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Indianapolis footballer / MON 3-11-19 / One-named Grammy winner for Soldier of Love
Monday, March 11, 2019
Constructor: Trent H. Evans
Relative difficulty: Medium (2:54)
Theme answers:
- LIVING DEAD (17A: Zombies)
- RECORDED LIVE (26A: Like a concert album)
- FOUND MISSING (46A: Like a stolen object, when it's not where it's supposed to be)
- OPEN SECRET (62A: Supposedly unknown but actually well-known fact)
The Money Pit is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Richard Benjamin starring Tom Hanksand Shelley Long as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house. It was filmed in New York City and Lattingtown, New York, and was co-executive produced by Steven Spielberg.In 2013, NBC announced they were developing a TV series based on the film, but the project was later put on hold. (wikipedia)
• • •
I blanked on 1A: Cause of an infant's crying (COLIC), and when I went to the crosses, first it took me waaaaay too long (ok maybe five seconds, but that's a long time on a Monday) to remember that Indianapolis was the COLTs, and then I wrote in ERIE for 2D: Separator of Indiana and Pennsylvania (OHIO), which is, you know ... not *entirely* wrong. Lake ERIE is sorta kinda in between Indiana and Pennsylvania. I could definitely make a valiant legal defense of ERIE. But it was OHIO. This "error" cost me even more precious seconds. I also imagined that people buy toilet paper in REAMs, so that was fun (26D: Toilet paper unit = ROLL). FOUND MISSING is a slightly weird phrase, so I had some trouble parsing it. But otherwise, this was a pretty typical walk-in-the-park Monday. No groans. No curses. Fill may be slightly old-fashioned / plain, but it'll do just fine. I'm off now to watch "Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For" on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. I hear there's a cameo by the NYT crossword editor himself. CanNot wait. I'll report back on the whole experience tomorrow. Have a nice day.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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82 comments:
Easy and fun, a good combo for a sunday night when we have lost out on an hour of sleep and work will come early.
I really enjoyed this puzzle, with its witty "opposites attract" theme along with the pleasures of TOASTED TAPIOCA, MONEY PIT, and a FUDGED LUNGE. After LIVING DEAD and RECORDED LIVE, I assumed that the theme was a play on live/lving, so it took me a bit to get FOUND MISSING. Then the Aha! and the fun of guessing OPEN SECRET. One do-over: CRassLY before CRUDELY.
Speaking of RECORDED LIVE and FOUND MISSING - I was reminded of Flanders and Swann's "Ill Wind," sung to the melody of Mozart's Horn Concerto and relating the tale of a newly acquired French horn that mysteriously vanishes. If you have 3 minutes, it's worth a listen.
Time posted by Arkansas girl who has been solving for a year and a half: 9:24. Close to personal best. Didn't notice theme until done, but like it now I that I see it.
I love Mondays.
This is the best time of year to be in Arizona. It's nice out -- despite our El Nino winter (sorry Rex, can't find the tilde) -- it's after 10pm and we have all the windows still open, enjoying the cool spring air. For a lunch appointment earlier, I debated jeans or shorts. And while the rest of you grouse about losing an hour of sleep, it's not an issue here.
(Sorry to be [1A in the mini] but all these DST articles I see today just make me smile.)
I liked this puzzle. It was good, and for a Monday that's an accomplishment. Decent theme, made seriously cool with the no revealer shrug. Good fill. I wonder if in a bit of a stretch -- could LIP BALM be a subtle theme answer? LIP as in sass, talking back, conflict, BALM as in soothing, resolving conflict?
After solving I spent some time wondering what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable 3-letter fill. What is tired old drab crosswordese and what is bright and lively? Where is the line? IDA, probably the former, FDR, maybe the latter? Is there any 3-letter fill that isn't trite? I'm asking seriously. Rex sometimes gabbles about it but I can't figure out where his, or my, line is.
