Who knew wheeling and dealing could be so much fun? To the constructors I say thanks for the ride. Fine print at the bottom of the ad … "We stand behind every car we sell. We’ll help push it."
What a hoot! Very funny theme clues/answers, many non-theme clues playing on words, a mostly no-stress difficulty level so as not to blunt the fun, and lovely answers on top of it all – SCAMP, FEIGN, QUASH, WANTON, FOIST, GALLANT, FREELOAD, ANOINT, CODGER. That’s entertainment! Way to lift the day, Ralph and Doug -- and with a piece-of-junk car! Bravo, and thank you both!
Really fun, clever-but-not-too-cute puzzle. Recently someone mentioned solver satisfaction vs. constructor vanity. I thought this one was long on solver satisfaction and short on constructor vanity. IMO it should always be that way.
I find the 'constructor vanity' canard puzzling. Don't we want constructors to be clever? Can one really be 'too clever', or does that just mean 'cleverer than me'?
Click and Clack would have loved this puzzle!!
@CruciverbalistsUnion I loved the Tappet Brothers. I miss them so much.
The themers were so funny and so perfectly related to the clues that they made the puzzle a joy to solve. Almost no unmasked fills—yes, our beloved cookie was there, but who would dis such a clever clue? Your puzzle perked up a punishingly hot afternoon, Ralph and Doug. Thank you!
I’ve done the crossword daily for two years’ running and never felt compelled to comment until today. Thank you for a delightful puzzle that had me giggling throughout. I love puns in general but this running (or was it?) joke was exceptionally well executed and satisfying. Can’t wait for your next collaboration!
I really enjoyed this puzzle- yes because it was easier than most but it had me laughing and put me in a good mood. It proves that it does not have to be superhard and yet be extremely clever! Congrats
This puzzle reminded me of a Volvo we once had, which had a tricky and (in my view) unreliable manual choke. I often had trouble starting the car. My husband loved that car, and as part of his defense, he would tout the safety record of Volvos. This was true, especially if half the time you couldn't get out of the driveway.
@Esmerelda When on a camping trip, we met someone whose favorite curse word was "Volvo!" A few days later, for reasons we completely understood, his epithet became "Volvo-Coleman!"
@Esmerelda thanks for the chuckle. My dad loves a car that’s a challenge to operate 🤣. We had a stick shift once that you had to shift from first directly to third at exactly the right time.
My only semi-muscle car I ever had was a 1968 Mercury Cougar. It was so sleek and beautiful, but in the few months I had it I had to have a new automatic transmission put in, and it wouldn't start when the car was warm. None of the mechanics in town could fix it. I told a guy I worked with that I was going to sell it for parts. He said, "No, you can't do that." I said, "Why not?" He said, "Because none of the parts work." He was sadly right.
@Francis Reminds me of the song "Dodge Veg-O-Matic" by The Modern Lovers. <a href="https://youtu.be/vQU9qTLoUB4?si=bbJG8yuOBXjQt4mT" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/vQU9qTLoUB4?si=bbJG8yuOBXjQt4mT</a>
I enjoyed this. The difficulty for me was that of an early morning Wednesday, which I find optimal for a huge Sunday grid. The fill didn't natick me. There was some welcome misdirection in the clues. And I actually quite liked the theme, despite its groany undertones. Nice.
@Andrzej Yep. That's Gen X for ya. Spoon-feed me my "huge Sunday grid" and then let me get a massage and take a nap. These young people today.
How about the “as-is” crossword? [“… but what about the fact that the grid is rife with obscure never-heard-of answers?] [“… or that a number of the answers are misspelled?”] [“… and many of the hints are so impenetrable it makes me want to scream!”] FRESH FILL NOVEL WORDPLAY ENGAGING CLUES
@Lewis [“… and many of the hints are so impenetrable it makes me want to scream!] ENRAGING CLUES ??
In keeping with the theme, your mileage may vary, but for me, this is just what I want from a Sunday puzzle. Funny theme, mid-level difficulty, a few "it could be this word or it could be that word" answers... this puzzle and a mug of black coffee made for a good morning.
I enjoyed this one a lot. Didn’t need much help. Mostly with names, as always. I hope y’all have a wonderful Sunday!
I was the unfortunate owner of a used 73 Pinto for a while. On the day the stick shift came off in my hand while driving (just one of many problems) I remember thinking I could sell it and imply it was an automatic. “NO STICK!”
@Gregory Melahn So how did you cope? Did it just come to a graceful stop? Reminds me of the James Thurber story when one of the kids pranks his father by attaching a bag full of miscellaneous metal junk under the family car and letting it loose with an impressive klunk while they're all on a family drive. "Stop the car!" yells his mother. "I can't; the engine fell out!" replies his father.
