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Relative difficulty: Challenging (not for me ... for you, though, probably, if initial Twitter reaction is any indication ... for me, maybe just north of Medium) (6:19)
Word of the Day: Brian SIPE (19A: Brian who was the 1980 N.F.L. M.V.P.) —
Brian Winfield Sipe (born August 8, 1949) is a former professional American footballquarterback who played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1983. He then played in the United States Football League for two seasons.Although mostly sidelined for the first several years of his NFL career, Sipe was eventually recognized as one of the better quarterbacks in Browns history, winning the league's MVP Award in 1980. He was a college football star under head coach Don Coryell at San Diego State University, where he studied architecture and became the team's quarterbacks coach in 2009, remaining in that role for five years, through 2014. (wikipedia)
• • •
[from a NYT interview with constructor Finn Vigeland, here]
I also managed to piece together BALINESE without exactly knowing how (32D: Long-haired cat with sapphire-blue eyes). If I'd had to name all the cat breeds I know, I would not have remembered that I knew that particular one. And hoo boy, MOAI!? (42A: Easter Island statues) I'm stunned I don't know this. I wrote in TIKI (thanks, terminal "I"!). Oof. But I knew JUVENTUS (47A: Record-holding* Italian soccer club whose name means "youth") which really really helped, since before I saw that clue, I had 47D: Figure in some hymns (JESU) as THOU (thanks, terminal "U"!). So ... sports and obscure names, but roughly on my wavelength (like a radio station that comes in patchily but good enough to not change the channel).
[STAYS MAD]
I want, nay, demand that someone release a rap song about early English history under the name CARDI BEDE (40D: First woman to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album as a solo artist / 55A: Sainted English historian) I want, nay demand, that both OH ME and his brother AH ME take a flying leap. ONE SOCK is pretty weak. You know what would be great: ODD SOCK. Because that's what you mean. You've gone and shoved "ODD" right into SOCK (in the phrase AT ODDS), when it should be where ONE is. Weird. What was your first answer into the grid. Mine: WIIITIS (2D: Joint pain from playing too may video games). No joke. WIIITIS and JUVENTUS and SIPE were all gimmes and lifesavers, and got me through this puzzle relatively smoothly and in a relatively normal time. Good day.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
*"record-holding" is a weird, largely meaningless descriptor for a soccer club. What Record???
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Seeing who the constructor is -- master of vague cluing and placer of words that I don't know around the grid -- on top of seeing those big islands in the NW and SE, meant going to my closet and pulling out that extra special aluminum foil thinking cap, the one that shuts out the rest of the world and amplifies whatever powers my brain possesses, then hunkering down. This solve was not a mosey, rather a crawl and scrape, and square by well earned square, with occasional squeals of glee, the white filled in. Oh, how I loved this. Thank you, Sir BEQ.
ReplyDeleteIf by vague you mean very loosely connected.
DeleteWasn’t CARLO PONTI married to Sophia Loren? That’s how I remembered the name.
ReplyDelete- Jim C. in Maine
Indeed. That’s how I remember him.
DeleteYou are correct.
DeleteI had SOCK in at 3D and 1A's TWOS confirmed that it was an Odd SOCK. OINK!
ReplyDeleteThis went slowly for me but solving in an airport on 4 hours of sleep will do that, I suppose. The MULTIVERSE let me change 11D from BAIL Out. And REapED before REINED down in the SW. Really, this puzzle was much easier than I made it.
I'm going to nap now!
Granted, in a casual player at best, but this one just frustrated the hell out of me and was very unsatisfying. N TESTS? Someone show me a news article where, to save space, someone d refers to Noth Korea doing N Tests. At least, I assume it’s short for Nuclear Tests.
ReplyDeleteAnd is the Times trying to save money by rationing our question marks? Give the non-Rexes out here a chance. I needed my “this is a stupid pun” queue to get past three “I”s in the middle of WIITIS. Especially since no one I know had played a Wii in years. Oh, yeah. MISLAYER?
Agree,.MISLAYER was the worst answer in the grid. Barely a word and definitely not when clued with a faulty flooring contractor.
Delete40A: Maybe MR SOPHIA LOREN?
ReplyDeleteWell that made me feel stupid! Good thing I have Sox tickets for tomorrow. [still smiling at CardiBede.]
ReplyDeleteCan’t say I enjoyed this one. Phrases like ONE SOCK, BAD STARTS and STAYS MAD and words like BAILORS and MISLAYER are simply not in the language.
ReplyDeletePlus INES and JESU, HBAR, ESSE. Nothing terrible, but just not fun.
@JimC. Yeah. I didnt remember that he produced Zivago but always remember that he was married to Loren.
ReplyDeleteI did this last night and when I'd finished I remembered how I thought Thursday's puzzle was Saturday hard. For a moment I thought well here's an actual Saturday that took three minutes longer then I remembered it was only Friday.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this won't be one of those days where everyone else found it easy. The NW actually was easy but the opposing ends of the middle and the west end of that SE section we're where the real puzzling came in.
While 3 minutes harder than yesterday, today's puzzle had no shadow of doubt to it. I didn't know if it was INEZ or INES but I was sure BALINESE had no Z.
