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Response to the Little Red Hen / SUN 8-8-21 / Big suit / N.F.L. standout / Prefix with color or state / Noshed on / Daredevil’s hashtag / Barflies
Sunday, August 8, 2021
Constructor: CHRISTINA IVERSON AND JEFF CHEN
Relative difficulty: EASY (EXCEPT FOR THE THEME AND GIMMICK)
THEME: JIGSAW PUZZLE — As the note mentions: when the puzzle is complete, you insert the five shaded (or circled in the Across Lite version) jigsaw pieces into the box at the bottom (which doesn't show the pieces in Across Lite) to get a three-word phrase, reading across, for what jigsaw puzzles provide. Then there are also clues and answers relating to jigsaw puzzling "advice" in the form of phrases that have never been said before but that incorporate other more common phrases in the blanks.
Theme answers:
Folks! I'm back, I being Jeff Lin, and I'm happy to announce that I made it through 2020 in one piece... well physically speaking... my mental health is just wrecked. But I'm back and writing this from my Amtrak train back to DC so let's get down to this before my battery dies.
- PICK UP THE PIECES (27A: "First, you're going to want to dump out the box and ____")
- GO OVER THE EDGE (40A: "What's most useful next is to ____")
- PLAY WITH MATCHES (57A: "To connect things up you'll have to ____")
- FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY (83A: "As you go, make sure you exercise your ____")
- GET IT TOGETHER (93A: "With patience and perseverance you're sure to ____")
- PICTURE PERFECT MOMENTS (assembled jigsaw puzzle)
EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards, is the designation given to people who have won all four awards. Respectively, these awards honor outstanding achievements in television, recording, film, and theatre. Achieving the EGOT has been referred to as the "grand slam" of show business. As of 2020, 16 people have accomplished this feat. (wikipedia)
• • •
So I was all ready to go on a whole new tirade about Chrissy Teigen based on yesterday's puzzle b/c Chrissy Teigen is literally a bully and online troll. HOWEVER, today's puzzle has reignited the flames of my originally planned tirade which Dan Feyer@danfeyer said best regarding the upcoming end of Across Lite compatibility.
With all apologies to Malaika, but you are wrong and this puzzle is all the more proof of it. Like Rex, I DESPISE the NOTEPAD which was required reading for this puzzle. Without the notepad, there was no other way to know that the entire bottom "jigsaw puzzle" isn't actually part of the puzzle and that the circled clues (as seen in my grid screenshot) are puzzle pieces that fit in it. To compound on this, the Across Lite version doesn't provide the outlined pieces in the bottom puzzle. Finally, it treats the bottom puzzle as separate clues and answers that cannot be solved and are not actually words when solved down. [Ed: I have deleted a section here that was far too personal and unkind for the standards of this blog; I am on vacation in Colorado and only just got alerted about this issue. My sincere apologies—it’s my blog, after all, so ultimately the content and tone are always my responsibility. —Rex]
So obviously, I did not like this puzzle, which is also not shocking as I have liked ZERO of the puzzles I've guest posted about. The "instructions" themselves really didn't lend much to picking up the common phrases that the answers were but the fill was pretty easy to slowly pick those off with downs. But there were def some speed traps in that method as well. I initially wasn't sure about OLD BETSY (54A: Rifle, in frontier lingo) being universal to all old timey rifles, but I'm willing to buy it. I was also sure the classic palindrome ARAT (36D: "Was it ___ I saw?" (classic palindrome)) was going to be that ACTUAL classic palindrome about "Ere I saw Elba" so when it wasn't I wound up having to spell it out by just counting the letters. Nevertheless, it's always helpful to have staples like TAEBO (59D: Exercise program since the 1990s), AERIES (113A: Homes for high fliers), ARIAS (100A: Songs that can be trilling?), and SNO (18D: ___-Cat) to keep things flowing, AMIRITE (98D: "You agree?" (*nudge, nudge*)).
With all apologies to Malaika, but you are wrong and this puzzle is all the more proof of it. Like Rex, I DESPISE the NOTEPAD which was required reading for this puzzle. Without the notepad, there was no other way to know that the entire bottom "jigsaw puzzle" isn't actually part of the puzzle and that the circled clues (as seen in my grid screenshot) are puzzle pieces that fit in it. To compound on this, the Across Lite version doesn't provide the outlined pieces in the bottom puzzle. Finally, it treats the bottom puzzle as separate clues and answers that cannot be solved and are not actually words when solved down. [Ed: I have deleted a section here that was far too personal and unkind for the standards of this blog; I am on vacation in Colorado and only just got alerted about this issue. My sincere apologies—it’s my blog, after all, so ultimately the content and tone are always my responsibility. —Rex]
So obviously, I did not like this puzzle, which is also not shocking as I have liked ZERO of the puzzles I've guest posted about. The "instructions" themselves really didn't lend much to picking up the common phrases that the answers were but the fill was pretty easy to slowly pick those off with downs. But there were def some speed traps in that method as well. I initially wasn't sure about OLD BETSY (54A: Rifle, in frontier lingo) being universal to all old timey rifles, but I'm willing to buy it. I was also sure the classic palindrome ARAT (36D: "Was it ___ I saw?" (classic palindrome)) was going to be that ACTUAL classic palindrome about "Ere I saw Elba" so when it wasn't I wound up having to spell it out by just counting the letters. Nevertheless, it's always helpful to have staples like TAEBO (59D: Exercise program since the 1990s), AERIES (113A: Homes for high fliers), ARIAS (100A: Songs that can be trilling?), and SNO (18D: ___-Cat) to keep things flowing, AMIRITE (98D: "You agree?" (*nudge, nudge*)).
Bullets:
- ARLENE (31A Francis of old game shows) — I've literally never heard of this person but she seems to have a very lengthy and successful career, so good on her, I'm sure I would have been a fan had I known.
- PARTIES DOWN (106A: Gets wild and crazy) — If you've never seen the show Party Down, I highly recommend it, it's got everyone you love from those shows that aren't Party Down. ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?
- PESTY (106D: ANNOYING) — Not sure if this is an actual word, but I'm going to use it. For example: "Will Shortz is PESTY at best" or "I'm sure the longtime readers of this blog will find me and my writing style PESTY".
- One last thing. Go get vaccinated.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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206 comments:
I read the title, the note, eyed the grid, and hit reveal puzzle. No way am I wasting precious time on this. Good critique, Jeff.
Whoa, whoa. I’m hurrying to post lest today’s feed become a hate-fest. I had the opposite reaction from our guest host and to @OffTheGrid, surprise, surprise. It was cool to examine the five shapes and figure out how they’d fit in the little jigsaw puzzle. I liked the exercise of considering the shapes and piecing them together. I thought it’d be pretty easy, but I ended up relying on the words themselves to suss out how they all fit in. Jeff Lin – I’m glad that the pieces’ shapes weren’t outlined in the little separate puzzle; that just added to the enjoyment of figuring it all out. Nice job, Christina and Jeff.
Funny how we either like it or hate it when there’s a little explanatory note to read. I savor my sacred morning puzzle time, a SERENE time that allows me to put off facing the drudgeries that are Life. I get my coffee placed just so, CNN in the background, go-to clipboard and pencil, remote to my left to mute all the *&%^ commercials. . . An added layer like today’s serves to milk this delicious part of my day further.
