How many versions of, “I finished this fast, it wasn’t a worthy __day puzzle” must we read? Get over yourself! Try limiting your comments to what you appreciate about the puzzle. I guarantee you’ll be a happier person when you start seeing the good rather than focusing on your dissatisfaction.
@Jesse R. You actually don't *have* to read any.... I mean, if the first sentence of a comment is one that is objectionable to me, or it's a commenter that I have generally disliked, I feel free to move on. And that makes me a happier person. And overall I'm a pretty happy person. A lot of people have deep attachments to the New York Times crossword puzzle, and high expectations of it, and have for many years... and decades. They have every bit as much of a right to respectfully speak to their dissatisfaction at the changes they see as you do to call them out about it. They should not have to limit their comments, any more than you should have to limit your comments about your enjoyment.
@Jesse R. How else are people supposed to let the editors know that they think the puzzles are getting too soft? Easy doesn’t mean bad. It means the puzzle didn’t belong on that day, and that’s the editors’ problem, not the constructor’s.
@Jesse R. You know, everyone’s been really respectful about it so far. No one’s complaining about the puzzle itself, everyone still enjoyed it, and most everyone is aware this is usually an editorial issue and not a constructor issue. So if people want to keep beating their heads against the wall trying to respectfully generate support for a twistier and meatier past, let them!
@Jesse R. Also I would point out that as a constructor I learn from constructive criticism (no pun intended). Obviously I can’t do a lot about difficulty level, but if people give honest feedback about poorly worded clues (if they were mine) or grids they thought had too many proper nouns or obscurities, I welcome that as long as they are polite about it and would hope to learn from it. Or I would disagree and move on. I have no doubt that the negative comments I read on these pages in general make me a better constructor and more aware of pitfalls.
@Jesse R. If people are saying that the puzzle was easier than the editors likely envisioned it to be, is that a negative criticism? How else will the editors get that important feedback? I don't think the purpose of this comment section is to lift everyone's spirits and praise each other. It's to provide insights to our fellow solvers and constructors, and to the editors. Of course, people should be careful about tone and avoid snark, but I don't think a round-robin of "everything is wonderful" is what most people are looking for here.
@Jesse R. The decision to insert easier puzzles was made a long time ago and is probably permanent. The *too easy for a ____* comments should be over by now. What we're seeing is a live experiment on how long people take to adapt. It's pretty safe to say it may take years or decades. Whatevs.
@Jesse R. Yep, it's virtue-signaling, crossword-style. The same people who post pictures of their food on FB.
Quadruple stacks, you don’t see that every day. I especially like I’M OUTRAGED followed by DON’T STRESS. I love the ROAD WIN clue [Success in another’s field, say]. Very clever. Well done, Adrian.
"Did you get to the part yet where the driver installs those aerodynamic devices--" "Hey! No spoilers!" (From "The Sunroof Also Rises")
@Mike Very finny. Reminds me of the lyrics of that beautiful holiday song “White Chrysler”—“where the t-tops glisten…”
@Mike @SP If I didn't know better, I'd say that a couple of airbags are at it again.
@Mike I stuck a fish on my car and now it’s turbot-charged (well, at least it has fins and looks a bit more shiny)
@Mike My cup holder runneth over--zero to sixty.
@Mike I'm not finicky about puns. Even hot air bags a smile.
When I went to IRAN, I picked up two things at the airport duty free to take home. A big bag of pistachios for my dad. And a tin of caviar for myself. Shortly after I bought it, I realized that there was no way it would keep for 24 hours until I get back home. So I got a plastic spoon from an airport vendor and went to the smoking lounge. Ate it straight out of the tin while I smoked a Cuban. Honestly a top ten travel moment of my life
@Steven M. I miss Iranian and Turkish pastiches. I think it was under Carter they were no longer allowed to be imported to US. They were so much better than the ones we have here from California.
@Steven M. I brought back a kilo of caviar from Iran in 1976. When I got on the plane I asked the flight attendant if she would put "this little package" in their fridge until we arrived at Heathrow. Without my having to ask, she then brought it back to me saying "Here's your cheese." Cheese from Iran? I don't think so.