@ Nancy, when I teased you about DeSoto last week I said you couldn't tell a Sentra from a Maxima. Those cars are both NISSANS so I hope it gave you good karma with 39D
Holy slogging! Wow, I was challenged, just as Rex figured I would be. Even visiting Bali last year didn’t make getting the cat any easier. I did somehow know CARDIB, but I don’t know how.
ReplyDeleteA rather obscure clue for CARLO PONTI. Okay, he was a film producer but he's mainly known as Mr. Sophia Loren.
ReplyDeleteAt least this puzzle had some crunch, unless some of the recent weekend offerings. It was a little hard to get going until I saw "Ex amount". I too had ODD SOCK at first, which by rights should be the correct answer. BRAINED brought back memories of my gioventù (Italian version). "If you don't start behaving I'll brain you!" Does anyone still say that?
And, course, "HAVE ONE" always reminds me of Monty Python ("It's only wafer-thin!").
I want to like Brendan's puzzles but I rarely if ever do. If a solver can be assured of anything when undertaking one of his puzzles it's that obscure proper names will always strongly feature. For the record I solved this but proper names never delight in the same way a clever clue and answer would. And that just happens far, far too often in this constructor's grids.
ReplyDeleteAmen. Mic drop. So hip it hurts.
DeleteWhoops, that should read "unlike some of the recent offerings."
ReplyDeleteYikes, two steps forward, one step back, or vice versa for the longest time. Of course ODDSOCK, which put the brakes on the NW forever. Boo to MISLAYER, sounds more like a faulty chicken. IBAR to TBAR to HBAR which is the detritus of having done too many crosswords. Didn't see the JUVENTUS clue for the longest time, for some reason, which would have made the SE way easier. Also don't have hot PIE when I go ALAMODE.
ReplyDeleteIn short, not my favorite, but at least led to the question, "What do you do with a drunken BAILOR?".
Brian Sipe! The Kardiac Kids! Sam, Sipe, and Company. What a great team. I’ll never forget the 1980 season. Who knows what would have been if not for Red Right 88.
ReplyDeleteFriday tough. SW awful, SE not much easier, knew some proper names, as hotblooded young buck always envied Mr Ponti, loved EX AMOUNT.
ReplyDeleteThese clues were just not elegant. and could easily have been improved. For instance at 20a, why not "Hen that produces a bad egg...or loses a good one?"
ReplyDeleteWow, I almost made it into the grid but being in the review and comments is even better.
ReplyDeleteBrained is pretty graphic to think about over my corn flakes.
Mental is the opposite of rational as I'm used to hearing it.
As usual, this BEQ puzzle proves the multiverse theory.
He's in his, I'm in mine
Great puzzle! I have two Ballinese cats. They are genetically Siamese cats with a recessive gene for long hair. They have less of the enzyme that makes people allergic to cats.
ReplyDeleteI hated this one. Way too many clues that relied on obscure knowledge rather than word play or cleverness.
ReplyDeleteBravo for MOAI and MULTIVERSE, the very first two answers I penned in. Nice to see a good science clue and answer in a puzzle. Got THIEU right after — I would have thought he’s a pretty well-known historic figure because of scamming two U.S. presidents during the Vietnam War. It should also be pretty well known by now that Nixon committed treason during the 1968 election by opening a back channel to Thieu and persuading him not to accept a Vietnam peace deal that seemed to be near. Also he was in another clue not too long ago, “President during the Vietnam War,” so I’m kinda surprised Rex didn’t recall him just from that. Vaguely recalled SIPE and penned that in after getting the S and I on the down clues. Loved the clue for PAROLE. BEDE was a winner, too. MENTAL seemed dubious to me. It’s usually short for “mental case” which means the opposite of “rational.” Anyway, nice puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThey're BAILbondsmen. Which doesn't fit. They used to be part of the criminal justice system, sort of like old-fashioned social workers, they put up the money to get arrested people out of jail and then made sure they showed up for the hearing. Or they promised the money, judges didn't often call it in, I knew one growing up, maybe it doesn't work like that any more.
ReplyDeleteBut I actually did get the puzzle, without needing google. Remembering THIEU and knowing enough Latin to get JUVENTUS helped.
I ask again, is there another site that gives answers and explanations for the NYTimes crosswords? I can’t tolerate Rex Parker’s egotism any longer.
ReplyDeleteXwordinfo.com
DeleteBrutal. Way too many obscure proper names and foreign language terms (not to mention two cat breeds!) to be enjoyable. THIEU, SIPE, CARLOPONTI, INES, BEDE? JUVENTUS? MOAI?? We get it, you’re smarter than us. Ease up, it’s only Friday!
ReplyDeleteAt least Ponti rang enough of a bell to save me, but still. Then we get stuck with lame fill like HBAR, MISLAYER and BAILORS. What a slog! I’m gonna need a large hunk of pie ala mode to get the taste of this one out of my mouth.
Definitely challenging for me, almost 50% longer time than Friday average. Had to google for MOAI and JUVENTUSEntered "crowned" for BRAINED in the SW and took forever to get over that.
ReplyDeleteI too remember CARLOPONTI mainly as Sophia Loren's hubby. Boy, what a story that was: He was a major figure in Italian cinema when he "discovered" her as a bit part player and beauty contest entrant. Their marriage lasted 50 years, until his death, after overcoming pretty major obstacles posed by Italy's law forbidding divorce (from his first wife). He was much shorter than she, and not at all conventionally attractive. She had been briefly romantically linked to Cary Grant after they starred in "Houseboat" (very cute movie) together. Such a refreshing counterpoint to the many tawdry tales that have come out of Tinseltown recently...
