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Internet photo company named after insect / MON 6-22-15 / Former name for Congo / Peanuts boy with blanket
Monday, June 22, 2015
Constructor: Joel Fagliano
Relative difficulty: Mondayish
Theme answers:
- @TEMPTING (17A: Good Twitter handle for a seductress?)
- @TESTING (21A: … for a teacher?)
- @TUNES (37A: … for a musician?)
- @TIRED (39A: … for a sleepyhead?)
- @TRIBUTE (53A: … for a eulogist?)
- @TRACTION (59A: … for a tire company?)
Word of the Day: SHUTTERFLY (27D: Internet photo company named after an insect) —
Shutterfly is an Internet-based image publishing service based in Redwood City, California. Shutterfly's flagship product is its photo book line. The company was founded in 1999 and is currently led by Jeffrey Housenbold, who joined the company in 2005.[2]The company went public in 2006. The customer base is heavily skewed toward women, who accounted for 80% of customers as reported in 2013.Shutterfly's revenue derives from "turning digital snapshots into tangible things". (wikipedia)
• • •
Plays fast and loose with the ends / tenses of the "handles" to make them work: present participles here, third-person present verb there, past tense verb there, noun there. And I might've gone with something other than "tire company" for @TRACTION, since @TIRED is already in the grid. But the lack of part-of-speech consistency in the handles is a non-issue—it certainly doesn't detract from the sense of the clues or the fun of figuring them out. And the "tire" thing is just a little thing. A note. A suggestion. Puzzle is still a winner. Winning Mondays are hard to make, and this one is clearly a cut above NYT-normal (i.e. about where I'd like the self-described "best puzzle in the world" to be every week).
Check out these kids, tearing up the crossword on the subway:
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Facebook and Twitter]
Save And Share :
131 comments:
Tough Mon. for me but I could have something to do with Father's Day libations. Exactly what Rex said, smooth and fun, liked it a lot!
@M&A - As I mentioned a couple of days ago I get the "pick the salads and paste gibberish" robot test on my iPad One but not on my bride's iPad Two. Simply hitting Publish doesn't work and I can't figure out how to paste the gibberish, so my solution is to borrow the iPad Two. If this is not an option for you I have some suggestions:
(1) Upgrade to a Two they are lighter and will run Twitter which might have helped with today's puz.
(2) Post on a desk top.
(3) Join the crowd and get a blue name. You'll never have to prove anything again.
(4) Email your post to say @lms and let her put it on the blog. I'm almost positive she has superior technology.
(5)
Oh, is that why we haven't heard from M&A lately? I hate technology. If it's old it doesn't work and if it's new it's broken all over again.
Nice puzzle. SWIFT to complete. Didn't take long to find a story theme: an older taxidermist in an airport
One side of a conversation overheard in MIAMI International Airport
"It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much." -- YOGI BERRA
"Where to? SANTO Domingo? Myself, I'm waiting for a flight to ZAIRE -- Kinshasa -- via QATAR. Looking forward to a six-hour lay-over in the world's most boring airport. Can't even get a beer there."
"Yes, I know it's called the Congo again, but old habits die hard."
"FAR to GO? Yeah, TELL me about it. I've just come from a week of BASS fishing in the Everglades. For my efforts I caught exactly zero fish, but several hundred mosquito bites, and they ITCH like hell. Must be KARMA -- payback for what our ancestors did to the INCAS. SYNS of the fathers and all that. I'll be AWAKE the whole flight, I FEAR."
"Flying sure ain't what it used to be, eh? The airport authorities HERD you from one security checkpoint to another, and then confront you with a list of DONTS a mile long. No sharp TOOL, no ACIDS, no nothin'. My profession is TAXIDERMY. How am I supposed to work, I ask you? Is there any ITEM one is allowed to bring as carry-on any more? Those are rhetorical questions, by the way. You don't have to answer them."
"I tried to bring an ASP on a plane once. ... No, It was dead, I can assure you. And it was ONLY A LITTLE one. I was hoping I could get a head start on it during the long flight. But they confiscated it! Can you believe that? Almost got me arrested, to boot. Something about ATTEMPTING something or OTRA."
"Another time I was caught carrying a NENE carcass. Some rich guy from SAMOA had found it -- road kill, he claimed -- in Hawaii. I said I'd take it home and stuff it for a tidy fee. But they wouldn't let that on either. Claimed it SMELT too much and would offend the other passengers. OK, it was well AGED by the time it got to me, but I had it in one of those MAXI-sized ZAP-lock bags. Shoulda been odor-free."
"Zip-lock? OK, whatever. As YOGI BERRA once said, ''."
"I'm old enough to remember the ERA when flying was fun. People would get dressed up for it, too -- men ATTIRED in jackets and ties, women in dresses with their hair done up special. Now I don't see the ATTRACTION any more. You may have noticed that I STAND TALL. Well, I sit folded up. Damn airline seats these days are designed for your average pre-TEEN, not a full-grown adult!
"And the CRUE! Used to be they treated passengers like kings and queens. Now if you as much as ask for a second glass of AGUA you're persona non GRATA."
"Sorry, didn't mean to delay you. You bet! Nice talking with you, too. Have a good flight. SEE YA!"
Oops. Meant to delete "As YOGI BERRA once said."
This was a terrific Monday puzzle, easier than a Tuesday, but with some bite in the cluing and answers, and with a clever and well executed theme. There were beautiful long downs: STANDTALL, CATACLYSM, TAXIDERMY, YOGIBERRA. In the south we have MIAMI and SELMA, there is a low BASS, and not only do we have MAIM, but we also have a backward IMAIM.
