Congrats on your debut, Collin! A fun romp and some challenging answers for me (e.g., EOIN). Yikes. But I enjoyed the wordplay. Been doing the NYT puzzle for 50+ years. Just wanted to applaud your efforts!
Most of you may know this, but the Big Crunch (114A) would theoretically be when the current expansion of the universe slows to a stop, then collapses back in to reform the Big Bang. The tricky part of this concept is that it's easy to imagine galaxies and such spreading out, moving farther than father into already existing "empty" space. But that's wrong. Space is not empty. It's full of particles that blink into and out of existence. The law of Conservation of Matter and Energy doesn't apply because these particles last such a tiny fraction of time that it's jumbled into the Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Mechanics. Moreover, space can expand *faster* than the speed of light. The speed of light is the upper limit for a particle or wave moving through space. When space itself being created, space can expand faster that even light can move through it. Because of this, there is only so much universe that we can access. Much (most?) of it is inaccessible through any means available. Even if we had a spaceship that could move the speed of light, some parts of the galaxy would still outrun us. Another possibility for the end of the universe is "The Big Rip". In this theory, dark energy causes such an torrent of space creation that molecules, atoms, and the particle within atoms (nuclei, quarks, etc) are separated from one another, and fly away from one another forever. I love cosmology, even if I don't get it completely.
@Francis, I am honored to be the first to "like" this beautiful post. I did indeed wonder about the Big Crunch, which is also what I called my last Toyota Sienna upon its meeting its demise.
@FrancisThank you for the clearest comments I've read yet about the universe, its expansion and whatever may ensue. (Though I doubt I'll ever grasp the concept of "beyond the universe" as the universe is, by definition, everything, is it not?
@Francis I’d like to suggest that the entire comment section be written by you.
@Francis our galaxy is gravitationally bound and while participating in the expansion of the universe it is not itself expanding. Thus a spacecraft could explore it without fear of being outrun. It would however take for almost ever and be a pretty pointless exercise as even our galaxy is mostly emptyish space. a gnab gib is currently not what the measurements predict. Current prediction is for a cold future. Whether dark energy eventually rips atoms apart is quite unclear. I’m not sure whether this is the forum to discuss conservation of energy and QM 😀
@Francis Thank you, that was fascinating! Though I was appalled to learn that Warp Drive could not take Captain Kirk and crew to any galaxy they wanted to visit!
@Francis And dark energy makes the new space created repel the older space, so it is all spreading out even faster. Well, some recent evidence the other way, and once again so are questions about the dark energy itself. Science is a long dialog that seeks to self correct.
@Francis There was a time -- not so long ago -- when the sciences criticized philosophy for its lack of testable hypotheses. Now science has become more speculative than Leibnizian metaphysics. Ain't science grand?
@Francis The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking) <a href="https://www.astrokatie.com/book" target="_blank">https://www.astrokatie.com/book</a> is a fun read about theories of how the universe might end. Astrophysics moves fast and a book published in 2020 is bound to be a little out of date. Still, it’s a good place to start.
@Francis but what about the coming of the great white handkerchief?
@Francis Thank you for expanding my brain. It, too, is full of particles that blink in and out of existence, which can be either invigorating or unnerving. Today, one of those particles was activated, and that feels great. On the other hand, your description of The Big Rip kind of freaks me out a little.
@Francis Late to the show My favorite party of your comment “ Most of you may know this” Uh. No. I don’t think most of us do…
[That s=x worker must not want my business] AN UNSOLICITED COMMENT [I know we only met five minutes ago, but I totally love you!] PREMATURE EJ@CULATION [In answer to your question, this puzzle took me 24 minutes and 28 seconds] A MEASURED RESPONSE [You really wrapped my birthday present well!] OPENING STATEMENT
@john ezra Brilliant! I honestly don't know how wordsmiths like you do it.
@john ezra But none of those are 'slights'. Well, maybe the first, but not unambiguously.