@Gregory Melahn Been there. In our case it was a Datsun 1200. When we coasted to a graceful stop and turned off the engine, I was able to reinsert the gearshift. Then we had to take it in to get it fixed. The scary thing is that this wasn't the scariest thing about that car
Really funny. Please construct another for us soon, fellas!
Aha! Euphemisms!!!! That's what "SPIN" in the title means! Cute wordplay on the double meaning of SPIN -- and I should have seen it sooner. Question: Why was this the most enjoyable puzzle I've ever done -- or probably ever will do -- based on a car theme? Answer: Because I didn't need to know one single thing about cars to solve it. That's my kind of car puzzle! Poor car. Such awful things happening to it. But there weren't any passengers mentioned, so the accident didn't seem too grisly. I was a little perplexed by the leaky roof leading to BUCKET SEATS. But then I thought: they must be real buckets to catch the water. Yes? I think that everyone will need crosses to get the theme answers. Nothing is obvious or telegraphed. The surrounding fill was hard enough to hold my attention and make me work. Best of all, the mood of the puzzle is lighthearted and playful and there are almost no names or pop culture. A fun Sunday.
I enjoyed that one, thanks guys. But as a Canadian, I couldn't for the life of me think of a SARI homonym that's the name of a board game. So after finishing, I checked online and was surprised to find that you Yanks apparently pronounce the "o" in Sorry the same as the "a" in SARI. I'm sahree (😩), but that just sounds so wrong to my ears. But then, you guys do lots of weird stuff ... at least it doesn't have an 'ou' or 'z' (pronounced 'zed', BTW) in it to be messed with! 😄 [Also BTW, and quoting Google's AI Overview: Canadians typically pronounce "sorry" to rhyme with "sore" (SOAR-ee), rather than sounding like the fabric "sari" (SAH-ree)".]
@Grumpy Sounds very wrong to my ears, as well!! I got what they were going for, but I personally would never think those to be homophones. But as Steve L said, it's a big place!
@Grumpy Since I always used to go to Canada for Spring Break when all the other students went to Florida, I picked up many pronunciation differences. I've always said "Soar-ree" when I want to be a little testy. Usually, "Well, SOAR-ee. Also, unlike the rest of the country, as a born and bred New Yawkuh I say FLAH-rid-duh instead of FLOOR-rih-duh. (Accent on the "duh." IYKYK.) And AHR-ringe instead of OR-inge. Other than than, I've worked hard to get rid of my Brooklyn accent.
Normally I am not a pun fan, they generally go over my head. But this was so much fun! I’ve had enough old bangers in my time that each clue raised a memory and a chuckle. I used to get ancient Renaults through a friend who specialised n breaking them. He’d find me a model that could be fixed up enough to get through one MOT (UK vehicle fitness test), that would give me one year’s driving before it was scrapped. I drove some magnificent old coaches, with bench seats as deep as a sofa and a steering wheel the size of a cartwheel. A full tank of fuel would double the car’s value. Happy days. Oh, the puzzle. Great. Yes a Tad easier for a Sunday, but still chewy enough in places to make me ponder, especially the obligatory unknown celebrities. Was v pleased with myself that I got REVERE from just -E-R-. Had Irani for OMANI which held up that corner, but got there in the end. More please.
Congratulations on creating a puzzle that was clever and fun to solve!
Loved this one! It reminded me of the car dealer commercials that aired when I was a kid… No you won’t get a lemon, from Toyota of ORANGE 🤣 <a href="https://youtu.be/5KDmB7zB9lU?is=BIeaWOX_aypwtD_u" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/5KDmB7zB9lU?is=BIeaWOX_aypwtD_u</a> Thank you, Ralph and Doug and congratulations to Ralph on the double debut!! Picked up my daughter from her camp in Wisconsin today - what a couple of weeks she had! Her group headed to Minnesota to hike a portion of the Superior Hiking Trail between Beaver Bay and Silver Bay. Two trees fell on their campsite during the windstorms/tornados. They had to evacuate and take shelter at the Tettegouche State Park visitor center, then finally checked into a hotel for the evening 😱 Glad everyone was safe and really glad she’s with me now 😅
@Jacqui J What camp does she go to in WI? I worked at one for about 10 years, long ago. Glad all are safe... What an, err, adventure!
@Jacqui J "I wouldn't'a got a lemon?"
Congrats on your double debut Ralph and of course you too Doug. Extremely witty and fun puzzle both in the theme and the solve. Short notes today since I’m at the Cincinnati soccer game where some folks will also be using their heads (if the storm goes away). Appreciated some of the other related content like ASIS, “barely runs” and “runs out”. The Feynman quote was worth the price of admission! Just asking any Indian commentators here if SARI is pronounced like SORRY, because I don’t. So, “Sorry, not sari!” Or, as the Indian gentleman asked his wife who kept buying clothes at a second hand store: “Whose sari now?”
