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Three-time All-Star pitcher Robb / MON 1-13-2020 / Home of Milano and Firenze / Desirable, as a job / Business district in downtown Chicago
Monday, January 13, 2020
Constructor: Alan Arbesfeld
Relative difficulty: Medium-Hard
THEME: Middle Seat — Theme answers included some kind of seat.
Theme answers:
- PIPEWRENCH (17A: Plumber's tool)
- COMESOFAGE (26A: Reaches adulthood)
- DUTCHAIRLINE (34A: KLM is a "Royal" one)
- ALOTTOMANAGE (42A: Too much on one's plate)
- ITSTOOLATE (51A: "Oops, missed the deadline")
- MIDDLE SEAT (62A: Cramped spot for a plane passenger... or a hint to something hidden in 17-, 26-, 34-, 42- and 51-Across)
Word of the Day: ADEN (70A: Yemeni port) —
Aden (UK: /ˈeɪdən/ AY-dən, US: /ˈɑːdɛn/ AH-den; Arabic: عدن ʿAdin/ʿAdan Yemeni: [ˈʕæden, ˈʕædæn]) is a port city and the temporary capital of Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some 170 km (110 mi) east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. Aden's natural harbour lies in the crater of a dormant volcano, which now forms a peninsula joined to the mainland by a low isthmus. This harbour, Front Bay, was first used by the ancient Kingdom of Awsan between the 5th and 7th centuries BC. The modern harbour is on the other side of the peninsula. Aden gives its name to the Gulf of Aden.(Wikipedia)
• • •
Hi guys it's Annabel! I've been working at an advocacy nonprofit for about a week and I really love it! It feels so weird to be, like, a whole adult with a job and everything. I mean, one that isn't temporary. Have I talked about that on here before? Probably. Anyways.This definitely felt more like a Tuesday to me. It wasn't that the fill was too obscure, mostly (although I've never flown KLM Royal DUTCH AIRLINES, nor had I ever heard of it), but the clues were a little too clever, you know? Which is sort of the opposite of a problem. And this was light on usual Monday bland fair like AGO (ADO gets a pass because I have a soft spot for the Shakespeare-adjacent). I do love the word EELER even if it doesn't seem to exist outside of crosswords. That's a moray.
The theme was fine, definitely standard Monday. And who doesn't hate middle seats? I like the window seat so I can take a nap on the window. Yeah, that is about all I have to say about the theme.
Signed, Annabel Thompson
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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100 comments:
I agree with Annabel that this was on the tough side. It seemed clunky, and the NEN/MACNEIL cross is more late week than Mon., so...not that fond of...
Also agree that this was a little on the tough side for a Monday. But the tough clues were all inferrable from the crosses, at least for me. As usual, nice write-up from Annabel.
Welcome to the world of work, Annabel. It’s great that you’re enjoying it, as you will likely be part of it for the next 40 or more years. I’m done with it for the past 8 years, and I really don’t miss it even though I did enjoy a lot of what I did over the years: 3 years in the Army, 5 years over-the-road trucker, 5 years as a Teamster moving truck driver in NYC, couple of years tending bar, three years as a hospital administrator in the dialysis unit, thirty-plus years in the computer business, partly as an independent consultant, partly as partner in a consulting company in NYC. I feel like I was lucky to have had the opportunity to do these things and to have been able to be gainfully employed throughout my work life. I wish you the same luck.
Annabel, here are the Three Laws if Work:
1. Do not expect thanks for a job well done. That is taken care if by the person who brings you your check or arranges for direct-deposit.
2. Your boss is an organization is the person who can get you a raise or promotion by going to one other person or committee, and who can fire you without going to anyone.
3. Do not fool around with anyone at work. Everyone will soon know of it, and it will do neither of you any good.
Armed with these—and your obvious brightness—you will go nowhere but up.
Having trouble shaking the flu and the brain fog that has come along for the ride. I got the reveal instantly but don’t get what exactly is “hidden” in the theme answers. Tried to see if all that’s there is letters to spell MIDDLE SEAT but there aren’t two Ds in all the theme answers. I’ll just move on to my next nap, thank you.