Refreshingly pleasant. And, being from Ohio, I can assure you that Lake Erie ends in Ohio (and Michigan) beFORE it reaches Indiana, so it is NOT a “separator of Indiana and Pennsylvania.”
Easy, very smooth, fun theme, liked it. Good Mon. for beginners.
Easy peasy, ten percent faster than usual, from top to bottom with nary a pause. Paid no attention to the theme, probably because there was no revealer. Just a Monday, Monday (cue the Mommas and the Poppas).
I only wish I could have gotten this theme. Beautiful thinking.
Fun Monday puzzle, liked the theme. A couple of little hiccups, NO Deal at 10D and spelled SNEAD with two EE’s, TAPIOCA set me straight.
The clue for 20A made me giggle, the newlywed couple were probably TOASTED in more ways than one as I have witnessed in many of the weddings I have attended. I may have to add my own to that list. Make mine lightly TOASTED.
Trent – nice little Monday theme spotlighting one of the great phenomena of language: oxymora. Hah. And thus begins all the comments full of clever oxymorons. I like the cynical ones like military intelligence and government ethics. The idea of an impatient patient is fun, too.
And I guess you can buy an 8 oz pound cake, right? Not really an oxymoron, but it’s a darn good start.
FOUND MISSING reminds me of what people invariably say when recounting a lost phone saga. And wouldn’t you know – I found it in the last place I looked. Um, yeah-uh.
“Fragrance” seriously does not connote ODOR. Sigh. Haven’t I just been over this? Chanel Allure body cream is a fragrance. The sour washcloth smell that wafts forth from the person I’m sitting right next to at a three-hour long training is an ODOR.
I kept going back to the clue for DINE. In “eat fancily,” That adverb feels weird. (Hi, @Don) For me, the focus is too much on the manner of eating, how you wield your silverware, how you butter your bread, sip from the side of your soup spoon. DINE feels larger, to include not only your impeccable table manners but also the candle-lit restaurant, the surly waiter, the expensive Barolo, the Vivaldi in the background. A whimsical amuse bouche.
I always liked Subway’s campaign Eat Fresh. Maybe that paved the way for our ability to eat clean now. And mercifully I think we can finally drop the ridiculous healthfully and just eat healthy. Live green. Adjectives don’t have to stay in their lane, people. Here’s some advice.
My state leads the way in opioid overdoses, so here are some “oxy”morons who should freeze in hell.
I join the chorus in thanking Mr. Trent H. Evans for a clean Monday puzzle. Oxymorons are always a delight. George Carlin had a whole routine about them. Here's 50 of 'em. But the list seems to leave off one of my favourites, jumbo shrimp.
Any puzzle with a clue involving zombies is OK by me. I had only two over-writes: STATutes before STATE LAW, and NO Deal before NO DICE. TAPIOCA was the glue that bound them.
Funny that we get the GELDed steed in the north and, to put it CRUDELY, the SEED from the well-ENDOWed STUD in the south.
Just remember: the EDGE of TIME waits for NO-ONE.
P.S., I finish a Monday puzzle north of the equator probably half of my solves.
Smooth and entertaining, I would rate this Terribly Good. Now, with warmer weather here, maybe I can finally put away my store of Clean Coal.
Fun theme and a quick solve. I did over half downs today to motor on tthrough.
I wonder why Rex thought PAVER was contrived? We are in the midst of a major and disruptive highway redo and there are PAVER trucks finishing the road everywhere! Great puzzle, smooth as silk and a personal best.
Nice theme but good grief! - absolutely zero resistance. I did wonder briefly at 40A if we would get WAR GAME as a themer. That was probably the only time I did any thinking.
BTW the Crossword Puzzle Mystery was better than expected. The obligatory (for Hallmark) romance angle was minimal, Will Shortz had a cameo … it kept my interest.
I did wonder about the representation of a crossword puzzle tournament. Are there really practice rounds? Is everyone really seated at long tables where looking at your neighbor’s paper would be easy?
