RichardZ

Seeing 58A (DIET) reminded me of that old quip: "I've been meaning to go on a diet, but I have too much on my plate right now."

I had to laugh at the odd formality of 29D (GIVE ME FIVE). I can't imagine anyone ever saying that instead of "Gimme five."

Seeing 35D (DIETS) as an entry brings to mind the quip: "I've been meaning to go on a diet, but I have too much on my plate right now."

There are so many funny quotes attributed to Yogi Berra (24D), but I think my favorite is (speaking of a restaurant): "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." This site has a collection of Yogi-isms: - <a href="https://yogiberramuseum.org/about-yogi/yogisms" target="_blank">https://yogiberramuseum.org/about-yogi/yogisms</a>/

The reference in 17A to STARS ON ICE reminded me of an episode of "Frasier" in which Martin (Frasier's dad) wants to take him to see a show called "Chimps on Ice." (Frasier wants to stay home and watch a Mozart opera on TV). A bit of dialog from that episode: Martin: Duke said, in the finale the whole cast skates to the top of this ramp, and then splat! Right into a tank of whipped cream. Bet they don't do that at your opera. Frasier: No, and Mozart's still kicking himself.

Clever theme, though I think at least one clue should have referred at least tangentially to the movie "E.T.", as Reese's Pieces figure into an early scene where Elliott tries to lure the alien back to his home. I didn't know until checking Wikipedia that Steven Spielberg originally intended to use M&M's, but Mars (the giant candy maker) refused to grant permission.

Seeing 31A (WINE SNOB) always reminds me of that classic James Thurber New Yorker cartoon with the caption "It's a naive domestic Burgundy without any breeding, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption."

An abbreviated version of David Sedaris's "Santaland Diaries" was a staple of NPR's "Morning Edition" every year around Christmas for at least a decade. (Just as Susan Stamberg's cranberry relish recipe was featured on "All Things Considered" every year around Thanksgiving). But the full 30-minute version of "Santaland Diaries" is worth hearing. It's by turns sardonic, witty, and moving (and definitely racier than the version played on NPR). Here's a link to the full version from the podcast "This American Life" back in 1996: - <a href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/47/christmas-and-commerce/act-two-22" target="_blank">https://www.thisamericanlife.org/47/christmas-and-commerce/act-two-22</a>

In "The Marine Biologist" episode of "Seinfeld" (from season 5), George Costanza utters the following line: "The sea was angry that day, my friends. Like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli." I think the first part is rather Hemingwayesque, but the second part - well, not so much. Here's a link to that scene: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3TZC69tSg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a3TZC69tSg</a>

I enjoyed the puzzle, though one entry seemed like a stretch. The musical referred to in 43A usually goes by the nickname "Les Miz." The Wikipedia page for the musical does mention "Les Mis" as an alternate nickname, but "Les Miz" has appeared as an NYT crossword entry nine times, while "Les Mis" has never appeared (until today).

The entry at 5D (SEE YOU NEVER) reminded me of this classic New Yorker cartoon by its cartoon editor back when it was published (Bob Mankoff): - <a href="https://www.wusf.org/2014-03-24/new-yorker-cartoon-editor-explores-what-makes-us-get-it" target="_blank">https://www.wusf.org/2014-03-24/new-yorker-cartoon-editor-explores-what-makes-us-get-it</a>

I wasn’t familiar with the “No True Scotsman” fallacy, so I Googled it, which led me to its Wikipedia entry: - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman</a> The first line from that page took me aback: “For the practice of wearing a kilt without undergarments, see True Scotsman” (which does indeed have its own Wikipedia entry). Reminds me of John Cleese introducing various Monty Python sketches with the line “And now for something completely different.”

Seeing 59D (OSLO) reminded me of a short “promotional” video presumably created by the city of Oslo encouraging potential visitors to stay away: - <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=8vhD59ac7nw" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/watch?v=8vhD59ac7nw</a> Very funny, and I love the deadpan delivery of the guy featured in the video.

Dvorak's Slavonic Dances were originally written for piano four-hands, and later orchestrated by the composer. Here's a YouTube video of two distinguished pianists (Yuja Wang and Andras Schiff) performing two of the dances: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0ukuHdWGOI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0ukuHdWGOI</a> It's a study in contrasts, in more ways than one.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar ...

Re 15A (IRAN) - by coincidence, an email newsletter I received today included a link to a video created by the Getty Museum for an exhibit from a couple of years back titled "Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World." The video shows a virtual reconstruction of Persepolis as it was at the height of the Persian empire. Five minutes long, and utterly fascinating: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO0FT_YnMno" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO0FT_YnMno</a>

What an impressive piece of work! All of the theme entries had such outstanding clues. One of the best Sunday puzzles in recent memory, and a definite candidate for that annual list of the year's best puzzles.

This was considerably easier than yesterday's puzzle, but still a very enjoyable offering. I learned a couple of new things (SHOGI, WET-ON-WET), and I thought all of the longer entries were outstanding. (But I did start to fill in "It's not you, it's me" for 10D before realizing it was one letter too short).