Ah, BEQ. He used to scare the pants off of me but I've caught on.....I think after you do a million or so of his puzzles, you kinda know where he's heading. He tames down for the NYT. Too bad.
ReplyDeleteEveryone else seems to have the ODD SOCK, not I. First entry TWOS followed by OINK so I knew it was the dastard ONE. Sometimes I find that allusive bugger tucked away in my folded pillowcase.
Oh, dear. You weren't familiar with Carlo Ponti? Yeah, he's probably better known as Mr. Sofia but he had a pretty colorful life as well. Lots of scandal about him and almost being kidnapped as well as stealing lots of art work and almost going to jail. La Bella Sofia stuck with him through thick and thin and even gave up any hope of marriage to Cary Grant. Both of their sons are not only gorgeous to look at, they turned out to be quite talented. By the way, His best production, to me, was "Two Women" staring none other than Sofia Loren.
I didn't have any BAD STARTS nor STAY MAD nor think ITS A MESS. I rather enjoyed this. WIIITIS (which I loved) was new to me. Never heard of a Pacific Island Calle UVEA. Where in the world is that one?
Had a bit of a head scratch with cluing for DIOR. I don't think handbags, I think perfume....Agree that MISLAYER sounds like it should refer to a silly chicken who has lost her chicks. Liked seeing MOAI and thinking Rapa Nui. One day I shall gaze upon them. How many Polynesians did it take to just construct one?
Wasn't sure exactly what a jam band consists of but TIE DYE was easy enough to get. Spent a part of my dumb youth, making those ugly things because it seemed like everyone in SFO wore one on the weekends.
JESU Maria as they say in Valencia.
I completely agree that OLD SOCK was a gimme AND amusing. I have a world champion sock-eating dryer! OINK was The first I was certain of.
DeleteIt’s WII ELBOW, not WIIITIS. Just because someone wrote that word in an article once 10 years ago, does not make it a good choice for the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI love it when the first run through yields almost nothing, and several of the ones I wrote in are very questionable. My heart races because "The streak" is on the line. Then, bit by bit, you figure it all out.
ReplyDeleteI went through TBAR and IBAR, before arriving at HBAR. Overall a fun ride to the finish.
HBAR. I have been working in the building-related field for over 40 years. I-bar was retired long before then. T-bars are at ski lifts. Never heard of HBAR.
DeleteCorrect term for the shape is wide flange.
I was disheartened to see BEQ as the constructor today. It's not as bad for me as it used to be but I approach his work feeling more like I am facing a test not a game.
ReplyDeleteHis puzzles always feel like he writes them with the sole purpose of defeating the solver. Seems sort of mean-spirited.
I managed to finish but I can't say it was fun.
I'm going to add my two cents to Finn Vigeland's post. Could not agree more with his "I'd love to see the New York Times Crossword get a little blacker, gayer, more female." Today's BEQ crossword example is a case in point. If you've done those he posts on his site, you'll see how edgy and a lot more inclusive he is with clues and answers. He, or Will, tones it down - almost to the point of boredom - I suppose to suite what is deemed appropriate for the NYT reader? Meh and Bah.
ReplyDeleteMethinks the Shortz crew needs to open up more to the 21st C. Even those of us of a certain age, enjoy new.
For the record, I found this Saturday level challenging as well. My slowest Friday of the year by a good margin.
ReplyDeleteToday's puzzle was OK but I think BEQ probably saves his best efforts for his own site (Mondays -hard, Thursdays - medium).
ReplyDelete@GILL I
ReplyDeleteObviously, Was typing while you where posting.
The clue for 3 Down reminded me of these lines from the Danish poet Piet Hein:
ReplyDelete"Losing your gloves is always a sorrow.
But nothing compares to the pain
Of losing one glove,
Discarding another,
And finding the first one again."
He has several collections of mostly playful poems he calls "Grooks."
I've heard that Grooks are even better in the original Danish,
but I have no way of verifying that.
Wowza Rex is soooo obnoxious.
ReplyDelete"Challenging (not for me ... for you, though, probably)"
Lol it's amusing how unbearable he is, which is why I keep coming back. He comes off as so insecure, too. Notice any time he has a hard time with a puzzle or is ashamed of his time, he was too tired and solved it on his clipboard in his rocking chair so he doesn't have to share how long it took him lol. His virtue signaling and sensitivity is so outrageous that it has become hilarious.
Please, as someone else asked before me, what other sites are there to go to? Don't get me wrong, I will still be coming back to this one to see Rex's nonsense, but I would like some other options.
Thank you, Rex, you've created quite a character here, this has to be an act. Bravo, sir, bravo!
No mention of ACPT tomorrow Rex? Really?
ReplyDeleteI clawed my way through this with several starts and stops. TheMAST slowed me down right off the bat and I entered hoNK for the pen. CARLOPONTI and CARDIB saved me in the SW, ACEVENTURA in the SE and I had to work for everything else. SIPE and MOAI were unknowns. Everything else was fair but tough. I totally loved the challenge!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, BEQ! Couldn’t agree more with JJ above; I look at BEQ at first glance with exasperated groan. Then it’s on to the challenge knowing that even a blind hog gets an acorn now and then and OINK, the fun begins. I must be more on his wavelength than some,but this one was a delight. MOAI & SKALDS took crosses, but they’re fair entries. Most problems where COQ parallels JESU, but I haven’t a 🙏🏾 In the kitchen . Thanks for a good one Brendan!
