dlr
Springfield, IL
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Springfield, IL
@Deb — Re asking the puzzle editors for help, and then figuring it out on your own: In my first job as a computer programmer, one of my colleagues said, “What we need around this joint is an intelligent-looking mannequin.” Whenever we’d be stuck working on a program, we’d go to a colleague, explain the issue, and halfway through slap ourselves on the forehead and say, “Oh, I see it.” The colleague hadn’t really done anything besides sit there with an intelligent look on their face.
@Sam Corbin While I appreciate your sentiments, this comments section is a community -- and many of us are grieving today. It would be a disservice to the community to filter out our ability to share our deep feelings with each other.
Re 6A: Once upon a time in a singing group, we were working on a madrigal with the line, "Weep O mine eyes, and cease not..." The director warned us about our diction, so that we did not "... see SNOT."
Last year, I had to go in for a dozen rounds of radiation treatment for a lymph node in my ... uhm ... backside (which involved lying on a table with my BUTT OUT). Each time I arrived for treatment, I had to state my name, my birthdate, and the body part being treated, so I came up with a list of synonyms to use. That exercise was good preparation for today's puzzle. Thanks for the fun, Dan!
@Martin I had the same thought, but I think we both misread the clue. “City of Honolulu’s island” means the island of the city of Honolulu.
@Michael Hendler When our toddler grandson is saying "No!" to everything, we ask him, "Can you say no?" -- which sometimes leaves him confused.
@Deb — All the best to you. Thanks for your many informative columns.
One day at my office, there was a sign on the stairs (!) that read, “Out of order — please use elevator.”
@Sam Re 32A, I took it to be an abbreviation for “ordinal” — versus “cardinal” numbers.
@heironymous Back when I studied Computer Science (when mainframes roamed the earth), RAM was “primary storage” and any more permanent storage (paper tape, punched cards, mag tape, or even disks) was “secondary storage.”
@The X-Phile A cottontail was splooting in our yard the other day -- now I have a term for it!
@deb What a lovely tribute to your dad. May his memory be a blessing.
Is a streak of 969 called a Methuselah? Asking for a friend...
@Sam My wife’s grandparents had dentures. At night the teeth were placed in a mug with “Chopper Hopper” printed on it.
I got the "not quite yet" message due to a typo in TYPOS. I guess that's appropriate -- and maybe this Monday needs another cup of coffee.
@David Connell Thank you for your thoughtful and well-reasoned response to yesterday's comments.
@Shaun I noticed the interesting grid immediately, and 7D was one of the first answers I got -- which put a big smile on my face. Many thanks got this puzzle!
@sotto voce And Thomas Edison used to go fishing off his pier at his Fort Myers, Florida, home when he was stuck on a problem -- because no one bothers a person who is fishing, and he could let his mind wander. They say that he wouldn't bait his hook, either, because he didn't want to be pestered by the fish, either.
Jacob: Thanks for the puzzle, and for _The Overstory_ quote. Taylor Guitars in California is now making some of their models from "urban ash" -- urban trees that need to be removed / replaced. I have one of them, and think it is miraculous. <a href="https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/features/woods/body-woods/urban-ash" target="_blank">https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/features/woods/body-woods/urban-ash</a>
@Marty In early week puzzles, you can expect "abbr." help in the clues, but not so much in late week puzzles. The lack of help is all part of making the clues tougher / trickier.
@Bruce Köln is the new año.
@Lewis Ricky mentions in the constructor notes that he agonized over what letter to place atop 53D -- and perhaps that's the purpose of the proliferation of Ps in the clue for 52A.
@Lewis I thought the mirror symmetry of the grid also complemented the theme.
One of my guitars has a SITKA spruce top, which helped me guess the Alaskan capital.
@Lewis When I saw the constructor's name, I said, "Oh, yay!" -- and I was not disappointed. What a lovely puzzle.
@dlr I'm just sorry that my favorite alternative, "caboose," didn't make it into Dan's theme set. Maybe next time!
@Jayant November 5, 1996
@Jane Wheelaghan A group of people might be a pack or a MOB.
Probably apocryphal, NORMAL WOMAN MARRIES OBLONG MAN. (Normal and Oblong are both cities in Central Illinois.)
@Marshall Walthew If you haven't seen the documentary "Amazing Grace" -- about Aretha Franklin's recording of that gospel album -- check it out. It's amazing, and grace-filled.
@Joe P I've seen "dough-sant" as an alternative to Cronut (tm).
@Bruce As Calvin (of "Calvin and Hobbes") said, "Verbing weirds language."
@Heidi Curling is very Minnesotan.
@Bruce Classical guitar is a difficult instrument, but oh so satisfying. Keep at it. And barre chords are hard for any kind of guitar player — maybe slightly easier on an electric guitar since the action is lower. Now I need to dust off my classical guitar…
@Jacob My Taylor acoustic-electric guitar has volume, treble, and bass knobs.
@Helen Wright I, too, have noticed the iPad issue, and have sent a note to the technical team.
@Mu <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/arts/will-shortz-stroke-nyt-puzzles.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/03/arts/will-shortz-stroke-nyt-puzzles.html</a>
@dlr * for. Danged autocorrect.
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