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Relative difficulty: Medium (?) (easy for me until I hit the NE, and then I just stared at blank for something well over a minute) (6:20)
Word of the Day: Shirley Temple (11D: Temple, for one => CHILD STAR) —
Shirley Temple Black (April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, businesswoman, and diplomat who was Hollywood's number one box-office draw as a child actress from 1935 to 1938. As an adult, she was named United States ambassador to Ghana and to Czechoslovakia, and also served as Chief of Protocol of the United States. (wikipedia)
• • •
Then came the PLIÉ disaster (see first three bullets in "Five Things," below). Then came the NE, where a 4x5 section of the grid just sat empty for what felt like ever. Everything north of STAR and SUGAR. Everything east of BEER PONG. The fact that the long Downs both broke at the same place, right between words in a two-word phrase, giving me no ability to infer my way up the grid, ugh that was annoying. But I'm more annoyed at myself. Even though I'm not a million years old, I should've seen right through that Temple clue. But first I thought Temple University, then ... nothing. Temple Grandin and Temple Bledsoe (whose actual name is Tempest, ugh), were the only Temples I could think of. And I should've gotten PEDDLE from the PE- (24A: Hawk) (I wanted a verb meaning "sell," to, I just ... couldn't get past "sell") and I should've gotten BLEED from the "B" (21A: Run). I finally *did* get STEEL from (finally!) remembering what "Bessemer" was related to (13D: Bessemer process output). I had SMELT in there at one point, so ... ballpark? Ugh. Anyway, overall, very lukewarm grid, very amateurish (on my part) solve. Puzzle disappointing, Rex disappointing.
Five things:
- 50D: Derby car material (PINE) — I honestly don't know what any of this means. Is this a "soap box derby"???? What year is it?! Is there a Shirley Temple movie playing?
- 51D: River to the Arctic Ocean (LENA) — I should've just ignored the clue and gone quickly through my 4-letter river Rolodex. LENA is common enough. But I was somehow imagining the Arctic Ocean on the other side of the globe (Antarctic) and thought the river would be some obscure nonsense I'd barely heard of. Early-morning solves can be pretty hit-or-miss, man.
- 43D: Boot covering (GAITER) — answer one: GALOSH (OH YES, GALOSH); answer two: GARTER. Sigh.
- 60A: Goal of meditation (INNER PEACE) — As someone who meditates regularly, allow me to say, no. I acknowledge that this is how it is sold, but ... the very word "goal" ruins everything, and there's no such thing as INNER PEACE. This clue is some gift-shop / techbro version of meditation, and you can have it back.
- 41A: In spite of (FOR ALL) — feels both off and mildly archaic. I keep trying to substitute "in spite of" for FOR ALL in common phrases, and it keeps coming out sounding wrong or meaning something different. Anyway, it's just not good fill. I prefer FOREARM. "One FOREARM and arm FOR ALL!"
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
The PINEwood Derby is alive and well in Cub Scout packs everywhere (ok, well at least in northeast PA...but I'm pretty sure it's an essential part of Cub Scouts no matter where you live). I found them exhausting, but when the kids get excited about it, the experience can also be fun. And one year the Scouts made me a trophy (out of paper cups, as I recall) as a thank you for helping out all year...it was great!
ReplyDeleteWow. Someone else here is from NEPA!
DeletePlease allow People Who Are Not Just Like Michael Sharp to recognize their wheelhousevocab without labeling it as unequivocally Crosswordese.
ReplyDeleteI liked this puzzle. Very easy for me, for a Friday, but it was fun and mostly junk-free. Lots of mini-ahas, which is what I like.
Um, my kids know what BEERPONG is. As well as who Shirley Temple is. Seems current enough.
Tooled my way through this at a little faster than normal Friday speed, that is, like walking through two feet of water rather than three feet, until I hit the NE, where, for a bit, I, much as Rex describes, felt like I was drowning, thanks to positivity on whiteSUGAR, vague cluing on EVADE and BLEED, and a frustrating forgetfulness on which operation uses the Bessemer process. After leaving and returning to the area making no dent, I finally looked up the process ("Oh yeah, that's right -- STEEL!"), the rest filled in, and once again a creeping case of crossword ego edema was quashed, and I thank you for that Daniel!
ReplyDeletePretty easy, even if I wrote in “pina colada” off that final A. I guessed that the confession clue deal had to be ART. I’ve investigated this BAHAMA MAMA drink: dark rum, coconut rum, banana liqueur, grenadine, pineapple juice, orange juice, Sprite. Listen. I love crappy foods and drinks, but that sounds disgusting.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, “Twinkie bar” has the same number of letters as ADDED SUGAR. I know it’s maligned, but sometimes a Twinkie is sublime.
GAITER went right in no prob – I’m of the opinion that good pair of gaiters is the single most important piece of gear when camping in sub-zero snow situations. Gotta protect the well-being of your feet. The order goes like this:
1. Thin polyester socks
2. Plastic bag over each sock - Vapor Barrier Layer (just VBLs for us in the business)
3. Expensive as crap wool socks over the VBLs
4. Even more expensive Sorel boots
5. Gaiters fastened around the outside of the boots and pants, like exposed ankle/shin corsets
I’ll pause while you jot this down.
I loved learning ATHWART. That’s one ugly-looking word. I like to place an elegant, neatly folded, blanket athwart the foot of the bed in our guestroom so it feels all Frontgate-esque and classy.
DIETARY LAW per Miss Piggy: Never eat anything bigger than your head. Per my sister: Stop eating when it gets hard to chew. (I ate beyond that point once and my hands and feet started tingling. Like all the blood was rushing to my stomach to be of back-up digestion assistance.)