@SP I’m not Indian, so there’s a chance I’ve been pronouncing “sari” wrong. But I think the real issue may be the pronunciation of “sorry”, and that is mostly regional. Some (especially those in states near Canada) say “sore-y”, while others (me) pronounce it more like “sah-ry”, which to my ears is the same as “sari”.
@SP I am Indian and this clue definitely threw me off. It is pronounced “saah-ree”, not sorry. It is also the first time I realized this mispronunciation exists.
44D [What many are bound to say about this puzzle] LOVE IT!! I know I do. The themers didn’t just make me laugh; they were, in my view, ingenious. The Lemon Law might apply to this jalopy, but certainly not the puzzle. Thank you, Ralph and Doug, for the delightful hour I've just spent solving it! For some background music, here are The Cars with "Drive" - <a href="https://youtu.be/xuZA6qiJVfU?is=CaJPPzDsMDM0nue4" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/xuZA6qiJVfU?is=CaJPPzDsMDM0nue4</a> (in which they ask "Who's gonna drive you home tonight?" and, because I just bought the sorry jam jar, I answer: "AAA?")
Hilarious! 😆 The BUCKET SEATS did me in!
Oh, that was hecka fun. A good ride, you might say.
Not that easy but good fun. 'Black rectangle' gave me a shiver though - it reminded me that the judge in a murder trial would put a square of black cloth on his head before he pronounced the death penalty. It's in lots of old British films. Prefects, as noted already, are very common in British secondary schools; it's supposed to be an 'honour' for the oldest pupils to help police the younger pupils, and there can be a Head Girl and Head Boy. "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport." is from King Lear.
This was so funny! Also the first (and probably last) time I've completed a Sunday crossword without having to look anything up. Thank you, a great start to my day. 😀
Some bonus theme-adjacent answers in the puzzle! “Comes with air compressor in the trunk for just in case” FREELOAD “Cost for long distance trips that you can only safely do on back roads” TOLL FREE “Requirement for a visit to every town’s mechanic” SIDE TRIP “How you’ll feel once you get this beauty home” - ISSED ( which I filled in 41A incorrectly, heh heh)
"A better travel alternative" RAIL
Color me surprised. I was expecting to see a lot of complaints for how easy it was today, but a fun theme goes a long way. I agree with that assessment. Much closer to my best than my average, but definitely one where the theme added to the fill and the enjoyment. Congratulations on the debut! Perseverance pays.
@Jack McCullough Ditto, throughout.
A very fun Sunday. It was zippy, but so clever and silly. Nice way to start the day!
As others have said maybe just a tiny touch on the easy side but loads and loads of fun. Like many folks I'd wager, solving the Sunday puzzle with a lazy cup of coffee on a quiet morning is one of my favorite times of any week. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thanks, Ralph and Doug!
Too much fun!! Congratulations, Ralph (with Doug!) on such a spectacular debut!! Never have vehicle lemons sounded so good -- I was laughing out loud throughout my solve!🚙🍋😂 Hope to see more from you very soon! Thanks for the most entertaining Sunday Drive I've had in years!😄
Cargo space? No, car go road, car no fly.
Couldn’t figure out how SARI is a homophone for SORRY, then remembered that I’m in 🇨🇦… 🤣
@Landog14 I had the exact same (bewildered) thought upon seeing that and came here to see if anyone mentioned it 😆
All is forgiven! This puzzle makes up for some of the disappointing, exclusive, and Byzantine offerings that have saddened CrossWorld... ! The guffaws just kept coming! I start my solves at the bottom, and got QUIET RIDE early on, to my delight. If PhysDau had been here, she might have gotten some just off the clues; I needed a few letters to suggest the next clever application of all the car-salesman-lingo... DHubby is making breakfast (grits and eggs; I made shrimp and grits last night) and I kept reading clue/entry winners to entertain him. This was just a TON of fun.....and I even plan to read the column and of course the Constructors' notes. Loved it despite the many unknowns... (Harry Potter at the bottom of the ocean: a good start...) Well, I should stop and save some superlatives for later.
@Mean Old Lady This week I finally learned what grits are. An unknown food in the UK, watching My Cousin Vinny with youngest son completed my education of Southern cuisine. Ah, Marisa Tomei ‘The Defense is wrooowang’ So sweet.
Late to the party. MCV grots testimony. <a href="https://youtu.be/20J1lBrJ2NQ?si=hsOJwDhbgXzZfS0Y" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/20J1lBrJ2NQ?si=hsOJwDhbgXzZfS0Y</a>
Fun puzzle! No bells and whistles, just knowledge, creativity, and wit.
