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Historical novelist Seton / MON 4-19-21 / Pacific Island group that was once a setting for "Survivor" / Southwestern tribe with a snake dance
Monday, April 19, 2021
Constructor: Andrea Carla Michaels
Relative difficulty: Easy (2:39)
Theme answers:
- "THE PRICE IS RIGHT" (20A: "I'm willing to pay that amount")
- "TO TELL THE TRUTH" (32A: "If I can be honest here...")
- "YOU BET YOUR LIFE" (40A: "Absolutely! 100% positive!")
Anya Seton (January 23, 1904 – November 8, 1990), born Ann Seton, was an American author of historical fiction, or as she preferred they be called, "biographical novels". // Seton published her first novel, My Theodosia, in 1941. // Seton's historical novels were noted for how extensively she researched the historical facts, and some of them were best-sellers: Dragonwyck (1944) and Foxfire(1950) were both made into Hollywood films. Three of her books are classics in their genre and continue in their popularity to the present: Katherine, the story of Katherine Swynford, the mistress and eventual wife of John of Gaunt, and their children, who were the direct ancestors of the Tudors, Stuarts, and the modern British royal family; Green Darkness, the story of a modern couple plagued by their past life incarnations; and The Winthrop Woman about the notorious Elizabeth Fones, niece and daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Most of her novels have been recently republished, several with forewords by Philippa Gregory. In 2003, Katherine was chosen as the 95th best British novel of all time in a nationwide poll conducted by the BBC. (wikipedia)
• • •
I mean, A-TEST!?!?! I was literally just thinking, yesterday, how looooong it had been since I'd had to endure a [letter]-TEST answer (once a staple of crosswordese): H-TEST, A-TEST, N-TEST! I actually thought to myself, "No, I must be misremebering, A-TEST can't really have been an answer, that's absurd." But Apparently Not. Yeesh. OLEG ASTA EBAN ANYA the oldies don't stop. This is some truly spectacular non-editing. It was easy, I'll give it that. Only a few hiccups. Wrote in SPCA before PETA (corrected immediately) (5A: Antifur org.). Then blanked on ASSET, which has a bizarre and honestly kinda creepy clue (47D: Beauty, brawn or brains). What year is it? Those are all traits, but none of them registers as ASSET with me. I had CLASSIC GAME- and honestly didn't know what came next, and rather than actually look at the themers, I just LEAPT into the SE corner and took my chances ... which was a good move, as I solved every clue I looked at at first glance. Always feels good to come in in the 2:30s (or, very rarely, lower). But that's the only thing that felt good today. See you tomorrow (fingers crossed, as always).
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99 comments:
Ah! ACME, the old pro (well, not criminally old 😉) and the Mondee royalty does it again.
This felt like me in my early solving days, getting excited because I actually knew things.
Nothing really tripped me up, so it was a smooth ride. Oh, PALAU probably would have throttled me like a playground bully if I had seen it. Was doing the downs at the time.
"Survivor" wouldn't help because, well, it's "Survivor" and that's a noper for me.
CLASSICGAMESHOWS reminds me of visiting the in-laws and hanging out with them watching the Game Show Network. Something I wouldn't dream of doing at home, but it was immensely pleasurable sharing the experience with them. Gonna miss those days as they both passed in 2020.
Anyway, thanks for the happy memories, Ms. Michaels!
🧠
🎉🎉🎉
Remember when A.C.M. used to make lovely comments on this very blog? Gosh, I wonder why she stopped . . .
This was a solid Monday puzzle and all of the answers were great. Remember Rex, this is the NYTX not People magazine. You need broad knowledge here or go home.
“Beauty, brawn or brains” : I got all three and there ain’t nothing bizarre or creepy about it. Rex, we seriously need to get you laid. I’ll start a GoFundMe page and we can solicit donations from across the crossword community to get you the nastiest and moistest outcall hooker in Upstate New York. I’ll spearhead the effort; you can count on me.
UPDATE:
I didn’t make bail, I didn’t get paroled, I got pardoned, baby! Turns out there’s certain information that the governor of this state would prefer not be disclosed to the press, and there’s no telling what I’d say in jail. And even better, I got my old job as a test pilot at Lockheed back! I’ll be working on a super-secret project that I can’t wait to tell everybody about (hint: it’s a plane with a death-ray). Cool stuff and it pays bank, and there’s no drug testing either! Woo hoo!
This puzzle really rattled my memory vault.
In 1972 I was on what was definitely a *Non*Classic TV game show, “An Amateur’s Guide To Love”. It was hosted by Gene Rayburn and had a panel of three celebrities. The show lasted only a few months.
The premise was some random person (in this case: me) is recruited while out shopping (in this case at Green Thumb Nursery in Canoga Park, CA), to be thrown into some goofy situation. In my case, I was supposed to be the “new boyfriend” to a C-list starlet (Liberty Williams). The celebrity panel (Vincent Price, Eva Gabor, Buddy Hackett) would then decide if I had acted appropriately.
I was paid $1.00 (yes, one dollar) on the spot and then when the program aired and I was actually on tv, I won a small under-the-bar type refrigerator.
I got 30 years use from that refrigerator and while it’s not the best prize ever it sure beats the only other prize I won on tv. In 1953 I was on “Art Linkletter’s House Party” show where I went home with a %#!*&^% shoeshine kit. Worst. Prize. Ever.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT was on air from 1956 to 1965 and again from 1971 through the present day. How is that not classic? Music from the 90s is considered "classic" nowadays. And TO TELL THE TRUTH came back on air in 2016.
I liked the theme, but I agree that the revealer had a flat clue. And the fill was quite dated, beginning to end.
Easy except for tracking down a typo. Smooth and Monday friendly, liked it a tinge more than @Rex did.
....and speaking of Louis Quatorze, the series “Versailles” currently streaming on Netflix is an interesting take on the Sun King, although
a bit heavy on sex and non-explicit violence.