The length of your FOREARM is directly proportional to the length of your foot. Leonardo da Vinci figured that one out. So whose forearm did they use to invent the cubit? My son wears a size 15 or 16. I’m a 7 ½. Big difference. On a side note, when I worked at Western Steer, I could stack like three or four plates of steak up my left arm to deliver. So I always thought the managers would be smart to hire only big-footed servers. I mean with a seriously extended length forearm, you could add a couple more plates. Ok, Brittney, I think you’ll be a good fit for our restaurant, but take off your shoes, please. I need to see your feet… Or, We have a family reunion Sunday with 100 people. Schedule only the Big Foots. Gotta get those well-done Porterhouses served while they’re hot.
Thanks, Daniel. TGIF.
Re winter footwear, I can't tell you how amazing my Kamik boots are. Ridiculously warm and ridiculously inexpensive.
DeleteOk, Loren, but a Twinkie is *not* a bar and no one calls it a bar. Just sayin'.
DeleteHot take: Rex has never been more wrong about a puzzle.
ReplyDeleteWiped the floor with this one; almost a PR (which isn’t anything, but sounds good). Heat wave in Naples; loving it.
ReplyDeleteI think this puzzle, while good, is more of a Wednesday feel. I beat my Tuesday time by 1/2 of a minute. Of course ALOHA TOWER was a flat out gimme for me. CHILD STAR shouldn't be that easy to see, but I remembered Shirley Temple from back in the day. Luckily I had my Patrick Berry fix on Monday, so I am good for the weak (sic).
ReplyDeleteSE corner was a mess, though the three long answers are all solid. “Glimmers are young ones?” Alas.
ReplyDeleteI rocketed through this thing, even with a couple of early errors. It was fun but not quite a Friday.
ReplyDeleteHa ha I liked Rex's rant about how he meditates but not for inner peace and everybody else are assholes who are doing it wrong. That was awesome. Rex, you should drink more. Maybe take take up smoking.
When I saw the clue for 11D I got real slick and put in ALMAMATER and patted myself on the back. It didn't last long but I was pretty proud for a minute there.
I worked for a spell in Honolulu and we would walk to the ALOHATOWER and have lunch at the Hooters there. It wasn't that great. Actually, after about three weeks Honolulu is no longer a paradise and is kind of a hellhole full of crazy people, drunk sailors, Hawaiians, and clueless tourists from China. By the time I left after three months I could have easily killed someone with zero remorse. I'm better now.
NEARMISSES are actually NEARHITS. Glass half full and all that.
Good laugh re: Honolulu experience description.
DeleteMy sons’ elementary school just happened to have other fathers who were engineers at Ford. Yeah, the kids did all the work with only “guidance” from Pop. My kids never won the PINEwood Derby.
ReplyDeleteI liked this more than Rex, but was wondering early if my sons would know PEPE LEPEW. I’m quite positive they wouldn’t know Shirley Temple. Yeah, those two alone skew the PPP towards geriatric. I get that “Temple” provides nice multiple meanings, but there have been a few CHILD STARs since the 1930’s, surely one of them has a name that could be played with. The non-PPP stuff is mostly fine, but maybe avoid CHILD STARs who died five years ago at the age of 85.
Hand up for stalling in the NE much as Rex described. My way out was EluDE fixed by IDEA, then PEDDLE and BLEED which gave me enough to see the downs. Other stumbles were EdITionS before EPISODES and jetE before PLIÉ. I don’t meditate so much as I ruminate, but I had the same arched eyebrow as Rex for the notion of having a “goal” for meditation.
In case you were wondering and didn’t see my late posts yesterday, PPP is Pop Culture, Product Names, and other Proper Nouns as a percentage of a puzzle. Anything over 33% generally means we will see the "wheelhouse/outhouse" effect, that is some finding the puzzle easy because the PPP is in their wheelhouse and others finding it nearly impossible because the PPP is stuff they don't know, in their "outhouse. Anything lower than 25% is unusual, as is anything over 40%. Today's 46% is an outlier.
I did the whole GALOSH/GARTER thing too in that exact order...
ReplyDeleteI wear GAITERs for cross country skiing (not in Naples) and trail running. I’ve kayaked with gators in the Everglades; better than crocs, which I paddled near while on safari.
ReplyDeleteWell Rex, FOR ALL your complaining, it was still a fun puzzle.
ReplyDeleteWhy did the prostitute buy a bicycle?
ReplyDeleteFor the Record:
ReplyDelete24A: Hawk (P _ _ _ _ _)
PROWAR? Nope
PETREL? Nope
PEDDLE? Yep
Made the NE Corner go pretty slow....
who still uses a PDA or pager?
ReplyDeleteAnd DRAMA clued as video store category. There are no video stores any more. This is so 1990’s
DeleteUh, sitting and thinking up more ways to complain about a puzzle or Will Shortz is now called meditating?
ReplyDeleteA routine Friday puzzle. These things come in at the very low twenty something minute mark. I had no idea on 1A or 15A just off their clues. A few downs get dropped in and I recognize MAMA and TOWER. From there it's not rocket science to fill in the blanks.
ReplyDeleteAt 43D I had to change GALOSH to GAITOR and then to GAITER. Easy to do and about as tricky as this puzzle got. Stand ATHWART yer GAITERS mateys.
I've been traveling hence the lack of commenting since Sunday. We went to see my relatives in PA and our youngest in Brooklyn. I did the Sunday and Wednesday puzzles on the road but no time to comment.