Acknowledging the Groundless Accusation I have drunk your coffee that was in the icebox which was super duper artisanal and special Forgive me I had to try because it was so artisanal (This one was my favorite of the funny themers in the puzzle!)
@Cat Lady Margaret Weren’t they plums?
@Cat Lady Margaret In college I lived in a huge house with 20-30 fellow students. we had two shared fridges and people were always complaining that someone was stealing their food. Someone bought a half-gallon of fresh-squeezed OJ and wrote on the package "I spat in this OJ". By morning someone had added "So did I".
@Cat Lady Margaret my partner, the professional poet (seriously), says give that lady 19 stars.
I solved while watching the Norway vs. England match of the beautiful game, fantastically played by both teams. So, first and foremost, congrats to our English friends in this forum for the win! Here's hoping this is the Cup you take home! Also congrats to Collin who has given us an exciting debut, and an imaginative one. To me, the punning was subtle, which brought an elegance to the puzzle that I very much appreciated. My favorite was BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT exactly because it's something I disdain. I call it "a kiss on one cheek and a slap on the other." A waste of a good opportunity to keep quiet. I'm guilty as charged of BAreFACEDLIE before the BALDFACED one, and I have no idea why I use one over the other. Thank you for a great puzzle, Collin, and please know that my compliments are sincere!
@sotto voce, Agree all the way around BUT that ball did hit the wire, and I'll believe my own lyin' eyes over a FIFA statement any day of the week! (See: Balogun). Funny how Haaland was really not the dominant force I expected him to be. Someone forgot to release the kraken. Loved watching Djed Spence, riveting player. No backhanded compliments for him, only two-handed clapping compliments.
@sotto voce I fell asleep halfway into the first half, but the game started at 11 pm Polish time...
@sotto voce Ditto. In addition to enjoying the punny themers I loved Bull rings? For PRANKCALLS.
Well, now, there’s an original theme, with the answers being types of negative things people say, and the clues punning on them. It’s a left-field, one-of-a-kind theme. And why not even make it more novel by having five of the six theme answers be debuts, never seen before in the 80+ years of the Times puzzle? And that sixth answer – BALD FACED LIE – is a once-before. Standing-O to Colin for coming up with this. Kudos also for lacing the box with wordplay in theme and non-theme clues. I especially liked [Bull rings?], which brought a big “Hah!”, and [You might need to lose a few to get them] a riddle my brain loved trying to crack, even though it eventually needed crosses. And then there was [Turkey part], for which I confidently slapped down WATTLE – “Hah!” again. Your puzzle, Colin, was something different and something enjoyable, for which I’m most grateful. Congratulations on a very promising NYT debut puzzle!
Collin -- Forgive me please for misspelliing your name!
Congratulations, Collin. Having a Sunday puzzle published on your first attempt is quite impressive. I like that the puzzle some bite (especially the FLEA crossing FLY section). Favorite clues [Device for sending group messages?] for OUIJA and [Bull rings?] for PRANK CALLS. [“It’s two-for-one night at the tequila bar”] CHEAP SHOTS (I hope no one takes the other kind)
Congrats on your debut! Very punny. I groaned a bit with the first one, BITING REMARK, because that seemed a little trite, and I would have been disappointed if they were all that cliche, but most of the rest of them were very fresh and clever. And long, too, which makes for a challenge especially for a debut constructor. I was surprised some folks thought this was particularly difficult. I guess the phenomenon that I am seeing is that even though there may be several challenging entries, I still feel like there a lot of easy crosses on Sundays to offset them. So I, at least, found little resistance even though there were many thought provoking entries and clues. I thought “bull rings?” was the star today. I was proud to get “Apple consumer” immediately, and was on the right track for “Turkey part” but was looking for EUROPE. I would nit about HAZMATSUIT, I expect most workers in Hazmat suits are doing exactly what they want—microbiologists, radiation experts, etc. —and enjoy their job quite a bit. I guess people wearing them for environmental disasters, though, may not enjoy what they are doing, or at least if they do, wish it was a job that didn’t need to be done. Still a clever clue though! Anyway, an excellent, well-crafted, and enjoyable debut, thanks Collin!
