I can't distinguish between an incisor and a canine, to tell the tooth. (I have so many orthodontics notes to read. I have to make a dentin them.)
@Mike My mom used to throw a celebration when we lost a tooth. You heard of party enamels, right?
@Mike If you meet a lady dentist, you could chatter up with tales of George Washington's choppers, but of course you wooden want to implant the wrong impression.
@Mike Fangs for this. I think you deserve a plaque.
@Mike More of your biting humor! Cutting for those of us at the front, ripping for those in the middle, and even those at the back are feeling impacted!
@Mike My approach is the molar opposite. (Hope I don't catch too much plaque over it)
@Mike If you think those are confusing, tricuspids.
@Mike Note to Brit dentists, " Mind the Gap"!
@Mike My dentist told me the hole tooth, and nothing but the tooth. After a while I grasped the cavity of the situation.
This felt a bit tough for Monday, but it might be that I’m just too tired to focus, 1D stumped me for an embarrassingly long time. Re the APP debate that’s going on; over here we call them Starters. So that’s that sorted. We had our daughter’s wedding on our land on Saturday. For weeks I’ve been praying for the cold and rain to stop. The gods heard, but being gods they overdid it and opened the furnace doors wide. We’re currently in a record breaking heatwave that is still building. But, the wedding day was glorious, our baby girl stunningly beautiful, everything went according to plan and then some. We’re still clearing the detritus; we found a Groomsman asleep in a hedge the day after. He has no idea how he got there. Those Londoners can’t handle Somerset cider!
@Helen Wright Agreed about the difficulty. But today is Tuesday, even across the pond. ;-) Spring Bank Holiday yesterday?
@Helen Wright It's a Tuesday puzzle, not a Monday. Seems you can't handle the Somerset cider, either 😁. Congrats on your daughter's wedding!
@Helen Wright Your heat wave even merited an article on nytimes.com. If you had a dj, hope he played Linda Ronstadt's version of Heat Wave. Here's a link to a particularly live-ly version, which it now occurs to me you may not be able to play across the pond. <a href="https://youtu.be/0FTdzvQT2xA?si=B1NFNXAZegwA8CEQ" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/0FTdzvQT2xA?si=B1NFNXAZegwA8CEQ</a>
@Helen Wright Before smartphones we used to call them starters here too, at least in the heartland.
@Helen Wright APPs at eateries is just another modern slang we old people have to embrace, along with sesh, convo, vacay, merch, inspo... ya dig? Menus in America still contain "starters" and "appetizers." Praying to god(s) is like that. One grants your request, the others swarm and wreak their own havoc. Thus, the monotheistic approach. Congrats (see what I mean?) on having a new son! Hee hee.
@Helen Wright awww joyous wishes to your daughter and her spouse!! And thank you for the groomsman - I'll be thinking of him shaking dormice out of his trouser cuffs all day long 😊
@Helen Wright Wonderful story! Except for the heatwave. Many happy wishes to the new spouses!
@Helen Wright Or a Tuesday, even!
@Helen Wright Gurt lush weather for iced coffee innit? I was visiting the UK nine years ago at this time, and there was a heat wave then. Facebook popped up this memory for me, of the sign outside a cafe in Bristol.
@Helen Wright DOH! Yep, it was Spring Bank holiday yesterday. What with the wedding and then that I have no idea what planet I’m on, let alone what day!
Andrzej, If Mon-Tue-Wed level-clued puzzles were themeless, many if not most of us would fall asleep over them. Themes offer some wordplay to ponder (or not) and enjoy (or not) while solving a relatively easy puzzle. Speed solvers may ignore the themes; those of us here for the wordplay, not for a race, can savor them. All, I'll be offline for a few days. See you next week.
@Barry Ancona I *am* here for the wordplay yet these easy early-week themes don't excite me. I guess that's a bit strange? My mom did say I was special...