ReplyDeleteRex should be a bit more familiar with Carlo Ponti. He's forever going on here, and especially Twitter, about his TCM obsession.
ReplyDeleteOwing to that he should know that Ponti was the producer of the Oscar- winning La strada ( don't ask Fellini though) Zabriskie Point and Blowup. Those are all pretty iconic films in the cinema noveau world, of which Ponti was a enormous presence.
But what's up with the bizarre Italian Catholic Church? There's no such thing. My goodness. Of course, the Catholic Church is in Italy (actually every country), but there's no branch or rite of Catholicism that's Italian. It is of course fair to uase the term Latin Church or Roman Church, but the Italian? Oh my. That's an error.
I used to hate BEQ puzzles to the point where I would skip his entirely, but today's felt tough but fair and pretty clean too. It was a pleasant surprise to find out I've come to appreciate his style.
ReplyDeleteFinished with a Wednesday plus time, but this was not a particularly enjoyable fill.
ReplyDeleteNever listen to rap, so they're always a loser for me. Some have the same experience with sports figures, so...
BEQ is one of my favorite constructors of all time. He is a master of clever clues. This was such a fun challenge and obviously just not in @Rex’s wheelhouse despite the broad range of material included. It had several things I like a lot. Dr. Zhivago remains one of my all time favorite books and movies. Probably because of the time in my life (early teens) when I was reading so many of the Russian authors, the world was obsessed with the Cold War and I had met my first “serious” crush. CARLO OONTI was a gimme and certainly brought back many fond memories. Ah the summer of ‘68.
ReplyDeleteI love both books and cats (see my avatar) - that’s OC choosing her bedtime story. She found me helping out at the local animal rescue where she was recuperating from a very traumatic experience with a tornado. Born in a home with very loving people, her first experience with the cold cruel outside world came when a tornado demolished her home. She lost her people and ended up very sick and in the shelter. Now she is happy as a clam unless she has to go out or a heavy storm blows in. Her PTSD is truly debilitating but I found a cat vet that will make house calls! She has been such a help to me this first year after her truly favorite person, my husband, passed away last spring. She still sleeps on “his” pillow every night. Anyone who says animals don’t “know” or have memories is just wrong. Period.
Laughed at Rex’s treatment of JUVENTUS with a dismissive “what records.” Shame! Having worked in Europe for 5 years, I learned to adore “Football” - soccer only in the US. FIFA being readily available on the telly now is my cup of tea (to continue the Brit metaphor). If I am not mistaken, JUVENTUS formed in the late 1800s and has been competing professionally since about 1900. The organization, and legions of players hold repeated records both individual and team in nearly every category. It disappoints me when OFL brushes off or as insignificant those things with which he is not familiar. Fun and appropriately challenging Friday feast!
Odd SOCK made the “pen” a playpen and the cry coming from it “dada.” Oof. TOP MAST finally convinced me to go with a pig pen and ONE odd SOCK. I really loved the au courant SKAALDS in that corner. So black, so gay, so female. Seriously, what I ask for is balance and breadth, and BEQ is good at ranging wide and far. The bible to Jim Carrey to science fiction. TIE DYEd jam bands to hymns to rap. Yeah, it’s tough, but I rarely feel naticked with his puzzles.
ReplyDeleteThe NW wasn’t actually my hardest corner, the SW was. Having iBAR and no idea who Mr. Sophia Loren is and forgetting how decades behind the times major awards are spelled trouble. Guessing BRAINED gave me BEDE. The terminal B suggested CARDI B, CARLO was a pure guess, and the corner finally fell. I’m guessing I noodled around in that corner for a good 15 to 20 minutes before I finally got traction.
@Anon10:59 - I think the “Italian” in the clue is a spelling indicator, INES instead of INEz. Anyone with any actual knowledge of Catholic saints care to verify or correct?
@Kevin Swanson - N-TESTS and A-TESTS is common crosswordese. Crossworld is only tangentially related to the real world. For example, I look out the window and see robins, but in Crossworld it is always ern season.
Anyone else throughly amused by CARLO PONTI getting the “Mrs George Clooney” treatment today?
Hey mods - Seriously? Two anonymice who are too lazy to use google and whose only contribution is how much they don’t like Rex? How lazy and rude do you have to be to be incapable of finding Wordplay or Crossword Fiend on your own? Hell, Rex even links to the one.
Toughie. Lotsa stuff M&A did not know. No really brutal cross at our house, tho -- so eventually got er all done. Some nice, humorous slight desperation: UNSHOD. HAVE-ONE-SOCK.
ReplyDeletestaff wiiiject pick, of a meager 6 choices: TSK.
fave fillins included: WIIITIS. JUVENTUS. PIEALAMODE. ACEVENTURA. ITSAMESS. MULTIVERSE (Wanted TRUMPTWEET, for this pup).
Happy ACPT Weekend and best wishes to all who are competin. Break a pencil, or whatever. Hopefully, U ACPT folks worked all the runtpuzs, and are thereby properly sorta warmed up.