I loved Teri Garr. An underrated actress who could be funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Tootsie may be a little dated now, but it was a great movie and people should seek it out. She was also terrific in Young Frankenstein and After Hours. But my favorite Teri Garr role may have been that of the quirky, flirty recurring guest on the David Letterman Show who was always up for a gag, no matter how weird or potentially embarrassing. Such a unique talent.
@Heidi The quintessential "ditzy" blonde who was obviously sharper than everyone else in the room in interviews.
@Heidi She really was a sweetheart. I think my favorite role was in "Young Frankenstein".
@Heidi....Teri Garr left us a legacy of over 70 movies! 😍
My favorite Teri Garr line was from “Young Frankenstein “ and it’s only three letters —- “Oof”.
Everything I know about hasenpfeffer I learned from Yosemite Sam.
What the --- I thought for sure we'd be hearing from a host of vegan zealots about the hasenpfeffer lead-off. In fact, the puzzle is a dialog on this: Vegan Zealot: "I'm outraged!" Mr. Emu: "Don't stress, it's just a puzzle, dude, not a call to kill rabbits." VZ: "Knock knock, anyone home at the Times? I'm in extremis here!" ME: "Don't be gross. Keep it PG. Put your bifocals on and focus your eyes on the rarely seen white tiger. Chew some qat...yes, no doubt you'll---" VZ: "Feta cheese, BBQs, slaw on fish tacos, where will it end? But you greet my argument with snark and kid around with me. I don't give a shag when you call me a banana cake! So what if I am?" ME: "The Emu Brethren have met and have concluded that what anyone has eaten is of no-one else's concern, and that since we tolerate no spoilers, you are hereby deported to Columbia (your choice which one). Teri Garr will drive you there in her mini-car, and yes there is no doubt that soon you'll go the op-ed route..."
@john ezra The zealotry of vegans and vegetarians is far more potent in the minds of carnivores than it is in reality.
Terrific grid design – a NYT debut design, by the way – that allowed for those two four-stacks and ten ten-letter answers, all colorful. When you pack the box with loveliness like that, you give the solver beauty and enrichment on top of riddle-ment, deepening the joy. Certainly for me. This was a gift. My favorite answer: KEEP IT PG. My favorite clue: A tie between [Success in another’s field, say] for ROAD WIN, and [Volume control device?] for E-READER. I love the German “pf”, as in pfeffer or kopf. It’s pfun to say. And what a terrific RABBIThole I went through upon seeing UPSTART, when I realized you could reverse it to “startup”. Words like that, I learned, are called reverse compound words. They are legion in our language, i.e., breakout, boathouse, oversleep, lookout, holdup, takeover, and trackside. Bounty in the box today. Thank you, Adrian. I loved this!
@Lewis I appreciate your notes on grid design, something that I was hardly aware of before the commentariat pointed it out. In particular, not only did we get ten 10-letter entries. We also got six 8-letter entries. What a spacious grace this grid offered!
There was lots of fun in this one. Only in a crossword can one find a menu with German RABBITSTEW, Greek FETACHEESE, and American BANANACAKE. I also liked that the puzzle ended in the SE corner with IMOUTRAGED followed by DONTSTRESS.
I’ve been getting through recent Saturdays in good time. This has me absolutely stumped. Leave the negativity about “easy” and “hard” at home and enjoy the journey.
@Aaron Option C: leave the preachiness about other people’s reactions at home 😉
"I’ve been getting through recent Saturdays in good time. This has me absolutely stumped." Perhaps reading some of those comments to which you seem to object might explain why you're getting through recent Sundays in good time.
Are the puzzles getting easier? ⭕️ Yes ⭕️ No ⭕️ Doubt
@JohnWM No, after a few years the clues are easier to recognize. I believe this.
Becky, Of course they are. The puzzles are also getting easier.
@JohnWM Yes. No doubt in my mind. I began doing NYT puzzles over 50 years ago (pause while I reel in shock) and have come and gone numerous times. But there is no mistaking the decline over the past five years and its leap off the cliff over the last year or two. I will /not/ be gaslighted into thinking that I'm just that much smarter. I'd love that to be the explanation but it isn't.
