Becca
Illinois
381
Comments
0.268
Avg Sentiment
126
Positive
214
Neutral
41
Negative
Illinois
I just wanted to tekka minute to thank Evan Kalish for his tasty puzzle. It was fun, geometric, and didn't maki me feel crabby at all. This one must be a real feather in his kappa! It takes ingenuity tomago crossword this fresh. I'm guessing Evan bento-ver backwards to make the theme work so neatly. No reason for him to be Modesto... he has every right to 'brag' a little bit and maybe say "I'll shoyu how it's done!" Umami must be very proud! *ducks the stream of pelted tomatoes* Thanks Evan!
"Hello, yes, I'd like to report a serious Natick cluster in the Sunday puzzle today." "??" "There I was, beginning to enjoy the clever & original theme, savoring some of the excellent misdirecty clues, when I got sucked into the vortex of the central middle southeast section & it sorta dampened my enjoyment of this puzzle." "Ma'am?" "Yes well I know it's sorta nitpicking, haha "nitpicking" some "Naticking", that almost rhymes or something *clears throat* anyway I concede that this could be one of those YMMV things where I just never heard of KNoX or KNEX or TONEMEs & I kept going back & forth between NOTEGUSTO & NOLEGUSTO & NODEGUSTO & such & although I love Andrea Braugher & knew he was in "Brooklyn 99" I had no clue of his character's name & was trying HOLT HarT etc, & THNEEDVILLE threw me for a bit but it was really that Central Middle Southeast section that got me actually running sheepishly to google (even though I'm still counting my streak) tentatively confirming that YEET was right, & that KNoX was indeed a construction toy (which is what drove me to google "sound unit for Asian languages" & find TONEME (not TONoME or TONodE or TONotE) which d'oh makes sense as it rhymes with phONEME & anyway, for me the experience of this Sunday puzzle was marred by that Naticky centralish section. I see from the 50 comments so far that that's not the general consensus & people really liked it, but that's my take on it. And I just had to express that." "Ma'am, this is a Wendy's"
I enjoyed this puzzle. Fun, silly, playful punny theme. And some really nice, clever misdirecting clues. A few riffs: ~~~ "What, you call yourself a hockey team?! You're totally embarrassing Toronto." MAPLELEAFRAG ~~~ "Meh, so he's turning 18. Big whoop. It's not like he's more mature than he was at 9 and it's not like I care, anyway." BIRTHDAYBASH ~~~ "That Earl— or is he a Duke? whatevs— is really a bore, and ugly to boot" NOBLESAVAGE ~~~ [*obscure "Monk"-niche entry*]: "Hey, I liked Bitty Schram better, Sharona just kicks Natalie's @rse."* [*NOT my opinion!] TRAYLORTRASH <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traylor_Howard" target="_blank">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traylor_Howard</a> ~~~ "This bread $vcks." LOAFPAN ~~~ "Scorcese? Overrated. Spielberg? A hack. Fellini? Bleh. Coen Brothers? More like the Groan Brothers, if you ask me" DIRECTORSCUT ~~~ ____ Anyway, fun, fun Sunday puzzle. And diss is de honest troot!
I have rarely if ever enjoyed a Monday puzzle so much. Although it was a breeze of ease, it was somehow tasty all the same. I mean even before the theme, it was just somehow fluid... some Monday puzzles somehow satisfy despite not having "difficulty", and this was like that. Like one of those pleasant tunes that's simple but somehow puts your mind at ease, as you nod with pleasure at its almost Taoist 'yes'ness. Plus a few little morsels, tidbits of whimsical crunch, like "Addictive thing in one's pocket" (PHONE), "Site for skeletons" (CLOSET), a cute PuzzPair as Lewis would call it of AQUA and AQUI (and ACOW?), and this is all even before counting the theme! For some reason my app didn't do the animation, which I didn't realize it was s'posed to do, but I supplied the sound effects: as I looked for the O's I went "deedle-deedle-leedle-leedle-deedle-deedle-deedle leedle-deedle-deedle-dooooo" as my finger traced its path. It's lovely to have a light meal like a Monday puzzle be so delectable. Thank you, Jeremy Newton! No wonder they named the international metric unit of force after you!
I was told there'd be no meth ewoks > emus
@Kevin Davis I'm in neither of those categories, and I got it right away. How 'bout the siblings or offspring of the potentially draftable guys? Or their friends? Or just people who knew of it at the time, or at a later date? I don't think it's in need of retirement, after all we have E'ER and ERE and THOU and DOTH and DOST. We e'en have HEP, DRAT and MEAD. Just my opinion. Forsooth!
