Hanson

@suejean What machinations does ones mind have to undergo to find something insensitive or distasteful with that entry? The book is commonly referred to as "The Diary of Anne Frank". What could be clearer or more innocuous? Seems like many here just look for something to complain about.

@Ms. Billie M. Spaight How bout just chillin a bit? It's a crossword puzzle, not an op-ed!

@Søren Thustrup No offense to foreign solvers but I never understood why they complain about Americanism's in a crossword produced by an American entity for an American audience. As an American, everyone one of your complaints was a gimme for me.

@KC Vim, vigor, zip.

@Moira I was more offended by 62A. "Musical" Yoko?

@John Daly I'm here to stick up for kale. I love it. Nice texture, healthy.

@Phil No snark here, but rebuses are never identified in the grid. I can not recall if one has ever been - over thousands of crosswords.

@Andrzej Don't be disheartened, 5 miles is quite a distance for a bow.

@Barry Ancona And just what is the point of calling out a perfectly light hearted comment?

@Andrzej Dual citizenship is neither here nor there.

@dutchiris "....can't seem to stop watching the news and obsessing about the sinister path our country is on." Stop watching that stuff. It's designed to make you obsessed - to get you to watch more, to become more obsessed, to get you to watch more...

@Nancy J. Like a rental car.

@brutus HoJo=fried clams.

@Sam "Its a clue, not a definition".

@Mike You missed a layup - rruunn (long run).

@David What's wrong with (the) Cardinals?

@Beth in Greenbelt Never really bought into the "Gen" thing. Creates too many stereotypes based on an arbitrary starting point.

@Eric Hougland I've changed oil on cars probably hundreds of times. First thing I do is "pop the hood". Unscrew the oil cap to release pressure to allow oil to drain out quicker. Very reasonable clue.

@Teresa Everything, EVERYTHING! is about subscriptions, from here on out.

@Andrzej You're already polished.

@Johnathan So, should I not be drinking milk or eating meat? Might have to change my lunch plans.

@Disgruntled Thursday I agree and have expressed the same as recently as this week. The NYT xword has gotten too jokey, punny, gamey and now pictionary-esque. Kind of like what happened to Jeopardy. Too many hosts and formats. It's on too much. Instead of standing firm and attracting people by the challenge, both have kind of been softened to attract a larger audience. Golf is going the same way. Anyway, I'll still hang in there for a while but I'm starting to lose interest.

@Dan #3, done. Descriptivism and prescriptivism represent two contrasting approaches in linguistics, shaping how language is studied, understood, and taught. Descriptivism emphasizes the analysis and description of language as it is naturally used by speakers, while prescriptivism focuses on establishing rules and norms for "correct" language usage. This essay will delve into the fundamental differences between these two perspectives, their implications for language study, and their influence on society. Descriptivism, rooted in the belief that language is a dynamic and evolving system, seeks to understand language as it is spoken and written by native speakers in various contexts. Linguists following this approach analyze language patterns, structures, and usage without passing judgment on what is considered "right" or "wrong." Instead, they aim to document and describe the diverse ways in which language is used, acknowledging the rich tapestry of linguistic variation and change. Descriptivism recognizes that language evolves over time, influenced by social, cultural, and historical factors, and seeks to capture this complexity in its analysis. Prescriptivism, on the other hand, advocates for the establishment and enforcement of linguistic norms and standards. Proponents of prescriptivism believe in the existence of a "correct" form of language that should be up....

@sonnel Almost any vowel could have worked.

@Barry Ancona Seems pedantic. No one says I live "on" North America or "on" Des Moines. They are all geographies but people mostly are referring to the community they live within.

@MDR I know nothing about film techniques and was easily able to fill the correct answer in. Crosswords are games.

@William Schrader Pits, as in pit stop. The place where race cars are serviced.

@CRTH I still do basic stuff like oil, tires, brakes, suspension on cars, boats, atv's, etc. My neighborhood is full of 30 somethings who have a service for grass cutting, house cleaning, fertilizing, etc. I can only imagine what they are thinking about that guy banging around in his garage.

@C No disrespect, but I kinda enjoy the break.

@Barb W This comment is not aimed at you and I do not mean to be critical or disparaging in any way, but I don't understand why people, who are on their computer and have the world's knowledge at their fingertips, don't just google or AI their questions and get immediate answers, instead of asking on a forum and waiting for a person to reply?

@Barry Ancona Coulda been a rebus?

@Nancy J. Unless he had no taste buds it would be impossible to not notice the difference between Coke and 7up. Same for Coke and Pepsi.

@Francis I think the E(lectronic)MU thing is way over done and taken on a life of its own in the comments. Its likely that there is some auto alerting for certain things but humans quickly read from a queue and hit a key to publically post. When comments don't show up it's probably because the approver hit the wrong key. In a galaxy far, far away I used to do this. It's a boring low level fill in job.

@Alexandra "..... I have never ever EVER liked AC/DC". Good. Stay off StubHub then when they announce their 2025 tour so I can get my tickets. Thank you.