Cute puzzle, liked it.
I know ANYA SETON because I’ve read a couple of her books, don’t know ANYA Taylor-Joy because I can’t keep up with all the newer movies or their stars. Living in the past sometimes has benefits.
If fur is mentioned in the clue, it’s PETA. They used to throw paint on celebs fur coats.
Only one write over, I spelled JAI alai phonetically, with an H, but when HAPAN didn’t register as a country I let out a big DUH and corrected it.
Easy Monday puzzle, just right for a beginner.
Forget the refrigerator, your real prize was having your actions evaluated by Vincent Price! That’s a gift to last a lifetime!
Ay dios mio, @Rex...TO TELL THE TRUTH, this is a CLASSIC rendering of your Name That Tune bashing. This is a perfect Monday for the first time solver. You have a SKOSH of this, a TURF of that and very little SWEAT.
A Monday without a Beatles song will never be an ACME puzzle. I really like seeing ON TOE waiting to be pounced by LEAPT. AORTA sitting above LIFE and that COOL LUNE. Good stuff here.
Ah...@Joaquin. I loved Vincent Price. I didn't meet him on a game show, I met him in a movie called "House of a Thousand Dolls." He was filming in Madrid along with class act, Martha Hyer. I played one of the dolls (but not the kind @John X has in mind). He was the funniest person I'd ever met. He was also smart and very kind to everyone.
By the way...I think Andrea was on one of these shows and being the smart person she is, won (I think) an RV. She's also funny as can be.
Glad I came here to read @Joaquin's story. And @Megafrim's apt comment. Gene Rayburn hosted a lot back then, didn't he?
That CLASSIC theme extends to crossword answers that have shown up very regularly since seemingly forever, and will certainly show up again – ITEM, JAI, ONUS, F-STOP, ASTA, ICEES. Here Acme introduces new solvers to answers they need to put in their toolbox.
She also throws in some mild challenges – PALAU, ANYA, SVU, to my eye – all crossed fairly, to show new solvers that those crosses can fill in gaps in knowledge.
For a veteran solver like me, she threw in some things to catch, such as the abutting palindromes AHA and ETTE, and that ATEST that looks so much like ATTEST, the perfect partner for TO TELL THE TRUTH.
And even better, she triggered memories. How I loved TO TELL THE TRUTH, especially the final moment when the guests would sit and stand until only one was left standing. There is a revival of that show on now that I peek in on every now and then.
Acme, you’re such a pro, and one of the count-on-one-hand Monday CLASSIC constructors that continues to produce fresh gems. Thank you!
An update to my post about the Wright FLYER fabric swatch on Mars’s Ingenuity Helicopter: it successfully flew this AM! First extraterrestrial powered flight (that we know of, anyway). Helicopters on Mars! Amazing ... LINK
I would have steered away from OLEG crossing PALAU, which just looks like bad form (even conceding that OLEG is pretty well-entrenched crosswordese). Fortunately a fellow poster here suggested some time ago that I remember ROI (which I believe may be Spanish for “king”) so I don’t get tripped up by that one - (which appears with somewhat surprising frequency in the NYT).
Similarly, the South-Central is kind of a big nothing burger with HOPI, GOBI, EBAN and even JAPAN comprising a mini trivial-quiz where my preference would have been for a bit more word-play. I guess, it is a routine, competently-executed if somewhat uninspiring Monday (which is kind of what Rex indicated - though he states it more caustically, lol).
It’s been posited that embracing certain nostalgia increases positive self characteristics and encourages personal growth. Maybe Rex should think about that in lieu of always railing against it. The premise of this entire puzzle was CLASSIC - to me any fill slanted toward that end was appropriate. I do agree that the revealer could have been developed a little more - but overall I liked this one.
Highly enjoyable Monday.
Don't knock it.12 Mins for me was a blast. Made me think I was an in telly gent.
Super quick, with some guilt in knowing the old TV shows.
I’m not much of a TV game show watcher. My viewing history pales beside @Joaquin’s playing history, but I’ll tell you anyway. I saw episodes of TO TELL THE TRUTH back in the 60s when I was kid; I think my mother liked it. I remember the line “Will the real Joe Blow please stand up” and then a lot of hemming, hawing and shuffling to prolong the suspense before the actual, bona fide Mr. Blow got to his feet. This was followed by gasps, groans and head-shaking from the panelists who’d guessed wrong – and sometimes from my mother, who’d guessed wrong, too. Although she often got it right – she was a smart cookie. In later years, my father sometimes watched THE PRICE IS RIGHT during the Bob Barker era, but I never liked the show or Barker and used to decamp when it came on. YOU BET YOUR LIFE was either before my time or never watched by my parents. The CLASSIC GAME SHOW that I really liked and that my mother and I used to seek out was “Password”. That was a word guessing game that was both fun and intelligent. You had to get your partner to say a mystery word and you gave clues that consisted of only one word. Ordinary people played with celebrities and it was interesting to see who among the well-known TV actors of the day was smart and lexical.
Oh right, the puzzle. I liked it! It did everything Monday is supposed to do. I enjoyed seeing EFT, old crosswordese that I didn’t know I was missing. There wasn’t a lot of scope for longer answers, apart from the themers. I liked SKOSH, PALAU and the JAPAN/CHINA pair. Here’s Paul REVERE by Copley. And here’s Blood, SWEAT & Tears. And "Clair de LUNE".
You may need a tissue today. Here's STUART McLEAN, born Apr. 19, 1948.
“We do this thing. We open our hearts to the world around us. And the more we do that, the more we allow ourselves to love, the more we are bound to find ourselves one day - like Dave, and Morley, and Sam, and Stephanie - standing in the kitchen of our life, surrounded by the ones we love, and feeling empty, and alone, and sad, and lost for words, because one of our loved ones, who should be there, is missing. Mother or father, brother or sister, wife or husband, or a dog or cat. It doesn't really matter. After a while, each death feels like all the deaths, and you stand there like everyone else has stood there before you, while the big wind of sadness blows around and through you.