@Matt Was surprised by your comment. I was told there would be no Matt *sorry*
I've been doing the puzzles regularly, even if I haven't hung out in Comments much lately... but I do pop in here once in a while. Have had a few hiccups in my streaks from now and then simply not getting 'round to doing the puzzle in time and then catching up… to some gold, some blue due to two full days between. Oh well... but it makes the month-of-puzzles page look a bit like my Alma Mater, UMich. Blo gue! 🟨🟦 I have just two things to say about today's puzzle: 1) When I finally copped onto who the characters were that all those clues referred to, I gave truth/resonance to the constructor's name by getting a big Grin(berg)!! Delightful, fun puzzle, fantastic graphic, very lovely Sunday crossword. And the other thing I have to say, passing through here? Simple: MEEEP MEEEP! *swiiissshhh* 〰️〰️💨💨
I just flew in from Natick City in Northwest Acronym/ ProperName and boy are my brains tired
Hmmm… Mr Youngs wishes "The Producers" had been his inspiration for this puzzle? Well, his wish has become my inspiration for… this. ~ ~ ~ [see two links at bottom if you want for lyrics to original song and the YouTube audio from orig Broadway version if you wanna sing along while reading. My version here starts at the 52s mark of YouTube vid] ~ ~ ~ I Wanna Be A Constructor by Becca (by way of Mel Brooks) ✏✏✏ I spend my life a-commenting With Wordplayish folks And cooking— kugels, ramen things— And posting odd jokes I have a secret desire In my soul deeply hid It sets my heart afire To see me… in the grid 🎶🎶🎶 I wanna be a constructor getting featured on Wordplay I wanna be a constructor Lunch on AHI every day I wanna be a constructor Building rebi, puns and pain I wanna be a constructor And drive EvaH insane! I wanna be a constructor wielding OREOS, BRAS and EWES I wanna be a constructor WHO WILL NEVER USE "EMUS"!!!!" I wanna be a constructor spurring Comments of delight I wanna be a constructor And see my name "Becca [IL]" on site! CROSSWORD GIRLS: She wants to be a constructor BECCA: Sell it, girls! CROSSWORD BOYS: Of a great big Sunday smash BECCA: Don't forget the drive-by's! CROSSWORDERS: She wants to be a constructor Crossing TWAIN with JOHNNYCASH She wants to be a constructor Tease our brains 'til we cry OUCH! ECO! WOAH! OWL! OOOH! She wants to be a constructor With a great big Thursday ADO!! BECCA: I wanna be! (She wants to be!) >>>>
I was told there'd be no meth
@Mike Am thankful for you. You put the 'pun' in 'Turducken'. . . . . . ??*puzzled looks* ?? . . . . It was a pun. . . . . ¿¿*more puzzled looks*?? . . . Er, a palindrome? . . . *furrowed eyebrows everywhere* . . OK, a non-sequitur!! That's the word! . . Anyway, have a happy Thanksgiving. Really nice post today, and really am thankful for your puntributions.
O O H A W E L C O M E B A C K I E W O E L A Y S L H !! 💋 And that's the long and Shortz of it! Shout-out also to Joel F, who held the reins and kept things going in the interim, including some very fine puzzles we may tend to forget AMID the HUBBUBS and STIRS and ADOS that are part & parcel of our feisty Comments section— & we thank him for that! We may have said "ONO" when Will got laid up earlier this year, but then we said "ENO he's working hard to git back to the Xword ROYALCOURT & we look forward to his return!" He OTT to get a medal. OREOughta at least get a virtual GROUPHUG! (*Hmm, has that ever been a crossword answer? Well it is now. With the Jeopardy question being: "Q.: What is being EXUDEd & EMITted & WAFTed from the Comments section today? A.: GROUPHUG". I expect the honeymoon to be about two weeks before Comments section resumes its usual MELEE & RHUBARB & BROUHAHA at normal course & speed. But that's OK. That's just par for the cross. We still appreciate the work & the care & the love-of-the-game [or lovelineoflinethelinegame] that go into the creating & editing of these crosswords. PLAY BALL! Welcome back Will!! PS I very much enjoyed today's puzzle, it was both Monday-breezy but also had a little bit of welcome 'crunch'. Very very nice puzzle, & very very nice debut. Thanks Hannah!
I found this pleasant, and was not as disappointed as many of you seem to be. I enjoyed the theme and the puns— although I don't for the life of me get how ALTERCATION is some kind of great pun, I mean the word 'alter' kinda sorta comes into play, but, huh?? and why does Deb's explanation of it peter out mid-sentence? I smell a conspiracy!— but anyway HOW is nobody mentioning 52A INRE being clued by [Regarding]?! Isn't INRE just short for "in regard to"? That's weird. The clue [Regarding] is basically the same as part of the answer. Now THAT should incite some RHODESRAGE from any scholars out there
@Becca [cont'd] >>>> BECCA: I wanna be! (She wants to be!) I wanna be! (She wants to be!) I wanna be the greatest, grandest And most fabulous Constructor in the world! CROSSWORDERS: She wants to be a Constructor She wants to play with the DITS and the DOTS BECCA: I just gotta be a constructor Making puns until I plotz CROSSWORDERS: Making puns 'til she plotzes! BECCA: I wanna be a constructor Show the world just what I've gotzes I'm gonna put on grids That will enthrall 'em BECCA AND CROSSWORDERS: Read my name in Rachel's column! [OK Sam's, or Deb's, or Caitlin's] BECCA: I wanna be a constructor 'Cause it's everything, it's HOT! I wanna be a constructor Hold everything! What I am I doing here? Mr. Hardroch [*name that sounds the most like Bialystock] was right! There is a lot more to me than there is to me! Top-notch grid, I wanna get on! [🎶🎶🎶 with full orchestra 🎶🎶🎶] I'm gonna be a Constructor Clue the grid and fill with RUM (WRY and RYE and WREAK and ONE) (Rife with rebus, snark and pun) I'm gonna be a Constructor Look out Wordplay, here I come!! CROSSWORD BOYS AND GIRLS AND COLUMNISTS: WORDPLAY, HERE SHE COMES!! ~ ~ ~ 🎭🎭🎭 I Wanna Be a Producer, Broadway Soundtrack <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VepUJlQ_W5c" target="_blank">https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VepUJlQ_W5c</a> Lyrics <a href="https://www.allmusicals.com/lyrics/producers/iwannabeaproducer.htm" target="_blank">https://www.allmusicals.com/lyrics/producers/iwannabeaproducer.htm</a>