ARLENE was a gimme, but I’m at that age where I catch myself parting the blinds and scowling at a truck I don’t recognize. Adding reading glasses, MiraLAX, and new pill organizer to my grocery list.
Speaking of being old, I guess I partied down back in the day. Hah. Everyone PARTIES DOWN until the party’s up.
Despite my age, I can never look at the phrase “skid marks” without an internal snort. Talk about the semantics of those words doing double doodie.
Hey, YOLO, right? said no one ever in a Buddhist monastery. AMIRITE?
I think deep down, I thought POSIES were a specific kind of flower. Oops.
Loved the clue for HERE. With a small change, you could do the same for RUMP - “Word that becomes its own synonym by putting a T at the front.”
I’m of the opinion that NANA and NANNY are related in that they’re sounds that a baby babbles once it’s decided to give language a go. Since mama, papa, dada are usually first and hence assigned to parents, NANA and NANNY (nonna) are next and assigned to secondary people. Follow me for more fun facts to know and share.
I think I scroll more snarkily than IDLY when I study how wonderful everyone’s life is, read the embarrassing anniversary love letters to their spouses, see the incredible accomplishments, the beautiful houses, the clean and brushed dogs, the perfect just-thrown-together dinners. Nary a picture of eating an entire can of Pringles over the sink or the ugly fat pants reserved for Sundays. No evidence of the grapefruit-size fur mat between your dog’s shoulder blades. I guess the snark is my anti-jealousy shield.
I kinda liked the puzzle, although it would've been more fun without the note and without the "piece" shapes outlined at the bottom. But I enjoyed @LMS's post more than the puz.
Truly, if the puzzle pieces and the place to insert them were the only theme, I would have wowed this puzzle. That is SO original. But then there were the five jigsaw-describing phrases, which toughened the solve, because I couldn’t fill any of them in without a fair number of crosses.
So, we have the brilliant concept of puzzle pieces in the crossword grid, a place to assemble them, and common phrases purposed to fit the experience of solving a jigsaw puzzle, phrases that aren’t terribly easy to figure out. What a cohesive, fun, and involving solving experience. And, inspiring, to me.
Wow, you two. You nailed this one. Brava, bravo, thank you, and way to go!
Great puzzle. Pay the $3 a month and get over it. NYT doesn't exist for your pleasure.
Thank you LMS and Lewis for being here!
Boy am I confused. So if you hate reading the note (which wasn’t necessary except in AcrossLite where there were no pieces outlined), and solving in AcrossLite is too much of an Ask without reading the note, you are especially angry that you can’t use AcrossLite? Huh?? Use the app. It’s easy to use, not rocket science.
I liked the puzzle concept and the theme answers were clever and in order. So, a fun solve. Especially love thinking about the successful jigsaw puzzlers PARTying DOWN after the last piece is in. I kind of wish the outlines had not been there- I can see the micro-puzzle at the bottom presented a very satisfying challenge to the constructors, but it was mainly a manual exercise for the solvers if we were shown not only what to do but exactly how. More of an annoyance than a fun extra. So, bad editing decision there.
Close!
There was some rough fill for sure, but I liked the creativity of the puzzle and filling in the jigsaw at the end was a novelty - the note was a bit redundant given the shape outlines were shown in the grid. Plus it was clued to an easy level which always helps on a Sunday when there is so much to wade through. Certainly liked this more than the reviewer.
Couldn't agree with you more, Jeff. About this puzzle, the notepad, and the NY Times.
If ever there was someone who got his argument backwards, it was today’s guest blogger. Even if you hate the the theme (meh, here) this puzzle is but the latest example of why .puz is out of date. I solved last night on my iPad using PuzzAzz (.ipuz format) and no note or anything was needed (there’s the little Constructor Bio Blurb on Sunday but I never read those until after the solve). I had the puzzle shapes in gray cells and the parallel shapes down below. The grid looks like the print addition. Now, the NYTX still can’t always do this, so forcing everyone to use their less adequate software is a problem (Still nothing I’ve seen about whether the .puz decision impacts PuzzAzz users), but dumping .puz is probably overdue. Thinking this puzzle was intentionally run today to justify their decision is funny because we’ve seen screaming here every time .puz botches an original/different puzzle construction. I almost dread a creative original idea because of all the software complaints. I can think of many reasons to criticize how this decision was handled, but not a single reason to dispute the decision.
Also, the swipe at Jeff Chen is totally unjustified. I get that the special relationship between xwordinfo.com and the NYTX makes his comments closer to WordPlay than an independent blog. But let’s stick to criticisms about that issue and not devolve into personal attacks on Chen. Also, just a little familiarity with NYTX timelines should be enough to let everyone realize the two events are independent. I’m reminded of George Will’s observation about the Kennedy assassination theories, to believe the theory presumes a level of competence by the supposed conspirators for which there is no evidence. No, this is a Chen type puzzle and a very typical .puz type failure. Both these things happen regularly.
Oh, yeah, the puzzle. I think I’ve mentioned more than once that the Venn Diagram of what Chen finds interesting and what I find interesting has very little overlap. I sussed out what was going on early, plodded through a doubled size grid, all for the lie of PICTURE PERFECT MOMENTS. No, the PICTURE ain’t PERFECT, it’s got all these little lines running through it messing up the PICTURE. And MOMENTS is the jigsaw equivalent of “precious nanoseconds.” I understand that people love solving jigsaw puzzles. I will never understand why. As a result, I had the all too common experience of a sloggy solve of a puzzle designed to interest other people.
@JD - The only thing I’ve seen Rex post on the .puz issue was basically “Whatever, fire Shortz.” And, as much as people think Rex makes personal attacks, he really doesn’t. He attacks grids and decisions, not people. Well, with the exception of Shortz the past five to ten years (and even there it started with Rex addressing Shortz’s decisions). I’m half expecting a revision at some point when/if Rex sees this.
I’ll stay out of the AcrossLite debate, because I’ve always solved using the NYTXW app, but this puzzle is objectively bad. You can’t just wave your hands and say, “pay no attention to those down answers that make no sense”. The theme concept is interesting, but the construction does not work. Total fail.
Wow. Just wow. Both the puzzle (which I enjoyed) and the review (which kinda puts this damper on one's morning). Thank you, LMS, for sticking up for this Sunday puzzle up front and early. I shake my head (in awe, not disgust) and wonder, "How did these folks come up with this?"
Not big on MISDO; PESTY ("pesky" is perhaps a better word); AMIRITE; NANNY and NANAS in the same bottom area. My oft-potty-oriented brain came up with all sorts of answers for "Leave skid marks, maybe".... And thanks for the shout-out to a Philly college, St. Joe's - It's about time something other than the Eli's, 'Bama, or Cal showed up in a puzzle.
When Rex initiates his review with a note to solver whine I usually stop my reading right there. When our guest pushed the same doltish narrative today that was the end. If it’s that difficult for you to read a simple instruction - your remaining take is pointless to me. The jigsaw trick was over highlighted at least in the app so the note wasn’t even required.
No real pleasure in this solve. I don’t find the jigsaw idea cute or playful - just a slog in which the grid resulted in a lot of bad 3 and 4 letter fill. The center block with MT IDA and TAEBO is rough. I did like the ODIST x OTTAWA cross and SERENE POSIES. I knew it all but the trivia trended old. No fan of RAITT or Field - at least post Flying Nun days. Not sure I would have put CRUST, TUSHY and Skid marks together.