@SP Yeah, I resemble that HAZMATSUIT answer! Geologist, spent many years working in various types of hazmat suits. The gear was no fun at all, but the job was great!
@SP Had the exact same thought re. the HAZMAT SUIT clue. A fun crossword puzzle misdirect, but when I picture myself in one (the suit, not a misdirect), I think, “Cool beans, I’m curing Rocky Mountain spotted fever!” and not, “Gross, I hate a nasty toxic spill.”
@SP, you can love the job overall but still be annoyed by the personal protective equipment.
"Who just puts a pencil back without sharpening it?" POINTED QUESTION
@Katie giving this another try -- "Is it anaphora? Is it epizeuxis? Is it just showing off?" RHETORICAL QUESTION
@Katie tx . made me come up with I'm sorry l put the ice cube tray back without refilling it* COLD COMFORT *One of my otherwise perfect spouse's few flaws.
“Your service will be reflected in your paltry tip.” GRATUITOUS INSULT
No slights to your adjustments, Collin. Fine wordplay today. I hope your mom likes this one. For your next effort, go for those complex construction hijinx you love.
I was stuck for the longest time because I had thought the answer was CRANK _____ until the light suddenly came on. Great Sunday puzzle. Don’t expect many CROSS WORDS about it.
@Strudel Dad Same! It took until I had almost all of "patronizing" solved to realize that that's what it had to be.
With a few lucky guesses, it's done. You contrived a brutal debut, Collin Drown, a HANGTEN kind of ride, but well worth the trip(ups). Thanks, and I'm sure we'll see you again. Five puzzles and two loads of laundry. Guess I'll call it a day.
32A: Turkey Part I already had the ANK___ and wrote in ANKLES. Hmmmm, I thought, "Do turkeys have ankles?"
@Kathleen Of course they do. How else would you fit those frilly little bootees on their drumsticks...erm, legs?
Good, fun puzzle. You do nice work, Collin. Good luck at VCU.
It's always appreciated (at least by me) when answers involve puns. Most of the themers came rapidly, but there were a couple of spots elsewhere that took crosses and a little thought. A nice, gentle Sunday puzzle, and a very nice debut. Thanks, Collin!
I really wanted the answer to “Baker’s necessity” (38D) to be KNEAD. I just hate to waste a good (or bad— really, usually bad) pun. Always happy to see an inventive way to clue OREO. And speaking of vowel-heavy words, I’m surprised we don’t see IAGO more often. Or OUIJA, for that matter. Maybe it’s that pesky “J”. For anyone who hasn’t seen In BRUGES, I recommend you rectify the situation immediately. I love that movie. Aah, time for lunch. I think I’ll have a TAMALE.
@Heidi You led me to an answer (and clue) history search, and... ....yep - In a Tuesday puzzle from 1971 - clue and answer: "After 'Chili today' in a weather joke." HOTTTAMALE .....
@Heidi -- That OREO clue is indeed fantastic, but it has been done several times before in the Times and elsewhere.
@Heidi I was exactly the same on very much wanting it to be knead. ☺️
@Heidi I'm with you on "In BRUGES." Love the movie! I've watched it twice, but will have to watch it again for the dark comedy aspect of it. That is not at all how I experienced it, and I love dark comedy. I even googled it after filling in the entry, surprised by the classification. Sure enough: dark comedy. Maybe I was just too engrossed in the story and setting to grasp the nuances and laugh?!? (Then again, the series "The Bear" gets classified as comedy for the Golden Globes, and I know I'm not the only one who doesn't get why...)