Thanx for the feisty fun, Mr. BEQ.
Masked & Anonymo6Us
**gruntz**
10D is the best assessment of this puzzle.
ReplyDelete@Z
ReplyDeleteSo i's okay for @Rex to dis us
"Challenging (not for me ... for you, though, probably, if initial Twitter reaction is any indication ... for me, maybe just north of Medium) (6:19)"
but not ok for us to dis him?
(Yes, some commenters should learn how to Google).
I used to look at this blog every day after solving. Now I only come for a look once in a while when the puzzle is harder than usual to read Rex's hilarious equivocations, not only for the virtue-signaling but the I'm-a-genius-and-you're-not-signaling. I just love how when he doesn't know something it's a bad clue or answer. It must be hard believing you're smarter than the rest of the universe. I used to feel like that, but I got over it. People don't like you when you present yourself that way.
ReplyDeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteOH ME. Outhouse puz here. Had a BAD START when first go-through yielded about three answers. Didn't know SQUAT in that (for me) brutally tough SE section. ITS A MESS down there. Great for @M&A, though. Four U's in it. Only section I managed to get without Check feature was NW.
Alphabet run for the H of HBAR, also vowel run for the A of MOAI (figured CNN was correct, so next letter was a vowel). Other problems too numerous to get into. Once I did another alphabet run for the Italian J team/JEHU, let out an AMEN that I was DONE. This puz was AT ODDS with me. TSK.
BAILOut-BAILORS
thumpED-BRAINED
COngaME-COSTUME
giVEago-HAVEONE
UNSHOD CIVETS
RooMonster
DarrinV
When I saw BEQ I knew it would be hard. I enjoyed it tho it took me awhile.
ReplyDeleteGot Carlo Ponti but I didn't know he was the producer of Dr. Zhivago - I guess you learn something new every day. He definitely gets points for being Mr Sophia Loren.
This puzzle brought back one of my favorite crossword experiences ever. Five years ago, I worked with BEQ to make a custom puzzle for a friend's birthday. Said friend is a huge JUVENTUS fan, and the club's nickname JUVE (you-vay) was one of the "theme" entries.
ReplyDeleteBEQ is always a pleasure to match wits with, even in his NYToned-down form. A wide range of subjects and time periods, lots of white space, MULTIVERSE! -- what's not to like? Okay okay, STAYSMAD is the greenest of paint, and the alphabet city of IBET, HBAR, NTEST ain't great, but it all still works for me.
Love the slightly offset VENTU sequences in the SE.
Anyone else have REelED for REINED?
OK, CARDIB is now crossworthy, which is great. Can OKURRR be far behind?
46A's clue is simply wrong. "Brought" is not in any way a synonym for "reined in", and it's unbelievable this clue was considered acceptable.
ReplyDeleteThe puzzle is full of mismatches. It's a terrible piece of......(work).
Delete@CDilly52 - I think you misunderstood Rex’s point. How I read it was that soccer clubs hold records, so just saying “record-holding” is not in any way indicative. For example, some Italian soccer club holds the record for most times relegated from the top flight. That would not be JUVENTUS.
ReplyDelete@JC66 - I have no problem with people dissing Rex. Muse and Lewis do it all the time. The difference is they actually have something to contribute, a perspective about the puzzle they can articulate. “I hate Rex” is just tiresome (and rude). I don’t like what strikes me as the sycophantic nature of comments on WordPlay, I don’t go over there. Simple. The people who post there prefer it, good for them. They don’t need me nagging them about their preference. @Foodie got fed up with Rex. She comments now at Crossword Fiend. You don’t see her posting here about how awful Rex is. Simple.
Also, I’m bemused by the “Rex dissed us” reading of that comment. Here’s what I read, “I found the puzzle to be medium, but there were some things in it that were idiosyncratically in my wheelhouse and I see on Twitter that I might be an outlier.” I don’t find that observation to be anything more than accurate. But I do tend to read Rex more positively than many, that’s probably why he irks me less.
Come on, constant rage against including CSA and every Trump related clue but not a peep about the vile transmisogynistic trash that is ACEVENTURA? I'm apparently an outlier among readers, in that I generally enjoy your rants about problematic clues and answers, but if anything deserves a Rex Rant, it's a movie where the "hilarious" climax is the graphic sexual assault of a trans woman, played for laughs.
ReplyDeleteCarlo Ponti, among other things, was the husband of the much-younger (by more than 20 years) Sophia Loren. They married in 1957, then went through an annulment in the early '60s when it was discovered that Ponti's divorce from his previous wife was not legit, then remarried in 1966 and remained married until Ponti's death in 2007 at age 94. They had two sons together, and Loren has stepchildren from Ponti's other relationships. She'll be 85 this year and is still a beautiful and classy woman.
ReplyDeleteToughest Fri. in many a moon. Gimme that old time B E Q!
ReplyDeleteMe too for OddSOCK.
Oodles of fine stuff from WIIITIS to ACE VENTURA, liked it a bunch!
Now if I can just finish the NW corner of last week’s Saturday Stumper...
Helps in getting out of jail? The plural BAILORS doesn't seem to agree and neither do I.
ReplyDelete"Helpers" would be okay, I guess.
Unless that cluing went over my head, which is totally a possibility.
I loved today's puzzle. Pretty hard for me but satisfying.
