Mishlev

Yet another Monday level puzzle 🤬 If you go back to the first week of June of 1982, then you’d see a *real* puzzle 🤬 When will Shortz stop kowtowing to Big Crossword and publish crosswords that are not humanly solvable 🤬 Oops! Pardon, today indeed is Monday puzzle. But enjoy the vignette of what the comment section has felt like recently ;-)

All of these _”finished in X time”_ comments remind me of one particular classmate in college… Who would sit in the first row of the lecture hall and upon receipt of his graded exam audibly proclaim (with performative dismay) how close indeed the score was to being 100%. This was followed, without fail, by a furtive glance backwards to the rest of the class. I certainly don’t mean to imply the commenters herein are anywhere near as insufferable though ;-)

Perhaps the YENTA had me in a YSOM (Yiddish state of mind) because I confidently plopped down OY PAPI initially. Oy vey papi, indeed!

That was fun! But if you’d allow me to (briefly) don my pedant hat, HTTPS is not the start of an encrypted URL. URLs are in plaintext (as evinced by the fact that you can read them) and the protocol is there to tell you whether the _communication_ that happens between your browser and the server is encrypted (HTTPS) or unencrypted (HTTP). This is important for sites where you might want to make a purchase and as a result, provide sensitive data like your card number. HTTPS is pretty de rigueur now, such that any site that does not support it will probably be snagged by your browser with a big red warning asking you to confirm whether you’d like to proceed. Doffing that hat now ;-)

A fabulous puzzle focused on a letter that made a very late appearance to our current alphabet! In fact, “j” was simply considered a long “i” for most of its history and not a letter in its own right. Folks would most commonly add a bit of a flair to the final “i” when writing out Roman numerals to make the value easier to distinguish - think _“viii”_ vs _“viij”_ Anyways, this state of affairs was around until the 19th century, which is why DC has no J street (straight from I to K we go!) All right, taking my Fact Boy hat off for the day.

I’ll let the neuroscientists correct me here but I’ve always considered number and word based puzzles as exercising different gobs of neurons so when those worlds collide… the result is so sweet. And for those folks wondering why anything to the zeroth (zeroeth?) power yields one here’s a quick explanation sans formulae: Let’s use 4 as our base and catalog what happens as we move from 4^1 to 4^2 (16) to 4^3 (64). Each time we bump the exponent up by one, we multiply by the base (4). Now let’s run the experiment in reverse… Each time we bump the exponent _down_ by one we _divide_ by the base. Therefore, moving from 4^1 to 4^0 must mean we divide 4 by 4 and *arrive at 1*. Note that this will happen regardless of the base you chose! Mathematicians love to do that whole generalization thing.

A friendly reminder that the following two things can be both true and peacefully coexist: (1) a commenter can opine that the puzzle was easy or perhaps not befitting of the day it was scheduled (2) the creativity, the shine, the sparkle of the puzzle and the incipient joy a first-time solver can feel after completing a later-week crossword is no less diminished This comment section thrives off of respectful debate and I wouldn’t want either party to be subdued in their reaction ;-)

Hopping in here with my two cents as a full-time contrarian (and part-time statistics nerd)… I’d love to see xwordinfo data over the aggregate (as well as the standard deviation of solve times of Fridays, or any day really) because us humans have a hell of a time reckoning with recency bias (as well as another dozen or so biases) when evaluating the difficulty of crosswords as of late. Anecdotes are great but overall I would to venture to say that a streak of easy-ish Fridays *has happened* in the past over the many decades of NYT and *will happen* again in the future. Let’s cut the editors some slack and appreciate their creativity and hard work in tandem with the constructors!

The discussion concerning the relationship between “take” and “hold” reminds me of Seinfeld’s quip at a car rental agency, upon discovering his reservation wasn’t honored: “You know how to TAKE a reservation… you just don’t know how to HOLD a reservation” Iconic episode!

It’s fresh, it’s clean, it’s smooth… and yet it also was in *no way, shape, or form a Friday* JUSTSOWERECLEAR… ITSASNAP 🫤

I enjoyed this puzzle! A bit surprised to amble into the comments section and see all this grumbling and kvetching get upvoted… but to each their own. A shade under an hour, a solid brain exercise, just what I hope to see from the NYT Sunday edition.

