Relative difficulty: Medium (actually slow for me at 3:17 because of a couple wrong short answers)
THEME: MOUSTACHES (60A: Archetypically villainous features possessed by the answers to the starred clues) — sigh, whatever
Theme answers:
DR. FU MANCHU (18A: *Sinister genius in a series of Sax Rohmer novels)
YOSEMITE SAM (23A: *Quick-tempered, gun-toting, rabbit-hating toon)
SNIDELY WHIPLASH (38A: *Dudley Do-Right's enemy in old TV cartoons)
CAPTAIN HOOK (51A: *Chief pirate in Neverland)
Word of the Day: BOLA (17A: Gaucho's weapon) —
: a cord with weights attached to the ends for throwing at and entangling an animal (merriam-webster.com)
• • •
This is a weak theme with terrible fill. Seriously, the short stuff is overwhelmingly yuck. Inexcusably hackneyed and tired. And the theme, sure, if you are an older person who likes remembering ... things ... then yay, there's SNIDELY WHIPLASH, I guess, but the very premise of this theme is absurd in 2020. Or even 1980. Tom Selleck would like a word, is what I'm saying.
[every dude on this show had a mustache!]
I guess this puzzle is fueled by pop culture nostalgia ... of some kind. I don't get it. MOUSTACHES is a dud of a revealer. Also, in American English, it's more (or very) commonly "mustaches." Look it up!
So much of this puzzle is "of old." You can start with the entire set of themers. But then "I'M A PC" is old (and not even iconic, frankly), the very idea of an AD WAR, or a HI MOM sign, seems old. Even the remake of the old movie feels old (7D: Title role for Jude Law in a 2004 remake) (ALFIE). But mostly the fill just feels stale and tired or odd. A single MADLIB? The absurd "laugh" TEHEE. ATON of ETTA and ONAIR and EST SHO ETAIL PSST ACCT YEP OUTTA SOPH AGLOW SWM ALMA. The best thing in the grid is IDLE THREAT, which I had a ton of trouble getting because I had ASAP at 47A: "Right away!" ("STAT!"). Man, it really hurts when you make a mistake you would never have made if you didn't have that *one* letter in place (in this case, the "A") that just happens to be shared by the correct answer and your wrong answer. Anyway, stared at IDLE P- for too long before realizing the "P" was wrong. Weird that the thing that held me up the most was the thing I liked the most, but there you are. Not much else to say. A shrug of a theme with a dud of a revealer and fill from Olde-Timey Mediocrity Land. I will admit to being in something of a bummer of a mood because of the death of LAKER legend Kobe Bryant and his 13yo daughter, Gianna, as well as another family, in a helicopter crash on Sunday. News that Kobe died stunned me. News that his daughter also died broke me a little. I don't have anything profound to say about all this. Just trying to give context to my solving / blogging mood. Take care, everyone.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
UPDATE: On second thought, maybe "villainous" isn't soooo wrong...
Other than the perhaps unintended nod to Mamba, was not a fan of this puzzle. Relied almost exclusively on crosses for Snidely Whiplash and Dr. Fu Manchu.
Add to that list the annoying ETAIL that I always answer as EMAIL when it pops up, because ETAIL just plain isn't a thing that's real and it disproportionally annoys me when it pops up. Agreed with IMAPC too - I had gone with THINK which was at least part of an old (and far more iconic) Apple commercial. Oh well. IMAPC wasn't part of the tagline either come to think of it, just the dialog.
Hey this was a great puzzle, even if it was just a Monday.
How do you not like this puzzle? I’ll tell you how: you didn’t know the words. I just solve these things, I don’t look for self-verification in the editorial content. I happened to like the content of this puzzle. Does that make me better than anyone else? Of course it does, that was my whole point.
ALSO: I kicked the shit out of the Mini-Puzzle today. My record was 18 seconds; usually I get it at around 42 seconds, but well over a minute lately, probably because of all the opium. Today? 16 seconds. Dig me, man.
I heard Shaq said that he was shocked at Kobe’s passing because he never saw Kobe pass anything before.
I guess I’m of a certain age that found this fun. A little trip down memory lane with YOSEMITE SAM, SNIDLEY WHIPLASH and CAPTAIN HOOK. Never got into Sax Rohmer novels.
Raised an eyebrow with the MOUSTACHES spelling, as did spell check.
I'm only 32, but managed to throw SNIDELY WHIPLASH down with only a couple crosses. They did show the classics on Cartoon Network when I was a kid. Overall, was 16 seconds off my personal best for a Monday. Yeah, a lot of the fill is trash, but I thought it flowed pretty well.
Any puzzle with SNIDELY WHIPLASH sprawled across its middle has got to be fine with me! Time within seconds of my average Monday. After getting DR FU MANCHU I was convinced at first that 23A would be Mr. Elmer Fudd, but crosses fixed that pretty quickly, and besides Elmer had no MOUSTACHES, or any hair at all, come to think of it.
The two long downs -- SPACE CADET and IDLE THREAT, are not only lovely, but they rhyme. Speaking of long downs, Fu Manchu mustache.
I pretty much whiplashed through this offering, with what was, IMO, a fun hook, and I love the word SLURP. I believe new solvers will get a kick out of it, which I think is job number one for a Monday puzzle.
In Japan, the louder the SLURP, the greater the thanks. What a country. I think it's considered rude in China, though...but what do they know. Oh c'mon...this was a fun trip down memory lane and looney tunes on Saturday. I remember staying with my grandparents one summer in Malibu - I was 7 or 8 - and they had no TV. The neighbors about half a mile down the road had one and they invited me to watch toons with them. The husband would be eating his eggs and bacon on a TV tray and the sweet wife (lacy apron and all) would flit around serving us chocolate chip cookies while we watched YOSEMITE SAM beat the crap out of Elmer Fudd. Someone needed the cojones to go after Bugs Bunny. Speaking of MOUSTACHES, they have come roaring back and I love them. Yeah, Tom Selleck probably heads the list but may I add my all time drool fest idol, Omar Sharif. For today's viewing, I'd kiss Henry Cavill any day of the week. I guess I'm an older person who likes remembering things.