@BA et al. If you want puzzles which are simple, themeless, yet spicy, may I suggest the Wednesday's puzzles in the New Yorker (online)--often by Robyn Weintraub (but not last week): <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/05/20" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/05/20</a> @BA-- I hope your time away is for something enjoyable, like vacation.
@Barry Ancona -- Looking forward to your return!
Welcome back, Sam. You have been missed! I always enjoy your humor built in to your explanation of the clues. It seems to mesh well with my humor and make me smile/giggle or even laugh. This, in my book, is what crossword puzzles should do
I liked today's puzzle. Difficulty well calibrated for a Tuesday and a lot of clever clues. Fun theme answers like WISEASS and SMART MOUTH. I really wanted a clue to be TIE DYE because I've never heard of DIP DYE, but I was 100% sure about ADELE so I was confused. But also some clever answers like TARGETED AD, HOTEL SAFE, GIF crossed with PDFS, DWARF STAR.
At first, I thought the cheerleading cheer was GeTteM!!! A little later, I thought it was going to be GoTteM!! A nice cheer after a sack or some such. "Got t'em, got t'em, knock 'em to the ground, got t'em, got t'em, kick 'em around!" Clearly, I never was a cheerleader, nor did I play one on TV, but it seems like I might have been a slightly more malicious one than appropriate, so it's probably for the best... 🤔 Also, in case it ever becomes relevant to your life, I prefer a nice German potato salad over a mayo potato salad. Do a thought what you will, which I assume will be forget it in 2 seconds. I actually have a very funny story about mayo type potato salad... Alas, sadly for you, I am far too worn out to share it. We are still in Utila and my mother-in-law only slept through the night once since we've arrived. Other nights, she's averaging 4 to 5 times a night. I haven't actually done the math. Dementia is a real _______.... Um, fill in the blank with something that the emus would vehemently object to. 😏 Nice puzzle! I liked it!
@HeathieJ Much compassion and support for what you’re going through. Although I was not her primary caretaker, I lived through my mother’s Alzheimer’s battle and I know what a toll it can take on family members who want to solve but have to settle for mostly just being there and giving love. It doesn’t seem like enough, but it matters, more than you know. I also empathize with your lack of sleep. Not to infer an equivalent situation, but my little pup Roo (who I’ve mentioned here several times) has accelerating dementia and wakes up every few hours barking. I don’t think I’ve slept more than 4-5 hours a night for the last 3 weeks. It’s hard, but I also know that the only thing worse than the barking will be when it stops. Despite everything, I hope you’re enjoying your time in Kentucky. I hear they make an excellent bourbon, which might come in handy.
@HeathieJ I loved those "fight" cheers and songs while in HS (70-73), so thanks for that memory. Sadly, those cheers are probably banned from any and all public high schools in today's PC culture. (Segue into...) Mad respect for the caretaking of your mom. Although we men (sons, etc.) do our level best, women are unmatched in caring for their moms. You truly have a gift, my friend.👏
This was fun! A nice Tuesday with an enjoyable theme.
I love it that Mr. Lively's puzzles are always true to his surname! And today, added to lively, the grid was also sharp and smart because he's a keen and wise constructor. Whenever I hear or see the word JUMP, I immediately think of The Pointer Sisters song ‐ <a href="https://youtu.be/uyTVyCp7xrw?si=9YjbI8risnxfvbg5" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/uyTVyCp7xrw?si=9YjbI8risnxfvbg5</a> The sound is a bit disco-y but it was actually launched not in the 70's, but at the start of 1984. I would catch it on the radio but was otherwise too hooked on Lionel Ritchie's album "Can't Slow Down" to listen to anything else. But back to the puzzle, thank you for the fun, Mr. Lively! Well done!
The answer my friend is 2:00 p.m., the answer is 2:00 p.m... <a href="https://youtu.be/XA4mlUPrdl4?si=Sin1syTx_mzXbtZp" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/XA4mlUPrdl4?si=Sin1syTx_mzXbtZp</a> I can watch this over and over and over again and never tire of it!! ☺️
@HeathieJ That was hilarious. Thanks. :):):):)
@HeathieJ Love it! Thank you for that.
