Bob T.

Okay, I've never done this before. For the record I probably won't solve the puzzle until morning's coffee. But I made a comment late yesterday and a few folks asked for details and I didn't see those requests until REALLY late, so here goes, hopefully in a place it will be seen. And yes it's Off Topic, but it's in reply to something which was On Topic, albeit yesterday. in the 2000s I was at the center of an NLRB action; I was the main target of a venue which didn't want my union involved. To plead our case I was asked to submit a trove of emails . At the NLRB hearing I was asked why my two bosses (not the targets of the investigation) repeatedly called me Vlad in the emails when it was clearly not my name. I had to explain to the PTB* that my middle initial is V, and I was a big fan of Buffy (the vampire slayer). I quoted the show often at work (come on, it remains eminently quotable: "could you vague that up for me?" remains in heavy rotation) and I would often say things like "well, what would Buffy do?" or "Giles would have handled that differently" or "that's exactly what Cordelia would have said". So my nickname became Vlad The Impaler--amusing in a very small group of workmates, but difficult to explain in a hearing. :\ So thanks for listening. *Powers That Be

Got a big kick out of this one, and as I mentioned elsewhere it sent me down a Frostiana rabbit hole, so thanks for that. Like many, I'm surprised at the hate. Also, I resent the implication by many who hated it that we here in the comments section are all a bunch of Pollyannas who refuse to criticize a puzzle that is clearly bad. I think it's pretty unlikely that the NYTimes would publish a puzzle that was clearly bad. I liked today's puzzle, and not in spite of it being bad; to me it wasn't bad. The quality of the puzzle is an opinion, not a hard fact. @Andrzej, who liked the puzzle, questioned whether the crowd here has a double standard--happily accepting positive comments but requiring negative comments to be explicit about what they hated. It's an interesting point, but ultimately not one with which I agree. I don't think compliments need to be defended; I like it when folks play nice. [although usually people *do* mention what they liked--a particular clue or seeing a particular word in the grid.] Everyday someone will not like the puzzle, and most days someone will come here to say so. I absolutely agree that this is the place for that, but I do want to know why if possible. And I really don't like seeing ad hominem attacks from either side. We can't all be as supportive as @Lewis, but a little kindness goes a long way.

A wardrobe supervisor once corrected me and I've never forgotten it. Neither Tony Stark nor Captain Jack Sparrow has a GOATEE; they both sport Van Dykes. I know, I know, meanings change over time. Now get off my lawn. Great puzzle. Lots of fun rabbit holes. Welcome back Mr. G, and thanks.

Like many of you I was unfamiliar with RARED up. I did find it interesting that its variant, "raring to go" uses both that pronunciation and that spelling. I had never thought about how that phrase came to be or exactly what it meant literally. As a wise man once said, "People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words."

I never do the puzzle this early! But I'm on a train. Good fast Monday.

more thoughts: in the column, Sam writes "(And, in case it’s not clear, the word THROUGH doesn’t have a homophone, nor do the other words clued this way. That aspect of the clue is intended to hint at the answer, because THROW would be a homophone of THROUGH if both -OUGH words were pronounced with that long O.)" I would respectfully posit that both THROUGH and RUE have homophones, "threw" and "roux". On another note... for years I confused the words "don" and "DOFF". You cannot imagine the forehead-smacking moment when I realized they are literally the words "on" and "off", preceded by a "D". D'oh.

Loved this one. Surprised to learn how many people were unfamiliar with ZERO MOSTEL; in addition to "Tevye" he created the role of "Pseudolus" in "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum"--two iconic musical theatre roles, both of which earned him Tony Awards. *And* he co-starred, with Gene Wilder, in one of the funniest movies ever made, Mel Brooks' The Producers. *And* he was black-listed thanks to the HUAC, and managed to come back strong, even starring in a Martin Ritt film about the blacklist, The Front. And as Pinky once said to Brain: "I think so Brain; but Zero Mostel times anything will still give you Zero Mostel." Narf!

Still wading through comments, but wanted to get this out there: Did enjoy it, and did catch on very quickly to the basic idea; I got the revealer early from just a few crosses, and I knew the answer to 22A could/should be MINOR THIRD. But I didn't think rebus at first; I spelled NORTH upwards, turning EAST when I hit the wall, so 8D was "tron" and 8A was THIRD. I guess I convinced myself a [Challenger] was someone who came in third place? At 15A I had entered OSCAR WILDE as a guess, and OSCAR was fine but WILDE was not working with THIRD above it. So I convinced myself that the quote came from some other OSCAR; I even convinced myself that WILDE would have said "poorly cast" rather than "badly cast". Once I finally got rebussy with it and got the happy music I went to find the quote. Here is the more extended version of it: “Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears. But in real life it is different. Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualifications. Our Guildensterns play Hamlet for us, and our Hamlets have to jest like Prince Hal. The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.” ― Oscar Wilde, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories ============================================== tl;dr: And this is why I love Thursdays. ;) Carry on.