Fun way to start the week. How many hours have I spent with these old friends? Many many. I like Save Me crossing Capt. Hook. Crossing Snidely Whiplash would have been even better. I'm thinking of Nell tied to the railroad tracks. Snidely Whiplash is such a great name for a villain second only to Boris Badenov.
Fun stuff for me, which puts me in a certain age group, not my fault. Thought it was about right for a Monday and would delight older newer solvers. SNIDELYWHILPLASH made me think of one of those trick trivia questions-what was the name of Dudley Doright's horse? (Answer-"Horse".)
They did leave out one famous moustache (my preferred spelling), pabloinnh, proud owner for the last fifty years. They used to be so common that I remember a New Yorker cartoon of a sign at an upscale NY restaurant reading "Coat, tie, and moustache required", being read by a young professional who of course fit that description. '70's ?
I think this puzzle is geared to those who watch cartoons, regardless of age. I didn't watch cartoons and had no idea of the answers except for Captain Hook! It took me awhile to get the answers because of that and I am pretty old.
WITH @John X. all the way, except no opium lately. Thought Rex would bitch about no women villains, but guess the moustache theme was too high a hurdle. Best Monday in a long time, IMO.
To me, Captain Hook will always be Cyril Richard, who played the role in the musical alongside Mary Martin as Peter Pan. He did not have a MOUSTACHE.See for yourself.
Maybe he had a MOUSTACHE in the book?
Meanwhile, we know that FU MANCHU had a MOUSTACHE, because there's one named after him. I have only seen YOSEMITE SAM in passing and can't remember him. I have no idea who SNIDELY WHIPLASH is.
I'm usually not into puzzles that are built around proper names. But the names were pretty lively here, making for a pretty lively puzzle. Not a bad Monday.
Never heard of a RUNE before, which is apparently some type of an ancient letter, so I had to guess at the “e” crossing KEANE, which I guess is fair enough for a Monday.
Made up phrase for today is “SHO nuff” - sure, it is plausible, I guess. Don’t think anyone will ever say it like that though. Honorable mention goes to TEHEE - another one that is defensible even though no one ever says it.
Today’s foreign contingent of AVEC and AMORE are joined by BOLA which sounds like a most unpleasant concept.
I just got the full joke of SKINNY JEANS when I read Lewis's list. DOH! I took it as a straightforward clue because almost all people look horrid in tight pants.
Hey All ! Dang, Rex, constructor not your friend? I thought this was a fun, neat theme. Although the OU British spelling Revealer was odd. Had he TACHES part, and started writing in MUS, but ended up a letter short.
Cartoon/fiction people with known MOUSTACHES? Nice. I personally had a Goatee, of which I've had for at least 28 years by now. Main reason is I used to cut the hell OUTTA my chin when I shaved.
Rex's nits on fill are quantifiable, but as you all know, because I say it alot, every puz has dreck. I thought the HI MOM was funny! YEP.
Eerie coincidence on that LAKER answer. Sympathies to the Bryants.
Nice rid desi, theoretically, you could have 9 themers if done right, 5 Across, 4 Down. I'd work on one, but it'd probably get rejected. 😋
I got YOSEMITE SAM, noticed that it contained SEMITES, and figured that we had a names-of-language-groups theme. But I guess the constructor couldn't think of a villain containing Indo-European or Finno-Ugric,and gave up. So the MOUSTACHES were a bit of a letdown. And then, since I haven't watched one of those cartoons in many years, I was thinking his name was SNIvELY. Crosswords are so educational!
@Nancy, I don't know if you ever find yourself driving down the highway, but if you do look for a truck with mudflaps illustrated with a small guy with a big moustache, wearing a cowboy hat, holding two pistols, and saying "BACK OFF!" That's YOSEMITE SAM.
@Nate, your comment doesn't have ETAILs because you're using a sans serif font.
Thoughts on MOUSTACHES (hi, @Gill) -- both in real life and onscreen:
When they're unaccompanied by a matching beard, I do not like them at all. Never have, never will. Could it be the association with villainy that's quite unconscious on my part?
Most attractive face to me: Clean-shaven.
Second-best: MOUSTACHE with neatly trimmed beard -- a beard that does NOT extend all the way to the ears.
Second worst: MOUSTACHE with no beard.*
Absolute worst: Scraggly beard with no MOUSTACHE.
*I'll make an exception for Clark Gable. He looked awful without a MOUSTACHE in the few films where he didn't have one. Too much distance between his nose and his upper lip. Sort of like Yul Brynner who looked much better bald than with hair for reasons I could never figure out.
SHO nuff was standard usage in Marvel Comics also I only remember THINK as an IBM slogan. I am not sure if I like the near appearance of the flying squirrel with out it actually being him. Boris have a moustache?
Just watched Joe's SHO Nuff movie a couple months ago. High camp.
What an absolute delight (yes, I’m old). I loved encountering this array of dastards from my youth...and their MOUSTACHES. Terrific cross of SNIDELY WHIPLASH and CAPTAIN HOOK with IDLE THREAT, which is what they represented to our respective heroes. A witty and fun Monday.
fave themer: DRFUMANCHU. The 40s cliffhanger serial about him didn't mention his havin pursued that PhD. (From Fordham U., perhaps?!) Learned somethin new & schlocky, there. Overall, the theme seemed fine for a MonPuz … with a sorta hairy revealer, I'd grant.