Juliet, Bill, Rich, and Jim, it is my great pleasure to spread the joy of this video. It cracks me up every single time!!
For huge props I was thinking of the stage - could that be castle walls (Macbeth? Hamlet? they have castles) a pirate ship? barricades à la Les Miz? I assume MAD RESPECT is a commonly used term? Apart from that, which I got with crossers, a very straightforward crossword; so I now have 2 Tuesdays clear, as well as 3 Mondays. That's after 18 months, so take heart all you new solvers, it gets easier, but it can take a while.
@Jane Wheelaghan "Mad respect" is a product of our AAVE, as are many cool terms. I'm not sure how the UK embraces such vernacular, but here is one of the absolute best explanations of what I speak, from "Be Cool." <a href="https://youtu.be/9k2nstrtUs0?si=cRdykuiyoT6Q_hqQ" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/9k2nstrtUs0?si=cRdykuiyoT6Q_hqQ</a> Mad respect for you, Jane
Update: same "vid" (ha ha), cuts right to the speech. <a href="https://youtu.be/9k2nstrtUs0?t=64&si=kyTLSMw3XJT0BHia" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/9k2nstrtUs0?t=64&si=kyTLSMw3XJT0BHia</a>
@Jane Wheelaghan The towering sphinx in Aida.
Ah, spray coming out of a blow-hole, in the midst of choppy waters that indicate the presence of air currents. Someone thought of finding this perfect punny image to illustrate "It's blowing in the wind". Someone whip-smart. Sam is back, and all is right with the world.
@Lewis and all is right with the world. I'm not so sure about that. Maybe just this corner.
Well, that’s one tight theme. If these theme answers were plentiful, we’d see many worthy ones in the comments, but they are spare to none. I love the constructor mind that came across SMART MOUTH and SHARP TEETH (per Brad's notes), immediately saw their connection, then found two more and produced a perfect revealer to tie it all together. Bravo, SIR. More props to Brad for sparking the box with fresh never-in-the-Times-before answers, my favorites being BODY OF KNOWLEDGE, DWARF STAR, SMART MOUTH, and the terrific MAD RESPECT. Today I learned DIPDYE, and found post-solve that it’s also done with hair, where it is a cousin to “ombré” and “balayage” – two more TILs. Got my money’s worth out of this alone. Got a smile out of EYE crossing AYE AYE. Brad, your three Times puzzles are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so you’re on the way to hitting the cycle in seven puzzles, something only done once before (by Andrew Ries). Go for it! And thank you for a splendid outing!
I chuckled at the crossing of Denali and keeneye (i.e. Kenai). I can't believe that wasn't intentional.
I shared this in the Monday comments, but I think there weren't too many readers there anymore by the time I posted it...xwstats.com now has stats for the Midi and Mini as well as the regular crossword, both current and historical.
One final post, now that I can see which way the whale-snot is blowing: 1) "APP" is definitely a thing: the term is ubiquitous among food-service workers, of which I am one. I doubt most line cooks can even spell the complete word "appettizer." 2) MALT, for "malted milkshake," is definitely a thing--in fact I can't remember ever seen it described otherwise on ice cream shop menu boards. Usually combined with chocolate, malt(ed milk powder) is a delicious flavor on its own--I once worked at a restaurant which contracted with a local ice-cream maker who made bespoke flavors, and made us a vanilla-malt one. I don't remember what we served it with (apple galette?), but it was delicious! Great to see you back, Sam!
@Bill Are the double tees a joke? Or you are just really, really tired after your long work weekend?