Great to have you back, Annabel! I am coming to the end of my “work life” or at least the official part of it. Even as I move into my last year before retirement, I cannot imagine not working every day! Or rather, not suiting up and going to the office. I still enjoy the practice of law, especially in my particular baileywick of government service. My advice: test different settings and find what you enjoy because your work life is long. Balance work and non-work because burnout is real!
This is not a Monday puzzle, meant to give new solvers a sense of what crosswords are about, and to give them a feeling of success, motivation to try more. I say this as one who teaches "The Art Of Solving Crosswords" at an adjunct of UNCA, a course that stretches over three terms, Levels 1, 2, and 3. After having taught this course for several years, I would never present today's puzzle to a beginner. The crosswordese, like EDY, EELER, ELL, POL, OLEO, DAIS, ADO -- words veteran solvers plunk in without thought -- will challenge beginners, as well as sophisticated clues like [Draw interest from], and non-everyday answers like NEN, ELFIN, ADEN,and SADE.
I can tell you that there would be, for many beginners, unfillable seas of white in this grid after, say, twenty minutes, and many would have that worry line right between the eyebrows. In my beginner class (Level 1), I would have to have much filled in on the grid that's projected on the screen in front of the class, and the students would get the message that "I need a lot of help to solve crosswords" and be frustrated about the whole endeavor.
It's a tough dance, placing crossword puzzles -- you don't want them insultingly easy for the particular day, nor so hard as to be opaque. The NYT, in my opinion, does a terrific job at this in general. They just missed today. I'm only calling it out because, after having a glorious time sharing crosswords with many beginning students, I feel particularly protective of them.
Mini-slog today. No big problem, but I had to switch between across and down often to wend my way through.
Puzzle has some pretty weak rum in it: DUTCH AIRLINE, NOT NEAR, NEN, ASWELL, REC, APPEALTO, ANYWAY/ITSAGO/SOTHEN, WAH [kinda feel that whole NE should have been pulled out and reworked].
And a lot of aviation: PILOTS, TSA, KLM, (al) ITALIA, MIDDLE SEAT.
Is MACNEIL known to a lot of people? Is THE LOOP? Got both, but I’m old and used to live in Chicago.
P.S. Anyone in the DC area – Deb Amlen will be speaking at the Smithsonian on March 5.
Thats our Lewis?
Well I've been solving for a long time so I found this MEATY and enjoyable. Yeah, it took longer as Mondays go, but so does putting on my socks.
@Annabel...something for your memory cap: KLM is the oldest airline in the world. If you should ever want to take a little jaunt to Amsterdam. KLM is the way to go. Excellent service.
Didn't think the clues were a little too clever; I found them a bit fiendish. I like fiendish - especially for a Monday.
There is always hard and there is always easy. I guess I'm a veteran cause I like hard.
Bugged me that the "middle seats" weren't actually in the literal middle of the themers. And NEN/MACNEIL on a Monday is wacko.
While I agree that this was a little tough for a Monday, i also love me a puzzle that stumps me theme-wise until I get the revealer, as this one did. Had no idea where it was going, so nice aha! there.
Also nice to see the palindromic NEN make an appearance. One of those singular names you see and don't forget, at least if you're interested in words.
Thanks for the thorny Monday, AA. Always like your stuff.
Are you sure that Robb Nen isn't the mayor of Natick?
This puzzle appeals to me. It wasn't a lot to manage. It had some meaty fill, and I bested it.
Working through it I thought, the Monday puzz finally comes of age and it's none too late. I was about to give up on the usual outdated fill and bland clues of the typical Monday.
I don't care what anyone says. The NYT takes a back seat to no other puzzle. Although sometimes it takes a middle seat.
I found this to be harder than yesterday. I do agree that this is not a Monday level puzzle. Crossing two names (Nen, Macneil) nearly did me in. So selfishly I loved the extra effort needed today but can sympathize with beginners. I was pleasantly surprised at the density of the theme answers and enjoyed finding the hidden seats. As I was solving I had no idea what tied the theme answers together and loved my Aha moment at the end. Good fun.