The Across fillins seem pretty clean. The Downs chipped in a little Ow de Speration: SWM. EST. SHO. ACCT. TEHEE. Not sure I'd agree with @RP, on addin ATON, ETTA, ONAIR, ETAIL, PSST, YEP, OUTTA, SOPH, AGLOW, or ALMA to the too-oldies list, tho. Gotta leave constructioneers *some* go-to fill-in-the-puzgrid options, after all. Comin up with raised-by-wolves-new 3-, 4-, and 5-letter answers is a pretty tough challenge, anymore (unless U use a bunch of trendy names). Plus, OUTTA has yer U in it -- so keep yer mitts offa OUTTA, dude.
All of my trying-for-speed guesses ended up as write-overs today. I was thinking BOLo tie for the gaucho weapon. Exchange of negative commercials was a smeAR. I had Rex's asAp before STAT and 48D was TIES to. 68A ___EN, what, sevEN-year-olds are considered middle school nowadays? Bil KEeNE, anyone?
I fixed all of these but thank goodness the theme answers were gimmes because I would have tanked my usual Monday time otherwise. I was still above average but not as bad as it could have been. (@M&A, looks like my epic fail this morning might have been me, not the puzzle :-) ).
I never liked ROCKY ROAD ice cream, or any ice cream with nuts except pralines'n'cream. (I love pecans). But ROCKY ROAD always sounded good, so when Dad brought it home from the store, I'd always try some (and finish it, of course - you don't throw away ice cream!!) and walk away vaguely unhappy. My childhood was such a burden, right?
My co-worker, city born and bred, questioned 62D after he finished the puzzle so I did my best crow imitation. After he said, "I guess I didn't grow up next to a cornfield", we both laughed because he realized that I literally did - my house was on the edge of town with the cornfield behind our backyard.
Thanks, Timothy Polin, for the fun Monday puzzle that brought back the good old days.
I did not watch tons of cartoons as a kid, so I did not whip through this as fast as some Monday. Still I recognized all the MOUSTACHES after a few crosses except for the guy from Dudley Do-right. I sort of liked the exaggerated spelling for the exaggerated facial hair. Nancy, the cartoon CAPTAIN HOOK has a very long MOUSTACHE. Did not know the tennis star - I actually know a lot of the names, since DH likes watching it, and we lived in Germany when Stefi Graf and Bjorn Borg were at the top of their game. I didn't really mind the crosswordese, makes Mondays easy.
Resident newer solver. Quite a number of these were only discernible by their number of letters and their easy nearby crosses.
I grew up with the internet and didn't see ETAIL. Fu Manchu I knew but too many letters... oh, he's a doctor. NOEL is a season? I had AMORE so moustaches came more easily (hi, spell check) I cheated to get teh KEANE/ETTA commonality. Have not heard either name. Seems like bad form to cross those on a Monday. TWEEN I guess is a middle schooler age by definition... I don't consider tween an age though. Age: infant. Age: adult. Nah Giggled that 1600 penns. AVE needed a further hint... we're not that daft :)
SLURP was fun. ANNA, EEL, DNA, ASP, ORCS, ATON, YEP seem like standard fair. Clue for MARE was clever but easy, good one.
Give Nick some latitude. It's true that egrets are herons. They're both in the family ardeidae. However, it's also true that no birder, even a casual one, would ever call an egret a heron. It simply isn't done. It may be that Merriam Webster isn't the best place to go for appreciating scientific distinctions. There are lots of free sites online that can better help with that. For birds, consider Cornell's allaboutbirds.org.
Many moons ago, perhaps in a former life, I visited a small, eccentric gift shop on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA, called Dudley Do-Right's Emporium. They sold Rocky and Bullwinkle Show memorabilia, souvenirs, posters, etc. I just looked and I still have a Dudley Do-Right lapel pin, so I guess it wasn't in a former life, just a long time ago.
So when I saw SNIDELY WHIPLASH splashed across the center row, the puzzle won me over. He was always fiendishly laughing as he was tying Dudley's girlfriend, Nell, the the railroad tracks as a train was coming around the corner (hi @Suzie Q). Dudley would, of course, always ride up on his white horse Horse (hi @pabloinnh) and save the fair damsel in the nick of time.
As others have mentioned, Boris Badenov was also a mustachioed villain in that show. His partner in treachery, Natasha Fatale, a classic femme fatale, showed that you don't need a mustache to be evil.
I’ll go on record as being an old-enough fart to get all the themers without needing any crosses, AND admit to enjoying it immensely. Mustache/moustache is just another potayto/potahto scenario in my book and nothing to lose my excrement over. The LAKER clue/answer seemed eerily and tragically au current and while I’d defend @JOHN X’s (or anyone’s) sacred right to joke about A.NY.THING., I can simultaneously claim residency in the “too soon” camp.
@Joe Dipinto once again you tickle my funny bone with the throwback video and the Gates/Crackers profile pic! (I actually bought the tote bag and coaster tiles, but let’s not go public with that.) Wait...
Loved SNIDELY WHIPLASH, but I was a little taken aback by "SHO nuff" and FU MANCHU in this day and age. I agree with Rex about the age showing a bit. Perhaps I'M A PC, but I recommend that the puzzlers stick with "HBO Competitor" for SHO and stay far away from that old minstrelsy dialogue staple.
Theme ... meh, at best. Another constructor gets the nod just for being in the "inner circle" with Will Shortz. Not for having a worthwhile puzzle theme. Unfortunately, we're seeing it much too often lately.
Ah, yes. Omar Sharif & Julie Christie, together in the troika (or was it a sled) on the way to the ice house where you needed each other just to stay warm. OS was awfully good in Lawrence of Arabia, too.
I find nothing unfair “cry foul worthy” when a puzzle is easier for one demographic than another. They are created by individuals each of whom has a unique frame of reference, ergo those whose wheelhouse fits the constructor’s frame of reference will find the puzzle easier. Other than purposefully created “easy for everyone” puzzles, I don’t believe I have in over 60 years solved a puzzle (especially those in newspapers) that didn’t skew easier for some than others based solely on the content. Carping about a puzzle “playing old” (or young or to one group or another) seems ludicrous to me, but I am only one individual (with my own frame of reference).