"He was a great dog," said Dave.
"Yes," said Morley. "He was a great dog.”
(From The Vinyl Café)
Thank you @ACME; good to see you again! Perfect puz to start the week off with! :)
Med solve.
Good NW start; clockwise, down, around and up to finish in the NE. No hitches along the way.
HOPI Snake Dance (1906)
Louie Louie ~ Paul REVERE & The Raiders
@jae
You were right; very doable. Only one guess at the crossing of two persons in the middle of the grid. Made the right choice. Thx again for keeping me in the loop. :)
___
yd 0
Peace ~ Empathy ~ Kindness to all 🕊
To me, the problem with the theme was this: the schtick in the puzzle is that each gameshow can be clued as though it were a colloquial phrase that someone was just, like, saying. That would be an interesting enough theme if it weren't the case that the names of these shows were created BECAUSE they were part of colloquial phrases. So, for me, that left the theme being very close to what Rex identified: three classic game shows.
Also...SKOSH?
On Mondays, I try to solve the puzzle without solving any of the theme entries. So it matters not one bit if the theme entries skew old.They did today, but I guess that's the point of entires that are "classic." And because of the way I solve, it did not matter at all. All the mattered to me is that I normally like ACNE's puzzles and I did today. I don't like that she doesn't comment here anymore, but that's life. Hopefully she'll comment today.
After reading the write-ups recently, I think I know one reasons Sharp's musings can stir up such a negative reaction (or positive). It can seem like he expresses his response, and then tries to convince you he's right and his response is the only correct response. And he goes on and on and on. I wonder if, for example, he simply stated succinctly today what he did not like and then move on without trying to convince you why his reactions are justifies whether or not as many would take exception to his pronouncements. Just wondering.
@Joaquin
A shoeshine kit?!? They could have at least had the good grace to give you a lifetime supply of Turtle Wax!
Rex prefers a recently arrived Hollywood starlet in his puzzle over an older (could we say CLASSIC?) writer -- quelle surprise! My guess is that the writer ANYA Seton might be more of a challenge for solvers than the actress. (Nothing against Taylor-Joy, by the way -- I enjoyed her in The Queen's Gambit. Haven't seen Emma.)
Bodhisattva
Would you take me by the hand
Can you show me
The shine of your JAPAN
The sparkle of your CHINA
Anyhow, I thought the puzzle was completely fine. Very few abbreviations or POC. Fairly clean layout. If the answers have a homey-enough familiarity so that the new solver (old, young, or in-between) has a good chance of getting through it, then this Monday is for them. His ideal puzzle might actually not be.
All three of these classic game shows still have life in them.
The "New" Price is Right (as it was called when it premiered) debuted in 1972 on CBS and has been running ever since.
To Tell The Truth has been revived a couple of times since it's first run, but it is currently running on ABC in prime time.
And even You Bet Your Life lives on, after a couple of revivals. Fox Television Stations has announced that a new version will appear for the syndication market later this year, with Jay Leno as the host.
Does the fact that my favorite GAME SHOW of all time, the most wonderful GAME SHOW of all time, TO TELL THE TRUTH, is in this puzzle make up for the puzzle's lackluster nature?
No, unfortunately it doesn't.
I mean, if you put AHA in your grid, make sure that there is at least one "Aha Moment" in your puzzle. I couldn't even find one.
Here's how I would have clued CLASSIC GAME SHOW: A waiter proudly displaying "Pheasant Under Glass", for example?
Do yourselves a favor, those of you who are too young to have ever seen TO TELL THE TRUTH. Go to YouTube and watch the oldest episodes. They're the best -- the ones in black and white. (1950s and 1960s). When you at long last run out of those, go to the Gary Moore era (1970s, I think.) After that... They're doing a current version even now, but the show has been so dumbed down that it's embarrassing. Goodson and Todman, the original producers, must be turning over in their graves. But it's one of my two lifelong guilty pleasures, the other being the reading of Agatha Christie mysteries -- most at least twice. Combining the hours consumed by my two guilty pleasures and eliminating them from my personal time-wasting history -- why I would have put a man on Mars by now.
I don’t see “brawn” as a trait. Not sure about “brains” either. I’m now convinced Rex does not reread what he writes before posting. Maybe he should.
Hey All !
Dang, didn't know all the famous people we have here on this blog! Actors, Game Showers, writers, puz makers...
Wow. And then there's me. 🤪 And trouble-maker @JOHN X. 😁
Liked this nice ACME MonPuz. Easy, only two writeovers, boxeS-SPARS, and STRaP-STROP. Although I almost put in dencH for 1D, but realized she's Judy, not Maggie.
Typical MonTime for me according to the ceaseless timer when doing puz online. Themers that are 14 long, but ACME gets them in nicely. Was hoping 36D was ROOS instead of ROIS. Har.
@Lewis
If you do an L from 55D, you get CHEWING. Well, technically CHEWWING, but who's counting?
A COOL CLASSIC GAME SHOW puz. SKOSH fun to see, a word I actually use in the wild. Along with ARR. (Har, maybe on Talk Like A Pirate Day!)
Three F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
@TheMadDruid - What? Beauty, brawn, or brains are the stereotypical traits perceived to be mutually exclusive. Think Gilligan’s Island or Scooby Doo or any daytime soap opera... or Rex’s beloved film noir. And then there’s the trope of playing against those types, where the Beauty or the Brawn turn out to actually also be the Brain. I think “asset” is fine, but “trait” is more accurate because the stereotype is that most people only have one of the traits and that is a weakness. As for “creepy,” I can hypothesize but Rex didn’t really elaborate on what he finds creepy about calling those traits “assets.”
Old game shows, old friends (ASTA), old authors, old fill, old snakes, old tribes, old politicians. Fit me like an old sweat shirt. Extra comfy.