Congrats on your job, Annabel. Concise, apt write-up. Liked it, myself...SADE is a favorite and always appreciate having a PIANO around, especially on a Monday. And so off to work as well.
Unusally juicy for a Monday, and a fun solve for me, but @Lewis makes some very good points. The theme was okay at best. I ignored the theme and the day of the week and I liked it a lot but now I feel guilty. And Annabel’s not a tired college student anymore!
I still call PBS NewsHour "the MacNeil-Lehrer Report." The show, alas, has never been as good. So I found this easy. OK Boomer.
This was my type of Monday puzzle. I get really bored with the usual fill in the blanks types that offer no challenge. I flew through this one by the SEAT of my pants.
@ Joaquin (7:24am) Alas, Natick has no mayor. In the fine New England tradition of pure democracy, the ultimate governing body is the annual Town Meeting* (still quite common up that way, and which may last for days or weeks). A board of five Selectmen then exercises executive and administrative responsibility during the year at the direction of and in response to the decisions of the Town Meeting.
*think genuine governing town meetings - not those silly little things put on by congresspeople and cable stations.that have corrupted the meaning of the term.
AnD LEWIS!!!! Wow.
Did anyone notice the typo in 62 across—an plane passenger? WTF? It’s the Times. They’re supposed to proofread.
6D is a wrong answer -- should be Pierog. Or it's a wrong question -- Should be Polish dumplingS.
My five favorite clues from last week
(In order of appearance):
1. Rookie move? (8)
2. Term for a group of moles (3)(4)
3. A home in the major leagues? (7)
4. Smack on the street, e.g., for short (3)
5. Number six in a group of five (3)
CASTLING
SPY RING
OAKLAND
PDA
ESP
It’s all a matter of what you know. I found it straightforward and easy.
A smooth and elegant Monday in both concept and execution. If 1A sets the tone of a puzzle, then MEATY -- beautifully clued, by the way -- was an inspired choice.
I went my merry way, solving as a themeless, not especially concerned about what the theme was, though mildly curious. About a two thirds of the way down, my normally unobservant eye caught the embedded CHAIR. "Aha," I said. Then SOFA. That's it, I thought, but what's the revealer? When I saw MIDDLE SEAT* I was charmed.
A wonderful embedding of OTTOMAN. Nice clues for DOC, FEET and TEA.
*One improvement I might make. I'd clue MIDDLE SEAT thusly: "Something that no ethical airline with any conscience at all ought ever to sell and that no traveler with the common sense of a flea ought ever to purchase."
Definitely not Monday easy, though I finished in about a minute under average Monday time. I
agree completely with @Lewis that time for an experienced solver to complete a puzzle is not a good indicator of its difficulty for a newby because of the former’s familiarity with crosswordese. MACNEIL was a gimme for a long-time PBS viewer like me; never heard of NEN but it filled itself in from crosses.
I thought the theme was pretty cute. Don’t know that @RP would have liked it, but pretty sure he would have noted approvingly (given that there wasn’t an inordinate amount of dreck fill) the large number of long themers (7 including the revealer) and the fact that all the hidden words spanned all the words in their respective phrases, except for the A in 42A.
Oops, make that 6 themers including revealer...
Doc Haber
My grid, paper and e-, clues 62A as “a [not an] plane passenger...”.
Strange....
Agree — super easy
for those familiar with crosswordese, this should have been a fairly easy puzzle. But for newer solvers not yet up on the crosswordese, I imagine it would be a bit difficult. Surely not Monday difficulty (or non-difficulty, to be more correct). It will be interesting to copare with tomorrow's puzzle.
Puzzle was difficult for a Monday. KLM was in Sunday's puzzle so I was able to at least get 'airline' and figure out the rest.
Spend more time than I’d like to admit on 57A: Small like Santa’s helpers
Easy one, adjective form of Elf.
Elven....no Veet is wrong
Elfen...ok...looks fine, but Esle of Capri is a strange name for someone
Maybe elfin? Ooh, got a star and a song, it must be right.
As a Monday through Wednesday solver, I agree completely with Lewis. At one point I thought I might not be able to finish. Eventually getting EDY was the key for me to an entire section and I only know this from prior crosswords. Being old also helped. I would never give this to a young new solver.