This puzzle landed squarely at the helm of my wheelhouse and I enjoyed the solve. Especially SNIDELY WHIPLASH. I was not and am not much of a cartoon aficionado, but I did love Rocky and Bullwinkle passionately as a kid. Boris and Natasha and Mr. Peabody and his Boy Sherman were my favorites.
Enjoyed the quick solve and especially enjoyed the (correct, IMHO) spelling of MOUSTACHES. I think the “acceptable” (modern-because-the-other-is-too-hard-to-spell?) looks decidedly incorrect.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. To each her own. Happy Monday for me.
@Nancy...just for you I changed my avatar. Now look at the cutie pie dude. Check out the neck tattoos as well. What's not to love? And oh, by the way, I agree a bit on the full MOUSTACHE beard combo although there are certain je new se quois that pull off the hair under the nose route. Sellick and Sharif are two definites along with my Dad. I check every morning and make sure none grow where they're not supposed to!
Interesting that Rex uses a photo of John Bolton to say that yes, MOUSTACHES are villainous. Bolton might soon become a hero and I never thought I’d say THAT.
This from wikipedeia on the great egret/heron debate:
Egrets are herons which have white or buff plumage, and develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons and have the same build.
Huh. Seen Dudley Do-right countless times as a kid, but wouldn't be able to tell you the villains name in a million years. Finished with an error, so off to a bad start. Oh well. Such are some Mondays.
@CDilly52 Hear! Hear! Also a HUGE fan of “Moose and Squirdle” (how would one spell Natasha’s pronounciation??) and always feel the warmest tickle whenever I hear the voice of Edward Everett Horton. Fractured Fairy Tales was my earliest intro to the wonderful (ok - debatable) world of punnery. “OK, Boomer” snarkers need not apply, thank you.
Instead of TEHEE, your laugh oughta be "HEH HEH," themewise. It is one of several tiresome fills. Oxymoron alert: these are some good villains. Deliciously, wickedly villainous. "Ah hate that rabbit!" Gotta love 'im.
Fun remembering MADLIBs. We had one wag who, every time a noun was asked for, blurted out "Sex!" One time, the writer asked for a solid object; he cried "Sex toy!" Anyway, with a nod to yours truly (SPACECADET), I gave this one a par. DOD is the beautiful NAOMI Watts. Most fun fill-in: IDLET...which could have ended ...HER/HIM GO.
You can trust in 'ole Tim Polin. A teeny bit of crunch for a Monday morning.
P'raps some groups of rappers could use the villainous names so they'd be updated. You know - Dr. and the FU MAN CHOOSE. Play with the others yourselves. No cheating.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords, Lover of Mondays
My five favorite moments from the blog last week in Syndieland (in order of appearance):
Taking the DeLorean a little too far back in time and visiting the early Trump era 2017. Seeing a more wordy Nancy with her Uri Gellar story and other old posters like Glimmerglass, TwoPonies, Birchbark, r.alph.bunker,BarbieBarbie, JoeBleaux, and Sharonak. It would be nice to escape to that kinder era from time to time. Sunday.
Learning about Wikipedia Edit Wars and discovering that Snickerdoodles are such a divisive cookie. Monday. Thanks @Z.
Discovering G Love and Special Sauces' song Cold Beverage and Robert Fripp and David Byrne's song Under Heavy Manners. Tuesday. Thanks @Z.
Learning that Jews Don't Camp and would probably prefer Glamping. Thursday. Thanks @Nancy.
Watching the discoliscious Rock The Boat video, complete with lyrics and the doowoppy Gimme Little Sign. Thanks @Joe Dipinto.
Spell-check is wrong, and so are you and Rex. I've never seen it in all my nearly 69 years on earth. Just because it's current, doesn't make it correct, whether it has spell-check approval or not. Next week all the texters might start dropping the second c in spell-check, and thus gain spell-check approval. It's still wrong. Spell-check is not an authority.
OFL musta got up on the wrong side of the bed that day. What’s wrong with bad guys with MOUSTACHES? And let’s not forget that one-time LAKER Kobe Bryant probably shoulda been convicted of sexual assault; no reason to get all misty-eyed.
Let’s also not forget that the LAKERs started out in Minneapolis, MN. Hence the name LAKERs.
A long time ago, I was solving this puzzle and got stuck at an unguessable (to me) crossing: N. C. WYETH crossing NATICK at the "N"—I knew WYETH but forgot his initials, and NATICK ... is a suburb of Boston that I had no hope of knowing. It was clued as someplace the Boston Marathon runs through (???). Anyway, NATICK— the more obscure name in that crossing—became shorthand for an unguessable cross, esp. where the cross involves two proper nouns, neither of which is exceedingly well known. NATICK took hold as crossword slang, and the term can now be both noun ("I had a NATICK in the SW corner...") or verb ("I got NATICKED by 50A / 34D!")
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80 comments:
Guess I’m getting old. The font used for my driver’s license is RUNE.
RIP Kobe et al.
Other than the perhaps unintended nod to Mamba, was not a fan of this puzzle. Relied almost exclusively on crosses for Snidely Whiplash and Dr. Fu Manchu.
Add to that list the annoying ETAIL that I always answer as EMAIL when it pops up, because ETAIL just plain isn't a thing that's real and it disproportionally annoys me when it pops up. Agreed with IMAPC too - I had gone with THINK which was at least part of an old (and far more iconic) Apple commercial. Oh well. IMAPC wasn't part of the tagline either come to think of it, just the dialog.
Here’s another villainous MOUSTACHE, well, only of you’re an Astro fan (spellcheck wants “mustache”).
Hey this was a great puzzle, even if it was just a Monday.
