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Jazz pianist Garner / FRI 5-12-17 / Order repeated before hike / Record producer Pettibone / Civic animal / First lady after Lou / Beloved army leader
Friday, May 12, 2017
Constructor: Bill Clinton and Victor Fleming
Relative difficulty: Medium
Theme answers:
- DON'T STOP / THINKING / ABOUT TOMORROW (lyrics from Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," the (unofficial?) theme song of the Clinton/Gore 1992 US Presidential campaign)
- "It's the ECONOMY, stupid!" (noted catchphrase of said campaign)
Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1923 – January 2, 1977; some sources say 1921) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard. Scott Yanow of Allmusic calls him "one of the most distinctive of all pianists" and a "brilliant virtuoso". He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6363 Hollywood Blvd. (wikipedia)
• • •
Last week, the New York Times reported a gain of 348,000 new subscribers—including 40,000 crossword-only subscribers—in the latest quarter.
And that's just since the 2016 election. To give you a sense of how badly constructors are paid, that bump *alone* (in crossword-*only* subscribers) would pay constructors fees for *all* constructors, *annually*, *many* *times* *over*. It costs under $200K / year (!?!?!) to pay constructors right now. You don't wanna know what that represents as a slice of the NYT's overall crossword revenue, because that slice is nearly non-existent. At that level of inequity, I don't know why anyone even submits to the NYT any more, except for exposure or "prestige." So you see, Mr. President—it's the ECONOMY (I know better than to call you "stupid").
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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153 comments:
He put a cigar in a 20 year old subordinate's vagina.
He raped Kathleen Willey.
He was impeached and disbarred for lying under oath.
Fun puzzle, loved the trip down Memory Lane with the themers and a good chunk of the fill. Took me a few return trips and do-overs to get it done, so it was very satisfying. And fun. Rex, if you think those two phrases were the only themers, look again.
Do-rags are the new ACNE, but that's not the constructors' fault.
Victor Fleming is still alive??
Saddened by the return to present-day reality with 1D and 14 D.
I'm waiting to hear from some cool kid to tell me if I should like this or not.
Fastest time for me since I have the statistics by being one of those new NYT subscribers. Stuff I didn't know was gettable but it definitely seemed OLD STYLE.
Surprised there wasn't an Al (Gore) since there was BILL.
Southwest was last to drop partly because I kept trying to think what the semis are called that pull 3 trailers. I used to hate them on the Ohio Turnpike. And no idea on CANTABS. Cambridge/Oxford is called Oxbridge often but never heard this term even on all those BBC mysteries I watch.
Didn't get the "theme?" until here. No "aha" but always happy when I complete a puzzle successfully, especially when there are lots of things I don't know.
I like seeing famous people do stuff they’re not famous for. This is our little crossworld Dancing with the Stars.
It never occurred to me that Bill Clinton would be a celebrity constructor, but it should have. Last week when the puzzle Tracy Gray and I did ran, I called my son to brag that maybe, just maybe, if BILL looked at the top of the grid, maybe he actually looked at our names. Bill Clinton might have seen my name. Sorry, but there it is. I’m thrilled by the thought of any kind of celebrity connection, however desperately imagined and ridiculous.
So so cool to have “It’s the ECONOMY, stupid” right there center stage. Bravo. James Carville and I are kinda friends because he and Matalin were eating at La Tour d’Argent once when my husband and I were there, and our eyes might have met briefly.
Felt all highbrow putting in HIAWATHA off the W (erasing that final I) and then getting BOHÈME. So I ran with it and thought BOHÈME could’ve had a Puccini clue. Wow. Poetry and opera. That’s not like me. Then I saw SHEP and thought it could’ve had a Southern Charm clue. Oops. Back down to vapidbrow.
I bet we solvers who put in “slip on” before SNAP ON are legion. Then I sat there trying to figure out what the heck these days gives you the choice between laces and snaps. A corset? Nah – that’d snap together or closed – not on.
I also had 27A “attend” before NOTICE. Favorite clue, that.
Then ENOUGH, IGNORE IT… “Stop it!!” before DROP IT!! Those words feel Wizard of Oz-ish, right? The MADMAN keeps telling us not to look behind that curtain. And. We. Keep. Looking, Buddy.
Judge Vic, Mr. Clinton – nice job. Second-favorite parts were the MISHMASH/MESH cross and the MAIN MENU MADMAN. Mmm good, guys. Favorite part is the mini theme How cool is that?!
(Oh - I also had “liners/Torys” before LINENS/TONYS. Vaguely thought, Who knew that we used to have a Tory party here? (This after I briefly confused Molière with Montaigne and was reminded of the Supreme Essayist God of the Universe – yeah, yeah – David Sedaris – hoping against hope that he’ll be one of our celebrity constructors. We’re actually kinda friends, too, because I waited in line once and got him to sign a book. Instant connection, man.)
I'm surprised by the medium rating. At first scan of the top it came off as difficult. I blanked on the NW but in the NE ERMA went right in. Thinking 9D was OPUSES sent me back to the NW. Once I spotted HUT the whole puzzle fell like dominoes. CANTABS is new to me but the crosses were all obvious. The celebrity aspect of the puzzle was interesting but this really was an early week puzzle in substance.
I never look at the constructors' names, so I didn't see the ex-president. The only good thing I ever heard about him was how good he was at doing the NYT puzzle. Anyway, I found it easy and a good puzzle. I will continue to ignore the constructors' names in the future.
@Forsythia, it's Cantabularians. Shortened to Cantabs.
I'm bummed that I'm not a cool kid.
I'm sure the one time Commander-In-Heat never cheats when he does the crosswords. Like his notorious endless mulligans on the golf course.
Presidential politics and fair compensation aside: Easiest Friday I've ever encountered. Maybe a Wednesday? Or even a Tuesday?