I think making the mini puzzles for the app has honed Joel’s craft in the cluing and in getting rid of the chaff, and credit to Joel for coming up with a classic and memorable theme. Bravo!
Factoid: Between 1929 and 1947, WALT Disney (who, by the way, has won more Academy Awards -- 22 -- than anyone else) was the voice of Mickey Mouse.
Quotoid: "O, what a tangled WEB we weave when first we practice to deceive!" -- Walter Scott
I am getting soft. Yesterday was "a reasonable success," and today I am gushing. I gush, then I gush some more, then I gush some more, and then, because I can't just write nice things, I take a swipe at the New York Times Crossword.
Yes, the same crossword that has kept me entertained daily for my entire life, which has given me countless hours of practice, allowed me to interact with multitudes of interesting people, afforded me a presence on the internet, provided me with a means to supplemental income, and, in general, been a major focus of my life and a source of happiness and fulfillment. Some might call me ungrateful. They would be correct.
I'll chime in with agreement that this was a snappy Monday puzzle.
I threw in "bass" at the first sign of the "clef" clue...then came to the second clef clue and tentatively put in "alto." I had a 50/50 chance, right? Well, eventually found out I had to switch them. FWIW, technically the "ALTO" clef is a C-clef. This cute little clef sign curls around any line on the staff and makes it a middle-C. When it's on the bottom line of a 5-line staff, it is a soprano clef. From top to bottom: Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. The alto and tenor are most common. And even more music trivia: what we know as the treble clef is technically a G-clef and the bass clef is technically an F-clef. /music lesson
I wanted Zot for ZAP and JOke for JOSH.
45A...Placido doesn't fit.
Not a fan of IFEAR...surprised Rex didn't mention it...it would've been better clued as that feeling you get when you misplace your iPhone.
@Ellen S @1:33 said, "I hate technology," as she pushed a few buttons on her computer or portable device and flawlessly sent her comment out to an infinite number of people around the world in the blink of an eye.
Bravo, Rex. Intellingent, thoughtful blog today, nits and all.
A Tuesdayish Monday here, but solved without recourse to hyperextension of conjoints or other inventive wordbending. At last.
What @Rex said. As good as a Monday puzzle gets. Lotsa fun. Thanks Joel.
@Steve Jobs - you've gotten so sensitive since you died...
Pretty much what Rex said. Not as charmed by the Twitterfication theme, but super impressed by the downs. Time was in the challenging range.
@NCA Prez - Maybe a Van Gogh clue for IF EAR?
Agree with @Rex. Very satisfying Monday. Also enjoyed the photo of the young solvers on the subway. Reminds me of my NYC-based daughter who was recently introduced to NYT xword via the iPhone app. She can't get past Wednesdays, but give her time. Enjoy discussing the puzzles with her. Back in the '70s my Dad (also a physician) and I always did the Sunday puzzle together. He's gone now, but that memory is still fresh in my mind, particularly nostalgic on Father's Day.
TIDES ZAP MIAMI
AAA CATACLYSM
SEE YA SAMOA
@MDMA--wow you are good at this haiku thing! Today's was awesome.
I almost always whisper the same thing when I get the aha moment, "Oh, wow. I like that." That's what I did when ATTEMPTING fell. What a great idea for a theme!
Then I considered "attention" for the teacher's one before I remembered that it's "tension." (And yes, for a fumbling, inexperienced k-12 teacher, there's often tension in the classroom. Oh cool, Daniel and Jerry have those weird little turkey callers in their mouths and are calling in gobblers every time Mrs. Smith turns her back. Wonder what she'll do? Well – I guess the tension is actually only on my part; there's no Weird LITTLE Yellow Turkey Caller chapter in the beginning teacher manual.
I totally agree with Rex – excellent, excellent job. Great downs, good fill, 6 themers, two pairs of themers are stacked, and nary a V to elicit any pangram scrabble scramble grumping. Oh, and the letter that follows the @ is always T. Otherwise the annual beer festival in St. Paul and Minneapolis could be
@ Ale of Two Cities.
What a relief that buffalo run around in HERDs and not in some other ridiculous group. Sshhh. Over there? See that cataclysm of buffalo? See that slow, dumb-looking one? Take a good look. You'll see him next year among all the other startling TAXIDERMY creatures in the Grantsville, WV Barbershop. I josh you not. Everyone around here is an amateur taxidermist, and the results can be disturbing (but somehow sweet in that way dried macaroni glued to a paper plate in the form of a face can make you say, "Aww").
TIDES crossing TINES was cool. TINES can go "in and out and in and out," too, once I've dug my Accent meat tenderizer from the beach bag (treats jellyfish stings) and go to work on a rump roast.
@NCA President, @Z - I've thought a lot about I FEAR's clue. Do we really use it that way anymore? I think if I heard someone begin some bad news with I FEAR, I'd be waiting for that Snow White conjunction for to show up, too. I FEAR it's going to rain, for the clouds are nigh upon us. I mean, ok, I do say I FEAR, but I use it more as a generalization. I FEAR balloons. I FEAR teen tutees. But I'd likely deliver my bad news with "I'm afraid we took a wrong turn back in ZAIRE."
@jae – if M&A emailed me, I'd swallow my teeth. Gauntlet. Thrown.
Joel, again, terrific puzzle.
Very nice, fresh theme today. I noticed however that @TIRE(D or S) could have been a handle for Pirelli just as well as @TRACTION was. I also noticed that all themers start with @T, perhaps because there is not much you can do with words like "lantic", "mosphere", "rocious" or "omizer", but for a non-believing jewel thief "@heist" could work.