How do you not like this puzzle? I’ll tell you how: you didn’t know the words. I just solve these things, I don’t look for self-verification in the editorial content. I happened to like the content of this puzzle. Does that make me better than anyone else? Of course it does, that was my whole point.
ALSO: I kicked the shit out of the Mini-Puzzle today. My record was 18 seconds; usually I get it at around 42 seconds, but well over a minute lately, probably because of all the opium. Today? 16 seconds. Dig me, man.
I heard Shaq said that he was shocked at Kobe’s passing because he never saw Kobe pass anything before.
Ciao!
I guess I’m of a certain age that found this fun. A little trip down memory lane with YOSEMITE SAM, SNIDLEY WHIPLASH and CAPTAIN HOOK. Never got into Sax Rohmer novels.
Raised an eyebrow with the MOUSTACHES spelling, as did spell check.
Fun start to the week.
On the tough side for a Mon. Pretty much exactly what @chefwen (hi Wendy) said.
I'm only 32, but managed to throw SNIDELY WHIPLASH down with only a couple crosses. They did show the classics on Cartoon Network when I was a kid. Overall, was 16 seconds off my personal best for a Monday. Yeah, a lot of the fill is trash, but I thought it flowed pretty well.
Any puzzle with SNIDELY WHIPLASH sprawled across its middle has got to be fine with me! Time within seconds of my average Monday. After getting DR FU MANCHU I was convinced at first that 23A would be Mr. Elmer Fudd, but crosses fixed that pretty quickly, and besides Elmer had no MOUSTACHES, or any hair at all, come to think of it.
The two long downs -- SPACE CADET and IDLE THREAT, are not only lovely, but they rhyme. Speaking of long downs, Fu Manchu mustache.
I pretty much whiplashed through this offering, with what was, IMO, a fun hook, and I love the word SLURP. I believe new solvers will get a kick out of it, which I think is job number one for a Monday puzzle.
Well, TP, I mustache off. Thank you for this!
Super quick, but enjoyed the theme. Great start to the solving week.
In Japan, the louder the SLURP, the greater the thanks. What a country. I think it's considered rude in China, though...but what do they know.
Oh c'mon...this was a fun trip down memory lane and looney tunes on Saturday. I remember staying with my grandparents one summer in Malibu - I was 7 or 8 - and they had no TV. The neighbors about half a mile down the road had one and they invited me to watch toons with them. The husband would be eating his eggs and bacon on a TV tray and the sweet wife (lacy apron and all) would flit around serving us chocolate chip cookies while we watched YOSEMITE SAM beat the crap out of Elmer Fudd. Someone needed the cojones to go after Bugs Bunny.
Speaking of MOUSTACHES, they have come roaring back and I love them. Yeah, Tom Selleck probably heads the list but may I add my all time drool fest idol, Omar Sharif. For today's viewing, I'd kiss Henry Cavill any day of the week.
I guess I'm an older person who likes remembering things.
@Z....Mike Fiers is pretty cute, too!
@JOHN X.
Probably too soon but still funny.
I'm old, and I cite as evidence that three of the four themers went in with no crosses.
Originally had Tahoe in at 2D. Quickly fixed, and was amused when TAHOE came in at 52D.
ROCKY ROAD just doesn't do it for me. I'll take mint chocolate chip, please.
At least I learned BOLA. Sounds somewhat barbaric, no? Smiled at Snidley as I was a big fan of Rocky & Bullwinkle. Amusing enough for a Monday.
Fun way to start the week. How many hours have I spent with these old friends? Many many.
I like Save Me crossing Capt. Hook. Crossing Snidely Whiplash would have been even better. I'm thinking of Nell tied to the railroad tracks.
Snidely Whiplash is such a great name for a villain second only to Boris Badenov.
@ JOHN X, Wicked funny.
Fun stuff for me, which puts me in a certain age group, not my fault. Thought it was about right for a Monday and would delight older newer solvers. SNIDELYWHILPLASH made me think of one of those trick trivia questions-what was the name of Dudley Doright's horse? (Answer-"Horse".)
They did leave out one famous moustache (my preferred spelling), pabloinnh, proud owner for the last fifty years. They used to be so common that I remember a New Yorker cartoon of a sign at an upscale NY restaurant reading "Coat, tie, and moustache required", being read by a young professional who of course fit that description. '70's ?
Nice Mondecito, TP. Right in my sweet spot.
What timing, mustaches and John Bolton!
R.I.P. #24.
I think this puzzle is geared to those who watch cartoons, regardless of age. I didn't watch cartoons and had no idea of the answers except for Captain Hook! It took me awhile to get the answers because of that and I am pretty old.
WITH @John X. all the way, except no opium lately. Thought Rex would bitch about no women villains, but guess the moustache theme was too high a hurdle. Best Monday in a long time, IMO.
My five favorite clues from last week
(in order of appearance):
1. Tiny sound? (5)
2. Art nouveau? (3)
3. Spare part, perhaps (6)
4. Locale for Ernst and Young (6)
5. Looks that can be difficult to pull off (6)(5)
INLET
ARE
TENPIN
SENATE
SKINNY JEANS
To me, Captain Hook will always be Cyril Richard, who played the role in the musical alongside Mary Martin as Peter Pan. He did not have a MOUSTACHE. See for yourself.
Maybe he had a MOUSTACHE in the book?
Meanwhile, we know that FU MANCHU had a MOUSTACHE, because there's one named after him. I have only seen YOSEMITE SAM in passing and can't remember him. I have no idea who SNIDELY WHIPLASH is.
I'm usually not into puzzles that are built around proper names. But the names were pretty lively here, making for a pretty lively puzzle. Not a bad Monday.
Never heard of a RUNE before, which is apparently some type of an ancient letter, so I had to guess at the “e” crossing KEANE, which I guess is fair enough for a Monday.