Cute, but not a Sunday. More like what used to be a Tuesday or Wednesday, expanded for a larger grid. I've been doing a lot of the archives, and historically - until pretty recently - there was a clear progression: Tuesdays were actually a bit tough. Wednesdays were actually challenging. Thursdays were difficult with a rebus. Fridays were generally punny with white space. Saturdays were a lot of white space and hard. Sundays were the challenging and clever pieces de la resistance that I waited for all week and could settle down with a cuppa and pore over for a good hour. It was such a treat! Over the past few years everything has blended into a mishmash of cutesy pieces that may be randomly challenging but otherwise have no rhyme nor reason. It is neither disrespectful nor condescending to call this out. It is reality. What's frustrating is that comments in this context are too often taken as personal criticisms of the puzzle author or solvers, rather than what they actually are - constructive feedback and a desperate plea for the editors. Just maybe, some day, a new editor will actually take the time to go back and try a Tuesday or Wednesday crossword circa 2019, review the history, and think to themselves "Wow! I get it!" And bring back the real NYT crossword.
@Shauron I agree with almost everything you say. I only disagree that what we need is a new editor. Shortz was the editor in 2019 as well and appears to be acutely aware of the change. The more we voice our feelings about this, the more we give him ammunition to provide the people who oversee him.
@Shauron I'll add once again that although making the weekend puzzles solvable for everyone may increase income in the short run, I think that increase may be short-lived--until newer solvers find after a year or two that the puzzles no longer provide a challenge. People have kept coming back here for 50, 60 years and although I enjoyed Wordle for awhile, I somehow doubt it will have that kind of lifespan.
Shauron, I'm all for toughening up the Friday and Saturday puzzles, but Thursdays were never always rebuses, and Sundays were never always challenging. You suggested looking at 2019. Here is a Sunday puzzle from July 2019. Do you -- or did you -- find it more challenging than today's? <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2019/07/14" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2019/07/14</a>
@Shauron I'm working my way backwards through the archive, and I definitely find the puzzles harder as I go. I think that's mostly because there is a lot of current trivia in crosswords. We are more likely to remember who won an Oscar in 2015 if it's 2017 than we are now in 2026.
@Shauron "Mondays have the most straightforward clues and Saturday clues are the hardest, or involve the most wordplay. Contrary to popular belief, the Sunday puzzles are midweek difficulty, not the hardest. They’re just bigger." From "How to Solve the New York Times Crossword Puzzle" by Deb Amlen, originally published November 20, 2017. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/how-to-solve-a-crossword-puzzle.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/article/how-to-solve-a-crossword-puzzle.html</a>
@Shauron I agree! I know the Sunday puzzles are Wednesday-Thursday level of difficulty, but lately they seem more Tuesday. They've also gotten less entertaining. I'm wishing for more wit.
My favorite OREO clue thus far 😻 Congrats on a fine debut!
@Ash My sister actually has a dear, adorable, black cat with white paws and features, named OREO, and I only got 15D from the crossing. Duh to the max.
I didn’t get that the themers were all “slights” of some kind until I read the column. Thanks for that, Caitlin. I really liked the long themers and thought the clues for each were cleverly worded. It takes a special mind to see how each slight could also represent certain situations. Well done, Collin! I enjoyed doing your puzzle today.
@NYC Traveler, Collin, I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed seeing AKIMBO in the puzzle today! I always thought it odd to have a single word to describe one particular way to stand, but I like seeing it and saying it. It gave my heart an extra little thrill to see it here today!
Fun one! To me, the puns were funny without being groaners. But I do like a good pun or five. Each one went in so fast for me with few crosses. Right up my alley! Lots of fun! Felt like good, fresh fill to me too. Many chuckles out loud! I finished 62% faster than average but it was a good night for a fast one.... Apparently, salmon doesn't cook itself. Har! Now it's time to feast on it. ☺️
Defeated by the US spelling of PATRONIsING and my inability to spell GALOOT correctly. Gave up after some flyspecking. Never mind … the rest was a good Sunday puzzle.
@Ιασων That kind of error is nearly impossible for me to see.
@Ιασων not to mention patroniZing comments!
@Ιασων Loved GALOOT. In fact, I've loved the occasional galoot...but spelling was irrelevant then.