Was hoping for something to help brighten a gloomy, rainy Sunday - no such luck.
I think his point was that this ran as a cynical and transparent way to highlight some limitations of AcrossLite. Regardless of those deficiencies—which I’m happy to acknowledge— I still prefer the layout, look, grid size and keyboard size of AL on my iPad to all the other options. (On the desktop the differences to me are less of a big deal.). Personally, I am really going to miss using AL for the NYTXW (and yes, I know, I can still use it for other puzzles but I don’t do them very often).
As to the puzzle itself… whatever, I don’t remember.
Slow start, but the puzzle was OK by me. Until reaching the soccer goal at the bottom. The printed version also does not show the outlines of the pieces, so that's when I threw in the towel. I mostly hate gimmicks in xw puzzles.
(1) Arlene Francis was also in Billy WIlder's ONE, TWO, THREE (1961)
(2) So.....do the "entries" from 114-Down to 120-Down count as part of the word count?
(3) While Wordplay remains the gold standard for #NYTXW sycophancy, XWI does its part too to get a "Good, Doggie!" and daily pat on the head. But jeez....TO PRETEND TO "CRITIQUE" A PUZZLE THAT YOU CO-CONSTRUCTED?
(4) Anybody know hoe Ms. Mason feels about Xword Info? Does she consider it to be a valuable resource to the puzzling community, or simply the next item on her hit list?
I always vibe better with female constructors and wish there was more diversity in the NYTXW. Found this puzzle fun and engaging. Didn’t need the note using NYTXW app to figure out the bottom puzzle. Lots of fresh fill and not a ton of proper nouns. Loved.
I kinda wish Jeff's battery had died before he wrote that tirade.
I didn't love this puzzle, but the blog was worse. Personal attacks, and unfounded accusations about collusion? Not why I come here.
Solved in print - easy enough, had the slightest little aha moment when I saw the shaded shapes fit as jigsaw puzzles at the bottom, but alas I’ll never know if I could have figured it out without the super unnecessary note! I hate the notes and the bios that give away too much about the puzzle. I try tearing them out, but that messes up the page. I’ve inked them out. Just not reading is distracting as my eye is always sneaking up there. ¯\_(ツ)_/ also agree this review is weirdly insidery-inexplicably hostile.
It took me far too long to figure out that BB&B wasn't Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms.
Very easy Sunday. Final message was certainly anticlimactic.
Seems like I hear more and more people dropping the ‘c’ in anticlimactic, making it an-ty-cly-MA-tic. Maybe by analogy with ‘indict’? But ‘perfect’, ‘suspect’, ‘inspect’ seem not to suffer that indignity.
No more AcrossLite? Alas. Much easier on the eyes_
Thx, Christina & Jeff; a cute and fun Sun. puz! :)
Hi, Jeff Lin; thx for your write-up and honest assessment of things. :)
Easy-med solve.
Good start in the NW with a bit of hit-and-miss on the way DOWN south; got the bottom 1/2 (except the jigsaw PIECES. Worked back up to finish at GAMETE / MISDO.
Filled in the jigsaw PIECES according to SHAPE, so that part was a slam dunk.
Very much on my wavelength for this one.
A most enjoyable adventure! :)
__
yd 0
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Nice easy long puzzle with fun clues to keep me sitting in a pleasant cafe. I am impressed that people can still come up with original ideas that (mostly) fit within the bounds of xword construction. Didn’t need the notes. I actually thought the title gave away too much.
I love it when we get a guest blogger, so we can get away from the frequent bile and hear an original POV ; then there’s today where we have to double down on the hate bc a puzzle doesn’t fit into one’s idea of what the puzzle should be and which format they insist on using.
Pretty easy and clever puzzle. As for the review, RP seems to have found a reviewer even more mean spirited than even himself. So there’s that.
My only real problem here was AMIRITE. Is that legit, is there some precedent for spelling right as rite in this specific usage? Otherwise, I liked the puzzle.
I feel like the last remaining person who solves the puzzle on paper in the actual magazine section. The print version is super easy to understand. I love using pen and writing over (and over). That said, I loved it.
What do they say about birds of a feather? The only reason I read the write-up is because Mr. Sharp is on vacation. I think I could predict what Sharp's write-up would have been. To add my feelings, I greatly enjoyed the puzzle. I solve using the paper version, and I am not interested in electronic formats. Well, maybe I am interested but they do not affect me. Even on days when the paper is not delivered, I just print out the paper version. I guess I am saying that a bit of what I read here is irrelevant to me. Interesting? Sometimes.
If I continued to comment, I probably would mostly just restate Z's comments. I would just emphasize that much of what I read here is quite subjective. That's okay as well as there is awareness that subjective originates from an opinion, not a fact.
Good puzzle in my opinion. Many disagreeable comments in my opinion.
Kinda funny the guest poster starts out complaining about an online bully & troll.
Since I enjoy a good jigsaw puzzle, this intersection with a crossword is a welcome diversion on a warm August Sunday. Odetta and Arlene Francis are both in my wheelhouse, happily. And while I've heard of them, Jalapeno POPPPERS are yet to be eaten by me. Just found a Yelp Review with the following: "Still amazing! Bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers are soooooo good! " So, something culinary now on my to try list.
I didn't like doing jigsaw puzzles. Then during the pandemic a good friend, with a tiny apartment, got obsessed with them, and bought and put together 300 of them. She asked to store them in my house. I have 300 jigsaws here.
Since they are here I started to do them. The first few I really did not enjoy it. Then after I did a few, I started to like it. You get a serotonin rush when you get a piece in.
I found an article from the National Institute of Health about how doing jigsaw puzzles really does help stop the cognitive decline of aging. I thought I was getting that from crossword puzzles, but the jigsaws engage many other skills. I was shocked to see how many areas of the brain ate strengthened: Based on a cognitive task analysis, jigsaw puzzling may demand multiple cognitive abilities including visual perception (e.g., recognizing objects, patterns, and orientation of lines), constructional praxis (e.g., integrating visual and motor information to assemble pieces), mental rotation (e.g., mentally rotating piece’s orientation to fit them to other pieces), cognitive speed and visual scanning (e.g., sorting puzzle pieces), cognitive flexibility (e.g., switching attention between different strategies, between different puzzle pieces, and between puzzle shape, image, and color), perceptual reasoning (e.g., integrating different perceptual information to develop strategies and plans how to solve the puzzle), and working and episodic memory (e.g., keeping the association between spatial location and visual patterns/images of puzzle pieces in working memory and long-term memory).
My mother is experiencing loss of memory and serious cognitive decline of aging. It's scary. I'd like to do whatever I can to prevent this, so I'm going to keep on forcing myself to do the puzzles. I stopped for a few weeks, and I list the desire. I didn't feel like straining my brain so much-- you really have to concentrate and think.
Here is the link to the article
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6174231/ I'm going to hit publish without proof reading so pardon typos but whenever I do that, I lose my whole post.
I enjoyed this one. The solve was a bit easy, but I thought the theme was clever and enjoyed piecing together the puzzle pieces at the end for that final “aha moment.”