Made up phrase for today is “SHO nuff” - sure, it is plausible, I guess. Don’t think anyone will ever say it like that though. Honorable mention goes to TEHEE - another one that is defensible even though no one ever says it.
Today’s foreign contingent of AVEC and AMORE are joined by BOLA which sounds like a most unpleasant concept.
I just got the full joke of SKINNY JEANS when I read Lewis's list. DOH! I took it as a straightforward clue because almost all people look horrid in tight pants.
@JOHN X. I'm surprised your joke got through the moderator's filter. I tried to post a Natalie Wood joke a while ago and it didn't make it.
You and Rex! If you only checked the “crossword” ( which is what the puzzle is, not a speed contest) you would not have mistakes.
Snidely Whiplash may end up being the best answer all week.
Thanks Mr. Polin. You too John X.
The hell is ETAIL? That's not a thing.
I agree with lots others. I’m old, but almost too old, and I liked it.
Got tripped up on HIMOM. Just not a thing you see anymore.
OK, Boomer, I typed in all the theme answers straightaway.
I AM A PC is ironic, not iconic. It's real Appleweenie stuff, though.
E-TAIL is quite a thing.
A really neutral puzzle.
Hey All !
Dang, Rex, constructor not your friend? I thought this was a fun, neat theme. Although the OU British spelling Revealer was odd. Had he TACHES part, and started writing in MUS, but ended up a letter short.
Cartoon/fiction people with known MOUSTACHES? Nice. I personally had a Goatee, of which I've had for at least 28 years by now. Main reason is I used to cut the hell OUTTA my chin when I shaved.
Rex's nits on fill are quantifiable, but as you all know, because I say it alot, every puz has dreck. I thought the HI MOM was funny! YEP.
Eerie coincidence on that LAKER answer. Sympathies to the Bryants.
Nice rid desi, theoretically, you could have 9 themers if done right, 5 Across, 4 Down. I'd work on one, but it'd probably get rejected. 😋
SHO BOLA
RooMonster
DarrinV
Any puzzle containing Snidley Whiplash is a winner. What a name for a villain!
I got YOSEMITE SAM, noticed that it contained SEMITES, and figured that we had a names-of-language-groups theme. But I guess the constructor couldn't think of a villain containing Indo-European or Finno-Ugric,and gave up. So the MOUSTACHES were a bit of a letdown. And then, since I haven't watched one of those cartoons in many years, I was thinking his name was SNIvELY. Crosswords are so educational!
@Nancy, I don't know if you ever find yourself driving down the highway, but if you do look for a truck with mudflaps illustrated with a small guy with a big moustache, wearing a cowboy hat, holding two pistols, and saying "BACK OFF!" That's YOSEMITE SAM.
@Nate, your comment doesn't have ETAILs because you're using a sans serif font.
An egret is not a heron.
Missed opportunity?
Man, my proofreading needs help. I meant, "Nice grid design...", not "rid desi". I don't want to get rid of Desi! :-)
RooMonster Typing Wrong Guy
Even though Alice B.Toklas was a real person I would have liked to have seen her name in the puzzle.
@JoeD-How did I ever miss that one? Priceless.
Thanks.
@Nick. Per M-W:
egret noun
\ ˈē-grət , -ˌgret also i-ˈgret , ˈe-grət \
Definition of egret
: any of various herons that bear long plumes during the breeding season
Saying something is not true doesn’t suddenly make it not true.
Thoughts on MOUSTACHES (hi, @Gill) -- both in real life and onscreen:
When they're unaccompanied by a matching beard, I do not like them at all. Never have, never will. Could it be the association with villainy that's quite unconscious on my part?
Most attractive face to me: Clean-shaven.
Second-best: MOUSTACHE with neatly trimmed beard -- a beard that does NOT extend all the way to the ears.
Second worst: MOUSTACHE with no beard.*
Absolute worst: Scraggly beard with no MOUSTACHE.
*I'll make an exception for Clark Gable. He looked awful without a MOUSTACHE in the few films where he didn't have one. Too much distance between his nose and his upper lip. Sort of like Yul Brynner who looked much better bald than with hair for reasons I could never figure out.
SHO nuff was standard usage in Marvel Comics also I only remember THINK as an IBM slogan. I am not sure if I like the near appearance of the flying squirrel with out it actually being him. Boris have a moustache?
Just watched Joe's SHO Nuff movie a couple months ago. High camp.
Did you watch the video you posted? Hint: Helicopter.
What an absolute delight (yes, I’m old). I loved encountering this array of dastards from my youth...and their MOUSTACHES. Terrific cross of SNIDELY WHIPLASH and CAPTAIN HOOK with IDLE THREAT, which is what they represented to our respective heroes. A witty and fun Monday.
Too soon man. Way too soon.
@Nancy - what about muttonchops?
@Roo - thanks for the clarification. You definitely had me scratching my head on rid desi.
fave themer: DRFUMANCHU. The 40s cliffhanger serial about him didn't mention his havin pursued that PhD. (From Fordham U., perhaps?!) Learned somethin new & schlocky, there. Overall, the theme seemed fine for a MonPuz … with a sorta hairy revealer, I'd grant.
The Across fillins seem pretty clean. The Downs chipped in a little Ow de Speration: SWM. EST. SHO. ACCT. TEHEE. Not sure I'd agree with @RP, on addin ATON, ETTA, ONAIR, ETAIL, PSST, YEP, OUTTA, SOPH, AGLOW, or ALMA to the too-oldies list, tho. Gotta leave constructioneers *some* go-to fill-in-the-puzgrid options, after all. Comin up with raised-by-wolves-new 3-, 4-, and 5-letter answers is a pretty tough challenge, anymore (unless U use a bunch of trendy names). Plus, OUTTA has yer U in it -- so keep yer mitts offa OUTTA, dude.
staff weeject pick: SWM. Better clue: {Incomplete swim team??}.