A great deal of our Wednesday was spent driving from one end of Brooklyn to the other on a wild goose chase for a futon sofa much too big to fit on top of our car anyway. All this was during a snowstorm. I don't recommend it but anything for our baby. We missed the cut off for the Colbert show but we got to walk through Central Park after a fresh snow so all was well.
Very, very easy Friday. Just too many long giveaways – INNER PEACE, PEPE LEPEW, SOLAR FLARE, RED DRAGON.
ReplyDeleteNot a giveaway was EWES. My dictionary says gimmer is chiefly Scottish. Hoots, mon!
Exact opposite reaction to @LMS on the BAHAMA MAMA description. Wondering why I have never had what sounds like a perfect drink.
ReplyDeleteThe last three puzzles have featured TWERK, ANAL, and ASS. I wonder what's coming next?
ReplyDeleteGood puz and nice to see Rex sharing a little humility.
ReplyDelete21 down Beerpong (clue 21D
ReplyDeletePopular drinking game) and 58 down RPI (clue 58D
Oldest tech school in the U.S.) reminded me of this 2013 SNL clip
I finished with one error, which I thought was in the GAITER area, but turned out to be ASP and POLARFLARE.
ReplyDeleteRight there with you on the Temple clue, except it's TEMPESTT Bledsoe.
ReplyDeleteOf course: De flea de-flowered de floozy. Oh Rex, if you were my college English professor, I'd de-fenestrate myself.
ReplyDeleteOne For All and All For One. Wasn’t ATHWART a musketeer? I put in AT HEART actually and almost got a DNF. But luckily fixed it. I also threw in Solar STORM having never heard of FLARE. And definitely a Galosh/Garter/Gaiter kinda guy. Tried to squeeze in FEATHER BOA for the queenly attire. Lol. That tropical drink sounds like it does not need any ADDED SUGAR, thank you. I bet it gives some hellish hangovers. All in all, ALAS, I found this one too easy for a Friday when I usually like more DRAMA, but that’s okay. I have a beautiful date for breakfast. I promise no PDA however.
ReplyDeleteI remember the last time EOSIN appeared in a puzzle. That's when Rex made the memorable and incredibly arrogant comment (which he later deleted), pointing how ridiculous it was, that he and his wife both have PhD's and neither of them knew it. EOSIN is for us who have a working knowledge of the sciences (EOSINOPHIL). Just because Rex Parker doesn't know something doesn't make it crosswordese.
ReplyDeleteAll I needed today was ATHWART. Where have you been all my life? Just saying it aloud gets me all lispy.
ReplyDeleteThe GAITER instructions weren’t new to me except for the plastic bags. I might get by with a sandwich size as opposed to a Hefty... better yet pick them up for free in the vegetable section and ignore that bit of broccoli near the toe. These kids! I’m from the silk liner era for gloves and tootsies. Of course I had PEPELEPEW without any crosses so I’m older than dirt.
I went with Pina Colada first and had never seen the ALOHATOWER so that section was slowest for me. We only spent one night in Honolulu and realized we needed to get to Kauai where paradise was still unpaved.
Anyone who has sons in Boy Scouts knows about the Pinewood Derby. Shirley Temple, though, not THAT'S ancient history.
ReplyDeleteI loved the clue for 50 down. I guess it’s safe to assume Rex had other interests as a kid. We had an Eagle in the family and were amazed to discover that we could have saved the fancy college tuition. He got his first NYC job from a fellow who discovered they shared the badge. That block of wood wasn’t a bad start.
ReplyDeleteThis went by so easily, especially since I'm an only occasional Friday finisher, I was shocked to find OFL had such difficulty with the NE. Probably didn't know Bessemer process yields STEEL which along with a V in either avoid or EVADE (14D) would have given him HDTV and, "off to the races".
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that speed determines his degree of like or dislike? Why not a clever, challenging effort?
Agree with dislike of EOSIN but it came easily with crosses. Seems like I've seen ALOHATOWER before. Wanted PINACOLADA for 1A but soon disabused of that with down failures.
Most of this was fun and challenging but the SE just Ate Me Up And Spit Me Out. As I was solving, it seemed to me that the puzzle featured an unusually high number of possibly correct answers (y’know, like EVADE, AVOID, ELUDE etc. for 14D). Somehow, through most of it, I managed to select the right one. But in the SE, it all came tumbling down.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s a video store ?
ReplyDeleteA GAITER is a "boot covering"? In my expreience they cover your lower shins and keep snow from going up your pant leg. Nice to see "galosh" being mentioned again though.
ReplyDeleteFOR ALL as an answer for "in spite of" made me think of the Burns poem with the line(s) "for a' that" (a man's a man for a'that), which I revisited, and which is a fine poem, so thanks for that.
Sailed through most of this, and liked seeing ATHWART, fun word.
ReplyDelete@HungryM -- re: Heat wave in Naples. Yep, only 68 now in Bonita (just north), but the NYT weather forecast high for Fort Myers (a bit farther north) is for 86 today.
re: Crocodiles. A few years back, one set up camp in a pond on our golf course (a couple miles inland) for the season. We instituted a "croc drop" rule for golf balls near the pond (which would be at my back when I hit). ... Crocs can move very fast!
Speaking of which, we have an alligator who lives in the marsh behind our condo who sometimes transits my driveway to cross the street and travel to a nearby pond, where I think his girlfriend lives ... Lookin' for love in all the wrong places, IMO. Anyway, when I bring my small dog out to do his business, I always keep him on a VERY short leash until I can check out the area.
What is this "Video Store" mentioned at 45D. Is that where you can go to get coffee and stream your favorite movies on your computer for a small $11 per month subscription?