Too bad YOGI BERRA is mostly remembered for what he said instead of what he did. He has the most World Series rings of any player dead or alive. Besides, he really didn't say everything he said. Today I learned that 80% of SHUTTERFLY customers are women. I wonder if this has social significance. I also loved TAXIDERMY and CATACLYSM.
Here is a concerto for a soloist in the ALTO clef.
Joel, you can STAND TALL for this excellent puzzle.
Happy Monday!
I always have to see the word 'dearth' in context because I can never remember if it means 'a lot' or 'a little.' I also sometimes say 'mushroom' when I mean 'marshmallow.'
I liked this puzzle.
🌕🌕🌕🌕 (4 mOOOOns)
First thought this would be a Sue Grafton homage but… wrong again.
My two solving without paying attention errors were Myan (sic) and Tampa.
All the Putin news seems to have revived NYET as common place fill.
I echo the other posts and Rex. A fine Monday puzzle.
It seems the opposite party (see 48a) is moving from health care to confederate flags for their new rant d'jour. I seem to recall the Civil War was about repressive trade tactics and States rights. Assuming I am correct the opposites may wish to embrace the Stars and Bars: Just sayin! I know it could be the symbol for voter ID legislation.
@dk: Here are the words of those who created the confederate flag:
"Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth..."
--Alexander Stephens, Vic-president of the confederacy, 1861
There is no ambiguity here.
What an amazing start to this week! A rave review on a brilliant puzzle ... all positive. Plus I went to bed on a high knowing that Jordan Spieth just took the second major of this year. I have high hopes for the week ahead.
Joel, what a modern theme, so simple and yet so sophisticated. The only other example I could come up with was ATTACKED clued, "... for an avid sailor?" And such a clean, clean grid with beautiful long downs as already mentioned here. I loved seeing YOGIBERRA, too, I always get a kick out of figuring out his comical comments.
Wonderful puzzle, Joel, I can't wait to see your name at the top again!
@Alias Z - Neither did Mark Twain or Winston Churchill.
@LMS - I FEAR that I still use "whom" in informal discussion and have used I FEAR In just this way at least once in the past month.
@paulsfo from late Saturday - re "anger" - more frustration, really, for most. a. Most people here appreciate the posts. b. Rex has blessed the posts. c. Aside from spellcasters this blog is not overrun with promotions, self or otherwise. But, as I reminded someone else yesterday, "it's about them, not about me."
@Abe - I thought @DK might be misunderstood. It didn't take long. The hint is his "just sayin."
#ExcellentMonday
I like the haiku
Seventeen syllables beat
Wordy frenchie crap
Agree with @Rex and also with @Z (Twitter, what-ivver), with ULTRA AMOUR for those fantasitc long Downs. The only moment where I felt a little deflated was when the teacher handle was @TESTING (rather than something to do with impartiing knowlegde, inspiring students, etc.). I know, it's in the news all the time that teachers these days do nothing but prepare students for tests, so maybe it's a nod to the current depressing state of the classroom. Anyway, I wished the clue could have referenced a lab tech or similar.
Just glanced at the grid again - MAXI RADS looks like a typo.
In August, I'll be going to my first-ever STATE FAIR, but not in my native Wisconsin: for Christmas my husband gave me a certificate for a 3-day trip to the Iowa STATE FAIR, whose ATTRACTIONs include a 550 lb. butter cow, a husband-calling contest, freakish vegetables, and a menu including pork "everything" and pie. I'm going for the pie.
Puzzle solvers "in the wild"?? Reminds me of Gary Larson's "Poodles of the Serengeti." LOL LOL LOL
@Z --
Re "most people appreciate the posts."
(a) I grant that many (maybe even most) appreciate the puzzles, and they still would have them if The Good Professor put his link on the right side of the page with the other constructors, as I have suggested on many occasions;
and (b) Would people appreciate the posts if every other constructor littered the blog with their links? I assume that you think not, since you're apparently happy that the blog "is not overrun with promotions, self or otherwise."
I understand that George is a good guy, posts much worthwhile content, and has a lot of good friends here. Credit to him. BUT, self-promotion on the blog is just not right. Yet many of you are happy to give him a pass on it, while expressing satisfaction that others do not self-promote here. And I'm the stick-in-the-mud here -- and worse, in not-so-nice language, according to some posters here. Sheesh!
Hey All !
Liked the puz, but not overly gushing about it. Does that mean I'm getting jaded? I do like the long downs crossing the themers and all making good answers. Thought the pangram was coming, but no V. Figure you can fit a V somewhere in there? I don't know, maybe not.
Had kids for TEEN, SHUTTERbug for FLY. And @TEMPTres at first. Seemed viable.
SAGE
RooMonster
DarrinV
ATTEMPTING AMOUR
TEEN NAOMI SMELT I FEAR
ULTRA ATTRACTION
#gorgina.
My curiosity was piqued by the MIAMI clue. Who among you knew that Jacksonville is Florida's largest city?! I spent a couple of pleasant days in Atlantic Beach, one of its main ATTRACTIONS, on the way to S. Fla. one late January. Scenic, but chilly. I SWIFTly moved along down the coast to sunnier climes.
I am having an AMOUR with this puzzle; liked it while solving, love it looking back over the completed grid. ATTRIBUTE to you, JF!
Isn't TUTEE a funny-sounding word? I liked seeing WEB in conjuction with the @ theme.
IFEAR we're in for another steamy day here. DONT look forward to watering the gardens at dusk. Oh well, welcome to Summer, I guess.
SEEYA later, alligator.