Easy and pleasant. I had one big hiccup in the midsection where HI RES instead of HI DEF led to the "more like a dive bar and certain bread" answer having an "R" and not a "D" in the center. And so with ?EErIER in front of me, I wrote in bEErIER instead of SEEDIER. So now I have a "B" at the start of the "more straight-faced" clue, and I'm really stumped.
The 2nd F in FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY enabled me to sort it all out. But that one section took up most of my time and effort.
And ASSEMBLE the jigsaw I did -- very easily. So it must have been a very easy jigsaw to assemble. Not exactly famous for my ability at spatial relations -- I'm a lot better at word pattern recognition than I am at pattern pattern recognition -- I found this pattern pattern recognition aspect of the puzzle to be child's play. If only something like this had been on the spatial relations part of the SATs I took back in the day. What I had to deal with was SO much harder! You have no idea!
All the proper names here were well within my wheelhouse and I'll be back to introduce you to some of the greats you may have been too young to see.
Where was the “note”? I looked everywhere (I solve on my iPad using a NYT subscription to its games). Finally went googling and found it referenced in an online article so I could go back to finish.
It's one thing to critique, and critique severely, a puzzle and to criticize the work of a constructor or an editor.
It is quite another to engage in ad hominems - and, even more so, gratuitous ad hominems.
"...bootlicker, Jeff Chen," and "Sam Ezersky doesn't do anything" are gratuitous ad hominems.
This review, then, is shameful.
Mostly agree with Lin here. One thing. If you solve with pen and paper, the way puzzles are intended to be solved, you will eliminate one issue.
But this was a boring and easy puzzle. Don't know how you can spell am I right as AMIRITE but that was just a ridiculous finish to a lousy puzzle. Well we had excellent Fri and Sat so thus is payback.
We always felt that Arlene Francis was the poor man's Kitty Carlisle. But liked both
Enough with the complaining about the .puz issue already. I don’t really care that they’re removing it, and this puzzle seems to highlight the severe limitations with the format. I feel bad that some are losing their preferred method of solving, but the sense of entitlement displayed in this blog and by Dan Feyer is tiresome and childish. Get over it.
I never do the Sunday slog but occasionally read the review (yikes!) and comments. Just wanted to tell
@Loren: About the puzzle-solving ritual, the grocery list, the parting of the blinds, the skid marks and the Facebook scrolling (especially cringing at the public announcements of undying love - why do people do that??) . . . “ditto” . . . she said as she brushed Pringle crumbs off her Sunday fat pants onto the dog that needs brushing
I solved this on the NYTXW app. I’ve never used any other method, other than pencil and paper. I’m not sure what the fuss is all about. I do know that Rex complains incessantly about how how little the NYT pays its constructors. I don’t know where the NYT gets the money to pay puzzle constructors; but, if the proceeds come from subscriptions to the NYTXW app, it makes sense that they would try to direct users to their own app. Can people access NYTXW puzzles on Across Lite (not sure if I’m saying it correctly) without subscribing to the NYTXW?
In the Internet age, if you want quality, you need to pay for it. Would anyone pay a few extra bucks a month to really improve the quality of the puzzles? I would. I don’t think $3.33 a month is too much to ask for something I do every day, and I’d be happy to pay $5 or $6 if the quality improved. I don’t think anyone is getting rich off NYTXW fees, and I’m not getting poor from paying them. Maybe I’m coming across as “privileged,” but quality products are not free, and I’m willing to pay for them. Let’s not forget that quality publications (e.g.The NYT) suffered because people could access much of its content for free on the Internet.
Not a bad puzzle. I liked the Tetris-like puzzle pieces at the bottom, and it was pretty easy to figure out the theme. I’ve seen better, but I’ve seen worse.
I enjoyed this puzzle. I got a little stuck on some of the clues but the jigsaw puzzle helped me unlick everything when I filled in the clue letters I did have.
The one word that threw me was PESTY because I had -ESTY and T seemed more appropriate for Annoyed rather than Annoying. Finally added the P and it still doesn’t sound right; I’ve only ever used/seen PESKY but I’ll let it pass.
Okay, but the crossword puzzle does exist for our pleasure, I thought?
"my mental health is just wrecked".
Apparently.
Nice diatribe about your personal likes and dislikes in XWPs. Next time, try to actually review the puzzle, unless you're frustrated by a theme conceit you simply don't understand (by your own admission) in which case enjoy your soap box.
Rex, please choose your guest bloggers more carefully.
Good for you, Jeff Lin. It's about time someone in authority -- even temporary authority -- called out the junkpile (bearing in mind that this is a family blog) that the NYTXW has become under what passes for its current leadership. The gimmick here completely overcame the puzzle, the logical end, I suppose, of Shortzdom.
Do you mean to tell me that if I had Across Lite I could have played the puzzle for free all this time? And now people are complaining that they can't get away with such dumpster diving any more?
Wow, Rex became T-Rex! I was smiling all the way through the review in a smh*, jeez-o-flip** I can't believe what I'm reading sort of way.
And smiling my way through @LMS's response, because I can relate.
I can well imagine how frustrating the whole Across Lite business must be. The insane times Dan Feyer can post must be in part due to his seamless mind-meld with his preferred technology. For my part, what I don't like about the online NYTXW software is that I can't see all the clues all at once. But whatever. I'll keep muddling through life as I do.
I gotta leave in a few minutes. I found the puzzle mildly cute in a pat the constructor on the head sort of way. I sometimes like to do jigsaws, but I'd like to find a good way to shellac them so that they can be preserved.
@Gio
Deepest sympathies for you and your mom. My dad died of Alzheimer's, and so did my maternal grandparents. My mom isn't doing so hot either although she hasn't been diagnosed. If there's anything I find scary in life, it would be that. Hoping things work out as well as possible for you.
*Shaking my head. Don't you know this? You do crosswords, don't you?
**Something dear old dad used to say, in his peculiar idiosyncratic I've never heard anyone else say this and never will sort of way. Internally, I translate it vulgarly as "Jesus fuck".
Which down answers made no sense?
@Anonymous, 8:31: Include me among the paper-and-pen (or pencil) solvers! I think there are several here.
When I get my print version of the NYT Magazine every week, my routine is to turn to the Spelling Bee, Kenken, and Crossword first.
Hmm. My printed version does.
I did my puzzle on the print edition and enjoyed it immensely. One of the finest Sundays in a long time. I was expecting to see Rex berate this one - since he seems to have a thing against Jeff Chen - but the guest commentator did the job instead. Blaming the constructors for the end of Across Lite and online edition’s shortcomings is simply not fair comment.
Ha! Good call. The ethnic, Jewish version to the Protestant (but was she Catholic?) one.
Same!
Exactly!
This!
You are not alone. Except I use pencil. 😉
You're on your own tracking down the film NORMA RAE if you've never seen it. It's one of the great movies of its era and Sally Field won a richly deserved Oscar for it.
Here's a link to the always elegant and charming ARLENE Francis. The less-than-thrilling "What's My Line" can't hold a candle to "To Tell the Truth" as a Game Show, but it does offer a window into the world of the 1950s and early '60s -- which younger Rexites might find quite interesting to look back at now.
I'll be back with a link to ODETTA.
💯
Same!
❤
I actually don’t understand the fuss over AcrossLite. I have always solved on the NYTXW app, but have recently had to start solving the AVXW in AcrossLite and I absolutely hate that app, compared to NYT solving experience. AcrossLite is so much more difficult and clunky to solve puzzles in.
