Kaitlin
Memphis, TN
64
Comments
0.182
Avg Sentiment
16
Positive
41
Neutral
7
Negative
Memphis, TN
Baby's first rebus! Oddly, I got "TEN ANTS" first ("ones paying flat rates" that could be read as two words), and that helped me to figure out that my instincts were right on MUTANTS, AVANT-GARDE, and DEAR SANTA. Some folks say there's a rebus to blame, but I actually found them to be really helpful, because wherever I was stumped I had three whole letters to try!
@Xword Junkie boooooo 🍅
Had to come to the comments to shake the idea that STU must be the ~ name ~ of an RV [park] "hookup." 😂 And to quote Judge Haller to Vincent Gambini, "What is a UTE?" <a href="https://youtu.be/ThEf_88FFs4?si=jcRNx7eQ1kFs4ep_" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/ThEf_88FFs4?si=jcRNx7eQ1kFs4ep_</a>
@Marc A. Leaf dADJOKES cost me and was my final fix—I thought dATTED must be some technical sewing term (since both baseballs and eyelashes can be sewn)? 😂
omg the dramaaaaa! Here's my ruling: - defendant and OP @Darren was rude to highlight that the constructor is "new," and to accuse them of "want[ing] to show how clever they are" and writing "poor clues." (And will he reply to Barry's questions—or take the 5th?) Finding: probable cause on a charge of rudeness. - cross-defendant @Barry Ancona showed him DATA that suggests his assessment of the difficulty is flawed; and asked what specifically he objected to. Finding: no probable cause on a charge of rudeness. - sur-respondent @D has probably seen Barry Ancona making comments, that are questionably helpful and arguably before; but his rap sheet isn't admissible in the present case to establish action in conformity therewith, and they're bias renders them an unreliable witness. Objection overruled. Jurisdiction is proper in my heart, and appeals should be timely filed. xoxoxox
LOVED 37a because it could be played as a visual logic game. Started by identifying every letter in the alphabet that can be rotated 180 degrees and still be legible: IOSHNX. Then I started with the premise that the word would likely be a mirror-image, that is, 1-2-3-2-1. After playing around with the letters, I wound up with S in the "1"-spots (S - - - S), because a verb ending in "S," and a repeated "S" (since it's one of the most common letters) seemed likely. From there, a vowel (either "I" or "O") in the middle seemed likely, but I left "SNINS" in the blank to come back to later. Only when I got GRIME did I realize that "M" & "W" should have been included in my initial letter set, as I sort of "exception" for the "1" or "2"-spots! I've only been playing consistently for about a month, but, favorite clue ever! 😍 I'm also finding that I ❤️ the XL spanners, which (for me/IMHO) feel impossible to get on a first pass, but come together so quickly with just a few correct crosses (& despite incorrect ones 😂), feel certain because of the letter count, and in turn help confirm so many crosses. Once I got the two spanners on the left, the whole puzzle snapped together. 16a made me LOL FR: my first thought was "extremely esoteric"—"flugelhorn player"!?—but then when I got it I realized that I knew both the flugelhorn player AND the song from "Megalomart" commercials! 😂<a href="https://youtu.be/TFqp2Bcekwk?si=q7CFP2GiZoc-zBNN" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/TFqp2Bcekwk?si=q7CFP2GiZoc-zBNN</a> Didn't love TWEENIES. 😂 But thanks again for 37a! 😍
@Andrzej your response made me misty-eyed. What a nice place the NYT Crossword comments section is! 🥲
Somebody come get this guy.
@Marlene—look things up!?
@Barry Ancona yes I read the actual column immediately following my comment, but it was too late to edit it! I was just telling my husband this morning that you're always in the comments absolutely roasting people—glad all I got this time was a copy/paste. 😅
@Robin CK people my age (millennials) and younger write it that way (all one word)—in fact, I would be almost ~ surprised ~ to folks in those categories seriously write "Am I right?" instead of "Amirite?"
@Rich in Atlanta TALL ORDER (like the last ice cream cone with three scoops, or even a single cone, since "taller" than wide) and SCOOPED UP (like the process of scooping ice cream) both fit the theme. In fact, SCOOPED UP was the answer that revealed to me that the gray squares were ice cream cones.
@Lewis I laughed out loud at "come into the box"—I've never heard that before. So serious! Can't help but oppose it to the "octagon" and hear it in Deidrich Bader's Rex Kwon Do voice. 😂
Could someone please help me with how CEE is a "tragic ending?" I think this is the only one I didn't understand. Had NAG (at) as "EAT" (at) and "TES" (as in "Rockettes") instead of EER ("rocketeer"), until I finally got NEICE, so that area gave me the most trouble. Really liked the riddles and the puzzle today!