Oh, for Pete's sake -- reproducing the answer to 49A must be why I haven't been able to post a comment through two attempts! Have you ever heard of anything more completely idiotic?! But I've figured it out and this third attempt should sail through: When I had SHARP TEETH and KEEN EYE, I thought of SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST or PHYSICALLY FIT for the revealer. When I got to WISE [you-know-what] and SMART MOUTH, I thought: Not so much. By then, though, I had seen the actual revealer -- and I didn't really think that the landing was completely nailed. The adjectives do seem to apply more to native intelligence than to KNOWLEDGE. But still -- close enough for crosswords, right? OTOH, what is MAD RESPECT? Is it what you feel when someone does a beautiful job painting his house green? And I had TIE DYE before DIP DYE -- leaving me with that peerless singer ATELE and that delicious pre-entree order AEP. I had fun with this. The theme answers are quite delightful, amusing and colorful. Why you might even call them LIVELY, Mr. Lively. (I imagine about 93 comments today will contain this very same pun, but I couldn't resist.) Very enjoyable Tuesday.
@Nancy Haha, I'd say the moderator (probably a nonhuman filter) has its emu head somewhere other than the sand, but I don't want to be labeled a SAGE DONKEY.
Nancy, Third time's the charm. If The Times uses AI for customer service, perhaps they could use it to let otherwise verboten words appear in the comments when they appear in the puzzle.
MADRESPECT. Themes don’t get brighter than this. 15 letter revealer, 4 symmetrical themers, and doubt there’s any more decent ones (or maybe alternates like SHARPTONGUE, BRIGHT EYES). Still I hope you made an appropriate sacrifice of OREOS to the crossword gods.
@SP I meant tighter, not brighter. I guess they don’t get much brighter than this metaphorically either.
@SP I see what you mean but personally I still only ever get excited by Thursday themes, and I like Fridays and Saturdays not only because of the (often) smartly misleading clues, but also because the grids are themeless. These regular themes, without any sort of trickery, usually do nothing for me. The randomness of them is what leaves me cold, I guess. Typically several random entries are connected, rather abstractly, by the revealer. Often there will be something groanworthy about the whole thing. Well, ok 🤷🏽 Am I alone in this? (Mind you, I'm not asking anybody to stop enjoying themes. I just legitimately wonder if lack of interest in them is something others share)
The people who work hard for their PTAs might appreciate occasional recognition that they do more than run bake sales.
@Bob Some previous clues include sponsoring book fairs, collaborating with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), field trip planning, etc. Or did you mean every time it's clued?
@Bob I don't trust anyone who thinks pta bake sales are insignificant.
@Bob and @Long walks n sunsets And remember they're the ones who came up with the t-shirt: Someday the schools will have all they need and the Pentagon will have to hold bake sales. variant opening: Wouldn't it be nice if .... I'm not really that idealistic. We need a Dept of Defence. Just not a Dept of War.
MAD RESPECT for this one. It took a KEEN EYE and SHARP TEETH to draw on my BODY OF KNOWLEDGE of OREOS and other crossword clichés to solve this one. I don't mean to be to sassy and smart here!
That was a nicely satisfying puzzle, IMHO. I had to engage the neural gears a little, but not to the point of stripping even more out. (Thanks, archives! Oh, and alcohol, probably.) Chuckled at 36D [A little sun?]. A perfect Tuesday clue. (Look at me, talking like I'm an old timer.)
@Francis Oh, and also, the THC. But that's pretty recent, so it's mostly the archives. And the alcohol. I shouldn't have admitted that. Now I'll never get to be the Secretary of "War" or the FBI Director.