@Anon 844am
I was going to mention the updated game show news. He got there first with more complete info than I had.
Got 3/4 ANNA by confusing Seton with Sexton.
Any puzzle with YOU BET YOUR LIFE is a trubute puzzle to Groucho in my mind, I approve, and I wanna know the secret word.
Old, comfy. Slightly stale? Let's say a classic puzzle.
Easy? For high school students of today? If they watch enough TV, I guess.
Too many plural short abbrs.
Nice and easy puzzle. Even Southside managed it.
Pretty much agree with Rex on this one: dull and lifeless, in my opinion. Asta? That was a dated answer 30 years ago and it's even more so now.
It reminds me of when I visit my mom in senior living. She and the other residents came of age during Elvis and The Beatles but they don't pipe that music in. Nope: they play big band music that's a generation older than the residents. It's like nostalgia for a time before you were born. I feel the same about "Asta" -- nice movies but, like, weird to be dredging up pop-culture references that are 75+ years old. What am I, 92?
Also "Emma." the movie has a period at the end. Is that because it's a period piece?
For those who remember To Tell the Truth, here is a classic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVCZTt1YLA0
Did they steal this one from People magazine?! And "ON TOE" for "how a ballerina often dances?! Pretty sad today....
My five favorite clues from last week
(In order of appearance):
1. They lead to longer sentences (3)
2. King-like, in a way (7)
3. Homecomings? (4)
4. Kick starter? (7)
5. Zoom participants? (4)(6)
ANDS
MACABRE
RUNS
SCISSOR
DRAG RACERS
Classic game shows, when you won prizes like a brand new set of Firestone Tires and sometimes they even gave you the answers. When televisions had legs and the only exercise I got was getting up to change the channel.
@John X, Oh baby that's great! I broke down in Albuquerque and had to stay in the car when the mechanic put it on the lift because I didn't want them looking under the seat. I was up there for 6 hours! I think the bastards were fking with me though because after they let me down they said it was the timing belt.
What a fun Monday puzzle! I love game shows so this really made me smile. I've been on Cash Cab, it's semi-staged if you're wondering. My friend and I thought we were participating in a new travel show and were told where to meet the producer. The producer hailed the cab to take us to our ultimate destination and it was the Cash Cab. I was also the significant other in the audience when my Cash Cab friend won $32,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. THAT was fun!
@Lewis I always enjoy your Fave Five. Thanks for posting them!
Most of you are too young to have seen YOUBETYOURLIFE. It was a vehicle for Groucho Marx in a quiz-show format. Groucho would improvise wisecracks as he bantered with the contestants. It was most popular in the early fifties, rated in the top five nationally and #1 here in San Francisco.
Enjoyed being reminded of TOTELLTHETRUTH. I watched it a lot.
Some things should never be reprised; John Wayne westerns, Psycho, You Bet Your Life without Groucho.
Groucho: "So tell us a little about yourself" to older gent in farmer overalls.
Well, Groucho, I'm a farmer, and my wife and I have 14 children.
14 children! Why so many?
Well, I guess I just love my wife.
Groucho, holding up his cigar' "I love this cigar, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while".
orangeblossomspecial (9:20) - The "To Tell The Truth" episode you have linked to is, indeed, a classic. In two ways:
The show itself is a classic. And the sponsor - Salem cigarettes - is from days gone by. I don't remember their slogan, but here's the one I recommend: "Salem - don't inhale 'em."
Apt Mondee. Good to see old pal Abba, whom I’ve not noticed in a while.
I tend to judge Monday puzzles by their suitability to new solvers and this one was outstanding in that respect. No need to beat up on a perfectly good crossword because it’s not filled with cutting edge clues. No, it wasn’t the most exciting for veterans but it was fun and elicited some pleasant memories.
I was curious about 41D though. Was that a tack-see or a tax-ee?
Classic Groucho line, uttered as his brows were going haywire.
New PR for a NYT puzzle at 3:32. Didn't think I would ever beat my time of 3:51 from the April Fool's Day puzzle of 2019.
Remember a game show called "Three's A Crowd"? It only aired for a few months in 1979-80. From Wikipedia:
Hosted by Jim Peck, the tagline was "Who knows a man better, his wife or his secretary?"...Three sets of husband-wife-secretary teams appeared, and the game started with the men answering three pointed questions, usually referencing their wives and secretaries in ways that would lead to potential marital discord.
The secretaries then were brought back to answer the same questions, followed by the wives. Whichever team — wives or secretaries — matched the men's answers more often equally split a $1,000 prize (if both teams were tied, all parties split $500). The men received an announced prize for their participation.
According to Chuck Barris...the protests against the show—as well as the sometimes-evident lack of fun the contestants seemed to be having on it—prompted him to retreat from television production entirely...Indeed, it was largely due to the backlash from "Three's a Crowd" that ratings for all of his other shows—including the still-popular The Gong Show—plummeted and were removed from the air by the start of the next television season.
Half-way through I thought, oh boy, this must be Acme sending a perfect Monday and sure enough--excellence as usual!
You folks make me feel old, reminiscing about YOU BET YOUR LIFE as a TV show. For me it was, and always will be, a radio show. I just looked it up -- the TV version started in 1950, only 3 years after the radio one; but we didn't get a TV set until 1954, and by then I was devoted to the radio. I did watch it on TV occasionally, and it was nice to see a real duck come down with the money for saying the secret word, but it didn't grab me the same way.
I had a pre-op visit for my cataract surgery, which is next week, and finished the solve while waiting for my eyes to dilate. By then things were too blurry to come here, so I finished the visit, drove home (squinting at first), and had more time to think about the revealer. My first reaction had also been that it was bland, but then I realized that the whole point was that you had to figure it out without ANY clue. I don't think I've seen that done before, and I came to like the idea.
There are some other nifty things about the puzzle as well. Having JAPAN and CHINA staring at each other across the Yellow Sea would have been one of them--except JAPAN is not correct; the country on the East side of that particular sea is Korea.