Fun puzzle, nice theme. Not too tough, but not *too* easy to get through, required some thought, a thorough and pleasant Wednesday workout. One that ought to receive kudoughs. Take a bough, Meghan Morris. (BTW is your first name pronounced "Mayfan", "Mahan", "Mayan" or... fancy this... "Maygan"? tough to suss out) . Sam Corbin said: "Please share your best Gilbert and Sullivan puns to celebrate the occasion." [Well, first a question: Would "Einstein On the Beach" be considered a [relatively] "Light Opera"?] Mikado stop making physics puns. Iolanthe stop but I just can't. If I were Catholic I would probably be asked to do penzance for this. I think I'll just take a breath and have a nice hot cup of Koko... And maybe listen to a nice Romantic piano CD (I have a little Liszt) emus are such susceptible cancellers
@Bill Interesting array of words. They inspired these reactions. - - - - - 🌱 "Ask YOUR doctor about Suffrutex® 🌱 "The band has combined the best (and worst) aspects of Emo, Dubstep, Surf Music and Rap to come up with a new amalgam that's very hot with the younger crowd right now. It's meant to be played at full volume with heavy leaning on the subwoofers: this new genre is Subshrub, and you should definitely check out the Irksome Naticks next time they come to your town" 🌱 2153 (AP) -- "With the increasing scarcity of real fruit due to the rabbit plague that was set off when humankind killed off all the hyenas for use of their fur to stave off the unexpected extreme cold due to the climate change caused by Element 13 which was invented by the singular AI (StatGPT) commissioned to solve all the world's problems, people are now attempting to enjoy or at least tolerate the taste of Frutex™, the new AI-invented "Breakfast of Chompions™ i.e. 'Synthetic Acidic Pseudo-Organic Fiber Meal Compound'. "Frutex™. It's what's for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. Yumm!" ______ Greco Chamaephyte, Ruta RiA, Herb A. Shussgroathe and Vera Woody Bayce contributed to this report
I really enjoyed this puzzle. To be franc, I really liked the theme & its "4-way" style, how each themer had its own twist. Even at end I didn't quite get 54A's gimmick cuz I only vaguely recalled "??Tivoli? Trivola?" FOUNTAIN of the film, mainly just FOUNTAIN, really… never saw the movie, just a trailer. Got all pence-ive but it took the Column for me to see the NickelBACKwards twist. I mean, it's zloty digest. I had it right though— found my error, combed thru & saw 18D HOdSE (25A HYPEd instead of HYPER), !fixed it & got the gold coin! Kareem you totally got me w/ Washington Airport— took some crosses before I considered THAT Washington. ALaddin before ALIBABA. "Revealing word", cute. OTOE, OBOE, OVAL, I'm sure Lewis will enjoy… HOTDAMN, a fine Sunday puzzle. Lotta good clues. BOING! 114A might throw some of our overseas solvers, but I liked it. I doubt Commenters will be reading Kareem the RIOT ACT today. I'm guessin' there won't be much of the usual drachma. Lotta good puns, no real kroners… I feel no gelt in saying this was a rial-ly solid, even lire-cal puzzle. And no, I'm not shilling for the NYT— nothing could be farthing from the truth. If I may peso bold as to say, w/o trying to pound it home, this was a very smooth yet crunchy puzzle, a very fine Sunday outing. Mark my words, I liked it. Of course EMMV (Euro Mileage May Vary). Thanks for florin us, K! And now maybe I'll put on some colón & go out to dinar Guilder? I hardly knew 'er *ducats* I mean *ducks*
@Becca (cont'd) >>> Inspired by my green mood, I hopped onto my 10-speed to take a short cycle break before resuming the puzzle, only to find I'd forgotten to attach the wheels, so three miles down the road I had to trek ALLLL the way back to my couch. The exercise however got me all amped and enthused for the puzzle! Even a Monday puzzle! All this convolutia is just to sort of let you know that I really did enjoy today's puzzle. It had a nice message but mainly was just a very good puzzle. I enjoyed it! The one main thing I took out of it though was a sly wish to make my OWN word ladder. So— and please keep in mind that all the above might just be one ginormous 8D— I will now summarize, encapsulating my adventure into a much briefer tl;dr: *takes a breath* BAGEL BABEL LABEL LAPEL LABEL BABEL BABED BARED DARED BARED BAKED BIKED HIKED SIKED (Okay PYCHED, so it's a homophone, we'll allow it) LIKED!!! ~ ~ ~ OK yes that was a really roundabout way to say I liked this puzzle. And that I wanted to do my own word ladder. PSA: everything above the word ladder— and, therefore, including it— was indeed an 8D. Except for the TARDIS. I really do have a TARDIS liquor cabinet. It's just a $10 thrift-store acquisition that looks a lot like the TARDIS, but it IS boozier on the inside. As you were. *dragon flies by, hisses "See ya, bae"— I wave back cheerily. "Backatcha, Fafnir!" I call and go back to my schmear*
Enjoyed today's puzzle. A little tickle of a theme. These themers aren't easy to construct wittily and fluidly but of course I had to try… ____ A N O Z I R A ... Coen brothers' 2nd film— starring Nic Cage— about rearing a kidnapped child, literally - - - - (raising ARIZONA) _________ E C N E I T A P M I ... What one might feel during an hour spent in the waiting room when one's doctor is running late— literally - - - - (growing IMPATIENCE) _________ E L I B O M . . . A term for a person aiming for and achieving higher status, social position and income— literally - - - - (upwardly MOBILE) ________ R E D R O ... One of two options in which to view one's photos or files size-wise or chronologically— literally (this would probably need a lot of kind crosses) - - - - (ascending ORDER) _________ S S A M L A C I T I R C ... Achieving the minimum amount required to start or maintain a project, venture or nuclear reaction— literally - - - - (reaching CRITICALMASS) *********** I tried to find a way to make "BEAN sprouts" work but it didn't really track. So anyway these aren't all that great, clues a bit clunky, but it was fun to try, and it kind of illuminates how fresh today's puzzle was. Even OLIVER North was pretty nifty. Oh wait, I just came up with one more! _______ E C I L A ... A Ralph Kramden catchphrase, never ACTUALLY threatening to his long-tolerant wife— literally - - - - (to the Moon, ALICE! To the MOON!) Heh! !YAD SLOOF LIRPA YPPAH