And here's ODETTA in the song that made her famous.
Good gravy, Jeff. Did Amtrak make you sit next to a smelly old person? Did your tighty whiteys have some left over SKID marks? I want to go over and hold hands with @JD.
my print version shows the outlines.
I'm in the loved it camp. The fill was easy nothing really stood out but I smiled at the themers which is what I look forward to in a Sunday. I've never constructed a puzzle but I imagine this one was tricky. Fitting the puzzles pieces together was a fun clever finish.
My only question, is AMIRITE really a thing?
@LorenMuseSmith the only thing that made me laugh more than your RUMP clue was your avatar.
Boy, do I feel like a big schlemiel! I bit hook, line, and sinker for the "Rex is on vacation" bit.
You click on the big “i” for the xword info and the title and note will be there.
Come back Rex. This was an absolutely awful commentary on a puzzle that had enjoyable moments. Personal attacks and jealousy are not needed in the commentary. Go away Jeff Lin.
I am old skool and do the puzzle on paper. I thought this one was fun.
@Megafrim: AMIRITE is pretty common when it’s written in a playful, casual context, like with “gonna” and “kinda.” And it’s all one word: Amirite.
I just went over to xword.info -- where Jeff Chen says that Christina talked him out of an original puzzle concept that would have required solvers to move pieces from one part of the puzzle to another "in their heads"; where the pieces wouldn't have been isolated in their own dedicated area but strewn about hither and yon; and where there would have been a great many more such jigsaw pieces. Jeff goes on to say that this original concept is hard to describe. Yes, I just bet it is!
All I can say as a spatially-challenged person is: Thank you, Christina, from the bottom of my heart for preventing Jeff from doing that!
Why did I have to find out that the NYT is ending its compatibility with Across Lite from a blog - with a guest blogger, no less? The NYT has my address when they want money, surely they could send out a note... or maybe they knew how unpopular this decision would be.
Across Lite is much easier on old eyes and has more features. I find it much easier to use and have always returned to it after trying the NYT's own app. SIncethis is not a free service, the least they could do is maintain their compatability with this more user-friendly software.
R Hunt
I loooove doing jigsaw puzzles. There was always one on my mom’s table and it was a beautiful and serene ritual to come visit and sit for hours solving it while listening to music on the radio.
So I enjoyed the XW today and figuring what the letters in each piece might be in order to solve that mini-puzzle. This wasn’t the best Sunday ever, grant it, but it was enjoyable, which is more than I could say about today’s write-up which was gratuitously mean and aggressive. Can’t believe I actually agreed with @Z and his comments about it.
For the record, I’ve always paid for the NYTXW and solve in their app, on my phone. Never had a problem and have no complaints. I like that I can change the brightness of the grid so I can solve in bed without the glare of a normal screen. AND if and whenever there are notes, you can choose not yo read them and that’s that.
The puzzle was better than this writeup. Not sure why it is necessary for the author of this post to be such a drama queen or to attack anybody in this highly unprofessional manner. No one needs your kind of nonsense over what is supposed to be a pleasant morning diversion.
Hey All !
First, let me say a Big Heartfelt Thanks to all y'all who sent wishes, prayers, and condolences. This group is cool and awesome in every way. Different people with different backgrounds, all meshing as one great group. You made me feel special, and made the unpleasantness easier to bear.
Now, the puz (trying to get back into just "Regular Commenting Mode").
I did like the concept, although a bit disappointed that the "jigsaw puzzle" was numbered. If you weren't trying to make coherent Downs, why number them? Could've skipped from 114A to having NOSEIN be 115A. Then MOVEIT 116A, etc. If you see what I'm trying to say. Or, take the @M&A route, and make some clues to fit those Downs. Let's see -
114D - Concentration unit, Abbr.- PPM
115D - In the middle of a die off?? - IEO
116D - Tiny muffin bit?? - CRM
117D - Half eaten Heath candy?? - TFE
118D - Not so good in Spanish?? - UEN
119D - Small proof of payment?? - RCT
120D - They're out of this world - ETS
Or somesuch. 😁
Anyhoowayhow, unsure If the ole brain would've figured out the "jigsaw" ifvi didn't have the dark lines outlining the "pieces". I'd like to think I would. Would've had to write them on a piece of paper (the shaded shapes, that is), and figure it out that way. Not sure if PICTURE PERFECT MOMENT is a phrase that would pop into ones head, though. I probably would've wanted PUCTURE PERFECT PUZZLES, even though that makes less sense.
Fun writeover at SEEDIER, had bEErIER at first. Har. Sorta fits the clue! I've been to my share of bEErIER places. Other writeovers the brain won't let me recall. I swear, who needs a brain that fights you? (Har, I know...)
Theme, hmm...
PICK UP THE PIECES - Ok, I can see that. Take the shaded squares UP (essentially)
GO OVER THE EDGE - Well, technically, sorta kinda, you "GO OVER" the block of blockers, but stretchy
PLAY WITH MATCHES - Cute, but if you didn't have the bold lines separating the "pieces", then that clue is essentially a nothing burger
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY - Again, cute, but don't tell me I can't ASSEMBLe! 😂 (And get off my lawn.)
GET IT TOGETHER - Works on a couple levels, so that one is fine.
PARTIES DOWN - Which should've been a Themer, something like "What you do after you solve the jigsaw?"
My, verbose much? Guess I had a lot to say. Own Blog, here I come!
(Well, no, actually) 🤪
Ooh, almost forgot. One-letter DNF. SEGu/DuLCE. And no apologies for that!
Five F's (One a "jigsaw special" one!)
RooMonster
DarrinV
"Then there are also clues and answers relating to jigsaw puzzling "advice" in the form of phrases that have never been said before".
"The "instructions" themselves really didn't lend much to picking up the common phrases that the answers were".
Huh ?
"With all apologies to Malaika, but you are wrong and this puzzle is all the more proof of it,"
"To compound on this".
Able was I ere I saw Elba. 19 letters. "a rat I saw".8 letters
"it's got everyone you love from those shows that aren't Party Down."
"My mental health is just wrecked".
Oh.
@Jeff Lin -- I like your ambitious, inverted CrossWorld byline, seating the Antipope at Avignon -- kind of M.C. Escher-ish. Pope Clement V, a Frenchman, moved the legitimate papacy to Avignon in the early 14th c., where it remained for sixty-some years. Rome housed the dissident antipopes. And yet there you are in Avignon -- the little grey cells bend to make it work.
Today we remember the papal schism in the form a very good Rhone wine, Chateauneuf du Pape. Named for the papal palace at Avignon, it pairs really well with lamb. And it's been at the table for more than one PICTURE PERFECT MOMENT in my life.
I agree with you absolutely about Across Lite. The NYTXW app may be great for those with very young eyes, but is brutal for those of us who are old enough to need to use a computer or laptop with a 14 or more inch screen. Whatever the (minor) deficiencies of Action Lite, it's still.much more I time than the Times' version. If nothing else, this will probably wean me from the daily puzzles blue and yellow -- not a bad thing I think.
