Michael G
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s^c^o^u^n^d^r^e^l SPIKED HEEL Fun puzzle!
I liked the theme, but those were some of the obtusest clues I've seen in ages.
Well that was fun! Very clever. I couldn't resist trying my hand at one. (Cues, Hues, Queues) colors inside the lines
Sorry, but that was no fun. I appreciate the difficulty of constructing the theme, but just because you CAN do doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. Looking forward to Friday!
I make this observation with bated breath, but 50A was a bit of a revealer as well, since most hits on pop charts feature a good hook.
@Mike You're in peak form today, sir. To summit up: that was a real butte.
@Mike As an exponent of clever wordplay *and* obscure movies, I figure any film about mathematics would need a super script.
Maybe I'm being picky, but the "x" in the clues was slightly misleading. Simply having a number in parentheses would have made more sense. Three names appeared, but no name appeared three times. Or maybe I'm just grouchy because I didn't get the theme until I read Sam's explanation.
I had to circle back more than once before my tenacity yielded any results. A round of applause for the Schlossbergs. What a fun, impressive puzzle!
A little bit challenging (some tricky clues!) but hey, I liked it! I got a kick out of "derriere rider" (figuratively, not literally) as well as the other theme answers. It was smooth sailing once I decided that O Canaka was probably not a well-known song.
@Mia. "Cagey" is pronounced K G. K is the 11th letter of the alphabet, G is the 7th. Took me a while to figure it out, too!
I was a bit concerned when my first pass left the grid looking strikingly similar to when I started, but my blank stare soon faded. I'm new to NYT crosswords (not a total noob; ex WaPo subscriber), so I'm not sure if my time of 28:02 is respectable or not, although it seems pretty decent to me. One stumbling block was POLLIWOGS, for which I had GOLLIWOGS. Fans of CCR—I'm one—might recognize that word. It was the band's name before they became CCR, a useless piece of trivia that led me astray.
I may need to cleanse my palate with a Sunday puzzle from the archives. The problem with this one is that none of these Mario-specific terms seeped into everyday culture or language. One clue, maybe; but an entire puzzle? Unless you've played the game, you're at a severe disadvantage. And answers like "enthalphy" didn't help. Frankly, this puzzle odered.
I don't know... a lot of zzrale zzdale but not enough zzsile.
This might be the nitpickiest of nits ever picked, but it actually threw me: The name of the band (55D) is The Who, not the Who. The “The” is part of the band's name, which is a proper noun.
@Mike After canvassing my friends, I’ve decided I’m pastelling them I’m drawn to puns since it’s seen as a little sketchy.
Fun puzzle. Admittedly a bit *more* fun when I temporarily had MOE and POO filled in. (Then it donned on me that both were wrong.)
Am I the only one who confidently entered CINEPHILE for 50A on the first pass?
Strange coincidence that Evan Birnholz's WaPo Sunday puzzle had the same name (Split Seconds) with very similar clue structure, although the answers were handled somewhat differently. I managed to complete both, and am now reaching for some aspirin. (Not a complaint; both were challenging but clever.)
@The X-Phile. Someone mentioned doing "No Downs" last week, so I went back in the archives to some old Mondays to give it a try. I love the challenge! I'm hooked. That's how I did today's. I completed it, but found it challenging. I got the theme answers quickly enough but the revealer took a while!
I underMtood the theLe, but too Lany cXLueM were XLike a bike without wheels. I gave up(size).
I usually try, and sometimes succeed, to do Tuesday puzzles using only Across clues. I was about 4 rows deep with only one clue inked in and before I figured, "nope, not today!" So I have to agree with others, this was a tough Tuesday, but then again maybe most Tuesdays are too easy.
@Edwin Bounding means running with big, powerful strides. So a kangaroos bounds when it runs. (Yes, it also bounces! Or hops.) Years ago I asked my daughter if she wanted to go see a kangaroo exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Confused, she replied, "kangaroos?!" I replied yes, the museum banner says "Exhibition of Hoppers."
A fun puzzle, even for someone who's not particularly strong on flower names (or spellings). And always great to see a budding constructor hit the big time.
