My five favorite original clues from last week (in order of appearance): 1. Fall or fell (6) 2. It's not a full stop (9) 3. Element of a dating profile? (4)(4) 4. Permanent, perhaps (2)(3) 5. One can be felt (4)(5) TOPPLE SEMICOLON TREE RING IN PEN GAME TABLE
My favorite encore clues from last week: [Two in a row?] (4) [Water containers] (4) FOES DAMS
I know it’s a US puzzle but WWII started in the thirties. There isn’t a single decade.
@Ιασων Right? That annoyed me, too.
@Ιασων The clue/fill is even more problematic when you consider that the "world" part began only a few days later with the declaration of war by Britain and France just a few days after the German invasion of Poland and even before Russia piled on. "Main decade..." would have headed off the justified grumbling.
@Ιασων But it is an American puzzle, and WWII only began in 1941 for them. I agree it's a bit clunky, but not wholly incorrect.
@Ιασων I take your point but I didn’t read it that way. The clue didn’t indicate a single decade so I read it to mean “a decade” not “the decade,” which could be either one of two. Thirties didn’t fit so it had to be FORTIES. I think even we Americans are aware that WW II encompassed more than one decade.
@Ιασων The clue is [Decade of WWII...], not [Only decade of WWII]. That alone makes the clue fine. Another thing to consider is that the war took place in the FORTIES, for over five years, plus four months in the 30s. That's over 90% in the FORTIES. The FORTIES were the setting for the vast majority of the war, even abroad. Saying otherwise is like saying the decade of the Great Depression wasn't the 30s, because the stock market crashed in October, 1929. Another issue is when the conflict began being called "World War II." The NYT didn't use the term until after Pearl Harbor, and in fact, drawing the US into the conflict may have turned it from a series of regional conflicts into a true world war. Before that, many people just called it "the war," but some called it WWII from the start. Of course, people started talking about a theoretical WWII shortly after the Great War, i.e. WWI, ended. It can be difficult to pinpoint when a war becomes a world war. Today, there are some who believe that between US-Iraq, Russia-Ukraine, and Israel-Palestine, we're already into the beginnings of WWIII, but we just don't know for sure until we see how things play out. I sure hope not, but if that's so, we might not have to wait for AI to destroy us. Anyway, on the basis of any and all of these reasons, I think there's no problem to be found here. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1l90dkq/how_soon_did_ww2_start_getting_called_ww2" target="_blank">https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1l90dkq/how_soon_did_ww2_start_getting_called_ww2</a>/
@Ιασων And even though the US had not declared WAR, we were busily supplying arms and other assistance, and the military were beefing up their officer corps. My dad, happy as an Army First Sergeant in the Artillery, was pressed to apply to OCS. He was still in training in December, 1941; all candidates were sent home and told "get your affairs in order, as you will have no further leave for the duration." So he went home to Atlanta and married our mother.
@Ιασων Right? The Japanese invaded Manchuria in 1931.
Hmmm… as someone who grew up in Wales I can’t imagine anyone describing Wales as SW Britain…. That would be Cornish or, at a stretch, from Devon….
@Gareth When I first looked at the answer, my immediate thought was “Cornish won’t fit there”. I grew up half an hour from Wrecsam…
@Gareth yeah, my first guess was cELts so that we could at least throw in the Cornish people too...
@Gareth As someone who grew up in Pittsburgh, I can look at a map of Britain and ascertain that Wales is entirely in the southern half and the western half of the island. *shrug* SW, to me.
Out of curiosity, I checked how many times 3D (I'M ON A DIET) has appeared as a NYT crossword puzzle entry. It's appeared seven times (including today's puzzle). I'm just waiting for "I'm on GLP-1s" to make its first appearance. The entry does remind me of that old quip: "I've been meaning to go on a diet, but I have too much on my plate at the moment."
These are the Times That Try men’s souls, and to deal with it, I do silly things, like Tiptoe Through The Tulips, enjoy some liquid refreshment (There is a Tavern in The Town), play with an old toy (because They don’t make Them like They used To), get caught up into The Talk of The Town, and get good rest – Thank The Lord for The night Time. Oh, for me, just some of The Tricks of The Trade.
@Lewis Which proves my point about the tightness of this theme, because all your examples (except Tiptoe Through the Tulips, which is too long even for a standard Sunday) have extra words that don’t start with T.
Thanks To The Team. Nice puzzle to start the week.