Congratulations, Sam, on a year in the books! I always look forward to reading through your commentary on the puzzle at hand, as well as learning something new in the process.

4/5 nutritionists recommend following a crunchy Tuesday with a chewy Wednesday! … Geology: D+ ROCK BOTTOM

I’d like to clarify a previous comment. Two things can be true at once: the fill was delightful and the puzzle was uncharacteristically easy _for its day_. That’s not being dismissive or pretentious or unappreciative. For those of you completing your first Friday sans lookup, rock on. But this ain’t how they used to make ‘em, in my humble opinion. Again, Fridays and Saturdays shouldn’t have to shatter your will to puzzle. They should _not_ feel like a large Mini or a Midi, either.

Unpopular opinion incoming: Let the haters hate, the gripers gripe and the kvetchers kvetch… but I for one thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle and tip my metaphorical hat to the constructor for this feat of cruciverbalism

Moribund or magnificent? Monstrous or mollifying? Methinks the masses doth protest too much ;-)

Puzzle of the year candidate? It’s a strong contender! (In my best Lewis impression) the fill sparkled and the crosswordese was kept to a minimum. The journey to hear that NYT serenade felt anything _but_ SISYPHEAN. Hats off to you, Nam Jin Yoon, for bestowing a sweet solve like this on an otherwise unassuming Friday morning.

A delightful midweek solve with a lovely geographic component to boot! I, for one, enjoyed traveling down one of the foremost waterways of the US while chewing on the clues. Kudos to the constructors!

As a software engineer, I absolutely loved the tech-centric theme here. As always, your mileage may vary ;-)

Putting on my Fact Boy hat… let’s talk about LUNCH. Not too long ago (okay, at least a few centuries) lunch wasn’t a thing. People cringed at what was then a contrived shortening of “luncheon”. (Think riz for charisma) And “luncheon” exclusively referred to a slab or even a hunk of something (hopefully) edible. E.g. a luncheon of cheese or a luncheon of meat. _Finally_ the time we now dedicate to the meal that we call lunch was largely ignored. People had dinner much earlier and would end the day with supper.

Today’s puzzle hit the Goldilocks spot - not too hot, not too cold, _just right_. Now let me get a move on before the bears return!

A delightful romp through the colorful prevarications of the English language. No need to hedge my thanks to Kate for constructing such an enjoyable puzzle!

All right, slight nerd moment - I caught onto the theme immediately (for MOTHER EARTH) but that’s all thanks to Asimov. Yes, _that_ Isaac Asimov, of the I, Robot fame. In addition to being a prolific author of science fiction he frequently ventured into other realms, such as a fascinating primer on the etymology of Greek words that came from myths. While it is intended for kids, I would recommend *Words from the Myths* for all ages. And while you’re at it, Asimov’s *Treasury of Humor* is also a must read. And who knows, it too could help with a crossword in the not-so-distant future ;-)

My forecast for the commentary surrounding this (highly accessible) puzzle? Cloudy, with a strong chance of _But if only LOSAES and BRAINA were actual words!_ Ciao for now.

Fantastic puzzle with crisp execution! Hats off to the constructor. Now I eagerly await the commentary of the anti Thursday / Sunday crossword purist coalition ;-)

To me, late week crosswords are one of the strongest reasons to *not* make complex decisions late at night. Why? At midnight, my neurons are firing at least 50% slower than during the next morning. This is a scientific fact. Point in case, I started this gem and AMBLED about with an unsteady gait, making little to no progress. I peacefully closed the app after hitting (and acknowledging) the mental wall. Cut to this morning, and the veil had been lifted! The puzzle fell with hardly an iota of resistance (is that one ohm, or two?) In summary: when it comes to crosswords, or any other cognitive task, *sleep on it*!

