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Set of legendary objects from the Harry Potter series / TUE 6-15-21 / Where something unpleasant may stick
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Constructor: Owen Travis
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (**for a Tuesday**)
Theme answers:
- WRITTEN IN STONE (20A: Unchangeable)
- OPERA CLOAK (34A: Dressy floor-length garment)
- BUBBLE WAND (41A: Something a kid might blow right through)
The Deathly Hallows are three highly powerful magical objects supposedly created by Death and given to each of three brothers in the Peverell family. They consisted of the Elder Wand, an immensely powerful wand that was considered unbeatable; the Resurrection Stone, a stone which could summon the spirits of the dead, and the Cloak of Invisibility, which, as its name suggests, renders the user completely invisible. According to the story, both Antioch Peverell(owner of the Wand) and Cadmus Peverell (owner of the Stone) came to bad ends. However, Ignotus Peverell's wisdom in requesting the Cloak was rewarded.
According to legend, he who possesses these three artefacts would become the Master of Death. Dumbledore told Harry that he and another wizard, Gellert Grindelwald took this to mean that the uniter of the Deathly Hallows would be invincible. The story of the Deathly Hallows was originally told by Beedle the Bard and subsequently passed from family to family as a wizard fairytale. Few wizards ever realised that the Deathly Hallows were genuine items. Most people thought that there were things that Beedle had made up to entertain young wizards and witches.
No one but Harry Potter has been known to have been in command of all three at the same time, though he was never in possession of them all at once (he dropped the stone in the Forbidden Forest just before gaining the wand that he had won the alliance of in a previous scuffle at Malfoy Manor). Albus Dumbledore had also possessed all three, but not all at once, much like Harry, as he was never the true owner of the Cloak. (harrypotter.fandom.com)
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160 comments:
Good on you, Rex!
All I know about Harry Potter is what I’ve learned in crosswords, so after today’s puzzle, my HP knowledge has expanded. Nonetheless, this solved as a themeless for me, and a themeless Tuesday, well, that’s refreshing.
I loved SHADE abutting OASIS, and the SE corner with SLED/PLED and EVIL/OVAL. It made me smile to see ACME, which echoed yesterday’s co-constructor. There are four NYT debuts in the puzzle and two of them are terrific: BUBBLE WAND and WRITTEN IN STONE. MIME next to ACID gave me some funny images of the former on the latter. Oh, and Owen, I saw that little nod to your initials with OTS.
I also went through an avian anatomy lesson, as a post-solve dictionary check led me from CRAW to CROP to GULLET, three terms I’ve heard of but didn’t know the exact meaning of.
Thus, things to savor and learn from a nifty little themeless. Thank you very much for this, Owen!
I haven't read any of the Potter books nor seen any of the movies, and my opinion of the series (dare I say "franchise"?) and the author closely matches Rex's. That said, this puzzle was fair, even to a non-Potterite. You didn't need any familiarity with the works to get the first three themers, which were clued in a non-Potter fashion. And the themer itself was reasonable, being the title of a popular entry in an immensely popular series. The rest of the puzzle was reasonable Tuesday territory, and my only sticking point was the 12 box, where SHAmE/mIRE seemed to fit.
Absolutely agree; idiotic child fiction fan trivia. Fortunately, most of the fill is Monday-level, making it feasible to slog through without too much pain, albeit no pleasure. Wasn’t aware of Rowling’s transphobic posture, and still put off by it (I can’t recall who said it recently, but TransPHOBIC and homoPHOBIC are misnomers: “You’re not afraid of them, you’re just an asshole.”).
More mundanely, why isn’t VEGAS clued as an abbreviation/shorthand?
Standing with Rex on this one. ESPECIALLY in Pride Month.💙💚💛❤🧡💜
I don't really understand DIRE as "Warning of disaster." Are we supposed to read warning-of-disaster as an adjective?
I’m addition to my agreement with your daughter (as a 30 y.o. who grew up on Potter), I have to say this puzzle had strong “how do you do, fellow kids?” vibes. SHADE could just as easily have been the sun’s shadow. Whoever thought an i-device was the best way to clue MINI has been drinking Tim’s tea too long. It’s a swing and a miss from me.
Thought this one had some pre-Monday clues--Citizen____, Eleanor _____, Juliet's lover, and after the STONE and CLOAK endings I suspected some HP, even though I've only read the first book in the series. So this played wicked easy, as we say around here.
I've driven a 26-foot UHAUL a fair distance and am glad I don't have to do it again> Think parking.
Learned that all the VISA cards start with a 4, no idea about that one.
My smile of the day came from 1D and Maxwell Smart mispronouncing the name of his arch enemy, "Claw". Thinking about the silliness of "Get Smart" is a fun start to the day. Also I'm waiting for the inevitable ANOS discussion.
Fun enough, OT, for which thanks for not making me Over Think anything.
Shame on the NYT for implicitly celebrating the work of someone who uses her public platform to lend credence to trans-bashing (and worse).
Faster than usual, with no problems.
Rex is taking his blog and going home. He is right about Rowling but wrong about the Harry Potter series. I expect today's comments will be very ACIDic.
It took a while for the clue for DIRE to register - I initially interpreted it as you would “A warning of disaster” - that is looking for a noun as an answer. It took a while before I realized that if you say something like “there will be dire consequences. . “ you are actually warning of potentially disastrous outcomes - which is what the clue actually says, so yes I am even a little slower than usual on the uptake this AM.
i don’t know or care anything about HP (is he the Hogwarts dude ?) or DEATH HALLOWS so I played it as a themeless and went with the crosses. I enjoyed the clues for VISA and MIME. I see VEGAS is back as a stand alone entity - it still seems a bit like saying that the real Statue of Liberty is in YORK - but I guess for common usage, as for taste, there is no argument.
I thought the Rex Rant was interesting today as well. Does anyone know if he’s accurate (he complains about so much, and so vociferously, that there is a bit of “the boy who cried wolf” here - I can’t tell if he has a legitimate concern or if it’s just another one of his canned “issues” floating around desperately seeking something to be outraged about).
While I agree completely with Rex's perspective on Rowling, and especially on publishing this puzzle during Pride Month, dismissing the Potterverse as just some random, niche thing is disingenuous.
Putting aside the books (the top selling book series EVER), you have the movies, TWO of which have "Deathly Hallows" in the title, and one of which has a whole mini "movie within a movie" about the Deathly Hallows. Then there are the amusement parks, fancons, and various paraphernalia.
Note that I'm not saying anything about quality. I was also a huge Potter fan who is terribly disappointed by Rowling's transphobia. But from a crossword point of view, this is NOT a niche thing. Like it or not, HP is a cultural phenomenon, and the Deathly Hallows are not obscure arcana.
I can’t wait for tomorrow’s tribute to Disney musicals. Don’t know about the author’s social views - don’t care. Kiddie lit themes are not my jam. On to Wednesday.
How about some indignation over Vatican and PAPAL. We're talking about the leadership of an influential world wide organization that treats women and the entire LGBTQ community as less than human. And, criminally, condones and conceals sexual abuse of children.
