Very nice puzzle. Felt fresh. Maybe being up at an ungodly hour helps 😀 Being anti fascist is not left wing. Did wonder whether FLY and FLYING off the same F was fair play but the gold star came before I could conclude. Only got the airline thing upon looking at the solved puzzle. Have a good evening/night/morning/day
Fun puzzle! Cheers from this here proud ANTI FA(scist) - and nope, that's not a group, it's a core moral value.
@Sian Thank You!
@Sian Anti-fascism is a core moral value. ANTIFA is "a political protest movement comprising autonomous groups affiliated by their militant opposition to fascism and other forms of extreme right-wing ideology." The two are not synonymous.
"Didn't you notice my new aircraft?" "Well, yeah, it's plane to see." (Puns are my flight of fancy - but I'm just winging it.)
@Mike I wood not say this was a cliff hangar. More a blimp in the road.
@Mike Well done on your puns! Mine normally fail to get off the ground. And they are often shot down (by a teen) and subsequently crash and burn.
Mike, Props on the new plane. Does being so rich make you feel guilty, or have you not experienced even a twin jet?
@Pendant. Such abominations have existed; after several hours what was in them was … different. Nowadays, they are generally replaced by the almost equally abhorrent urn of boiling water with a stack of tea bags.
I just went down the rabbit hole with DELTA DAWN. I remember Helen Reddy singing it on the radio in 1973. It was a more pop version, compared to Tanya Tucker's country take on it. It floored me to find out Ms. Tucker was only 13 years old when she recorded it in 1972. And what's even more interesting is that the first ever recording of it was by Alex Harvey who co-wrote the song. And it's now my favorite version. Here it is: <a href="https://youtu.be/5g3I6oVLecg?si=3ol4aX0KVynM99wQ" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/5g3I6oVLecg?si=3ol4aX0KVynM99wQ</a> Oh, yes, the puzzle. Loved it. And it triggered not just memories of hearing Delta Dawn as a 10-year-old, but also of flying Pan-Am over many, many years. The good ol' days of speeding through a metal detector, carrying full-size bottles of whatever, sitting comfortably even if the passenger in front leaned back, and being served scrumptious meals with real silverware... There I go again... Back to the puzzle: Congrats on your NYT debut and thank you, Ms. Grande!
@sotto voce I only remember the Helen Reddy version of Delta Dawn, but even to my very young ears it was tragically haunting. I just looked up the inspiration for the song, which was apparently the songwriter’s mother. An alcoholic source of embarrassment for him, she crashed her car into a tree in a possible suicide on a night he asked her to stay away from a performance by his band. Years later, he saw her in a vision and was inspired to write a song about a misunderstood woman who was promised the world but ended up with only heartache and judgement. It was his was of paying tribute and coming to terms with his guilt.
@sotto voce @Heidi Thanks to both of you for giving me a sad and wonderful TIL.
@sotto voce -- I heard DELTA DAWN for the first time today and loved it. Very, very infectious. Irresistible, even. And while the verse seems unique, the chorus does remind me of another folk song. Written earlier? Written later? I don't know -- but see if your ear discerns a certain similarity too. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IfwxNg8qOI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IfwxNg8qOI</a>
@sotto voce See you Sunday? Yay!
@sotto voce You don't mention the Bette Midler version, which I had never heard before today. It's a slow, bluesy take, that I didn't really love. I guess I'm a Helen Reddy girl. Bette's take was supposed to come out as a single, but because Tanya Tucker released her version first, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy was released instead. I think that worked out pretty well.
That was a off to a great start! Fun Tuesday - goal this year is to solve all Tuesdays. Last year I did all Mondays and continuing this year
A smooth, pleasing solve, a bit like tubing down a river, with some lovely sights along the way – SPIRIT GUIDE, FRONTIER JUSTICE, the cross of DOE and EYES, homophones (EWE / YOU), rhymers EYES / LIES / ALIBIS, and a backward BIRD sharing a column with FLY. And you do you, Victoria, with your focus on earlier-week puzzles in your crossword solving life, which may have given you a FLYING START on crafting them. There is an art to making good early week puzzles, and, IMO, you nailed it here, with a theme whose revealer can either bring an aha or be fun to guess at, and a high percentage of interesting answers. Any time I cross paths with quality I feel enriched, and thank you for making that happen today, Victoria. More please!
@Lewis Thanks for pointing out DOE and EYES. Lovely coincidence.