Easiest Friday of recent memory. Reminded me more of a tougher Weds, and not a great one at that.
I hit most of BALLOU from the crosses and was hoping the clue was on Sullivan Ballou of Civil War fame (and perhaps the best 3 minutes in all of the Ken Burns documentary).
Also, as I was working through, I couldn't help but think many of the clues and answers were unfortunate / (unintentional?) choices for Mr. Clinton:
"Ones in the closet?" (DADT)
"On" -- ASTRIDE (heh)
"In" (heh)
"Betrayer"
"They're never minors"
DONTSTOP
"Nut"
"Words from a Latin lover"
Good guy, that Mr. Clinton.
I'm a Bill Clinton fan (unlike the first two trolls who posted), but this is a pretty blah. At the start, I was charmed by MESH hanging down from MISHMASH, and I was hoping the pattern would be repeated, but no such luck. There were a few clever clues, but this is mostly Wednesday stuff. With the Trump admnistration, I am THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW, and it scares the hell out of me.
Time for the clintons to head off into sunset.
Chelsea actually had the audacity, or maybe just utter stupidity, to accuse Ivanka for being anti-woman. Cannot make up this lefty hypocrisy.
Clinton: Horrible person, above average president, lousy puzzke constructor. I wonder if he made this on Jeffrey Epstien's plane with a lovely call girl by his side.
Played as one easy (NW) , one medium (SE) and two hard (NE and SW) puzzles. Overall, pleasant but forgettable.
Crossing WoEs - BOHEME/CANTABS/SHEP and ARA/ERROLL both fortunately guessable.
And one standalone: ILOILO.
A cheery little song, that ALOUTTE:
ALOUETTE, nice ALOUTTE
ALOUTTE, I will pluck you.
I will pluck your neck
I will pluck your neck
And your beak
And your beak
And your head
And your head
ALOUETTE
ALOUETTE
O-O-O-O...
Being famous should not give you a free pass.
How would he clue "is"? Depends on the meaning of the word.
He's the reason Trump is President. Secret meeting with Lynch during the e-mail investigation.
@Rex, what outlets pay constructors more than $300/350 for a 15x puzzle?
@Forsythia - Oh, AL is there in droves: 15A, 22A, 32A, and 40A.
@BarbieBarbie and @Forsythia - Cantabrigians
I am disappointed at the tone of the commentary. I do the puzzles for enjoyment and I am sure the celebrities do as well. I will be the had fun building this. Good for him.
While upset with certain things he did - as I am with Bush and Obama and Trump - isn't it time to forgive and move on?
I onsider the puzzles as an enjoyable time away from the bitterness of partisan politics.
To Kathleen Willey - "You'd better put some ice on that". Classy man.
CANTABRIDGEIAN is from the Latin. Cf. Oxonian. These words are available in the world for those who read rather widely, though I doubt if you would ever find them in USA Today. I guess the question is, are they there for the NYT readers.
Anyone else make the mistake of crossing Ben...GAY with OBGYN?
Fatal to the Northwest corner in an otherwise easy puzzle.
For God's sake, people, can we please leave the partisan sniping to the cable news networks and talk about crossword puzzles for a minute? This is a perfectly good puzzle with a perfectly good theme. Geez.
Oops. @kitshef, you speak sooth. Cantabrigians. From the British.
The Harvard ones used to have a mascot costume that was a huge pop-top. Pretty funny.
Now that Rex has pointed out the mini-theme, I actually like it, self-congratulatory or not. It brings the puzzle up a notch for me.
Is THREE-TON a specific weight classification for heavy trucks? Because if not, then it seems awfully green paintish. Why not SEVEN TON or EIGHT TON?
Speaking of which, I wonder if AT THAT isn't the green paintiest thing that's ever painted a green. "Where people are often told to look"? IN HERE? ON THIS? INWARD? Ew.
Like LMS, I had LINErS/TOrYS. Closet LINERS are a thing, right? And while I know that Molière was an author, the clue was oblique enough that I didn't twig to my mistake.
I know CANTAB only from the Cantab Lounge in Central Square, Cambridge ... and now I know why it's called that. Thanks, Bill and Victor!
Also thanks to our anonymice today for reminding us why we should never leave anonymous comments enabled.
It seems kind of funny to me that Rex would use the moment of a former president's appearance constructing the NYT puzzle to give a stump speech of his own. I doubt Bill Clinton needs the smackers he got for this. But I do agree with Rex that the Times can and should shell out more dough to bring in some better puzzles. It's been really hit or miss, a MISHMASH, lately.
As for today's bohemian oeuvre, I did not get the theme until I came here. That was never one of my favorite songs, although I used to love Christine McVie.
This felt too easy for a Friday, but I had little to quibble with other than an overall blandness, and the self-referential aspects that Rex has already gone over. All in all, it had SEOUL (an ERROLL Garner) but could have used a tad more OLD STYLE soul.
I guess it's reasonable to talk politics given the supposed theme of the puzzle but, honestly, kids, can't there be one place in life where we can talk about something else? I'm so tired of discussing the issues of the 2016 election and after!
Let's have some fun. What are games for, anyway?
This was playing very easy for me - especially for a Friday - until I was stopped cold at the SW. Only had ARAL as the toehold. Considered and rejected HIAWATHA at first because of the SLiPON that I had below. CANTABS is new to me too (and filed away for future reference)...but getting CHILI was the aha for me here...and the rest of the puzzle fell into place.
Thanks Mr. Bill & Mr. Vic
The partisan trolling of this blog is getting really tiresome. What did any of that have to do with the crossword? The puzzle itself was moderately amusing and I had no problem with Cantabs, shows up fairly frequently in cryptics. Would have preferred tools as a clue for SNAPON. I don't say HUT before a hike but that's just me.