Had trouble with NENES - wanted it to be NINOS very much - but all right. Is anybody else old enough to remember the Bud Collyer Game show also called TO TELL THE TRUTH - of the "What's My Line", "I've Got a Secret generation? Or the Piet Hein little poem - he called them Grooks - "TTT" that ends with the words "Things Take Time" Fun Monday Puzzle Bravo!
@Jim in Forest Hills I'm even old enough not only to remember TO TELL THE TRUTH, but also old enough to remember the earlier Beat the Clock, and to have been taken by my mom to watch the show in person.
@Jim in Forest Hills Yep I thought of the TV show “To Tell the Truth” as well. I even remember that perennial panelist Kitty Carlisle.
@Jim in Forest Hills, Bud Collyer was also the voice of Superman on the radio.
@Jim in Forest Hills Courtesy of Mr Hein: Put up in a place Where it's easy to see, The cryptic admonishment T.T.T. When you feel how Depressingly slowly you climb. It's well to remember that Things Take Time.
I worried that I might be TOOTIREDTOTHINK after my very late night out / early morning and another social engagement today, but I found this a more enjoyable Monday than normal. I mean, I have no issues with Mondays, but usually they're just a little snack. This one I thought was really nice with a little bit of push back here and there, which is a nice thing! I like all the themers and their forties. Things like having other Ts in the expressions just don't bother me, I guess... I noticed it, but I took the theme to be each word in each phrase started with a T. And that was good enough for me. Get me, I'm a poet and indeed, I know it!! Har! The only thing that might be better would be tea for two, and two for tea. Me for you, and you for me... alone. Wonder if that's been a theme ever! ☺️
When you’re in Britain, Wales isn’t in the SW. The SW is Cornwall. And a large part of Wales is in what we think of as the North.
@Nathan I was puzzled by this. I thought of 'Celts'.
@Nathan. Having lived in the South of England for a few years I will admit that Cornish came to mind first. However, geographically Wales is in the SW of the UK if you look at a map. Psychologically probably not because I know most of the non-Scots try not to acknowledge Scotland exists lol. Heck, The Romans built a wall to keep them out of the South. At least that's what I was somewhat jokingly told by Scottish coworker lol. No offense to any Scots. I personally love Scotland . . . in May . . . for the few days it's sunny . . . and not buggy. 😉🥃
Not the normal sort of Monday puzzle. Don't tell someone from Angelsey they live in the SW of Britain!
@Jonathon If you look at the US Census Bureau's map of the South, you'll find Maryland, Delaware and Virginia on it. Culturally, Virginia is definitely the South; the other two are debatable. However, geographically, they are pretty much dead center on the Atlantic seabord. Northern Virginia is twice as close to Maine as it is to Florida. So cultural and actual geographic categories can be deceiving. Similarly, you might not categorize Wales as being in the southwest of Britain, but if you take a look at a map, you'll see that it is. Not the extreme SW, but still the SW. Picking an extreme northern part of it to give as an example doesn't change that.
@Jonathon Precisely what I was going to say… as someone who grew up half an hour from Wrexham…
Jonathon, You and Gareth have boots on the ground, and your points are well taken. But a macro view suggests the clue is fair, if not appropriate for use with the locals. From the Google Maps description: Quick facts Wales is a country in southwest Great Britain known for its rugged coastline, mountainous national parks, distinctive Welsh language and Celtic culture. Cardiff, the capital, is a refined coastal city with a nightlife scene and a medieval castle with ornate Gothic Revival interiors. In the northwest, Snowdonia National Park has lakes, glacial landforms, hiking trails and a railway up to the peak of Snowdon.
I thought [Paves the way?] was a clever clue for TARS, and I liked the PuzzPair© of TEASE and COMB. I loved the lively theme answers. I was impressed with how tight the theme was – four-word-common-phrase with all those words starting with T, and all in 15 letters or less. I like that for some reason when I’ve been looking at RADIOAD in the grid, what my brain first sees is RADIOHEAD. But the best thing for me was that I left the revealer blank, didn’t read its clue, filled in the rest of the grid, and … and … I figured out what it was! This is a skill I am so woeful at and practically never get, so when it does happen it is actually a thrill, I have to say. So instead of stepping into my day today, I bounded into it. Thank you for that, and for a most enjoyable solve, Alexander!
@Lewis Not to mention your name is in the puzzle!