Been absorbed in Granny duties the last few days, so had a marathon crossword session to get myself caught up last night. I found Saturday brutal but Sunday even more so. I gave up on the Sunday one and pressed reveal. Don’t do that too often but I just didn’t have the energy to fight through the conjoined words and missing letters. Hey ho. Today, by contrast, was an easy breezy fill despite not knowing most of the airlines. I too raised an eyebrow at ANTIFA being an organised group. I chuckled at the Iceland clue as I’ve just handed back 12 Icelandic EWEs to their owner. They’ve been overwintering on our land as her own is waterlogged. They are the cutest sheep; Hobbit sized compared to the standard breeds, with long, dreadlock style fleeces and large curly horns, handy for grabbing hold of when they need attention. Now to turn my attention to the Bee, which has also been neglected. Won’t bother catching up though, life is too short.
@Helen Wright Sunday’s bee was brutal
Nice breezy solve. Enjoyed every minute of it. One small tweak--ANTIFA is not a group. It is more of an idea.
I'm Finding NEMO (see what I did there?) in both the Crossword and the Midi today.
@Dave K. Not only the answer but the same clueing for both.
@Dave K. Where did you find the midi?? I haven’t been able to access it for over a week!
Very weirded out by the the cluing on ANTIFA! what a weird way to cede language to the far right in our nation.
Which part? 'Left-wing'? Given that fascism is the extreme on the right, seems apt. 'Protest'? Sez 'anti' right there, seems apt. 'Group'?? I mean, it exists, as more than one person. OK, it's not organized as a unitary entity...but come on. That clue is Politically Correct, literally.
@Yoshke Yes, a very disturbing symptom of our continuing slide to the right. And also some very well-reasoned comments are getting deleted in this thread pointing out the problems with this cluing. I’m reminded of why I only subscribe to NYT Games and not the whole newspaper.
Everyone getting mad about the factually correct antifa one (anti-fascism is inherently and proudly left wing, and more than one person constitutes a group) when they could be getting mad at 59-Down's incorrect claim that Amy Schumer is funny
@Toni so in order to be against fascism you have to be left wing? Interesting.
@Toni Amy Schumer funny.... now THAT'S a great comeback! 👏
ANTIFA is not an organization, but is it really not a [group]? 1: a number of individuals assembled together or having some unifying relationship or action <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/group" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/group</a> (Put that in your TEAURN)
@Barry Ancona the German parliament has an extensive report on exactly this subject. <a href="https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/557014/7e164d071a4a535dfb6bb4efdd5bca2c/wd-7-069-18-pdf-data.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/557014/7e164d071a4a535dfb6bb4efdd5bca2c/wd-7-069-18-pdf-data.pdf</a>
@Barry Ancona Organization, group, movement, idealism, hash-tag, festival, it's all the same anymore, isn't it? It's like being a card-carrying member of the Republican Party. What card? NRA membership card? Hobby Lobby loyalty card? A Chick-fil-A gift card? 🤪
@Barry Ancona The arguing seems to be about something that's a distinction without a difference. I think anti-fascism is a moral position, one I agree with, but even if it's not a "group" the way other social groups are, if you put everyone together who was against fascism, and thus anti-fascist, that would be a (very large, hopefully) group of people. I think all the kvetching is much ado about nothing.
@Barry Ancona The problem is classifying being against fascism as left-wing. As if the center in this country is pro-fascist. That may be truer than I want to believe. Sadly this comment thread and the initial cluing is a symptom of USA’s continuing slide to the right.
The Antifa clue is terrible. What are we doing?
But why is it "terrible"? Please explain.
@Grant so does that mean you're pro fascism?
TIL that Tuesday can bring a TIL moment: GOURDE.
With all the harrumphing about the clueing for 26D, the bogus bogeyman ANTIFA seems transmogrifying from fabricated faction into a momentous movement in this very comment section! Count me in! Where do i sign?
@Petrol you can’t because there is no such group. There are, thankfully, many people and organizations that have the quality of being anti-fascist, but there is no group on earth called ANTIFA.
The "no kings" movement seems to be the replacement for the triggering ANTIFA movement (all caps make it look like an acronym as a trigger to those who hate acronyms).
@Petrol if it had appeared and been clued this way once, it wouldn’t be as big a deal. But it’s been at least three times that I can recall, and there may have been more. That’s a disturbing pattern.