@Petrol I did the same, but could NOT get stuck at the very end... the final answer, GOTO. I'd filled in ATTY as someone regularly sought out for advice—but suspecting it was wrong since the clue didn't suggest an abbreviation. It did, however, complete four possible (but wrong) "down" answers (PINA, GOT, HAT, THY). Oh well. Close but no cigar, and still a fun challenge.
When I saw the clue "___ polo" I chuckled and thought "man, this Jack fellow's not gonna give us a single gimme." (OK, I chuckled when I got it with the crosses.) Nice challenge for a Friday!
2D/17A natick was a bit of a headache. Thankful that F is just the 6th letter of the alphabet. Otherwise a great puzzle.
@Michael G. * Could not get UNstuck...
@John I didn't have a problem with it, but "Most pocket watches have three of these," would have cleared things up handily.
@Petrol Yup. Someone commented on doing this a few weeks ago. Something I'd never considered doing before. I done Across-Only ever since. 17:18 for me. (I misfired on with "neat" as well. And first stab at 1A was "dues".)
I put way too much thought into assigning meaning to the gray squares, only to discover they meant basically nothing. Also, I would welcome a moratorium on Spanish math problems.
24A. Really? I've never heard that term before. I could've used a little Down help, but I'm an Across-only-on-Mondays kind of guy so I wasn't down for a hint. By the time I figured it out, 24A actually was a bit of a 24A.
@Michael G "and before"? I could use an edit button. :-/ Errors somehow hide during proofreading only to show up upon hitting "Submit"
Grrrr. 31A stumped me as an Across-only Monday solver. The rest was a breeze (getting the theme early on helped), although Ms. Shire slowed me down just a bit. It seems I've got a teflon brain when it comes to actor/actress names. They never stick.
@Lewis On the other hand, meows DO come from speaking cats, right?
@Steve L Uh-oh. I sense an oxford comma debate. A comma after "fish" would have cleared up any ambiguity. The clue can be read either way; in fact I think PuzzleDog's interpretation is correct.
@Steve L. My bad. I meant a comma after "roads." "Fish, roads, or weapons that are long and thin" would make it clear that "long and thin" referred only to "weapons."
@Petrol Somebody here — perhaps it was you — got me doing the Monday (and sometimes Tuesday) puzzles with Across-only clues. Did it in 21:23 today. A bit easier than usual, once the theme became apparent (it also helped that I've seen 44A recommended several times recently, so was familiar with it). Quite a fun way to do the Mondays!
@The X-Phile Aye aye, that's how I did it. The revealer itself was the trickiest clue for me, even though I had the theme answers. Managed to finish in a whisker under 25:00.
@Katie Thanks for that explantation, Katie. Seems reasonable. But I'm still grouchy. :-)
@Petrol I did Across only and made it, too, but it was more of a struggle than usual! SW corner and middle East really bogged me down. Fortunately, I'm bull headed and refuse to give up. 33 minutes.
@SP I gave your puzzle a try... challenging, but finished it in 41 minutes. Some pretty obscure words and clues, but clever theme.
@CNB "Here's the pitch... and Shohei Ohtani skies one to right field... and... gone! Home run!"
@Steve L. LOL, I noticed that. I posted my comment before I saw yours. No worries. It was a solo shot, so only a difference of one run. :)
@Chef Kevin Asteroids ruled!
@Barry Ancona I was able to complete the puzzle with the crosses, but I didn't recognize a single Mario reference aside from the word Mario itself. I guess I just have certain cultural blinds spots. I struggle with Simpsons and Star Wars clues as well, but I don't complain since generally it's just one clue in a puzzle, not the entire theme. Hey, them's the breaks, and I'm glad others loved the puzzle. Make it a Sponge Bob or Breaking Bad theme, and I'll be happy!
@Mark Actually it's more like saying they despise romance novels or horror movies, not all books, movies, or—in this case—art or entertainment. I'm guessing it's a style of art or a form of spending time that she despises.
@Petrol As mentioned about, that's how I did it as well. The revealer itself was the trickiest clue for me, even though I had the theme answers (it took me some time to get the adjoining pepper, which didn't help). Managed to finish in a whisker under 25:00. Impressed with your time!
@Michael G As mentioned above... not "about". Spellcheck!