‘To Tell the Truth’ is a funny thing to say, yes? It indicates perhaps one doesn’t always? (similarly - frankly, to be honest, in reality) Anyway, a local store has a billboard where they post puns. Recently it said, ‘To be frank, I’d have to change my name’ I giggled.
Anyone do the midi cross puzzle today? When completed, I tossed by phone in fear!
@Janis, That was creepy!!
@Janis Oh no, that sucks that it startled/scared you and others. I thought it was really cute, personally. I would have felt differently if it were something I was afraid of, though, so you have my sympathy.
We don't need no sinking T's, but it's nothing to get seamed about. Just kidding, Alexander. This one suited a Monday to a T. Nice one.
I'm two decades past my FORTIES and only today found out that Julius wasn’t Caesar's first name. This makes me feel uncultured and humiliated which is difficult to unwrap since there's so much else that I don't know, why would this specific bit be so painful? Maybe it's because it's as if my otherwise exceptional school teachers kept me out of the loop, withheld vital information, and betrayed the trust I placed in them. How could they? Okay, so I'm being a bit dramatic and EXTREME (though the shame is real and more than I can put into words...) —Which leads me to "More Than Words" by EXTREME, that duo of which one half is the unbelievably age-defying Nuno Bettencourt – <a href="https://youtu.be/XNA4QXnRCxg?is=YxHvLi5vH8rHsYBm" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/XNA4QXnRCxg?is=YxHvLi5vH8rHsYBm</a> Thank you, Mr. Liebskind, for a very welcome crunchier-than-usual Monday – and for teaching me Caesar's first name [hanging my head but determined to never forget GAIUS!]
@sotto voce I couldn't have solved yesterday's maths theme in a month of Sundays, but I knew GAIUS. Whose humiliation is the worse?
@sotto voce Totally off-topic, unasked-for opinion: Nuno Bettencourt’s genetics (or skin care regimen) aside, I really hate that song. A friend once asked my wife and me to sing it at here wedding. I was unfamiliar with the song, and when I first heard it, and then looked closely at the lyrics, I thought, SRSLY? It was admittedly fun to sing, and I’m a fan of two-part rock n roll harmony, but those words (ha ha)… it’s a horn dog pressuring the object of his desire into physical affection, and it struck me as singularly inappropriate for a wedding, but, hey, the bride asked. (I’ll add that they’re still happily married some 20 years later, so, yay!)
@sotto voce Don’t fret, we here know it because, you know, Roman Invasion and all that. The remains of Roman infrastructure is all around us in England ( they were repelled by the Scots and Welsh), so we learn about the Caesars at the very early age.
Quite a crunchy Monday I thought. GAIUS was a gimme, though I see it tripped a few people up. As we here in England are surrounded by the detritus of the Roman occupation, we kind of learn the Ceasers by osmosis as it were. Leading to ‘what have the Roman’s ever done for us?’ and other Pythonesque musings. Um, 37A, people of SW Britain = Welsh?? I mean, if you squint a bit at the map maybe. But Wales is the West. The South West is me and I’m not Welsh. South West denotes Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Maybe Wiltshire if they insist. I’m nit picking, but I reckon most of the Welsh would agree. (Ducks as the leeks come flying). Other than that, a nice way to start the week.
@Helen Wright Southwest England certainly denote Somerset, Devon, Cornwall etc. But the clue is specifically SW Britain, including Scotland. Looking at it from that angle, Wales is definitely in the southwest of the UK as a whole.
Poor Monday puzzles. They get no respect and few comments. I realize they are the easiest of the week. They get no heated banter like the Thursday rebus/non rebus wildfires. I found this to be a pleasant solve. Thanks Love Child.
@Dan Collins Hi Dan - Stop playing. Come back later in week. No one needs your complaining…
I thought the puzzle was a hoot. Nat Turner is someone I should learn more about. He seems important. "Teaching to the test" is a bit triggering for me. I started teaching college in 1985, and it was very important to me to be pretty strict about not doing that kind of thing--teaching to the test, providing make-work extra credit, writing multiple choice questions with one one answer that makes even the slightest sense--but not every teacher there was. And it really bothered me, because we often taught several sections of the same class. At the end of the semester we got together to compare score distributions and decide where the letter grade boundaries were. All sections had two common hour exams and a final exam. All the profs teaching the sections contributed to writing these exams. We did this several days before the test. There was always a suspicion, especially with a couple of professors, that they would "teach to the test" in their section. One of the reasons I left academia were issues like that, issues of basic fairness seemed so obvious and yet so hard to actually maintain. So I went into software development for places like insurance companies and big box stores, where there were absolutely no problems whatsoever.
