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Praise to the underachievers. And praise to the "CANARTISTS" in the supermarkets who make such beautiful pyramids that it is often with great regret I pull a can from their creations.
To the sycophants who bristle at any criticism of a puzzle: This puzzle was an excellent example of wanton Googling by the constructor and lack of editing by the Times. (and I again urge the editors to not have constructors include an answer key on initial submission -- that would eliminate puzzles like this from the start).
Certainly Zeus, Odin or the Dagda were not "pagan" in their times. I wish I could live long enough only to see the Judeo-Christian god referred to as "pagan."
While I am sure there will be those who complain it was too easy for a Saturday, I would like to compliment the constructors and express for my appreciation for the minimum of proper names, the absence of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and other drippy pop references, and finally the well-considered crosses that gave entry to the more arcane clues. Well done!
You would be hard pressed to find URANIUMORE at a nuclear power plant. There you will find pellets of highly purified uranium (in terms of U-235). Uranium ore is not directly fissionable in a chain reaction sense or we would be in big trouble. If the constructor is referring to a plant that does the purification, that would be outrageously arcane. C'mon editors...
"GASES" right-most column??? That's Surface-of-the-Earth centric! Depends on pressure and temperature -- these elements can easily be solids and liquids. They are however, in their elemental state, NOBLE (but they are not INERT). So much for science education in the US....
@Leontion The CEO of the Girl Scouts makes $805,000 in base salary not to mention benefits and bonuses. And then there is the board which is this neighborhood of compensation. That's a lot of cookies. I'm not buying....
Columbus *did* indeed land in the Garden of Eden and then proceeded to initiate its destruction.
@Ashes When they apologize and take some of their un-taxed billions to pay reparations for all the suffering they have caused to the LGBT community and countless others, maybe I'll consider the possibility of not using "LDS."
I only got halfway reading through the "instructions", thought I was reading War and Peace, snapped out of it, and went to the New Yorker's puzzle. C'mon NYT -- time for a Zoom meeting to really look at the future of the crossword page. It is sad to watch its rapid decline. (And B.A. please do not school me that there was a 68-word intro to a puzzle in the Shortz era etc etc etc)
My first choice for 1D was our current pres....
I'm late to the comments so likely it has been noted, but in my experience LUBE can also *cause* a lot of squeaks....
The only time you would hear "OLE" at any football stadium in Brasil is if it were an international match against a Spanish/Hispanic team. No Brazilian says "OLE" at football matches! (The editors presumably know that Portuguese is spoken in Brasil). One might yell many things -- three letter examples could include "GOL", "OBA" or "PQP!" :)
@Barry Ancona Michael never said he found it challenging -- on the contrary. As to your response: I hear enough bloviation on the front pages these days. Would prefer to not see it here.
As a known curmudgeon, I give props for this puzzle. Well done in all aspects! Congrats to all!
@Steve L It *was* a thing. Not anymore. The clue should have indicated its anachronistic status.
Maybe it's me but I've never heard "pocket hard drive" used (@barry a no need to post a google search -- I'm sure it was used somewhere for a brief time). But I think it would be better clued as "PhD in Human Sexuality"! :)
Clues based on cultural flotsam like Star Wars (and Harry Potter for that matter) are OK only if they go as deep as the very basics (e.g. "princess with buns" etc). Clues involving the minutia of pre-post-reboot film #34 of this irrelevant set-in-space soap opera should be subject to the wrath of the editor's light sabre.
I believe the true purpose of the NYT crossword puzzle is to teach the zen of hearing the happy music without actually hearing the happy music. I am at peace with having used "LINE" instead of hyphens, not getting my star, killing my streak but yet having heard the happy music beamed from another dimension. Om....
@NESB is Still thinking Frankly I'd need to see a video of someone completing it in under a minute. One would have to be a darn good typist even to enter in the answers with the solution in front of them in under a minute.
I find those calling references to feminine products "immature" etc laughable. One thought -- would love to see the ubiquitous answer "ipad" clued as "A preference overhead between two women"
Just for the record, Beano is not a gas "reliever", it *prevents* gas.
The math was trivial and obvious. In spite of a completed puzzle, I eschewed the gold star rather than put numbers in a crossword puzzle. Since Barry A loves so much to show his wiki and Webster "skills", I'll play his role and give Webster's definition of "crossword puzzle": "a puzzle in which words are filled into a pattern of numbered squares in answer to correspondingly numbered clues and in such a way that the words read across and down"
@Andrzej I wish i shared your enthusiasm. I find the fealty to editors and constructors tiresome. Moreover I personally don't need someone to Google/post results of clues/answers for me and frankly find it rather patronizing (as well as revealing as to the veracity of their boasts as to their solving prowess). Finally, I think the "emus" should limit folks to two posts per day. (I do however have great admiration for your courage, "outside" POVs and humility!)