for those interested in seeing the actual front pages... Titanic Sinks <a href="https://www.cafepress.com/mf/35637338/london-herald-titanic-sinks-gr_greeting-cards?productId=408505320" target="_blank">https://www.cafepress.com/mf/35637338/london-herald-titanic-sinks-gr_greeting-cards?productId=408505320</a> nixon resigns <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0808.html" target="_blank">https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0808.html</a> Dewey Defeats Truman <a href="https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_499884" target="_blank">https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_499884</a> Wall St. Lays an Egg <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/j5W7w62FXtZEzdn4A" target="_blank">https://images.app.goo.gl/j5W7w62FXtZEzdn4A</a> Ford to City: Drop Dead <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/10/29/ford-to-city-drop-dead-in-1975" target="_blank">https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/10/29/ford-to-city-drop-dead-in-1975</a>/ headless body in topless bar <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/2oHkbGX2ot8ZWPS87" target="_blank">https://images.app.goo.gl/2oHkbGX2ot8ZWPS87</a>

yay puzzle. I come to praise "Pinky and the Brain". For those of you not familiar, it was part of a major animation renaissance at Warner Bros. thanks to Spielberg. Like the old Warner cartoons (Bugs et al.) it works on multiple levels, so parents can watch it with their kids without being bored, and kids can go back and watch as adults and catch new meanings. Brain's voice is modeled on Orson Welles (go ahead, you cannot unhear it). In one glorious episode Pinky and Brain have to go to the studio for a looping session (how insane is that?!) and it's largely drawn from Orson Welles' notorious studio melt-down recording a voiceover for a Paul Masson wine commercial. I won't link here, but all is searchable. Lastly, in every episode at some point Brain asks "Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" and Pinky responds with a total non-sequitor. In our home neither of us can say "I think so" without both of us then saying "Brain". And I will include a link to 80 of those. ;) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og2nUdtKncE" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og2nUdtKncE</a> Zero Mostel might be my fave.

I would have liked to have been a fly on the editors' wall when they were discussing [Ballad] for LAY (6D)on a Tuesday. No I didn't know it, despite knowing a lot of musical terms and having once been a big Middle Earth fan. Yes I was able to get it from crosses. Yes I enjoyed learning a new term. Fun fast solve, slightly faster than average. Enjoyed seeing the River SHANNON in the grid. Heads up that a new movie just opened called HEART EYES. Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's a rom-com/slasher pic. I'll pass, but if any of y'all check it out, circle back with your review. thx.

Loved the headline theme. Was familiar with all, although some were easier to remember than others. WALL ST LAYS AN EGG was a gimme, although I started with WALL STreet and got confused. Last to fall was SE; I had IN TOPLESS BAR in the SW, and was trying to make the first part of the headline about a scandal of someone famous being spotted in a topless bar. :\ Puzzle felt very difficult as I was doing it, but I ended up only one minute over my average. Gotta say I don't get a lot of the hate. I enjoyed it, but if I hadn't I'd have just gone to the archives for a palate cleanser. Lily Tomlin hosted SNL in November 1975, shortly after ...DROP DEAD; I've hunted in vain for clips. Cold open was Chevy Chase's Ford referencing the headline, and Tomlin ended her monologue with a cheer to boost NYers' morale. Was able to at least find a transcript: I’ll tell you – I wanted to do a cheer for New York, while I’m here. [snapping fingers] And.. this is the composition that comes to mind: “Cheer up, New York, ’cause you’re okay Though the President says you won’t last another day. I’m here to say you’re here to stay And mention, by the way, if I may You got the greatest culture, symphonies and plays Also shopping, eating, meeting places and subways Take pride in yourself, you could be Philadelphia.”

After several years of mostly retirement I'm suddenly in DC for a conference where I'm expected to participate from 8 am for hours, perhaps even through dinner. So for a few days the xword has become my late evening wind down. So weird to be an early commentor; my comments are usually reactive. For instance I'm wondering how our foreign language solvers felt about MARCO (Polo). Ah well, sleep calls. Will try to check comments at some point tomorrow.

I just want to point out that HOTEL CALIFORNIA won in 1978, not 1976. ;)

Once backstage someone had put a sign on the wall which said "Do NOT put ANYTHING on this table!" However, the table had been moved and replaced by a hamper. I don't speak French, but I was rather chuffed that I found the proper font and made a sign for the hamper which said "Ce n'est pas une table." Fun puzzle, great debut. I was fine with OPENENDER, although I agree it would have been better clued as the poker term. And yes, I do use the word EMEND with some frequency.