@SouthsideJohhny unfortunately, he's right. It's especially galling given she has been a staunch defender of gay rights for quite some time, but she made some clearly transphobic comments, and when called on it, she doubled down. Very disappointing.
I came here today hoping I’d find others similarly frustrated by the elevation of the TERF author during Pride and fatigued by the puzzle’s continued lack of learning and evolution, even the rest of the NYT standards. Reds state, too? Come on.
Best theme ever!! Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But I sure did love it. If we want to make Tuesday Harry Potter Crossword day for the next couple of years, I'm good with that.
Negatives: VEGAS again, once again clued with no indication that it is informal or abbreviated. More Apple advertising.
Originally put NANO there, which gave me the puzzling MINE for 5A. Later, unable to see DIRE for the life of me, I put MINE in for my warning of disaster (thinking of signs warning of mines). So at different times I had MINE in my puzzle twice, both times wrong. I choose to call this a misapop.
‼️🎯👍🏽🎯 , Rex‼️
Despite the theme or maybe because of it (ignored the HP series as uncreative…) enjoyed the difficulty of it.
A PPP based theme is never my favorite, even when it is my wheelhouse.
BTW - PPP is “Pop Culture, Product Names, and other Proper Nouns.” We talk about it a lot because too much of it (33% or more) leads to the solving experience being really easy for some and really hard for others.
Why is the NYTX so tone-deaf? Rowling has done quite the job of turning herself from beloved to abhorred and somehow the people scheduling puzzles aren’t at all aware of this? Granted, many solvers will be blissfully unaware, thinking of her only as the author and not knowing about her ugly opinions. But solvers aren’t scheduling puzzles. And many solvers are aware. Besides just the general lack of comity, it’s never a good business practice to give the middle finger to customers or potential customers.
Not a Potterite, but did enjoy the puzzle as though it were a themeless. That is, until I read Rex's take. Then I went...oh...right. What a terrible billionaire she has become.
Has Radcliffe disowned her? He should. I saw him on the stage in Equus, so he has some pride cred.
1) Good on ya, Rex.
2) Everyone dismissing Harry Potter as children's lit (or kiddie lit if they're feeling particularly pretentious) really needs to get over themselves. It's the best selling book series in the history of the world, literally.
3) I actually just really hated PHOTOBOMB. Are we in 2008? Like wtf.
Nope. This is an unfair and truly unexplored portrayal of J. K. Rowling. I am a liberal individual, and one who is also quite educated in adolescent psychology and the current cultural phenomena. Please read that included links.
https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00332925.2017.1350804
DEATHLY HALLOWS is a great crossword phrase...except knowing this arcana relies on having read the relevant Harry Potter books (as opposed to just needing to pick up the random "Ron" or "owl") and having understood and retained exactly what the objects are, a feat that eluded me, an avid reader and film viewer of the series. Running this theme on a Tuesday, if at all, seems like a misstep to me, and I agree with @Rex and others here about featuring Rowling in Pride Month (grandma of a trans middle-schooler here).
Thx Owen; just the right bit of resistance to make this a worthy Tues. challenge! :)
Med solve.
Started quickly in the NW & Dakotas, moved down to the SW, over to the SE, and up the coast to finish at SHADE / DIRE.
Took a minute to get the 'D' in SHADE / DIRE. Great clueing and answers!
Time to watch Citizen KANE again.
Loved doing BUBBLE WANDS with the granddaughters.
4 yr old & 2 yr old singing I'm forever blowing BUBBLEs!!
Yay, there's ACME again!
Also, yay for dog's PAWS! 🐾
Somewhere Over The Rainbow ~ ELLA Fitzgerald
@jae
Same result as you on the Freestyle 620; wouldn't be surprised if it was the same cell. Interesting, my rates for both are 2x (when available), so that made sense to me, even tho the other name made more sense. Nevertheless, lots of fun! See you next Mon. :)
___
Got the clues on the cryptic pretty much down pat (afaik), except 5D. Got some ideas, but no 'light bulb' yet on that one. Hi @Carola.
___
yd 0
Peace ~ Empathy ~ Health ~ Kindness to all ~ Woof 🕊
I don't mind a puzzle devoted to a book series, but can they can at least use some good books? This Henry Potter thing is just played out. I'd like to see something like a two-fisted Mickey Spillane puzzle with Mike Hammer slappin' around gunsels and broads and what not.
Is it Pride month? When did that happen? I thought it was Canadian week. I know we just got done with the Asians; I love Asians, especially the Lebanese. I think we should have one big gala week where we celebrate all the gays and trannies and the Asians and women and Mexicans and Canadians and even retarded people and show them all how much they are loved and appreciated for everything they do for us. I think that would be a wonderful week of diversity and a joyous celebration. OOMPA was in there so let's not forget those folks either.
DELTA may be an airline, but it's also a sorority. "Delta Delta delta, may I help ya help ya help ya?" The Tri-Delts certainly helped young JOHN X in ways so amazing it would make a very good Cinemax feature film. Speaking of feature films, have you ever watched Citizen KANE? Turns out it was it his sled. I sure didn't see that coming.
TIP OF THE DAY: If you're hosting a cocktail party and you run out of booze, just pour a bottle of Old Spice through a loaf of bread and then serve it in chilled martini glasses with a twist.
I wonder if Rex even bothered to read Rowling's essay before he concluded that references to her or her work are now unacceptable. For those who want to read her words directly: https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/
Many solvers are aware of Ms. Rowling’s common sense opinions and agree with her. There is a fringe element out there who disbelieve the basic science. They are a tiny and very vocal minority. Kudos for J.K. Rowling for standing up for what is right.
The puzzle itself was fine. I think I read the first two chapters of the first book when it came out and I did see the first movie, but my knowledge of the works is extremely low. But I know it has to do with wizards and magic, so the themers were easy to get, especially from crosses (and the HALLOWS part came entirely come crosses). As to the subtext of the author’s transphobia, which I knew nothing about, well, that’s disturbing, and putting this out during Pride month in particular is inexcusable.
I’m in Camp @Geezer (7:07): “[Rex] is right about Rowling/wrong about the Harry Potter series.” I’m appalled at Rowling’s statements about trans people. But I have to say that I enjoyed the Harry Potter saga, which I likely never would have read but for one thing. A good friend of mine (older than I am) discovered the first three books when they weren’t well-known in North America and pressed them into my hands, saying “You’ve absolutely GOT to read these!” She’s always been a proselytizer for stuff she loves. Anyway they sat on my shelf for some time with her saying “Have you read the books yet?” whenever she saw me. I finally opened the first one if only to shut her up, liked it and read the rest. I was in the book trade by the time the later books came out and it was almost mandatory to read them then, as they were such a phenom in the publishing world.
So I had no problem with the puzzle. I always thought it was OPERA cape, not CLOAK, but I looked it up and both terms are used. My sister had a drop-dead gorgeous OPERA CLOAK when she was in her early twenties and I was around 13 or 14. (I coveted it.) It was black velvet with white satin lining and she (tall and slim) looked like a million bucks whenever she wore it, which wasn’t often because she didn’t exactly have an OPERA CLOAK lifestyle. An air of sadness always hung around that beautiful bit of finery because she inherited it when a friend died (very young).
