My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. You can't eat just one, whoops, that should be you just can't eat one 2. Whatever you do, don't try the emu-flavored variety of this 3. The Polish word for "ick" 4. Oreo 5. My cat's name OREO OREO OREO OREO FLUFFY THE FURNITURE SLAYER No encore clues this week cause I gotta get back to my vacation. Acid ain't gonna drop itself!
@lewis April Fool's Day is still three weeks away!
@lewiszinski I think we need a Puzzle Comment of the Year next year, and this will definitely be my nomination
Well that is lewisurdum (recognize the dog), not lewiszinski.
@lewis, According to xwordinfo.com, your clue #4 was used once before (pre-Shortz), albeit with a question mark. Still, though, a great clue.
Is anyone else noticing a delay between filling the last field on your solve and the clock stopping/music playing? Both the main puzzle and the new Midi have done that for me through Firefox the past few days.
@Dutch Gunderson To me, it looks like the clock stops immediately, but there is a definite delay before the puzzle is marked as solved. I'm also uzing Firefox.
@Dutch Gunderson Getting the same behavior on both the Midi and Mini. It's a bit disconcerting as is can be a one or two second delay and I think I need to keep going. Chrome on Win11.
@Dutch Gunderson Happens on the Mini, too. I'm using Opera. I suspect this is a TImes thing and not an us thing.
@Dutch Gunderson Same here. I get a momentary feeling of “darn, I still have a letter wrong somewhere” from it.
@Dutch Gunderson I have noticed since Wednesday that the Midi comes and goes on both my browsers (Chrome and Safari) and a couple of times I got an error when I clicked on it. I started one Midi but when I went back to finish it, it had disappeared, never to be found. Most annoying!
@Dutch Gunderson Yes, I have that happen too. I am on an android tablet. I suspected it was something to do with data harvesting, but I don't really know.
@Dutch Gunderson I get that, too. It's such a tease, isn't it? The NYT makes up for it by playing the happy music every time you revisit the completed puzzle. They're geniuses!
@Dutch Gunderson - I'm also getting the delay, using Firefox on macOS.
@Dutch Gunderson Yes. Just on main puzzle. (Have not done midi.)
Perhaps this has been noted already, but AS OF last week I have experienced a noticeable delay between my filling the last box in the puzzle and the acknowledgement that I've correctly completed the puzzle. The delay is long enough that I find myself scanning the grid looking for some box I've forgotten to fill. I solve online using Chrome. About the puzzle---it seemed fine for a Monday. I solved in 6:39 +/- 0:02.
@Xword Junkie - I have noticed the same thing. It doesn't seem to matter much, other than being annoying. Even more annoying: The front "Games" page often does not display the MIDI. And half the time, when I click on the link for the MIDI (when the link does appear) I get an error: "This page no longer exists."
@Xword Junkie I use Opera and have noticed it too ever since they came out with the Midi
@Xword Junkie - I've noticed the same thing, and I solve using Firefox on macOS.
@Xword Junkie Same here, I use Safari on iOS. The pause was long enough for me to search for missing letters and to start looking for misspellings… I thought it was due to a recent update on iOS…but guess it’s the NYT.
@Xword Junkie Ahhhh, good! I'm glad I searched these comments! It's happening to me too! I thought my computer was screwing up! I thought I had to hit the space bar or tab or something to make it understand that all the blanks were filled in! Lol! Thanks!
Nice to see Sid Sivakumar's name on the midi. It's been far too long, well over a year since we've seen him here.
How nice to see Christina and Andrea teamed up again and with a theme that continues the celebration of International Women’s Day. Emma Stone has a chance for a third win this year, although that’s unlikely. The Brady Bunch house was just designated an historic landmark. Fun nostalgia. A good start to the week.
Re: the Midi: It's delightful. 'Tis delightful. This was a fun and breezy Monday. I initially thought STONE was Sharon, but Emma is great. I loved Poor Things and never want to watch it again. I can't speak for everyone(only for myself and Lewis), but I agree with Barry, Berry Pie sounds off. But I have an incredible urge now to refer to Barry in a cutesy, lovey-dovey voice as my wittle Barry Pie.
