.
@AsherKeep plugging away and take some risks with your answers. Sometimes that opens a window to the right answer and to completing a whole section.
@Asher Yeah, John H speaks wisely. In days past I've spend as much as a hour with nothing more than a gimme entry here and there. Take a stab at something, then see if a couple of crosses work out. If they do, maybe you've found a foot hold.
@Asher And take a break for a while. Sometimes your brain will do a little research for you when you're not solving, and when you go back, the answers start coming. I was about halfway done, and started slowing down, so I did something else for a while, went back to the puzzle after 30 minutes or so, and got all my empty squares filled in.
Fantastic puzzle! Tricky, clever, engaging cluing. Nice and chewy and very enjoyable. One of the top puzzles of the past year.
Beautiful birthday tribute to your Dad, Adrian. A challenging but enjoyable puzzle. Happy Friday solvers!
Comments on the March 6 midi: Two singular / plural errors in the midi today, I think. I believe 8D and 26D are wrong. And 29D needs the qualifier “informally” that we often see. Mess of a puzzle. 😬
@Michael ? Both are verbs, not plurals.
@Michael Correct on the plural/non plural verbs, but I can’t say I agree on 29D.
I got BLOVIATES and GEST because those are common words found in everyday use by every human on earth, but ROTH?? How does that even make sense?? The clue is [Veronica ______, author of the “Divergent” novels]. Like, WHAT? So I get that “author” means “composer” in this context, and “novels” means “new” or “news” in the plural, but how does news about a composer equate to ROTH? And what on earth does Veronica from the Archie comics have to do with anything? Is the implication that she has “diverged” from her lucrative career as a professional Lyndon Johnson impersonator (as outlined in detail in the comics) and become a newsworthy composer of secular art song and tone poem? Like…WHAT??! Look, this was a fine puzzle up to a point but I’m sorry, that clue is just ridiculous.
@Ace Veronica Roth is the name of the author who wrote a book series called “Divergent”. They even made a movie about it.
@Ace Totally agree, but also, the plural of novel is noveli, not novels. I promise I tried, but unlike you, I can't resist adding this: har!
@Ace in some circles, this kind of diversion was sometimes described as "one toke over the line"
A real challenge, but every clue was fair. Great puzzle.
GOLD TEETH brought to mind the old Steely Dan song; Steely Dan brought to mind 14D. A Friday like they used to make in the old days. Great stuff.
@LBG "A Friday like they used to make in the old days." YES!
If things are not working out, I'll go back and check that I've read the tense of the clue properly; looking at you BLOVIATEd. Ah, to live a life of infinite GEST. Nice one.
Every week of Spanish class, we had a list of idioms to learn in addition to straightforward vocabulary. PURA VIDA was not on any of the lists. START BUTTON was the last entry that I completed. [groan] Polling the jury: how many of you say "WHO'D have guessed?" Versus "WHO'D've thunk it?" I thought the SEASIDE would be a lovely place for a business. Silly me.
@Mean Old Lady The phrase is iconic in Costa Rica, I believe — at least if the souvenirs for tourists are anything to go by.
@Mean Old Lady I meant to mention: 46A was my first entry. His name and memory continue to be honored, and February is still Black History Month in Mississippi regardless of "executive orders" that would attempt to erase lost lives.
@Mean Old Lady Nor is right ~ big phrase in Costa Rica, but haven't heard of it anywhere else
MOL, We don't forget here either. Medgar Evers College is one the the City University of New York schools. <a href="https://www.mec.cuny.edu" target="_blank">https://www.mec.cuny.edu</a>/
@Mean Old Lady, I believe the correct phraseology is “Who’da.” As in, “Who’da thunk it?”.