Rory
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Arlington, VA
This was an enjoyable, well constructed puzzle. That said, I don't think it should've been a Thursday. Pan in the butt? was a fantastic clue.
I can say with great confidence that this is my favorite puzzle so far this year ;) Seriously though, what a clever and well-executed theme!
Back with another one... Frederick Douglass - FREE THINKER?
At 14:19, this was a new Sunday best for me by a statistically significant margin. Shoutout to my middle school Civics teacher, Mrs. Gordon, for sparking my interest in women's history. I promise this isn't the only time in the ensuing decade that's paid off!
This felt hard (in a good way!) but came out to just under my Friday average. I loved HERDINGCATS and thought PERMS was clued quite cleverly. 55A slowed me down a bit because I was certain it was EoiN, ruled it out with APOLLO_II, and then thought "EioN?" I also had perEnnialS for FAKEPLANTS for a second before remembering they very notably are *not* green all year round. Quite the opposite, in fact. Those of you who garden are free to laugh at this. Very random final note: my grandma and Arthur ASHE were friends :)
Did anyone else find that the colors on the midi made it difficult to read/fill?
I've seen both SLAPS and SPITSBARS called out in the comments as passing phrases, and therefore unworthy of inclusion on the word list. Both of these terms are as old as I am. What is *new to you* is not necessarily new, and suggesting that language which has existed for over 20 years is lesser because it is most often used by a community besides your own is, at best, close-minded.
Despite my quibbles with BUMBLEBEE, today's puzzle wasn't MID. Do us a SOLID and keep it up with the themed Mondays, please! Snatch, lift, swipe, nick, pinch - TAKEFIVE? And kudos to anyone who can give us FORTYWINKS.
This was an enjoyable, well constructed puzzle, and I loved 47D. I don't think this should've been a Thursday, but that's no fault of the constructor. Happy belated birthday to Mr. Curry!
Lillian Gilbreth - TASKMASTER. In addition to industrial psychology and her work precursing ergonomics, she brought us such hits as the work triangle, step trash cans, and affixing light switches to the wall.
For those unfamiliar with the word, although it can, as clued, mean excited, TURNT is most often used in the context of intoxication or partying. A person saying they're "Gonna get turnt" is not announcing their intent to get excited, and you also shouldn't tell your kids you "Got turnt" at dinner to mean that you drank a lot. It's that combination of being under the influence and excited that usually gets you to turnt level. An event or group of people described as turnt, however, are closer to what the clue indicated. A wild party or rowdy crowd of fans after a game might be described as turnt regardless of their collective sobriety. Your mileage may vary regionally, of course--just err on the side of caution.
I'm gonna go against the grain and say I, a lesbian, didn't mind MULLET. I've never had one, but many of my friends (also lesbians) have had one at some point in their lives. I wouldn't necessarily associate it with just lesbians--I think I've known just as many bi and queer women with one--but it was easy enough to guess.
@DaveMTheDude I came here to say the same. There are many, many climbing related terms I could understand someone misapplying, but this isn't one.
@Mint Chip It's the past tense and past participle of rend, e.g. "rent asunder."
@Danielle It's a play on Settlers of Catan
@Edith Maor It crosses LAOS, OMAN, and PERU.
The Table of Nations: SONSANDLOVERS. I thought the theme was fun and enjoyed the solve. :)
An easy Thursday leaves those of you who celebrate with more time to spend with your families... and me plenty of time to continue my quest to brush up on my pre-2010 pop culture knowledge. Gotta get my crossword times down somehow. Today was 13:05, but it would've been at least a minute faster if I'd known MOES, LESH, FLIRTINI or RICHARDHARRIS. (And crossword times aside, catching up on old movies has been fun. I quite enjoyed Back to the Future, so thank you to the commenter who was shocked I'd never seen it and suggested I rectify that.) Happy Thursday (or Merry Christmas!) to all :)
I've once again fallen victim to the Whoa/WOAH woes.
Anyone else fill in CYNTHIA (Erivo) before ELPHABA? I was starting from the A in IMAM. Also, I liked SHUE for a Wicked-themed puzzle, assuming it's pronounced like shoe. No idea who either of the siblings is, however, and their IMDBs reveal I've never seen them in anything.