And I liked the crossed near-rhymes of GOBI and HOPI-- seems like Ogden Nash may have used them, although I don't remember that.
A-TEST was a sour note. If you think of a "1940s nuclear event," what springs to mind is Hiroshima. That was not a test.
Hey @Southside -- Good on you for remembering a foreign word. But it's French; the Spanish is REY, which I think we saw Friday or Saturday. You will need both.
just to make it worse, one might conflate Alan paTON with ANYA SETON and be stuck for some time.
@Joaquin:
could be worse. you could recount the fact that in 1953 users of said kit were still called 'bootblacks'.
best game show of all time: original Password with Allen Ludden. Second best: original TPIR with Bill Cullen; he had a some disability (childhood polio) and mostly never left his perch.
@Whatersername:
many people say it's tax-ee, and they'll be down to zero in a few days.
With A-TEST, EFT, ASTA, ASP, ANYA, EBAN, JAI, et.al., the word that came to my mind to describe the puzzle was "creaky," so I appreciate the comments pointing out that these are just as CLASSIC as the theme SHOWS. And the occasional invitation to head down Memory Lane is nice, too. I was also a great fan of TO TELL THE TRUTH, with those sophisticated (to small-town me) panelists, and I think our public library had a path worn in the linoleum for all of the times I headed to the shelf with ANYA Seton's novels.
@Joaquin, @John X, @JD - I'm glad I can meet up with you guys here, because I'm much too shy to do so in person.
It’s Bicycle Day, so if you’re looking for more punch in your puzzle just imagine doing it on a Bicycle Day trip. Or if you’re @JOHN X, maybe you don’t have to imagine. Congrats on the pardon - you live a charmed life!
Friendly puzzle with a SKOSH of wit. Liked “Old-fashioned fight club?” for MACE. I got misdirected by “Wrinkle remover” and was thinking skin wrinkles. Ouch. Maybe Jabba the HUTT needs an IRON for his wrinkles.
SKOSH, ”a little bit," Korean War armed forces slang, from Japanese sukoshi "few, little, some." (from etymologyonline.com) I kind of prefer the original.
Like Rex, while filling in the GAME SHOW names, I was anticipating a clever (or at least punny) reveal, but nope. Wish they had asked you, @Nancy, that is a fantastic clue! Also wanted something like trait for “Beauty, brawn or brains” - good thing I already had some crosses.
@Barbara S, our family loved playing “Password” too. Pretty sure we had a home version.
Lots of good links but haven’t seen this one yet: And I Love Her
Thanks for the SHOW, Ms. Michaels!
@jberg:
A-TEST was a sour note. If you think of a "1940s nuclear event," what springs to mind is Hiroshima. That was not a test.
Totally agree. What nickname did people use, back then, for Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
when I got to ASTA, I had a moment of "aww, good to see you again, it's been a while"
I only wish another CLASSIC GAME SHOW, "Concentration", could have made an appearance because it was, per wiki, "an American television game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. Matching cards represented prizes that contestants could win. As matching pairs of cards were gradually removed from the board, it would slowly reveal elements of a rebus puzzle that contestants had to solve to win a match". (my emphasis)
It involved contestants solving a puzzle consisting of a sequence of pictures (that's the rebus part), letters and numbers, all connected by plus signs. For example, a picture of a convict + a penny + a serving tray + a human leg with shin highlighted would be CON CENT TRAY SHIN, the name of the show.
Here's an example of a rebus puzzle for a former Concentration host.
Here's a quote from printmag.com: "An example that illustrates the rebus principle is the representation of the sentence “I can see you” by using the pictographs of “eye—can—sea—ewe.” Some linguists believe that the Chinese developed their writing system according to the rebus principle, and Egyptian hieroglyphs sometimes used a similar system."
This is why I cringe whenever I see a crossword puzzle referred to as a rebus puzzle. A crossword puzzle is solved by way of letters and words, a verbis puzzle, while a Concentration style puzzle is solved by way of pictures of things, a rebus puzzle. If you can fill in a crossword puzzle grid square by using a keypad to type in letters only, by definition it ain't no stinking rebus. That's why I'm puzzled as to how and when this blatant misuse of "rebus" for a crossword puzzle ever got started. I'm beginning to suspect that some kind of conspiracy is going on and that a few of the nefarious co-conspirators make regular appearances right here in these pages!
Rex, I do hope that you are not a wine aficionado because if you are, you'll soon go broke enjoying only those expensive wines crafted for only the snootiest noses. And you probably buy them based on the label, too.
This was a fun puzzle. After seeing the first theme answer, I had a feeling I knew what was going on. I enjoyed seeing those classic titles framed as statements.
And speaking of classic, I think that everyone would agree that Jeopardy! is a classic game show that is still running.
I challenge you, Rex, to write a purely complimentary column for ACME's next puzzle. I know that you can do it if you try. Just look at all the preceding pleasant comments for some inspiration. Maybe it's your schtick to be mean to her; there is a human component, too. Or does your wokeness end when it's on a personal level?
Well done, Andrea! (Who will not see this because she quit reading due to You-Know-Who's vitriol.)
Put the answers in as fast as my pen would let me. I think it is nice to have an occasional Monday puzzle so easy that it could run in my local paper.
@Joaquin, I might well have seen you on TV, when I was 7 or 8 years old. A few years later, a kid from my class got to be on the Linklater show. The first question Art asked him: "What did your teacher tell you to not say on this show?" Our teacher's ears turned red when our classmate answered honestly. But none of us actually liked that teacher.
Even at a young age, I knew You Bet Your Life was not really a game show. It was a vehicle to let Groucho be Groucho. Loved it! Of course I heard the radio show too, but loved seeing Groucho perform. Loved seeing Rochester, too. Like Sancho Panza in Don Quixote, he got all the best lines. Actually, the TV version I liked better, while with all the other shows that ran on both radio and TV, the radio version was better.