Fun Monday grid to solve at the tail end of International Women’s Day. So much nostalgia layered in here. Sally FIELD, Emma STONE, Jodie FOSTER and Halle BERRY and their Oscar worthy performances was icing on the cake. I really enjoyed this one. Thank you, Christina and ACM. Happy Monday Crosslandia!
I really enjoyed all the puzzles today. The main crossword was fun and a perfect Monday level I thought--very accessible, with a bit of crunch, just like a DORITO. I usually only read a few of the most recent comments and saw many complaints at problems in having the new Midi puzzle in the line of puzzles available. I haven't had a problem with it (I use an Apple laptop--I'm sure I could be more accurate about that but I'm old and not at all tech savvy). My daily list of puzzles now is Strands, Connections, Wordle, Mini, Midi, Crossword. They all come up for me on the NYT Games app. I'm so glad that is working for me and I know it must be frustrating for those of you having issues. In today's scary world, my favorite puzzles and my daily walks in the natural beauty of Nevada County are really therapeutic.
A bit slow for a Monday, but a cute theme and enjoyable workout. And... somewhat appropriate puzzle find today: A Sunday from August 11, 1996 by M. Schneider with the title: "The critics agree." Some theme answers: LAZYSUSANSARANDON TYPHOIDMARYPICKFORD MUSTANGSALLYFIELD AMAZINGGRACEKELLY PRETTYPENNYMARSHALL CALAMITYJANEFONDA LOVELYRITAHAYWORTH Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/11/1996&g=62&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=8/11/1996&g=62&d=A</a> ....
@Rich in Atlanta Oh... and one more puzzle. A Sunday from March 18, 2018 by Daniel Raymon with the title "Taking your Q". Some theme answers in that one: TRENCHQUOTE BABYQUAKES HERESLOOKINGATYOUQUID QUICKBOXER PEACHYQUEEN ORDERINTHEQUART Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/18/2018&g=72&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=3/18/2018&g=72&d=A</a> ...
Yet another observation on usage. Here, in Australia and New Zealand, along with South Asia and much of Western Europe, we play a sport on a grass, or grass replacement, surface that is known simply as HOCKEY. We recognise that there is a variant played wearing skates known as “ice hockey”
@Patrick J. lol, ice hockey! To me, that sounds as ridiculous as snow skiing. (Just an observation, different strokes, etc.)
@Patrick J. Here on grass it's "field hockey". The lawn kind of grass. On the other type of grass, names may vary.
Nice Monday stroll, although.... I admit to having to run the vowels to get the EFREM/DRE cross. So this Monday rose had a bit of a thorn hidden in it. Oh god help me, I'm becoming "poetic".
@Francis Same here. I thought he spelled his name EFRAM. It was my only error, and I finished in just under 8 minutes. Fun puzzle.
@Francis the Poet I can't see how you'd Not Know the costar of "77 Sunset Strip"--EFREM Zimbalist, Jr. (I had such a crush on him; hated show-offy, cutey-pie Edd Byrnes, who got the lion's share of attention.) I must say, EFREM Sr. and Amelita Galli-Curci certainly supplied some handsome genes. (We have 78 records of performances by both...)
I see commenters who say they solve only on the acrosses or the downs so thought I'd try that today (acrosses). Did pretty well in the top half, struggled a bit in the bottom but managed to have some letters in every down answer so that zipped along. But y'know what? For me not a much fun as my usual block style solving so I'll stay with that. Fun one this morning.
@John Carson Today, I tried out the "downs first" method that Pax uses. I realize today's puzzle was a Monday level on a Monday, but it did seem to go more smoothly. I usually solve with across AND down, then go back over it the same way. That's what you're calling block solving, I suppose.
Brava for best actresses! Every year the Oscars presumably build up to the most anticipated award--with the final award always going to the best actor. I like to advocate for building up to the final award of best actress! Or at least alternate them by year.
@Mary I believe the final award is Best Picture!