@Irene
Hand up for OBGYN. I removed it when the K of 24A {Smallville family} KENTS arrived with a high degree of confidence.
Some other cascos were
20A. {Ben-___} GAY --> HUR
3D. {Shelley's "Ozymandias," e.g.} SEXTET-->SONNET
8D. {With it, man} HIP-->HEP
35D. {Like some heavy-duty trucks} CHRYSLER-->THREETON
Details are here
@Kitchef, plucking ALOUETTES seems rather innocent compared to the kiddie songs about babies falling out of trees and all falling down from the plague.
Along with the gruesome OLD STYLE kiddie song reference there is the more SUITABLE for PG reference to procreation via the STORK.
@m&a with the reference to denuding BIRDIES of feathers in today's puzzle, I just realized I missed another U option.: PLUCK A DUCK.
I was forced learn how to pluck chickens in Peace Corps. When you picked them up from the market they came in a cage, instead of in a Saran wrapped package. I never did work up the courage to kill them though. I left that to my neighbor's kids who were only too happy to help.
The ANEMIA in the NE could be cured by the HEME attached to BO in the southwest.
Is DORAG the NEW AFRO or the NEW ACNE?
Clinton left office with the National Debt paid off.
chewing on LOL ...Slick Wiillie still has it
When I saw our former president's name I thought about skipping it as a personal protest for an awful man, wish I had. Not much to enjoy in this one.
Not coming back after this post, because I'm guessing at least half of today's posts will be about politics rather than the puzzle...
Did not notice the Clinton '92 Fleetwood Mac theme at all during the solve; needed @Rex to show it to me. Unfortunately, what I did notice was some very bad short fill -- we need better than ATTU, MIN, ALEG, COS, TERR, HUR and ARA on a Friday.
Mistakes: REelED >> REINED / SliPON >> SNAPON / atoLl >> CHILE.
I've heard the term MISHMoSH before, so the crossing with ATTU is dodgy in my opinion.
Loved learning what a CANTAB is.
See you 57A.
Idiotic assholes like the first Anonymous need to see just what is going on. Trump is a buffoon, and is likely to get impeached.
He did not leave office with the national debt paid off. The budget was in surplus -- which is a major accomplishment -- but there was significant debt outstanding.
A million places to post political opinions and some folks make a crossword blog their choice for such comments. Jesushchrist!
And ... GET OFF MY LAWN!
I was looking for entry: ICK. Clued: Stuff on the blue dress.
Hey All !
A theme! Way to throw a curve ball. It's a FriPuz, after all, so was not looking for a theme, especially with the grid layout. I call Shenanigans!
Had my famous one letter DNF, hadn't heard of CANTABS, so had sANTABS/sHILE, as CHILE also not entering the ole brain, thinking it was a general term for a Long, narrow land, not a specific Country. (Even though I haven't heard of sHILE either!) Rats.
Some writeovers, faULTS-ADULTS, sec-MIN, GainEd-GOTTEN, leo-ARA, REelED-REINED.
Liked it overall. Not too tough for Friday, which is nice. NO HELP needed from Google. Didn't want to DROP IT or IGNORE IT.
Loved @BarbieBarbie 6:30 post. ENOUGH MADMAN! :-)
SNAP ON OLD STYLE
RooMonster
DarrinV
I love Bill Clinton, God knows I miss him, and I wanted to like this puzzle. But "workmanlike" is the best adjective I can come up with. I had a bit of trouble in the Mid to Southwest: Was looking for a common noun like isthmus for 38A and didn't see CHILE, even when I had --ILE. Never heard of CANTABS. And TiAMO kept me from seeing TEA SETS. But eventually I saw AT THAT at 56A, which gave me THREE TON, which gave me SNAP ON, instead of SliP ON at 61A, which didn't work. Everything else was quite easy. I did like the clues for ADULTS and MAIN MENU. But mostly it felt pretty lifeless.
Maybe next time, Bill can work with PB1 or MAS?
I'll be charmingly succinct.....Meh
@Bill was an awful man but a good president.
With @Donny, we've got the first, we'll see about the second. (Sorry about the politics, couldn't help myself.)
Attu (with Siska) was the only site of Japanese occupation of an American possession, 1942-1943.
And oh, yes .....
As a former resident, student, and employee in Cambridge, I had no problem with Cantabs.
Re: CANTABS. I lived in Cambridge, England for many years and never ever heard the residents referred to as Cantabs. BA (Cantab) is what people put after their names to let you know they got a BA from Cambridge University and not some downmarket place like Bristol or Durham. Even the dictionary does not define Cantab as a noun, but as an abbreviation of Cantabrigensis - meaning "of Cambridge". The only Cantabs I have come across are some Harvard sports teams.
It was a good ol' plow-through-it puzzle for me, and I enjoyed it. Neither edgy nor a slog, it was moderate, as was Bill himself. I learned CANTABS but can't promise to remember it, and HUT HUT, I seem to recall from my army days, happened during the hike, not before. Cute theme, but maybe a deeper subtext, starting with MADMAN, and then seeing REINED over TERR, my brain keeps shouting REIGN OF TERROR.
Fun Friday. Missed the theme, thanks for pointing it out.
Talk about feeding the trolls! The theme of the puzzle was Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign - you're gonna get politics in the comments folks, stop complaining.
Kudos to OFL for his frank review.
I used to hang out in and around Cambridge a lot in the late '60s and don't recall the term CANTAB, but apparently the old Oxford student does. Loved punting on the Backs and got a kick out of seeing Vicar Chambers do same in "Grantchester".