Merriam-Webster has an interesting piece on crash blossoms: - <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/crash-blossom-words-were-watching" target="_blank">https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/crash-blossom-words-were-watching</a> A quote from the entry: A headline blares "Whale watching boat carrying 27 sinks," and you wonder: Why is the whale watching a boat, and how can you tell that it's watching the boat? And why was the boat carrying 27 sinks? A missing hyphen can give rise to a lot of questions!

28A (AREEL) is familiar to me as a word which Spelling Bee doesn't accept (joining a long list of words which are frequent or at least occasional crossword entries, but verboten as far as Spelling Bee is concerned). Per Ralph Waldo Emerson, "a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," so I've decided to embrace it as a lovable quirk of NYT Games.

FWIW - Stella has a website where she has been posting her own puzzles for many years. Formerly called "Tough as Nails", it now goes by "Inteltainment", and can be found at: - <a href="https://toughasnails.net" target="_blank">https://toughasnails.net</a>/ For those who routinely complain that the NYT Friday and Saturday puzzles are much too easy compared to years past, they ought to check out her site. As the former name of the site suggests, they are among the tougher crosswords around (albeit with a different vibe than NYT crosswords).

The reference in 17A to umlauts made me think of Häagen-Dazs, which (per its Wikipedia page) "is an invented pseudo-Scandinavian phrase coined by the American Reuben Mattus, in a quest for a brand name that he claimed was Danish-sounding." As an amusing aside, the same web page also mentions the following: "In 1980, Häagen-Dazs unsuccessfully sued Frusen Glädjé, an American ice cream maker founded that year, for using foreign branding strategies. The phrase frusen glädje—without the acute accent—is Swedish for 'frozen joy'."

The line uttered by the cartoon character in 64A (ELMER) is of course from the classic Warner Bros short "What's Opera, Doc." It was top of mind for me, as there was a performance of "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend, and I was in attendance (along with 10,000+ other people), and "What's Opera, Doc" concluded the show. As the conductor said, it's a great way to hear 18 hours of Wagnerian opera reduced to 6'47". It was also the first cartoon short to be inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Here's the cartoon in its entirety: - <a href="https://archive.org/details/whats-opera-doc_202210" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/whats-opera-doc_202210</a>

For 37D, I confidently filled in "rats." Turns out I wasn't far off, in fact, as a 2023 study estimated the NYC rat population at around 3 million. For more, see: - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rats_in_New_York_City" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rats_in_New_York_City</a> Guess there's a Wikipedia page on almost any topic.

I wasn't familiar with 6D (MEEPLE) - guess I should play more board games. For some odd reason, the word reminded me a word from "The Bubble Boy" episode of Seinfeld. Fans of the show will already know which word I mean. Here's a clip: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0uYJjDHeDU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0uYJjDHeDU</a> P.S. I love the stunning photograph!

There have been many fine actors who have played 1D (SHERLOCK HOLMES), including Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC series "Sherlock" 10-15 years ago. But the finest portrayal was by the British actor Jeremy Brett in a series which was broadcast in the US on PBS from 1984-1994. The series dramatized 41 (of the 56) short stories, as well as two of the novels ("The Sign of the Four" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles"). It's well worth watching if you haven't seen it. A number of the episodes in their entirety are on YouTube, and I see that a boxed set of the complete series is still available on Amazon.

For the last few summers, the Hollywood Bowl has featured a screening of "Singin' in the Rain" (with the score played live by the LA Phil). Seeing 20A (SLAPSTICK) in today's puzzle reminded me of one of my favorite slapstick performances: "Make 'Em Laugh" by the great Donald O'Connor. If you've never seen it or would just like to see it again: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGCNBdCvzL4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGCNBdCvzL4</a>

At least for me, the quote in 19A (with answer AFOOT) is associated with Sherlock Holmes. Checking XWord Info, it's been clued with a reference to the detective six times since Will Shortz took over as editor. Today's clue is the first to refer to its appearance in the Shakespeare play.

Wow - what an impressive accomplishment! The fireworks photo is an appropriate accompaniment to such a brilliant puzzle.

The reference to LIGHT OPERA reminded me of a recording I have of John Reed, one of the great Gilbert and Sullivan performers of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly of the "patter songs" from their comic operettas. Here are links to a couple of performances (audio only) which showcase his talents: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsApWFFL1yQ" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsApWFFL1yQ</a> - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyZu7mQt18Q" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyZu7mQt18Q</a> The first is to "When I Was A Lad" from H.M.S. Pinafore, and the second is to "As Some Day It May Happen (I've Got A Little List)" from The Mikado.

Seeing the 9D clue reminded me of a recent concert I saw at Walt Disney Concert Hall by the San Francisco-based choral group Chanticleer. (They've made an annual LA appearance during the holiday season for several decades now.) One of the numbers always included on the program is "Ave Maria." Here's a performance of the piece (recorded in a different venue a few years ago): - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7C-VXZVSTw" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7C-VXZVSTw</a> It's a sublime performance sung in a beautiful arrangement.

