J Mo
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Fun one, Sunday appropriate. I think the first time I’ve seen a rock climbing clue, CRAG for a “rock climber’s handhold.” I was excited, as I’ve been a climber for over 30 years. Apologies in advance for the sport-specific pedantry, but this is just wrong. In the climber’s lexicon *and in the dictionary* (Merriam was the one the internet gave me), the crag is the entire cliff face. I found no dictionary entry supporting the meaning given in the clue. There is a detailed lexicon in climber speak that differentiates the many kinds of handholds and how to use them (crimp, sloper, jug, pinch, etc., too many to list). This is probably too inside baseball for a good Sunday fill, but the clue with this fill could have been made accurate by changing one word in the clue to “rock climber’s playground” or something without going too deep in the weeds for a sport that pretty much everyone from Hollywood to the news to now the NYT crossword gets wrong.
@JC from KC NEAT whiskey has no ice. All of the starred clues make sense if you add the letters ICE somewhere in the solve word. Hence each starred clue is NEAT because it has NO ICE.
Tough for a Wednesday for sure, but not that far above my average in the end. Some of the trickier clues and answers - COMMODORE is a pretty deep 1980s computer geek cut - I could get behind and had that little flash of pleasure when the clue answer materialized. But … ESPIAL? I got it on the crosses, but … ESPIAL? On a Wednesday? I’m not usually crotchety or pedantic in my responses, but … even though that word is technically a part of English, neither I nor anyone I know has heard, read, or said that word, ever. So yes, I got it, but it wasn’t fun, more an ESP-EYE-ROLL.
@shaproff I tend to agree. When I go back into the archives even 10 years I’m completely stymied, even on Mondays, on a regular basis. I don’t think this is all outdated trivia. But then, if I want a harder puzzle, I know where to go.
@D. Miele just to join in the general pedantry in these comments/threads, I have to point out that Oreos *are* vegan. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
@Sam the NYT constructors love ETTA James. I assume this is because of the T’s, not because of musical taste. I’ve learned that ETTA is almost always the answer, even when she’s called a soul or R&B singer - she was really a blues singer, though also amazing in those other styles (cue someone who knows more about this @-ing me). Silly me, though, had OTIS (Redding) for a good long while until the crosses told me otherwise.
@surfertom007 I believe this is HAVE AT IT.
@Joe appreciate this - it contextualizes my “oh c’mon” with both of those clues/answers to think that they were groaners back in the 1950s as well.
@Bennett I didn’t understand the clue at all, got it on crosses only 🤷♂️. can someone explain? I’m terrible at cryptics if that’s what this was.
@rink rat tat 2 eh Judy blue eyes!
@Mr Dave I was also hoping for a “this guy” answer once I figured out the theme!
Hard, but it’s a Saturday! Amused by the comments about how hard it is, after all the comments about how easy the NYT puzzles have become. I’m hoping these two sets of complaints are at least coming from different people.
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