Thanx for yer villainous efforts, Mr. Polin.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
p.s. @RP: Jury might kinda still be out, on the Boltonmeister's villain status. And give the Shortzmeister a break or two.
biter alert: possibly the nastiest runtpuz of all time:
**gruntz**
All of my trying-for-speed guesses ended up as write-overs today. I was thinking BOLo tie for the gaucho weapon. Exchange of negative commercials was a smeAR. I had Rex's asAp before STAT and 48D was TIES to. 68A ___EN, what, sevEN-year-olds are considered middle school nowadays? Bil KEeNE, anyone?
I fixed all of these but thank goodness the theme answers were gimmes because I would have tanked my usual Monday time otherwise. I was still above average but not as bad as it could have been. (@M&A, looks like my epic fail this morning might have been me, not the puzzle :-) ).
I never liked ROCKY ROAD ice cream, or any ice cream with nuts except pralines'n'cream. (I love pecans). But ROCKY ROAD always sounded good, so when Dad brought it home from the store, I'd always try some (and finish it, of course - you don't throw away ice cream!!) and walk away vaguely unhappy. My childhood was such a burden, right?
My co-worker, city born and bred, questioned 62D after he finished the puzzle so I did my best crow imitation. After he said, "I guess I didn't grow up next to a cornfield", we both laughed because he realized that I literally did - my house was on the edge of town with the cornfield behind our backyard.
Thanks, Timothy Polin, for the fun Monday puzzle that brought back the good old days.
The word "mustache" does not have an O in it and never has. This entire puzzle is based on a spelling error. 0/10.
I did not watch tons of cartoons as a kid, so I did not whip through this as fast as some Monday. Still I recognized all the MOUSTACHES after a few crosses except for the guy from Dudley Do-right. I sort of liked the exaggerated spelling for the exaggerated facial hair. Nancy, the cartoon CAPTAIN HOOK has a very long MOUSTACHE. Did not know the tennis star - I actually know a lot of the names, since DH likes watching it, and we lived in Germany when Stefi Graf and Bjorn Borg were at the top of their game. I didn't really mind the crosswordese, makes Mondays easy.
Resident newer solver. Quite a number of these were only discernible by their number of letters and their easy nearby crosses.
I grew up with the internet and didn't see ETAIL.
Fu Manchu I knew but too many letters... oh, he's a doctor.
NOEL is a season?
I had AMORE so moustaches came more easily (hi, spell check)
I cheated to get teh KEANE/ETTA commonality. Have not heard either name. Seems like bad form to cross those on a Monday.
TWEEN I guess is a middle schooler age by definition... I don't consider tween an age though. Age: infant. Age: adult. Nah
Giggled that 1600 penns. AVE needed a further hint... we're not that daft :)
SLURP was fun.
ANNA, EEL, DNA, ASP, ORCS, ATON, YEP seem like standard fair.
Clue for MARE was clever but easy, good one.
Anonymous 11:50,
Give Nick some latitude. It's true that egrets are herons. They're both in the family ardeidae.
However, it's also true that no birder, even a casual one, would ever call an egret a heron. It simply isn't done.
It may be that Merriam Webster isn't the best place to go for appreciating scientific distinctions. There are lots of free sites online that can better help with that. For birds, consider Cornell's allaboutbirds.org.
p.p.s.s.
Almost forgot:
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Breakfast, lunch and dinner} = MEALS.
@Teedmn: Nah. That there runt is FU-lly villainous. (Nice catch, on bein the first to see them 4-letter themer starters, tho.)
fillins with sparkle in today's MonPuz: SPACECADET. ROCKYROAD. IDLETHREAT. OUTTA. SAVEME. HIMOM.
M&Also
Many moons ago, perhaps in a former life, I visited a small, eccentric gift shop on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, CA, called Dudley Do-Right's Emporium. They sold Rocky and Bullwinkle Show memorabilia, souvenirs, posters, etc. I just looked and I still have a Dudley Do-Right lapel pin, so I guess it wasn't in a former life, just a long time ago.
So when I saw SNIDELY WHIPLASH splashed across the center row, the puzzle won me over. He was always fiendishly laughing as he was tying Dudley's girlfriend, Nell, the the railroad tracks as a train was coming around the corner (hi @Suzie Q). Dudley would, of course, always ride up on his white horse Horse (hi @pabloinnh) and save the fair damsel in the nick of time.
As others have mentioned, Boris Badenov was also a mustachioed villain in that show. His partner in treachery, Natasha Fatale, a classic femme fatale, showed that you don't need a mustache to be evil.
I’ll go on record as being an old-enough fart to get all the themers without needing any crosses, AND admit to enjoying it immensely.
Mustache/moustache is just another potayto/potahto scenario in my book and nothing to lose my excrement over.
The LAKER clue/answer seemed eerily and tragically au current and while I’d defend @JOHN X’s (or anyone’s) sacred right to joke about A.NY.THING., I can simultaneously claim residency in the “too soon” camp.
@Joe Dipinto once again you tickle my funny bone with the throwback video and the Gates/Crackers profile pic! (I actually bought the tote bag and coaster tiles, but let’s not go public with that.) Wait...
Loved SNIDELY WHIPLASH, but I was a little taken aback by "SHO nuff" and FU MANCHU in this day and age. I agree with Rex about the age showing a bit. Perhaps I'M A PC, but I recommend that the puzzlers stick with "HBO Competitor" for SHO and stay far away from that old minstrelsy dialogue staple.
Theme ... meh, at best.
Another constructor gets the nod just for being in the "inner circle" with Will Shortz. Not for having a worthwhile puzzle theme.
Unfortunately, we're seeing it much too often lately.
Ah, yes. Omar Sharif & Julie Christie, together in the troika (or was it a sled) on the way to the ice house where you needed each other just to stay warm. OS was awfully good in Lawrence of Arabia, too.
j
Mustache rides.