Pretty easy puzzle but since I don't tweet or use twitter I really didn't get the theme. I thought tweeting was all about hashtag/# not @
Cute puzzle. It almost made me want to join Twitter. (Is "join" the right verb?) But I didn't. Because I'm tech-phobic, just like @Ellen S. And @jae -- You saved me a query today when you mentioned your I Pad One. A couple of days ago, when you talked about your PaperMate 0.05 pen or pencil and how it erased everything so neatly, I was going to ask you if it was an analog pen or pencil that would work on a puzzle done on paper or whether it was something that only worked on a gadget. But I see you're a gadget solver, so there's no need to ask.
I SMELT a rat at SHUTTERbug, and that held me up in the SW... This was a fun monday...
Thanks Mr. Fagliano!!
@Ellen...my mom's been using a computer since 1999 when she was 76. Teaching her how to use the handful of apps she needs, then reteaching across every "upgrade" gave me real perspective on tech changes. True examples of "intuitive" user interfaces are quite rare. It is we who must bend to the ways of the Blorg...
Whenever I am forced to give her an upgrade that she doesn't need, with an interface that is different, not better, I brace myself for her computer catchphrase... "This is still very backward..." And she is right. Too often, product development looks inward only.
@Steve Jobs...of course the (android) device I hold in my hands is near on to a miracle, and I embrace it. Doesn't mean I can't strive to improve it.
@paulsfo yesterday.... Your example is completely wrong. Unless that Honda dealer were giving the cars away for free. With no strings attached. And the post was made on a car enthusiasts' forum. In which case, i gotta believe that the readers would be thrilled by such a post.
Now, if you made that post just to see how many of us will take the bait and rant back at you, that Is obnoxious.
Hey I just deleted a bunch of comments because tiresome back-and-forth name-calling => my getting emails from annoyed readers. Lots of them. People really Hate that S***t. So stop thanks. You are welcome to direct all vitriol my way. But if you can't play nice w/ each other, kindly **** off. Yes, this applies to all of you.
RP
Was it my mushroom/marshmallow comment? I felt I was pushing the edge when I wrote it, but published it anyway. If so, I'm sorry and will refrain from fungus-related posts going forward.
@Rex, thank you.
Meant to say earlier..I love joel's mini puzzle. I do it every day!!!
Interesting that Rex left Porker's post alone. I guess he's a good sport. Or it's really him...
@Jamie C.
Re:Rex leaving the Porker post --
He couldn't very well delete it before inviting the squabblers to direct all vitriol his way, could he? (Not that Porker's posts are vitriol ...)
A lovely Monday puzzle with some crunch! I don't tweet, so I noticed AT+appropriate word but didn't think about @ very clearly until done. Seeing Only the single words made the theme seem not very interesting, but I really liked the long downs as I solved. Looking back I see @ XXXX along with all the other good stuff. Very nice!
Some Random Nonsense for youse guys:
3.14159 for actor Beatty? - PI NED
Badly played note? - TIN
Countries without diplomatic ties? - NO UN
Two U's (UU)? - W ALT
@Alias' aura? - Z AIRE
Kris' personalized plate? - KAR MA
Orig. BA Baracus' mid-month? - T IDES
Woman's Delta? - HER D
Yes, the last one stunk, I know! (Sure some of you said they all stunk!)
Now if I could only make money on these...
RooMonster
ATTaboy, Joel. Simple and sweet Monday. Especially liked the clue for TAXIDERMY.
Tried to think of other theme possibilities and could only come up with:
...for a barkeep - ATTENDING
...for a sailor - ATTACKING
A sailor in Boston--Attila
I respectfully disagree that all Porker's posts are not vitriol. I think that there is no question among regular readers that there is a certain amount of highandedness and snobbery to some of Rex's posts but, when that translates into the personal character attack that is embodied into each and every Porker critcism that, to me, is vitriol. Other people disagree.
I thought this was a great Monday puzzle. I haven't yet risen to a level where I understand why Rex does NOT like many puzzles that I like, but today I was very happy to see that I was very much on the same page as to the merits of this puzzle.
Vitriol seems like it would make a great puzzle clue/answer but I'm glad that @Rex is trying to get rid of it on the blog.
@CascoK, loved your hyperextension of conjoints. See me after class; I can tape that up for U.
@NCA-P, I see that you're enjoying a little punishment. ATTABOY.
I don't tweet, twitter or do much generalized public warbling, but this cute theme made me snap to @TENSION. Particularly liked the [Professional stuff] clue, and suggest that @Billy C also consider making like a TAXIDERMist and Stuff It. Thought that ATTRIBUTE could also be clued to a newspaper copyboy, but only for those who remember "My Cousin Vinny".
Am currently enjoying being in charge of three cats (and assorted other life-forms) and can @TEST that @TENTION must be paid to the litterbox in the CATACLoset... Otherwise, there's a CATACLYSM to be SMELT. And that's your scoop for the day, gentle readers.
Another CAT tie-in: AT T for the TILA, Man!
(See the refined mini-theme with SLAG and SMELT? Alas, no more...)
MAIM: The Musical
Both Broadway's ALansbury and Hollywood's RRussell did a great star turn playing the lead. Best line: Life is a banquet, and most poor sons of bichon-frises are starving to death!
@Alias, I was also musing on that ATT start. You sure didn't phone it in with @heist!! Taking my usual clinical turn, may I suggest
@herosclerosis: What Medusa was adept at.
Thhank you for a Very nice Monday. Enjoy!
I learned what KARMA means. I thought that it meant some sort of mystic ability.
When we use the @ symbol in this forum, does it have anything to do with Twitter? I've never used Twitter.