When i saw the jigsaw element, I was immediately reminded of the Puzzlemaster Presents on NPR . . . and my heart sank a little. Then I saw the constructors' names. It sank even more. After I finished, I read this blog and wondered where the discussion of today's crossword was. I didn't love it. It was easier than I initially thought it would be and some of the clues were delightful, but, that having been said, I never need to see this again. If Jeff Lin has never liked any of the puzzles he has written about for this blog, maybe it's time for that streak to end.
I did love this comment:
Blogger American Liberal Elite said...
It took me far too long to figure out that BB&B wasn't Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms.
7:52 AM
Totally with you on that one!
@Gio (8:45 AM)
🙏 for your mother.
___
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
POSIE is both a flower and a small bouquet.
Agree that AMIRITE is AMIWRONG without a signal (‘informally’ or the like).
I’m 180 degrees off on the format criticism; I use the app, which had the pieces outlined, and that choice both removes the most interesting part of the puzzle (figuring out how the pieces fit) and provides way too many pseudo-crosses in the main body once you figure out the phrase, which is easy with only a couple of pieces if you’re told where to put them.
Would have been more fun without the help, but if the print edition has them I guess it’s a deliberate bad choice.
Anyhoo, it’s a novelty puzzle that is clever and different; if novelties aren’t your cup of tea, fine, but don’t excoriate the constructor for serving a flavor you dislike.
Well, the Comments Section is not a Themeless Sunday, and the theme is that if you solve on paper, you liked this. I've been solving on paper almost exclusively for a very long time, ergo, I liked it. Getting to be that when I see a comment about this or that app, I just skip it. Lately that saves a lot of time.
Read the explanation before starting this one and wondered if I was going to need scissors for the final mini. Turns out I didn't, because if you follow the suggestions and look at the edges, you'll soon see PIC and PER and MOM and infer the rest. At least that's what I did.
Like that the long answers ostensibly referred to something other than jigsaws.
Other than that, a Monday-level Sunday for me, which is good, because we're painting the garage floor and that's going to take up the rest of the day and now I have more time for that. Wait, maybe that's not so good. Anyway, thanks for the fun, CI and JC. I Can't Imagine a better Jigsaw Caper.
Obviously a very ambitious theme from a construction standpoint - so I admire the effort. I had quite a bit of difficulty with (as usual) the things that float to the edge of the esoterica section of the house - items like MINERVA next to ADRIEN in a small section with only one entrance way.
And btw, others may disagree - but I stick to my contention that something like OOF isn’t a word - it just isn’t. Nobody says it, ever. Not only does it win made-up-word of the day - pencil it in for this week and August as well. It will probably be one of the top 3 for 2021. That’s quite a feat for a 3-letter construct (as many likely contenders in that category prefer to compete in the 3-letter sub genre of “find a foreign language that this letter jumble means something in”).
I had a good laugh today when I realized that we have a guest host that actually out-Rexed our very own Rex. Reminded me a little bit of the carnival-barking politicians climbing all over themselves to attempt to say things even stupider than Trump in order to prove themselves worthy to the Orangutan and his minions.
@Z, I deleted my earlier post with much relief.
This puzzle played very quickly for me, especially when compared to the difficulties I had with Friday and Saturday. I took one look at the shaded squares (I play on the website) and immediately knew the theme was Tetris. Zipping through much more quickly than I typically do (many short fills seemed to help), I was near then end when it dawned on me that there weren't any references to Tetris at all despite all the shapes being classical Tetris, but whatever, time to switch gears.
Then I had one unknown square in the mainland grid, and my betrayed me. College App? Must be something that all the college kids download onto their phones, with a random three letter abreve. And that crossing palindrome - was it a cat I saw? Or was it a bat? Or a hat? They're all palindromes, #$#%@. Only then did I look down at the inset, and realize I could just copy those Tetris pieces down there and read my secret code, and voila, it was a rat I saw, and I get the little NYT crossword jingle and I'm done. Then I scrolled up and saw the note, which doesn't fit on my laptop screen along with the full grid, so I had skipped it in my impatience, reminding me of those middle school school teachers who tried to teach us a lesson my giving us an impossible long list of tasks, and the second to last task is "ignore all the previous tasks," teaching me the important life lesson: beware of middle school teachers.
Easy-medium. I’m firmly with the “likers” on this one, cute and fun. I actually copied the “puzzles pieces” onto some graph paper which made it much easier to see how they fit together. Enjoyable Sunday.
I had never heard the wod NANA until recently, I think it's a goyische thing.
That's how you spell the phrase "amirite?!" - it's cutesy internet-speak.
If you solved it on paper your complaints would be invalid. Buy the paper and stop complaining.
@ American Liberal Elite & Anonymous
Oh, c'mon, use your imagination....
Bach over breakfast
Beethoven when soaking in the bath
Brahms while tucked snugly in bed for the night.
Liked it.Got it. Easy. Fun.
🤗🧩🤗
I feel sorry for the youngsters who never knew about ARLENE Francis. I can't really remember the CBS run of What's My Line myself, which ended in 1967 after 17 years, but I do remember the inferior syndicated version, and Arlene was almost always there. I occasionally spend time watching the original CBS series on YouTube. An actress, TV & radio personality, bon vivant, ARLENE seemed like she'd always be the life of the party.
While WML may not be much of a game, it is an interesting glimpse of pop culture of the era, especially with the celebrity mystery guests.
Pretty boring solve, but “AMIRITE?” is just nonsense. At least mark it as a spelling variant. Otherwise it’s simply cheating.
@Anonymous 10:24,: Thanks. I don’t mind a colloquialism in a puzzle as long as it’s not one invented on the spot! Id never encountered AMIRITE before.
Those of you who are not visually impaired will, of course, not understand why it is so important to retain Across Lite, because for those who are, it will soon be understood that doing the puzzle on an app is virtually impossible because it cannot be read. Printing in Across Lite gives one an opportunity to enlarge the entire puzzle so it can be read and printed so that answers can be entered with a minimum of difficulty. Please do not sneer or make fun of those people who actually need to see what they are doing. Yes, they pay the fees, but don't tell them to "get over it and use the app." That the NYT has made its decision, it seems, from purely mercenary (business) reasons is understandable, but it should not give license to bloggers who would rather denigrate a person than understand why Across Lite would be so important. Perhaps you are the same kinds of people who criticized Simone Biles for not being tough enough. It's not that you should be ashamed, but that you should think just a little longer and harder about what some people are dealing with. OK?
@Gill, Thank you! Oof, right?!
@Southside, See that? Much as I enjoyed your post today (and I did, bigly) Oof is a word I use. Webster says, "used to express discomfort, surprise, or dismay."
@american glasser, Did you know Goyische can be used as a derogatory? Ah, I bet you didn't! Meh. After this morning nothing surprises me.
@JD...You should've left it up. And @Z is right about the personal attacks.
The write-up today was uncalled for; it was pretty nasty in my opinion.
I enjoyed the puzzle.
I can’t fathom what the guest blogger wrote that was too much for Rex, considering how nasty Michael’s commentary always is regarding Shortz.
Best comment!
I solve on paper, so I don't have a dog in the keyboard-solving debate. But I did suss the theme just by looking at the grid, and without reading the note. (The paper version has the puzzle pieces in shaded squares, so they're probably easier to recognize as such, as opposed to circles). On the easy side for me, but put me on the "enjoyed it" side of this discussion. Clever and different.