Always happy to see a movie/Oscar puzzle. One of my parlor tricks when I was a bit younger was being able to rattle off the major Academy awards for any given year by heart—I’ll admit I’m a bit rusty especially for more recent winners but it still made this an even easier Monday than usual. No worries, it was still fun (gotta put myself in the camp, though, that BERRYPIE is not really a thing per se, and if it is it’s certainly not “popular” at least not without naming the berry). Best part of this for me was the caption on the picture in the column—if it’s not obvious please look up Sally FIELD’s second Oscar winning speech. Speaking of Sally Field, I’m old enough to remember her in not only “The Flying Nun”—probably the silliest sitcom ever—but also the short lived “Girl with Something Extra”—probably the second silliest sitcom ever. Still loved her in both. What a blast from the past!
@SP I just looked up Girl with Something Extra because I'd never heard of it. Do you think ESP beneath FIELD was an Easter Egg, albeit the most obscure Easter Egg ever?
@SP I loved watching reruns of both Gidget and The Flying Nun when I was a kid. I don’t remember The Girl With Something Extra, but probably because it didn’t have reruns in my day.
What a brilliant Monday! I never enjoy early week themes, but this one I actually savoured and deliberately tried to get without the crosses. I must have got out of the right side of the bed this morning. Although SUBS IN dampened my mood slightly. It reminded me of one of my current pet peeves - the Americanisation of our sports broadcasting here. In good old English soccer-ball we don't have players coming "in" and "out" we have players coming "on" or "off" (the pitch). Yet broadcasters have started to use "in" and "out" in their graphics, and this makes me sad for some irrational reason. As does the mid-half ad breaks we're going to be subjected to at the World Cup this summer. But that's another story...
@Tim If only yellow cards were given for the endless, replay-provable, operatic displays of caterwauling and rolling around on the pitch with fake injuries, it would be a very watchable game.
@Tim Your sadness isn't irrational at all. In the nineties I had an English co-worker who would go back to visit every year or so. She spoke about about England had become a little more American each time she visited. She finished, after a pause, by saying: "Lorries...they're driving lorries now..." It saddens me to know that the England that my grandmother knew no longer really exists. Part of that is the passage of time, yes, but part of it is the ubiquitous American influence via movies and the internet. I used to chat online with a woman in Australia. She commented on the resentment some there hold against Americans. I responded: "Why? Our arrogance? Our steamroller culture that flattens everything in its path?" She replied: "Yes, and yes."
@Tim We lived in England for a while in '92, in Bristol. And the different usage of prepositions is one thing that stood out to me. For example, when my husband went out to visit a work site, he would say he was on site where the Brits would say he was at site.
Thanks, Christina and ACME, for a lovely start to the solving week! In addition to being nestled within Oscar season, it was nice having this one drop on the day after International Women's Day.❣️
GEE! That was a fun romp, especially for a Monday. I never thought of Doritos as [piquant] before, but that is kinda the perfect descriptor. (I'm not particularly a fan, and I'm realizing it's because of that piquancy!) Regarding the theme, not only is today (Sunday) International Women's Day *and* this puzzle starts the week leading up to the 98th Academy Awards (next Sunday), but Pi Day also falls in this week! Unfortunately it's not the season for my favorite BERRY PIE recipe, but this trippy Dolly Parton song can suffice: <a href="https://youtu.be/86uwfkmKVmM?si=gZhcgcKDeVews-56" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/86uwfkmKVmM?si=gZhcgcKDeVews-56</a>
@G What a tease you are! Okay...keep your recipe to yourself. Blackberries ...how I miss my 2 acres of wild BERRY "bushes." I got to where I mowed all the canes down after the harvest season (in their second year) and allowed them to rest and grow back for the subsequent year. It was nice to have time for all the scratches to heal up (ha ha.) The flavor gene is apparently linked to the thorn gene; all those fancy cultivated "breeds" of blackberries are huge and glossy...and virtually tasteless.
Since I managed to fall asleep last night before I could drop some well-deserved praise on Sunday’s very special puzzle (and amazing debut), I just want to chime in today to say how much I loved Christina and Andrea’s unusually fun Oscar-themed Monday. Both constructors are crowd pleasers, and now that I know they’re both native Minnesotans I like them even more. OK, BERRYPIE is a little iffy but I’ll allow it…😀
Great Monday puzzle that made me smile and enjoy the clues. Thank you for a great start to the week ahead!