Do you people really shorten "appetizer" to APP?! Do you still get mail daily or was the clue a throwback to the olden days? Over here I find a letter in my mailbox once per several months, maybe. All bills are handled digitally, and recently the public administration finally implemented electronic delivery of its correspondence, so stuff like taxes also gets notified to me online. Invoices are being digitized, too. GO TEAM made me think we never had any cheerleaders before 1989. Even these days they are not a thing in most sports, and most of all they don't feature in our national sport of football (soccer). I'm only vaguely aware of what a MALT might be - I've never seen that sold in Poland. Apparently it's not our thing. Our equivalent of the American PROM is not related to graduation as such, and it happens roughly halfway through the final year of high school. It is called "studniówka", "the hundred day party", because it's organized 100 days before the final high school exams. The idea is for students to all have a bit of fun before they fully concentrate on studying throughout those final months. Promposals are not a thing, and there really is no focus on coming as a couple. Nobody arrives by limo, either. We don't have PTAs. A school will have a principal, a teachers' council, and a parents' council, elected every year by all the parents (one child-one vote). The teachers and parents are expected to cooperate, but they don't form any formal associations.
@Andrzej Mail is delivered daily. My apartment complex has about 300 units, and each unit has a mailbox at a structure near the apartment office. Letters and/or packages are placed in the respective boxes, where we can check to see if anything has been delivered. I might get mail once or twice a week. Skipping to MALT, the Horlick brothers created malt powder as a health product/milk shelf-life extender in the UK, and in the late 1800s moved to Racine, WI, and when the malt powder was added to milkshakes in Chicago, it caught on and has been popular since. (I used to live in the area). There are other school dances besides proms, but those are the biggest and fanciest ones. There are often two per year, one held by the junior class and the biggest one held by the senior class. They're usually pretty big deals. Parent Teacher Associations are mostly parents, and the groups meet to support the teachers of schools in ways the schools are or can not. They do fund-raising for extra supplies or equipment that could benefit the school, etc.
@Andrzej Indeed, people do shorten appetizer to APP. Why waste time pronouncing four whole syllables, when you could just pronounce one and get your spinach artichoke dip that much faster!? 😏
@Andrzej Daily Mail delivery is still a thing here. How much any one person receives depends on what they’ve opted to receive digitally. But junk mail, in the form of circulars, solicitations and the like, is always there to pick up the slack. At least 90% of my daily mail delivery goes straight into the trash.
@Andrzej We have postal delivery 6 days a week, not long ago it was twice a day. If you read eg Sherlock Holmes it mentions deliveries in London up to 10 times a day. Many people wrote a lot, hence there are huge volumes of authors' letters published. I get junk and a few other things; bank cards get delivered. But there are lots of parcels. I wish I had bought shares in cardboard-making companies!
@Andrzej I never call appetizers "APPS." That's just cringey. As for the mail, it does still come daily, but it's all junk: political ads, coupons for Little Caesar's, pleas from my bank to open a credit card. The occasional auto warranty scam. I wish there was a magic wand I could wave to keep this literal garbage out of my mailbox.
@Andrzej Mail very much still arrives, mostly junk mailers that clog my mailbox just as spam clogs my email inbox, encouraged for some reason by discounted postage for bulk mail. It's "malt" that's a throwback, to about the 1950s: I'm 50 and have never tasted one or even seen one sold to my recollection. But they are still familiar cultural background knowledge.
One and done. No lookups. I feel like a real brainiac!
Curious about how Connections puzzles are written? Interested in learning more about the editor behind the game? On Friday, May 29th at 1p.m. E.D.T., Wyna Liu will be answering your questions in the Connections Companion comment section. Come say hello!
@Patrick M. That would be illuminating. My question would be whether she has time to help the folks at The Athletic construct better Sports Connections puzzles. Those are far less skillfully done than Wyna's. There's also a Connections community elsewhere online where people can submit puzzles, and if you take a look at some of those, you come to better understand just how good Wyna is at what she does.
"Wait, people shorten 'cell phone application' to APP?"
@Bill et alia Everyone who has ever substituted APP for 'Appetizer' whilst ordering in a restaurant please raise your hand......