@Loren - So you almost locked eyes with James Carville. So big deal. So I actually locked eyes with Lady Di in Disney World back in 1996 for about as long as it takes a good fastball to reach home plate. You only thought that woman was beautiful, OMG! I'll never forget the moment, it was a sultry late August afternoon - she and her friend and children were being led to the front of the line by security, I was in the crowd wondering what was going on when I turned, our eyes met. Time stopped. Her eyes were azure pools of . . OUCH!!! Man, Lady M still packs a solid right hook.
Never mind.
You can visit the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
You have to have a little pity on the tortured soul that is Bill Clinton. He married Hillary.
HUT HUT is what the quarterback says to the center before he hikes the football
@mohair Sam, I think I'd like Lady M. Since the TROLL was invited to the puzzle yesterday, I guess it needed some food today. Doesn't mean we have to watch it eat. The lyrics to the theme sond from "A Series of Unfortunate Events" comes to mind. "Look away, look away, look away." Not too hard to do with a scroll bar. The only Anonymous I read anymore is the masked one.
I agree that these celeb puzzles are a publicity stunt. In the context of these publicity stunts, this isn't too bad, and definitely not boring. I imagine a Marvel Superhero film featuring THREE TON HIAWATHA is in the works now. And, yes, this is all a little twee with the self-referential entries, but really, if Will is going to run celeb puzzles they ought to be a little winking. I only wish Celebrity Crosswords were as lampoonable as Celebrity Jeopardy.
Finally, Dude My schadenfreude need is sated, thanks. We get that Bill and Hillary's very existence triggers you, but it's gone from funny to sad.
@John Child: Crosswords With Friends (for which I'm co-editor) currently pays $400 for a 13x13 puzzle (seven days a week, mobile app). We're not an open-submission venue, though—we have a group of about 25 constructors who make puzzles for us. I don't know of any print venues that pay more than the NYT.—Amy Reynaldo
I listen to WBGO while solving (such as that goes). I was stoked to see the great ERROLL Garner in today's. I recently re-watched 'Play Misty for Me' (odd film, but Clint's first as director so worth a look) and remembered that 'Misty' is one of Garner's tunes.
ELLA and ERROLL in the same week. Cool!
Puzzle-wise, easy-medium. Got hung up in the NE - I may have DO RAG block.
Oahu/ATTU, drawer/DRAWEE (doh) only do-overs.
@Aketi - True, many BOHEMEs suffer from BO.
@Mohair (9:02) -- Your close up and personal account of Lady Di, your reaction to Lady Di, and Lady M's reaction to your reaction reminds me of a similar incident with my parents in the earlyish 1950s, when a very young Queen Elizabeth II was in NYC. My father just happened to be -- or so he claimed at any rate -- in the part of town where young QEII was riding by in an open car. I remember my father saying: "She's SO much more attractive than you would think from her photographs. She's SO much more attractive! You wouldn't believe how attractive she is close up!" I didn't think about it then, and nor have I thought about it since, but I now belatedly realize how wonderfully restrained my mother's reaction must have been. I think it may have been no greater than: "Really, dear? It's so interesting to hear that."
Rex calls himself a feminist and doesn't even mention what a pig Clinton is? That's an intolerable bit of hypocrisy. The first commenter may or may not be a troll but he or she is correct. That degenerate DID violate an intern with a cigar. He has been disbarred. He was impeached. Clinton's a creep of the first order. Just because he's a democrat, he get's a pass from lots of otherwise right-thinking people. Search your heart folks; if he were a republican, ther'd be howls about normalizing the bad guy.
recently ,many of the folks on this board said it was immoral for the Times to have published a puzzle by a convicted sexual predator.
Where's the outrage today?
I thought this was a delight. I'm as political as the next (probably moreso) but please let's leave all that aside. DONT STOP THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW and it's the ECONOMY stupid were delicious. Only thing missing was a question of what the meaning of "is" is. So many clues I looked at and said, Huh?, and then a few seconds I smiled when I got it. Not sure who this Bill Clinton kid is, but he has some promise.
Saddened, but not surprised, by the trolling. I wonder if DJT could solve this. (Or, I add with trepidation, anything else...).
It's the eponomy stupid
Well, despite their moral failures, Clinton did great things with the economy as Trump is doing today. So we do have to acknowledge their achievements. I agree the puzzle was rather meh, so on to Saturday.
Only time I ever say DROPIT is to my friend's Sheltie when he brings me back his doggie frisbee for the 6031st time so I may throw it, again, but refuses to let it go. So I show him the hand and say DROPIT for the 6032nd time. He starts running, then casually and breathlessly at the same time, catches it behind his shoulder.
Repeat.
I sing ALOUETTE to my granddaughter often. Teaching her how to say all the body parts in French...is that worth the oddness of learning by plucking? I don't think I need to overthink it.
For a truly terrifying lullaby, I sing "Aninhas" to you one day. But not to your kid.
Liked the clue for AER. Liked the puzzle overall, though I didn't NOTICE the theme at all.
Thank you, Mr. Clinton and Mr. Fleming. Maybe I can get you both to sign my puzzle board at the next ACPT.
@lms...have you thought that if he were to attend, you could sit with him at the constructor' lunch??
Good one but it's spelled eponymy stupid.
I got Eleanor and finished the puzzle but who the hell is First Lady Lou?
@GHarris (10:14)-- Mrs. Herbert Hoover.
When I first saw Clinton's name, I thought of skipping the puzzle, but I'm too much of an addict to do so. I never understood how this man's reputation was rehabilitated particularly with the continuing sleaze of the Clinton Foundation.
That aside, I agree completely with Rex: too easy for a Friday and too self indulgent.
Rex, Your spot-on review of this Bubba-headed Friday NYT's Crossword Puz was truly one for the ages! It did inDEED ROT, and the much respected Victor Fleming sullied his reputation by collaborating with the morally corrupt and philandering former Prez of the U.S.from Hope, Ark.
