"Do ti la sol fa mi re do." "What was that?" "You said to scale back on my singing." ("Yes, please refrain.")
@Mike Take a memo on the next pun— “Re:verse”.
@Mike You have to watch how you conduct yourself. Do you see this baton? Okay, from the top.
@Mike If that’s truly sung backwards I’ve got some wildebeest who would like a word
@Mike I triad to come up with a reply, but but nothing major came to mind. Sorry to fall flat today.
My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Drinks are on me! (3)(3) 2. Predigital recording devices (4) 3. A.M. station (6)(3) 4, Coach's lack, often (5)(4) 5. Razor blades? (3) BAR CAR PENS OMELET BAR ELBOW ROOM MOW
My favorite encore clues from last week: [Serve a function] (5) [Second person seen in Hamlet?] (4) CATER THOU
In my world, anyone who owns a dog (and doesn't mistreat it) can't be all bad. I well remember G.H.W. Bush's Spaniel, Millie, and the Obamas' Portuguese Water Dog, Bo, but I had forgotten G.W. Bush's SCOTTIES, Barney and Miss Beazley. I will note that our current President is the first President since Andrew Johnson not to have any Presidential pets. You may draw your own conclusions.
@The X-Phile Um.... a certain German leader owned a dog, and I think he was quite a dog lover, until he adopted something of a bunker mentality and had to put the dog (and himself) down... Sorry to bust your animal worship, but being a dog lover is not enough to make you nice.
@The X-Phile I was going to day he's got Ms. Harp... but that would be mean.
This is a perfect puzzle for a new or newish solver, many who have no idea that a crossword can have a theme or involve wordplay. This puzzle gently introduces these puzzle elements. The theme is easily grasped, and there’s lovely uncomplicated wordplay in [Pitch that’s hard to hit?], [Things taken on a walk?], and [All tied up]. This lets these solvers know that there is more pleasure in solving crosswords than simply correctly filling letters in boxes. Just perfect for a Monday puzzle. Bravo Aidan and editors!
P.S. – GAMER was a serendipitous answer, coming after yesterday’s Mario puzzle, and after the fact that Aidan’s last puzzle was based on the video game Minesweeper.
@Lewis I was thinking the same. Specifically, I appreciated that the notes were in order. Not just randomly placed. I wrote a similar sentiment for last Thursday trick puzzle. It seemed like a gentle intro to that day.
STAG, a deer, a big male deer...
@Grant Yes, "Doe, a deer, a female deer Ray, a drop of golden sun Me, a name I call myself, Far, a long, long way to run Sew, a needle pulling thread, La, a note to follow sew Tea, a drink with jam and bread That will bring us back to doe Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do" No better earworm
Expectedly easy Monday puzzle, I enjoyed the theme. Also wanted to call out one clue I like in particular. "Like many bobybuilders, according to BMI" as "OBESE". Cheeky and true.
@Chris I wonder if I'm considered...a bodybuilder.
@Chris Since I've started climbing, I've become fitter, thinner, and stronger, yet my BMI is the same as when I was a fat-ish weakling. It's just such an imperfect measure...
Another nice offering from Aidan Deshong. "When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything..." — not quite; you still have to be on key (or, nowadays, here comes auto-tune to the rescue ...) UNAGI made me really want some. But then I got to STEW■ANTS■DEAD and my appetite went away. Thank you for the breezy Monday, Aidan! [Insert SMILEY FACE here.]
@sotto voce EWW ICK UGH Which one has been the answer most often?
I loved this puzzle! No repetitive fill, just perfect for a Monday.
All together now. For our warm-up, let’s sing a scale, but instead of solfège syllables, use the phrases in the puzzle: I Don’t Care Smiley Face Solomon Islands Scottie Dog. And then back down! Dog Scottie Islands Solomon Face Smiley Care Don’t. Always on the lookout for new warm-ups!
@Cat Lady Margaret I never got beyond ooh eee and aah for warmups.
First crossword I completed by doing only the across. No skips or backtracking, every clue done perfectly.
@Ambria Nice! I’ve come close, but haven’t pulled that off yet. I’ll try to remember to give it a shot next week.
@Ambria Congratulations! I tried and failed at the last hurdle in the SW corner… next time I’ll get EVEN!
@Ambria, First time trying this today. Like Petrol, got foiled in the SW corner, but make it doubly fun, timewise.
What a nice Monday; sweet, doable but interesting, with no icky fill. Love the Japanese element. Visited that lovely country once some years back, would love to go again if I could tolerate the eye watering expense of getting there.
@Helen Wright I thought of you as I filled out the "A" in GRAYSCALE.