Good grief, I keep getting off track. I had a little problem in the middle top when I plunked in “nano” where MINI should have been at 7D (hi, @kitshef). 5A “One ‘trapped’ in an invisible box” took me a while to fathom, so that area was messy till the end. I thought the cards whose numbers begin with 4 was a card game I’d never heard of. BUBBLE WAND was new to me, so I looked it up. I must say that BUBBLE-blowing technology has exploded since I was a kid and had only one puny wire hoop. For EELER I wanted more squares so I could put in “sniggler,” a term we learned a few weeks ago. I looked it up after the solve to see if I had the word right, and found to my delight Merriam-Webster telling me that a “sniggler” is “one who sniggles.”
Today’s quotation is from the work of DAVA SOBEL, born June 15, 1947.
“Time is to clock as mind is to brain. The clock or watch somehow contains the time. And yet time refuses to be bottled up like a genie stuffed in a lamp. Whether it flows as sand or turns on wheels within wheels, time escapes irretrievably, while we watch. Even when the bulbs of the hourglass shatter, when darkness withholds the shadow from the sundial, when the mainspring winds down so far that the clock hands hold still as death, time itself keeps on. The most we can hope a watch to do is mark that progress. And since time sets its own tempo, like a heartbeat or an ebb tide, timepieces don't really keep time. They just keep up with it, if they're able.”
(From Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time)
Re 12D: So I come to, say, a fork in the road. Or a house. Or a bridge. Or a forest. And I see a sign. And the sign says "DIRE". Oh, gee, guys, thanks a lot. DIRE what??? What, exactly, am I being warned against? Sorry, but I need my "Warning of disaster" to be a little more precise in order to be helpful. Only after running the alphabet did I decide that SHA(D)E was the best crossing answer for 9A and put in the D.
That D wasn't my only mystery letter. I had MI?E for "one trapped in an invisible box" and scratched my head. IPad MINI seemed right at the cross, but why would a MIME be trapped in an invisible box??? I have no bleeping idea.
I also have no idea what a BUBBLE WAND is, but Harry Potter was the least of my problems today. I did find out that the DEATHLY HALLOWS is "a set of legendary objects". Now that certainly came as a big surprise. When I heard that title, I assumed that DEATHLY HALLOWS was a place. Wouldn't you have also if you hadn't read the book or seen the movie?
A Tuesday so far out of my wheelhouse that it might just as well have been situated in the very, very DIRE DEATHLY HALLOWS.
Liked the puzzle. Love JK Rowling. BTW, they’re not just books. Combined, the movies Deathly Hallows I and II grossed over $2 billion. Thanks to Owen Travis and Will Shortz. Nice work !
one has to wonder what Shortz had in mind printing this puzzle now? is he, implicitly by using Rowling as the stalking horse, taking a stand against trans? is he just so ignorant that he likes the Potterverse enough to print this as a, so far as he's concerned, typical Tuesday?
say what one will about Rex's many itches, but this one is really too obvious on Shortz's part. one has to wonder what his point is.
What is wrong with “Reds state”?
Same issue as SouthsideJohnny and others with DIRE, my last entry to fall in place. Also couldn't see FLIRT. I thought you flirted as a prelude to the first date. But this was easy to solve without ever entering the Potterverse, my own solve being a case in point. Just not much fun. Unlike Lewis, this wasn't one that sparked any curiosity about anything, other than some intrigue around how far this puzzle would move along the "it's just a puzzle" vs the "it's a reflection of values, life, and principles" debate.
Females have an XX pair of sex chromosomes, and males, an XY pair. Democrats are the party of science. Surely we can agree on this. Pretty soon reasonable people will be comparing us to creationists and climate change deniers if we continue to deny deny basic biology.
Observation tells me that "VEGAS" is said a lot when referring to Las Vegas. VEGAS does not feel like an abbreviation. Comparing it to New York is sort of a Straw Man fallacy argument. The reason being that "nobody" calls New York "York" whereas many call Las Vegas "VEGAS".
@8:07
Many solvers are aware of Ms. Rowling’s common sense opinions and agree with her.
bigotry is common sense? really? it was common sense that if black and white folk married together that the USofA would crash. it was common sense that gays would convert the rest of straight society. it was common sense that Jews were the cause of all economic misery and had to be eliminated. to complete the list of such common sense will take a while.
there's a long essay in today's NYT times on an effort to actually educate the children of McDowell county, WV one of the poorest in the country. used to be wealthy on coal. not so much. just a sample:
"Some 15 years ago, county officials lobbied hard for a federal prison to be built just outside Welch. Today it provides 309 full-time jobs, which pay over $1,500 a week, on average, according to statistics from the Labor Department.
The problem is that they are taken by outsiders. With the region hard hit by opioid abuse, many residents couldn’t pass the drug test, Mr. Brown said. And the housing shortage means prison workers have to commute in and out." my emphasis
the point being, of course, it is common sense to not bother educating the young folk. they'll just leave, so why bother? people who are content to live in, and strive to take the rest of us back to, 1829 may common but without much sense. progress requires intelligence and intelligence requires education. and, most important, progress happens in cities, not in sh!tkicker hollers.
Shockingly, most people aware of the subject have not only read Rowling’s “defense,” but the thoughtful responses to them. Here’s one. Here’s another. Sure, you can go find lots of stuff on the internet to confirm your prejudices and hatreds because, if that’s the way you think, you aren’t alone. Or, you could listen to people sharing their lived experiences. Those responses are also findable on the internet if one cares to look.
Liked the puzzle! Read all the books as a kid and watched the movies so 'deathly hallows' was a write-in. Given these must be the most-read and most-watched books/movies of all time (or right up there) I disagree with the idea that this puzzle only belongs on a fan site.
@Keith:
nothing. it's "Reds state', singular; the home state of Cincinatti Reds.
... and obstructs and denies it’s role in the abuse of Indigenous children (Canada), and on and on. You raise an excellent point.
Hi. Read for years. Do not submit. But there are a lot of caring people on this blog who are so careful not to offend or support even a whisper of discrimination. But they then carelessly make hurtful comments about the mentally ill, like misusing the word schizophrenic. I know not the intent but I am thick skinned and find it hurtful.
Daniel Radcliffe’s response because somebody asked.
First of all, I have to point out that ANOS does have its tilde -- but it got a little restless, wandered off to the left, and then climbed up into the clue for 49A.
I read the first Harry Potter book, and felt it was poorly written. Good sense of plot, but hackneyed style, which won't do when you're competing in the same genre as JRR Tolkien, Philip Pullman, and Susan Cooper. People tell me she got better, but I've never gone back. Still, the only actual Potter knowledge one needed was that there was a novel about the DEATHLY HALLOWS, and of course I had heard that. Maybe if I had known what those hallows were, I'd have put in BUBBLE WAND right away, rather than starting with pipe, but that was easily fixable. My only other problem was OPERA dress (when coat wouldn't fit), quickly fixed by a tasty SOFT TACO.
Do people really CHANT Ole! Ole! I'd have thought it was more of a spontaneous shout, not necessarily synchronized with anyone else. But I've never heard it IRL.