I didn't look for a theme, this being Friday and all, and I wouldn't have known that was a campaign theme song anyway. Maybe it should have run on a Wednesday, it would have been pretty good then.
How come none of the right-wingers are attacking Bill for bringing in a Jane Fonda movie? Or for the science-denialism of 7D?
I knew CANTAB, from reading and from having lived in Cambridge MA -- but I was really held up at 38A because I read the clue as "Long, narrow island."
I didn't mind the tribute-to-myself aspects of the puzzle and enjoyed solving it.
Help from previous puzzles: ILO ILO, ATTU
Do-over: raW, SliP
NEW to me: CANTABS
Best fake-out: CHILE
Yes!
I shuddered to think what comments might come oozing out when I saw President Clinton's name and I was not disappointed.
There was a lot to like in the puzzle, starting with MISHMASH/MESH at the top and the clever clue for ANEMIA.
On the other hand, it was not particularly challenging for a Friday.
I was never enthusiastic about the celebrity crossword idea, but this one was not a total loss. And I'm a fan of Judge Vic, who consistently delivers interesting crosswords for the Rotary Club house organ.
I wonder if the Ozymandias (from which the Wiz got his name) and subtle "Tomorrow is another day" clues were a nod to the other Victor Fleming, who directed (well most of them) "The Wizard of Oz" and GWTW.
Hand up!
Very nice , gettable puzzle with Wednesday overtones.
WS needs to place his puzzles more judiciously.
CROSSWORDease--ERMA and TSO.
Writeovers:
MADMAN for MAniAc
ILOILO for maniLa
HUR for gay
Creative cluing for ANEMIA and MAIN MENU.
ALOUETTE -- how about cluing as "a sister playing baseball in France".
Why were the Montreal Canadiens sometimes referred to as CANTABS?
Thanks BC and VF
Yes, too easy for a Fri. and not much zip. No erasures and CANTABS was my only WOE. I agree with @Rex on this one, mostly meh.
"Cantabs" are students at Cambridge *University*, not residents of Cambridge, England. A minor error by current standards, but still one that would have been avoided had this puzzle been run through the NYT copy desk.
Jberg,
Careful with the hate, I'm the anonymous commenter from 9:40. Bill Clinton is grotesque. And I'm a registered democrat. Have been for more than 30 years. Nothing right wing about calling out an adulterous liar. He is odious. Politics aint got nothing to do with it.
Clinton not only ran a surplus, there was serious worry that if the surpluses continued, the National Debt would be paid off, which would be disastrous because the Fed's principle method for regulating interest rates is to buy or sell Treasury notes. Moreover, there is no safe place for the Social Security surplus to be invested except in Treasury bonds. Maybe you remember Al Gore and his "lock box" solution to the latter problem. Fortunately, George W. Bush was elected, and very quickly got rid of that pesky surplus.
Yeah, the puzzle was mediocre though I did smile at "It's the ECONOMY, stupid."
I guess ALOUETTE survives because the first impulse of so many grandparents is to sing that song to the new baby in the family. I sang it as I rocked my first grandchild in my arms.
@Charles Flaster: Montreal Canadiens were and are Les Habs, short for Habitants, referring to French people who settled along the St. Lawrence river in Quebec.
Easiest and fastest Friday for me by far. And not much fun. That's all.
Sneaky mini-theme. Unfortunately, might be overlooked, by a lot of the non-blog-readin solvers. Guess U can sorta call it an eazy-Er-than-snot FriPuz, with an Easteregg.
Probably hard to escape a lot of Comments Gallery political-oriented comments, when the co-constructioneer is a former prez. M&A will maybe hafta try to get the Trumpmeister to collude on a runtpuz, real soon. [It won't be huge.]
fave entry: GIBILL. [Phonetical Easteregg of "Gee, I Bill!"]
cool clue: {Heavy metal shortage?} = ANEMIA. [Wanted SPICER, but only becuz M&A confused metal with mettle.]
staff weeject pick: TSO. Always comfortin, to know the crossword general is still available for paid appearances.
Lotsa primo fillins: HIAWATHA. USMINT. MISHMASH. MAINMENU. OLDSTYLE. [That whole 8-stack SE corner was pretty darn smoooth.]
False alarm: OAHU before ATTU. Lost many many precious nanoseconds.
@RP: I say pay constructioneers $1000 per NYTPuz. Nice, round number. As for anyone who builds a SunPuz-sized; I dunno… Get them some professional help, I reckon.
ATTHAT. har
Thanx, Victor and Mr. President. Fun solve, even if not really a FriPuz. Which clues were presidential?
Masked & Anonymo6Us
**gruntz**
@Loren, SHEP as your avatar? He is such a green-eyed dawg!!
Northwest corner was a mess for me. (SEXTET instead of SONNET, MANIAC instead of MADMAN and boy things went horribly wrong after that)
It wasn't a Friday puzzle, I guess, but this might be my first disagreement with Rex that this was still fun. I enjoyed the wink-wink cluing.
I missed the theme (I keep forgetting to LOOK; you'd think it would have sunk in by now, but you'd think wrong). The SW killed me; not knowing either the Philippine city or the Cambridge reference, I just floundered. Even an alphabet run didn't help. Even after I twigged to TEASETS and BOHEME, I was left with no choice but to chat up Mr. google. So DNF here.
There were some groaner, but a.so some real highlights, so I'm just fine with my small yearly investment. It buys me some time to waste in the am and good comrades to share impressions with here.
exactly. My fastest Friday solve ever, by far. Editors could have helped, a little anyway, by toughening up the clues.
Thank you. The unpleasantness is uncalled for.
Cant resist this verse from Norman and Nancy Blake's "Don't be afraid of the Neocons""
Bill Clinton was a democrat
He saved us money in his hat
He fell from grace the story goes
Then Georgie put us in the hole
It will take me a while to read the comments, so before today becomes tomorrow, I want to say, @Loren, I think you are the cutest thing ever.