I read the posts from folks who are worried at not having seen @Vaer here for quite awhile. The person I'm wondering about is David Connell (hope I'm spelling that correctly). He and I used to have some exchanges about handbells. I remember that he's a musician and once I mentioned the handbell choir I play in and without any clues from me he told me that I probably played F and G, which is what I still play, lo these many years. Are you out there David?
@Shari Coats David was getting disenchanted with the experience here before he left for good. He seems to be fine, if you can trust the website of the church whose music program he directs. <a href="https://norfield.org/about/staff" target="_blank">https://norfield.org/about/staff</a>/
There has lately been a tendency for clues like 60A not to highlight in yellow the answers to the starred clues. This just makes it more confusing.
@Johnny Sometimes the highlighting happens, sometimes it doesn't. Also, sometimes one clue will highlight another with no apparent connection at all. It can be really confusing. A little consistency would be welcome, especially as my subscription price keeps going up.
If you brass tacks it, there technically is no Oscars category for Best Actress. It’s just “Actress in a Leading Role.” In fact only one category actually contains the word best—“Best Picture.”
A cute idea, well-executed. If on a Monday, you can't hope for any sort of challenge, you can at least hope for a theme that doesn't become clear until you get to the revealer. This was that theme for me, though probably not for you. Until I got to BEST ACTRESS, I had no idea what the theme answers have in common. And I can't even complain that I don't watch the Oscars anymore. I don't -- no sooner do I turn this endless show on then I'm ready to turn it off -- but these actresses do go back to those days of yore when I actually did watch. "You like me!!! You really like me!!!" exulted Sally FIELD. I remember that!!! For those of you too young to have seen "Norma Rae", it's a great film as well as a great performance -- and I urge you to rent it right now. Even though I won't watch this year's Oscars, this was an enjoyable and timely puzzle.
Such a fun one today. Nice light theme. Solid cluing that was steady throughout (SW corner was maybe a little too sticky for me). “Chicken noodle scoop” is indeed the standout clue. Happy Monday!
That was a very sweet Monday. I needed the revealer to work out the theme, but it gave me lovely aha moment. Somerset this winter has definitely been the WETTEST for some years. After a couple of glorious Spring days last week we’re back to the relentless precipitation, with added fog just for good measure. I swear I’m growing webbed toes.
I know someone who knows so little about The Brady Bunch that when they saw 3D fill in with S__PSON they entered "SOUPSON" on said "that's weird maybe it was some kind of catchphrase" and didn't catch the mistake until the next pass. Not saying who.
ACME writes: "A little discussion whether BERRYPIE was a thing. (We’re both Minnesota gals, but I don’t bake, so I defer to my colleague, who still lives in the Midwest.)" Christina, BERRYPIE in on the menu somewhere in Story County? Haven't seen it in Marshall, or Jasper, or Poweshiek, or...
@Barry Ancona I've split my life between WI and MN. I wrinkled my nose at BERRYPIE, big time! I'm sure someone says it somewhere but I've only ever known blueberry, strawberry, triple berry, etc. pie.
@Barry Ancona I have made blueberry pie, strawberry pie, gooseberry pie, blackberry pie, boysenberry pie, and raspberry pie—if it's a berry, you can put it in a pie. If you've never had a berry pie ala mode, you are indeed deprived.
dutchiris, I've had plenty of pies made with different berries, in Iowa and elsewhere. I've never had anything "called" a BERRY PIE. See also HeathieJ's comment.
@Barry Ancona Dolly (and Google) seem to think it's a thing (as do I): <a href="https://youtu.be/86uwfkmKVmM?si=gZhcgcKDeVews-56" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/86uwfkmKVmM?si=gZhcgcKDeVews-56</a>
@Barry Ancona The clue didn't say it was on any menu. A berry pie is one from a category of pies made with a type of berry. Mixed berry pies are also a thing and sometimes simply referred to as berry pie, as an Internet search can reveal.