Just to be fair, I'll go read that Rowling statement. I wish those of you posting it would learn to link, though!
It occurred to me that Anon 8:07 and Anon 8:30 might be that same commenter trying to pull off a double troll to provoke both "sides". Probably not. I'm not really a conspiracy theorist.
"If we want to make Tuesday Harry Potter Crossword day for the next couple of years, I'm good with that."
Oh, please, NO, @kitshef!!! Oh, please, please NO!!! I thought we were pals. What an absolutely DIRE recommendation -- sure to make me dive under the DEATHLY HALLOWS each Tuesday morning and not re-emerge on Tuesdays until...
When, exactly, am I allowed to come back? To the puzzle? To the blog? Please. please reconsider, @kitshef!
Deathly Hollers?
I have not read any of the Potter books or seen any of the movies. I also tend to ignore anything written by or about the author. This has nothing to do about wht I like or dislike, but more to do about that which I don't care about. That said, the puzzle was challenging for a Tuesday puzzle for a person like myself in a way I found enjoyable. And given (apparently) how many fans are out there, the puzzle is one that deserves to be published in the NYT. Understanding the theme requires knowledge of the subject matter, but solving the puzzle does not. So I am a little surprised at the wrath aimed at the puzzle and the editor.
By the way, Richard Wagner was not a nice man and some of his ideas were fairly ugly. And his music was embraced by a rather unlikable individual (whose first name is abolished from the NYT crossword puzzle). But still his music is loved and admired by many [good] people. Sometimes you have to look at the art the lies beyond the creator. I didn't write this as an argument inspired by Z's comment, but the fact that bad people create good art is a bitter pill to swallow. My objection is that bad people can make a lot more money than I am comfortable with.
Thanks, Z. Good to know and now I also know about the Trevor Project.
My daughter and my T grandson have been HP enthusiasts over the years; books, movies, merchandise. When they became aware of Ms Rowling's views they took a very sensible stance. They are not burning the books or discarding whatever HP stuff they have. But they will buy no more.
@pmdm:
"Wagner's operas, writings, politics, beliefs and unorthodox lifestyle made him a controversial figure during his lifetime.[245] Following his death, debate about his ideas and their interpretation, particularly in Germany during the 20th century, has continued. " my bold
the wiki ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wagner#Controversies ). [245] is the linked report. IOW, Wagner was in hot water during his lifetime. if it's good for the gander, it's good for the goose.
👍
All Amex with 3, Discover with 6, MC with 5, all credit cards have a first number of their own.
As with many days, solved this as a themeless. Thought it was tale of horror. That Chap on Acid in the Opera Cloak waving his Bubble Wand around is Evil! And he's a Mime!
Dire forecast for @mathgent, You're going to be wrong again today.
What Daniel Radcliff said on Rowling. Thanks @Z.
Hey All !
For years, Las VEGAS was trying to get people to say the whole name, Las Vegas, instead of just VEGAS. "You wouldn't call Los Angeles just Angeles, right" was the ongoing argument. (LV never caught on like LA.) But then the Golden Knights hockey team showed up, and their owner didn't want Las Vegas Golden Knights, just Vegas Golden Knights. So now I think it's just something we've accepted. All that to say, I believe clues can now go either way without needing the qualifying "abbr."
Anyway, liked this puz. I finally watched the DEATHLY HALLOWS movies (Part I and II), and they were kind of a let down after the other movies (to me.) The movies before the last one were quirky, fun, sad, dramatic, sometimes a bit morbid for kid-lit, but they were adventurous romps. The last two were boring by comparison. Even the Voldemort-Harry final battle could've been better. Ah well, neat watching all those kiddos growing up.
RPS kinda sucked, only way to clue it is how it's clued here, but you have Rotational in the clue, with the R being Revolutions. Two different words, but too close for me. Silly nit, I know.
Have many Converse Chuck Taylor ALL STARS. I believe 35 pair or so. Guilty pleasure.
Nice puz Owen. Simple 4-themer (well, 3 and a Revealer), nice fill (RPD notwithstanding ☺️). Didn't get my ANOS in a bunch. Har.
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
@Nancy 8:25 - a BUBBLE WAND is that little stick with circles at each end that comes in a bottle of bubble liquid and you hold one end and get bubble liquid on the other then blow through the circle and it produces lots of bubbles and the dog goes crazy.
@Nancy 8:57 De gustibus non est disputandum, chacun a son gout.
Spot on! Thank you. How tone deaf can the NYT be to run this?
Agreed
Anonymous 9:24 AM: Yes, I was aware of that. I think Wagner went into exile at least one in his lifetime, not that that appears to have bothered Bruckner that much. I think he wasn't beyond wife stealing. But I didn't want to get too involved with his life on a crossword blog. I was just using him as an example of how art and the artist can require very different responses. Perhaps (if you like his films) Woody Allen would be a similar example. It's an issue that I think Shortz is aware of but prefers to resist letting it inform the decision making process involving which puzzles to publish. Only he can verify if that is true, and others have the right to agree or disagree with his decision.
For those who are supporting Rowling, surely you can understand why it's inappropriate to publish this puzzle during Pride month, even if you think Rowling's comments have been misunderstood.
Also, for those who are supporting Rowling, so typical of you to post as @Anonymous, the white-sheet-and-hood maneuver of "I stand by my beliefs, but I don't want you to know who I am, because I should probably be ashamed of them."
And to the @Anonymous who insisted that people "don't understand the science" - wow. Were you looking in the mirror at the time when you said that? YES, there are people with XX and XY chromosomes. That's not all that determines gender, though, only one piece of the puzzle. Maybe learn the science before accusing others of being ignorant of it? Just saying.
For everyone dismissing the HP series as "kid lit": I'll give you the first one, but as the series progresses (and the characters mature) it becomes more and more adult-themed. I can tell you that if Scholastic hadn't already made a bazillion dollars on the first couple books, they'd have gone nowhere near the last five, as those themes and events are so incredibly NOT appropriate for their usual target audience. When was the last time you read a long passage about the parents of a young boy being mercilessly tortured in "kid lit"?
Lastly, while I cringe at this puzzle being published during Pride month, and I certainly won't be buying any new works by Rowling, that shouldn't mean that I can't continue to enjoy the Potterverse. I can separate the author's views from her work and I already had the books and DVDs by the time I found out what her views are. She's already got the money, so if I ditch the whole HP thing from my life, it doesn't affect her at all, it only removes something from my life that I got pleasure from. She certainly won't get any MORE money from me, though.
New solver question - should the NYTimes crossword app be displaying the theme/name somewhere? I only see it referenced on this blog and the app only has a theme/name on Sundays, at least in the ipad app. Thanks
Other than the fact it was a Harry Potter puzzle it was an ok Tuesday. Anyone else disappointed that 61A wasn't sniggler?
Give me a break Rex, you are so easily offended. Are you part of the woke culture too? JK Rowling is a wonderful person who has been more charitable than all of us here put together. She went on to say “I respect every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them,” Rowling replied. “I’d march with you if you were discriminated against on the basis of being trans. At the same time, my life has been shaped by being female. I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
Hooray for JK Rolling! She's a beacon of truth and reason in a world gone mad.