Easy work, even from Columbia. Yo quiero jueves. -Kate
Inasmuch as I'm repulsed by sentences, written or spoken, that start off with "So..." So I was pumped up about 3/4 into this easy solve, when I felt compelled to write a dissertation about the coexistence of Dark Star and Tie Dye in today's puzzle. Should I cite the Greatful Dead or the Stephen Stills song? Better to stick to the Dead, this way the Tie Dye reference would fall right into place. So I played bridge yesterday with Doug as my partner. He's an ex hippie, and a masterful bridge and chess player, who wears tie dye shirts just about everywhere. His wife still makes them and sells them locally at outdoor events here. He's got the whole hippie beard, unkept hair and girthy look going on. Plus, he's been to his fair share of Dead shows. So, thanks ADELE! Thanks "My dear ___" for putting the kibosh on this incredible BODYOFKNOWLEDGE that will never be imparted on these lovely commenters. -/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/- @Sam Corbin: So it's good to see your presence, read your musings, and marvel at your choice of photos. I must admit, in your absence, I did wander and become a huge FaNikita. I love her writing style as much as I do yours. May you two continue to guide and entertain the lost, mere mortals that we are.
@Jerry I would love to read your dissertation about the coexistence of Dark Star and Tie Dye in today's puzzle.
Just for _chs_, wherever you may be; <a href="https://theyoncecalledlmechief.blogspot.com/2026/05/dark-star-dwarf-star.html" target="_blank">https://theyoncecalledlmechief.blogspot.com/2026/05/dark-star-dwarf-star.html</a>
Nice Tuesday. Good theme; good revealer. No nits. My clue du jour: "A little sun?" Very clever. But, for future picnics, Mr. Lively, I prefer German potato salad: a good amount of vinegar and herbs, but no MAYO.
@The X-Phile Right with you on the potato salad - my family is Pennsylvania Dutch. Never liked the MAYO variety.
Found this one to be very enjoyable! The only problem I ran into was DOH rather than DUH. a bit of a hard cross if you aren’t familiar with TYCO. Who knows, maybe saying doh/duh is regional when facepalming.
@Luc Is there a difference between "doh" and "duh"? I know one is Homer Simpson's invention. Is maybe the difference that Homer would use "doh" when something surprising happens that he doesn't like, rather than as an admonition of insufficient thinking?
I had APs, since it's less common for people to eat alone in a restaurant (I do, usually at the counter if they have one, at slow hours, and with a book...but still). I also briefly had "BOokOFKNOWLEDGE, which had me wondering if "Connecticut ivy" was somehow someone's obscure slang for kALE. Having the APs entry already in the place so that the "s" was where the"P" was supposed to be in "MADRESPECT" for some reason made me just transpose the "S" and the "P," giving me "MADREpsECT." Which changed 49 across into something that, like a lot of things that have happened in the last five years, made me wonder once again if either I was losing my mind, or if reality itself was just rapidly unraveling.
@Bruce Maybe I’m dense, but I don’t understand your first paragraph at all. What does dining alone or not have to do with entering APs for APP?
Nice, LIVELY Tuesday, thanks, Brad. Hard enough to need a little thought, but overall a quick and entertaining puzzle.
No one, ever, calls an appetizer an app. Apps are what you have on your phone. APPY or Appies are what you have before entrees.
@DocP Aww, I feel sad finding out that I'm no one.... but at least I'm not alone, since almost everyone I know calls them APPs. It's almost as if we aren't all exactly alike and sometimes we even say things differently. 🤔 Strange days, indeed!
@DocP Appies? Like nappies? Ewww.
@DocP Decades ago my ex pat friends and I in Geneva for some reason shortened Bon Appetit to Beau Knapp. Somehow helped us deal with our modest French. Now also the name of a Hollywood actor. So helped me with this clue. We also called the Pont Mont Blanc the Po Mo Blo. Brought Geneva down to Earth. Same with Jay Doe for the Jet d’Eau.
@DocP But…but…I call them APPS. Appies? Is that what the kids these days are saying?
@DocP that’s really interesting that you say that. In the Philly region, where I am, it is extremely common to refer to appetizers as apps! Guessing it’s a regional thing maybe?