Fun puzzle! But it’s time to don my pedant hat again… While a photon is massless, the key part to mention (that is usually implied) is the mass in question is the mass of the particle *at rest*. Therefore, calling this particle massless is the same as saying that it can never be at rest. And while we’re on the topic, light isn’t technically a particle or a wave but an amalgamation of both. Whether you observe photons (particle-like behavior) or waves is based on how you carry out your experiment. Isn’t quantum physics fun? ;-)

TEEHEEHEEs in the rear view mirror _feel_ more recent than they appear…

Smooth puzzle, but now I’ve got quite a hankering for a late night snack.

Confidently plopped down DATING APP for 53A which made uncovering the true answer all the more satisfying. Alternatively, one’s height could be stretched on one of those Inquisition era devices but I’m more than glad that that route was not taken. Maybe next time Procrustes will have his chance to shine… Anyways, kudos to Mr Aaronson on a crisp puzzle with sparkling fill!

A while back (not too long ago but I’ve never been good with time) this grid design elicited a comment likening the shape to a swastika. As a member of the tribe and (aspiring) reasonable person I found the comparison ridiculous and I only bring it up now to lightly paraphrase the words of a famous psychologist and fellow member: _“Sometimes a puzzle is just a puzzle”_ Let us appreciate the construction for what it is while acknowledging the limits of the art form. Who are you? Who am I? Am I rambling now? Perhaps, but it’s late and I will begrudgingly join the dark side and admit the puzzles have indeed (maybe just maybe) gotten easier. Oh well, to the first week of June of 1982 I go!

A delightful brain twister of a puzzle, made all the better by the fact that the author’s last name (loosely) translates to one who teases, pesters, or torments in Russian! Kudos to you, Sara, as I hope to see your name in the bylines once more.

I’ll be honest, confidently plopping in ASPERSE for 60A occupied more time to resolve than I’d like to admit… (at one point I was even rationalizing how Tempe, AZ could be a potential locale for one facing indecision at 42D). Ah, the unparalleled curiosity that is the brain. Far from accursed, this puzzle was a real peach to solve and a delightful way to kick off the Sunday!

Yet again, a testament to the power of a good nights rest… Gave this puzzle a go (as is my wont) shortly before bedtime and trudged through a handful of clues. After a few minutes I _peacefully_ closed my iPad and fell asleep (I’ve had to learn how to do this). Fast forward to _this_ morning, post coffee and chocolate, I cracked open the iPad, tore through the rest of the puzzle, got lucky with ADESTE, (member of the Hebraic persuasion over here) and heard that sweet, sweet melody.

For all those bemoaning the demise of Pluto, if you’ll allow me to nerd out for a few moments: Pluto was always on shaky footing (due the irregularity of its orbit, among a litany of other things), and as astronomers continued to discover similar-sized objects orbiting in the neighborhood a time came for someone brave enough to take the stand. Enter the venerable astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson! In a precursor to today’s drama he chose to declassify Pluto’s standing in a display at the Haydn Planetarium and mass hysteria ensued. We can appreciate the tremendous diversity in our solar system (and beyond) and if you’re ever looking to add to your reading list, Mr Tyson is a fantastic choice.

Clarifying 50/50, is the answer ONE because we should interpret the clue as “50 divided by 50”?

This puzzle seemed especially smooth for those of a technical bent, what with the Java coding, URL visiting, Apple CPUing (not a gerund but bear with me here) aplenty.

Is that _Friday_ enough for ya?! Was in for a wild ride when I put in NUDE SCULPTOR for EROTIC ARTIST, but the chewiness of the solve is all a part of the fun. More of this, please!

DELL versus DALE was the source of momentary delay to reaching that sweet NYT serenade. (Can’t forget about glens and vales either) How many words do we need to refer to a valley? _More_

Could someone help elucidate the clue for OCEAN?

Could some clarify the clue for 67D [Thunder shower?] I got it from the crossing but ESPN as the answer still escapes me…

Could someone edify me on 2D? Can’t seem to grasp the nature of “TOLET”…

Love the scrabble callout! But I’ll also mention that standard rules exclude proper nouns, so that move would be for naught ;-) Given that you *do* have those letters though, ATONIES would be fair game, so enjoy that 50 point bingo! Anyways, now it’s time to go play some scrabble…

Pardon, but could someone explain SOMETHING BOLD? Specifically, which letter ought to be removed and why 🤔