@Lewis: Thanks for the information that Walt Disney was the voice of Mickey Mouse in the beginning. I'm trying to remember what that voice sounds like. We have a Walt Disney museum here in San Francisco from the Disney family. The Closer has visited and tells me that a lot of the record number of Oscars are on display there.
@Andrew: Rex could have deleted Porker's comment along with the others. It appears he disagrees with you. But I'm sure he's grateful for your help.
@chefbea, me too! And have you noticed that the mini puzzle is getting stronger? Today, WONKA was my only gimme. I think of it as a daily amuse bouche in chef lingo!
Today's puzzle was a great Monday. I agree with all the kudos to Joel's creation.
The Borg is my first love, Daleks when I'm in a lighter mood. Thanks @Tita for bringing "them"/"it" to the Blorg. You've made my week already.
@Carola, your first State Fair? How fun! But how was your Wisconsin childhood so lacking? Even little Rhode Islanders got to visit the attractions in Springfield, MA, a poor substitute for Iowa. Listen, I hear they fry everything at State Fairs nowadays...even BUTTER (note the double T). Please take a lick and let me know how it goes.
@Leapy --
Re: "...suggest that Billy C ... Stuff it."
And a kind good day to you as well, sir.
@Nancy from yesterday. Thanks for the dance; still grey here and rain in forecast, but we midwesterners are ever hopeful. Re. My 'nom de blog': it's my nom de everything and if I ever figure out how to set up an avatar, you'll get a pic of the most gorgeous dog breed in the world..
I LOVED the puzzle. Yeah, Twitter uses the hastag start, but usually people don't say "hashtag POTUS"; they say "at." Simpler.
And I second the shout-out to Joel's minis. They do just keep getting better.
This puzzle was worth it just for the entertainment of seeing a bunch of octogenarians on this board discussing twitter. @Malsdemare: wrong.
Reading xword comments
Bashō wept
@Young Turk,
Is it wrong to say that twits twitter? Seems grammatical to me.
All I see is a time-sinkish way to feel important. What the intrinsic value of attracting other twitter-heads?
@Not yet...: I wasn't discussing the value of twitter. I was merely pointing out that people like malsdemare don't know what they're talking about.
To take the next step, however, I'd say that twitter has been especially amazing at getting news disseminated from people in places who otherwise have no means to tell their story. The green revolution in Iran is a prime example. I'd say far from being "twits," the university students demonstrating on the streets of an oppressive regime were remarkably brave.
Please.Do.Not.Feed.The.Trolls
If there is a poster you wish would go away, ignore them.
@Young Turk I think that possibly it is mostly sextagenarians (and that 20 years means a lot to me) but we have all been mentally where you are with thoughts about the older generations but fortunately or unfortunately did not have this kind of forum to say it. I agree with you (I think) about the power that Twitter et al has given people all over the world to let the rest of us know exactly what is going on. Thank you for reminding us. Sometimes I forget and tend to think primarily of narcissistic celebs talking about inane things. This is a narrow view.
64 comments and nothing about the 17A:@TEMPTING clue? I see that sword fiend already called out the "unnecessarily gendered clue". Other than that, yes, a fun puzzle, albeit somewhat tricky for Monday.
*x*word fiend, I meant...
I have to remind myself to savor the solve - not just the speed. This is a beautiful puzzle that deserves savoring, and not mad-dashing to get to some perceived time limit.
Wonderful theme - and I'm a Twitter user @aromoff
You're welcome to follow me, as I'm now occasionally including some crossword tweets or retweets (good to branch out a bit!)
Well, I have a Twitter account but I fear if I used it much, I'd never get anything done. My iPad is enough quicksand for me.
The Boston Sailor's my favorite @anonymous 10:55, followed most closely by Leapy's atheroschlerosis. Terrif!
@Hartley70 - I wasn't deprived: my little farm town had its own "junior fair" complete with rides, games, stage shows, treats, 4-H exhibits, fireworks, and, of course, a tractor pull. And those carny guys with cigarette packs rolled up in their white t-shirt sleeves.
@malsdemare and @Nancy - the @ symbol is before a Twitter User's username, the # symbol is used to indicate a topic. I stopped using Facebook and use Twitter primarily as a newsfeed, with some Ultimate related posting as a bonus. The best part of Twitter is the ability to block people when their darker side becomes too public.
Went back a few days and now I'm wondering what posts OFL actually deleted. If the "how many times can I use the F-word" guy doesn't get deleted I'm not sure who does. Of course, if they are just wiped out how would we know? As for OFL's opinion of Porker, Rex has always shown a pretty thick skin except when others are attacked. Even then some have felt he has been too hands off at times.
@Billy C - First, it's not up to the good professor to put it in the sidebar. Rex and he reached an agreement. So be it. Second, other constructors have and do post links and Rex hasn't said boo here. I am sure Rex is perfectly capable of managing such posts when he sees fit to do so.
@Noam D. Elkies - I noted the clue at the time, but my mind went elsewhere by the time I got to posting. I wouldn't have noticed at all except that it is the only gendered clue. I don't know that "Don Juan" would be better and "Garden serpent" seems a stretch, so it only gets an arched eyebrow from me. Of course, I'm also the guy who linked to Lucy Lawless's 20 year old wardrobe malfunction so feel free to take my opinion with a hefty grain of salt.
Well I certainly hope the rand from @ fucking anonymous the other day wasn't deleted. It was hilarious and epic.
rant not rand
@Z --
Other constructors post links? Who? a When?
He and OFL may or may not have an agreement, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. And when I don't, I simply post my objection. Just like you can object to my posts.
@Z you now have a pet troll. You feed him and he'll never leave.