CD cases do not protect "software" (they protect the medium before it is installed as software). Bad clue -- anachronistic and just plain incorrect. BTW If you are still buying software on CD's (if that's even possible), then you are probably due for a prostate check.
A Monday-level puzzle with a goiter....
@Andrzej You are a brave soul indeed and fully entitled to your "look ups". Even if I were to know Polish culture well, please don't ask me to spell Pres. Duda's first name !
@Barry Ancona This reveals so much of your persona. I hope this is your only "I'M BAD" for the day. I bet I'm wrong.
@Marshall Walthew I hate to try and rate Coltrane (or Miles for that matter) in any way shape or form. The tune "Giant Steps" is seminal as it blew the traditional jazz song form out of the doldrums into a new era. It rebuilt the form away from I-IV's and ii-V-I's (although they are still there). So I would prefer to say that what made Coltrane amazing was his completeness -- we have the re-imagining of song forms (Giant Steps, My Favorite Things), the mastery of the classics (Johnny Hartman and "Ballads") to the more sublime and spiritual ("Love Supreme etc). It's all beyond words!
@Barry Ancona No need to be patronizing my sycophant friend. His point re NENE/GOREN is a reasonable one for a Wednesday.
@Alan Parker It's not cheating. Remember that the constructors have every possible internet resource at their fingertips. I guess they "cheat" too when they construct a puzzle using those resources.
Anybody know of a puzzle site where the creators promise not to use resources beyond their own brains to create their puzzles --i.e. where one can go tête-à-tête with the puzzle/creator and not the solver vs the entire internet?
@Steve L Actually my comment really meant to highlight the futility, and historically tragic consequences of "faith." BTW Hinduism is a broad term and like Buddhism, is not, per se, a theistic religion.
Helium is NOT an inert substance. There are many examples of compounds of He. It does however belong to the group of "Noble" gases.
@Barry Ancona I frankly don’t find the idea of children (and their parents) working tirelessly to support corporate greed “charming” and am shocked that anyone would.
@Matt Must have been 15 *metric* minutes.
@Steve L It *is* a crossword. Just with a poorly executed gimmick. Nothing says fun like staring at a correctly completed puzzle and having it just stare back at you.
@Barry Ancona You are beyond over-reaching..... So defend this: Clue: redacted profanity. Answer: First square blank. Second square "ty" Third square blank for "blankety blank." or clue: "Mel of Looney Tunes?" Answer: Blank square. Let's keep it real for your beloved emu's (which is indeed singular by the way) sake.
@Andrzej My grandfather was forced to flee for his life in what was then Poland (currently Belarus) at the age of ten (turn of 20th century) due to religious intolerance. Miraculously he made it to NYC and over the years, working in sweatshops under horrible conditions, he managed to bring his brothers and much of the family over. He was the kindest person I have every met and sternly, but with great compassion, admonished us that intolerance was unacceptable in our family - even towards the ones that would have killed him.
Just for the record Xenon is NOT an inert gas and can form many compounds and this has been known for over 60 years. Please challenge me on this one Dr. Acona.
@SP I am opposed to all cultural flotsam in these puzzles (e.g. HP, Star Wars, one-hit TV/ music/rap wonders) but in particular those that give recognition to those who marginalize groups of well-meaning fellow brothers and sisters (so I would include e.g. Roald Dahl as well).
I used to avoid Monday and Tuesday puzzles and felt about the same about them as when I do my taxes. But these dayss I enjoy their banality as it is a good warm-up for the words that come out of our "leaders" mouth later in the day.
Editor's day off apparently
Maybe someone has already pointed out that "BONUSENTRY" is an potential *aspect* to a game and not a kind of game.
Great start to the puzzle 5-day "workweek"!!
@Barry Ancona As a wedding officiant perhaps this clarifies. In my ceremonies, I like to have the participants' parents (when possible) light a candle to represent the person they raised. These go on the left and the right of the table. Later (usually after the vows), the unity candle is lit by the two wedded folks with the parental candles. The symbolism is I think obvious.
Why is "marked up" "at a premium"? Every retailer marks up from the wholesale cost -- their margin is determined by what they think they can get compared to competitors. "At a premium" implies scarcity or pricing above the norm. Grrr...
@Barry Ancona Nope. Saturday is not a license for mis-clueing. "At a premium" means to dearly price a scarcity. Just because a supermarket marks up an item 10% over wholesale does not put it "at a premium". Bad editing.
@dutchiris Agreed. But I think those who talk about "cheating" may be referring also to the puzzle as being a challenge between the constructor and the solver. That is an interesting idea would that we knew the constructor was using only their own knowledge. But it is no secret that constructors have access to this thing called the internet which contains essentially the whole of humankind's data. I have argued before that there should be a "special" day in the NYT's puzzle week (maybe rolled it into Thursday or better Monday), where the constructor declares they have not used any outside resources in the construction of the puzzle.
@marty Grasshopper-- give up you attachment to your "streak", to the "happy music" and gold star. These only lead to suffering. Take joy only in the process. Om.