Regarding @Rex's reams of toilet paper, this Australian store, Toilet Paper Man, sells 10-packs of "42 flushable wipes". That's 420 pieces of paper in a box -- not quite a reamful of 500, but close enough for government work.
What a smooth ride this morning. I might have clued PAVER more directly, as “stepping stone” for example, so that it doesn’t sound like crosswordese “junk.” I just purchased new pavers for the pathway through my garden.
One of the recent graduates of a local drug court program defined himself as an “oxymoron” in his graduation comments: someone who, for recreational purposes abuses and becomes addicted to opioids.
Happy Daylight Savings Time!
I want my hour back! Fortunately the puzzle passed quickly. Appreciate it as a Monday, and a really good one, but may need to suss out a more rigorous one later. Also like the "toasted" clue, @chefwen.
Thank you @Carola for the Flanders and Swann! What a delightful way to start my Monday morning.
SNEAD crossing OLIN was a total guess-and-cross-your-fingers for me. Not a good crossing any day of the week.
After reading an article this morning on English football, I am changing my description of an excellent Monday puzzle from "a Monday that knows how to Monday" to a "Monday that is deeply Monday".
Smooth ride, interesting theme, very nearly too much fun. Thanks a lot, Mr. Evans.
Never noticed the theme. But it strikes me as a good one. Clean grid mostly. Thumbs up! Ratatouille is a stew?? I’ve been eating it all my life, without cooking it, and never knew that. As for crossword mysteries, I’ve been enjoying the latest season of Endeavour, the Morse prequels. He solves crosswords often. But the British punny type. I wish New York mag would bring those back. Btw I’m surprised that wiki description of The Money Pit doesn’t mention it was a remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.
Oxymorons are fun and I sure wish these rather cute ones had been embedded in a tougher puzzle. But, alas, there was No Thinking Required -- at least not for me.
Quite enjoyable and clean. Great job, Trent Evans.
NOONE could hit a LONG IRON like SNEAD.
@LMS -- Wonderful avatar today.
Hi @mericans in Paris 7:29. Since when does an American spell favorite with a u? A bit British, methinks.
Just sayin'. Every time I see your post, I think of my son and his family who have now been in Paris for 20 years. (Initially went over for 2-3!!)
Nice easy Monday puzzle. Did not grok the theme while solving.
Not to brag but...I have to brag! This is the first time I’ve ever topped Rex on a Monday and only the second time since I started playing online that I finished in under 3 minutes. I finished in 2:36. And I solved Letter Boxed in 2 words. I feel like I’m in one of those Holiday Inn commercials (I’m not a doctor, but I DID stay at a Holiday Inn). Anyway, it was a good day for me puzzle wise and you’re really the only people who understand how good it makes a person feel.
Have a nice day, everyone!
Nice.
Easy, but not TV Guide easy...
Pleasant puzzle.
@Rex re: ERIE - Is no one coming to the defense of Lucas County?
Rex, there's a flat east-west line in the northwest corner of Ohio that prevents the state of Indiana from touching (defiling?) Lake Erie. That little bit of border is historically important (see Toledo War if interested). The answer ERIE cannot be defended, even by Trump lawyers in front of a Kavanaugh Supreme Court.
Sweet. A smart Monday. No words to offend the sensitive. @Rex your CanNot made me silently laugh.
@Quasi...You eat Ratatouille without cooking it? I can't imagine eating raw eggplant! Speaking of....I think I've watched that movie a million times... First with grandkids, then with spouse and then by myself. I liked the by myself better because I could clap out loud every time Remy made a lovely French dish. Who doesn't love a blue rat that can cook? Then you have the names of all the characters. Chef Linguini....Food critic Anton Ego and his butler Ambrister Minion. How about a chef named Skinner? If you want to be easily amused and you need a smile for the day, I recommend you watch this.
I enjoy oxymorons. Jumbo Shrimp was my very first. I will never forget it.
Even though it's just a cameo, Michael can't resist the dig. I guess we should be grateful that it isn't a long Shortz appearance.