@DocP As one in the Food Service Economy, I can reliably state that everyone calls appetizers "apps," at least in the back of the house, if not to the customers. Even my former boss, who moved to Detroit from Calgary, called them "apps."
@DocP "No one, ever, calls an appetizer an app." And for the nonillionth time a commenter extrapolates their knowledge to the rest of the world, and is embarrassingly wrong.
@DocP That's incorrect.
@DocP As someone who has heard (and used) the term “app” for appetizers countless times, yet never once had an “appy” or any “appies”, I suspect that might be an opinion and not necessarily quite the fact it was stated as. Possibly a regional thing, as others have suggested. Though per that line of thinking, depending on where you live the entree IS the app (here’s lookin’ at you anywhere that speaks French)..
Our Saturday constructor also produced yesterday's crossword in The New Yorker: <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/05/25" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/05/25</a>
@BA Just noticed that, as I was typing my reply to your post, below. I have the day off, and have that to look forwards to!
@Barry Ancona I just tried this - really enjoyed it! I had to look up a few, which is ok. Then I had to look up some answers too. The only one I could not look up or understand is the answer to 13A. I don't want to spoil for any others, but could you explain?
On the tough side for a Tuesday for me, with a few answers that were never going to dawn on me without some crosses. No big deal - just made for an enjoyable workout. And some puzzle finds today with remarkably similar themes. I'll put those in a reply. ....
@Rich in Atlanta As threatened: First, a Sunday from October 8, 1995 by Nancy Nicholson Joline with the title: "Threesomes." And... all the theme answers had 'threesome' as part of the clue. Some of those answers: TOMDICKANDHARRY CIGARETTESONAMATCH MACBETHWITCHES FRENCHHENS MUSKETEERS MACMURRAYSSONS CLUBSANDWICHSLICES AREACODENUMBERS And then... a Monday from August 20, 2007 by Lynn Lempel. All the theme answers in that one had 'trio' as part of the clue. Those answers: LITTLEPIGS BILLYGOATSGRUFF FRENCHHENS MENINATUB BLINDMICE And then.. a Monday from July 25, 1977 by Virginia Schneider. All of those theme answers also had 'trio' in the clue: TOMDICKANDHARRY REDWHITEANDBLUE THETHREESTOOGES I'm done. ...
MAD RESPECT for this puzzle. Tight, fun, 5-clue theme with some other fresh entries including DIP DYE (which had I thought was only for hair),
It doesn’t bother me that when I try for more theme-related pairs, I can only think of the opposite kind. Does that mean I have thick skin? Still, though, a fun puzzle. (Did DEEP THROAT have a body of knowledge? Nah, not really.)
@JohnWM I think that's a good one, if it refers to the Watergate leaker, and not the dirty movie.
Today's poem made from words found in today's puzzle<br> <br> a/ the weird within within <br> the wind what awful answers <br> what word might make what <br> thought might throw you in with <br> what and d/ whereby the sun the <br> mind the mountain travelling a <br> highway to a spot a huge little <br> spot… you spot your name <br> embedded in the a/ road <br> go on… jump <br>
Lovely Tuesday. Reminds me of a puzzle I always wanted to make with SMART COOKIE as a theme answer.
I hear you Sam....I picked TILNOW too...LOL
I was torn between wAgE and RATE for 42A and penciled in wAgE but then quickly realized it wasn't going to work with GOTEAM, definitely went DOH after that but I did enjoyed being slightly tricked. Was a fun Tuesday!
@Daniel Same here! I also stuck with TAILORED AD too long without checking the crosses. DOH!
I know this is off topic, but please indulge me. I've been slowly working on the puzzles that were constructed by my first cousin once-removed, Robert Katz. He started way back in the Maleska era, somewhere around 1985. The one I completed earlier was a Thursday, 7/25/91. There was no theme, no trick, and it was fairly easy, though it had three nice spannners. It was nice to see the old crosswordese "tarn," which don't even make it to the Bee! So my questions for some of the old timers here - Barry, Steve L - about when did themes begin, and when did Thursday puzzles become tricky/rebus-y, if you know? Thanks.