@Barry Ancona If you are a pie aficionado and find yourself on the North Shore in Minnesota, I would recommend stopping by the Rustic Inn Cafe in Castle Danger. Like many people in the area, I would drive up from Duluth to try their vast array of delicious pies. My favorites included Triple Berry Pie, Summer Berry Pie, North Shore Berry Crumb Pie, and 5-Layer Chocolate Pie.
@Barry Ancona Well, this is a turn of events... I think the clue stands as is. Just because you might not have seen the phrase on a menu, solo, does not mean the phrase isn't perfectly valid. "What is your favorite pie?" "Well, it's difficult to decide on one. I do love pumpkin, but after Thanksgiving, less so. I suppose my all-time favorite is a berry pie. Most berries make superb pies, and you can use a combination of berries, depending on availability." I see nothing stretchy about that.
Of course BERRYPIE is a "valid" crossword entry. ACME -- the co-constructor -- wasn't thrilled with it, and I'm not either. The other themers are common two-word phrases; BERRYPIE is not. It is legit, but it is a clunker. I've had lots of pies in the Midwest (and in New York and elsewhere) and I've had pies from this place in South Jersey, which even has a Very Berry Pie, but not a BERRYPIE. <a href="https://penzaspies.com/pieselection.php" target="_blank">https://penzaspies.com/pieselection.php</a>
Btw, in Olympics parlance, Field Hockey is Hockey, and Hockey is Ice Hockey.
@Jayant Is HOCKEY part of the summer Olympics?
One of the easiest puzzles I have filled in. It took me half a second to understand the starred clues. When I looked at the clue about the “STONE AGE” and looked at the revealer, it all clicked. A lot of the solutions were filled in from crossing clues. Overall a very enjoyable Monday puzzle that requires no cheats from me at all.
Movie Mandela effects: “(Luke), I am your father.” “Play it (again), Sam.” “(Hello) Clarisse”. “(Mirror) mirror on the wall…” and, of course, “(BEST) ACTRESS”
@Heidi I didn't realize what you were doing with Mandela Effect until I went back and read Ike's write-up. Now I'm with it. Now I'm wondering if there's a Presley Effect (they're not actually dead) There are many celebrities who are believed to have passed, when they simply stepped out of the spot light. An example that comes to mind is Johnny Winter"s album and song "Still Alive and Well." A rumor was started by his fans who believed he had died. The song was allegedly his reappearance as proof of life. (Why I thought of that, I'll never know) I never saw Sally Field's acceptance speech, but I first recalled that misquote on The Mask. That movie is also where I was first enamored by Cameron Diaz (I still am). An administrative announcement (to quote Lewis): My wife and I encountered Cameron out jogging a few years back while we were vacationing on Tybee Island. She's gorgeous. (Story for another time).
About the Comments: today, the first several were about The Midi, which has to be solved online--so I don't do it. Hope the NYT Team can get on the stick and fix the issues . I never noticed the stars--a bit blurrier this morning after the eyedrops, and just figuring what the clue # was made for enough of a challenge... However, the dates (and the recent ad with Conan, touting the OSCARS) tipped me off. These are all women whose names and movies I know about, so....but aren't they saying "ACTORS" nowadays? And "the Oscar goes to" instead of WINNER... Biceps worth bragging about = GUNS? How did that come about? It certainly sounds peculiar....unless you're Pete Hegseth, I guess. Welcome to waking up an hour late (according to the light)... The cat disapproves of disruptions in the service here.
@Mean Old Lady I used to have awesome biceps. But time has DISARMed me.
@Mean Old Lady This could be me channeling a Mandela effect, but I remember Hulk Hogan using "guns" braggardly.
@Mean Old Lady "Biceps worth bragging about = GUNS? How did that come about?" I wondered that, too.
@Mean Old Lady I don't have guns, I have pythons.
The midi theme was so brilliant! I have no idea how constructors come up with ideas like that. Or how they find multiple words that fit the theme! Pretty neat.
Easy enough to get, but HBO isn’t a network. It’s a channel…or a service, whatever we call them these days. It’s is definitely not a collection of local stations linked together (a network).