Okay, I'm going to admit that I shook myself up a martini and moved out on the garden balcony and prepared myself for a nice long, enjoyable, head scratcher. Instead, I finished it in less than a third of my martini, and that includes taking sips of martini obviously. That said, I do think it was an enjoyable puzzle. There was some fun pairrs and the what might wind up in your mattress clue was very humorously provocative. Was that KEPTITPG? Har! 😏 I really enjoyed entering QAT, one of my favorite lifesaving Scrabble entries. I didn't look it up but I don't remember seeing it in any of the crossword puzzles I've done over the last few years. Really like the clue for ROADWIN too. Really a nice one, I liked it, but I do have to admit that while IMnotOUTRAGED, the only thing I didn't plug in pretty quickly and correctly was the let me think about it clue... Was it hmm, erm, oh... it's UHH. My condolences to our fine constructor, Mr Johnson, on your great loss. What a lovely tribute to what sounds like an amazing human! May his memory continue to bless your life for all of your days.
@HeathieJ QAT has appeared 8 times; the most recent time was on July 16, 2023.
@HeathieJ I've used QAT in Scrabble for years; have never known its definition.
@HeathieJ I'm with you on the hmm-umm-erm-UHH progression. I generally find the use of interjections as fill annoying because they are entirely dependant on crosses and usually have numerous variants with identical meanings. Aargh-argh-arrgh-arggh! On the other hand, I really enjoyed IN EXTREMIS and IM OUTRAGED. (Entirely independent of late political developments, I promise. 🤨)
A worthy Saturday. While I'm salivating, literally and figuratively, to talk to you about hasenpfeffer, I guess I'd better begin with the rest of the puzzle: I think ROAD WIN (40D) is a world-class clue. Fooled me completely before it filled in. I was wondering if I would ever score a success in, say, rocket science. The NE was impossible until I thought to change NEAT for "straight-up" to REAL. And I finally figured out why E READER is a "volume control device." Another world-class clue. Now onto my beloved hasenpfeffer -- which is NOT a RABBIT STEW. It's a hare stew. I was pretty sure that a rabbit is not a hare, but I looked it up just to be sure. And it's not! If you have had RABBIT STEW, it can be a lovely and delicate dish with a lot of flavor. Or, in less talented hands, it can be pretty flavorless and forgettable. But hasenpfeffer is rich, rich, rich, made with a rich brown sauce -- very gamy and absolutely scrumptious. There was a German restaurant from my youth on East 86th Street called Jager House. They had two really unique and memorable dishes: Hasenpfeffer and Saddle of Hare with Preiselberries (sp?) Both incredible. Their 3-course dinner cost -- wait for it! -- $4.95!!!! And no, the first course wasn't tomato juice or fruit cup -- I always had the Shrimp Cocktail. Their sinful dessert choices were to die for. They don't make restaurants like that anymore -- and certainly not at those 1950-ish prices.
@Nancy I came here to say what you did about the NE. Exactly the same for me. Ditto ROAD WIN. Still not sure I'd like Hasenpfeffer, but nice try.
@Nancy Thank you. I was getting worried that it would fall to me to pick the zoological nit. Rabbits and hares are in the same Family (Leporidae) but are ecologically and morphologically distinct. Of course, jackrabbits are hares but still.
I personally want to thank Bugs Bunny (and Yosemite Sam) for help with the hasenpfeffer clue.
Caught the crossword puzzle solving bug so long ago, the T.V. Guide cost a whopping 15 cents. And on this late, summery Saturday, I, at long last completed a NYT’s Saturday sans any form of mystical (or any other form) prompting. ‘Tis been a journey. Thanks Adrian J. et al for the puzz; it resulted in my beating some fairly steep ODDS. 😀 BYE(S) Youse Guys, Bru
Thanks to this puzzle for teaching me the fact about box jellyfish, who not only have 24 true eyes but can apparently learn without a centralized brain! (I was disappointed that the "success in another's field" clue had nothing to do with poaching, though.)