The Broadway musical War Paint is based in part on a 2004 book of the same title, and tells the story of the rivalry between 20th-century female cosmetics entrepreneurs Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. It's a great title for the subject, but the show also draws from and fully credits a 2007 documentary, and I wish they could have included it as a subtitle. The full title should have been War Paint: The POWDER and the Glory Fun Friday solve. Filled just the way I like, each new pass giving me a few more crosses leading to a few more AHAs. One of these days I'll learn how to spell BURSAR without requiring a gentle cross.

I've enjoyed the occasional episode of Parks and Rec, but I'm a member of team Offerman thanks to his stunning Emmy-winning appearance on The Last Of Us. I still remember this paragraph from the NYT recap of the episode: ====== It’s frankly remarkable that what is ostensibly an action-horror series could make time — in its third episode, no less — for an alternately heartwarming and heartbreaking short film about companionship. It’s as though the opening montage from the movie “Up” were extended to about 45 minutes and then dropped into the middle of “World War Z.” ======== Who would have guessed he could also co-construct a crossword? It seems like he can do anything he puts his mind to. Thank you, sir. For all of it.

early signs are that we liked this one! Let's see if it holds.

In our home and on our shopping lists the half-and-half is called 1. I don't think emus drink coffee.

I believe it was Steven Wright who said "I need something to help me remember the word 'mnemonic'." Emus seem to be munching on my last post...

Good one. The Bore/HAD discussion reminds me of a favorite Joni Mitchell song, a deep cut called Chinese Cafe/Unchained Melody. first verse contains this lyric: My child's a stranger I bore her, but I couldn't raise her ========== Her line reading (to me, at least) makes the initial meaning of bore sound like "she's bored with me," making the follow-up a surprise. And it was written before it was widely known that she had given up a child for adoption many years ago. Thanks for getting me to re-listen. <a href="https://youtu.be/7G333adJxbM" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/7G333adJxbM</a>

TIL that FASTANDFURRYOUS and steamboatwillie have the same number of letters. I liked it. I was always team Warner Bros. over Disney. No shade.

There are lots of horror movies about creepy dolls, but perhaps the most disturbing is Todd Haynes' 1987 film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (wiki link below) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstar:_The_Karen_Carpenter_Story" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstar:_The_Karen_Carpenter_Story</a> fast solve typical Monday, but I agree with the observation that the memories and anecdotes in today's comments are rich.

Whenever I see or hear the word JODHPURS I always think of this quote from Fran Lebowitz's essay "An Alphabet of New Year’s Resolutions for Others": “Being on the short side and no spring chicken to boot, I shall refrain in perpetuity from anything even roughly akin to leather jodhpurs.”

True story: we have a friend who used to work at E! starting back in the late 80s, when it was known as Movietime. He wasn't the most tech-savvy person, but he did use a computer at work. At some point in the 90s a friend asked him to email something, and he said "How can I send you an email? You don't work at E." That's the day that he learned that the "e" in "email" stood for electronic, not entertainment. ;) He also came up with a tagline that they declined to use, but I always thought it was brilliant: If it's happening in the world of entertainment, it's news to us!

Fun grid and I was able to get everything from crosses. toastED before CLINKED but I was on the right track. "Oversupply" for SATE didn't smell right; yes if you oversupply someone with food they are SATEd, but you can also SATE them by providing the right amount. I know clues aren't definitions, but that one felt off. Loved the clues for NAPA, MITT, TENNIS and SIMON. And I hope the NENE waited for the lava to cool.

Haven't yet read all the comments, but given the shout-out to PARAMUS I had to go listen to "Ariel" by Dean Friedman, and then had to share it. <a href="https://youtu.be/ONXQbbJJLuM" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ONXQbbJJLuM</a> "Standing by the waterfall In Paramus Park She was working for the friends of B-A-I She was collecting quarters In a paper cup She was looking for change And so was I" I have this album on vinyl. about 15-20 years ago I read an interview with one of the members of Phish (I think?), and he mentioned this song as an example of a perfect hook. He said he used to hide under his covers at night with his transistor radio hoping the DJ would play it again before he fell asleep.

I know there's a contingent that doesn't believe in the emu lag. Yesterday I posted something about T-PAIN in a Lonely Island video. Right after I hit send I realized I should have warned that it was NFSW, so I added that comment. The comment about the video posted immediately, around 4pm yesterday. The warning posted today at noon. :\

Loved it. I'm surprised Sam doesn't hear KINDA SORTA more often; I prolly say the inversion ("sorta kinda") almost daily. FALSETTOS has a therapy session built around it to the point where I consider it the actual name of the song. ========== [WHIZZER, spoken] Marvin at the Psychiatrist, a three-part mini opera. Part One.​ [MENDEL] Do you love him? [MARVIN] Sorta kinda [MENDEL] Do you need him? [MARVIN] Sorta, kinda He makes me smile a lot Especially at mealtime It makes me feel I'm sort of smart