I went and looked up Robb NEN. Last played in 2002. One World Series Championship, 3 all-star appearances, NL Saves Leader once. So, yeah, probably crossworthy through, oh, 2012 or so. But he was no Mel Ott. Not someone who should be showing up on a Monday. So, yeah, what @Lewis said.
Wikipedia says “ Robert MacNeil retired from the program on October 20, 1995.” How long ago was that? Steve Jobs hadn’t returned to Apple and the $150 million lifeline from Microsoft was two years in the future. Rex Parker wouldn’t start blogging about the NYTX for another 11 years. Blogger wouldn’t exist for another 4 years. Xena:Warrior Princess and Sailor Moon were new TV shows. The Red Wings hadn’t yet won 4 Stanley Cups in 11 years. Tom Brady was in high school. Robb NEN hadn’t won a World Series yet. So, yeah, probably not a Monday answer.
Hand up for being bothered by the loose MIDDLEness of the SEATs.
Hey All !
Rex didn't blog today, so I'll step in for an observation. All the themer SEATs went across every word in the themers, so that's at least consistency. Rex would've tore the puz apart if that didn't happen. As it is, he would've been OK with that, but probably still wouldn't have liked the puz.
The embedded OTTOMAN was pretty neat.
Agree with the touch of toughness on the fill today. But as an "experienced" solver, was able to get most of puz without problems. Also agree it seems at least TuesPuzish. And had that Natick at the N of MACNEIL/NEN. Never heard of NEN myself, seems like he'd be as common as OTT or ORR with the crossword friendly letters, but MACNEIL rang an oh so faint bell in the ole brain.
NOTNEAR is ugh-ish. PLUM clued nicely. Got an OLEO sighting today! And our old friend EELER.
ANYWAY, YAWL have a great day!
OOMPA ADO
RooMonster
DarrinV
Good job by Lewis summing this all up. Yesterday I was singing the praises of a relatively easy Sunday as being “new-solver friendly“. Wow, what a difference 24 hours makes. NEN has no business as clued on a Monday, compounded by the really tough cross. For some reason the NYT just can’t hit its stride in 2020 - some really choppy efforts so far this year. It’s almost like they are trying to be all things to all people.
USA today consistently puts out clean, crisp, dreck-free puzzles on a daily basis (way too easy for this audience though, unfortunately). The New Yorker’s “voice” is congruent with its audience (a little more urban, chic and younger) so it can be done. Time for a new editor ?
Why should I be concerned about people new to crossword solving having a tough time? Why should I have the first two days of the week being a waste of my time? Let the new solvers learn the way we all did. Solve what you can solve, check the solution the next day or online, and try to remember for the future what you learned. Or try the easiest puzzzles at countless other papers or sites and come to the Times when your ready. I can appreciate @Lewis concerns when teaching a class, but for the rest of us, why should we want a dumbing-down on two or three days of the week. And get off my lawn!
@SoutheideJohnny - My comparison is Willie Mays... The NY Mets years.
BTW - The Washington Monument is neither a Christian nor a Mason monument. It’s a political monument. This non sequitur brought to you by SMHZ.
Sure wish I were going to college now. To be able to take Crossword Puzzle Solving for credit??? Why that's like being able to take Chess Club for credit. Introduction to Bridge for credit. College Choir for credit. Writing for the Harvard Lampoon for credit.
Admittedly, you learn stuff from all of the above. And you probably do get smarter from all of the above. But the rule of thumb is (or at least was): If it's really, really fun, you don't get credit for it. College isn't meant to be that much fun, except in the case of extracurricular activities. At least that seemed to be true back in the day.:)
Anyway, I'm lamenting my years-ago deprivations. Would I rather have taken Crossword Puzzle Solving than Physical Science 193? Is the Pope Catholic?
Good one @Z - The Say Hey Kid sure looked lost out there in center field at Shea, and yes it was sad, I think Shortz is more like a King Lear figure, incoherent, stumbling around the castle and drooling in his porridge.
Despite the dreck and the fact that I didn’t see the embedded words until the end, I enjoyed this puzzle.