Congratulations on your debut, Collin. It was straightforward without being boring. And that's not a BACK HANDED COMPLIMENT. I'm sure it's not easy to create an accessible but fun Sunday grid. You ACED it! Now that you've created one for your mom, I look forward to your next more diabolical construction. I hope you already have one in the works.
I apologize, friends, for being so verbose, but this puzzle brought out some vivid experiences. Shop-vac. There was recently a flood in my basement when the sump pump failed during a very rainy spell. I shop vaced the water up, and then I realized I was downstairs, and I needed to get this very heavy mass of water out. But I could only lift it a couple of inches. I tried to muscle it up the basement stairs, but it was slow going, a step at a time. Half way up I was in trouble. I was getting weaker, and every time I picked up the shop vac to move it up a step, I teetered on falling backwards down the stairs. But I was halfway up. Going back would have been just as hard. My bad lower back was also killing me, but mostly I thought of falling backwards onto the concrete floor. (I was alone and this was the middle of the night). I finally got it to the top stair, my heart racing at a terrifying rate from effort and terror. I called my wife, woke her up, thinking I needed to tell her my close call. "Why didn't you just use a bucket to transfer water from the shop vac to the downstairs drain, until you could lift it?" Some times I'm just astonished about how I can talk reasonable well about dark energy can still be so stoopid.
Francis, What am I missing here? Why did you use the shop vac? If there is a downstairs drain at the basement level, why didn't you just push the water to the drain?
@Francis Why didn't you just transfer water to the drain? Because at that point, was the drain even draining? Wouldn't water poured down the drain just have slopped back up onto the floor?
I can see my story needs some work! I did not really set the scene vividly, at all. My wife has a habit of mixing up "cabinet" and "counter", and I mix up "drain" and "sink". Also, I need to perfect my description of the place the water was coming in...maybe you can help me...It's a concrete floor, but there is a hole in the concrete about a foot or so in diameter. It's a pretty ugly hole, and I've seen too many horror movies to stick my hand in dark holes, but I think it goes directly into Mother Earth. When Mother Earth is raining like hεll on Mother Earth, this hole fills up and water starts moving across the floor. "Like in that movie 'The Blob'?" "No. Not really." Know what? I'm going to workshop this, and the next time "shop vac" is in the puzzle, be prepared for a story that will have you rolling in the aisles rather than looking around to see if someone else gets it.
I really enjoyed this one. Nothing too obscure. Something time and patience can solve. And the theme was fun. Well done!
Nice, fun debut Colin! Some combinations of answers amused me for a variety of reasons: ARKS crossing with ASKS SEITAN close to STANS GODSPEED so soon after ARRIVE DIPS under POOLSIDE (ITSATRAP!) Congrats Colin!
@Steve Whoops, it’s Collin, my mistake! Congrats Collin!!
Great debut, Collin! Fun, engaging puzzle and loved the “slight” twist. Your mom must be bursting with pride. Looking forward to the next one.
I loved figuring out this puzzle. And each theme was a new challenge with great rewards. Amazing debut! I had most trouble in the Mideast (sounds true to life!) as I had company instead of comment before getting the theme. Also, I had innard instead of Ankara for Turkey part. I had it working for me until I had to put in Hazmat suit.
@Jeff B MD, I had ANK___ and thought, “Turkeys wear ANKlets?”
@Jeff B MD I had BREAST and stuck way too long even with that final A from the HAZMATSUIT (such a nice clue so why didn't I trust it?)
Flew through this then flyspecked for 15 minutes. [Baking recipe instruction] KNEAD It [The Big Crunch, theoretically…] EtD. Thought it was the most clever way I’d ever seen ETD clued. Congrats on your debut Collin!
@CCNY Me too... though I suppose a recipe would just say "knead" rather than "knead it".
@CCNY I had the same last letter off here for the same reasons. Nice to know I wasn't alone!