Times Rita, Will Shortz became editor in November 1993. By 1995 you will see the Monday-to-Saturday easy-to-hard progression and Tricky Thursdays. (Take a look in the archive.)
@Times Rita I keep on trying TARN in the Bee, just in case it's been added, then me and my British dad rue that it hasn't....
@Times Rita the Bee doesn't accept TARN? What in tarnation are they doing?
I've already put in 2-cents'-worth on the matter of MALT (below this, a couple of swipes South) but in general --with a very few exceptions--I found this puzzle rather uninteresting, with ho-hum clues, and the quite odd DIP DYE. (Apparently everyone thought of TIE DYE and commented on that basis... I've never heard of DIP DYE, not in years of summer camping, scouting, vacation Bible-schooling, art projects, and on and on. I can see that it COULD be 'a thing,' but not a common term/activity/method... and not even a 'special technique.') I've heard of MAD PROPS, but not this intended expansion into MAD RESPECT. And why are there asterisks? Don't you suppose we could cotton onto the theme without help? Bet your.....
@Mean Old Lady The only thing I've ever dyed is Easter eggs, so DIP DYE made perfect sense to me. I have made malted milk with the powder, but if I'm eating at Friendly's, the chocolate MALT is made with ice cream. Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.
@Mean Old Lady Tie-dyers these days generally don't dip the garment in a vat, they squirt dye it them with those squeezable plastic condiment bottles. At least on YouTube they do.
@Mean Old Lady FYI, a picture <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/4434366077/large-macrame-ocean-wall-hanging-set-dip?ref=share_v4_lx" target="_blank">https://www.etsy.com/listing/4434366077/large-macrame-ocean-wall-hanging-set-dip?ref=share_v4_lx</a>
Welcome back, Sam. Delighted to see your byline. After reading the column, I have to ask, “Isn’t it time to officially put Mike from Munster on the payroll?”
Wait— shouldn’t it be “than the one I made,” and not “that the one I made?” Oh well, she maybe just got carried away and made a little air-er. I’ll just blow it off.
@Leon S. Sam is working without a copy editor.
One of these days I'll have to figure out why I always enter NOTON instead of NOTOK first in an American puzzle. I'm a hard-core Anglophile but didn't grow up there. In the meantime, tight little Tuesday.
I really wanted 44 Across to be Answer. Alas, no. And MAD PROPS (said me never until just now) to Sam for the column, the headline, the picture, et al, and to Mr Lively for the puzzle.
Fine theme and interesting long vertical entries. Seemed close to ideal for a Tuesday puzzle.
"I have the next three days off--hopefully, I prepped enough Sriracha mayo, or else they'll have to 86 the Thai crab cakes app," said this line cook, informally. *** *** Here's a favorite example of [Huge props]: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXzzHM8zLw&list=RDqAXzzHM8zLw&start_radio=1" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXzzHM8zLw&list=RDqAXzzHM8zLw&start_radio=1</a>
Sam's column and the puzzle got me thinking about how SMART, KEEN and SHARP can all mean both "witty" and "fine-edged" (in the case of SMART in reference to pain), when the etymology of each word is fairly different. KEEN started off meaning "capable" then more specifically "brave" and/or "wise" and then eventually "sharp-edged"; whereas as SMART and SHARP started as "fine-edged" and then later "witty". In the case of KEEN EYE, there is a nice double meaning where not only can it refer to being intellectually discerning but also having excellent eyesight...which will give the image SHARPer edges. It's a nice subject for phenomenologists that the subjective--"mind's eye"-- feeling of sharpness (whether it is a blade, pain, smell, or a visual image) seems related to the feeling of wittiness.
breezy, more clever than the average tuesday i feel. MAD RESPECT good to see