And, I enjoyed the puzzle. The sparkly bits more than made up for the glue, for me.
No matter how much or little one appreciated solving the puzzle today, it was a much more enjoyable experience than scanning many of the posts. I wish I'd had insomnia and solved and commented in the wee hours of the morning.
That said, I did enjoy this puzzle and didn't check the constructors until I came here and saw the early vitriol. Congrats to both gentlemen. I found the solve relatively easy until I tried to finish up in the NW and had to struggle a bit with the Philippine city. Even so, I had one of my fastest Fridays.
TEASETS and CANTABS and TYNE pleased this Anglophile. I wanted HiP for HEP and HEP for HUT, perhaps because I don't say any of them.
@Mohair, I love your wife. I think she needs her own blog account.
Whoa! @Tita, you made an interesting point for @LMS on the constructor's lunch. Hmm.
NYT Crossword : "We are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the puzzle by inviting in celebrity constructors. Obviously, we are doing this in part to get publicity for the puzzle."
Commenters: "It's a publicity stunt!!!!!"
However much of a puz devotee Bill Clinton might be, this is not a good example of construction, especially for a Friday.
As M&A predicted, the "theme" snuck right by me today, it being themeless Friday. Lately, I've been trying to not look at the constructor's name before solving but I wrote my start time too close to that area of my page and my eye was caught by Bill Clinton glinting at me. I think it would have been more fun to get that revealer post-solve and it would have explained my 14:15 Friday time, pretty fast for me.
The NE was the tough spot for me and had the cleverest clues, in my opinion, with ADULTS and US MINT (with __MIN_, I had a MINe in there but could only imagine it would be preceded by an atomic scoreboard entry of AU (hi M&A!)).
ARA, not Leo, as I always mistake when clued next to Scorpius. And ARN__ with an army was briefly ARNez. Golf, right.
Thanks, WJC and VF. It wasn't Friday tough but it was fun.
I guess in the DT era it's just fine to make crude remarks.
I enjoyed it.
@Rex and political trolls - pfffffft.
Returning Vietnam veterans also got assistance from the GI BILL of their era (23D: "Assistance for returning W.W. II vets"). I'm deeply grateful for that. Without it, I would not have been able to go back to college and get a degree, which opened the door to grad school, which led to yada, yada, yada.... The GI BILL was truly a major life changing event for me.
With 40,000 new xword subscribers, in just three months!, I think we will see a continuing dilution of the difficulty (and interest) level as the quest for puzzles that can be done by the average solver in the time it takes for an average commute continues.
I visited the Philippines many times and even lived there for six months, but never made it to ILO ILO. Also lived in SEOUL, which is only a few miles from the border. There is a US Army base there, along with several others in South Korea. Those and many US bases in Japan are within easy missile range form North Korea, which essentially gives thousands of US hostages to the North Korean regime. Seems like Vietnam is the only war which we've been able to completely extricate ourselves from in my lifetime.
I sometimes wonder if those who howl the loudest secretly wish they had the nerve to be as naughty as Bill and Monica were.
Thought this was surprisingly easy for a Friday and enjoyed the after-the-fact discovery of the theme.
Not a great puzzle but a good one. It's fun to see what certain "celebrities" do with a constructor at their side.
Clinton wasn't perfect, but he ran a good country and I'd take him in a heartbeat over the MAD MAN we have today.
I actually really enjoyed this puzzle. Unlike all of you smarty-pants, it took me a bit longer than typical for a Friday.
I especially liked...
AT THAT
DRAWEE
USMINT
AER
BALLOU
Clues were definitely Friday appropriate. I'm pleased to see the man have a little innocent fun, and I like being the beneficiary of that.
Thank you!
@Anoa I too have visited Seoul. Seoul itself is in easy artillery range from the North.
And with a nitwit's finger on the nuclear trigger. Well ... come to think of it, so do we.
I think that the constructors should be paid a $15.00 per hour minimum wage.
I thought the puzzle was fine. Nothing too terribly obscure, and I didn't even notice the "theme." If you're going to complain about the puzzle, Rex, complain about the puzzle. I'm with you on unfair compensation, but at least take some time talk about what's so bad about this puzzle, other than its celebrity.
Cantab and Oxon were used after degrees in academic credentials.
"I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."
"I finished this puzzle in two minutes."
Y'all may have visited Seoul, but I have soul. I am soul.
FWIW,75 years ago, I was attending Kindergarten in So. Orange, NJ...
Colin Powell a couple years ago - Bill "still dicking bimbos at home".
Disagree with Rex on this one. Pretty easy, but cute, pleasant puzzle and nicely executed Clinton references. No crummy fill. I enjoyed the puzzle and have no problem with the celebrity tie-ins.
Agreed! Rex, please dismiss the trolls! Every day, not just today!!
Those 40k new crossword-only subscribers are bringing in $1.6 million a year of revenue, assuming they pay an average of $40, yet your budget for constructors is $200k? That's just nuts. Imagine what the total revenues for the crossword are, not counting just new subscribers. Unless they're paying Shortz a couple mil (I hope not, with apologies to Shortz), this is dumb and makes no sense.
So let's get this straight. We have 1) a crossword of steadily declining quality that actually hasn't been that good for years and 2) a company that's not treating its constructors well despite making huge bank off of their work. That to me is not something we as solvers should reward. The celebrity puzzles also feel sort of anti-solver to me. Who f'n cares about celebs who do crosswords? I'd be 10000% happier with money invested in crazy-good out-of-this-world-good puzzles than dreck with some famous guy's name on it. Celebrate the puzzle by investing in the puzzle.