@Joaquin (12:50 AM)
Wonderful anecdote. :)
@Barbara S. 7:41 AM
Love Stuart McLean and The Vinyl Café. :)
@A 11:10 AM
Thx for the link; great song! :)
___
Anya Taylor-Joy was marvelous in 'The Queen's Gambit'. What a great movie and even better book by Walter Tevis.
___
pg -3
Peace ~ Empathy ~ Kindness to all 🕊
I’m kinda with @jberg on this. It was different and amusing to have a revealer which was actually only revealed by knowing the themers. And all done with just the right Monday ease.
Don’t know how often I’ve seen 12 three letter answers in just 4 rows, but I thought it was fun (and fast)!
Thanks fora good time, Acme.
Anonymous 11:20,
for what it's worth, neithe Nagasaki nor Hiroshima should spring to mind when you see nuclear event.
Those cities were destroyed by bombs that were atomic not nuclear.
And the difference is critical. Atomic bombs were via fission. Nuclear bombs work via fusion. The latter is an order of magnitude more powerful.
About 30,000 people were killed in Hiroshima. Had a nuclear bomb been detonated all 1.2 millions souls in the city would have been vaporized.
Augus6 6th was a horror. But in very short order we would have weapons that, frankly, makes the name little boy decidedly unironic.
Want some real destruction? Try the "Crowd Pleaser". I don't recall the megatons are off hand, but it'll knock your socks off. And of course wipe a large city off the face of the Earth.
@jberg and @anon 11:20, The Trinty test was in July 1945. I completely agree with the spirit of what you're saying, but there was a test. The word is stupid though and I wish the NYT would drop it.
@Carola, Thanks! I think.
@12:37 - You’re right but the distinction between “atomic bomb” and “nuclear bomb” always strikes me as a little weird. Since both deal with atoms’ nuclei it really seems that both terms are equally apt for either a fission bomb or a fusion bomb, so why not use “fission” and “fusion” instead of “atomic” and “nuclear?” Just another mystery of language. Using “nuclear event” for A-TEST isn’t “wrong,” but I’d still go with “suboptimal.”
@Flying Pediatrician (6:59) Thanks for the link. Fascinating! And at least for me, mind boggling.
@Barbara (7:41) The quote today! I’ve had a few of those moments and the metaphor of “standing in the kitchen” describes the experience perfectly. I was also a big fan of Password; now that was a game show. Betty White was always my favorite guest. Not only was she funny and entertaining, she was also an expert player.
Too easy. C'mon. It wasn't even "solving". Just fill it in. My 3 minutes included printing it out from the Replica Edition and finding my blue pen.
Some points regarding A-TEST:
(1) No one ever says that the answer to a clue has to be the first thing that springs to mind. The Trinity test, and other tests subsequent to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, can also be considered "nuclear events" (see also the point that follows).
(2) Atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, nuclear bombs, nuclear warheads, thermonuclear weapons, etc.: these are all considered examples of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons may be fission weapons, they may be fusion weapons, and there are other types of design.
(As I understand it, the decisive difference between them and conventional bombs derives, in the case of nuclear weapons, from the enormous energy released from inner reconfigurations of atomic nuclei and changes of atomic elements, something very different from the chemical reactions that pertain to conventional bombs, which take place at the outer level of electrons: molecules are reconfigured and energy levels of electrons may change, but the elements that the molecules are made of don't change. This is my lay understanding; I invite corrections from those who are better informed.)
Anyway, my point is that there is nothing really wrong with the clue.
Not knocking it. I broke 12 mins myself for the first time this morning. I figure if my time is less than OFL's time divided by five, I've done well. (He must type really fast!)
@Z:
'thermonuclear' (that's the technical term) bombs, as you say, aren't the subject of an A-TEST, but rather an n-TEST. those interested in the terminology can go to the wiki.
"On November 1, 1952, the Teller–Ulam configuration was tested at full scale in the "Ivy Mike" shot at an island in the Enewetak Atoll, with a yield of 10.4 Mt (44 PJ) (over 450 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki during World War II). "
So, no n-TEST (of a physical device anyway) in the 1940s.
thus
"Efforts in the United States soon shifted towards developing miniaturized Teller–Ulam weapons that could fit into intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. By 1960, with the W47 warhead[25] deployed on Polaris ballistic missile submarines, megaton-class warheads were as small as 18 inches (0.46 m) in diameter and 720 pounds (330 kg) in weight."
It has been widely speculated (perhaps proven, FAIK) that the reason the USSR got the jump on the USofA in the space race was just because the Russians needed more lift for their bombs, and thus devised rockets with more ooomph and were able to carry animals and humans into orbit lots sooner.
@Anoa Bob (11:32) Concentration - wow! I had forgotten about that one, but yes another true classic. Could it be that “rebus” has become a crossword term because there is no word to describe putting more than one letter in a square? I’m just thinking out loud here. It would be a good question for @Loren Muse Smith, our resident expert on the evolving of language.
@Anoa Bob –
Alex Trebek
@Whatsername:
Well, may be @Z or other long time veterans have been keeping track of these multi-letter squares: what percent are words which mean some physical object. One I did recently (was it current or the book of Sundaes?) took KEY in the 'rebus' square. I think reasonable folks would agree that such answers can be called 'rebus' in the strict sense. I suspect such answers led to referring to all multi-letter squares as 'rebus'.
A quick and easy Monday cruise for me and my wife. Small snag on PITeoUs instead of PITIFUL, which threw us off for a minute since we got the PIT crosses and assumed we were corrected.
Not familiar with either "To Tell the Truth" or "You Bet Your Life" - they did seem vaguely familiar, and are at least coherent sentences, so it wasn't tough to suss out.
Close to our best: 7:14.