@malsdemare: I am the 10:55 anon. Thank you for appreciating my joke. I was afraid nobody would!
After a hard day of tryin to pick out recaptcha road sign cakes and paste ugly hunks of text, have gone down to the library to send this off:
Resistance Ain't Futile.
Thanx, @jae. Sorry I missed yer tech info, the first time around. Can't afford a new tablet2 gizmo just right now, so may have to go with the blue name tag dealy, and give up on non-obtrusive U-counts, for a spell. But The Blorg should know: M&A is out there. He'll be back. In space no one can hear U scream.
@muse: har. Who lugs U, darlin? U know an email would be there lickspit, if not for M&A bein vulnerable, what with all them uncollected bills…
Real professionally done MonPuz. Only 6 weejects to choose from; very unusual, for a moo-cower.
@heist = {… for The godless Blorg who stole iPad bloggin??}
M&A
@Z. Thanks. My twitter account is linked to emergencies and such. Once upon a time, being a country mouse, I didn't have decent internet, had limits on texts, and so avoided Twitter like the plague. But I am finding Facebook tiresome and your point about news feeds is good. I doubt I'll ever get away from FB, though; it's the only way I can keep up to date with some of my more elusive former students and Navajo friends.
And I apologize to others for using this forum to continue a conversation that should probably be elsewhere.
Three and out.
@Anon10:55,2:25 I don't get the joke. Is it "a tiller?" If so, how is a tiller (a rudder) a sailor?
p.s.
Auto-correct roundup, for to-day:
lugs U = luvs U.
M&A
"Buttered, but not Battered&Beaten"
**gruntz**
Anon@ 2:32: this is more the response I expected. At tiller. A sailor is @tiller. It's a Twitter handle. A sailor is not "a tiller." A musician is not "a tunes."
@M&A: We lugs you too :)
@M&A
Couldn't verify using Safari. Installed latest version of Chrome and voila.
@Nancy - Allow me to apologize for any confusion I may have caused. The PaperMate I use is indeed a fine point mechanical pencil with an eraser. I print out the puzzles daily, clip them to a clipboard, and use the PaperMate to solve them. I use block caps and try not to get outside the square boundaries (again, the word pristine comes to mind, you may have other words in mind?) That said, I love my iPad but I only use it to solve puzzles when I'm on vacation and can't get the hotel to print them out. I do, however, use it to post everyday, hence the robot proving advice to M&A.
@jae: Two follow-up questions. Can you write both very darkly AND very lightly with that mechanical pencil? And, when you erase, is there any chance of tearing the newspaper. I don't print out the puzzle, as I don't own a printer, and I know newspaper is MUCH more fragile than Xerox paper. But if you tell me that it will work on newspaper, I will buy one and practice with it -- in advance of the Lollapuzzoola tourney on 8/8. It could make the difference between 425th place and 418th place!
Also, can you buy one of these things in any stationery store? If not, where? Thanks for your help, @jae. If I come out ahead of you in the Puzzle Tournament, you'll have no one to blame but yourself:)
@Young Turk: I don't know what insensitive remark of mine about an older person precipitated it, but way, way back in the day when I was, I don't know, maybe 10 or 11, my father furrowed his brow at me and said: "Don't ever let me hear you say something like that again. You'll be old and gray yourself, someday." And while I have long since forgotten my own remark, I have never forgotten my father's chastisement. I remember it word for word. I remember his tone of voice. I remember the expression on his face.
@Young Turk: All bigotry is odious, but ageism is both odious and really, really stupid. Those who are white will never be black and those who are straight will never be gay and those who are male will never be female (well, most won't!) but ALL who are young will be old. If they're lucky that is. You may not be blessed with a father as wise and wonderful as mine was, but you should know that what goes around comes around. Be very careful of the KARMA you are creating. And remember: Being born many years later than someone else does not an accomplishment make.
@Nancy - I get the LAT delivered daily and I cut out puzzle and do it with the PaperMate on the clipboard. I have not had any problems with the newspaper tearing, I think having a firm surface to write/erase on helps and lets you write as lightly or darkly as you please. Any office store should have the PaperMate. Good luck!
@What Goes Around, your Dad was a very wise man. Amen to his remarks.
@BillyC, seriously, please change the subject. You're stressing me out!
Gardens have been watered and its time for "Jeopardy". AHHHH.
@Ludy --
OK, I'd love to change the subject. What do you suggest?
Joel Fagliano, great Monday puzzle, thanks for the treat.
@Leapfinger, obviously the judge in 'My Cousin Vinny' was not a crossword aficionado or he would have said, "Mr. Callo, are you suggesting that the perpetrators of this crime were members of a Southwestern Native American tribe, the Utes?"
@Rhino, your mushroom or marshmallow dilemma brought to mind the following wonderful idiom I found today in an article about Kazakhstan's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics. I apologize for the length but was afraid the context would be lost if it was shorter. It is from today's NY Times:
"More than two decades later, however, the executives in charge of bringing the 2022 Winter Olympics here, to Kazakhstan’s former capital and current commercial hub, are far more serious.
They do not care that many fans (and perhaps even some International Olympic Committee members) may struggle to find their country — the ninth largest in the world — on a map. They do not care that many experts believe the oft-cited notion of using an Olympics as a means of transforming a country with any number of problems — including a troubling human rights record — is pure myth. And they certainly do not care that some observers have labeled this the worst bidding race in Olympic history after a slew of cities pulled out, leaving behind a particularly bizarre pair.
The candidates? Almaty, a city you may or may not have heard of (it is pronounced Al-MAH-tee), and Beijing, a city you surely have heard of but perhaps not for its winter sports history.