I was surprised that Rex felt the need to edit out some of Mr. Lin's comments as being too personal and offensive for his (Rex's) blog. Rex can get pretty personal and offensive when the mood comes over him -- that's part of his charm, I suppose. But Lin's comments must have really been over the top. In fairness to him, however, he does acknowledge that his mental state has been adversely affected by 2020, and he does characterize his own comments as "rants." So, we're forewarned.
Thank you LMS for posting early and bringing some perspective to this lovely Iverson/Chen effort. It's good to have you back on a regular basis.
Not INTO jig saw puzzles, so I just skipped that part of the grid and enjoyed the crossword part. Solve was pretty easy but I like that on Sundays when there are so many boxes to fill in.
The self-proclaimed antipope’s review must have been super snarky for Rex to censor part of it — has that ever happened before? — but I’m glad I didn’t see whatever it was Jeff wrote during his train ride.. Gee, the guy has liked ZERO of the puzzles he’s guest critiqued.
My only complaint about this puzzle is AM I RITE?. No, you are NOT RIGHT and never will be. And with that, I’ll say good nite.
It is amusing to think of Rex deleting stuff for being too unkind. But having read what was there before and is gone now, I think he made a good decision. Rex is a grump but he has carefully thought-through limits.
Anyway, none of us have to read Rex or his substitutes. We can always just come here fore the other comments.
Villager
Sorry. The metaphor got garbled. Its, "dog in the fight."
Sorry again. It's "it's."
@Gill, I wanted to remove the Rex parts after he edited it out. Minus the Rex parts, I do stand by the original post.
Credit where it's due department:
Good for @Rex for editing out the truly unnecessary ad hominem attacks that originally were in this review. And an additional "good for him" for taking responsibility for whatever appears in the blog.
I often disagree with Rex's take, but I certainly respect him more for today's edit.
Good move to remove the offensive comment Rex.
I have to lodge my disagreement with our esteemed reviewer today. I loathe having to read directions and never, ever read it. And, as some may suspect, it was how I was taught to do this puzzle by my Grandmother. It was always about figuring it out on our own and seeing what we learned. I had no trouble at all figuring out that this was about jigsaw puzzles and I truly enjoyed finding the “pieces” to finish the theme. The theme was well executed, and for me was the most fun part of the puzzle. Thankfully so, because I found the solve outside the theme to be a bit more of just a chore than usual Sundays. Not a lot of sparkle And I could be either mistaken or just the oddball (which is not an unusual position for me, I admit),
That’s it for me today. My niece andnInarenmaking bread and it’s time to pull it out of the proofing box for its second knead. A gorgeous pinwheel rye-pumpernickel. Now if only Someone would open a real Jewish deli here with legit pastrami, corned beef, sauerkraut, pickles, hot mustard, lox and real honest to goodness bagels, I’d be happy to help my niece start up a bread bakery to supply the place and teach folks about real bread. Mmmmmm!! I think the one food type I miss from my youth through college is kosher deli food. The kind you get so easily in New York or any other large city with a significant Jewish population.. alas.
Best post ever
Wow. Kerfuffle much? Glad I'm (mostly) staying away, but wanted to strafe a quick opinion.
Basically, what @Loren and @Z said.
Though purists may disagree, I tend to like eating my puzzles with a little dessert. That is, some extra non-lexiconic whozeewhatsisses to decipher. My aging brain can use all the different types of exercise it can get (Hi, @Gio! Warm thoughts for you and your mom. ❤️) and I appreciate these more often than not.
Be careful out there, peeps!
🧠🧠
🎉🎉🎉🎉
P.S.
Luckily missed whatever diatribe has been edited out (thanks, @Rex), but cats can take a lesson from me on curiosity. (c.f. "Spoiler Alert")
The fuss here seems to be mostly about whether you solved online/via app or whether you did so in print.
I always solve in print (using the PDF). I had no issues with the note or understanding the instructions. I enjoyed this puzzle very much.
Seems to me that the NYT needs to make sure that the solving experience is identical for both paper & online solvers.
I agree with @Loren Muse. This was much more fun to solve without the outlined shapes. I almost took out an exact to cut out the shapes from a print of across lite and arrange them on a table, because I could not make it work, until I realized that I had entered 54A incorrectly, old BeSsy, rather than old Betsy.I do remember that phrase from some old tv western shows.
I always print off the PDF version of the puz and solve from that. That way it's pretty much solvin what was in the newspaper version. Avoids the AcrossLite anomalies.
Cool, different theme mcguffin. Puz within a puz. As always, M&A likes different. Also, this puppy had the (somewhat unusual) E-W puzgrid symmetry, which I am also a fan of.
IM&AHO, tho -- they shouldn't have outlined the shapes of the pieces in the bottom Jigsaw Box area. Made things far too easy. Gotta treat it like a real jigsaw puzzle, and let the solvers figure out how to fit the pieces in.
Plus, not quite sure if it's a totally good idea, but I woulda also got rid of the "Note". Instead, clue up some entry in the grid with a hint version of what the note was sayin. Again, to give the solvers a chance of havin a nice "ahar" moment. Just suggestin.
Whoa [and shucks], I missed out on the un-@RP-edited version of the sub-blogmeister's feisty comments. Musta been really somethin, I reckon.
Thanx for gangin up on us to piece together this SunFun, Christina darlin & Chenmeister.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
p.s. Primo double ?-marker clues, @rRoo. (Saved m&e the trouble.)
**gruntz**
@Roo Clog/schmog. If anyone deserves some love and affection here, it is you, my friend. I missed most of yesterday's comments so am just now aware of the heartbreaking news about your dad, and I want to add my voice to the many others who expressed their condolences. I hope all those sentiments and the knowledge that you are so loved can provide some small comfort. Warmest thoughts for you and your family, DarrinV. ❤️
Kudos to Rex for editing the original blog post. I read in disbelief as Jeff Lin started to say he was going to go on a tirade about Chrissy Teigen and her bullying, while then proceeding to spew nasty vitriol about other people whose opinions he happens to disagree with. To me, that is simply another form of bullying, no better than what Chrissy is guilty of. In the words of the incomparable Dave Grohl “…you shouldn’t be hating. You should be dancing!” And the puzzle was a nice easy distraction.
I like AcrossLite. Haven't done a jigsaw puzzle in years. So you can guess that I did not enjoy this one, and I thought the long "theme" answers were dumb. Why would I want to "go over the edge"? How would that -- as opposed to finding and using the edge pieces -- help me solve anything? I'm glad I got up early enough to read the unexpurgated review, and I do not know about the people involved to judge whether the ad hominem attacks were warranted. They're seldom useful, whether or not there is any basis for them. I do think the puzzle was awkward and clumsy -- and I would have HATED solving it on the NYT app because the color-coded shapes would have made it child's play. Figuring out that bottom section with LOGIC and WITHOUT having my hand held was one of the few things I enjoyed this morning.
I wish the NYT would run the Acrostic puzzle every Sunday. It’s always a treat to solve. Spelling Bee needs a revamp. At least use one dictionary to determine which words are allowed. OED or Merriam Webster e.g. All that, and ditch the unplayable Ring Ring. That corner hasn’t had a decent puzzle in ages.
@JD 11:48 AM
Took the words out of my mouth. I also liked @Southside's comments (including the Orangutan reference), up to the point where he called me a "nobody". :-)
Re "goyische": I will never be able to see that word without being reminded of Portnoy's Complaint, and the protagonist's feverish imaginings of what goes behind "the goyische curtains".