This struck me as an odd - inappropriate, really - choice to run during Pride Month. But, agree or disagree, it did produce @Rex's best line ever: "This puzzle can go ... review itself."
@Unknown:
When was the last time you read a long passage about the parents of a young boy being mercilessly tortured in "kid lit"?
Close enough?:
"A particularly horrific incident occurs in “The Robber Bridegroom,” when some bandits drag a maiden into their underground hideout, force her to drink wine until her heart bursts, rip off her clothes and then hack her body into pieces. "
that's a Grimm fairy tale: https://www.history.com/news/the-dark-side-of-the-grimm-fairy-tales
I love it. I hope all the Rowling haters cry all day long. Thanks Will.
Thank you to those who explained why 12D, "warning of disaster" is "dire", however I still believe this is too much of a stretch, and therefore inappropriate for a Tuesday puzzle.
Being a reactionary lemming is so easy these days. Maybe try reading J K Rowling's actual statement and position on this issue. Here's the link:
https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/j-k-rowling-writes-about-her-reasons-for-speaking-out-on-sex-and-gender-issues/
Quick, easy, unenjoyable solve. Then i get to be reminded that the world is full of people that spread bigotry and have their admirers. I have had better Tuesday mornings.
Nope no such thing as cancel culture says the man who cancels his own review to protest someone whose views he doesn't like.
"If we want to make Tuesday Harry Potter Crossword day for the next couple of years, I'm good with that."
Oh, please, NO, @kitshef!!! Oh, please, please NO!!! I thought we were pals. What an absolutely DIRE recommendation -- sure to make me dive under the DEATHLY HALLOWS each Tuesday morning and not re-emerge on Tuesdays until...
When, exactly, am I allowed to come back? To the puzzle? To the blog? Please. please reconsider, @kitshef!
I can't figure out how people who don't do crosswords found this blog.
OMG! You can't make this stuff up! Someone with the handle Unknown is criticizing someone for posting as Anonymous! I love it almost has much as I enjoyed John X today. Funny stuff.
Rowling’s great crime is insisting that there is a difference between trans women and biological women. This does not make her anti-trans or anti-anything else. It’s the woke idiots like Rex that make life more difficult for sensible progressives.
“Pride Month” is not a real thing, just an Internet invention, like “Talk Like A Pirate Day”
@Z, here we go again. "Shockingly,most people aware of the subject have not only read Rowlings "defense" but the thoughtful responses to them".
Thanks for clearing that up. Just one question, how do you know this? Shockingly, it sounds like more of an opinion than a fact, but that would require an "IMO" qualifier, which to my recollection has never appeared in any of your comments.
In other news, "so typical of you to post as @anonymous, the white-sheet and hood maneuver" etc. signed, wait for it..."Unknown". Ya gotta love it.
@10:37
So I guess that means all those Pride Parades and such are figments of the Italian satellites? Or Mass Hysteria? You know, the kind that flamers suffer from?
And, BTW, for those without memories or age, transgendering was first implemented, on a voluntary basis, in 1952 (so far is widely recorded, at least). An American male had surgery in Copenhagen and emerged female. IOW, this is very old news.
I don’t see how JK Rowling is transphobic just because she refuses to say that biological sex isn’t real. I think it’s a cause of concern that so many young people are saying that they are a different sex and commit themselves to the real dangers of puberty blockers and long term hormone use. It’s scary that even bringing these things up is akin in some circles to hate speech.
Medium. I knew the book title but the rest of the theme was “if you say so”.
So, like @Lewis this was a Tues. themeless for me.
Did not know about the Rowling comments, not good.
@bocamp 7:57 - Yes, 5D...so much cryptic EVIL packed into four words. Good luck with it!
Fairly easy solve for me, sub-15 minutes, which is good for me for a Tuesday. Now, on to the drama...
@Lisa D
Thank you for posting both of these articles! Both articles - particularly the tandfonline one - should be read by everyone. I was recently (several years ago now) a teen with severe gender dysphoria, hating my body and natal sex. As an extreme introvert, this was amplified tenfold by all the online communities I frequented, and I came an inch within self-medicating through shady hormones-lite that I found online, while making plans to see doctors behind my parents' back. The whole experience was very traumatic, and while I still struggle with dysphoria, I am very, very glad that I did not transition and I find the push to transition no matter the cost is frightening. I felt an overwhelming pressure to transition just from online communities, and likely would have done so had I not been scared of acceptance from the world in a time when the idea of "trans" was simply not openly discussed. People forget that this has only been an issue in vogue for less than a decade. Today's teenagers are thrust into a real-life echo chamber where any confusion about their bodies and gender will be instantly met with "transition!" regardless of the other peculiarities of their situation. And - though I do NOT claim that no one should transition, or support transphobia - I think there are MANY, many confused youths who would do far, far better with their natal sex, and the trans movement is a truly potent threat to their future health and well-being.
Thank you again, Lisa.
@Barbara S. (8:21 AM)
Thx for the Sobel quote and the shoutout to one of my fave books: 'Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time', the story of John Harrison who "… dared to imagine a mechanical solution — a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land."
___
td pg -3
Peace ~ Empathy ~ Health ~ Kindness to all 🕊
AHEM. I don’t mean to THROW SHADE but I CANT LIE. A Harry Potter theme is totally lost on me. As such, my enthusiasm was somewhat CURBED. Clunky clue for DIRE but I did like the long downs and minimal three-letter fill.
@Miriam:
the real dangers of puberty blockers
"If a child later decides not to transition to another gender the medication can be stopped, allowing puberty to proceed, as the effects are fully reversible."
"the studies that have been conducted indicate that these treatments are reasonably safe, and can improve psychological well-being in these individuals."
the wiki
Sounds like a win-win to me. Not that I think gender confusion at such an age should be acted on.
OH NO! PLEASE DON'T MAKE TUESDAY HARRY POTTER DAY!!!!!!
Or any day a "Simpsons" day either!
Please!
I agree. Plus, the books are very creative and, I would argue, well-written. The books are classics.
The fact that Rawling has gone off the deep end is a shame, even unforgivable. But human beings are so mixed up; every one has both good and bad attributes. Do we never read a Roth novel again, or listen to a Wagner opera? Some may choose not to, but I would argue one may do so without sharing their personal shame.
We were blessed with Robyn Weintraub 2 Sundays ago... Where are you Erik Agard?
I love Pride Parades!
Two of my favorite things are: a Pride parade float with middle-aged fat men wearing ass-less leather chaps waving to the crowd; and a Shriners parade with middle-aged fat men wearing fezzes and driving tiny little motorized circus cars in formation. Wouldn't it be funny if they were the same guys? The only thing missing from both is elephants and monkeys. I love it! Good for them, I say!
Here's Howard Cosell's take on all this.
All chaps are, by definition, ass-less.
Wasn't crazy about the puzzle. Wriggle of a smile for PHOTO-BOMB and its clue, and CURBED which makes me smile because of CURB Your Enthusiasm, in which there is so much comic genius. But I am bored to DEATH by all the Harry Potter enthusiasm. I solved the puzzle with an air of indifference and mostly boredom, and consequently with a meh time.