@Red Carpet I thought the standard was fine (I love skiing). The Midi with the GUMBALL gimmick was what was hard on the eyes.
I was rather disappointed to see that both pieces of "Gen Z" terminology date back to the aughts (or earlier!). We are not, it seems, talkin' bout my generation.
@Chris I had this as well. In all fairness, to the men in question the two may as well have been synonymous--at least among their own social class.
I absolutely loved this puzzle! FAREISFOULANDFOWLISFAIR was just delightful. I got a bit tripped up in SW, 88D, 96D, and 107D were all unknown to me, and I had ONATRICE (The Tempest) down before INATRICE (Twelfth Night). If it weren't a Shakespeare puzzle, I don't think I would've thought of that particular idiom at all. That said, SW doesn't seem like it was difficult per se, 121A would've unlocked it easily if I were about 20 years older... or if I bought a record player to actually use those limited edition vinyls singers keep selling me and "let the sounds of music creep in [my] ears" once in a while.
My fastest Saturday yet--THX!
@Jones Yeah, the way I phrased the above wasn't clear. When asked about the atmosphere of a party I went to, I wouldn't say it "was turnt" unless most people were moderately to heavily intoxicated and/or high, but a DJ declaring he's about to "Get this party turnt" is saying he's going to raise the energy level, not alter the sobriety of attendees. The latter is used primarily in situations where people are already intoxicated to some degree, but it could also be used at prom, where the crowd is (ostensibly) sober. I'd think it was kinda cringe, but it wouldn't strike me as incorrect.
Nice and simple to solve. Trying to come up with another way WEWILLROCKYOU, however, has me appreciating that it was likely much harder to construct. My best thought: "Someone you don't want to offend in a back alley? STREETFIGHTER." But "rock you" to mean "beat you up" is probably too niche/generational. I'll leave the constructing to the experts... Also, I'm pleased to report that I have actually seen 36A. Usually, if it's an 80s reference, I don't have a CLUE.
@Francis Yes, it's that exactly. His haunches are those of a goat. (I didn't get it until after I'd completed the puzzle and had time to think about it, so you're not alone!)
Nothing like confidently filling in a word only to realize several minutes later that you just *think* you know how it's spelled. Fortunately DOWSE doesn't come up often, because I was certain it and DOuSE were homonyms.
uMBER for AMBER had me briefly wondering if uNGERm was the solution to "Brings to a boil?" Thankfully, I'd already filled MASS.
The AIRBAG wasn't mandated until when?!?!!?!
@Marcus My parents are about the same age as the titular kid, what can I say.
@Chris J I have seen OBVI once or twice, but my friends and I (20s) much prefer OBVS. It really threw me.
@SBK I was born a while after it came out, LOL. I saw it referenced all the time, but I guess I kind of assumed it was like King Kong, where everyone knows the famous scene(s) but half of us haven't seen the movie. That was definitely not the case! Lesson learned, and I liked it enough that now I'm watching a bunch of other movies I see referenced often. Well now you can name one GDead member, HAHA.
@Barry Ancona That's true, too!
@Stephen Fascinating, I'm in the generation below you and referenced The Age of Innocence only yesterday. I can't speak to the film, but I'd say the novel is definitely a cultural touchstone. And while Dangerous Liaisons is a film I've never seen and don't really know the plot of, the title is still enough in the zeitgeist that it was an easy cross for me. I've never heard of The Prince of Tides before today, though. That one gave me trouble.
@Al in Pittsburgh Well, when you put it that way... I'd never really thought about it because they've been around my whole life and | I'd (wrongly) lumped them in with the seatbelt timeline. In hindsight it all seems so commonsense, but the explosive element might've given me pause, too.
@Denise Definitely lost on me. Googled it and it looks like I wasn't yet born when it ended.
@Vaer I can confirm that I (20s) did not know TONEARMS or TREO. That said, I have quite a few friends with record players, and they probably know what one is.
@Elena +1. I definitely use it often.
@Vaer Thanks for the tip!
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