@ArtO 9:02 AM (and anybody else who was wondering) -- Blame the spell-checker function on my MacBook. I have it set to British English, because that's the version of the language that most of the people with whom I correspond over here use. Sometimes the spell checker lets me get away with leaving the "incorrect" American spelling in place, but at other times it doesn't. For awhile I was going back and correcting it back to American spelling, but that became a pain in the proverbial arse, so I no longer bother.
Actual oxymorons after Saturday’s faux oxymoron (fauxymoron?). I was thoroughly amused, but not bouched.
Puh-leeze, can we be adults about our sleep and not whine about the time switch. No? There is all this BS out there “proving” how awful the switch was. All narrow-minded and parochial in my opinion. And why? Because grown people can’t go to bed an hour early one Sunday in March? Bring out the violins.
@CDilly52 - My local Gannett owned paper has an article today explaining that it is actually Daylight Saving Time (no “s” on Saving). My eyes haven’t stopped rolling.
This Michigander had to laugh at the notion of cluing OHIO as the doorstop between Indiana and Pennsylvania. TBF, Cincinnati and Cleveland are fine towns with some charm, something you’ll never hear me say about Indianapolis, South Bend, Kokomo, or Fort Wayne. Still, I laughed.
An easy stroll. Only time I needed crosses was to finish state law crossing war hero and had to correct skip to my loo upon filling in found missing. Tip of the hat to Mr. Evans.
Hey All !
Got the theme after solving, as this was an easy puz for me also. Went back to read the themers, then, "Ahhh, oxymorons!" Neat.
Very nice MonPuz. No dreck, small amount of threes, and even managed to get two F's! Fun clue for NO ONE. Always like FUDGED. Substitutes nicely for that other F word. Got the EMU back.
NE corner story: NO DICE ELIOT! WINCEd SNEAD.
FUDGED CRUDELY
RooMonster
DarrinV
My five favorite clues from last week:
1. Bring up... or something brought up? (4)
2. It's hardly a Champagne cooler (3)
3. It has a large horn (6)
4. It's not a good fit (4)
5. Condition whose first two letters are oddly appropriate (11)
REAR
ETE
AFRICA
AGUE
MEGALOMANIA
perhaps OFL would have kvetched less if the PAVER clue went something like, 'a concrete rectangular object used to make entry walks and driveways'. also called a PAVing stone, even though they're not.
Nice smooth Monday. Sometimes I feel a tension on Monday between zipping through it (just because one can) and stopping to smell the clues (as it were), and I try to find a balance.
I looked a long time for the theme here, assuming it might involve a connection between the LIV in "LIVING" DEAD and RECORDED "LIVE" but I couldn't find any others or any parallel appearance of DEAD so I concluded it was really a themeless Monday even though I didn't really believe that.
Thanks, @mericans. Oh the joys of spellcheck!!
Pff, good gracious!
I really don't get all the praise.
This puzzle was Boringland, capital NoWit City, Cliché County, Insult-Your-Readers'Intelligence Province ("what clocks keep"? C'mon!).
The semi-clever theme doesn't save this by any means.
To paraphrase fellow 10:05 blogger and to cut a long story shortz, this was more moron than oxy.
I thought this MonPuz was AWFULGOOD. Nice job, Mr. Evans.
fave fillins: MONEYPIT. LIPBALM. FUDGED.
staff weeject pick: LIL. Nice CENTER weeject grid column #8, btw.
@RP: Had same strange problem, comin up with Indianapolis COLT. Got OHIO right away, tho.
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Ginger ___ (soft drink)} = ALE.
fave themer: LIVINGDEAD. Zombies. Schlocky good. (yo, @mericans) Took a RECORDEDLIVE second themer, before M&A caught onto the theme mcguffin.
Thanx for the smooooth ride, Mr. Evans. Can put mosta my nanoseconds back in the tool belt holster.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
**gruntz**
We got AROD and RING immediately after he dropped a million-dollar rock on J Lo’s finger. Niiiiiiice.