From rabbits to tigers, oh my! Have never heard of upside down banana cake, I gotta go look into that.
@Linda Jo - Me either. I was flummoxed when "pineapple" didn't fit in the available space.
@Linda Jo @Pax Ahimsa Gethen My friend just shared this with me two days ago-! Really helped break open that SE corner for me. :) <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEwEnCu-Ws/?igsi=a202ajQ3cjVhbG1v" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEwEnCu-Ws/?igsi=a202ajQ3cjVhbG1v</a> You should be able to watch even if you don't have an Instagram account. Or track doen the author: @jose.elcook / Jose Xiloj <a href="https://joseelcook.substack.com" target="_blank">https://joseelcook.substack.com</a>
@Linda Jo Home baker of many years' standing here. (If you can get across the border, let me know and I'll have a nash ready.) I too have never heard of banana upside down cake. Generally speaking, fruits fit for this kind of treatment tend to be very juicy – e.g., pineapple, peach. The juice at the bottom caramelizes and creates a brown crust which then becomes the top. Banana seems exactly wrong for this.
I also thought this was pretty easy for a Saturday, but I'll be honest: I'll personally take a well-constructed easy puzzle over one that's artificially (imo) challenging because it includes a bunch of naticks and proper name trivia any day. (Of course a good challenging puzzle with tricky cluing that minimizes naticks is the best, but I've found that pretty rare in my years of playing.)
@J.S. I solved on my phone (I usually solve on a desktop) and was very tired, but I still did almost 10% faster than my Saturday average.
"Tootsie" is immortal, and so is Teri Garr.
Anyone else guess "rugs" for 51D? (The longer they are, the harder they'll be to beat)
@Elbridge Gerry I had OARS for quite a while, thinking vaguely about the end of The Great Gatsby and figuring that long oars are probably harder to beat than short ones.
@Elbridge Gerry, Great answer!
@Elbridge Gerry Yes, I also considered rugs!
So happy to see my town in a NYT Saturday crossword puzzle!!
@Cindy M, I graduated from Mizzou, but whenever I was in New York and someone asked where I went to school, I loved telling them “Columbia “ with as straight a face as I could manage. Fortunately there were no follow-up questions.
It looks like I'm not the only one who found this puzzle enjoyable, but not Saturday-difficult. This was my fastest Saturday solve ever, barely longer than 1/3 my average Saturday time. Based on solve time, this was between Tuesday and Wednesday.
I admit I searched for Adam. He sounds like a very nice, talented person who is gone too soon. I'm sorry for your loss.
I was expecting something tricky for 1 Across, but not to be. And so it went. It's always bittersweet to see TERI GARR in the puzzle these days, so in her honor I'll just post her big scene from Tootsie. <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HrmWPBvzpqo" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HrmWPBvzpqo</a>
Umm....UHH...who makes BANANACAKE upside down? I make a very rich banana layer cake with very dark chocolate frosting for my own birthday every year. My Nana quit baking when I was 8, and someone had to take over! (But...I always like a good banana recipe!)
@Amy I do an almost everybody else does. The reason being that if you put nuts/chocolate chips or other things in there, they all end up in the bottom if you don’t bake them upside down.
@Amy Apparently there is a version with sliced bananas on the bottom. Mine uses mashed banana.
@Amy I've had this one in my "future cakes" folder for a while now. <a href="https://www.davidlebovitz.com/banana-upside-down-cake-recipe" target="_blank">https://www.davidlebovitz.com/banana-upside-down-cake-recipe</a>/ Looks pretty good, doesn't it?
@Amy A friend just shared this link two days ago, which helped me enormously in the SE corner! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEwEnCu-Ws/?igsi=a202ajQ3cjVhbG1v" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEwEnCu-Ws/?igsi=a202ajQ3cjVhbG1v</a> It should play even without an Instagram account. Or look for the author: @jose.elcook / Jose Xiloj <a href="https://joseelcook.substack.com" target="_blank">https://joseelcook.substack.com</a> Your birthday cake sounds *amazing "! My birthday cake also came from my grandma: chocolate cake with peppermint frosting. Guess what season that is! Lol. @Nancy J I'd not seen that David Lebovitz recipe, thanks! While I find the cake in the link above disturbingly watery (which I'd expect from bananas), I'll give pretty much anything he publishes a try! (His brown butter financiers are currently in regular rotation.)