@Francis Interesting! Really! Also, I completely agree with you that there are absolutely no concerns about insurance companies in big box stores. They are the heart and soul of our society. Har!! But seriously, working at the U, which I love love love, it's hard to see some of the not so great things... I get it! I haven't seen so much in within like the teaching itself, but with certain other disparities. But, I probably don't need to go into details here.
Nice Monday puzzle. Seemed a bit "meatier" than usual, at least to me.
Nice puzzle. Easy theme. Quick solve. I dotted my i's and crossed my t's - all 4 or 5 of them.
I’m reminded of Two-Ton Tony Tubbs, a fictional character from the Judge Dredd universe in 2000AD magazine. Tony Tubbs, eating champion and the world’s first 2 ton man, used a belly wheel to get about. In terms of its value in preparing me for the modern world, 2000AD and Judge Dredd’s MegaCity One — in which 96% of the population is unemployed due to automation — is perhaps equalled only by George Orwell’s 1984.
Immediately thought Sid for Caesar's first name. Maybe tomorrow. Speaking of which, et tu should have been worked into this grid.
@LBG Well, the whole name business got kinda mixed up, what with the occasional need to adopt an heir (there being none in the family) and then the fashion trend to add 'Augustus' at the end, etc. There was also a tendency to reuse names ad nauseum. If you read _I, Claudius_ and _Claudius the God_ you sort of catch on...
I still remember when "Any Olympian" had to be an Amateur. The Miracle on Ice was such a big deal because Team USA were all just college kids. Then came the Dream Team.
In my Californian dialect, “forties” is pronounced kind of like “four Ds” and so it doesn’t quite work here =). But by the point I read the WW2 clue, I’d already gotten the top two TTTT rows. Now that I had the gimmick, once I saw “TANGO” in the bottom right, I knew what the answer was. What really tripped me up was “NENES”; I thought it’d be niños/niñas.
@Melissa M While niños/niñas are children, specifically small children, NENES and nenas are specifically babies.
A (male) Roman citizen typically had three names; and Gaius Julius Caesar was an ordinary, concerned, citizen, not a king--no, no kings in Rome! The second, the *nomen*, was the family, or really clan, name--passed down through the generations. And "Julius" was a pretty good one to have. Before that came the *praenomen*: there were about twenty in common use, of which "Gaius" was the most common--so common, in fact, that it was usually just abbreviated "C." Why "C" and not "G"? Just begause. Finally one would have a *cognomen*, which was sort of a nickname--"Hairy" (Caesar) or "Chickpea" (Cicero). But even a cognomen could passed down within a family: the first hairy Julian was Sextus Julius Caesar, who played a role in the Second Punic War (early 3rd. c. BCE). Where did the Romans get this system? Probably from the Etruscans. In any case, it wasn't the typical Indo-European system, in which a personal name would be unique, usually consisting of two parts: "Bran-wen," "Vladi-mir,"
(whoops, hit "Submit") "Vladi-mir," "Sieg-fried." When more clarity was needed, a patronym was used: "Siegfried son of Sigmund." *** One traditional set of Roman wedding vows ran: "Where thou art Gaia, I am Gaius." To which the bride would respond: "Where thou art Gaius, I am Gaia." <3
I don't like that two of the theme answers contain 5 T's.
@Dave Came here to say this. I guess it's 4 words starting with a T, but still frustrating to have more than four Ts in the answers.
@Dave It's obvious that the constructor meant "FOR (words that begin with) TIES" but I agree with you it's a little clunky. Nevertheless the Resident Puzzle Defenders here will be busy today fending off all criticism.
I hate it when you get emu’d for using a word in the crossword (dαmη). Maybe it will show up and I don’t want to write it all again. But the upshot is: Totally Tight Theme Today. Whether or not you think the theme or grid was a bit awkward or boring today, give credit to 4 symmetrical, long entries (14/14/15/15) that were pretty natural and hard to come by with only 4 Ts—and a revealer—which is a tough build for a Monday.
@SP I used an asterisk instead of an a and mine never appeared. It was also short, so that may have been why.
@SP Above, in a response to, Eric, I used dashes and I think it worked. It was also a short one.
