MA
RI
For once, the spanners came to me quickly and the shorter ones often had me stumped. It was an unusual mix that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This was fun, but the west answer involved going in two directions at once. I didn't know I had the actual answer, so the music actually startled me. It's a bit of a kludge, no?
@MA Nevrr mind! I had Terre where I should have had Terra. (Best way to find an error is to announce you didn't make one!)
This was the hardest puzzle I ever attempted. I'm still scratching my head over some of the answers.
@Newbie I actually say "my eye!" sometimes. It never occurred to me anyone wouldn't be familiar with the expression.
@Darian It's slightly archaic slang for fine and dandy, thumbs-up, A-OK -- pick your preference.:-)
Easier than usual for a Friday, but not *too* easy. To be honest, it was a nice change from the brain-racking I usually put myself through.:-)
@PA Never heard of Kiva. Or the golf clothing line. Or an E rating. Never saw Dancing with the Stars, don't know why the Barbie answer ends in CORE -- I've never been so confounded by a crossword before. I must be getting old.:-)
Congratulations, Bryan! Your puzzle was challenging and great fun, and I'm impressed!
@Cynthia If you've been fasting, this is how you stop.
Oh, this one was a killer. Took forever, and I got nowhere without this column, so I actually solved half of it at best.
@John C Chapman On my Android device, I needed to put the word HOLE in each circle to even get the message that I had an error. Then, when I fixed the error, I got the music.
@Maryland Bear Oh, my! Wishing him a full and speedy recovery!
@Steve Why don't you Brits learn English! (😁)
Couldn't solve NBAJAM, don't speak Italian, and had no ldea what ADJ stands for. Seems like it was just the other day I was getting stuck on clues looking for singers and athletes of the WWII generation, before I was born; now it's clues my siblings' grandchildren might know! :-)
@Charles Anderson I thought the same thing!
@David B There's no real explanation except to say the pope literally issues papal bulls. They're decrees and proclamations, that kind of thing.
Terrific puzzle! Very smart, very challenging. I think, though, that "thou" is singular. The plural would be "ye."
I solved the puzzle in good time (for me), but I never quite figured out what was going on with the starred clues. Even reading the column didn't clarify all of them. But I expect that on Thursdays.:-)
@Joya I've never even seen a McNugget. (My McDonald's days were behind me long before they were invented.) I got to nuggets on my own and was at a loss for the other two categories till Wordplay told me.
@ctyankeeindc I took 55 minutes longer. Really not my puzzle.:-)
Anyone else having technical issues? I completed the puzzle on my tablet just as it ran out of juice. After recharging, I reopened the puzzle, but I didn't hear the "you're correct" jingle - and the answers all disappeared! Since I'd just finished, the answers were still in my head and retyping them didn't take long. But there's supposed to be an error, and comparing my puzzle with the one at the end of Wordplay shows no difference. I'd let it go if I wasn't on a 4-digit streak, but at my age I doubt I'll get this far again.:-)
I don't get an online keyboard when I open the bonus crossword. Does anybody have a solution for that?
@Nancy An armful of tats is called a sleeve.
@Marshall Walthew Arcane suggests obscure. And clear as mud suggests obscureD. I consider the distinction between the two meaningful -- and in line with the puzzle generally.
I did not reach the final step, so I had "duct" as the key word. I knew it was wrong before I even entered it, but it never crossed my mind to look for the solution in a third set of random entries. (I have no end game in chess, either.) So my hat's off to the solvers!
@Leanne I know the difference, and I only tried paddling once, about 40 years ago. (Since that debacle, I've stuck with rowing.:-)) So if I know, I suspect many Americans know the difference.
@Bill On the other hand, maybe they haven't been able to complete the puzzle and that's why they're crying foul? Usually solvers rely on the combination of downs and acrosses. When there are quite a few missing clues, not everyone has a sudden flash of inspiration; they are left feeling stupid and at a loss for something to try.
@Jane Wheelaghan Griner was detained in Russia for months. She was there by invitation, to participate in international basketball, and she had with her some medicinal pot, which Russia doesn't permit.
@Nancy You and I must have been separated at birth. I followed your very path.
@CS Ha! Never occurred to me it might be a broader term! Thanks!
@Renegator Thanks, I'll try that next time!
I'm not done yet, but I have to say there are way too many blank clues.
@Mike Yep, I went with glass and only fixed it when I didn't get the "Success" jingle at the end.
@Jane Wheelaghan Epps is an actor. Bork is a former candidate for the Supreme Court who was resoundingly rejected by Democratic senators back when such rejections were very rare; his name has come to be synonymous with the past tense of the f word. Alpo is a dog food, Trix is a breafast cereal, Gregory Hines was a dancer/actor who starred with Barishnikov in "White Nights," Ortega is a brand of taco, the Guinness book of world records has been known over the world for decades... That's probably more than enough.:-)
All 43 comments loaded