@bocamp
Yeah, 5D on the cryptic puzzled me too. @kitshef set me straight privately by quoting a dictionary definition, although I'll probably never use the word with only that restricted meaning in mind, even despite the fact it was consistent with my speculations on why that was indeed the answer.
@Anonymous 11:29AM
That's very interesting; thanks for that personal testimony. I am cisgender heterosexual male and don't know that much about these manifold issues, but as a father I have a hunch that many young people experience a lot of pressure deciding and often also declaring where they stand with regard to sexual orientation or sexual identity or gender identity. Social media and its tendencies to tribalism are by now permanent parts of the landscape, but they can do so much harm and sow so much confusion -- it would be superfluous to supply examples.
My formative years were before the internet became such a monumental presence. I mostly stay away from social media (e.g., FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram) -- for me it's mostly a huge time suck that I don't need. But ignoring social media and online groups might be a luxury that many young people feel they simply can't afford.
Nice puzzle. I enjoyed learning the name of the last HP novel and that DEATHLYHALLOWS are magical things named in the long acrosses. Very cool.
John X was brilliant again. I'm delighted that Rex hasn't banished him. Some of his sentiments must enrage Dr. Sharp.
Just learned that the first digit of a credit card number indicates the issuing company. 4 for Visa, 2 or 5 for MasterCard, 3 for American Express.
And bravo to those who posted the links to Ms. Rowling's comments. She is a good, caring, and kind person who is trying to walk a thin line while also standing up for her beliefs. I will say that I feel that her thoughts of "men in the changing rooms" are overblown but given her past abuse, she has a right to think them.
Rex, typical of the woke person, only seems to read the headlines and refuses to dive into anything deeper to discover the true story. "They say I need to hate her, so I will."
Wokeness is killing us- remember when Rex had to look up a word so that he could then be upset about it?
Oh yeah- fun puzzle! To whine and moan (seriously?) that HP is not worthy or well-known enough just lends to his woke whining.
Credit/shopping/debit cards as we currently know them developed during the age of mainframe computers, in which context sorting of sequential files was SOP, and thus making that easier was the Smart Thing To Do. So, just as the front end of your SSN is coded to where you were when you 'joined', so the front end of your card #. Drop each kind of account with its brothers and sisters. Some of which may be different from their birth type. :)
They are indeed Doc John. I have no idea how that phrase became popularized. It's utterly nonsensical. Like saying a sleeveless vest. Or transwoman.
Thank for for bringing back a cherished childhood memory. My mother had a black velvet opera cloak with a royal purple lining. She looked so beautiful and happy - I would stare at her in silent wonder!
Z points us to two "thoughtful" responses to Rowling's long post. That's great. Thoughtful responses to thoughtful arguments are what serious public debate should promote. But the fact that one can thoughtfully disagree with Rowling doesn't justify Sharp or others here in execrating and excommunicating her. Socrates may or may not be right that misology is the worst vice, but it sure is exceptionally shameful among those who claim to be word lovers.
@mathgent, Rex doesn't read us.
@Nancy, I have read all of the Potter books and have seen all of the movies and yet I join you in thinking DEATHLY HALLOWS was a place, probably that forest where the big spiders were. I guess I was absent for that lecture.
And I really didn't get the connection between the clue and answer at 12D while solving. Looking up the definition, I see that one synonym for dire is "portentous", thus it is "warning of disaster". When solving, I could only see "warning" as a noun which ≠ dire.
So I'm solving along and I get to 26D. I don't really read the clue past "Rental" but I see a bunch of numbers with dashes behind them and my mind immediately imagines they are cross-references to other spots in the grid, i.e. the revealer clue. Later I come to 51A, the revealer clue, and I think, "How unusual, two revealer clues. This is going to be weird." I eventually went back to re-read 26D. Oh.
Owen Travis, thanks for the easy Tuesday! (I had no problem thinking inside the box at 5A.)
@TT. I hope this isn't too personal but how old were you when you decided you were a cisgender heterosexual male?
Well, found my entertainment for the day -- following these comments. At least the pro- and anti-trans arguments are more educated-sounding than the ones on Twitter, where people try to type like 2-year-olds on crank on purpose.
TJS,
Please. Rex certainly does red the comments sometimes. Maybe all the time. Proof? He not only responded here to a comment of mine he was so pleased with himself that he copied and pasted the exchange to his twitter account.
It seems like a lot of people are accusing Rowling of positions she never held, and some of the received blowback she's received strikes me as fanatical. Too many pitchforks on Twitter for people who do not pass the purity test, and no appetite for looking at data that doesn't reinforce the position. This is horseshoe theory to me, where the extreme ends of both sides see things black/white with zero appetite for nuance.
Rowling and people like her are not the enemy of progressiveness. It's my opinion that by dog-piling her the keyboard warriors are driving away a bunch of reasonable and sympathetic people who are less tuned in to woke-twitter. Meanwhile, truly vile individuals on the right praise them for their "courage" and encourage them to join their ranks. Only the dumbest will, but still it stinks.
FWIW, I read the first Potter book but wasn't all that impressed so I stopped there.
After the Navy song discussion yesterday, I am going through suggested anthems for the "Jesus calms the stormy seas" text and, lo and behold, "Eternal Father, strong to save" comes up as one of the first suggestions. Of course, that is going in:)
@OffTheGrid
What is the point of your question?
@Barbara S, re: today's quote, very 51D! I love the last line. Thanks.
@anon,1:20. Really. I started reading this site about for years ago and I have read many of the more veteran commenters reference the fact that he no longer read the comments. If that is not the case, I stand corrected. Maybe, given the fact that many of us who read Ms. Rowlings statements don't understand his "stupid,hateful" "transphobia" characterization, he might deign to explain the vitriol.
And here I thought rex et al would all be up in arms for Sammy Sosa being juiced to the gills when he was hitting all his homers. . . .
I'm not a real Harry Potter fan, but sussed out the themers, and scored minutes below my typical Tuesday average, so all in all, an easy puz.
TJS
Rex vitriol is no mystery. It's part of the woke Gospel. Anyone who deign question any bit of the woke orthodoxy, e.g., that there is no biological difference between men and women, that men can be birthing people, that the US was founded and built on slavery etc. gets in the neck. His vitriol is a signal to others who share his ideology. It says "my bona fides are in tact. I get it." It's not enough to love the woke; you have to hate the unwoke.
This is what OFL actually wrote:
"This is because Rowling, as you probably know, has decided to become, in her post-Potter years, perhaps the most prominent purveyor of transphobia on the planet. I'm not going to rehash her stupid, hateful, and frankly audience-betraying beliefs here. "
Now, the Rowling defenders counter that Rowling never 'said that'. Again, what OFL objects to is the 'beliefs' she holds. And that's a valid point. She clearly believes that trans is wrong. She clearly says that the trans community is pushing vulnerable youth into transition. And so forth. That's a baby step from asserting that the gay community is going to gay-ify the straight folks. And so forth.