@Z...I know you have kids; you've talked about them. I know you have pups; you've talked about them too.
See, these two entities that run our lives, live on a schedule. They don't like change. Try and tell a young 'un they have to go to bed an hour earlier or later. Try to convince the pups they have to wait an hour or leave an hour earlier to the park to play. Nah. It drives adults to drink early. Not good for your health.
Almost zero resistance here. 7 seconds off my PR, and that was with the distractions of doing it on the subway. Rock-solid Monday.
@LMS, it says here the plural of oxymoron is oxymora, just like criterion: criteria, but in English we usually just add an s.ss
Also, speaking of oxymora, it is entirely possible that Purdue Pharma knew that their drug was being abused, but was still quite accurate in advertising that their Oxycontin was less addictive than its opioid rivals. There is a real need for these drugs, as we are finding in our family after a minor operation that was predicted to result in some pain.
@Banana, I thought the same thing, but what about Cast Stepping Stone.
If Z's purposeful obnoxiousness fell in the forest and no one was there to hear it, would he drop it?
@GILL, pardon my poor sentence structure. I meant I never had to cook it myself since others did it for me. A friend for instance who seemed to make her ratatouille in a small pot, then finished it in a baking pan in the oven. I never saw her use a stew pot. Perhaps it wasn’t ratatouille after all. :)
Does anyone know what happened to Bill Bulter of the NYTCrossword.com?
@kitchef, 7:26 I tuned in to see the Crossword Mystery too. I laughed to see it at The Plaza. The Stamford Marriott isn’t nearly as grand as the old Plaza was. Yes, there are super long tables, but take the number of contestants and multiply by a zillion for real life. The contestants are jammed packed together and last year a second room downstairs from the ballroom had to be used. In the movie there were tiny white dividers to shield one’s puzzles from spying eyes. In reality they are quite large. The faux contest looked quite luxurious by comparison but nowhere near as much fun and excitement for the competitors. You can also attend and do the puzzles as a non-competitor which I have done. It was amusing to see Will in his table tennis personae, Sporty Will. He runs a facility for it near Briarcliff Manor. He’s ever present at the ACPT and as open-faced, smiling and charming as he appeared on tv. He doesn’t know me from Adam but each time he’s stopped to chat.
I’m a fan of oxymorons, but as I just did that fantastic Sunday puzzle before this today, I felt like I had abruptly down-shifted into low. I wish I had solved using only the across clues in cursivewith ink, @kitchef!
Rex, I would hardly call this a walk in the park. If your walks in the park take under 3 minutes, you're doing it wrong.
Where you finish depends on how your solve; I do 1A, and if I get it, go down from the first letter, then across from the second letter of that. If it's an easy puzzle, I'll end up down at the bottom before I ever reach the East Coast, then eventually work my way back up. I didn't know OLIN as clued, but Slammin' Sammy SNEAD gave me that, so I was done. I think @Rex tries to get one secion, then moves on to the next, skipping over anything he doesn't see right away and coming back to it later. Result: I ended with the N in SNEAD, he ended with the A.
A good revealer would have heightened the fun, IMO.
As several have said, PAVERS are real. Here are some.
I always thought the best thing about DST is that it gives us something to complain about in the spring, and something to enjoy in the fall. Anyway, the change only lasts one day (which was yesterday, right? Over now.) @Gill, I take your point about children and dogs -- although, now that I'm retired, I've learned that you can train the dogs to a flexible schedule. Not sure about the kids, as my youngest is 42 and my memory is fuzzy. Vaguely, I think they were hard to wake up no matter what time it was.
@Hartley, is there anyway to watch this movie online? I don’t have Netflix or cable tv. Thanks for the fine précis.
Except for skipping to the bathroom (to my LOo) at first, I had no issues on this puzzle and may have set a PR at 5:16. Very smooth construction.