The first "chemical twin" that came to mind was ISOTOPE, but it didn't fit. Calling ISOMERS "twins" is a stretch, because they can differ from each other more that Arnold Schwarzenegger differs from Danny DeVito. The classical example is urea vs ammonium cyanate, both with the formula CH₄N₂O. One is an inorganic salt, the other an organic compound which is part of nitrogen metabolism. Or consider ethanol vs dimethyl ether (C₂H₆O): one is a liquid you can drink (although some say you shouldn't); the other is a gas used as a propellant. Isomers have as much to do with each other as the word ISOMER has to do with MOIRES: they are anagrams.
Bob, (1) "Twin" was in quotes. (2) Not identical twins, for sure. (3) NOICE anagram!
So much pearl-clutching over 29D—fascism is widely considered right-wing, so to be opposed to it would reasonably be coded as left-wing. And a "group" does not imply a tight-knit organization, just a bunch of people with a common goal. Let's stop granting the other side's propaganda more power than it deserves.
So it turns out IUDS are not military hazards (or at least not the military hazards they were looking for)
What's the problem with Antifa? Looks ok to me as clued. This was a fun Tuesday solve with challenges and a few gimmes. Hoping she does more!
@p j fin Not sure how often you come here, but pearl-clutching is not exactly rare. I agree with you, it's an accurate clue.
@p j fin - US antifascists are not a group! Trump keeps claiming they are a group of organized terrorists to get interest from his base. That word is too fraught with divisive meanings to be used in a crossword puzzle.
Today's poem made from words found in today's puzzle<br> <br> a/ to the gloomy to the grifters to the <br> surrenders i present the golden plume of praise <br> d/ to the tiny the tortured steeping the <br> brightest moon under the sea i speak across <br> the night <br> a/ fly! fly! <br> <br>
Good puzzle. Not sure why everyone's so reluctant to type six letters into a puzzle, nor why identifying which end of the political spectrum a group is on, by definition, is a problem. Being vilified by propagandists doesn't change anything. Fascism is as far from leftism as it is possible to be. Period. Go read Umberto Eco and come to terms with reality.
For 49-A, the app is highlighting 57-Down, not 57-Across. Is anybody else getting this issue?
@Leon S. - Yes we are, because 57D is part of the theme. Please highlight 57A and see if you understand it. Or read the column.
@Leon S. Yeah, I agree with you, it should be highlighting 57A. Oh well, worse things have happened.
@Leon S. Agreed - I've had repeated highlighting issues like this just over the past few weeks (Android solver if it matters). I emailed NYT games support about it today because some of them have really thrown me off!
Wait, wait-- 1A [1970 hit by guess who] AMERICANWOMAN 2A [Refreshing summer pink libation with gin] SINGAPORESLING 3A [Seward's Folly] ALASKAPURCHASE 4A [Vacation with leis and poi] HAWAIIANHOLIDAY
I enjoyed the cute theme with some fresh themers. GOURDE was new to me but gettable on the cross, so I was happy to learn that (all you folks who hadn’t heard of ARISTIDE the other day, I can take my Haitian medicine too!) I had to flyspeck because I couldn’t spell YERT and didn’t notice that LIE wasn’t a Chinese name. Then I kept second guessing myself because of FLY going down and also part of the revealer—folks, not to be picky but that’s generally not allowable—and easily corrected, what’s wrong with FTC, TIES and CURT? Nice to see all the animals (EWE, CALF, DOE, and more ASPS) after yesterday’s nature call out. And in case you missed my late post yesterday, here’s my tortured addition to some other possible themers for that (to leave you with a groaner): Suggestion to a founding father to fix their messy Declaration signature? HanCOCK, A DOODLE DO-Over?
Yay me! I did it in 16:02 without looking at any of the Down clues. A bit tricky until i got off to a FLYING START - at that point i only had SPIRIT GUIDE out of the four fliers, and then the penny dropped!
@Petrol D@ng, respect! It took me 12:30 using downs and acrosses, and I don't think I would have been able to manage going only across - the fill was hard for me in places.
There’s an error in the app version of the puzzle: Unless it’s supposed to be a subliminal advertisement to “FLY” “DELTA” and not the others, 49 Across is improperly linked to 57 Down instead of 57 Across.
@Ellis I thought the same thing ~ odd that for that one airline, 57D is highlighted instead of 57A, especially since 57A references 49A specifically.
This is a fine Tuesday puzzle. A nit-pick though; crossing FLY with FLYING? Isn’t it sort-of frowned upon to use the same word twice in a puzzle, even if it’s a variation? I only worry what they might say across-the-pond ;-)
Nice Tuesday puzzle. Typical slow start for me, but everything fell together from the crosses. And.. didn't catch on to the theme at all until I was almost done. That always makes for a nice 'aha' moment. And... appropriate puzzle find today. A Wednesday from July 9, 1997 by Chuck Deodene. No 'reveal' in that one, but five across answers: AMERICANME DELTADAWN SOUTHWESTAFRICA UNITEDWAY PANAMGAMES Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/9/1997&g=23&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=7/9/1997&g=23&d=A</a> ....