@CCNY 🤣🤣🤣 I LOVE it. ETD--estimated time to destruction, or to death. We need to utilize that more. I originally had Era, the Big Crunch Era. But I like ETD way more.
Nice Sunday puzzle. Theme clues were in the vicinity of dad jokes, so should have been right up my alley. But... just took a lot of working the crosses for things to dawn on me. Just ended up being an enjoyable workout. And... of course a puzzle find today: A Monday from April 18, 2011 by James Tuttle. Four straightforwardly clued theme answers: LOVETRIANGLE FIFTEENMILES THIRTYSOMETHING FORTYTHIEVES And then finally... "Tennis winner's declaration" GAMESETMATCH No specific identification of that as the 'reveal' but thought that was just one really clever set of answers. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/18/2011&h=57a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=4/18/2011&h=57a</a> .....
@Rich in Atlanta Oh, and one more puzzle - just one with really clever clues. A Wednesday from November 18, 2015 by Zachary Spitz. Some theme clues and answers: "It's striking!" LIGHTNINGBOLT "It's unbelievable!" BALDFACEDLIE "It's breathtaking!" ASTHMAATTACK "It's remarkable!" DRYERASEBOARD Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=11/18/2015&h=33a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=11/18/2015&h=33a</a> I'm done. .....
Bit late today, blaming it on the v late night last night as England forced us to watch extra time between our fingers at silly O’clock this morning. Got the result we wanted though so yay, onto the semis. Good puzzle. Though not generally a pun fan these were cute and raised a chuckle or two. BITING REMARK especially, as I’m currently reading a Vampire/Witch Romantasy. Don’t judge me, it’s for our book club. 84A is the name of the resident Shiba. We visited the city some years ago while visiting No1 son. The beef is indeed glorious, though so expensive we literally had one bite each. While I’ve seen this as a clue/answer before, I finally looked up SELTZER. It’s not something you generally come across here, certainly not in the pubs anyway, though Google assures me it’s available in the UK. Sounds like what we call flavoured sparkling water perhaps? Not a fan myself; the ‘fruit’ flavours leave a nasty taste. Talking of, on a US based cruise a while back I ordered a Diet Coke. I don’t know what they do to that drink in the US. It did NOT taste good; super sweet with a chemical aftertaste that made my teeth curl. Could anyone explain shop/VAC pls? I can’t work it out at all.
@Helen Wright shop/vac refers to a vacuum cleaner in a workshop. Especially a woodworking workshop with a lot of sawdust.
@Helen Wright White Claw is an alcoholic seltzer drink. I wouldn’t think of trying it. A shop vac is a supercharged vacuum cleaner that can handle liquids. It can be handy in the workshop.
@Helen Wright--Also called a "wet-dry vac" as it can suck up liquids w/o shorting the motor
@Helen Wright Thanks all.
@Helen Wright Plain old seltzer water is not flavored. Flavors can be added to it and those beverages can be sweetened. I just enjoy Seltzer on its own if im bored with still water and if feeling festive add a lime wedge.
@Helen Wright I love and plan to adopt “silly o clock!”
@Helen Wright Congratulations on your nation's progress. I'm rooting for Albion! On the seltzer front: if you asked me, I could write a book. Oh, you didn't ask? Settle in anyway. In the tenements of the Lower East Side, seltzer was both employment and remedy. Hauling glass bottles up a five-storey walkup was no walk in the park but you could earn a living. And the seltzer was always /safe/ water, no small matter when plumbing was unreliable – even in NYC which would eventually become renowned for its water quality. Til today, there are family names like Seltzer and Seltzerman. If you're a fan of the Marx Bros., watch how much use Harpo gets out of a seltzer bottle. Sadly, I don't know the brand named here. We get White Rock from the US but since I'm currently trying to avoid US products, I'm not buying it either. As for Diet Coke: see next post.
