dizzyspins
new york, NY
new york, NY
Wow, one of my least favorite puzzles in years. Any “trick” you can just ignore by solving across seems kind of lacking. As does using Python — why not ask Chat GPT? Plus hanging the entire thing on an obscure Janet Jackson movie (yes I saw it) seems like a reach, esp. when box braids aren’t even part of the constructors culture.
@dutchiris that was his point— it wasn’t stylish or inventive. It did the job. (I’m a Corolla owner)
I know I’m going to be an outlier here but I didn’t like the inclusion of Tar baby. Even in the 80s it was a vicious slur against black people. Obviously Morrison was reclaiming the word but in a crossword, terms can lose context. That’s why they’re generally very conservative in tone and language. Im not Black (nor is Mr Panico) — it’s not my “word.” but if I saw a clue referencing Larry Kramer’s 1979 novel F@ggots, it would be upsetting. And I love that book.
I’ve done the NYT crossword religiously since 1989. This might be the worst puzzle in 34 years.
@John Krollyup. I broke a streak
I found the “twist” rather cringe and a lot of the clues too simplistic. Not a favorite
I really didn’t like the use of rebuses (rebi?) in today’s puzzle. A crossword is a word-based puzzle, not a picture-based puzzle. And the drawings appear rather crude, at least on the app. (I can’t imagine how this was achieved in the print edition. ) You could use word clues to get the same grid
@Sonja it probably would have been impossible but I agree it makes the puzzle feel a bit random. DOGBED? Sure, why not?
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