TAPIOCA - I'm still trying to figure out why TAPIOCA pudding was the go-to stomach flu food at my house. When Dad had the stomach flu, we all got tapioca pudding as a treat, or at least I found it so. Looking back, it doesn't seem it would be soothing to the tummy.
Do parents need LIP BALM after getting SASSed?
Congrats, Trent H Evans, on published NYT #2.
My favorite oxymorons are standard deviation and civil war.
Kudos from here re Geo Carlin, recognized as the best by many stand-ups, produced 7 full length albums of original material.
Enjoyed puz.
Hell no He would record it and publish it on an eternal loop with an * for those who just don't understand*
*you know who you are.
We called TAPIOCA pudding "fish eggs in glue" in my house. My Mom never served it, but I had cousins who had it often. I don't really mind it any more, but as a child I thought it was disgusting. I did this in average time and didn't see the theme till I came here. I also misspelled SNEAD and got slowed down by writing Cher instead of SADE for the Oscar winner.
@Quasi, try going to hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com
It’s called Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For. You can get highlight bits of it, if not the whole thing. They’re clearly beginning a series of them. I see it repeats this evening, but it’s not worth running out to buy a tv. I just enjoyed hearing how smart we crossword lovers are. If Rex would just behave himself he might get a cameo, unless of course they’re looking for a villain.
I've heard WENT MISSING but never FOUND MISSING.
This week is NOT a good time to have anything done that requires a clear mind, steady hand and laser-like focus. Pretty much the whole nation---except for the enlightened folks in Arizona---is in a state of sleep deprivation equivalent to a one-hour jet lag. Expect to see an uptick in accidents and mistakes for the next few days. It will take about a week or so before the debilitating effects completely wear off. Then you can schedule that brain surgery.
@Anoa Bob:
I've heard WENT MISSING but never FOUND MISSING.
well... there's the olde saw; "why is it that I always find that dang thing the last place I look?"
Since the electronic version I've pretty much gone back to doing them the way I did when a was a kid. Start with the acrosses and then go on to the downs. This is why I so often miss the parts others find so much fun; I often don't even see clues.
I had at least 90% of this on on acrosses alone. The only hollywood Lena's I know are Dunham and Horne, so that was blank. Living Dead and Recorded Live made me think there was something going on with life and death so Found Missing was missing many letters as I could only fill in the ones under stacks when I thought to let my eye look up, which wasn't always. When I saw Open Secret I knew my hunch was wrong but still couldn't suss out 46A.
Tab took me back to the NE, where Olin fell right in on the downs, and then the rest. Nice clean fill and fun to do.
minor nitpick - colic is not the source of a baby's crying. Colic is a word used to explain baby crying that has no identifiable source.
Thanks @Hartley, I will do that. I might even go visit my neighbor who has one if it seems worth it. :) 👍🏻
@QuasiMojo (8:35) re MONEY PIT/Mr. Blandings -- We have Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House on DVD and watch it maybe once a year. My favorite scene is where they ask the architect to add a room "for sewing, or just to sulk on a rainy day."
@Blandingslovers-At our high school, the senior class always produced a play, known as The Senior Play, and when I was a senior we did "Mr. Blandings etc."., a "masterpiece performed flawlessly" (made-up quote).
Also, there were 44 people in my graduating class, so competition for the big parts was not fierce, but alas, I did not procure one. Instead, I eventually went into teaching, where you are onstage all the time.
Fun show anyway, and I got to play the boyfriend of the girl I had had a crush on for four years.
I love daylight savings time, it means I get the puzzle one hour earlier.
My favorite Mr. Blandings scene is Mrs. Blandings discussing in detail the shades she wants the walls painted. After the long descriptions, the contractor turns to his helper who says "yellow, green, blue, white. Got it."
Fastest ever solve in three years of doing puzzles!
@blandings fans, mine too! The book is also hilarious.
Quasi, pabloinnhh, anon7:18
You guys are why this place is worth visting. God, I love that movie.