@Helen Wright As to Diet Coke: it seems they learned nothing from the New Coke debacle, a mistake so huge and predictable that it is taught in business schools as a cautionary tale. I'm currently buying Diet Coke since Pepsi Zero (which I had been drinking for a while) introduced ginseng (?%$*/?!?) of all things into its formula. All these sodas have extremely localized variants (e.g., it is widely known that Québec prefers its sodas sweeter than anglo-Canada) which are constantly being jimmied. So your onboard Diet Coke may have been the formulation preferred by the ship's home port, its last port of call, its wholesale supplier's base city, or even the cheapest available version. (Sorry.) As others have said, pure seltzer is plain, no flavouring. I find most fruit juices too thick and sweet for my taste but I really enjoy soda and apple juice, grape juice, or no-pulp OJ mixed half-and-half or even 2-1 in favour of soda. Now if only someone could explain the appeal of quinine water to me...😖
Random thoughts Happiness is no typos in the Sunday puzzle; therefore no fly specking, though perhaps we can call it FLEA specking today. Is it possible to HANG TEN on a OUIJA BOARD? Idris ELBA in the lead off corner and Jamie Hector (Marlo) on the main Times site. Turns out he's a Brooklyn guy, doing good for kids among all the other things he's got going on. Maybe it's time for a rewatch. All the themers are fun, but in honor of the Wimbledon finals Sunday, I'll go with BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT as my fave. May whoever has the best hair day win. Oh yeah, Dominic West was at Wimbledon the other day, looking very dapper in a creamy white (ercu?) three piece suit. Another sign. Definitely time for a rewatch. Congratulations on your debut puzzle, Collin.
@Vaer Yes! Happiness is no typos on a Sunday. I did plug in a filler ‘Z’ at one point so I could keep moving. Came back and cleared it when I looked at the clue with a fresh eye.
My mother and I had a blast working through this punny puzzle. Absolutely brilliant.
Brilliant! All the theme answers are great. Best/tightest Sunday in a LONG time.
Ya done real good Collin. Hopefully we'll see you here again.
A very fine Sunday puzzle, and an outstanding debut. Felt like the editorial team did justice to this nice grid and cute theme by keeping the clues appropriately puzzling. No assistance needed, but took me almost 40 minutes. Congrats to all!
Did this puzzle while on a subway train in NYC. Definitely had to 102D quite a few times. No matter how many times I visit, I'll never get used to the sticky heat in the tunnels.
@Jacqueline most of the cars are well air-conditioned! if I'm in a hot one I'll definitely change at the next station. Hope you're doing some fun stuff while you're here.
easy (my best ever sunday time by 14 minutes) but still clever and fun.
“Your service was Clouseau-ian, and my tip is Scrooge-ian.” GRATUITOUS INSULT
Not to be the "well ackshually" guy but... 101 down is near the Olympic Park but not in it.
Donovan, A quick look at Google Maps suggests you are correct, but you might want to let the folks at 101 Down know that. <a href="https://abbavoyage.com/faqs" target="_blank">https://abbavoyage.com/faqs</a>/
P.S. Click on "The Arena" in the faq.
This puzzle provided a small log-jam around a certain misdirecting clue that I loved a little bit. That’s it for my ‘dam with feint’ praise.
Congrats on your debut! A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle. I especially appreciated seeing Eoin Colfer’s name. I absolutely loved Artemis Fowl as a child and it was a joy to share the books with my daughter, who loved them as well.
@Courtney My "kids" are in their 40's... I've never heard of this character/author and I wonder how long ago you were reading the books. The last book series my two were intrigued by were the Redwall stories... (blanking on the author's name)... and I think they may have read the first Harry Potter, but were really past the target age.
The clueing here is something I found clicked with my sense of humor right away. Besides the puns, I noticed a few palindromic answers, references to some technology I barely remember using as a child, and one of the most innovative clues (for OREO) I've seen yet for a crossword staple. Two thumbs up, I like when a puzzle puts a smile on my face. Happy Sunday and happy solving!
I’m gonna be that person and point out that the singular of TAMALES is TAMAL. Otherwise great puzzle!
And I will be the person to point out that while tamal is the singular in Spanish, TAMALE is the singular in English.