@SP I tried the puzzle you linked yesterday after all. Again I missclicked the "back" button on my phone, resetting all my progress, but before that happened I had actually managed to fill in most of the grid. I must say I hated NORW as an entry. First, nobody sane ever abbreviates the name of the country thus. Second, the clue referred to winter Olympics, where Norway *always* features as NOR. I get that Americans will abbreviate the sigma out of everything without batting an eye, and do so in unfathomable ways, but surely there should be some limits... Especially when context (in this case, the clue) indicates a common abbreviation!
@SP Also, the SW corner of your puzzle was nearly all about trivia...
Four to's as well as four t's. Clearly a fortuity. In other news, for you who solve on paper, did anyone else make the mistake I made today, choosing CALF instead of PALM? Just asking.
@twoberry I find neither on my grid. What puzzle are YOU looking at?
OMG almost lost my streak on a Monday! Was confounded by the southwest corner. Crossing foreign language entries plus an answer with several possible endings. Not very Monday-esque, but I’m not complaining.
TO TELL THE TRUTH, I don't usually enjoy a Monday, but this was fun and even surprising...All those T's! Last into the puzzle: the C in 25D. Soft-shell CRAB--which DHubby loves and often orders at restaurants, because no way will they be in MY kitchen. I guess a filled TART could have a hard or soft crust/shell. Or SNAIL...no, too long. SLUG?...no shell at all. Thus--give up and go for the crossing! I love fish TACOs, but it's a lot of work to make at home for two people. I noticed that yesterday's puzzle was still garnering comments/protests at 2 a.m. CDST. I truly understand math-phobia, but the answers were right there IN the puzzle grid...
Loved it! The revealer is so, so simple, absolutely perfect and yet I didn't think of it. But I'm sure many of you did. I had a partial "Malapop" -- can't remember what puzzle person coined that, do you? -- when I wrote down TOO TIRED TO TANGO for "mentally pooped." I really thought that was the phrase and I wrote it in dark ink at the top. So it really made a mess when I had to change it to THINK. But Alexander, this would have been an even better puzzle if you hadn't crossed the ADT initialism with the album clue for DAMN. There are many other ways to clue DAMN. Nor did I know ADT: Chris, Noel and Rajiiem comprise my home security system* and a great many New Yorkers are fortunate to have a similar security system in place. TO TELL THE TRUTH was the most entertaining of all TV game shows ever devised and it went on for decades. My guiltiest of guilty pleasures is to watch old episodes in black and white from the 1960s -- the best era, IMHO. The show got dumbed down over the decades with all sorts of antics and the show doesn't need antics. Be on the lookout for Kitty Carlisle, the best TV game show panelist of all time. Charming, amusing, elegant, and always gorgeously dressed, she took her guessing seriously. When she was correct, she radiated joy and pride in her correct answer. Watch one episode and you may end up with a guilty pleasure too. *Apartment building doormen
@Nancy Yes funny how Kitty still stands out to me after all these years, and I haven’t seen the show since it was originally on
@Nancy Kitty Carlisle. I'm glad you brought her up. She's in my most distant memories, entirely from To Tell the Truth, because I didn't make it too see very much New York theater. It was interesting to find out more about her life before I was aware. I was also stunned to find out she lived until 2007.
Fun while it lasted! Had to think a little to get the theme, which is good. A good start to the week.
Nice solve …completed and learned a couple new words
To tell the truth has 5 t’s……just saying.
And so does Teach To The Test. All four themers four are words, each of which begin with a T. That's the promised homophonic hint (39A).
(edit) All four themers are four words...
@Spencer This is the nit that's going to be picked for the next 27 or so hours. Having an extra T is inelegant, but technically correct. It reminds me of the old riddle: How many months have 28 days? They all do. This bothered me, too, but since I didn't get to the puzzle at first, it had already been posted, so I decided not to say the same thing. In fact, Jim Horne at xwordinfo.com mentioned it, too,
Steve, Jim Horne noted that two of the entries had extraneous Ts; he didn't say there was anything wrong with that.
@Spencer I did get a bit confused part way through, and thought I'd made a mistake, but couldn't see what I'd gotten wrong. I think if the clue for 39A had hinted at, or referred to, the initial letters of the other answers, that'd have reduced any confusion.
I didn’t enjoy this puzzle. It felt like an awkward Tuesday.