I dunno if I recall ever actually laughing out loud several times throughout a crossword puzzle before this one. Oh, I remember puzzles that delighted me and probably inspired exclamations of delight (I think at least one Jeremy Newton puzzle, among other puzzles), but in this one the Dad jokes were so perfectly wonderfully awfully silly, I loved 'em. Guffaws were had. Just a really fun, playful, silly and witty puzzle that reveled in punnery. Excellent. I felt just a little Naticked for a while by 7D ERDOS crossing 27A COS (never took Trig in school but figured it was probably COS), then discovered the snag was a simple overlooked wrong letter at 57A/57D, just didn't notice I had an typo'd O there instead of an I(NLAY), fixed it and got the congrats! Loved 120A, what a wonderful winky and fresh take on this oh-so-common crossword clue. Tsaright. Silly, playful, smart and fun puzzle. OK letsee: "Aw gee, Baryshnikov left the theatre before I could get his autograph? ' _ MISHAGONE 😝🤓🤔🙄 My attempt maybe highlights how well-done the entries in the puzzle were. Kudos to Ginny Too. __ A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS "Hey! Anyone here witness which extra has been snatching all the pastries from our Craft Services table here on the "Wait Until Dark" set??" ___ Hepburn: "ARKINSAW" See? 102A ain't so bad after all. Wildebeest uniform? GNUJERSEY
@Heidi It truly is mighty of rhyme-wielding Heidi to give us this gift of a post. All supple and glide-y and waggish. Alrighty! Let's vote hers "the post with the most"! #SororityOfSonority
@Brooklynite I'm not sure I understand the issue. "Adopt" is the standard, accepted term for taking in a cat or a dog from a shelter etc... I didn't read the clue as in any way equating people and pets, except in the sense that the act of adoption is the act of adoption, it's a verb, an action, just as you could bathe your kids or bathe your dog, you might entertain your kids or entertain your cat, feed your baby or feed some kittens... I would think that "Take in, as a cat" added the "as a cat" to clarify that it did NOT mean "Take in" as in "rehem a garment", or "Take in" as in "absorb some info", or "gobble up a big bite of pie", or for that matter "Watch a movie"... ADOPT is a verb, it could apply to a human or a cat or a dog or an iguana (or an attitude even). Maybe you could clarify what your objection is? The clue did not in any way imply that anyone/anything you adopt is therefore "like a cat". It's just a verb, meaning to, well, adopt. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=adopt+a+pet&sca_esv=3f074e5da93b5e88&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWILUV4MTW2Xea3UR-yYZPBo1lSixgw" target="_blank">https://www.google.com/search?q=adopt+a+pet&sca_esv=3f074e5da93b5e88&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=ADLYWILUV4MTW2Xea3UR-yYZPBo1lSixgw</a>%3A1717423250804&ei=ksxdZuDXMIHEp84PiZqD2A4 <a href="https://www.adoptapet.com" target="_blank">https://www.adoptapet.com</a>/
@Deb Amlen *BarXder keeps wiping barglasses* Roman Legionnaire ["RL"]: Hellooo? BarXder: Oop, sorry, didn't see you, still recovering from my LaVI surgery *RL repeats request* BarXder smiles: In all the years I've Xded bar, I've never heard a joke more well hId. Or HID. Wish we had serifs here but the owner's too cheap *BarXder hands RL V beers* RL: Thanks. IV* been in one bar I've been in a MM, & cheap owner or not this one's my fav. [*H/T to ?@MOL? @CLM? for iFI'VE] BarXder: Thanks. *RL sips V beers with the patient determination of a Nora Charles going thru VI martinis* BarXder ["B"]: Say, don't forget to come by for the holidays! Dec 24th we have a great Christma[VII]egroni Special! [Christmas Eve Negroni Special] Roman Courtesan ["RC"], from other bar stool: Why're your whiskey sours here always so great? B: It's because we put fresh lemoIXvery glass. RL, swaying a bit after beer #IV: Get me some more to drink, I'm very XXX. B: "XXX"?? RL: Y'know, THIRSTY. Sorry, I slur a bit when I'm drunk B: Then have this healthy glass of milk, it's XLfied w/vitamins RL & RC: "XLfied"??? B: Sorry, I can't spell RL drains last of beer #V, slides eelily off his barstool & flashes BarXder the peace sign. "Later", he gurgles BarXder: What, V MORE?! RC: I'll take those. I have a date with a gnarly Senator tonight & I need the XLfication BarXder: ??? RC: I can't spell either. C'mon I'm just a Courtesan! B: And a very fine one, I'm sure. *they clink glasses* ~ FIN ~
I liked this puzzle very much. I was familiar with the NOTRUESCOTSMAN fallacy among others and kinda grinned when I got that one. I got most of the ADHOC one but because of a wrong cross I didn't get the PROPTER part (which I kinda sorta semi-remembered but didn't fill in) for a bit.. I realize now I probably was familiar with that one mostly from having seen that West Wing episode. I loved the examples i.e. the clues, and other non-theme clues as well. Public Service Announcement: Although so many erudite people misuse the phrase, "Begging the question" doesn't just mean "leads us to the question" or "demands that we ask the question"... "Begging the question" is actually another term for circular reasoning. It gets tiresome sometimes to see even very smart people writing "And this begs the question..." when they simply mean "And that begs for us to ask the question", "demands that we ask" etc. *I just got back from a quick google to doublecheck and oops Merriam-Webster says it's a OK to use "begging the question" in this common usage. But then didn't they accept "irregardless" as a word a while back? YOU'RE NOT MY REAL DICTIONARY. I HAVE NO DICTIONARY
Had a mild, not wild, fine though-not-prime time with the rhymes. Not stellar like Uri Geller but it was a coup for a new debut, little glue, woohoo. And one of the few recent puzzles that didn't have ROO. Not heaven, but I give it a seven. A good smart start taking part in the crossword arts.