I have a hard time complaining about a lack of cleverness for a Monday. Isn't that kind of the point? Yeah, a more interesting them would be nice, but I like using Mondays as a test for pure speed. We take 40+ min on Fri/Sat/Sun, so it's one of the few days of the week where we can really cruise, and I like being able to do that. Wouldn't want to do it every day, but it's nice for a Monday solve.
@Anoa Bob – I suspect all the earliest "rebus" crossword entries had things that could be represented by a drawing —STAR, CAT, HOUSE, whatever— and the solver could draw them in the grid if they so desired. Since the entries did work partially like rebuses that's how the name originally got attached. Then use of the term expanded to include any situation where multiple letters are jammed together into one square. Just my hunch.
Just because I've been on reality TV, doesn't mean I should make a puzzle about it.... longing for some wordplay here. Puzzle was very fast though; sub 5 for a noob like me ain't bad.
Z,
I respectfully disagree. Atomic is dealing with, for simplicity's sake one atom. Splitting it. Nuclear is dealing with two atoms. An fusing them. The word are in fact opposites, not analogues, because the fundamental operations are well, diametrically opposed. That the work being done occurs in the nucleus, or nucleii, does not make the work the same/ You wouldn't say a child smashing a model airplane is the same as gluing together a model airplane though you might do both in the same room.
@ Anonymous 3:21 PM
I've never heard of the difference between "atomic" and "nuclear."
All I can add is that I'm a graduate of the Naval Nuclear Power School (this was propulsion, not weapons) and we very much split single Uranium atoms in a thermal fission process. The school was founded and run by Admiral Hyman Rickover, who would have definitely known the difference between atomic and nuclear, and thus would probably name the school and program properly.
How important was Rickover? He had a nuclear submarine named after him while he was still alive, and he had a lecture hall at the Naval Academy named after him while he was still on active duty. His active duty career was among the longest in U.S. Navy history. He was "a big deal." Look him up if you're unfamiliar with him.
I always like to use the term "atomic submarine" when I tell old sea stories, but only because it sounds cool and retro. We never used the term "atomic" when I was on active duty, we considered it slang.
P.S. Rickover was "retired" right after my graduation from prototype, making me among the last, or possibly the very last graduate under Rickover.
P.P.S. This is the real me speaking here
“Rebus” was the term when I started solving. This reminds me of the “rubric” discussion the other day, where a particular area takes a term with a specific meaning that doesn’t quite fit and adapts it to the new area with a slightly different meaning. FWIW - the crossword usage hasn’t shown up in dictionaries yet.
@1:35 - Yep. But how often do we see the full “thermonuclear?” (For those wondering why “thermo” - because of the high temperatures needed to cause fusion to happen - remember the “cold fusion” excitement that turned out to be a bust?)
@TTrimble 1:24 - This is why I went “suboptimal.” I’m also with whoever said not having A/N/H-TEST anymore would be even better.
@Anoa Bob
I'm watching the closing arguments of the Derek Chauvin trial and can't help wondering how they could name a game show after the percentage of oxygen in the blood.
Oh wait, maybe a word can have more than one meaning.
@joaquin 1010am
I remember that Mad Magazine. I think it was one of their fold-in page features.
Brains brawn beauty taken as a 3-some are all assets and people of any sex who have any of the 3 to a much above average degree have probably learned to use their assets.
Carson's Who(m) do you trust? was a lot like You Bet Your Life, and was pretty good. And yes, Betty White was the best I ever saw at Password. Whats My Line and To Tell the Truth were similar with sharp and smart regulars. Give the edge TTTT though.
It terms of the "junky" contestant shows, Jan Murray was an excellent host and made them entertaining. I would give the edge to Password over Concentration.
I became suspicious of 21 when after Van Doren, there was a big winner. One of the ads for the show was whether the big winner would quit or continue. There was no quit or continue in 21. Then that night the champ chose a 8 point question when he needed an 11 pointer to guarantee victory, and thus lost. That is he pretty much quit like the ad implied. Gee, how did they know that? Something seemed fishy.
Re A-TEST: it's understandable how the terminology gets to be a little confusing.
If "nuclear" in "nuclear event" is taken as a synechdoche for "nuclear weapon", and if (following Wikipedia) "nuclear weapon" encompasses "atom bomb, hydrogen bomb", etc., etc., as I was saying at 1:24, then there is no particular issue with the clue. An A-TEST qualifies as a nuclear weapon event: a test for a type of nuclear weapon.
Under that terminology, and repeating what I said earlier, some nuclear weapons are fission bombs, some are fusion bombs*, etc. Where it gets really confusing is that the term "nuclear bomb", at least in its informal usage, is generally taken to refer a type of fusion bomb. In other words, nuclear bombs (in this informal sense) are examples of nuclear weapons (in the more formal sense above), but not all nuclear weapons are then nuclear bombs! Sound confusing? Of course that sounds terribly confusing!
So under that mix of terminology, an A-TEST would not be considered a "nuclear bomb" test, but it can be considered a nuclear weapon test.
So, part of the problem may be the mix of informal parlance with the more precise language used by the engineers and scientists who work with the darned things. For example, "atom bomb" or "atomic bomb" is itself an informal term, but it seems to be out of favor within the technical circles. After all, the energy released from an atom bomb still comes from the nucleus of the atom.
Now who's to say whether the constructor or Will Shortz is following such nuances? Suffice it to say that I don't think the clue is demonstrably wrong: it seems to accord with the technical meaning of "nuclear weapon", as far as I can make out.
I won't say who I think is garbling language in this thread, but it'd probably be best to leave it to the real technicians to weigh in at this point. Any nuclear scientists in the house?
*In fusion bombs, fusion reactions are actually initiated by nuclear fission in the primary stage.
Not sure what you mean by that. On toe is a very common term for a ballerina.