So, after plowing through today's (Sunday)'s puzzle with brute force and second-hand knowledge of video-gaming; and wanting to save Monday's for tomorrow's lunch-break, I decided, while eating dinner tonight, to do a puzzle from the archives--in particular, Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018 B.E. I completed it in about 2/3 of yesterday's time, just over last Saturday's, and less than half of my average*. And all of this while eating forkfuls of mushroom fettuccine. But here's the thing--it was by Robyn Weintraub, and full of punchy entries which brought a smile to my pasta-filled face! I also read Wordplay, and the comments--Caitlyn was already dropping visual spoilers in her lead photo (or is it lede photo, Barry?); among the commenters were @BA, @MOL (not so O, but just as M), @RiA, @Lewis; and others whom we seldom if ever see anymore--@Andrew in Ottawa, @DC. (I was so tempted to write a snarky reply to @DC, but then thought, What's the point?) And guess what? People were complaining that it was too easy! La plus ça change. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2018/12/29" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/daily/2018/12/29</a> *I don't really trust "averages"--after all, one's skill is always improving, and one is always leaving one's laptop open.
Bill, That Robyn Weintraub Saturday followed a David Steinberg Friday. Give the Friday a try.
@Bill December 17, 2018 was when I subscribed to the online puzzles and restarted solving. The 12/29 puzzle was my first Robyn puzzle, and I did not gold star it nor the Steinberg that preceded it. I did pretty well on the 12/16 Sunday puzzle by Sam E., but I'm pretty sure i didn't get the theme.
Sam’s commentary is my fav part of completing the puzzle or more often helping me complete the puzzle.
If you'd like a bit more of a challenge, here's a KAC: <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/07/27" target="_blank">https://www.newyorker.com/puzzles-and-games-dept/crossword/2026/07/27</a>
@Barry Ancona Yeah, enjoyed that one.
@Barry Ancona - Good one!
@Barry Ancona That east quadrant a real head scratcher.
A Japanese sauce crossing someone else's kids (who might have been grand-children if I'd followed a lock-step Life Plan... but as I am part of the leading edge of The Baby Boom, all the norms shifted.) The label is meaningless, unhelpful, uninformative, and a waste of time. So I guessed and put in a Z. It's a new generation now, so how can we label them? We're out of alphabet! Oh, never mind. I'm off to quilt guild, with my little talk, my decorative display, and a hope that I'll tempt at least one afficionado to try Needle Tatting! A gal can dream. What was I supposed to photograph and post (from last week)? I made another appt with the PCP...hoping to plan a systematic process to reach a diagnosis and treatment. Current best guess is "something rare." What with the PT and everything else, I begin to feel like the "one-horse shay" in the poem! Stay safe in this heat, friends!
@Mean Old Lady I believe the generations are going Greek. After Gen Z comes Gen Alpha. If the name sticks.
@Mean Old Lady Sorry to hear that you're having troubles. But as I recall the end of the shay, it was fine, just fine, until the dreadful doomful day. Reminds me of my mother (bless her soul) whose official response to all inquiries – even in her last days – was, "Tell them I'm fine. After I'm dead, you can tell them I hadn't been well." 🙄 Best wishes to you for a quick and complete healing and health in body and spirit.
Second attempt: When I was younger, I thought that SUMO was silly: two very large human beings, dressed only in "diapers", throwing themselves at one another, in a "battle" that lasted only a few seconds in most cases. Since then, I have come to greatly respect the beauty of Japanese culture, and have learned more about the traditions, rituals, and training that go into making a great SUMO wrestler. But I still wasn't a fan. In the past year or so, a young Ukrainian man, whose SUMO name is Aonishiki (his given name is Danylo Yavhusishyn), has rapidly risen up the ranks of professional SUMO wrestlers, and videos of his matches have been appearing on my various video feeds. For some reason, the "algorithm" thought I'd be interested. And I'm somewhat shocked to say that the algorithm was right. I've become a fan. See for yourself: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4306577556222956" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4306577556222956</a> [I apologize if this appears twice.]
@The X-Phile I've heard he can be rather cheeky.
poem made from words in today’s puzzle a/ life. is it only setting or is life opening open- ing d/ yes, i know the little tasks the little tasks you missed your moment um… that’s just a moment i know you you can fly a/ now
@Sam, you've done it again. Pun-perfect photo/caption. You are a treasure.