@Cat Lady Margaret *loud bombastic music crashes through the TV as the King of Queens segment segues to an ad break with a new movie promo* ******* *huge words fill the screen* EPIC KAFKA AGENDA A horror film This new outing by Sam Raimi takes place entirely during a staff meeting run by a large cockroach *fade-in to an office boardroom* *deep testosterone-saturated voice intones/shouts* "It was Gregor's worst nightmare. His new job had seemed so promising. But now all it promised was terror!" *music, a cross between Jaws and Psycho, swells and crescendos* *camera zooms in slowly on a bored-looking 30-something man sitting at a boardroom table restlessly tapping his pencil on a doodle-infested legal pad* *voiceover guy, now more muted* "As Gregor Samsa stirred one morning from uneasy listless boardroom ennui, he found himself transformed in his seat into a gigantic myrmidon. He was sipping on his bitter, as it was 2-day-old, coffee and when he lifted his head a little he could see his Godzilla-like insectoid boss gesticulating with six stiff hairy appendages, one of which clumsily grasped a laser pointer that it could hardly keep in position and which edified the projected chart not at all. Gregor's numerous doodles, which were pitifully awkward and puerile, grew helplessly on the pad before his eyes. What has happened to me? he thought. It was no dream." *music swells agitatedly* ONLY IN THEATRES ********* The idea is positively Margaretesque
@Nancy J. Hee, I love your invoking of "object permanence" in your apt and well-said comment regarding those who seem to be so unsettled by diversity, evolution, reality. Well put.
@Cat Lady Margaret "Ah, welcome to Chez Malaprop, my name is Tae Poh, I'll be your waiter tonight. We have some choice selections on the menu, may I suggest we start off with a nice Toes Salad, and we have a wide selection of dressings including Thousand Eyelids, Urban Regret and Gar-Licked Oregano. Now our Chef has prepared a wonderful array of on-trays, I highly recommend the Flayed Minion, the Chicken a la Kink is also nice or perhaps you'd prefer Buttfish if seafood is your meat. The Veal Pharma is very fresh today, however I personally favor the Veal Scale-a-Peenie. "We have many wines to complement your meal, including a nice Bordello, a slightly sweet Chableah, or perhaps a classic Sham Pain. For dessert I'm quite sure you'd enjoy our Seven Bayer Cake or maybe our specialty, Very Sore Bae. "I'll let you have a few minutes to decide, just let me know if you bleed anything."
As promised/threatened, here's my stab at a few theme entries of my own: I realize two crossing words is much easier than fitting them in the context of a puzzle but here it is anyway. Once I realized the double-meaning of the word "bang", I immediately thought of two of my favorite though very different screen works, one small-screen, one big-screen. Here 'tis: ------ 34D - This is the way the poem ends, this is the way the poem ends, this is the way the poem ends, __________ but a whimper 64A - Critically lauded 1960s TV war drama co-starring Vic Morrow, which utilized lots of untranslated French & German native speakers, & half of whose first-season episodes were directed by up-and-coming director Robert Altman ~ ~ ~ N O T W I T H A COMBAT[bang] _____ 73D - Things may not end this way as per T S Eliot, but according to many astrophysicists, this is how it all began 82A - Wacky much-beloved 1980 film spoof which spawned many catchphrases like "And stop calling me 'Shirley'", "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking", & which featured Ethel Merman in a cameo as a delusional hospital patient who believed he was Ethel Merman ~ ~ ~ T H E B I G AIRPLANE[bang]
@Eva H. *Eva on an aiplane, where three people across the aisle are speaking French* Eva💬: "'Oiseau'? 'Bonjour'?? I’ve never heard of half of these words! Poor discussion. I don't know WHAT they're talking about. Bad conversation. Pure jibberish! 👎🏼👎🏼"
@Becca (cont'd) >>> Some of the clues I'm still enpuzzled at, and maybe don't even like, like 28A SOLE for "Menu fish"? What am I missing? Also, 25D ELHI might've been clued better as just plain old "Grades K-12", instead of "For grades K-12", IMO. What's that unneeded preposition doing in there? To me the clue leads to perhaps assemblies, recess, lunchtime… that's not misdirection, I think that's just sloppy cluing (again, unless I'm missing something here). And despite having an open mind, I think UFO might be better clued as "Visitor from a faraway place, some believe", becuz UFO literally means Unidentified Flying Object and actually sometimes really actually does consist of swamp gas. Really. Or a weather balloon. I'm not being forced to say this by those men in the corner. Probed? Moi? I for one welcome our CIA memory-erasure drug agents blgblgrblgllllbbll But anyway, nitpicky bridling over a few clues notwithstanding, this was a worthy puzzle. Float like a nutterfly, I mean butterfly, sting with a "B". Overall I'm really glad I stuck it out cuz the epiphany was really nice. I love that Star Trek clue/answer David Kwong didn't get to use! I imagine Joel Fagliano's reaction to Mr Kwong's "Schrödinger clues throughout" idea: "I'm an EDITOR, not a magician!! Or a Moon Shuttle conductor!! Or a bricklayer! She's BREAD, Jim." Anyway, this puzzle puzzed. I just flew in from finishing this puzzle and boy am I puzzed. Puzzola. Puzzapalooza!!