@Rich in Atlanta And one more puzzle find. A Monday from October 28, 2019 by Zhouqin Burnikel. Some theme answers in that one: TAKEAGANDER ARIANAGRANDE COVENTGARDEN And then the 'reveal' "Safe.. or how the last word of 16-, 23- and 49-across are made?" OUTOFDANGER Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/28/2019&g=23&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/28/2019&g=23&d=A</a> ...
It’s disappointing to see the same clue/answer in both the midi and the main puzzle. It happens with the mini from time to time, too. I wish the editors looked at all three puzzles before publishing.
@P I assume they do it on purpose. The main puzzle is often selected months in advance, but I think the mini and midi can be constructed weeks or even days before they run. It allows them to be topical on occasion, and allows for echos of or conversations with the main.
Today's Crossword clue for antifa at 29D, Left wing protest group, is partisan. For the left, antifa is a perspective (hardly even a philosophy) and definitely not an organized group. For the current administration, antifa is a formal organization, listed as domesitic terrorists and "members" can be arrested and prosecuted. Editors, please clean clean up your clues and definitions.
@Robin Fascism is right-wing, by definition. Not sure what else to call its opponents but left-wing. Accurately describing things isn't partisan.
Scott, You needn't be left-wing to be anti-fascist. In my experience, most moderates and conservatives are anti-fascist.
From personal experience, if you don't want to get stranded at an airport for multiple days because you cancel without explanation and don't have a substitute flight available for your customers for several days, do not go on Airline #1 or #3. When something is bare-bones budget, there are consequences, beyond baggage charges or lack of amenities.
@Steve L I literally do not know how much they would have to pay me to take airline one or three. My strong preference is for Delta, but when we go down to Utila every year, Delta only flies there once a week. They've taken good care of us when things have gone awry, like the time that the United plane right in front of us literally tore a 6x3 foot hole in the *one* runway... but It means we have to fly to San Pedro Sula first If we're on Delta, so, unfortunately, it's a lot easier to take United these days.
@Steve L I’ve never been on either, but the bare bones aspect would make me hesitate regardless. Same reason I’ve considered flying JetBlue but never actually did it. My favorite airline used to be Southwest, but since they did away with all the customer-friendly amenities like free checked bags and unassigned seating, my loyalty has evaporated. These days, I tend to fly American, but that’s mainly because of home base price advantage.
@Steve L I used to fly only SWA from Newark to LAS, then had to switch to United when SWA pulled out of Newark. Though Spirit and Frontier fly into my airport, you couldn't pay me to fly on either of them. Not only for their nickel-and-diming, but because I would have any confidence in their maintenance capabilities. As a white-knuckle flyer still after hundreds of flights, I wouldn't need that added terror.
BELT A DAWN? What dat? TRU DAT? Nope. As it turns out, I have a one-letter DNF. I thought the dual degree for doctors was MBPHDs. As in "MBA". I never thought of an MD degree combined with a PhD. Live and learn. But, boy, do I hate initialisms. DELTA DAWN, btw, sounds very "country" and very pretty too. I bet I'm the only person today who made such an IDIOT'S mistake. Especially since DELTA was an important theme answer. And I really liked the theme. FRONTIER JUSTICE and SPIRIT GUIDE in particular are such lively and colorful theme choices. Hmmm. Didn't know there was something called a MCCAFE. Just like Donald Trump, McDonald's really likes to slap its name on everything, doesn't it? A nifty, well-executed Tuesday puzzle -- and so much better without BELTA!!
@Nancy A few of PhysDau's specialists were MD/PHDs... we kind of worked our way up the chain in trying to solve some of the more puzzling issues (such as the immune deficiency, a little extra which no one could do anything about, but at least we had an explanation!)
Cute theme, but overall not a fan of this one. Antifa is just the start.
there's good reason many of us opt to only play digitally - paper itself is an enormous waste of precious resources - folks griping about Antifa being a clue is tiresome enough this is a classic Tuesday thanks Victoria!