I feel the NYT shows itself as increasingly rudderless in this context. I'm not sure it's something I want to support anymore.
Whenever Rex complains about the pay for constructors, I feel like nails are scratching across a blackboard. It's not that I don't value the wonderful constructors who do great work for the NYT, but hey, it's SUPPLY and DEMAND stupid! One thing you might consider is unionizing - a union of all the good to great cross-word constructors might have a shot at negotiating a pay raise.
I would be stunned if constructors did not get considerable utility from the prestige of being published in the NYT. Revealed preference shows it must be so. What's wrong with that? If I could construct puzzles (maybe one day....) I am pretty sure I would be very excited to be in the NYT. And also happy that I was doing my very small part to prop up the struggling, near-death situation of major news print. I appreciate the consistency of the editing in the NYT, so that there are conventions in the clues, etc. Although I like the Washington Post better for news these days (sorry! I HATE the liberal love fests that masquerade as front page stories in the NYT, and on the other hand: thanks Bezos! Democracy dies in darkness!), the Xword puzzle in the NYT is way better than the one in the WaPo, thanks to Will Shortz, I assume.
LOL! It's cool to not be cool.
I agree Mr. B, I cruised until I hit the SW. I gained entry by, of all things, words from a Latin lover.
See, you are one of the cool people after all!
I very much enjoyed the puzzle. My vote for next celeb constructor would be Obama. Or maybe Jon Stewart.
@Rex, those numbers are off-putting enough to make me reconsider my subscription.
What do you recommend we do? Who should we write letters to?
@BarbieBarbie: it's actually "Cantabrigian". And that word itself, according to Merriam-Webster, refers only to faculty or students/graduates of Cambridge University, England.
It also can mean a graduate of Harvard, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts (across the river from my home town, Newton.)
It does not, constructors please note, refer, acc. to M-W, to residents of Cambridge, England.
I have not seen any systematic and unbiased procedure to support the hypothesis that the quality of NYT is declining or is "way down." I have been doing puzzles 2010 and 2011 recently and I do think that OFL is getting more critical, which is understandable. I, too, am getting more critical as I do more puzzles, but this does not mean that the quality is decreasing. So, would it be easy to do any such an analysis quickly? A very rough and dirty method that has lots of issues would be to compare the ratings on Amy's site over the years. Until this is done, I wish that we would not reach such strong OPINIONS without some date to support it.
I agree!
Slick Willy.
Thanks @Peter. I know people frown on freeform mental blatting here, but I never look anything up (takes a new tab! Ridiculous!) before I post. So the original error came from remembered factoids gleaned at a Harvard game, probably blurred by a little beer. And the other one was just me repeating someone's typo. My apologies. Still I stand by that giant pop top mascot.
I didn't even notice who constructed the puzzle, and I thought it was one of the worst I've done in a long time. And, looking back from where we presently stand, suddenly, the Clinton years were glorious in comparison. I don't get Heavy metal shortage?, 38 across or down; I hate DORAGS in any context, and TERR? C'mon Mr. President. The only TERR we should be talking about is one we annex. Oh, and ATTHAT is just...
Thanks to all who had nice things to say.
When I am able got get 18 ILSAs into a 72-answer grid, I’m usually pretty happy. The puzzle at hand has AT THAT - DON’T STOP - DO-RAGS - DROP IT - G.I. BILL - IGNORE IT – MADMAN - MAIN MENU – MISHMASH – NEARBY - NO HELP - OLD STYLE - SNAP ON - TE AMO - TEA SETS - THINKING ABOUT - THREE-TON - US MINT.
To muster a symmetrically-located 3-answer mini-theme of 29 letters in the same grid pleased me greatly. To discover that ECONOMY would run vertically through the center for “It’s the ___, stupid!” (adding, essentially, a bonus theme of one word) was a blessing beyond belief. Well worth living with COS, MIN, A LEG, AER, and ATTU—all of which are legit puzzle entries.
Have a great weekend everyone! Mine is certainly off to a great start!
Judge Vic
Interesting puzzles 2 days in a row. Thought about opining yesterday but today just made it too irresistible.
Bill sees Monica: Balmy (Ball me)
Monica says no.
Bill thinks: Kawasaki (Cow a suckee?)
Monica: Yummy (Yum, me!)
Monica gets splattered: Gooey (Goo? EEEE!)
Bill when naked in front of Monica who is upset about how he represented it: Sushi-mi (Sue she? Me?)
Bill retaliates: Sushi (Sue? She!)
Bill gets a bill: Fiji (Fee? Gee?)
Ultimate penalty: Helsinki (Hell sink he.)
Too many more. At least I HOPE I won't be accused of posting "long, political anonymous screed"
GWood
False. She's a proven liar. She told her boyfriend she was pregnant and she had a miscarriage when she did not. The charge against Clinton same thing: pure fabrication. Every investigation (including Linda Tripp) agrees on this - except Clinton haters like you.
Acquitted of all impeachment charges by the US Sebate.
Ralph10:29 PM
False. She's a proven liar. She told her boyfriend she was pregnant and she had a miscarriage when she did not. The charge against Clinton same thing: pure fabrication. Every investigation (including Linda Tripp) agrees on this - except Clinton haters like you.
except iron isn't a heavy metal
oops--I guess it is. Should've checked myself first. Anyway, I too enjoyed the puzzle.
@Ralph
Senator Byrd's own comments. A nice KKK gent on the Democratic side.
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/02/12/senate.statements/byrd.html
Within, you will find him saying:
In so doing, has the President not committed an offense in violation of the public trust? Does not this misconduct constitute an injury to the society and its political character? Does not such injury to the institutions of Government constitute an impeachable offense, a political high crime or high misdemeanor against the state? How would Washington vote? How would Hamilton vote? How would Madison or Mason or Gerry vote? My head and my heart tell me that their answer to these questions would be, 'Yes.'