@Lewis. Very illuminating thoughts from the perspective of a built-in laboratory of newbies. As a solver for only one year, I am often perplexed when the commentariat deems Monday and Tuesday puzzles as medium or challenging when I have just breezed through them. I realize that I have unwittingly mastered the dubious skill of dreck accrual and must remember that this is/was a turnoff to new solvers.
The late week is another animal entirely. It is taking me longer to develop the myriad of skills for cracking these and I am happy to be making steady progress. But...I regularly have the wind taken out of my sails when I toil for up to three hours and pat myself on the back for finishing, only to have the commentariat cry “Easy!” “Solved it in ten minutes” “More like a Tuesday”
The road to Monday-Wednesday is fast. The road to Thursday-Saturday is riddled with potholes, but it’s worth it to keep on truckin. At first I worked the Tuesday puzzles in the archives for practice. Now I work Wednesday and Thursday archives to build my skills. When I can finally do a Thursday quickly, I’ll move to Fridays and Saturdays.
@CDilly52. You sound a bit wistful; are you sure you are ready?
A MEATY kinda Monday. I enjoyed it, running through without an idea about the theme til the end, which is why I filled in 42A with an air of stubborn confidence in each of my five renditions...
ALOTTOchewon
ALOTTOdigest
ALOTTOtakein
ALOTTOhANdlE
... before finally trying to fill in the crosses instead.
(First time commenting from someone who has been solving for a few months now.)
Annabel, congratulations!
I flew through this without bothering with the theme and thought it was kind of boringly easy, so I really appreciate Lewis' insight. I started doing the NYT crossword with my mother decades ago and reading Lewis reminded me of one time with my 'cello teacher at conservatory we both decided to play left handed because neither of us could remember what it felt like to play without callused fingertips. It's a good teacher who remembers that things were once more difficult.
Flutie and Joaquin, yes, no mayor. A while back I went down to Occupy Wall Street after work several days. On the first day, as we spoke and voted on things, a youngster informed me that what we were involved in was "anarchy." I laughed and said, "Anarchy? No, this is exactly like a New England town meeting, the essence of democracy." Kids these days...
No typos in my app, but one should not be surprised the Times has done away with editors and proofreaders. In fact, the big kerfuffle which got the director of the electronic Times fired happened because she went behind their backs to try and hire an editor. I read it every day and it reminds me of growing up in Orange County, where we got the bulldog edition of the Times every day; misspellings, repeated sentences, garbled syntax, and all the rest.
That Lewis never has a kind word for anything.
@TJS 10:40 saved me some nanominutes today by expressing my thoughts.
yep. Like @Annabel darlin and several others have mentioned, this puppy seemed a bit MEATY for a MonPuz. ok by m&e, but kinda tosses in a PIPEWRENCH or three, for beginner solvers.
staff weeject pick: NEN. It seems to have gotten the most rise, out of the solvers here. Not a big prob at our house, as I remembered (eventually) that intersectin MACNEIL-Lehrer Report show.
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {Overdid it onstage} = EMOTED. Nice, long gimme ball.
Was concerned early on about them multiple funeral references. [URN, ASHES] Hoped the puz wasn't about to announce some grim event, a la recent engagement/marriage meta-puzthemes have.
Thanx for all the cramped seats, Mr. Arbesfeld.
Masked & AnonymoUUs
**gruntz**
Not a good Monday puzzle at all! Way too much obscurity.
Ahh KLM, what memories. Back in the day I was on a flight from Amsterdam to LA and at that time they had a rather large space in the rear of the plane where passengers could mingle, smoke and help themselves to ice cold Heinekens that were chilling in a large ice filled cooler.
At the time I had a recurring part on "Barney Miller" playing a gay character. While chatting with some young skiers returning to LA, a man from the front of the plane approached me and asked, " Are you an actor?" Why yes" , I replied, quite pleased to be recognized so far from home. He turned and loudly announced to his wife "You're right, Honey, it's the Fag from Barney Miller.
"6D is a wrong answer -- should be Pierog. Or it's a wrong question -- Should be Polish dumplingS"
Sadly, all too common when people talk about the singular of tamales. It's a tamal (not a tamale).