"Most people probably aren’t aware – I certainly wasn’t, until I started researching this issue properly – that ten years ago, the majority of people wanting to transition to the opposite sex were male. That ratio has now reversed. "
IOW, she has taken to speaking because women who've trans-ed are having second thoughts. One might wonder why she wasn't so motivated back when, in Britain (if she is to be believed), most trans was male to female.
"When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman – and, as I’ve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones – then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth."
Well, yes and no. Is there any real data that, for example, gay folks assault straight folks in bathrooms over that last many decades? How is her assertion all that different from The Orange Sh!tgibbon (not my coinage, but I cleave) asserting that immigrants are rapists and murderers?
She wrote a very long piece, but in the end, it's transphobic without doubt. Can't let any trans women in a bathroom with straight women. They'll get raped, sho nuff.
Your review was so one-sided and biased as to make me wonder about your ability to be a fair judge of any puzzle maker's themes. There's political correctness and then there's intolerance. I think you have slipped into the latter. I may read your reviews in the future, but I will have less respect for your opinions. All in all, it was a difficult but fun puzzle. The theme answers all came from the titles so they weren't that difficult to figure out.
@2:58
the US was founded and built on slavery
And it sure was. At the time of the Constitution, and for some decades into the country's history, nearly all the hard money, gold and silver, was gotten from sale of exported Southern slave crops to Europe. So, yeah, slavery made the early USofA. So much so that minority Slave States got, so far un-repealed, Constitutional veto power over the majority of the country. McConnell and Trump are just the latest examples of that. The neat thing about dictatorship: the minority get to pillage the majority. Nice work if you can get it.
@Anon 11:29 I don't know where/when you lived what you describe, but here in a Blue State transitioning is an arduous task requiring years of professional counselors, medical approval, living for a year (maybe 6 months) in your new gender identity prior to anything surgical. I know several people who are, undergoing or who have undergone, and every effort is made by the professional medical community to make sure the person is making a sound decision. If you lived in a state where people pretended it didn't exist, so that no information or services existed to assist you, that's the fault of the people in your state, not the nature of transitioning. If you couldn't talk to your parents, that's on your parents, not on the nature of transitioning.
Transitioning isn't "in vogue", there's no push to get people to transition. There's not some Trans Mafia out there recruiting, there are just people finding their way.
@Anon 1:20 It's my belief that sometimes readers tweet, text or otherwise message @Rex with particularly stupid or offensive things that pop up here, mostly as a joke. I've seen @Rex re-tweet these, never anything of the sort "can you believe my reader is this much of a genius / humanitarian". So, you got re-tweeted? And you thought to point that out?
Pete. Who care's what your beliefs are? Rex responded on this blog to my post. Even if someone sent him the message, he still read the comment. QED.
And mine isn't the only post he's responded to on twitter.
Are you saying there are people that get so exorcised about a post here, they then seek out rex via email or text or twitter to inform him of the comment and then Rex reacts here? That's quite the scenario.
Transitioning is in vogue. It's a nightmare. The number of reassignment surgeries is an order of magnitude greater today than twenty years ago.
See the WAPO's article of February 29, 2018. They cite a fourfold increase in transgender surgeries from 2000-to 2014. Those numbers have groin in the 28 months since that article wqs published.
There's no need for trans mafia. Kids are inculcated in the philosophy[hy of progressives who rule academia, editorial boards, and the teachers union. Confused kids have no chance against the culture at large.
anon 3:10
You do realize that the 1619 project--which made the ludicrous claim that the country was built on slavery--has retracted all those claims. and wisely. scores of the most respected historians in the country have eviscerated the claim.
Thank YOU for being so open with your story. I really value your perspective and experience and am relieved for you that you resisted medicalizing.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
@3:10
the US was founded and built on slavery
It sure was! So was every other civilization in history.
In the U.S., however, it was the white man who freed the slaves, and there was a great big war over it. The slaves didn’t free themselves.
What ultimately replaced slavery here and worldwide was the diesel engine. Yes, petroleum replaced slave muscles, and did the work cheaper.
All those who deny the place of slavery in the USofA.
Explain why else slave states got to count 3/5 of a slave as citizen.
Explain why small rural states, the South, got over-representation in the Senate.
Explain how else the early USofA earned hard currency.
Explain how else the Fugitive Slave Laws came to exist.
Explain how else Bleeding Kansas came to happen.
Explain why else the CSA came to exist.
Explain why else Jim Crow laws came to exist.
Explain why else the KKK came to exist.
Explain why else anti-miscegenation laws came to exist.
And that's just the easy stuff.
I'd like to respond to anon @3:05 who wrote "She wrote a very long piece, but in the end, it's transphobic without doubt. Can't let any trans women in a bathroom with straight women. They'll get raped, sho nuff."
Whether a person identifies as trans is entirely up to that person, so whatever is declared goes. Now then, you have people like Rowling who have issues using a bathroom with someone who looks like a man. I don't have a problem with it, I don't care, but some people do and that really shouldn't surprise you.
Maybe if you spent more time making a reasonable case to convince people to change their mind rather than cartoonishly misrepresenting their position you'd come across as someone worthy of listening to.
Also, your "trans women in bathrooms with straight women" scenario. They are not mutually exclusive, I would have thought you'd have known at least that. Transgender people can be gay, straight, pansexual, queer, asexual, or any other sexual orientation (just like cisgender people). That last bit was taken from safezoneproject.com.
Lastly, I assume the "very long" piece you were referencing was "J.K. Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues." It's not that long though.
@Ethan:
I merely quoted her. *She* said trans women in a bathroom are a threat to straight women. If that's not a working definition of transphobic, then what is it?
It's long in innterTube time.
This blog has jumped the shark. What a mess it's become. Sad. I'm gonna just enjoy each puzzle each day and that's plenty. So ADIOS, ADIEU, CIAO, and PEACE.
Anyone who uses the terms wokeness, woke culture, woke gospel etc has severe issues. You sound ridiculous. Stop saying woke. You come across like an utter extremist conspiracy theory lunatic that doesn't know anything about any of the issues except to start yelling "woke".
Thank you, Rex. Thank you. Totally agree. Expelliarmus this puzzle!
Emerging research on what constitutes gender is showing that it may not be as simple as genitalia or X or Y chromosomes.
@Ernonymous 4:57PM
You come across like an utter extremist conspiracy theory lunatic that doesn't know anything about any of the issues except to start yelling "woke".
I am an enthusiastic Harry Potter fan. Was about 60 when they first came out. have read the first (definitely the best) book at least five times and the others three or four. Had no idea Rowling had written anything against trans people, don't really care.
Anyway How does Rex know such esoteric things and then not know some more common knowledge things. Does he search for things to be grouchy and high-horsey about ?
Michael, please read the Rowling pieces if you haven't. Re-read them if you have, and then -- I say this with all sincerity -- contact me directly and explicate the portions of her writings which are Trans-phobic. I honestly can't find any. I am not a racist; I am not a homophobe; I am not a transphobe. And I'd welcome an open, honest discussion. No name-calling, no canceling, just talking. Best wishes.
