Kate Tani
Kyoto
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Kyoto
In defense of this puzzle, Mario is hardly a subject for “gamers.” To be completely ignorant of such a mainstream cultural touchstone is in its way an achievement. You guys keep it highbrow 24/7 I guess? IMO It’s as fair game as any other tribute puzzle. Thanks for the nostalgia.
Those of you who thought “the math was hard” should examine your number trauma. 3x3=9 is hardly math. Also: it’s a puzzle, so it’s puzzling. If it made you puzzled it’s doing its job. This was fresh and fun!
I think a clue and answer got switched: “Way up in your business” should be OBGYN, no?
Happy New Year to the constructors, editors, IT support and solvers that make this one of the nicest places to spend a few moments each day. May 2024 bring us some more incredible puzzles!! Cheers!
@Lorne Eckersley Personally I really enjoyed this chewy solve!
One of my favorites in a while. Everything sparkles, and COMEOUT crossing CLOSET? ACED it!
AMER seemed fitting…we’re missing some important parts right now.
While I strive to be a Lady, Gaga for this puzzle I was not.
@B I’d like to believe that the NYT solving public can handle basic factoring, so I assume this is an objection on principle. I guess I can see how this is the thin edge of the wedge, and our last guaranteed number-free sanctuary is under threat. But I’m someone that doesn’t mind reasonable gray zones if they lead to creative puzzles!
@DT First “For one” in this case should be read to mean “for example” So let’s substitute that and do it in English first. “Eleven, for example” solves to NUMBER Now let’s do it in Spanish. “Once, for example,” or more trickily “Once, for one” Because it’s in Spanish, the answer is NUMERO
Three cheers for the vital work of the Department of Pedantic Arguments!
@Lorne Eckersley If you don’t hear this often enough, maybe it’s time for a glow up? 😉
Breathtaking grid, and the experience was unique, like doing 4 midis. I was puzzling over AMENDMENTI, thinking it was like “literati” 😁Thanks for the aha moment!
@Petrol oh yes, it’s a favorite of sassy kids. The full version is, “SAYITDONTSPRAYIT, I want the news not the weather”
Was happy to see Jamie Foxx in the grid until it was Mr. FARR instead (also happy). Waist cinch for a… preacher- BIBLE BELT podiatrist- CORN BELT astronomer- SUN BELT
Reminds me of a good one… Where do over-explainers get their water? From a Well, actually…
Wonderful puzzle. The phonetic pronunciations especially tickled my funny bone. I find the association between ENOKI and ramen fascinating. Who started this, and where? I’ve lived in Japan for over 20 years and neither I nor anyone I know has even seen ENOKI in ramen. Ramen commonly features Char siu, green onions, menma (picked bamboo), and if it’s edgy maybe an egg, some nori, sesame, or fish cake. ENOKI is a must-have for hot pots, and also found wrapped in bacon. Someday maybe I will try to sneak it into ramen to see what I’ve been missing. People will ask me what on earth I’m doing.
I’m surprised by the negativity…I enjoyed watching this giant themeless unfurl (didn’t love REMATE and EMEET, which I acknowledge are things but awkward nonetheless). Themes are great but so are themeless acrobatics imho. As for proper nouns, I always figure it’s my fault if I don’t know significant personages.
Since I live in Japan I know the humble home-cooked staple KINPIRA, but I’m surprised to see that it’s well-known enough to make it into the puzzle. A gimme that I second-guessed til the end.
@Francis I think some people think of crosswords as a kind of intellectual obstacle course, in contrast to people who come for the wordplay. Even if a puzzle is “easy,” if it’s clever I still love it! I
My heart was warmed by the constructor’s notes. Thank you for sharing!!
AISLED thing, duh duh dah dah duh duh You make my heart sing…
Congratulations on your debut! There have been a lot of great puzzles lately but this one takes the cake. I loved it. “Head of lettuce” was so good! Looking forward to more.
A fun one! These BOXBRAIDS look good on you, puzzle.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Apparently over a billion are exchanged in the states if you include classroom parties. Those were the days… I LOVEd that the grid art resembles those classic LOVE stamps, too. May many a valentine find its way to you today!
A 13-part poetry-crossword mystery saga is an incredibly highbrow and gutsy offering and I’m here for it!! I am totally unqualified to comment but here goes nothing. I think Mr. Williams would like us to notice that crosswords have a formal structure just as poetry has a formal structure, with their particular meanings filled in any number of ways. So is it too far to say that we are engaging in the poetic every time we do a puzzle? Also it occurred to me that if you say “13 Ways to Look at a Crossword” you can see there’s an affinity between “Crossword” and “Blackbird”, the rhyme of course but also the back shift. I love it!! Can’t wait for part IV.
@Steve L It’s TWOBSORNOTTWOBS for me
@Robco To each his own, but just in case someone is counting, I welcome rap clues.
I think like a lot of people like me (in my case, intimidated by the dad’s puzzle habit) read Deb’s column and thought that we might “be allowed” to do the crossword after all. Thank you for your generosity and LDRship. Come back and comment with us some time!!
@Mike thought I’d pigeon, but everyone is so swift!
For a success story, my demolition business broke the bank! The emus are hungry today!
@Mud It’s the alternative spelling “AEON” rather than “a eon”.
Loved the column today! Notably an earwig does indeed look like a cross between a cockroach and a bottle opener. Thank you.
@Kris H The Darien Gap comes up a lot in reporting on Pan American migration, and that was how I guessed it!
@Steve L Count me as awfully fond of RUBBER duckies, (because they belong in the bath it still qualifies as a squeaky clean theme set)! (Otherwise, I think it might have been rather dry…)
The crossword is good for what ails you. Just thinking about Magic 8 Balls put a spring in my step. And TIL GATE!
@Robco it’s fun to learn things though!
@Julia in the game jumping up into these blocks will yield a surprise goodie, usually a coin but also possibly a mushroom, a fireflower, or an extra life (oneup)
@Barry Ancona Had wadi forever!!!
The best part of this puzzle was the revealer! I wasn’t expecting it and actually did laugh out loud, so thank you for that! If I do say so myself I rarely Natick, but for HECHE/LAHIRI I ran the alphabet. TIL so much and thanks for the education. I did love seeing yummy ZAATAR. I didn’t like seeing GAZA. If you’re anything like me you do these puzzles to escape to a wordplay paradise for just a moment before getting back to the big issues.
I loved the trios of women: a fun juxtaposition of old, new, and timeless. The clue for 21D made a tired phrase fresh again with a lovely melody!
@Puzzlemucker I’m a loyal soldier in the CR army.
@Steve L I do, and it’s because the difficult letters are thrilling!
@el I think it’s not “x is a y.” Rather it is “x and y together are [a genre].” (I agree that it’s awkward. I would have preferred “or”).
It’s amazing how one word can ruin it for you. ANAG was that word. AINTGONNAHAPPEN
A success story for a change: my demolition business broke the bank!