Tough all over for me. Scattered answers and guesses led to a SW to center to NE solve. SE only fell after I looked up JUVENAL.
ReplyDeleteLiked WIIITIS for shock effect.
NTESTS weak answer.
Rational weak clue for MENTAL.
MISLAYER was fun teasing out.
PAROLE ALIMONY COSTUME PIEALAMODE nicely clued.
@Z
ReplyDeleteYou're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I wonder why you're dissing the mods for allowing others to express theirs. Is it because they don't give specifics, or missed some time dead line cut off, or just find him disagreeable in some way?
@CDilly52 - JUVENTUS was my first fill-in. And I’m on your side, not @Z’s and Rex’s, concerning record-holding. Juve is the dominant side in Italy, has been for a while now, so, yeah, calling them record-holding could help lead one to the answer. If, somehow, my Spurs find a way to beat Man City, Juve will likely await in the semisolid Champions League. One can dare to dream.
ReplyDeleteI loved this puzzle. Really challenging. I survived a lucky guess on CIVETS and found my way to WIIITIS and MOAI. SIPE and CARLOPONTI not a problem here. My one error came with that darn aHME instead of OHME. Somehow, I didn’t take the time to recognize SODOM. But, again, a lovely test. Thanks, BEQ. You’re always a treat.
I ended with EXACTLY the same one error! 😄
DeleteTook me a while, and at first I thought “no way!” But persistence and logic got me through to the happy end. Definitely a challenge.
ReplyDelete@Jett, don’t you realize that “Rex Parker” is a fictional character created by Michael Sharp? It’s an act. Sometimes the column overlaps with his real life, but most of what he writes is tailored to his audience.
ReplyDelete@Z,
ReplyDeleteThe clue may have intended to mean the Catholic Church in Italy, but that's not how it's written. Also, Ines in Italian has an accent mark. Nobody seems too exorcised about that omission.
Let me use the discussion of CARLOPONTI to comment on Nicolas Roeg from a previous puzzle. I was surprised how many people consideed him obscure or unknown. He directed Walkabout, Performance, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don't Look Now, and Insignificance. Before that he was director of photography on some of the most beautiful films of the 60s. He was also married to Theresa Russell. Thanks for the indulgence.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed coming up with obviously-wrong-but-amusing answers for 48D. “Punched him right in the GUAM!”, etc.
ReplyDeleteAlso briefly toyed with the notion that BALI could be an obscure plural alternative for ‘balls’.
These are dark days, you have to take your amusement where you can find it.
Don’t you love what you can get when you don’t proofread? I intended semis, to mean semi-finals, of the Champions League. What I got was semisolid. Apparently, spell check is not too high on some of the teams remains in the competition.
ReplyDeleteUsually love BEQ. Not this time, although WIIITIS and ACE VENTURA were good. Some were just too tough and I think BAILORS is just either wrong or really a stretch, since a bailor doesn’t get you out of jail you, as the bailor, might hock something to raise bond money.
ReplyDeleteI googled BAILOR and got no hits! BEQ made it up. Just like he played loose with other entries. Not a high quality puzzle.
DeleteOn the question of Juventus and records, as a native European soccer fan my first instinct is to see that as a reference to how many league championships they have won. Juve have won 34, which is 16 more than any other team.
ReplyDeleteMight "with the most championships" be slightly better than "record-breaking"? Yes - but questionable whether it is worth the additional real estate in an already long clue. And better to have the "Young Boys" color, which was interesting and helps confirm the answer for those unsure.
So I'd say its fine as is and not worthy of particular criticism.
My rating - mostly Medium + one corner of What the Heck?! (NE)
ReplyDeleteFirst in: THIEU, confirmed by OED.
Last in: BAILORS x SIPE
Thankful to know: SKALDS, JUVENTUS, CIVIT, CARDI B, CARLO PONTI, BEDE, JESU, SODOM
No idea: SIPE, INES
Couldn't remember: MOAI
Glad to at least have heard of: ACE VENTURA
Do-overs: Odd SOCK, PARdon, tAkE ONE, iBAR, tBar, aTESTS
Need better glasses: I thought I was looking for apparel worn by a jam brand, sort of like Mr. Peanut wears a top hat...
Favorite stack to ponder: PIE ALA MODE over MISLAYER - some unfortunate dessert incident?
ReplyDeleteThree BEQ puzzles this week. Two on his site and this one. Yippee.
Had lots of fun. I did not know that Carlo Ponti produced Zhivago, but knew Mr. Ponti's name, being an old dame and all. At first I tried Omar Sharif, which fit, but then the downs.... Nope.
And I kept wanting someone, anyone from Hawaii Five-0 at 50A. Danny Williams? Steve McGarrett?
Or how about Thomas Magnum? Nope. I finally got Ace Ventura, which had not rung any bells, being an old dame and all....
And I'm with Rex. 42A: Moai? Wow. BEQ sics those on us more often than not, so thanks for the challenge.
@JC66 - Dissing the mods? Nah. Just suggesting that posts whose only contribution is “I hate Rex” add nothing to the conversation. I think it is those people who forced Rex into moderating this forum. They have every right to their opinions. Rex et al have every right not to allow them to express those opinions in this forum. To be clear, I don’t mind people taking shots at Rex or anyone else, but please make it about something more than how you feel about someone. “I can’t stand Rex’s egotism any longer” is a waste of electrons (not to mention incredibly egotistical). Contrast that with your 11:51 post where you raise an actual point about something Rex wrote.