I love the constructor notes. Specifically that constructor Victoria has had two published puzzles, but says she has solved less than 10 Fridays and Saturdays. Nice flex. I can’t remember the last time I did a Tuesday. But glad I did. I forget that theme puzzles can be fun. McCafé for life! With the Mickey D’s app, an ice coffee is $0.99 (excluding tax)…
Amidst the discourse surrounding today’s topic (not airlines), I revisited the puzzle and identified four to five trigger words. I will leave the interpretation of these words to you all. In my personal perspective, the term “fascist” is being used more as a pejorative rather than an accurate depiction of our governmental system. As an ardent Republican who is completely oblivious to my surroundings, I should immediately defend our leader, which I am unable to do. His actions make it exceedingly challenging. Initially, I perceived him as a wealthy entertainer during his affiliation with the WWF in 2007. Earlier in 2006, I believed he was merely facilitating a humorous public feud with Rosie O’Donnell. Despite my lack of respect for the individual, I have very little admiration for him. However, I maintain hope that we will not and never will reside in a fascist nation. If he genuinely aspires to emulate Mussolini, Hitler, or Napoleon III, he has a long and arduous journey ahead of him. Therefore, does the term “21D” refer to the Amys, the ANTIFAS, or the commenters? Personally, I believe it pertains to constructors who feel compelled to initiate arguments in order to advance their agenda.
@Jerry An interesting note: the Bee accepts ANTIFA in its curated list but not MAGA. So i thought, okay, one is an acronym, but then, I ran across a Bee that accepted CAPTCHA, which is also an acronym. So then I just made a mimosa and watched football. Viva La Vida! Cheers!
@Jerry He’s not a fascist, he just plays one on TV
A very fine debut so congrats to our new constructor. Appreciate our columnist advocating for the analog solve but had to laugh. Next you'll hear these young'uns invented 65A. (Just kidding. We boomers invented it.)
@John Carson Or maybe we just perfected it.
Initially read the 48A clue for 49A, and was trying to figure out how Bambi's mom was Delta Dawn. Felt a fawn, maybe? Then I got coffee.
Borders on "pet-o-philia". 🤔
I remember writing term papers and such by hand in college. And so very much paper and filing cabinets etc in my earlier career. I'll stick with online solving... I've had enough analog. ☺️
And... one more puzzle find. A Sunday from December 8, 2019 by Emily Carroll with the title "Lookin' Good!" The 'reveal' in that one: "Good-looking... or a phonetic hint to a feature found five times in this puzzle." EASYONTHEEYES And then a couple examples of theme answers one above the other: BREEZINESS BALIINDONESIA _____EZINE BOYZIIMEN _______GEEZER KRISTENWIIG And there were more. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=12/8/2019&g=71&d=D" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=12/8/2019&g=71&d=D</a> ...
Being on Pacific DST means I'm late to the party! I had to remind myself of that after the shock of seeing 111 Comments already posted. (We're still jet-lagged, I think!) Seeing the plenitude of blooming bulbs, bushes, beds, brightening very vista (in constrast to drought-ridden Mississippi) is very refreshing for the soul! Oh, the puzzle! Well, what do we say about the adjacent FLYs at 57D/58A? Is that a breach of crossword protocol? (Quick, Henry! The Flit!) Nice puzzle, though, and I didn't cotton onto the airlines' names until I read the Reveal. (We were flying American; glimpsed FRONTIER and SPIRIT, but not the others.)
Enjoyed this puzzle a lot for a Tuesday. Disfruté mucho del crucigrama. (The Antifa clue didn't bother me at all - bigger issues to get upset about)
And one more puzzle find. I think I might have mentioned this one once before, but I really don't remember. Anyway... A Sunday from February 5, 1995 by Frank A. Longo with the title: "Peruse the Clues." Some theme clues and answers: "CHALTUPID" STOPINTHENAMEOFLOVE "VISSADAGE" BLUEINTHEFACE "SNILTIR" MUCHADOABOUTNOTHING "BEDORISING" ADAYINTHELIFE "SPORETAFF" READBETWEENTHELINES Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/5/1995&g=64&d=A" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/5/1995&g=64&d=A</a> .....
Re the column, I never do crosswords on my phone*, nor on paper; I solve in a web browser on my desktop computer. But I'm a hermit, so I only spend a significant amount of time on my smartphone when I'm on a long bus ride or in a waiting room for an appointment; I sometimes work on Spelling Bee then. I'm Gen X, FWIW. * I have done the crossword a few times on my iPad, when I was away from home. Definitely prefer the desktop experience.
I guess my comment from last night about antifa finally got deleted just now. Sad because I don’t think I ever got 94 recommends on a NYT thread before.
@Charles Nelson Reilly aHA! So you’re to blame for this dog and pony show!😋