What happened to yesterday's comments?
We don’t know what happened. It was not intentional.
I smiled at the happy coincidence of COMESOFAGE.
I did the crossword in Japan, and Monday was Sejinohi: coming of age day.
Lewis, your comment is excellent. As I was doing the puzzle I thought more than once how my wife, who can sometimes finish a typical Monday puzzle, would likely feel defeated by this one, and thus likely lessen her motivation to get better.
No matter for children or adults, crossword puzzles are exciting. Children can develop their brains and logical thinking by playing this game. Adults can reduce the pressure of daily life and work by playing this game and make their mood better.
Very easy for me. Must be my lucky day or something...
A number of you found this to be on the tough side; not so I. One thing I like to do with themed puzzles is try to decipher the McGuffin before I get to the revealer. Nothing came to me after the first two, but by DUTCHAIRLINE I had it. Which was fortunate, because the next themer is NOT a familiar phrase at all, but OTTOMAN screamed out at me and so that went down ASWELL.
I liked this one. It had Monday TAMENESS, and a first-class DOD in SADE. Favorite clue: "Pedal pushers." Ha! Birdie.
Whoa - "advocacy nonprofit". What is that exactly? A "community organizer"?
NATICK ALERT!
P
I
E
R
O
? A ?
I
Guessed wrong on both PIEROGI and GAI: The crossing "G" and MACNEIL "I" (had an "A").
Liked it ANYWAY, especially MIDDLESEAT theme/revealer.
What? Am I the only one who had trouble with the PIEROGI / GAI crossing? If so, I'm totally abashed, and on a MONDAY at that.
SOTHEN, PUMA TALLIED PILOTS
ANYWAY, IT'SAGO,
IT'STOOLATE TO DENY,
MIDDLE AGE COMES, you know,
SO do ELSIE and that GAI.
--- ELI MACNEIL
Can't shake my PIEROGI and GAI troubles. Jeff Chen counts seven PIEROGI(s) and seventy-seven(!) GAI(s) in all past NYTimes puzzles. Have I, or have I not, been out to lunch?
I believe it is an unwritten rule of the New York Times Xword, that the answer moo goo GAI pan, must be in the puzzle at least once a month. I believe they often have food from a local Chinese restaurant delivered to their offices. Plus, have you noticed that it is always GAI that is clued for this dish? It's never moo, goo, or pan! Another sure sign of the male chauvinism within the offices of the New York Times crossword puzzle gang.
No write-overs today, but tougher than a normal Mon-puz IMO. Did not see the trickery until the revealer. Sorry, @lefty, those foods are fairly common. PIEROGIs in many cultures foods, from Eastern European to Cajun.
I've brought SADE's music to Eastern Europe and half-way around the world. Her music seems to APPEALTO the more intimate senses. Play it and ITSAGO. Yeah baby. ANYWAY, YAWL should try it.
Pretty good for Monday.
NEN was my only unknown. Still, I agree on "medium-ish" for a Monday.
Every Thursday the ladies at the local church sold PIEROGIs to raise money. That's when I lived on Perot St. In Philly. That's pronounced "per rot" and not "row" as it would be anywhere else. Definitely a Polish neighborhood in that city of neighborhoods. Polish. Irish. The Italian market in South Philly, which now has a lot of Vietnamese foods/restaurants. Miss all that.
Diana Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
Oops - forgot to mention "Chinatown," with the ducks hanging in the grocery windows. Yum.
Lady Di
@rondo -- I swear, I'll never forget PIEROGI or GAI again. (Or I may.)
PIEROGIs seem like a pain to make from scratch. I've only ever had in restaurants or pre-made.
Felt rough for a Monday. I got Mac*eil / *en by educated guess. Elven/Elvin/Elfin/Elfen at 57D caught me up since I had guessed Essie for the cow giving me Esse of Capri (possibly Latin?).
The clue for "emoted" is questionable although the crosses were fine.
47D should have been something like "Casa di Milano e Firenze" but it's not like there are many six letter words for Italy.
I really disliked "A lot to manage", felt very green paint and didn't seem to fit the clue--is it really too much?
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