Today certainly a contender for "Constructor Comments of the Year". Fun puzzle with clever clues. Also finished up yesterday's, which was tough with all the unknown names. Stull stuck on Thursday though - I refuse to peek at the answers.
Never have I ever-- --heard of "Banana Upside-down Cake." At least not intentionally. Accidents happen, pans slip from your oven mitts onto the floor. Pineapples, yes--but consider other acidic fruits: apricots, or even GAGE plums. And of course, there's always Tarte des Demoiselles Tatins . . . . But bananas? Not acidic enough, and will break down and become watery during baking. I'm not saying one CAN'T make Banana upside-down cake--but not "commonly." "Hey, did Gwen Stefani sing in a band before she went solo?"
@Bill Yes she did - in a band called "No Doubt." They had several hit songs. ....
@Bill I am happy to hear you, an expert, say this, or rather read you write this... wait what!? 😏 Anyhow, this is what I thought and though I have made a living on my baking skills in the past, I know I was never to your level of knowledge and expertise. Just a good baker. ☺️
@Bill Amen I thought that it just meant "cake" but even so--ugh. BANANA Bread, yes--but it's just not any good for fancier baking. Even when I made "BANANA pudding" it wasn't really cake. (Vanilla wafers and a packet of boiled pudding were the only other ingredients for me.)
@Bill Banana Upside-down Cake was exactly the one thing in this puzzle that was motivating me to comment today — and I'm so glad you beat me to it! I made my banana *bread* for a friend recently, and ever since she's been sending me Instagram videos of all sorts of banana bakes (but none so far I'd call a quickbread!). She sent me this one two days ago... which was why I got 59A with just the B and a smattering of other letters. Pay special attention to the end, *which perfectly exemplifies what you were talking about*! Eew. (I'm fairly certain it can be watched without an account.) To add to my astonishment, the author called it banana bread: cake ingredients baked in a cake pan equals cake, I do believe. YES, NO DOUBT! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEwEnCu-Ws/?igsi=a202ajQ3cjVhbG1v" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbEwEnCu-Ws/?igsi=a202ajQ3cjVhbG1v</a> @jose.elcook / Jose Xiloj <a href="https://joseelcook.substack.com" target="_blank">https://joseelcook.substack.com</a>
@Bill From our own site: <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023377-banana-upside-down-cake" target="_blank">https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023377-banana-upside-down-cake</a> This recipe calls for thick slices of bananas, so I guess that keeps them from getting too mushy. But I've never seen nor heard of a BUD cake.
@Bill Don't speak! I know just what you're thinking, and I don't want you're reasons. Don't tell me cuz it hurts. - No Doubt, "Don't Speak" (never heard it?)
That was a fun puzzle to solve! But it was far from qualified to be a NYT Saturday puzzle. There were just way too many clues that were immediately guessable with no crossings.
I’m sorry for the constructor’s loss. The puzzle was nice. I think easier than yesterday? But an engaging solve. I was sure I was gonna have to fly speck EREADER. but was surprised when the gold showed up immediately after the last cell. I dutifully went to Google to figure out what this word meant. Only then did I realize. That I was e-tricked. I’ve never heard of banana cake. Bread yes. And the only upside down I’ve ever heard of is pineapple upside down cake. I thought it was gonna be Bundt cake. Just my experience. “I’m outraged” if one of my favorite sarcastic expressions. If I’m actually outraged. I use a word that starts with P. and can mean drunk in some parts of the world. YES NO DOUBT. sounds weird to me. Yes followed by no. Like that coat is a little big. Anyway. Fun puzzle.