This puzzle put a grin on my face. I mean literally, when I caught on to the theme, and even after I finished it. Lots of chuckling. Very well done. Any puzzle that quotes a good Steven Wright quip (are there any other kind?) is already earning points right out of the starting gate. I just filled things in with "F's", didn't even occur to me to consider it as a rebus; after all, Steven Wright is Right! It SHOULD all be fonetic! (In fact that's how his name should be spelled, natch). I too was put in mind of the whole Filipino/ Philippines thing, nice extra "aha, hmmm, yeah" epifany. I started out reeeal slow, hardly filling in anything, but somehow it didn't feel 'unfair' or "d'oh, remote wavelength"; sometimes you don't get much on first pass but it still doesn't feel 'wrong', you just kind of keep going and hope to get some illumination. (Also at one point I realized I hadn't done many of the Downs cuz I'd somehow accidentally switched back to Acrosses, so once I had at 'em, I filled in some more. Never been more happy to see Tori AMOS in a puzzle). Good clues, some nice 'n sneaky; well done. Nice to see Emil Jannings in a puzzle. My phavorite 'Flox' can sport a grin even bigger'n my grin at doing this puzzle. You might find his Denobulan smile creepy; I just find it funny. After all, he's a doctor, not a monster. <a href="https://64.media.tumblr.com/ebbadea3ab905d69a702971a0a2a8ff6/dc3307d83680c27a-3a/s500x750/4508d288f586693eae97ce9abc22631180cd748b.gifv" target="_blank">https://64.media.tumblr.com/ebbadea3ab905d69a702971a0a2a8ff6/dc3307d83680c27a-3a/s500x750/4508d288f586693eae97ce9abc22631180cd748b.gifv</a> Onward to Phriday!
@Eva H. What is Eva's goal here supposed to be?? Other than her constant griping, apparently to assuage her feelings of inadequacy or low self-esteem at not 'getting' so many of these puzzles? Crappy commenter. Or wait, you can't ACTUALLY be this shallow, un-self-aware and grouchy, are you actually Andy Kaufman? This has gotta be a 'bit' Andy? Is that you??
@Grant Ha, that one (Cheerios alternatives/ TATAS) was a flash of "Aha!" when the crosses filled in much of it... Here: ~ ~ ~ *Scene: a posh upscale domestic dining hall* Sir Lord Forthwith Dweezil Chauncey-Higginbotham rises from his chair as he wipes the last stray scone crumbs from his moustache: "Thanks for the tea, Piggy! Cheerio!" Lady Poinsettia Diddlesquat Flouncy-Piggott Gargantuan Isthmus-Jones smiles, daintily sipping the last of her Earl Grey: "Always a pleasure, Botty! Tata!" ~ ~ ~ Perfectly G-rated, you see? Except that Lord Dweezil isn't wearing any pants!
[I can't find the post I was gonna reply to, it was in a thread on the whole OXO tic-tac-toe debate. I thought it was someone named Roger, and his comments gave me an idea. Can't find the thread so I'll just post it here] "[??Roger's remarks] just spurred an idea for an April Fools Day puzzle that'd probably elicit 1000+ comments. (I hope no one actually takes up this idea) : A puzzle made (almost) entirely of those controversial bugaboos of the Wordplay Comments: nothing incorrect, nothing "wrong", just, the puzzle's entries would (almost) ALL be words like OCTOPI, and the Tic-Tac-Toe clue/answer just mentioned (OXO), no Naticks or anything controversial outside of crossword-world, just clue/answers that create such a hubbub every time they appear. So let's see, TAMALES, I'm blanking on others but there are so many of them. Strictly linguistic objections and controversy. Of course the constructor could also throw in, for the necessary short easy fill, things like OREO clued as "A black and white cookie", ONO as "Yoko ___" or "John Lennon's life/ 'Double Fantasy' partner", with no wit or inventiveness whatsoever. Hah. If it were a Sunday puzzle perhaps the title would be "Mar-teehee de Sade". Or "Marquis de HEY!!!!!" I still remember fondly an April Fool's Day puzzle where the theme answers had words from the clues, defying an actually pretty cardinal rule. Some people were mad. I found it funny. But my idea above I think would just be stirring up a wasps' nest… *snurk*
@JC Now THAT would really be a crime and punishment.