ReplyDeleteI've heard tell, in the very old days, where you would have to actually leave your house, drive a mile or two, pay a membership fee, search through racks and racks of VCR tape boxes (that were usually empty) for the 5th movie on your list (because the others were gone...again), at the checkout counter you would hand the empty box to a pimple-faced, I-don't-care-about-anything-at-all angsty teen, who would in turn hand it off to a carbon copy of themselves, who would then disappear for about 10 minutes to go find your actual video tape, and then, after about 45 minutes, you'd finally get back home to find that the tape had not been re-wound. Must have been a terrible time to live.
Also, anyone who has every meditated or even tried to meditate, would know that meditation only shows you just how non-peaceful you are inside. Ironically, that's the point. Once you start to see the mess your brain is in, you can take it less seriously...so as you sit in meditation more and more, you become less disturbed by the monkey brain who can not sit still for very long at all. Anyone who claims they have inner peace is lying.
Good to see ATHWART, reminds of canoes. Big PEPE fan here, one smooth dude. Hand up for PINACOLADA as well.
ReplyDeleteMy Friday habit...and one I don't want to change: Make some good strong coffee, slide into my favorite chair, expect at least an hour of leisurely brain storming. Get up several times to refill coffee, water the plants, put away last nights dishes, sit back down, check the mail, play with the pups, finish the crossword. Well, none of that happened today except for finish the crossword. I had exactly two pauses today: Rest/RELY and Even so/FOR ALL.
ReplyDeleteBecause I give myself and hour for Fri./Sat. I kept trying to stall, but dang, every single answer was sliding in smooth as a PEPE LE PEWS sweet talk. Not even one little bathroom break.
BAHAMA MAMA/BAIT took a second. When I start off fast and I'm all giddy, I think something will eventually crawl up and bite me. Hell, this was easier that last Tuesday's. I'm glad I don't EVER time myself because then I'd have to meditate and ask myself "What do I do with the next 45 minutes?"
Speaking of....I tried meditation a couple of times. I don't look for INNER PEACE, I try to concentrate on how to get rid of my headache. It doesn't work. Moving on and speaking of booze:
I'm not really crazy about fancy mixed drinks and I've never had that BAHAMA MAMA so I looked it up. I will never have one. Don't like coconut nor pineapple juice. Why waste good rum? Nowadays mixed drinks have to be creative and it's all about the garnishes. My future son-in-law is a bartender and I ask him to whip up some goodies for me when he comes for dinner. He say's I'm his best patsy. I want all of you serious have some good times don't get drunk imbibers, to try a Lychee Martini or a Lemon Grass Gin and Tonic. Now, if you want to feel all healthy and all in the morning, try a Bloody Caesar. No foo foo in your drink - just some good ole' vegetables and stuff. Makes you feel healthy.
I agree with @Rex that the puzzle did feel like someone's idea of a snazzy puzzle twenty years ago. It made me happy in only one way: I finished in record time and with no errors.
Roared through until stopped cold in the southeast. Finally finished. @DeeJay where did you notice humility from anal Rex?
ReplyDeleteWmc.
ReplyDeleteThere are crocs in and aroungf the Fort Meyers area, but damn few. My guess is that you have alligators.
Rocky Denis,
Rex arrogant? Surely you misunderstood. Har!!! As you rightly noteb eosinfil is pretty damn common.
z,
Your late-night defense of what number one seed means is risble. Re-read your comment and tell me that your reasoning isn't circular.
I absolutely loved this Friday themeless. Very smooth, easy and delightful. On vacation in the Caribbean next week so I will enjoy the suggestion of a BAHAMA MAMA and maybe play some BEER PONG.
ReplyDeleteHidden theme: obsolescent technology! DVD, PDA, PAGER, Video store... I'm guessing maybe this puzzle was submitted 15 years ago. I thought the Soap Box Derby still happened, though -- am I wrong?
ReplyDeleteHigh point of my solving experience was the speculation, "Maybe there is something called the ALOHA TOWER?" and turning out to be right. TADA!
INNER PEACE is all right, but I bet I'm not the only one to misread the clue as 'mediation' and look for something like the horrible POC 'agreements.'
jeTE before PLIE, ____ Ccrown before PROM DRESS. And, like @Rex, took too long to think of Shirley Temple -- but she's hardly obscure, you can switch to her eponymous drink when you've had too many BAHAMA MAMAs.
It took me too long to put in RED DRAGON even after the crosses made it obvious, as I couldn't get past the idea that it was a Tom Clancy book. Finally gave up and went with it, though.
@Rex -- "for all that" = "in spite of that"
I'm trying the @Nancy method again -- I'll be back after I read the comments, but have to run an errand first.
As someone who always struggles with Friday and Saturday offerings, this one was actually fun to solve (in stark contrast to yesterday’s trivia quiz). There were only a couple of things that were “out there” (staring at you ATHWART, EOSIN and GAITER). The PPP was, I suspect, solveable for most people - if not out and out wheelhouse-friendly. Nice to see a Friday greid without a lot of esoteric rubbish, foreign words, and ancient kings, emperors, popes and mythological figures that no one has ever heard of or cares about !
ReplyDeleteI managed to wipe the Green Paint off my COLD NOSE, but did not feel compelled to DEFLEA. If necessary, I might swat or spray, but you won't catch me in *DEFLEA mode* anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteGuess I'm not as accomplished a SOT as I claimed yesterday. Can't keep up with all the cutesy, (probably very potent) new-fangled cocktails. Have no idea what a BAHAMA MAMA is. My rum beach drinks? Daiquiri, pina colada, rum-and-coke. Is my age showing?