ReplyDelete@Anon1:21 - “Catholic Church in Italy” and “Italian Catholic Church” can be equivalent in English. Emphasis on “can.” I get what you’re saying, the clue reads as if Italy has its own separate Catholic Church. To borrow from techspeak, that confusion is a feature not a bug. My theory is that Shortz sits there and chortles knowing that kind of clue wording is going to irk people. Don’t get me started on the whole “only some diacritics matter” discussion. That horse has been beaten to death more than once.
@Adam S and @Chip Hilton and @CDilly52 - I guess I’m wondering what part of “weird, largely meaningless descriptor for a soccer club” you disagree with. Barca holds records. Man U holds records. Detroit City Football Club (DC Til I Die!) holds records. Seems pretty weird and meaningless to me. Leave off “record-holding” and the clue works just fine.
Okay, having dissed the Mods, apparently, I’d better go three and done today.
I agree with Cordwainer that "brought" does not seem correct for "reined in."
ReplyDeleteAnon 9:58 and 10:45 - it is generally considered bad form to ask the girlfriend with whom you are breaking up to set you up with someone else.
ReplyDeleteCarlo Ponti produced more than 160 films, including La Strada, The Black Orchid, Zabriskie Point, The Passenger and Blow Up, all considered classics of modern cinema. He was married to Sophia only a few years. Not exactly what you would call a light weight.
ReplyDelete....more Carlo Ponti films, if they have not already been mentioned: Boccaccio '70; Marriage Italian Style; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; The Passenger.
ReplyDelete"...something to do with the movies...."? And we thought Rex knew a lot about films....surprising.
@Anon 5:00PM
ReplyDeletePonti was married to Sophia for only 41 years, and were a couple for a scant 50 years.
c'mon folks. MOAI is gimme. if you're the product of a liberal arts education or watch the likes of Science Channel. numbers of episodes on the mysteries of Easter Island.
ReplyDeleteBailor is apparently not made up,but is a legal term concerning bailments, contracts, and transfers of custody but not ownership. From the legal mishmash on Google I could not determine if it is a term used in connection with arrests, bail and bail bonds. It is similar. Any lawyers out there? Didn't we have a judge?
ReplyDelete@kitshef 4:48PM
ReplyDeleteI disagree completely. It's the ultimate judo power move.
If the woman initiates the break-up, reply calmly with "Oh, I'm so glad you brought this up first! I was struggling to find the right time. Yes, I agree, breaking up is best for both of us. You don't mind if I ask your sister out, do you? Let's always be friends."
I suppose a woman could try this move on a man, but it doesn't work the same. This is the neutron bomb to a woman's psyche; you've just killed every defense mechanism she has short of physical violence, so make sure you do this in a public place like a restaurant. Since she initiated the break-up, excuse yourself to go to the restroom, then climb out the window and leave her with the bill as a souvenir.
Loved th puzzle. Easy Peasy Friday. Oh, one other thing. The Mueller investigation is complete and this is a simple fact that will never go away: not one single American was charged, indicted or convicted for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election - not even a low-level volunteer. The number is zero.
ReplyDeleteDNF, by a long way. Even after I looked up CARLO PONTI and Santa INES, I was still stuck, because if iBAR and earNED. The latter was confirmed by three downs, so I never questioned it.
ReplyDeleteOf course I knew CARDIB, but not well enough to think of it -- I had my mind fixed on a two part name with three-letter parts. So I coulen't see BRAINED at all.
The rest of the puzzle was OK, even though I had no idea about ACE VENTURA -- but it's a name that sounds like a name, so inferrable. Got SIPE from crosses, knew SKALD but not how to spell it, so crosses helped there, too.
Took a nice long kayak trip through the mangroves this afternoon, didn't have time to finish this first -- so no time to read the comments either. We'll be back home Tuesday morning, which should bring me back to my normal puzzle routine!
@kitshef & @JOHN X
ReplyDeleteNow I'm really glad the mods didn't edit out those @Anon comments.
A floor contractor is one who lays floors.
ReplyDeleteOne who lays floors is a layer of floors.
A lousy layer of floors is a mis-layer of floors.
A person who mislays a floor forgets where he put it. He would make a a lousy contractor too.
Simple logic with crossword spelling and humor. Perfect accuracy? With and without the crossword question mark.
My worst performance in years . Errors all around, only two that I blame on the constructor. Bailors?? And oh me
ReplyDelete. Who says that? I was so sure it was ah me, that I never changed it. The other errors are scary ... Misspelled pedals, and had CCN instead of CNN. Worried about my mental state!
I spent all day driving to Stamford for the ACPT (my second year). I finally lie down in my hotel room and break out the puzzle, and... I'm totally stuck. I really, really did not want to blow my streak the day before the ACPT.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, I somehow managed to get this thing done. Still not sure how. Pulled a lot of answers out of nowhere and took a Hail Mary guess on Cardio B.
Alas @JohnX, I was in a restaurant but still got a straight shot of mace to the face. Couldn't see to pay the check
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting, and to me really demonstrates how subjective solving is. I came here certain you would be complaining about terrible fill in this puzzle (MISLAYERS, NTESTS, HBAR seemed most egregious beyond the ones you've mentioned)... only to find you "mostly liked" it!! Who'da thunk it...