@Weak Love the BANANACAKE answer as I enjoyed making banana pancakes this morning, and may make more tomorrow. I remember who first told me those bananas are called, “garbage can ripe”. This was a quick fun solve, I have no idea how long it took me as (don’t tell anyone) I was multitasking. Good one, thank you.
@Weak Some common Australianisms are "Yeah, nah", meaning no, and "Nah, yeah", meaning yes.
Awesome Wednesday puzzle !
"All that a man has to say or do that can possibly concern mankind, is in some shape or other to tell the story of his love (...) – Henry David Thoreau Adrian, you always tell the story of your love of construction in each and every puzzle you create for us. More than that, you always tell the story of your love for others in your constructor notes, be they family, friends, acquaintances, co-constructors, mentors or editors. Every note you write is a glimpse into the mensch you are and the value that you place on the existence of those other than your own self. Thank you for sharing with us the love letter to your friend. I am very sorry that the opportunity to make new memories has been taken from you. But please be at peace trusting that every dear one that departs stays alive in our treasure trove of the memories we already have, and the story of our love goes on. (Reposting your friend's beautiful piano rendition of Lord Huron's "The Night We Met" for those who missed it in your notes- <a href="https://youtu.be/ZYCRdRRNOuI?si=HzL0NnmLzheBT5178" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ZYCRdRRNOuI?si=HzL0NnmLzheBT5178</a>)
Tasty with some crunchy toppings. Unlike the road kill rabbit stew I once ate while ski instructing in New Zealand. And yes, I found a hare in it.
@Your Fired A joke which only works when spoken aloud: Waiter, there's a hare in my stew! Yes sir, it's hasenpfeffer.
Well, not all that easy for me, of course, and I did have to look up a couple of things. But ended up being an enjoyable workout. And... puzzle find today - A Sunday from October 12, 2008 by Rich Norris with the title: "Change of Heart." Some theme answers, all cleverly clued: DUTCHSTEWINDIES LONEARTSSTATE SHAGGYGODSTORY GENERALPOTSOFFICE INCOOLPARENTIS THREELIMEISLAND Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/12/2008&h=42a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=10/12/2008&h=42a</a> I'm done. ....
Ah, COLUMBIA, SC, --where my great-great-grandfather practiced medicine and married a Sims--was the birthplace of his son of the same name--who wed a Boulware; HE was seen to have "married up" until things went so badly for the Army of the Confederacy (in which he had invested heavily...oops) Too bad the forebears hadn't stayed in Scotland! BOX PLOT? Box jellyfish? SHAC? ROAD WIN? Dipped (out) for SNUCK? A *DRAW* is a TIE, but "Tied up with" = DREW??? Just a touch too far. As with my South Carolina forebears, I thiink the bloodlines got too drawn out...diluted, as it were. Well, it's hard to know why some of our BRETHREN didn't amount to much, but it seems to have been convenient to blame it on ELEMENTS such as the bloodlines.... (or the lack of reliable birth control.)
@Mean Old Lady TIED gave me pause. Then I convinced myself that I "DREW" my shoelaces closed this morning. Yes? No?
I have been doing the NYT puzzles most days since 2023. It took me about a year to consistently solve without lookups, and that was such a fun year!! It felt amazing to develop the skill. Until fairly recently, I found Friday and Saturday puzzles to be quite challenging and every once in a while, I couldn't finish one. Yesterday felt like that! I did finish, but it was slow and very satisfying. Today I solved in 1/4 of yesterday's time, and it was still fun, but also much less difficult than yesterday; hence, less satisfying. It makes me a little sad to see this happening. I very much want puzzles to be accessible to new solvers, but IMO, having the average difficulty factor be so much lower than even a few years ago takes away the true joy of learning to get good at puzzles! I'd love to see Fridays and Saturdays return to their prior difficulty levels. I think having 7 days of puzzles allows for this!!! ...and I've read enough comments from constructors on these pages to know that they would like to keep creating hard puzzles and publishing them in the NYT. Just my $0.02. ❤️🥳
Thank you so much for the tidbits of Greek culture. I enjoyed them immensely. They were neither tragic nor epic.