Sorry, Daniel Nierenberg. There's no such thing as an IDLE THREAT these days, if ever there was. Too many nutcases out there. Any and every THREAT is a cause for real alarm. (I'm sure this point has been made by others; I'll go back and read y'all now).
A very (too) easy Friday, but the fill was junk-free and quite nice. Very welcome after yesterday.
Agree on easy for this one. A start at AWES x ALOHA TOWER sent me on a counterclockwise sweep; perhaps approaching from below (e.g., having the PE for PEDDLE and B for BLEED) made it easier for those NE entries to come into focus quickly. Last in: the A of IDEA x EVADE.
ReplyDeleteI liked the parallel placement of DIETARY LAW and IDLE THREAT.
@pabloinnh, thanks for the reminder of the Burns poem. I reallly liked that entry, and that is a perfect example.
I used to see SHIRLEY TEMPLE BLACK from time to time back in the late 1980s — her granddaughter and my daughter were in the same class at a local grade school. She was always friendly and lovely.
ReplyDeleteShirley was born on April 23rd. I told her that William Shakespeare was also born on April 23rd. She was aware of that. But I pointed out to her that Shakespeare’s death day was also April 23 — one of the few people to have the same day for both birth and death. I asked her if she thought she would share that distinction the Bard. She looked at me funny but then smiled graciously.
@ anonymous 9:04 a.m: In the old days people used to go to video stores where they rented Shirley Temple movies on something called video cassettes. I kid you not.
ReplyDeleteHow do I delete my previous post? Can't? Too late? OK -- a belated OOPS. I had expected 11A to be NOSE and already had my Green Paint quip at the ready for what I thought was COLD NOSE. But it turned out to be COLD CASE -- which is absolutely legit.
ReplyDeleteNote to Self: Don't write your comment in your head AHEAD of time, Dummy!
ALOHA All !
ReplyDeleteHadn't an IDEA on that NE corner also. Only had said IDEA in there, and after staring at it and rereading the clues about 163 times, finally Googed for the Bessemer process. Then the ole brain finally cottoned to BLEED, which led to EVADE, HDTV, ADDED SUGAR (had the SUGAR, but was looking for a type, like refined or something. ADDED, pfft), and CHILD STAR/CASE. Man, what a wacky corner. EVADE is apropos.
Wanted GAlosh first for GAITER, like a bunch of y'all, always flip twixt DIN and ado for the Hubbubby clues, and put wood in first for PINE. So SE was second toughest section, but pulled through that. Rest of puz was easy for a Friday.
How does ATHWART mean side to side, when THWART means to ruin? Weird. NEAR MISSES is wrong. It should be NEAR HITS, because you actually did miss something. If you hit something, it's a NEAR MISS. And, if you hit something, there's no INNER PEACE.
BAHAMA MAMAs are good, Red Deaths are also good. But drinking fruity drinks when you're a young male seems un-macho. "Give me a BEER!" Har.
ASS HOLD :-)
RooMonster
DarrinV
"...where Paradise was still unpaved." Lovely, lovely line, @Hartley (8:40). (Do wish I knew, however, what you're talking about in your 8:55 post. I didn't "get" 50D at all.)
ReplyDeleteAnd, btw, I too was intrigued by your 6:57 description of Hawaii, @JOHN X. Very interesting.
So, you were strolling in Central Park two days ago, @puzzlehoarder, and you never thought to let me know? While I no longer do "fresh snow" (or even stale snow), I'm available in dry conditions with good footing. Would love to meet you and your family sometime.
If you like Horror films like I do and especially if they involve food, You gotta see RED DRAGON.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Hopkins is at his evil best as Hannibal Lecter. So...the movie starts out with him attending a performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." He becomes visibly irritated with the flute player who continues to miss his notes. Cut into Hannibal hosting a dinner party after that fateful performance. One of his guests asked about the amuse-bouche he made. Lecter turns to her with a bemused smile and says something like "If I tell you how it's made, you night not try it." ....The amuse-bouche alone was worth the movie. By the way, if you've never had one, it is exactly what it sounds like. A complimentary little bite eaten before the start of you dinner. It must never be boring - like deersblood jelly on birchbark crostini.
See where the movie is going?
I really can't complain about an easy Friday puzzle that makes me feel like a genius! No, really the main reason I liked it was because I learned several things. Always a bonus for me.
ReplyDeleteWhere Hannibal Lector came from.
What the Bessemer process makes.
Forearm/cubit connection.
Common use for eosin.
What gimmers are.
That's a long list for one day.
As for the review, Rex has really set himself up for some critical remarks. I mean how can such a grouch be such an "expert" on meditation? The concept is hilarious. I use that phrase all of the time. When I'm heading out the door with my dogs I frequently call it my quest for inner peace. Sometimes it works.
I don't know if you coined the phrase @Lewis, but I love ego edema.
I would complain about another kids' animated movie but there is Pepe LePew so I guess Moana (who?) is OK.
Now it's time to put on my boots and gaiters so I can search for my daily dose of inner peace.
Once again Rex shows his pique because of a stumble or a fact outside his ken. Not good reasons for complaint. Still, his time humbles me. My hang up was in the SW. Deflea (even my autocorrect rejects it) crossing eosin was a total bummer and I made little progress until I changed solar storm to flare. Getting it all done without a cheat was very uplifting. So I liked this one a lot. Btw, started out by trying to put in Cuba libra as the drink for 1across. Anyone else?
ReplyDeleteSneak in a little lead weight, add a liberal dose of WD-40, and-TADA-it’s a PINEwood derby trophy!