@CCNY this is why I come to the comments section.
@Mean Old Lady re: your first observation—ASAMI!
@DK I filled "WALKIE" and "RAZZLE," and problems with "NEW" (amphibian) and "BAR" (entertainer) taught me the trick.
@Barry Ancona, @Kelli is the OP you're trying to neg, not @Lynn. I guess we all make mistakes!
@Nick also started with VACUUMS!
@Michael I also felt weird about typing "HAREM" but this article (citing Oxford Islamic Studies Online) also uses the word "sacred." <a href="https://bridgingcultures-muslimjourneys.org/items/show/238#:~:text=The" target="_blank">https://bridgingcultures-muslimjourneys.org/items/show/238#:~:text=The</a>%20purpose%20of%20a%20harem,before%20the%20rise%20of%20Islam. I don't know wheth we're qualified to tell Muslim women what a harem is—since I don't know about you, but I'm not Muslim, and since you at least (I assume) identify as male—but maybe your point is that NYT probably isn't qualified to define it, either, on which I think I basically agree.
@Jerry sometimes the long way 'round has the prettiest view! <a href="https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/annakendrick/cupspitchperfectswhenimgone.html" target="_blank">https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/annakendrick/cupspitchperfectswhenimgone.html</a>
@Barry Ancona how come you take the trouble to delete the autogenerated "@" every time?
@Barry Ancona we're not!?!? 🤣
@Cherry, done! Thank you for linking the email! Here's a short template to make emailing even easier (just copy and paste): I am one of many who would prefer the old crossword stats format, which allowed easier comparisons between today's, average, and best times. Please consider bringing it back.
@Laura Whitaker POT LIKKER 'round these parts! 😂
@Jon showing my age [positive connotation? 😂]—I remembered this term from Family Guy!: <a href="https://youtu.be/kz-ldQDOZ84?si=ZvbE3OoFRfrq6S-7" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/kz-ldQDOZ84?si=ZvbE3OoFRfrq6S-7</a>
@Peter G initially preferred TROUBLE because "hot tub" was too short!
@Francine the doctor was a woman! 😂
@Andrzej scrolled for the Billie drama, but it looks like it was deleted! 😫😂 Anyway I think you're nice and am sorry if anyone was rude to you. 🤗
@Paul Turner I came up with alakARaz. 😭😂 And finished the NW corner last.
@Mary I missed a PR by 5 seconds! 😂😭
@Marty I got this one, Barry. An em dash is the longest: — An en dash is shorter (but still "long"): – A hyphen is the shortest: - Long press the hyphen on an iPhone keyboard to see all three!
@Lewis that is actually very good.
@ECheung it's the Roadrunner. The Roadrunner is the bird.
@Mr Dave I am a practicing public defender!
Spanners and a theme that made sense, and cute parallel clues (such as Questlove's hair and project) throughout—what's not to like? Maybe a little easy, since I PR'd (and came in a few seconds under yesterday), but I'm not complaining.
@Lake life my immediate thought was also PALINDROMES! (as @Steve L says, probably because of RACECAR). Of course, it was clearly not. 😂
@The X-Phile d'oh—commented too soon! Great minds! 😂
@Call Me Al I didn't realize this, either, until I read the column. (😏) Cute!
@pmom yes I assumed it must be a technical sewing term!
@Rich in Atlanta my immediate thought was "Oh, I'd like to do this puzzle!" (probably because I like the idea of resituating ladies given short shrift)—but since I know all the revealers maybe it wouldn't feel like a win. 🥲
@Dan sorry about @Dave 😂
@Bill yesterday evening on our way into the gym, I was explaining to MY partner when the moon would be full and how one can tell! (which I had actually just discovered for myself pretty recently 🤭—and I'm no dummy, either!). I am getting such a kick out of the fact that you and I were doing the very same thing around the same time! I also appreciate the larger overall observation—my partner and I have gotten into the History Channel series "Alone" recently and are learning so much about primitive living (that must have been fairly obvious to people not so long ago)!
Not specific to this puzzle, but can someone explain the etymology of "EMUS" as a term for comment moderators? 🤗
@Grant the reason I got this answer on the first pass! 🤩🎸🎶 But I still think of myself as young—Danny Elfman is just old, man! 😂 [NB, that's an em, not a en, dash.]
@Grant but now that I think about it, it makes sense that there are a lot of print editors here . . .