An analogy regarding the Great Easening just came to me while responding in another thread, and I like it enough to double-post it… Imagine all the folks who complain about the puzzles being too easy are avid bowlers, most of whom have been competing in a league for years/decades, and one day we come into the only bowling alley within 100 miles to find that management has installed permanent bumpers on all the lanes. Naturally, we’re all pretty bummed; but a bunch of beginners are out on the lanes having a good time, and they tell us we should stop complaining and either learn to enjoy bowling with bumpers or find a new hobby. To anyone who thinks this analogy is an exaggeration: please go solve the Saturday puzzles from August 2007 (a month I happened to recently visit in the archives), and let me know how that goes.
@Anonymous "Imagine all the folks who complain about the puzzles being too easy are avid bowlers, most of whom have been competing in a league for years/decades" If you've been competing at something for that long you're going to find it easier than you did before, bumpers or no bumpers.
Hugh, Of course most solvers get better with experience. That has nothing to do with having Monday-level fill in a Saturday puzzle.
@Anonymous Pretty good analogy except that expert bowlers probably never get gutter balls anyway. So let’s say they made the pins less balanced so they fall more easily, or shorten the alley. That’s also a better analogy because the newer bowlers think they are doing terrific and feeling proud with their high scores and their long games streaks with an over 200 score, but don’t know what they are missing. Either way, the additional point is, it’s not like there aren’t some easier lanes already for new players to learn to practice on (M-W). And the bowling alley may think they are making more money by attracting new bowlers. But really, those bowlers are gong to get better and then they too will eventually get bored. Or, the expert bowlers will eventually leave by attrition and the new bowlers will never get as good because they never get to hone their skills to the same degree, which is bad for the sport of bowling. And what that means is, even if another alley tries to open with more difficult lanes, it will struggle because there won’t be anyone to appreciate them.
@Anonymous Perfect. This is it. And seriously, you are not allowed to have a stance on puzzles or complain about people saying "easy" until you try literally any Saturday puzzle from at least 10 years ago.
@Anonymous, Glad to see that you double-posted this. It’s worth sharing again to make sure it’s seen.
Happy Saturday! My stars! If such an interesting puzzle can’t have an interesting poem then I don’t know what the world’s coming to: a/ let’s talk about hasenpfeffer straight up, tonight! wind up the windows and haul this jellyfish in — scratch this mattres from shrub to leaves from impossible to carolina to upside down… show this dish what what is and what is what d/ and stevie nicks and hacky sack but absolutely each variety of arriviste hairstyle while you and i beat the wine list and engage the a/ elements in rabbit stew
@Peter Valentine did no one get my bugs bunny reference?
@Peter Valentine Late to the comments today, so I saw your poem and follow-up comment at the same time. But yes, great Bugs reference – and I love the ending!
Got off to a bad start, I was sure that "Benjamin Franklin invention of the 1780s" was CATLASER.
@Don H I couldn't help wanting old Ben to have invented the ROBOCALL. He really was amazing. Read up on him. Philadelphia has a great museum on him. And he visited Joseph Priestley when the latter was doing his oxygen research and was wondering why the plant in the sealed jar didn't die like the flame or the animal. Franklin supposedly suggested the reason, with the additional idea that unless something WAS replenishing the "vital force" on Earth, we'd all be dead.
Nothing too stretchy about this puzzle—I agree it was on the easier side—but it was very fun and elegantly constructed. Those 4 stacks on both corners were beautiful. I also enjoyed the clues for ROADWIN, EREADER and FETACHEESE and that funny entry KEEPITPG (I admit I had KEEPITPC at first). I really thought I would be the first to bring up Laverne and Shirley, great call out Caitlin. Also happy to see a tribute to TERIGARR—we see her a lot in these puzzles but not her full name. I would add a role in a really offbeat comedy “After Hours” and of course I never leave out a Star Trek reference, she had a very fun role jn “Assignment: Earth”. Anyone else have MINT before SHIP in the Icebreaker clue? (of course, then it would have been two words). Adrian, what a great tribute to a great musician and I enjoyed listening to the clip, thank you for sharing.