“None of this concerns us,” Akhmetzhan Yessimov, the mayor of Almaty, said through an interpreter in a recent interview at his office. “We want to win.”
He shrugged. “Once you say you are a mushroom, you might as well get into the soup.” "
@BillyC, I like to read about other solvers' gut reactions to the puzz., including anything new they learned or using the words from the puzz. in an interesting way (see @'Mericans in Paris). I like to read about and write about memories the puzz. elicited or build upon comments made by other solvers, when appropriate. I like learning about the other commenters' personalties through their regular posts whether I agree or disagree with views expressed. It's a great way to augment the solve in the morning and at the end of the day, for me, at least. And I like to learn from others' solving mistakes and my own, as shared in this community of sorts. Does that help?
Good answer, @Ludy.
@Carola, I enjoyed the puzzle, but also hated AT TESTING for teacher. It seems like testing is more important than real life learning, but perhaps there are a lot of jobs where the workday consists of standarized tests.
Otherwise, it was an enjoyable, interesting Monday puzzple. Had SHUTTERbug instead of SHUTTERFLY, and nOnoS instead of DONTS. Once I changed those, the rest fell into place.
@Carola, that sounds like an idyllic Midwestern summer fair. Oft times smaller is much better, except perhaps in chocolate cake. It sounds like you didn't miss a thing as a kid.
Glad to see OFL looks at the blog and sometimes gets rid of the name-calling. Some days, I think I might not want to read the blog anymore, because of the bitterness and mindless hatred. As Bill Staines wrote in what may be his best-known song, "All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir", and I am happy to see every one of the regulars say what's on their mind (Not always happy with the anonymice, though).
I did this puzzle after doing the Tuesday one, because I was on the road yesterday and had no Times, and am only now looking at the back issues (next: last Sunday's). As I did this puzzle, I found myself stopping to admire the theme answers, which made my time 9 minutes instead of the 7 I would have expected. But another distraction was, I had also read the Tuesday blog, and knew that one reader agreed with @Rex both days. So I was thinking, "What could Rex dislike about this one? It is really first-rate."
Of course I found he loved this puzzle. Which he should have. And yes, if every Monday puzzle was as well-crafted as this one, it would start the crossword week on a high note.
@'mericans in Paris - Doha Airport in QATAR was great. We had a seven-hour layover, and for six or more Qatar Air puts you up in a hotel. Our 'room' had more square feet than our house, three enormous-screen TVs, 2 1/2 baths ...
@NCA President - I got IFEAR from crosses and looked over expecting something like 'result of scary internet hoaxes'.
@chefbea - yeah, clearly I understand nothing about Twitter as I thot it was #s, not @s, too. @Z, thanks for clearing that up. For the record, early quinquagenarian here.
nONoS before DONTS.
NAOMI Watts is quite the chameleon. I have never seen her in a movie and thought "oh, it's NAOMI Watts". When her name pops up in the credits I'm always taken completely by surprise.
Am here to testify what this great spell caster done for me. i never believe in spell casting, until when i was was tempted to try it. i and my husband have been having a lot of problem living together, he will always not make me happy because he have fallen in love with another lady outside our relationship, i tried my best to make sure that my husband leave this woman but the more i talk to him the more he makes me fell sad, so my marriage is now leading to divorce because he no longer gives me attention. so with all this pain and agony, i decided to contact this spell caster to see if things can work out between me and my husband again. this spell caster who was a woman told me that my husband is really under a great spell that he have been charm by some magic, so she told me that she was going to make all things normal back. she did the spell on my husband and after 5 days my husband changed completely he even apologize with the way he treated me that he was not him self, i really thank this woman her name is Dr Aluta she have bring back my husband back to me i want you all to contact her who are having any problem related to marriage issue and relationship problem she will solve it for you. her email is traditionalspellhospital@gmail.com she is a woman and she is great. wish you good time.
As I mentioned a couple of days ago I get the "pick the salads and paste gibberish" robot test on my iPad One but not on my bride's iPad Two. Simply hitting Publish doesn't work and I can't figure out how to paste the gibberish, so my solution is to borrow the iPad Two.
If this is not an option for you I have some suggestions:
(1) Upgrade to a Two they are lighter and will run Twitter which might have helped with today's puz.
(2) Post on a desk top.
(3) Join the crowd and get a blue name. You'll never have to prove anything again.
(4) Email your post to say @lms and let her put it on the blog. I'm almost positive she has superior technology.
Nice puzzle. SWIFT to complete. Didn't take long to find a story theme: an older taxidermist in an airport
@MDMA--wow you are good at this haiku thing! Today's was awesome.
This was a terrific Monday puzzle, easier than a Tuesday, but with some bite in the cluing and answers, and with a clever and well executed theme. There were beautiful long downs: STANDTALL, CATACLYSM, TAXIDERMY, YOGIBERRA. In the south we have MIAMI and SELMA, there is a low BASS, and not only do we have MAIM, but we also have a backward IMAIM.
I think making the mini puzzles for the app has honed Joel’s craft in the cluing and in getting rid of the chaff, and credit to Joel for coming up with a classic and memorable theme. Bravo!
Factoid: Between 1929 and 1947, WALT Disney (who, by the way, has won more Academy Awards -- 22 -- than anyone else) was the voice of New Mickey Mouse.
Quotoid: "O, what a tangled WEB we weave when first we practice to deceive!" -- Walter Scott
I am getting soft. Yesterday was "a reasonable success," and today I am gushing. I gush, then I gush some more, then I gush some more, and then, because I can't just write nice things, I take a swipe at the New York Times Crossword.