Nice Monday puzzle. Bit of a workout for me, but things fell together with some crosses. And... must confess that I had to stop and review after I was done to grasp how the theme worked. That was just a nice touch. And of course a puzzle find today. A Sunday from March 22, 1959 by Jules Arensberg with the title: "Relativity." All the theme answers referenced a book, play or film title. Some of those answers: LIFEWITHFATHER FATHERSANDSONS OURAMERICANCOUSIN THEOLDMANAND GRANDFATHERSCHAIR AUNTIEMAME MYSISTEREILEEN UNCLETOMSCABIN And there were more. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=3/22/1959&h=5d" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=3/22/1959&h=5d</a> ....
@Rich in Atlanta Oh, and one more puzzle find. A Thursday from June 9, 2005 by David J. Kahn. 38a was the primary answer and two other answers referenced it. First... 17a: "Components of 38-across." MUSICALSYL(LA)BLES And then - 61a: "Possible title for this puzzle." SCALINGUPANDDOWN And then 38 across - 15 rebus squares: (DO)(RE)(MI)(FA)(SOL)(LA)(TI)(DO)(TI)(LA)(SOL)(FA)(MI)(RE)(DO) Pretty amazing. Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/9/2005&h=38a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=6/9/2005&h=38a</a> ....
There oughta be a George Smiley Face emoticon. Any wanna take a shot at it? Both Gary Oldman and Alec Guinness are acceptable.
Synchronicity? (Cue the Police) So I'm watching the 1993 movie The Fugitive and just after I've finished solving the puzzle Tommy Lee Jones utters the line at 16 Across to Harrison Ford. <a href="https://youtu.be/8BCvbSIOQDE?si=p2OfQuohrjrWRiWj" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/8BCvbSIOQDE?si=p2OfQuohrjrWRiWj</a> I thought the puzzle was slightly more crunchy than the usual Monday offering and that it also had a bit more wordplay.
@Vaer "The guy did a Peter Pan right here off of this dam." What poor Harrison needed was a little 31D [Single-stranded molecule] RNA/DNA, maybe.
@Vaer Another great Tommy Lee Jones line from that movie: He tells one of his guys who wears a ponytail to go over and check something out this this other guy. As he's leaving, Jones says "And don't let him give you any shιt about your pony tail."
Clever puzzle. I enjoyed it. Now about ACID......... Ah, you guys are too smart already. You don't need me to say anything about acid/base chemistry.
I don't usually complain, but the sound a pair of scissors makes (and I use them in my work) is snick or snik, it is NOT snip. Snip is what scissors do, not the sound they make.
@Suzanne Sorry, but “snip” is an onomatopoeia. See here <a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/snip" target="_blank">https://www.etymonline.com/word/snip</a> and here <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia</a>.
@Suzanne I almost agree. Scissors go snit 😄
@Suzanne I've also heard rumors that pigs actually don't say "oink".
@Suzanne No point getting in a snip about this.
There once was a puzzle that used DO RE MI (Etc., etc.) quite deviously. A rebus it was, and it challenged a bit. It made solvers think -- but today's isn't it. Today's will be over before you begin -- If you pause just a sec, it will write itself in.
Nancy, Quite a few people found yesterday's puzzle easy too. As I recall, you were not one of them. <a href="https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-07-26" target="_blank">https://xwstats.com/puzzles/2026-07-26</a>
Nice tight theme set and revealer. Thanks, Aidan.
I love to see Japanese words in a puzzle! Wow, three in this one. There is even another punnier word making it four with the "Good Morning!" state flag.
@Mutsukoh Ohio go zai mas? Or maybe: Ohayou gozaimasu Same to you.
I smiled when I read the revealer clue, as I knew exactly what it meant, and immediately filled in the grey squares with the phonetic scale. This also helped me fill in their longer answers. I was equally pleased to see SOL spelled correctly. A very pleasant Monday puzzle!
No picture of an adorable Scottish Terrier for Wordplay? Booooooooo.
Roundabout search led me to a couple of other interesting puzzles. First - a Wednesday from November 6, 1991 by Robert Katz. Theme answers in that one: ABCCBSNBCANDCNN UCLAMITNYUANDBU NATOOASUNANDEEC Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=11/6/1991&h=20a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=11/6/1991&h=20a</a> And the other puzzle - a Wednesday from October 30, 1996 by A.D. Cover. Theme answers in that one: ABCDEFGH IVEGOTAGAL INKALAMAZOO Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/30/1996&h=16a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/30/1996&h=16a</a> ....
We love when there's a DOG in the grid, and a SCOTTIE at that! 14x15 grid, we believe necessitated by SOLOMONISLANDS without a second 14 letter entry?