There seems to be a silent majority which is pushing back against woke totalitarianism. JK Rowling has FU money and can afford to speak her mind. Soon, it is to be hoped, the rest of us can doff our invisibility cloaks. Cheers.
Rex does not generally read the comments (he did once). That doesn't mean he never reads the comments. I think mostly he reads comments when he gets complaints. It was those complaints that led to the comments being moderated (and some of you should really wish the moderators were stricter because, boy howdy, my fremdschamen cup runneth over).
@a couple of people - It is not as if it is hard to find well researched pieces or essays explaining why Rowling's public statements are transphobic. It isn't Rex's job to educate you. I think the three I linked to are good places to start.
As for the various specious declarations today.:
This
And this
And this
and OMG - look how long this Wiki article is - it is as if you could create whole separate departments at every university just to study the history of gender norms and generate Ph.D's too numerous for even me.
There's tons and tons and tons more, all just a question to Uncle Google away.
@ebtobiassen - "execrating and excommunicating" - What are you talking about? "It's not a good puzzle for pride month" and "she holds deeply offensive views on gender" and "I have stopped buying stuff that enriches her" equal "execrating and excommunicating?" As far as I can tell no books have been burned (oh look - still widely available) and she is still a billionaire free to walk about and live her life and have a play produced. A bunch of people no longer view her as positively as we once did and a bunch of future literature doctoral students have fodder for their dissertations. I bet she'll live.
It’s a crossword puzzle. Chill.
Thank you.
Anon 7:02,
There’s no doubt about it. And why wouldn’t there be? The idea that a person can identify as another sex is madness. It is a form of Gnosticism that is as old as the hills. That error has been debunked so many times it’s wearisome.
The good news is this madness will pass. The bad news is it will return. Malignancy always does.
"Trans women in bathrooms with straight women"- she's not talking about legitimate trans women regardless of what stage of transition they're in. She welcomes them. She (a victim of abuse) is concerned about some man saying he's trans so as to gain access to the ladies' areas for nefarious purposes. As I mentioned before, it's a bit of a stretch to fear that this will be widespread but who of us can't imagine some creep actually doing that?
I agree. Dire is an adjective and warning is a noun. The clue does not agree with the answer.
@Julie 8:13PM
I had the same trouble as you, but eventually it dawned on me that "warning" here is a verb, so that the phrase "warning of disaster" is a predicate that can be replaced by an adjective. E.g., a prediction that is warning of disaster is a prediction that is dire. So the clue works after all.
Nonbinary millennial here. I was over Rowling before she was cancelled. Still a fan of Rex, though! Thanks for the full throated condemnation of TERFery. You rock!
Could someone explain 5 across? Why is a mime trapped in an invisible box?
Z denies that Sharp execrated and excommunicated Rowling. I'd say a refusal to discuss the puzzle because its theme is based on the work of a particular author is pretty obvious excommunication of that author. That's shunning of the third degree--the author, her work, and ultimately anything that bases itself on her work. Calling someone "stupid" and "hateful" (right, it was only her "beliefs" that Sharp described that way, but to insist on that distinction is sophistic), is execration. And characterizing her post as "transphobic" is itself meant as an execration, as Z well knows. At a minimum, it is not "thoughtful" but stigmatizing.
@chuck w
MIME in a box is very basic.
I feel the same way about JKR as I do about Orson Scott Card (and his relentless, Mormon-driven homophobia) -- that she seems not to have read the books that she wrote, which deal with the dangers of xenophobia and bigotry. It is very possible to appreciate the work while decrying the bigotry of the creator (and I say this as a gay man)
This was a cop-out, Rex. If you don't want to bother to write a review, you don't need to come up with a song-and-dance as to why. Peak Rex, right here.
Love JK Rowling. Love the whole Harry Potter universe. Don’t care about her views on transgenderism. Or abortion. Or Brexit. Or Climate Change. Or Middle East Conflict. Or Tax Reform. Or the IMF…
Wow, can’t believe the amount of triggered, woke people who love to smell their own farts. All over a crossword puzzle with a Harry Potter reference. Get a life people. Don’t you have anything better to do than have to comment about how upset you are? That goes for you too Rex.
Exactly what I as going to say.
So glad that a champion of women's rights like JK Rowling was celebrated in puzzle form today. Rex is pretty far off the mark on this one (moreso than usual).
I've read more Rex Parker than JK Rowling. And I'm admitting it.
Never having been interested in Harry Potter books, I haven't paid much attention to news about J.K. Rowling. I had seen complaints about her attitudes about some people but I had not read these carefully.
This time, reading M.S.'s sharp criticism of her, I was motivated to find out for myself what she had said that was so hurtful.
So I tried following the links to what she said. But that is not where thepy led. Instead they led to what people had said about what people hhad said about what people had said about what she said.
Just a request: If mentioning someone's hurtful attitude in the future, I would appreciate a link to what the person's hurtful comments actually were, and *not* to what other people said about them.
Because for any people or issues in the public eye, it's easy to find someone, or even many people, with negative things to say about them. That is not what I want to inform my opinion. (Especially with the magnifying effect that social media can have.) I want to know what someone actually said.
It’s RPM or RPMs. Not RPS. And it’s OT not OTS ASIN: How have the Red Wings done in OTS this year? said no one ever. ICANT understand how the editor OK’d these BOMBS. He AUTO know.
I am with @unknown 5:47 above. The clue for DIRE makes no sense as WRITTEN. It's for a noun; the answer is an adjective. Edit, man, edit!
Once again OFC equates the social/political stance of a celebrity with the works that earned him/her fame. We may be Potter fans or (me) not, but there's no denying that the series will become a classic. It's simply too world-popular not to do so. Thus I have no objection to today's theme. I am able to separate the work from the individual. I think others would find much more peace if they could learn to do the same.
As to the puzzle itself, it's smooth and mostly well-filled. Not sure what would be the point of a SOFTTACO; reminds me of decaf coffee. No real DOD (DELTA Burke? Nah. Eleanor RIGBY who keeps her face in a jar by the door? I don't think so. Tell you what: we have a shout-out to yesterday's co-constructor with ACME...so let's give her the sash! Birdie.
SOFTTACO MAKES STONE WAND
That SLY LASS ELLA came to FLIRT,
and ROMEO will LOSESLEEP,
she's in a DEATHLY MINI skirt,
ASIN it's DIRE he goes DEEP.
--- LIAM RIGBY
Agree that 12d DIRE clue was off. Somebody counts revolutions per second (RPS) rather than minute? Unheard of here.
@spacey - Hear, hear. Couldn't have said it better myself. And VEGAS keeps popping up.
What Lena cries in throes of passion: OLE!OLE!
Maybe FLIRT with Cathy RIGBY?
Did this with EASE.
Just not into the Harry Potter stuff, and not interested at all in the JKR controversy. I MET the EVIL twins, though.
I know you probably won't see this, but rps is a real measurement, and stands for revolutions per second, and is not being used as a substitute plural of rpm.
Wow - looks like a lot of controversy in the comments that I didn't latch onto whilst solving. Nor now.
Absolutely fine for a Tues. in my book. Mr. W. has read some of the HP books, so I've heard some of the stories. A bit. And of course they show up in the news.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
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