I almost never solve in the evening, so it's rare for me to be here so early. But I have to say that I seem to remember that Chuck Jones had rules for the ROADRUNNER/WILE E. COYOTE universe, and one of them was that the ACME CORPORATION products were *never* faulty; they did not fail, WILE E. simply managed to misuse them. That's borne out by the clip we just saw linked, even though I don't think the CORPORATION was specifically named in this first appearance. Oddly, for some reason someone recently reposted this several-years-old post from the Paramus NJ police. It itself was a repost from a Monroe County NY post. You needn't read the article, just scroll down to the screen grab of the Facebook post. <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/paramus/2018/08/29/paramus-police-puts-humorous-spin-coyote-warnings/1130831002" target="_blank">https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/paramus/2018/08/29/paramus-police-puts-humorous-spin-coyote-warnings/1130831002</a>/

I waded through all the comments before posting, so it's late enough that maybe no-one will see this. 1) I liked it, a lot. 2) yes my solve was a good bit faster than my average 3) yes I knew CAREER (Sondheim) 4) Many people are suggesting the puzzles are getting dumbed down; there are enough voices that it bears attention, but I'm not convinced. I've been working my way backwards through the archives; I'm in 2016 now, and I still tend to beat my average speed for the day of the week. When I don't it's because the clues reference a TV show or musician or actor or politician who wasn't on my radar then and isn't on anyone's now. 5) Some have suggested two sets of clues, as we currently have for Friday. I will merely point out that several constructors have spoken out against the practice. Filling the grid is somewhat mechanical: you come up with a theme (or not) and use your favorite seed entry or entries, and then find words that will fill the grid (often with the help of software) and try to avoid glue. It seems to me that the art is in the clueing, and that's where we all find the constructors whose voices we personally really admire. It's one thing for the NYT to change some of the clues--the contract makes it clear they have that option--but for them to throw out every clue the constructor wrote and come up with simpler ones is problematic. Be well everyone, and kind.

In general I don't like puzzles that force me to go scrolling through the clues to look at related clues, so when I realized how integral that was to this puzzle I was expecting a slog. Pleasantly surprised that once I had several crosses it all fell enjoyably into place. After the solve I went down several rabbit holes; I've posted the "MENDACIty" quote elsewhere in a reply. I'll talk Bill Bryson here, and then give other thoughts their own threads. In the early 90s I found a remaindered book called "The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way". Had never heard of the author, but it was a dollar well spent. The NYTimes seemed to agree: here's their review. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/16/books/books-of-the-times-english-a-linguistic-success-story.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/16/books/books-of-the-times-english-a-linguistic-success-story.html</a> I haven't re-read it since my first time, and it was lent and not returned so I don't even have it on my shelves anymore. But I seem to remember something about the fact that English has more words than most languages because we steal from EVERYONE and give the slightly different versions of the words nuances. Two examples I remember were break/breach and channel/canal. I also seem to remember a suggestion that the many ways "-ough" can be pronounced is at least in part based on which language the word came from. I then went on to discover his many travel books, and enjoyed them as well. Carry on.

once again an evening solve. This way I don't have to panic at 10pm tomorrow that I forgot to do it during my (working) lunch. ;)

in a post last night, @pezhead started spelling his name thus: "P as in ptomaine, E as in euchre..." which brings to mind a classic Nichols & May routine in which the operator, spelling "Kaplan" says Is that K as in Knife, A as in Aardvark, P as in Pneumonia, L as in Luscious, A as in Aarvark once again N as in Newel post Kaplan? it's about 8-1/2 minutes, if you're interested. <a href="https://youtube.com/watch?v=SfLaY-R9kaU" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/watch?v=SfLaY-R9kaU</a>

Since there was much talk about difficulty and solve times this week, I thought I'd look at mine. If we say Monday's solve time was "x", then the week spelled out thus: Monday x Tuesday 3.28x Wednesday 1.93x Thursday 3.29x Friday 2.76x saturday 2.59x Sunday 3.66x So yeah, the difficulty for me didn't exactly follow the norm. But I thought it a fun week.

re: the slew of comments regarding 28D [When to wave the white flag], I just want to point out that while NASCAR may not ring a bell, they do refer to it as the BELL LAP. Link and quote below, but you have to agree to cookies to see the piece. The things I do for you people. ;) <a href="https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/10/27/ryan-blaney-falls-one-spot-shy-at-homestead-miami-in-dramatic-finish" target="_blank">https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/10/27/ryan-blaney-falls-one-spot-shy-at-homestead-miami-in-dramatic-finish</a>/ Ryan Blaney was leading at the bell lap, about to join his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway to be the second title contender to lock in and find the late momentum he was looking for to defend his NASCAR Cup Series title. Tyler Reddick, however, had other plans.