I'm not gonna go looking (like, say, at xwordinfo.com) for the various occupations and specialties— as well as hobbies— of the multifaceted folks who construct the NYT crosswords, but I'm pretty sure I remember medical doctors, scientists of various stripes, IT experts, pretty sure there're some musicians in there, & more; including many folks w/advanced, interesting degrees. Whatever you feel about the puzzle, your beef is hilarious. There may be an *extra* 'crossworld'/ 'crosswordese' element to the knowledge of constructors (we can ALL wink & nod about Oreos, emus & Nanas, and are extra familiar with Mel Ott, Brian Eno, Yoko Ono, Eton & Mt. Etna. And the two Ettas) but your gripe is biz@rre. A, it's almost polar opposite of the likely scenario; and B, what are crosswords about anyway? While the above mentioned Ott, Eton et alia have nestled their way into sorta familiar grooves in our daily puzzlegeist, the crossword puzzles, INCLUDING those entries, are about… various things in the real world? It was a biz@rre, l@ughable comment. While criticism of the xwrds is absolutely a worthy topic of discussion here— I'm no "sl@vish defender of each puzzle w/no allowance for some puzzles maybe being flawed, 'meh' or worse"— they're not ALL puzzle of the year— while criticism is a valid thing to do, yours was more like a joke. Andy Kaufman criticizing the crosswords. Like: "the ppl involved in 'Jeopardy!' don't know anything except 'Jeopardy' stuff!". I mean what does that even mean
@LWb I take umbrage at that remark. I positively RESEMBLE that remark! My great-aunt Utqa was a pillar of her community, a veritable saint, and I am absolutely incensed. (that is, I'm too tired to take a shower rn so I'm sitting here surrounded by 7 kinds of lit incense. Mmmm, sandalwood) PS - So disrespectful, you left out all the diacritics in her name! it's Great Aunt U'tq'å (and make sure to pronounce it "Aahhhnt")
Even though I don't consider myself particularly bad at handy stuff— in fact I'm pretty good, in an elementary way— and my memory isn't too bad, still and all every day when I turn the radiator off at night (I like a cool sleeping environment) or on in the morning, I almost ALWAYS mutter aloud "Lefty loosey, righty tighty" (dunno why I say it in that order, I just do). This was a very fun puzzle. I, like at least one commenter, got TOOTH and LEAF without noting they kinda needed the word "loose" to make 'em a tight fit… and for some reason when I filled in SKIN (9A) I got my screws a bit loose and thought it was the answer to the 10D clue "Footballer's uniform" (I figured "aha, shirts and SKINs"— which is actually more of a basketball thing). So I didn't notice the need for LOOSE or TIGHT (especially since sometimes words fill in from the crosses), but once reading the column I'm very impressed with how well constructed the theme is! And the puzzle was fun overall with the clues etc. A very good, chewy, al dente Wednesday. Thank you Wealthy Felines. I'm sorry, I mean Rich Katz
@Zack You said exactly what I was feeling. Even the details. I love the theme, tho it took me a bit to catch on to its exact nature, & there's a lot to like about this puzzle but you said it exactly: too many Naticky crosses. One point: if 2 squares need alphabet runs, it's not just 2x the runs— it SQUARES it. 26 x 26. With 3-4 up-for-grabs squares it's in the 1000's. Even w/some clear vowels, it's impossible. The 9 billion names of God. I tried SOOO many runs, peeked on google just to confirm stuff— yes, it's riddle me REE (never heard of but had crosses), & yes, UDO's a veg, etc, but then I found it's TABOURET not TABOULET, & thought I might just cede the streak. Put the R in anyway… still no-go! Then peeked at Comments (not the column), if folks were screamimg "Natick City!' maybe I'd keep the streak. Saw STAYMAN (I had STAiMAN, I'd tried Y to no avail), & I thot I'd Check Puzzle to forfeit the streak but didn't, way too big a decision for me today ha, & I put in the Y. Feeble 'Yay'. Earlier amid the flyspecking I'd added slashes to all the rebus squares, then undid 'em… It's too bad bc the theme is lovely, & the puzzle is fine except those really are just what you said, possibly-un-parse-able Naticky crosses. IMO that made it kind of Saturday-level difficulty on a Sunday puzzle… I might very soon just randomly "check" a xwrd to bounce the streak, which ofc would set me behind in restarting it but we'll see. It's too bad. Cuz it was quite a witty & original theme.
@Gerry Wachovsky FLAG can be a verb, meaning to... well, to metaphorically 'run out of gas'. "Never flagging, never slowing, she persisted in her mission to bring him to justice".
This was a solid, enjoyable, breezy Wednesday puzzle. Nice theme, didn't get all the themers instantly but I rose to the occasion. After being about a day behind with the crosswords cuz of a busy Sunday, I put my petal to the metal and caught up. I like a puzzle that leaves you smiling and nodding. A nice mid-week mid-difficulty level, no STEM grant needed for this one but that's apt for a Wednesday! Might be an enjoyable solve even for someone who's green at it. Doesn't knock you to the flora with difficulty, likely wouldn't pistil anybody off, offers a potpourri of subjects (but isn't loaded with *too* many pop-py references that might incite impatiens) and is just overall a nice little puzzle that grows on you. Lilac'd it! 🌸 "Did you like it too," I aster? 🌸 "Aster?! I hardly know her!"