ReplyDeleteSeemed hard, but I finished it without a flaw, so it must have been fairly easy for a Friday. The clue "TEMPLE, FOR ONE" was a classic Will Shortz misdirect.
ReplyDeleteWm C,
ReplyDeleteoops. Didn't read your post fully. Mea culpa. You're all over the reptile scene. No crocodile tears from me, but the apology is sincere.
@rex, "Even though I'm not a million years old..." Let me explain something to you. You are a college instructor, you have a daughter in college. To all of them, in spite of your pandering and self-delusion, you are indeed a million years old.
ReplyDeleteDNF, but got far enough to call it easy.
Started easy for me but got stuck on 'For all" - It must be me - I enjoyed it.
ReplyDelete@ww -- My mom was born and died on the same day.
ReplyDelete@suzieQ -- C'est a moi.
No Harry Potter! No Star Wars! No auto models! I'll have what MAMA's having!
ReplyDeleteGuys, I need help, and please tell me if my request is out of line, asking about *another* Xword.
Came across an old Ben Tausig...
Why is the answer to “Second name on the bill”
*OPENER*?
EV
@EV 12:18 - I'm guessing opener refers to the opening act, which might be the second name on the bill, below the main act.
DeleteVery easy. This took about as much time as Tuesday’s.
ReplyDeletemint before HALE and ado before DIN were my only erasures.
Smooth with a bit of zip, but just too easy. Liked it.
FOR ALL M&A's valiant efforts, he could not even come loose-snot-close to @RP's 6:20 FriPuz solvetime. M&A wishes he was that good at solvin, and old @RP had a 6-D wart on his ath. [har]
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, sure -- now that we have an actual themeless puz, the jaws of themelessness take a hike.
Very good puz, for one with no theme, tho. Thanx, Mr. Nierenberg.
Always luv seein cartoon characters like PEPE LEPEW and EOSIN DEFLEA in the puzs. Ditto with CHILDSTAR Shirley Temple. Call m&e nostalgic, I reckon.
fave fillins: SOLARFLARE. BEERPONG. IDLETHREAT + INNERPEACE twosome. MOANA [Better clue: {Stupid pun, informally??} ]. EWES [Kind of a partin shot vowel-respect teaser, today].
staff weeject pick: ASS. Var. spelling of ATH.
@RP often raises the issue about whether the puzfillins have enough zip/sparkle. Personally, this assemblage was more than adequate. It had m&e at FOREARM's cubit clue.
INNER PEACE on Earth, good will "for all" de fleas …
Masked & AnonymoUs
**gruntz**
To those of you who were kind enough to praise my NYT letter of last week: it's results like the link below that make me so happy I wrote it. I think if you look at the two links side by side, you'll see more than a slight resemblance. For those of you who hated my letter and didn't think the link to it belonged on this blog: Don't click on this link, whatever you do. Fair warning. Look what I found!
ReplyDeleteI've never done scouts nor participated in a pinewood derby, but that's such a piece of Americana to me, that I'm surprised Rex hadn't come across it somewhere before. To me, it's a classic cultural trope of father-son bonding (which can be extended to any parent, any child, but in the past this is my memory of its most common use in media.)
ReplyDeleteI got snagged up in the west. For whatever reason, I just could not get "FOR ALL" to fit with "In spite of." I'm still not exactly sure I like that answer, but I was finally able to figure out some example sentences where "FOR ALL" could substitute for "in spite of." I have a feeling this is one of those clue-answer combinations that is probably a gimme to most experienced cruciverbalists, but I'm still fairly green.
Took me awhile because of that to tease out the longer answers, which now seem easy in retrospect, but don't they all?
Still finished a hair under my average Friday time, but I don't finish most Fridays, so that's a great result for me.
I always feel smart when I can complete a no-Google/no-cheat Friday. Bonus is that Rex categorized this as "medium" but I found it easy, taking only 3 Rexes to complete as opposed to my average 8 Rexes for a Friday. It helps that I love animation (MOANA, PEPELEPEW) and have done enough crosswords to suss out stuff such as ALDA as the actor in 2D, even though I had no idea he was in "Manhattan Murder Mystery". 4 letter actor ending in A - simple stuff.
ReplyDeleteI too got hung up in the NE because despite my interest in birding, I kept wanting PEtrel for "Hawk". PEDDLE was a wonderful answer but took me a while to get there. Also wanted whiteSUGAR which also slowed me down.
Speaking of animation, the Oscar animation shorts this year are really good, especially "Weekends". "Tweet Tweet" (or "Chik-Chirik", a vastly superior title, why did they have to "translate to English"?) was only an honorable mention and got robbed. It's fantastic, look for it.
https://www.awn.com/animationworld/zhanna-bekmambetova-spreads-her-creative-wings-tweet-tweet
So Rex thinks Wednesdays' puzzle was "just gorgeous work" and gripes about todays'. I am so glad I have never been bitten by the timing bug. OFLs obsession, combined with his obvious bias re. constructors and editor,really makes his "critiques" laughable more often than not. Thank God for the comments section.
ReplyDeleteI had fun with this one. Had virtually nothing going on the entire Eastside. Took time for a coffee refill. Stood staring at the grid looking for possible letter combos without thinking of the clues. Had alas and lace. law? Maybe. Then somehow argo popped into my head. Off to the races.
@Nancy,@Hartley's Paradise paved comment is well- phrased. Of course, Joni Mitchell sang "They paved Paradise, put up a parking lot" sometime in the 70's. Sorry if I sound like @Z.