@Peaty & Oaty You guessed it! It was that or SOLAR FLARE(S) but I wanted to avoid unnecessary plurals and a 10 or 11 in the middle is harder to work with anyway
Okay, one and done, no lookups. Yea... Here's a fun tune to go with the puzzle. "The first three notes just happen to be..." <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drnBMAEA3AM" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drnBMAEA3AM</a> I never should have quit those guitar lessons in high school!!
@lucky13 Just left you a long reply, on your late Sunday post, about Basic Color Terms, and being a pastry chef. BTW, I don;t consider you a "newbie" anymore.
@lucky13 Because people sometimes want red, red roses, or a sheet cake decorated like a Canadian or American flag. Paste and gel food colors are better than liquid, but still not perfect. BTW, didja know that there is a specific tone of Canadian red, established by an act of Parliament? RGB 239, 51, 64. I believe the US has similar specifications for Old Glory red, etc.
I'm not happy about the definition of "decimate" in the Mini. To reduce by a factor of ten as I would use the phrase would mean to go from, say, 200 down to 20. But in its original meaning, to decimate 200 soldiers meant to get rid of 20 of them, leaving 180.
@J-J Cote Agree with your plaint but not your math. This is Trumpian arithmetic, actually. Decimate meant to kill off every tenth warrior in a line, so from 200 it would remove 20 leaving 180. Trumpian "reduce prices by 150%" is what brought this into the public arena a year or three ago. But to reduce something by a factor of one would mean to take 200 out of a line of combatants. Reducing the strength by a factor of ten would mean taking 2,000 away. Reducing by a factor 10% would be taking 20 away from a cohort of 200.
@J-J Cote you decimate by taking every tenth. Whether you keep or discard your selection, either way the operation is the same. In data streams you decimate by throwing away 9 out of 10 samples.
Is the national sport the one most people play/have played, most people watch, most people talk about … the dog made no sense otherwise so it had to be TI. I got taught “si” Nice Monday.
@Ιασων In Portuguese it's also "si" not "ti." And SOL is always SOL, never SO.
@Ιασων It's SI and SOL, always, in Polish, too.
The Monday is Mondaying Watched a lot of Japan's national sport @ 5A; it's a breezy view Simplified a potentially tricky clue
This one seemed very easy. Solved it using just the vertical clues and it still seemed easy. Of course, the theme and revealer were especially simple to get today. PONZU and KYLO looked just a bit strange in my grid, but I thought the latter was a Star Wars reference. Wasn't sure about the former, but TUSH had to be correct, so in went the "U". (I had entered PONZI at first, which seemed most likely to me having not seen the clue.) Fun puzzle, all in all.
@Xword Junkie How do you decide whether to use the Across or Down clues? I used the Across, and found it to be a good level of trickiness.
I'd totally forgotten that GW Bush had Scottish Terriers. That was my rabbithole for today. Motts applesauce is good, but it's White House for apple butter. Thanks for a fun puzzle, Aidan.
@Linda Jo I made applesauce from some of my Fameuse (snow apple) harvest; that did it. Nothing else comes close... So now, I don't eat any unless I've made it myself. (When I was teaching at Children's Rehab Hospital, we did a big uniit on TREES and one of the things we did was peel apples, cut them up, and crockpot them with a little lemon juice and water--NOTHING else. It was fab! A state senator was there, and her aide asked for some, then begged for the recipe. A distant second, but my wonderful snow apples are far away in AR now.
@Linda Jo I know apple sauce (see my response to @ Jane Wheelaghan below) but I don’t know apple butter. Is it literally apple mixed with butter? What do you use it on? Does it replace sauce or have a different culinary use? As I live in an orchard I think it’s vital I know this stuff!
Long before Maria brought us back to Do, there was Josquin: <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kS99-0_Uos0&list=RDkS99-0_Uos0&start_radio=1&pp=ygUjbWlzc2EgbGEgc29sIGZhIHJlIG1pIGpvc3F1aW4gYWdudXOgBwE" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kS99-0_Uos0&list=RDkS99-0_Uos0&start_radio=1&pp=ygUjbWlzc2EgbGEgc29sIGZhIHJlIG1pIGpvc3F1aW4gYWdudXOgBwE</a>%3D <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-NXdvkNG-fs&list=RD-NXdvkNG-fs&start_radio=1&pp=ygUjbWlzc2EgbGEgc29sIGZhIHJlIG1pIGpvc3F1aW4gYWdudXOgBwE" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-NXdvkNG-fs&list=RD-NXdvkNG-fs&start_radio=1&pp=ygUjbWlzc2EgbGEgc29sIGZhIHJlIG1pIGpvc3F1aW4gYWdudXOgBwE</a>%3D <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0dAdCTpBUco&list=RD0dAdCTpBUco&start_radio=1&pp=ygUjbWlzc2EgbGEgc29sIGZhIHJlIG1pIGpvc3F1aW4gYWdudXOgBwE" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0dAdCTpBUco&list=RD0dAdCTpBUco&start_radio=1&pp=ygUjbWlzc2EgbGEgc29sIGZhIHJlIG1pIGpvc3F1aW4gYWdudXOgBwE</a>%3D And the Nairobi Trio (does this qualify as "apedom"?): <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=416o9b_pjQk&list=RD416o9b_pjQk&start_radio=1&pp=ygUTbmFpcm9iaSB0cmlvIGtvdmFjc6AHAQ" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=416o9b_pjQk&list=RD416o9b_pjQk&start_radio=1&pp=ygUTbmFpcm9iaSB0cmlvIGtvdmFjc6AHAQ</a>%3D%3D A perfect Monday puzzle!