@SP My Milwaukee friend, the first thing I ever think of when I hear of past and puffer Hassan Pfeiffer, hasenffer... You got to give it credit to my voice to text, it does get creative. Har! Anyhow the first thing I always think of when I hear of it is Laverne and Shirley! It takes me way come away come away way way back!
Luckily there are no box jellies around here, but I did see a lions mane yesterday while body surfing, Due to the warming water, they're becoming a lot more common. Boo! I thought this puzzle had some pretty clever clues. [Tied up with] for DREW and [Volume control device] for EREADER had me scratching my head. More like that would be a good thing.
Nancy J., Those lions mane jellies are a dichotomous lot; ghastly yet awesomely mesmerizing.
Haven't read the comments yet, but I feel it's safe to assume somebody has already linked to Hare-N-Pepa's smash hit "Whatta Jack".
Ereanders growing outside her door Soon they're gonna be in bloom Up in Annandale.
@Bruce eh? Back to your old horticulture school, buddy.
This puzzle made me think of Loretta Lynn and Florence Henderson. Maybe some others will remember why. I enjoyed today's puzzle; thanks, Adrian Johnson!
And after a challenging Friday the Great Easening resumes. This was the fastest Saturday in a long time. Almost no friction. Reality checking, XWStats currently shows "Average". Sigh. What can we do... :(
@B I don't speak much on the great evenings, err easening, voice to text, because it upsets people, it seems... But the great evening also upsets people, so I don't know. Silly RABBIT that I am, I'm one of those crazy people who sometimes thinks maybe everyone could be happy. 🤷♀️ Anyhow, I was pretty surprised to see average this early! I came in more than 50% faster than my own average with nary a snag and sight.. 🤯
@B Aaaaaand XWStats just flipped to Easy. 87% solved faster than Saturday average.
B, It's back to "Average" this morning, but the stats tell me most solvers found it Easy (as I did). Median Solve Time 13:57 Median Solver 17% faster ⚡77% of users solved faster than their Saturday average. 44% solved much faster (>20%) than their Saturday average. 🐢23% of users solved slower than their Saturday average. 5% solved much slower (>20%) than their Saturday average.
@B We're fairly certain that XW Stats comparisons are only to averages of solvers' last 10 (that day of week) solves. We also think it's a good assumption that the vast majority of folks syncing their solve times there are regular solvers, so the comparisons are really only to the last 10-11 (that day of week) puzzles. If you already knew that, "never mind" as Roseanne Rosannadanna used to say way back when on SNL.
7D [Author Silverstein] SHEL wrote and illustrated a really nice book, "The Giving Tree," great for children or adults, I think. Here is actor Keith Carradine reading it: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgKVBhO6GkU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgKVBhO6GkU</a> Did you also know that there is a USPS stamp in his honor? <a href="https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2022/0408-usps-giving-tree-forever-stamp.htm" target="_blank">https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2022/0408-usps-giving-tree-forever-stamp.htm</a>
That’s really not a nice book for kids at all, unless you’re trying to teach them that there are no consequences for abusive behavior.
Regarding the spelling bee: do the editors find the word nutria offensive? It is a valid and relatively common word and I can't think of a reason it is not accepted.
@Jim I'm with you. I was so surprised that it wasn't allowed. I have a nutria jacket that my former MIL brought me back from South American, before it became "illegal" to wear fur. Only recently learned that it's a rodent!
@Jim I quit doing the bee for that very reason. Don’t know what dictionary Sam is using, but my vocabulary exceeds it
@Jim One article said that each day Sam uses only about 1/3 of the acceptable words. Otherwise, there would be way too many words for a daily game. So he looks for a mix of more and less common ones. For instance, he includes several common acids but omits others.
@Jim I could have sworn it was a crossword answer recently, no? I may be confused with another word game. My college had nutrias wandering everywhere, and they were terrifying at 1am.
Per XW Stats this is our "Fastest Constructor" but the fun thing is we always feel challenged by his puzzles. We particularly liked "Success in another's field, say"/ROADWIN. It is a wonderful thing to have these puzzles to enjoy every day.