@John Agreed. ABC is a network. HBO is a cable channel. People across the US have a local ABC station, but no one has a local HBO station. There is no network of local HBO affiliates. Ergo, HBO is not a network. I've worked in broadcast for 15 years, so I'm pretty sure by this point I know what I'm talking about.
@John HBO is definitely not a network. It's short for "Hep a Brotha Out."
@John, Sorry, but I’m missing any reference to a network. My clue for 39A reads “Oscars airer”. Did it say something different somewhere?
Very quick one for me. Got most of the answers on the Acrosses, not too many Downs to fill in, no corrections, no idea of the theme until the end. The site lists my Monday best at 2:47, but I know that's not true because I remember when it happened; it had something to do with getting a time reset when switching between a laptop and tablet. Maybe I should consider today's 4:59, probably only my first or second sub-5, as my PB. Also, I note that there were only 46 comments when I came here this morning, roughly half of what I usually see. Daylight Saving Time effect, I'm guessing. (Note, no "S" in Daylight Saving Time, contra yesterday's Strands.) Fun start to the week.
@Jack McCullough Monday comment totals are usually the lowest for the week.
I was curious, after reading today's Wordplay column, about the origin of the phrase "Mandela effect", coined in 2009. Apparently there was a false "collective memory" about Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the '80s (while he actually didn't die until 2013). Really??? Did anyone here have such a "false memory"? People didn't remember that he was President of South Africa in the '90s? How is that possible?
@The X-Phile Duh, it's possible because of the Mandela effect. 😏 Seems to me to be related to mondegreens, misheard song lyrics that become almost as popular as the true lyrics. Something that is repeated often enough becomes accepted as real or true. There's a bathroom on the right.
Today’s poem made from words found in today's puzzle <br> <br> a/ your mind is a flower <br> happy, gentle <br> and colorful in the touch of sunset <br> and your body is a scoop <br> of sticks and pebbles <br> d/ as you listen to <br> the rain coming in to you <br> you already now <br> a/ a field of steam <br> <br>
Nice Monday puzzle worthy of a Monday. Re the MIDI I liked today’s with the exception that when the letters are swapped the down clues make no sense so how then is this an acceptable grid?
This was fun and nicely balanced between Monday level easy and inventive, an enjoyable solve at the tail end International Women's Day. I appreciated that Christina and Andrea included the actresses, but Hallie and Sally and Sharon and . . . Amy? Meg? The last two were nominees but not winners (okay, yes, it still works).
@dutchiris Are you meaning for the FOSTER entry? That's Jodie Foster. The STONE one is EMMA Stone for La La Land and... something else.
@dutchiris I also mentioned this was a nice solve at the tail end of IWD! Great minds and all that…
Today's puzzle was easy (just the way I like them). And like others stated, I didn't get the theme until pretty far into it, and of course it made me chuckle... Thanks to the constructors!
A bit easy, even for a Monday - I completely ignored the revealer and blasted through this in a personal best 3:53.
Stopping by to reinforce @ad absurdum's recent inquiry on @Vaer's whereabouts. Where are you? More importantly, how are you? Does anybody here have info they can share with us?
@sotto voce It's strange. I'm trying not to worry. Hopefully just on a wonderful vacation.
What a wonderful theme for a Monday puzzle. Not one of those routine and boring ones.
Good Monday. Most Mondays take me around 6 minutes and this took me 10 so harder than usual for a Monday. I didn't get the theme but there were no truly tricky clues.
@Chris First word of each asterisked clue is the last name of a best actress awardee from the years in parentheses in those clues.
My glass-half-empty problem entirely, I know, but I see Ms. Iverson's name on a puzzle and my heart goes pitter pat. Then I realize it's a Monday...
What is going on with the delayed acceptance??? I know there was definitely a "brain fart" yesterday when I finished. THEN it gave me back a half empty board. When I completed it again, my time was supposedly 1:11!!!!
Who can remember that STONE AGE song we sung in our infant years about farm animals that go OINK. Yes, it was *definitely* the pigeons. Time to defect! …er I mean RISE UP.