@Z:
Will you please stop generating comments that pique my latent curiosity of things long past. With that off my substantial chest (no not JOHN X in drag), I recalled that research has been going on for a long time to harness garden variety fusion as a power source rather than a godzilla firecracker. Turns out, still going on. Given the amount of hydrogen that can be (relatively) cheaply harvested from the world's oceans, cold fusion really isn't needed.
The ironic, if only once, thing is: limitless, but centralized, electricity might well mean that Socialist countries with electric wired trams, trains, and buses for transport already would immediately be the winners over the Freedom Caucus Fringe. The fact is, the only aspects of gasoline transport that really makes a difference are energy density (which batteries will never match) and portability (which batteries might meet). OTOH, since crypto currency is said, by the sarcastic among us, to be just turning electricity into (a kind of) money.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_power#2020s
Does anybody have an idea of what the picture shown in Rex's "Word of the Day" section is all about? A woman is playing chess on a board with a mixture of chess pieces and small bottles and jars? Nothing to relate it to any of her books or anything I can find about her life history. Some sort of "Classic Game?"
@ghthree
That's ANYA Taylor-Joy, the star of "The Queen's Gambit" whom @Rex would have preferred to be in the puzzle rather than ANYA Seton (63 across and his word of the day).
@ghthree
That picture is of the actress ANYA Taylor-Joy in her role as Beth Harmon, the protagonist of The Queen's Gambit that Rex referred to. (That ANYA has nothing to do with ANYA Seton who is the subject of the Wikipedia blurb next to the picture.) The bottles and jars are containers of stimulants that Beth Harmon takes.
clue for 47 down is also a survivor reference, no?
i had the same thought. As usual Rex's head appears to be full of rocks
rex since the Rolling Stones still tour you probably think they are not classic rock? terrible analysis as always
Reading comments at this time of night is more fun than today's puzzle, which I did in a hurry this AM. and have had no free time since.
Busy busy. Someday things will return to normal.
While I am by no means the 'Greatest crossword solver in the Universe' especially when my wife helps me, even if I knew all of the answers a priori I could not read and type the answers in 2:39, even without any glitches along the way. So I'm wondering if this blog is actually written by Barry Allen. Or, show me the video.
I work across, then down, then fill in. Picked an old Monday, answered what I could and skipped what I couldn't and couldn't even get thru the across in 2:39, let alone finish them or even attempt the down. So unless my strategy is >50% flawed, I just am not seeing 2:39, unless that's the time he started the puzzle.
Stuart McLean was a treasure. We had him over one night for a student party. He was wonderful.
Joe D @2:37 PM and Z @3:51 PM both suggests a gradual evolution of the use of "rebus" for a crossword puzzle from a case that only deviates in a minor way from the original Latin definition of "rebus", then there's a further veering away the next time and so on. Kind of pulls the rug out from under my conspiracy theory but it doesn't change the fact it has now become a misuse of the term.
Wharsername @2:00 PM, I've thought about a more appropriate, unique to crossword puzzles, term for a puzzle with multiple letters in a single grid square. Put up or shut up, right? I agree. The best I could come up with was "multi". The Frantic one suggested "frebus" from "false rebus". Or how about "verbis"?
I took two years of Latin in high school and was impressed with its precision and efficiency in conveying clear, unambiguous messages. I hate to see it diluted or misused.
One of my New Years resolutions this year was to try to remove myself from as much negativity as I could. Sadly, that means saying goodbye to this blog. The blog itself has turned into a whine-fest over the past few years (except when there's a guest host) and some of these comments contribute as well.
Doing the Times puzzle is a welcome relief from a lot of daily stress - reading this blog, more often than not, turns things back up again.
Who needs to get worked up over a puzzle? Not me.
@Anon 9:28/9:55
@Z usually links to fast puz solves, but maybe he didn't see your posts. Just Google"fast but puzzle solves", or something similar, and you'll see solves that make Rex look slow.
RooMonster Not A Speedster Guy
Joaquin wins. Honorable mention to Joe DePinto for 3's a Crowd, which is so bad it's good.
Et tu, Anoa?
Crossword rebus?
CRAMBUS.
@Doubtful Anon - Dan Feyer has some fast solves on YouTube. Just because you and I can’t run a mile in under 4:00 doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
I've always assumed (without proof) that the modern crossword 'rebus' came about shortly after puzzles online went mainstream. Before that, you were drawing little pictures in the paper.
Once things went online, you were just typing letters rather than drawing, and that opened the door to non-pictorial 'rebuses'. I don't know that that's how it happens, but it seems reasonable.
Puzzle: easy, brought back some nice memories of the shows. Would have liked to see Three on a Match in there.
OKS LAYS
TOTELLTHETRUTH this IS ATEST,
so don't be PITIFUL, SHOW YOUR delight:
YOUBETYOURLIFE ERECT IS best,
AND if I REVERE YOU, THEPRICEISRIGHT.
--- KATIE SMITH
Another Monday offering from AORTA COOL MACE. @OFC: You did not mention that TOTELLTHETRUTH is also currently airing. Somewhat revamped, but on nevertheless. Rather puzzlingly, the 14-letter WHEELOFFORTUNE is nowhere to be found. That too is classic, and still going strong.
An ATEST here, an FSTOP there, whaddyagonnado? 58 squares given over to the theme, small wonder. Have a couple of ICEES and chill. I won't argue about the ANYAs; KATIE Couric is a fine DOD for me. Exactly what to expect from ACME: par.
P.S. Hearty congrats to pre-tournament 200-1 (!) shot Phil Mickelson on raising the Wanamaker. What &$$)(&@ Champions Tour??
Easy, clean, smooth. No SWEAT sailing THRU this vintage Monday puzzle.
What's my line? Oh...the good old days. When there were only 3 channels, so people would actually watch these classic game shows and discuss them quietly among themselves after. (Altho I must admit there is, today, an audience for "Dr. Pimple Popper." So even with 700 channels, there is room for anyone.
The puzzle was Monday easy and Monday fun.
I remember Wanamaker's Department store. The trophy - not so much.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
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