@Bill Fabulous. I've been to many a concert by the Tallis Scholars.
How about some Dryden? From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: When nature underneath a heap Of jarring atoms lay, And could not heave her head, The tuneful voice was heard from high, ‘Arise, ye more than dead!’ Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry, In order to their stations leap, And Music’s power obey. From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: From harmony to harmony Through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in Man. ("diapason" being an old-timey term for "octave.") Sorry for all the long links, I was working off my phone.
Caught on right away, filled in all the gray squares, and thought to myself, "IDONTCARE to finish". But dove in anyway and was glad I did. Just wrapped up the July Grand SUMO tournament last night with a surprise win by the Ukranian Aonishki.
Sam: 47A: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fala_(dog)#/media/File:FDR-Fala-1940-crop.jpg" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fala_(dog)#/media/File:FDR-Fala-1940-crop.jpg</a>
Also: <a href="https://i0.wp.com/fdr.blogs.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2017/10/59-109_ed.jpg?fit=2530" target="_blank">https://i0.wp.com/fdr.blogs.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2017/10/59-109_ed.jpg?fit=2530</a>%2C2482&ssl=1
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_(dog)#/media/File:Bush-laura-barney.jpg" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_(dog)#/media/File:Bush-laura-barney.jpg</a>
Suspiciously easy Monday crossword, bracing myself for rebuses as early as Tuesday!
And one more late puzzle find. A Sunday from February 11, 1979 by A.J. Santora with the title "Urban Sound Waves." Some theme answers: KALAMAZOOZOO SOUTHBENDEND WILLIAMSPORTSPORT HONOLULULULU MONTCLAIRAIR NEWPORTPORT COLUMBUSBUS BURBANKBANK Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=2/11/1979&h=25a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=2/11/1979&h=25a</a> ....
Easy breezy Monday, no complaints. Any time I can break 4 minutes I’m happy!
Regarding 46 Down, not in Australia (trademarked, that is)!
Is there a way in the NYT App to navigate to this column other than by typing wordplay into the search box? Didn’t there used to be a link to this column from the puzzle page?
@Andrew click/tap on the “i” at the top of the puzzle and then at the bottom of the page comes a link
@Andrew I would suggest that you do what I do, which I find quite satisfactory. I bookmarked (i.e. added to Favorites) the main Games page, which remains constant, but updates to the new day's puzzles at the appropriate time. When you want to navigate to Wordplay, just click on this bookmark/Favorite and then just move down below the icons for the three crossword puzzles. There you will find a link to the current Wordplay. Two-click, not one-click, but works well.
@Andrew Keep a bookmark in your favorite browser to: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/daily-crossword-column" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/daily-crossword-column</a>
After yesterday’s [Razor blades?], today’s [Scissors sound] had me thinking of four-letter words for “edits the audio”. And speaking of gaslighting, remember how yesterday everyone was complimenting each other, no matter our life experience or age category, all up and down the gray scale? La la la la la,..
I don't see how the scales play any role in solving the puzzle. They are just there after you fill everything in. The notes do not even relate to the clues or answers they are part of.
They don't necessarily play a role in solving the puzzle; Monday themes often do not. They are, as the revealer clue states, "a feature of this puzzle." If you had a problem with any of the answers they were in, they could have helped with the solve.
@Brian Monahan They don’t relate, per se; they might help the solve if you caught on early (I wasn’t paying attention, myself) but this is a pretty typical Monday where the attraction mainly is in an interesting revealer that relates the theme entries in some unexpected way. In this case the cleverness is finding good theme fills that have two notes each in the right order; this was well done here and if not the pinnacle of crossword achievement, still a pleasant and well-constructed diversion for a Monday.