@Lewis: I’m a huge fan of onomatopoeia and SLURP is one of my favorite examples! And your puns. . . very good groaners!
For a while it just had to be: Boris and Natasha. Right show, wrong skit.
I find nothing unfair “cry foul worthy” when a puzzle is easier for one demographic than another. They are created by individuals each of whom has a unique frame of reference, ergo those whose wheelhouse fits the constructor’s frame of reference will find the puzzle easier. Other than purposefully created “easy for everyone” puzzles, I don’t believe I have in over 60 years solved a puzzle (especially those in newspapers) that didn’t skew easier for some than others based solely on the content. Carping about a puzzle “playing old” (or young or to one group or another) seems ludicrous to me, but I am only one individual (with my own frame of reference).
This puzzle landed squarely at the helm of my wheelhouse and I enjoyed the solve. Especially SNIDELY WHIPLASH. I was not and am not much of a cartoon aficionado, but I did love Rocky and Bullwinkle passionately as a kid. Boris and Natasha and Mr. Peabody and his Boy Sherman were my favorites.
Enjoyed the quick solve and especially enjoyed the (correct, IMHO) spelling of MOUSTACHES. I think the “acceptable” (modern-because-the-other-is-too-hard-to-spell?) looks decidedly incorrect.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. To each her own. Happy Monday for me.
@Nancy...just for you I changed my avatar. Now look at the cutie pie dude. Check out the neck tattoos as well. What's not to love? And oh, by the way, I agree a bit on the full MOUSTACHE beard combo although there are certain je new se quois that pull off the hair under the nose route. Sellick and Sharif are two definites along with my Dad.
I check every morning and make sure none grow where they're not supposed to!
Those were my favorite too.
I spent quite a bit of time wondering what kind of a Chinese name Drfu was.
And I've spent 6 decades thinking the villain was SNIvELY WHIPLASH.
Darkwing Duck, my favorite. Mid to late 90's.
"When there's trouble you call DW"
Roo
Interesting that Rex uses a photo of John Bolton to say that yes, MOUSTACHES are villainous. Bolton might soon become a hero and I never thought I’d say THAT.
This from wikipedeia on the great egret/heron debate:
Egrets are herons which have white or buff plumage, and develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons and have the same build.
Huh. Seen Dudley Do-right countless times as a kid, but wouldn't be able to tell you the villains name in a million years. Finished with an error, so off to a bad start. Oh well. Such are some Mondays.
@CDilly52 Hear! Hear! Also a HUGE fan of “Moose and Squirdle” (how would one spell Natasha’s pronounciation??) and always feel the warmest tickle whenever I hear the voice of Edward Everett Horton. Fractured Fairy Tales was my earliest intro to the wonderful (ok - debatable) world of punnery.
“OK, Boomer” snarkers need not apply, thank you.
SLURP STAT
SNIDELYWHIPLASH HAS an IDLETHREAT,
but what DOES NAOMI OPT?:
“SAVEME and (TEHEE) AMORE’s my debt –
MOUSTACHE rides with ME ONTOP.”
--- ANNA ETTA KEANE
Instead of TEHEE, your laugh oughta be "HEH HEH," themewise. It is one of several tiresome fills. Oxymoron alert: these are some good villains. Deliciously, wickedly villainous. "Ah hate that rabbit!" Gotta love 'im.
Fun remembering MADLIBs. We had one wag who, every time a noun was asked for, blurted out "Sex!" One time, the writer asked for a solid object; he cried "Sex toy!" Anyway, with a nod to yours truly (SPACECADET), I gave this one a par. DOD is the beautiful NAOMI Watts. Most fun fill-in: IDLET...which could have ended ...HER/HIM GO.
You can trust in 'ole Tim Polin. A teeny bit of crunch for a Monday morning.
P'raps some groups of rappers could use the villainous names so they'd be updated. You know - Dr. and the FU MAN CHOOSE. Play with the others yourselves. No cheating.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords, Lover of Mondays
Familiar cartoon characters linked with good long downs. Neat construction.
Needed crosses to see SPACE CADET. Wanted BOLo before BOLA.
Fun Monday.
My five favorite moments from the blog last week in Syndieland (in order of appearance):
Taking the DeLorean a little too far back in time and visiting the early Trump era 2017. Seeing a more wordy Nancy with her Uri Gellar story and other old posters like Glimmerglass, TwoPonies, Birchbark, r.alph.bunker,BarbieBarbie, JoeBleaux, and Sharonak. It would be nice to escape to that kinder era from time to time. Sunday.
Learning about Wikipedia Edit Wars and discovering that Snickerdoodles are such a divisive cookie. Monday. Thanks @Z.
Discovering G Love and Special Sauces' song Cold Beverage and Robert Fripp and David Byrne's song Under Heavy Manners. Tuesday. Thanks @Z.
Learning that Jews Don't Camp and would probably prefer Glamping. Thursday. Thanks @Nancy.
Watching the discoliscious Rock The Boat video, complete with lyrics and the doowoppy Gimme Little Sign. Thanks @Joe Dipinto.
Spell-check is wrong, and so are you and Rex. I've never seen it in all my nearly 69 years on earth. Just because it's current, doesn't make it correct, whether it has spell-check approval or not. Next week all the texters might start dropping the second c in spell-check, and thus gain spell-check approval. It's still wrong. Spell-check is not an authority.
OFL musta got up on the wrong side of the bed that day. What’s wrong with bad guys with MOUSTACHES? And let’s not forget that one-time LAKER Kobe Bryant probably shoulda been convicted of sexual assault; no reason to get all misty-eyed.
Let’s also not forget that the LAKERs started out in Minneapolis, MN. Hence the name LAKERs.
NAOMI as clued deserves yeah baby status.
Don’t let OFL RUNE your day.
@anon 4:01 - pretty much a non-sequitur when nobody knows whom you are addressing. Stay with the game.
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