Lot's of luck with your denial.
GWood
The constructor commented:
"When I am able got get 18 ILSAs into a 72-answer grid, I’m usually pretty happy."
What does ILSAs stand for in this context?
THe answers that were listed as being "ILSA" were fine but many of them were nothing special (TEA SETS? Really?)
GWood
Every single politician lies. Yes, every single one. Even your beloved Reagan lied. Every single time a politician opens his/her mouth, it's a lie.
I absolutely love how Republicans only have facts when it comes to disparaging Democrats. If only you'd use all that effort to actually do the correct thing...
You partisan idiots can't comprehend that Bill Clinton and Donald Trump are both horrible people. Well, as they said about Mussolini, "the trains run on time." At least they're not incompetent like Obama and W.
@Anon 11:03
1st off, I am a Conservative. Not a Republican, but I mostly vote that way. I absolutely try to do the right thing. But I do have a memory. Later in Byrd's comment he says:
"To drop the sword of Damocles now, given the bitter political partisanship surrounding this entire matter, would only serve to further undermine a public trust that is too much damaged already. Therefore, I will reluctantly vote to acquit."
Reluctantly. A very good word. I support Trump for the reasons stated above. Trump isn't what Clinton was. Brash, crude, not as articulate as you want, but not to the point of removing him. I understand his motive. At least we take out our own trash, ala Nixon. You exalted your Clinton, Barney Frank, William Jefferson in Louisiana, Marion Barry in DC, etc. I've described the difference between Liberals and Conservatives before so I won't be redundant.
I sincerely hope your Trump Derangement Syndrome symptoms are gone soon!
GWood
Sorry. Should have been for Anon @ 11:09
GWood
I was told this was a crossword puzzle blog. I was misinformed.
@Anon 11:49
Yes. It really is a crossword puzzle blog. However, if the person running the blog or other commentators interject politics into the conversation, I believe it is fair game. Unless your into suppression of alternate ideas and opinions, like, say, Berkeley.
GWood
Sorry, don't want to offend the Grammar Nazi:
Unless you're into suppression of alternate ideas and opinions, like, say, Berkeley.
GWood
Very much enjoyed this puzzle. Satisfying to (almost) finish (missed chile/cantabs even though I'm a brit.) Appreciated sharp clues rather than trivia test. I hope rest of series are this much fun.
This speaks my mind.
I LOVED this puzzle! I've finished every NYT puzzle without cheating for years, but this one was difficult for me, and I finally had to admit that Google was imperative if I wanted to finish it before I died. Having a hard time believing anyone who says that this was easy.
I agree, did not get SNAPON reference. I recommend the NYT crossword/Will Shortz doc from a few years back. Bill Clinton is featured.
SUITABLE ENOUGH
“ELEANOR, DONTSTOP it, we’re ADULTS who MESH in OLDSTYLE clinches,
don’t IGNOREIT or DROPIT – THINKINGABOUT if I’ve GOTTEN inches.”
--- G.I.BILL BALLOU
Well, it certainly is different. I'd call 35-across a "non-awkward partial." I am ashamed to admit, this big Journey fan never even NOTICEd the song. The campaign was too long ago for me to recall anything about it. That goes for 25-down, too. Reading about the theme caused a huge self-headslap.
That has to say something about the construction skill. Any time a theme is SO seamless that you don't even see it--that's gotta be a thumbs-up. For a Friday (despite the Natick at #40 and that silly city in the Philippines), this played easy. I had to laugh at DRAWEE, a real word, but how can you even say that with a straight face? IGNOREIT and DROPIT in the same grid; I guess I'll just 31-down.
The DOD search is coming up empty, so we have to stretch a point here and make Jane Fonda, star of Cat BALLOU, our daily damsel. A solid birdie from two old farts. WTG, guys.
If this puz can have a GIBILL it ought to have a corresponding and symmetric Santa MONICA. But no. And I didn’t see the theme either, so that was NOHELP.
Been a long time since we’ve been to ATTU. Reminds me of the Maleska days.
Never did like OLDSTYLE beer. ECONOMY swill cheap ENOUGH.
BILL couldn’t find room for at least one yeah baby? @spacey had the same idea as I did so I’ll leave it ATTHAT. Fell in love with Jane after Cat BALLOU.
This puz was quite SUITABLE given the conditions. TOMORROW.
All ABOUT BILL, as one might expect, I guess.
This could even be mined for an ADULTS only, not SUITABLE for children, narrative. (Oh, I see Burma Shave does something like that.)
Voted for him twice and liked the way he gave R's in congress fits, but not much a fan of his post-presidency.
Who still says HEP instead of HIP?
Easy Friday except for some trickiness in the NE and the spelling of ERROLL, a real HiP jazz man.
This was a fine puzzle, and I didn't mind an ex-prez co-constructing. Easy, for a Friday, but there were many nice clues, and no dreck. I actually noticed the Fleetwood Mac lyrics, but I didn't think of it as a theme. Didn't know it as a campaign song.
Very smooth throughout, and I really liked the wide-open corners. Solid.
Natick at the CANTABS/BOHEME cross. Should have gotten BOHEME - shame on me.
Rest of the puzzle went down smoothly.
Apparently both sides managed civility at last nights baseball game - turning over the trophy was a class act.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
Thought it was Bohime but they said it was wrong. Had to look up Tonys,Teamo,and New. Though in the latter case I suspected it was right. Looked up Thehat and when that was wrong I tried Athat which was right. Same with Cantabs,it was my second guess.After knowing it was right back and wrote Boheme and I finished it. How do you rate the ones you figure out after looking up a wrong one? It is not the same not knowing it at all. Half a point? And if it is something you suspect does it count the same for looking it up?
Mark
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