ReplyDeleteFWIW, the longest answers all end in a vowel not a consonant.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to all the tournament contenders this weekend! Especially with Puzzle #5. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHad to flee my apt before I was able to do more than 2/3 of this puzzle, worked on the rest of it in a generous friend's apt who's allowing me to sit there during the day, found it very hard, very engrossing, and have since forgotten that I couldn't finish it. @Puzzlehoarder just reminded me. You nailed it, @puzzlehoarder -- it was the @#$%$@ NISSANS that got me because they were crossed with MOAI (???!!!) and JUVENTUS and I didn't know any of them and just gave up. It's always the @#$%$#@ cars. Always. But despite the DNF, I really did love this puzzle.
ReplyDeleteI'll go back and read everyone now. Or maybe skim you. I'm tired.
Had a Balinese for 19 and a half glorious years. Itzaak Purrlman. Best cat ever. So lovely to see his breed in the puzzle today....
ReplyDeleteDespite *still* using my Wii on occasion I'd never heard of Wii-itis, and I'm surprised to learn it's a thing. MISLAYER, though? Boy that one's ugly. Most of the other rough patches were just obscure in ways I didn't find very interesting. But there were some bright spots too, and I managed to get through it, just barely. Slower than my typical Saturday time.
ReplyDeletePutting bell hooks in caps is just wrong.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I feel like WIIITIS is crosswordese for having a UTI?
ReplyDeleteTough for me but happy I got it. Try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how 43A “served” is a clue for “availed.” Even after I looked to up to confirm the meanings I understood.
ReplyDeleteMay I please insist that the crossword police arrest Mr. Quigley for the crime of cluing REINED with Brought (in)? This is so indefensibly obtuse that it’s “not even wrong” as has been said.
ReplyDeleteOther nits to pick: the toddler size is 2T, not just TWO. I mean, I got it but it’s not right.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree about REINEDIN. How is that related to Brought?
LOSES HOSES
ReplyDeleteALIMONY means you HAVEONE EXPENSE
that your NATURE’S ATODDS to pay her,
and ATLAST you’ve AVAILED to REINVEST,
but TSK, TSK, IBET you’ll still MISLAYER.
--- CARLO VENTURA
What Lewis said, except a dnf here because I left tAkE ONE in due to some quirky thinking.
ReplyDeleteFrom Syndication Land
ReplyDeleteFor me this was a test in vocabulary and proper names. In other words no fun! My best mistake was putting in MCESCHER for lousy floor contractor! That was an interesting visual. MISLAYER...not so much!
BEQ should not be let out of the house without an editor. No, make that two editors.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t have time to post yesterday, but now is an especially good time to do that. I met both yesterday’s constructor, Chris Adams, and today’s, BEQ, at a small gathering last summer. Nice gentlemen both. And I liked both puzzles.
ReplyDeleteToday I misspelled MueSLI and at first had BAILOut. Other than that, no real issues. Having seen JUVENTAS in box scores over the years helped get this puz DONE. Didn’t everyone know SKALDS? Not even a hesitation here. Gimme.
I think an HBAR is just an iBAR turned 90 degrees. Either is an RCM. Random Construction Member.
Speaking of BARs, if you ever get to Fort Meyers Beach there’s a BAR on the north end called TOP o’ MAST. Not quite a ‘dive’, and a good place to START.
Was trying to figure out which Magnum P.I. or Hawaii Five-0 character fit the bill, but, OHME, it’s ACEVENTURA.
Sorry CARDIB, you do not qualify. Neither do the Kardashians, so don’t feel bad.
It’s been a long week, almost time to HAVEONE.
Just...no
ReplyDeleteLady Di
Mahalla, Syndicats!
ReplyDeleteThere's a MULTIVERSE of cat references today, with BALINESE, CIVETS, and long-haired cats in TIEDYE.
There's also a mini-theme of hippies, with long-haired cats, UNSHOD, eating MUESLI, loving NATURE, and dropping MICrodot acid.
Cats can be described as ONESOCK BRAINED.
Happy to get as far as I did, which was down to the SE corner. MOAI?JUNVENTUS? ACE VENTURA? MENTAL clued as "rational"? TEN as "perfect"? Okay, but what's with the "representation" part?
ReplyDeleteRest of the puzzle was gettable: Glad to get THIEU, SKALDS, SIPE, INES, CARDI B, BALINESE, CIVETS, and the quirkiest crossword ever to see, WIIITIS.
The good, the bad, and the ugly, all-in-one.
[mic drop]
Yeah, well, THIS SyndieCat answered 12 answers, 11 were right. Then I looked up (not looked up the spelling, looked them up in the grid) a dozen more. Then I got a lot more on my own.
ReplyDeleteBut the SE still was a giant hole. MOAI JUVENTUS the ever-horrid NTESTSs. I was HOSEd.
DONE
AMEN
Diana, SyndieAlleyCat, howling in the night
After puzzling a bit over it, I now see that TEN "represents" a perfect score, performance, beauty queen, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe had friends that rented Brian Sipe's house in Del Mar for a bit and showed us the 1980 MVP trophy and we've been to Easter Island so all good today!
ReplyDelete