Totally Tight Theme Today. Across only challenge wasn’t going to happen today as DAMN and NAM didn’t come to me. Nor did WIMP at first. Interesting pitfall for trying to do only acrosses—in the course of guessing the downs I tried SADAT instead of MADAT. That gave me WISP when I filled some of the downs I missed which sounded like a pretty poor clue for “scaredy cat”, but I suppose if you were a wispy person you’d be scared. Then I had to flyspeck at the end. Either way this was a bit of a crunchy Monday. Again non-constructors may not consider this, but 4 long entries, symmetrical (2 14 letters, 2 15 letters) with four Ts and nothing else are not easy to come by. I can’t think on any other obvious ones and these are pretty natural. So even if you think this isn’t the most exciting theme in the world, give credit where credit is due. Also 4 long themers like that and a revealer make early week entries and clues difficult, so that may be why it seemed a little bit awkward but is actually a great achievement. So no complaints from me, nice job.
Tough for a Monday. OAKEN kind of an oddball answer, I had OAKED for a while. A lot of clues felt like reaches.
@Chris......It's from a song: "The old oaken bucket that hung by the well" ....🎵
sandi, Many of us know it from the song, but as Sam pointed out in the column, it's been around for a while longer than that. <a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/-en" target="_blank">https://www.etymonline.com/word/-en</a>
No problems with the puzzle today except for trying to spell GAIUS correctly, but that got fixed quickly. A little tougher than most Mondays, maybe, but still went fairly quickly. Thanks, Alexander.
@JayTee I was about to respond that this was too pick, since the forties were a decade in which the war partly occurred, but then I thought about it some more and realized that just about everyone would object if THIRTIES were the answer to the same clue, so I think there's a pretty good point there.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by people getting twisted up about there being T's beyond the initial ones in the themers, and yet I am. May I suggest chill pills all around?
@Eric A gram is better than a d-a-m-n?
Nice Monday puzzle. I like the fact they added a small theme to spice up an easy day.
Every Monday has a small theme...
Very straightforward and quite enjoyable.
I liked this theme a lot! Didn’t like WELSH and I never like spelling out letters like DEE, but a lovely Monday overall.
@Alex Just curious, what's wrong with WELSH?
Sixties: that time they took to tie-dying. Seventies: Then ‘The Twist’ transitioned to Travolta’s ‘Tony’. Let’s just forget the 80s. This turns too tough toward the turnover to twenties.
And just to get that bad taste out of your mouth, I will point out that after the first twothemers, I thought the game might be about false teeth or the like…
@JohnWMnemonic I just want to give you props for your handle - it is both topical and a treat for us William Gibson fans
Nice Monday puzzle. Typical slow start for me, but the reveal was a nice touch. Had to stop and ponder for a few seconds before the implication dawned on me. And of course my first puzzle find today. A Thursday from February 19, 1998 by A.J. Santora. Theme answers in that one: TEETERTOTTERED TAKESTWOTOTANGO TICTACTOE TOOTTOOTTOOTSIE TURNSTHETABLES Here's that link: <a href="https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/19/1998&h=16a" target="_blank">https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=2/19/1998&h=16a</a> ...
It's cAIUS in the UK.
@DIVAS IVLIVS You had me looking it up, and it seems that both versions are accepted, with Gaius being the more modern one. The explanation for the two spellings is as follows: "Early Latin: Early Roman writing used the letter C to write both the hard "k" sound and the "g" sound. The Letter G: Romans later invented the letter G to tell the sounds apart. Old Habits: Many traditional names kept the old spelling with a C out of habit. This is why his first name was still written with a C in official abbreviations like C. IVLIVS CAESAR."
@DIVAS IVLIVS I liked PACES for leafs. CAIUS was absolutely correct in my mind.
Really liked today’s crossword. And AÇAI is actually a stone fruit, although we often call it “acai berry”
I love that I learned GAIUS on a Monday, where the friendly crosses could fill it in for me. I'll just file that away for a tough puzzle some day where it will break open a corner.
@Nancy J. And all Protesting Citizens of The UK I was spared that angst because the W was in square 37 already, meaning it had to be WELSH. Fleetingly, "This means trouble" went through my head, but at least I didn't have a crisis over the insult dealt to Cornwall, etc. We often notice that the crew at the NYT doesn't bother to double check the clues they revise...
Nice and breezy Monday, that gave me a few "What's that word again? Ahhh yes" moments with EAVES and SIKH. Well done
today’s poem a/ sometimes the fight sometimes the prize sometimes passing through sometimes a chair sometimes a person sometimes behind the person sometimes in the way sometimes a chair sometimes honest sometimes d/ without a/ truth too tired too tired