Cute & funny punny theme! Sometimes I appreciate a quick Sunday, and even more so when it has something fun! Thanks, constructors!
The punny car clues were tremendously fun to solve. Once I got the first one, I did something I don’t usually do: I tried solving them without relying on crosses. What a cheery start to a Sunday morning.
Quite a puzzle. Not all that easy for me, of course, but just had a good time working it all out. And, of course, a puzzle find today. A Sunday from December 3, 1978 by Alfio Micci with the title: "Reverse Versions." Some theme answers: BADFORNOTHING AFTERHAND GOODMINTON FRONTGAMMON BEFOREMATH UPTOEARTH UNDERNIGHTBAG OVERTHEWEATHER DOWNHOLSTERING Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=12/3/1978&h=44d" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/PS?date=12/3/1978&h=44d</a> I'm done. ....
I was very excited to get a rare Sunday gold, only to read the comments on the ease of the puzzle! [crying emoji here]. Oh well, the solve was hilarious throughout. Great fun and even better with some champs and the mandatory eye-dropper of OJ to make it a mimosa. Cheers folks.
@Joe It wasn't that easy. Don't let any of us tell you that your Sunday gold wasn't well-earned.
Sometimes the puzzle leaves me cold but I found these jokes quite funny.
Very fun and very fast!! Surprised that I got most of the themers with very few, if any, crosses. They all made me chuckle though. Especially enjoyed BUCKETSEATS. I would tell you the extraordinarily embarrassing story about the time my husband and I had to use KELESSENTRY for the first time but we have sworn each other to absolute secrecy for the sake of our family name. We do have a small MoTE, error MITE of pride, after all. Har!!
@HeathieJ It’s probably no more embarrassing than the time a salesman handed me the keys for a test drive that would involve only me and my husband. I, who had never driven a car with a push button start, did not know you had to press the brake pedal at the same time. I pushed once, twice, three times, and the only thing I got was unrelenting hot air blasting from the vents. It was a sweltering summer day, and those hell portals did not create the most chill environment for figuring out what was wrong. Several minutes later, we returned the keys and went on our way, sweaty and frustrated. We later bought a different car, *after* figuring out how to start it. And, it probably goes without saying, we have no pride.
Just one of the cleanest, most consistent, and satisfying puzzles, very nice.
Super fun! Really enjoyed this one!
Easily one of my favorite puzzles of the year. After my first pass, I thought there was no way I was solving without looking up clues. But pass by pass, I built more answers, corrected a few, and ended on the "point of intersection" and "old yeller" for a "clueless" win! More from this dynamic constructor duo, please!
I'm definitely not a car person, but found this delightful and fun. I liked that the theme answers had to be worked out individually. Nothing really jumped out until the crosses made the answers obvious. Maybe a little easy for a Sunday, but the size made that perfectly okay. I really enjoyed this one. Congrats to Ralph on his debut. I'll be working the L.A. Times puzzle, too.
Not a huge fan of the punny grids. But this one told a story, so it was much more engaging to me than normal. Also, creative phrases used to sell things is generally interesting, but of course, disingenuous. The quote in 35A was amazing. Thank you constructors. One clue/entry I don’t get it is. “Race prior to a race”. REV. I’m sure it’s obvious.
@Weak Revving the engine before the start
@Weak REVing an engine is synonymous with racing it, stereotypically done by drivers right before a race.
@Weak There's a reason there's a book called "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman" about the brilliant physicist responsible for that line.
@Weak I like your point about a cohesive, story element making a groany theme palatable. I realized the same thing as I was solving today.
@Weak, Haven’t heard “racing the engine” for REVving it in quite a while, but it’s a thing. Clever clue!
Chewy and sexy like a Friday puzzle, but strutting its stuff like a Wednesday puzzle. I'll two scoops please!
Fun puzzle, the theme answers were not easily guessed and also funny. At least that was my experience. Couple of sticky areas, a delightful solve in all. The Feynman clue was perfect. I also laughed at IRONED for smooth, now. Caitlin's link on bucket seats sent me down a small rabbit hole on missed features in old cars: <a href="https://www.jalopnik.com/these-are-your-favorite-dead-car-trends-1850954943" target="_blank">https://www.jalopnik.com/these-are-your-favorite-dead-car-trends-1850954943</a>/ One feature I never understood was big wheels plus skinny tires (low profile?). The comment in the article was "I'm tired of cracking wheels on potholes." Really? So people pay a lot extra for a bumpy ride and also fragile wheels? I've hit lots of potholes in my life and have never once damaged a wheel. Obviously I didn't own skinny tires. Now I don't even own a car, but I digress.
Enjoyed everything about this Sunday puzzle! No obvious theme answers. Each one required multiple crosses to figure out , but each was on the mark, very clever and made me smile.😊