Yes, the same crossword that has kept me entertained daily for my entire life, which has given me countless hours of practice, allowed me to interact with multitudes of interesting people, afforded me a presence on the internet, provided me with a means to supplemental income, and, in general, been a major focus of my life and a source of happiness and fulfillment. Some might call me ungrateful. They would be correct.
I'll chime in with agreement that this was a snappy Monday puzzle.
I threw in "bass" at the first sign of the "clef" clue...then came to the second clef clue and tentatively put in "alto." I had a 50/50 chance, right? Well, eventually found out I had to switch them. FWIW, technically the "ALTO" clef is a C-clef. This cute little clef sign curls around any line on the staff and makes it a middle-C. When it's on the bottom line of a 5-line staff, it is a soprano clef. From top to bottom: Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. The alto and tenor are most common. And even more music trivia: what we know as the treble clef is technically a G-clef and the bass clef is technically an F-clef. /music lesson
I wanted Zot for ZAP and JOke for JOSH.
45A...Placido doesn't fit.
DEM SYNS
IFEAR I have SMELT ALITTLE ATTRACTION
to ATTEMPTING lady who ONLY wants action.
We’re an ITEM and I’ll STANDTALL ATTESTING why,
she PINED for AMOUR and just can’t SHUTTERFLY.
--- LINUS SWIFT (TEEN SAGE)
Hand up for nice Monday puzzle. Love to sit on the front porch with a cup of coffee before anybody gets up.
I agree with all the good things already said, for all the same reasons. Top-notch puz. Just ALITTLE quibble with the number of Spanish words, but ONLY ALITTLE.
Maybe Taylor for SWIFT? Yeah baby.
NAOMI Watts, yeah baby. Or NAOMI Campbell.
I once dated a NAOMI, nearly a fatal ATTRACTION. The ONLY true nymphomaniac I ever met, so yes, they do exist. Her favorite phrase? “We’re not done yet.” That’s enough to TELL.
If the rest of the week is like today, well, that’d be something. SEEYA.
Too early to yesterday's party, I appear to be the only syndilander who caught @Rex's very abbreviated blog. Today, it looks like I'm late. Well, the puzzle was partly to blame. This sucka was definitely NOT "Mondayish." I had to think in several places, and the SW nearly undid me with SHUTTERbug. Well, what else, for goodness' sake? I don't know internet photo companies; to me, a photo is something you take with a camera (remember those?) and take someplace to get developed (how quaint!). I finally had to ZAP the bug in favor of the FLY ("Heelllp me! HEELLLP ME!")
Also it took too long to latch onto the meaning of the word "stuff" in that 35d clue. Shades of Norman: "They'll look. They'll look, and they'll see, and they'll say 'Why, she wouldn't even hurt a FLY.'" My favorite TAXIDERMY TUTEE.
We have MAIM and MIAMI, but I could find only four of the NINE MEN. Unless there are five RODS. We also have half the lesson plan for Spanish 101. Right AQUI. This didn't help MY solving time.
So definitely crunchy for a Monday; I'd go medium-challenging for the day. I did like it. Though I don't tweet, the theme was easy enough to get. I thought it clever and well-executed. And the grid has some of the most interesting fill I've seen lately, with a minimum of DONTS. Maybe AAA, and one less Spanish word. Enjoyed the Scrabbly countries QATAR and ZAIRE--see, that was only two. Three would have been a crowd. M-T-W doesn't usually TAX my brain; today was an exception. Stamp an A on it.
"Oh, you can't roller-skate in a buffalo HERD..." Maybe Roger Miller can't but I bet YOGIBERRA would give it a go.
@Spacey - you can do anything if you put your mind to it,
knuckle down, buckle down, do it, do it, do it.
Now that'll be rolling around the brain all day.
Well, here again I don't usually do the Mon. puzzle and then I saw Joe F's name on it. His puzzles are usually difficult for me but this was an exception. I have to rate it Easy/Peasy just because his name is attached to it. As Jack Benny use to say, "Really" pause. Walt Disney, Wells-Fargo, Samoa, Zap, leaf, tool,????? Joe must have constructed this one while cooking spaghetti sauce at the same time.
I liked the puzz and thank you Mr. Fagliano.
I'm getting the feeling OFL is trying to do away with the Syndie comments.
Ron Diego, CA (The State which just cancelled Donald Trump's passport). He's only allowed to rant and rave from the Arizona border.
Solved this one, but kept looking for a clue that would explain why all the theme thingies started with ATT. Glad Rex explained it. As a member of the over-the-hill group, I don't Twitter or Facebook. Probably wouldn't know how if I wanted to. I got my iPad Air for my grandson to use when he's here, and was pleased to find its robot lets me come here when the old iPad monitor won,t. But other than this, I go back to the old one. So much easier ( more instinctive) to use, no little un-understood screens popping up all over the place! Do have the "for dummies" book, but not a lot of incentive to use it. Call me out of touch, but also call me happy.
Today I'm with Rex, glad that he softened his few small criticisms. But I don't know what he means by "Mondayish." This was one fine puzzle, exceeding the Monday norm.
Is anyone else freaked out by these fake commenters using parts of other comments and creating links that probably a) crash your computer or b) allow the spell casters to hex you or c) unleash the dogs of nuclear war?
I'm completely creeped out. It's a crossword blog for cryin' out loud! Like aliens in the Body Snatchers. The Comment Counterfeiters? If anyone ever clicks on a link, let me know where it takes you. I'm curious but not that curious...
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Its a good puzzle. I find many words in this. Thanks for posting this.
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