Sometimes I'm drawn to interesting clues or entries in the puzzle, and sometimes it's the accompanying photo. While that is one ginormous sand castle in the photo, it's not the tallest one ever constructed. Guiness World Records has an entry for this category: - <a href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/tallest-sandcastle" target="_blank">https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/tallest-sandcastle</a> Probably of interest to no one but me, but there you go.

I recognized 41D (TUVALU) as the country with top-level domain .tv. Many media and entertainment companies have registered domain names ending in .tv (e.g., twitch.tv, pluto.tv) or use it as an alternate domain name (amazon.tv, youtube.tv). Leasing the domain name is a big source of revenue for a country which has limited economic opportunities. Ironically, the island nation may completely disappear due to sea-level rise brought on by climate change.

Like Caitlin, I wasn't acquainted with the sense of 31A (TWEENERS) as used in the clue. Instead, the definition of tweener as "a shot in racket sports that is performed by hitting the ball between the legs" is more familiar to me. Here's one of the great tweener shots of all time, executed by Roger Federer in a semi-finals match at the US Open in 2009 (against a pretty decent opponent): - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x_hyaB9pgg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x_hyaB9pgg</a>

The VEGGIE BACON (3D) entry reminded me of this clip from a "Modern Family" episode: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEm9i2HMIeA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEm9i2HMIeA</a>

Re 34A (YOU CAN COUNT ON ME) - this was also the title of a wonderful movie released in 2000 starring Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, and Matthew Broderick. It was nominated for two Academy Awards. The plot revolves around a brother and sister who have taken very different paths in life struggling toward reconciliation.

Seeing 54D (LATEX) reminded me of the Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza attempts to concoct a fictitious job application in order to keep collecting unemployment benefits. It fails miserably (and hilariously), as seen in this clip: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T35QhLx_KI" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T35QhLx_KI</a>

This is off-topic, but I just wanted to mention there's a wonderfully clever variety puzzle for this week by Eric Berlin. It's available for those who subscribe to XWordInfo or get the print edition of the Sunday NY Times. I didn't find it terribly difficult as variety puzzles go, but it's definitely unusual, and a fun solve as well.

I'd be interested in hearing an explanation for the clue to 21A: Crank cases? (UFOLOGY) Is the idea that people who believe in UFOs are eccentrics or oddballs? I'm not convinced of their existence (yet), but if I'm interpreting the clue correctly, it seems a tad judgmental.

I recently finished watching "Pluribus" (Vince Gilligan's new series on Apple TV). Seeing 15A (ICE PALACE) reminded me of a flashback sequence in the third episode which takes place in an ice hotel (which actually do exist in Scandinavian countries along with a few others). Apparently, the show's production designers considered shooting in an actual ice hotel in Norway, but the confined spaces made it logistically impossible to accommodate the large crew and the equipment needed to shoot the scene. So one was constructed on a set, using sculpted styrofoam and fake snow. It is incredibly realistic down to the smallest detail. One challenge to the pair of actors in the scene is that it was quite warm on the set, so both were sweating profusely underneath their parkas, scarfs, and wool caps. Here's a clip from that scene: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RiSwLEY5w" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0RiSwLEY5w</a>

An alternative clue for 53A (THORNE) might have referenced Kip Thorne. He won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2017 for his work on gravitational waves. Interestingly, after retiring from Caltech he was a consultant for the Christopher Nolan film "Interstellar."

The discussion about 27A (CERTS) reminded me about a classic SNL ad parody from the show's first season for a product called Shimmer. It opens with a married couple (Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner) having an argument over whether Shimmer is a floor wax or a dessert topping. The product spokesman (Chevy Chase) settles the dispute by cheerfully informing them that Shimmer is a floor wax *and* a dessert topping. I couldn't find a video clip of the skit, but here's an audio clip: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPO8PqHGWFU" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPO8PqHGWFU</a>

Re 58D (ONES) - I'm not a golfer, but I believe a hole-in-one is referred to as an ace (and a look at the dictionary definition for "ace" confirms this).

One of my favorite critics was Tom Shales, who wrote for many years at The Washington Post (and received the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for his work at the Post). Per Wikipedia, “Shales was known for his withering putdowns of shows he disliked, and was nicknamed ‘Terrible Tom’ and ‘The Terror of the Tube’.” I recall hearing his reviews on NPR’s Morning Edition in the late 1990s as I commuted to work. He was also a guest co-host on “Roger Ebert & the Movies” after Gene Siskel passed away.

Seeing RAFA at 1A reminded me of a ceremony honoring him at the most recent French Open, at which his name and an image of a trophy with the number 14 below it (the number of French Opens he won) were engraved in the clay beside the net at center court. Here's a link to a video of the event: - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjDONWrr46I" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjDONWrr46I</a> It's too long for most to watch (at 47 minutes), but if you go to the 30 minute mark, you'll see him greeted by three of his fiercest rivals during his long career. Quite a moving moment, and the mutual respect and camaraderie they all have for each other in spite of their intense rivalry is obvious.