I liked this puzzle and enjoyed the theme. Somehow I didn't cop to the exclamation-point factor till the column! Now, I've eaten my share of those cookies but was probably too occupied stuffing them into my maw to note the exact nuances of the brand name, and I forgot the exclamation point in the campaign slogan cuz it feels like about 20 years ago, I recalled the Willa Cather title after a couple crosses but wasn't aware of the exclamation point, and somehow I forgot all about Yahoo's "!" even though I've seen it a million times. Before I read the column I'd wondered about the lame redundant 'bang' following the Acrosses with no connection or need for it going across. Ha. Now I see, and remember the "!'s"!! My stab at a few theme entries of my own in a sec. >>
@Becca As threatened (as @Rich in Atlanta might say) : [and please forgive the prevalent use of the pronoun "He", the rhythm and cadence would just be ruined by "he or she" and anyway I'm just riffin' off of the original lyrics!] - - - - - 🎎 🏯 🎎 🏯 🎎 🏯 🎎 I'VE GOT A LITTLE DISS by Gilbert, Sullivan & Becca ------------------- [KO-KO] As some day it may happen that a Natick may be found I've got a little diss — I've got a little diss For satiety offenders who run 'ERR' into the ground And who make the Comments hiss — They'll make the Comments hissss! [Chorus] He's got the Comments p1ssed — he's got the Comments p1ssed; And they'll all of 'em be miffed — they'll all of 'em be miffed [KO-KO] There's the green-paint word-purveyor and the others of that ILK And the rebus specialist — you bet that HE'LL be dissed! And the people who spell 'WHOA' as 'Woah' and think it smooth as silk They get the solvers miffed — they SURELY will be dissed! Yes, *some* days it may happen that a word like BRA or BREAST Will find its way amidst — the puzzle's lofty GIST Those propriety offenders who all fail the breakfast test And who make some solvers hiss — Ablush at hints of trysts! [Chorus] Constructor will be dissed — he's got the Comments p1ssed; And they'll all of 'em be miffed — I think you've got the gist!!! ~ ~ ~ 🪭 *fans self" 🪭
I liked this puzzle a lot. Had heard of most of the films, even though I've only seen a handful of them. For me, like many others, TAW/tIRED/WIRED was the last corner to fall… though actually I then got it right, looked around the grid and saw that 99D/99A had a [deliberate, non-typo] 'Q' there, for qAYS and qABO— seemed right to me, what can I say, I may live a 3-minute walk from gorgeous Lake Michigan but it ain't an ocean— tried a "K" and then a "C" there, and got the golden statue🏆! So honored! I'd like to thank my grocer, my Instacart app, my WiFi hotspot, my— um I mean I got the congrats page. Delightful concept, Mr M, very well done. Kudos! ~ I scribbled these 'themers' yesterday, no inclination to refine 'em to be better/ funnier or give 'em clues, gonna slap 'em on here anyway: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 📽 2001 GREMLINS WALK THE LINE 📽 MEATBALLS DAMAGED MY DINNER WITH ANDRE 📽 CLUELESS INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS STOP MAKING SENSE 📽 12 MONKEYS CRASH THE PARTY 📽 FOOTLOOSE FRANKENSTEIN IN BRUGES 📽 M*A*S*H FRIED GREEN TOMATOES IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT [or a special Halloween triple feature 📽 M*A*S*H FRIED GREEN TOMATOES IN COLD BLOOD] 📽 ALMOST FAMOUS CLERKS EATING RAOUL 📽 GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER IT'S PAT GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK 📽 LOVE! VALOR! COMPASSION! OH, GOD! AIRPLANE! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dishonorable Mentions: 🎬 BEYOND THE FOREST WHAT LIES BENEATH THE BIG TREES 🎬 HELLO DOLLY WALL-E PAULIE ~ ~ ~ Thank you and good night 🐠
@Paul Bingo bingo bingo! And hear hear! What a strange society we live in, where competitive speed seems to be a central criterion for many. I can't imagine someone saying "I went to this fabulous French restaurant and it was great, we finished the six courses in 45 minutes! Best restaurant ever!!!!" but to me that's kinda what this time-obsession about the crosswords is like. But then I used to mostly take AMTRAK when traveling (it started from avoiding flying which I don't like, but it's also really cool, at least if you have a way to sleep). A few people would be utterly puzzled by the concept. "Why would you sit on a train when you can get there so much faster by plane?!" I guess the "Desert Wind" would be lost on them... Mmmm, for dinner tonight I might eat some wonderful delivery leftovers from an Indian restaurant, I look forward to achieving the BEST kind of meal, scarfing down those samosas and Fire Chicken in record time— let's see if I can eat it all in 6 minutes even though it's not Monday! Urp! "Well, we know where we're goin' But we don't know where we've been And we know what we're knowin' But we can't say what we've seen And we're not little children And we know what we want And the future is certain Give us time to work it out We're on a road to nowhere Come on inside Takin' that ride to nowhere We'll take that ride" [Talking Heads] <a href="https://youtu.be/LQiOA7euaYA?si=Cbz6TbIeYnQw_Cgu" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/LQiOA7euaYA?si=Cbz6TbIeYnQw_Cgu</a>
In response to Chris L from Wordplay: I didn't find your puzzle Mundane. I didn't even find it Tuesdane. It was enjoyable, clever, & with a fun theme. For 7D I first thought mOthra, which was too big to fit (well duh… Mothra's pretty DAM* big), then got RODAN. I mean, I watch Svengoolie. However I started spelling it like the sculptor at 1st… I don't think that flying monster is French… * Kaiju movie "Destroy All Monsters" was on Svengoolie Sat night, caught a bit of it. Destroy All Monsters— often shortened in press as DAM— were a local-ish punk-/art-/noise-rock band in Ann Arbor when I lived there, Ron Ashton & the Miller twins & singer Niagara & lots of good hard music. I got WADI from crosses. ☡StarTrekNerdZone☡ A ridiculously obscure clue that woulda rightly aroused a chorus of "OBSCURE!" would be: 26D: Alien race in reviled ep of otherwise excellent series StarTrek:DS9, "Move Along Home". (Probly only 2nd in unpopularity to "Quark Dresses in Drag" ep, def NO Tootsie/ Some Like It Hot). I didn't know how to spell Meredith's surname but not too hard w/crosses. With NENA/WADI, it did help that I recalled NENA's name & spelling. And Chris, as for what you called a "lack of flashy feel", I dunno that that's the case, but even if it were so (& I think it ain't, what w/the cool, refreshing theme, smattering of puns & some dark snark [6D], tasty latkes & even a monster!), how could you expect any fire & flash amidst all that water? Anyway, good job, and yes we want more.