During my medical residency we did carry pagers -but that was 1991. And eosin is commonly used to stain pathology slides (H&E -= hematoxylin and eosin
ReplyDelete@Nancy, thanks for the invitation to meet. Our daughter has two more years of college so I'm sure we'll be back. My wife hates puzzles but she is interested in meeting you.
ReplyDeleteI'm baack! Having read the comments, I was surprised to many found the NE tougher. For me, the NW was the last quadrant to fall. I knew what the Bessemer process was, which may have made a big difference.
ReplyDelete@Loren, @Quasi, @Hartley, anyone else impressed by ATHWART -- just remember this passage from Coleridge's "Kublai Khan" and you'll never miss it again:
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
At one point in my earlier life I decided I should memorize some poems. It really paid off in enjoyment, but I can only bring back random snatches, such as the above.
I was a Cub Scout, but never heard of the Pinewood Derby -- hence my previous reference to the Soap Box Derby, an entirely different thing (except for the common use of gravity power) in which kids sit in and drive the cars they make. The Cub Scout event started in 1953, by which I was almost too old for Cub Scouts, so I've learned something new today.
Just a week until our annual trip South to Captiva Island, where I will have some drinks on the beach, but not a BAHAMA MAM -- Planter's Punch is still my rum drink of choice.
OK, I'm off to find INNER PEACE.
My first crack at 17a ("It's no cause for alarm") was SLEEPINGIN. That would've been a pretty awesome answer. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhile this puzzle didn't quite match the sparkle Robyn Weintraub brings to her easy Fridays, this did give me a similar feeling. I thought the clues were good (e.g. "Temple, for one"). I liked seeing ATHWART. It almost had me changing Rita MORENO's name to MORaNO because then 20A could be eaST and I wouldn't be ATHWART a word that started ATHW___ but it came to me in time. @M&A, great ath joke!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of M&A, once, if I remember correctly, @BobKerfuffle found a number of odd terms for sheep, one of which had a nice collection of U's that weaseled its way into a Runt puzzle. I tried to find that website, inspired by 55D's clue using gimmer. Instead I found Sheep 101. Who knew some folks might need an explanation of farm and ranch, which then continues on to "abattoir"? I kid (lamb?) you not!
Nice sophomore effort, Daniel Nierenberg. Everyone should EWES and AWES over it.
Easier than some Fridays, but hardly Wednesdayish. I bet tomorrow's will be a bear. I had no trouble in the NE, since CHILDSTAR and ADDED (something) came quickly. Hands up for writing "galosh" before GAITER even though I already was thinking of INNERPEACE and DIET something for the crosses. I don't think of a GAITER as a boot covering although it would partly cover the top of a boot.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the ALOHA TOWER from my one visit to Hawaii many years ago. So that took a while. And for a like time I thought it was Rita Romero before IDLE THREAT set me straight.
It would be pretty easy to get rid of DEFLEA and EOSIN (and ASAP as well) by changing 27D to SOLAR PROBE and the acrosses become
ReplyDeleteCAPLET
ACRES
STOP
TUBE
SPEW
- Okanaganer
Moses threatened to destroy those who worshipped a golden calf, but they thought it was just an idol threat... Anyone else familiar with the "song of de flea"? ( Nelson Eddy sang it...) This one was missing (as others observed) most of what annoys me - obscure acronyms, hip-hop slang, brand names, rock lyrics, drummers, ents, orcs,.... and I really enjoyed solving it.
ReplyDeleteDen Dad,
ReplyDeleteDo you have to sneak in lead weight? When I was in the scouts there was only a weight maximum, how you achieved it was up to you. I'm 53 and vividly remember my father melting lead on the stove top and pouring it into the hollowed out car. Everyone who picked up my car said it was too heavy; it wasn't of course. My old man weighed it on two different scales including one at the post office. Sure enough it was dead on when at the derby weigh in. Man that car was fast and pretty. Candy apple red with I don't know how many coats of lacquer. Simply spectacular. Thanks Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This & That:
ReplyDeleteVideo stores exist.
DVD's are in wide use. PDA's and pagers probably not so much but still valid for puzz.
Alligators and crocodiles are like guns. There's no reason to ever be near one so why would you?
Plastic bags are a bad idea for footwear. Your liners and feet will be wet from sweat and make you vulnerable to blisters and cold feet. Waterproof boots are the way to go.
pinewood derby (the wiki) -
ReplyDelete"With the help of adults, Scouts build their own cars from wood"
soapbox derby (the wiki) -
"Today there are broader categories that extend the age range to younger racers and permit adults to assist in construction."
when I was of age, soapbox derby 'cars' had to be completed only by the kid. now, I guess, everybody gets a participation trophy.
After a weekend meditation retreat, our leader observed that the point was to meditate every day. Some days, he said, you felt centered and at peace. Other days you didn't. It was the practice that mattered. I blush recalling how much that bit of wisdom cost both in terms of filthy lucre and ego-driven pride.
ReplyDelete@jberg, thank you for the Coleridge snippet. It’s been a while since I have read it. It’s crunchy and juicy and gnarly just as my favorite kind of crossword puzzles are.
ReplyDeleteFun puzzle. Thank you very much Mr. Nierenberg.
ReplyDelete@OISK, 2pm: har. Good IDOLTHREAT story. Works in the puz for 3-D (HOOD), but only desperately for 4-D (AH LAD). Might be worth it, tho.
ReplyDelete@mark shuper: Well, see there? Just outta meditation school, and U are already meditatin, on a daily basis, how much that trainin cost. Mission accOMplished.
M&A often meditates on the Rex Parker "Galaxy Raider" picture [under the blog's About Me headin]. That pictured dude just flat-out looks like he don't abide no ANAL monkey business.