<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tamale" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tamale</a>
@Manda Adams My guess is that you'll be one of 182 people.... 😏 When I saw it in there, I braced for impact. Har!
@Manda Adams c'mon now, you're just poking the bear. ;)
@Manda Adams Ha, I'm only two clues in and I saw this one and came here to see the mayhem!! This never bothered me until I lived in Mexico for a year...and then when I came back to the US, I saw this glaring error everywhere! Thank you, Barry, for helping me over my pet peeve...I will henceforth think of it as an English word, and therefore TAMALE is perfectly fine. An adoptee, if you will, as so many of our words are!
Breezy fun Sunday puzzle! Love the Punny theme Rating: 9/10
EASY MODE, indeed. But so many clever clues, who cares? Especially like bull rings.
@LBG Which has the same number of letters as LEVEL ONE. Ask me hoe I know.
I found the theme cute and enjoyable, but I have some nits. Re the theme answers: If you are complimenting someone on their backhand, then it's a BACKHAND COMPLIMENT, not a BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT. All the other theme answers work, my favorite being GROUNDLESS ACCUSATION. But what can you say about the ridiculous combination of letters that forms the name EOIN? And what can you say about crossing it with a sci fi movie? That "E" could be any letter at all. You might say that TENET is the only actual word that fits there, but I protest. If you don't know the movie, the answer might be TAN ET, for example. An extraterrestrial that comes from a very sunny planet. Or it might be TV NET -- an extraterrestrial colonizing both your television and your Internet. Or it might be TM NET -- an extraterrestrial trademarking the Internet for his faraway planet. You never know what calamity a sci fi movie might portend. A really awful Natick, I thought. Also, maybe someone will tell me why DEMO is an "audience stat"? Or what a shop VAC is? Nevertheless, my overall emotion about this puzzle was enjoyment. The puns were fun.
@Nancy agree about Eoin. Didn’t get that one. demo is short for demographic. And vac is short for shop vacuum
@Nancy Colfer's Artemis Fowl series netted over 21 million sales, not to mention the scads of people familiar with Irish names (Colfer being an Irish surname). It's hardly a natick, and I've never heard of TENET.
Nancy, You give the back of your hand to BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT but you don't object to GROUNDLESS ACCUSATION? Shouldn't it really be GROUNDSLESS? Coffee grounds, not ground. Am I complaining about the puzzle? No way. *All* of the adjustments are slightly off.
@Nancy -- "Shop-Vac" is a brand name for one of these contraptions!
@Nancy A Shop Vacuum picks up liquids, too. I have one in my basement. It came in handy when there was a leak from my boiler. Someone bought it for me. I don't really use it but it probably has many uses in the home as well.
@Nancy Poor Eoin 😄! Quite a popular name in Ireland. We get a buzz out of vowels, for example Saoirse, Aoife. Has Ms Ronan featured in any puzzles yet?
Sci-fi movie crossing some author's first name? Obsolete (?) device crossing an exercise plus ?"Holesome" figures... So, three letters missing/in error. I got all of the Themers (some without help from the clues)... White Claws? DEMO is an audience stat? Congrats. sorta.
@Mean Old Lady It took me a while to figure out that DEMO is short for DEMOgraphic.
@The X-Phile Thank you for that. That was the last letter I entered, and guessed it correctly without understanding how it fit the clue.
P.S. Apparently, though Apple no longer makes iPODs, they are wildly popular, and WalMart sells refurbished ones... You can look it up! (I did.) People apparently love the uninterrupted listening! No ads! So much for the dismissive clue.
@Mean Old Lady--In a TV review you will often see the phrase "...in the coveted 25-54 demo(graphic)..." referring to audience age for advertising/marketing purposes.
someone was puzzled by SHOP VAC so I'll let Jonathan Coulton explain it to you in song. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmC9PHx19Ac" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmC9PHx19Ac</a>
@Bob T. Thanks for sharing and bringing this into all of our lives!