Probably evwn more The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer.
Hmmm, maybe my love of Myrna Loy has finally gotten the better of me.
For me it was the easiest nyt puzzle ever.
Went straight thru getting every clue or its perpendicular for 90+ % of the puzzle. 2 incorrect entries: Had WAR and entered WARRIOR before WAR HERO and a total brain fart: ARON before AROD despite having entered it correctly many times before and being a sports fan. I think it was because, for a change, I was paying full attention and the timer on my tablet was on.
Chance for a record time, faster, faster pressure, pressure, heart beat accelerating, fear of a tough final corner increasing, trying to make my one finger typing go faster... . Really kind of exhilarating.
Gave me a completely different perspective on you speed freaks. Laid back is my normal kind of fun. Except for pingpong.
Personal all time best ever today 3:45!! Happy tears :)))))
And hate going back to DST. Love being there. Love going back to EST. Hate being there. Hated no daylight after getting home from work and still went to work in the dark anyway. Retired now so it's A bit of sowhat.
What do you call this: Gaining an hour or losing an hour? A guy at work always called springing a head gaining an hour and falling back losing an hour because of the clock action. I always looked at from a personal perspective and claimed the opposte: The 23 hour day was a losing an hour, the 25 hour day was gaining an hour.
Anyone else notice that Rex's reviews seem to have gotten a lot nicer since he cut out caffeine for Lent?
DINE, WINCE
They were RECORDEDLIVE – the LIVINGDEAD –
at the TIME they were CRUDELY kissing.
It’s an OPENSECRET ‘cuz NOONE HAS said
the NEWS that their LIPs were FOUNDMISSING.
--- LI’L ELLIE LOU LEE
I love me some oxymorons; I think they're great fun. Hey, why is "oxymorons" red-lined?? This was everything a Monpuz should be: easy to do (yes, not even easy-medium: no trouble at all) and filled cleanly. Were I a grading teacher, it'd get an APLUS. That translates to eagle, despite the absence of triumph points.
Speaking of, a reborn Tiger took his fifth green jacket via a final-hole bogey, strangely enough. Congrats to TW.
A gaggle of great DODs gave us our toughest problem today: who gets the sash? EDIE Falco? ELLIE Kemper of The Office? Lena OLIN? All worthy, but the winner is the sultry SADE.
Not really an oxymoron but widely touted as such: military intelligence.
Easiest puzzle ever, and rated "medium". Others that totally blank me get rated "easy".
Go figure...
I agree with Anon @12:30 regarding the capricious nature of puzzle difficulty - depends on the day and the wheelhouse.
For me, this was plenty easy - didn't really think about difficulty whilst solving.
I love the oxys, too. And I do hope yesterday's symphony concert (here in Spokaloo, WA) was RECORDEDLIVE - it was a winner. We are "trying out" new conductors, and the buzz yesterday was tres favorable for the leader du jour - he may EDGE out the other conductor contenders.. I'll let you know the NEWS.
My NEWS? It seems spring is finally springing, but other parts of the country can't buy a break!
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
PS - @Lewis - ha ha for "terribly funny."
PS 2 - I had COLIC as a baby. But I don't remember it.
Lady Di
He liked it, he really liked it! And so did I.
Got a chuckle out of the clue for TOASTED.
Nice work on a Monday.
Good puzzle to start the week, and a nice touch not having a revealer-none was needed. Nice shout-out to me at 62 A.
Wish I could think of other oxymorons. Of course, @Spacey, "military intelligence". There's also "jumbo shrimp", and may I add "President Trump"? Har.
Extraordinary feat by Tiger yesterday. It's amazing how the atmosphere crackles when he's in contention.
Liked this puzzle a lot, easy as it was.
Yup. An oxy clean puz. Did most of it on the downs so I missed some of the clues.
SADE got the biggest of my yeah baby stars after I saw the name and went back to read the clue hoping not to find the Marquis de.
For a Mon-puz - APLUS.
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