M&A
p.s. Michelle's new, most excellent drink blend: OBAMA MAMA COLADA?
When the crosswords go low, we get high (yo, @RP).
With the Oscars imminent, it was a happy coincidence seeing my favorite Best Supporting Actress winner of all time in the puzzle. Otherwise -- tepid, as Rex said.
ReplyDeleteMedium-Challenging NYT Friday (14:01, 19% above my 6-mo median, 4.2 Rexes) ... I'm a little late to the game today and also a little groggy from a little too much spirit at my local watering hole last night. So I'm not sure how generalizable my solving performance is. Based on my split times, most of the solve was toward the Easy end of Medium. I was solving at about a 10:30 low-Medium pace through the first 2/3. But then I really struggled to bring it home as I went kinda brain dead in the NE and the SE a couple of times.
ReplyDeleteI got off to a bad start when I plunked down 'pinA colAdA' before BAHAMA MAMA (1A). That took precious seconds to unwind. In the SE, I don't think I've heard of RED DRAGON (42A), the clue for FOR ALL (41A) is a bit nuts, I couldn't dredge up either GAITER (43D) or LENA (51D) and I had jetE before PLIE (50A). In the NE, my mind went all over the place with what type of t/Temple 11D was referring to. Shirley wasn't among my first through fifth thoughts.
Is BEER PONG (25D) still a thing? Back in my college days (late 70s mostly) we used to play a game we called Quarters where we'd attempt to bounce quarters off of a table top into an opponent's cup of beer. When successful, the other player had to drink. Between ingesting quarter residue and whatever germs were on the fingers fishing in the beer for the quarter, it was a pretty filthy endeavor and a little disgusting, now that I think about it.
What ever has become of Evil Doug?
ReplyDelete@sanfranman59, I’m about the same age (born 1957) and we also played quarters in college.
ReplyDelete@Hobbyist, we all know you’re Evil Doug.
ReplyDeleteI'm extremely flattered, @puzzlehoarder (1:19) as well as just a wee bit mystified. Does your wife read the blog even though she hates puzzles? At any rate, I would very much enjoy meeting you both the next time you're in NYC. When the time comes, you can ask either @Hartley or @Lewis for my email address; both of them have their respective contact info posted on their profiles.
ReplyDeleteEither I'm getting better at this, or Fridays are losing their edge. Knocked it off in barely three Rexes, which for me is eyebrow-raising.
ReplyDeleteNothing too remarkable about it; The forehead wrinkle came at the clue for FORALL, which I do get, but not easily. FORALL my knowledge of Dr. Lecter, I still didn't know about REDDRAGON.
Got HDTV ASAP; not that I love acronyms. FORALL the time OFL has been at this, I'm surprised it held him up. Nor did I need any GAITER aid. DOD is the multi-talented Rita MORENO. Though themeless, this one felt out of place for the day. Par.
ANEW EPISODE
ReplyDeleteNEARMISSES and maids I’m no IDLETHREAT,
so’s the CASE with that BAHAMAMAMA:
“Once and FORALL just STOPIT!” , she said,
so I’d SNAPOPEN her PROMDRESS for DRAMA.
--- PEPE_LEPEW
Well, learned about the forearm as source for cubit, learned gimmer, Red Dragon, Dietary Law, Aloha Tower, and Bahama Mama.
ReplyDeleteKnew eosin from having worked as medical tech. First answers were BAIT, ALDA, HOLD, AHEAD, MEAT, ART, STEEL, IDEA, so a good start.
Rex's complaining too often makes him sound like an animal associated with Palm Sunday, or is that a lispy Ophidian menace/
Once my IPOD became an HDTV, the NE finished this off. But I did have to peek for that, so truly a dnf. The rest, I admit, was not that difficult for a Friday. The error was mine, all mine. FORALL that's worth.
ReplyDeleteDiana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
For me, this was a challenging puzzle. Words I know just wouldn't come to me, and many of my guesses fell flat. However, I did manage to finish. Kudos to all who found it easy.
ReplyDeleteAmong my write-overs were: ass>MAT, ess>PRE, Pen>PAD, vmI>RPI, all of which caused a plethora of problems. FOR ALL that, though, I eked out a successful solve. I'd feel triumphant if in reality the puzzle weren't rather easy.
Enjoyable though.
I used yeah baby Rita MORENO as a check to make sure the drink wasn’t a pinAcolAdA and then it was off to the races in a counter-clockwise fashion. I knew what a cubit was all about, so the NEARMISSES/FOREARM cross launched me up the east side. PINEwood a gimme, the scouts have been doing that forever.
ReplyDeleteLENA is here, ALAS no Ole nor Sven.
Maybe it was just me, way back as a junior in H.S., but my date’s PROMDRESS didn’t seem to come off like the saying goes.
Pretty snappy puz.
Got caught in a synagogue/CHILDSTAR trap, denying a TADA today. (And PROMDRESS was a real let-down [har].) Enjoyed it FORALL my dnf.
ReplyDeletePEPE LE PEW - every second letter is an E
ReplyDeleteBAHAMA MAMA - every second letter is an A
I was really hoping there would be similar with an I,O or U but those are much harder to come by. Maybe MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) or BOGOHO? (acronym for buy one get one half off)
Honorable mentions following this concept were ASAP, TADA, and EWES
I liked the repetitive vowels in BAHAMA MAMA (every second letter is an A) and PEPE LE PEW (every second letter is an E). I was hoping for similar with I, O or U but they're harder to come by. Maybe bogoho or midi. Honorable mentions for this subtheme included ASAP, TADA, and EWES.
ReplyDelete