But let me go on to say that Seinfeld calls his TV grandmother NANA, so I think that refutes the (probably tongue-in-cheek) assertion of @american glasser. (But I'm pure goy, what do I know.)
I had totally overlooked the fun @LMS had with MISDO in her avatar. You keep doing you, @Loren -- I don't think you'll ever MISDO.
Too bad you couldn't include your planned "whole new tirade about Chrissy Teigen...b/c Chrissy Teigen is literally a bully and online troll."
I'm sure we all wanted to read it.
114-120
@Thinking Person (11:47 AM)
Point taken!
A mix of empathy and compassion can help us better understand where others are coming from. :)
___
0
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Dear @Rex....THANK YOU! Had not @JD mentioned it, I wouldn't have known you deleted the nasties.
It takes a lot to make me wince, but wince I did.
As for today's puzzle.....All that fun work-out to get to the end and go HUH?
@SouthsideJohnny
I always enjoy your comments, but I must point out that Merriam Webster disagrees with you aboutOOF.
@Nancy, just wanted to say that I had the exact same HIrEs/bEErIER conundrum! Must be a Nancy thing. :)
@RooMonster, you don't know me because I don't post often, but I wanted to add my condolences to everyone else's. I always enjoy your comments and I was so sorry to hear of your loss of your dear father.
Different puzz. Different is hard to find in a 21x21 or 15x15 grid. Hence different is good. Loved everything about this one. Solved in AcrossLite as always -read the note (for the few of you who think you don't get notes with AcrossLite - they're on the View menu) and enjoyed.
@Thinking Person (11:47) - Thanks for pointing that out. My wife and I always solve printed out puzzle together. The Times print out is fine for us on weekdays, but the poor font choice and smaller squares (Times takes up space with its masthead) makes it tough on Sundays. AcrossLite printout has larger squares and a much friendlier font (to weak eyes anyhow). We've used it for years. AcrossLite also has a "print using two pages" option which prints clues and grid separately - great on Sundays.
But we understand that we're a tiny fraction of a large market and will have to adjust. We'll stick with the Times Wednesday through Saturday - but we'll start solving the Wall Street Journal or LA Times on Sunday. WSJ Saturday is usually better than Sunday NYT anywho.
I first make coffee. Then I take a look at the comics and news in my local paper, and read about my Giants' latest win. Then I assemble my pills for the coming week. Then I get a start on SB, and do the puzzle in the Magazine. Then I make and eat breakfast. Only then do I look at the blog here.
So I am always late to the party on Sundays, and in this case I missed all the drama. @Rex came out of hiding to clean up the mess made by his guest host, and thoroughly castigated him. It was nice to see comments by @LMS right off.
The puzzle was a lot less of a slog than most Sundays. AMIRITE is OK by me. And, doing the puzzle in the actual Magazine, the pieces in the jigsaw puzzle were clearly shaded, so it was easy to copy each piece into its place, and smile at the PICTURE PERFECT MOMENTS. I was a little confused about one of the Downs. What's an AREWEON? Some sort of animal in ancient Britain?
I have a vague memory of OLD BETSY the frontier rifle, but the BETSY I know best crossed the plains with her lover Ike. One night she got tight and ....
I certainly remember What's My Line, with panelist ARLENE Francis. Her son moved to Santa Rosa and used his inheritance to create a center for art, music, and general weirdness. Don't know if it really survived the pandemic. They did tend to feature bands I had little interest in, but there were times I was glad it was there.
An easy, pleasurable Sunday. I'm not sure how well all of the repurposed theme phrases really nail the stages of puzzle doing (GO OVER THE EDGE?), but I enjoyed the company of OLD BETSY, BEST PALS, EMPERORS, MINERVA, and especially ARLENE Francis, who, along with Dorothy Kilgallen, represented the height of big-city sophistication to a small-town Midwestern girl. One trouble spot: HI rEs x bEErIER (hi, @Nancy).
@Roo Monster from yesterday - I'm so, so sorry. Sending comforting thoughts westward to you.
Love this remark!
I think there is a bug in the app on Android. At the beginning of the solve there was a faint hint of the final puzzle pieces running through a few cells in the SW quad. The only thing these accomplished was obscuring the clue numbers. About 3/4 of the way through my solve, suddenly these lines disappeared and the shapes appeared where they belong in the block at the bottom. This was an enormous help and I transferred the known letters down to the block. This allowed me to fill in the block but when I tried to transfer the new letters back to the grid, poof the lines in the block disappeared and were replaced by the original useless lines. I have a pretty good memory for shapes so I was able to make the transfer anyway and soon after that completed the puzzle. The finished puzzle is sitting there with these stupid lines in totally the wrong place. I have tried restarting the app, but nothing changed.
I hope Jeff’s mom doesn’t read his “review.” It’d be like the poor mom in the grocery store with a screaming toddler, “Now, Jeffie honey, you’re a big boy now, and big boys don’t act like babies. You don’t want all these people to think you’re a baby, do you?”
Imaginative and entertaining Sunday puzzle - definitely smarter than most Sundays.
When printing from the website, you can opt for the regular or newspaper version. (Also large print and left-handed, now, too.) The newspaper version has the notes, and today also had the outlined jigsaw SHAPES in the box. I read the notes, averted my eyes (much like when I encounter Tantrum Toddlers), and printed the regular version without the outlines so I could figure the jigsaw out on my own.
Who says the downs don’t make sense? Why, just look HERE:
PPM - parts per million
IEO - initial exchange offering
CRM - customer relationship management
TFE - tetrafluoroethylene
UEN -Utah Education Network
RCT - receipt
ETS - ExtraTerrestrials
I’ve only been to OTTAWA in the summer, but how nice it would be to go skating on the canal with my BEAU and our BEST PALS, and then go back to our rental for some POPPERS and RISOTTO. We’d finish up by baking some cookies in whimsical SHAPES.
Kind of a small town vibe with NORMA RAE, OPIE and ARLENE sippin’ their TEA on the side porch. Good thing NORMA RAE was keeping them KIDS from PLAYing WITH MATCHES.
LEAPT atop GO OVER THE EDGE could give you vertigo.
Couldn’t SOTS/NOTI have been SOnS/NOnI? (And why is noni not a word in SB?)
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY under BED made me think of Ikea.
Last letter in was the R in ODOR/ERSE. I’d heard of Erse, but had no idea Axe was a deodorant. Saved it and came back to make sure there were no other languages spelled E_SE. Ense? Ease? Edse?
In all, some really good fun with not A TON of dreck, though the NE corner got a bit mucky with the SNO OMS ODIST MISDO. Barely made it out with my GAMETE. Hand up for thinking PESTY was annoying.
Composer and pianist Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade was born August 8, 1857, in Paris. She composed for orchestra, opera and ballet, piano and voice. In 1913, she was awarded the Légion d'Honneur, a first for a female composer. Her pieces were well received and financially successful, but fell into obscurity later in the 20th century. Today her best known work is the Concertino op. 107.
I too like this post. I'm Nanny to my grandchildren. It sets me apart from all the other grandmothers in the family. Also I remember Arlene Francis on Match Game. A classy lady. I feel the same way about Sunday morning and my cup of coffee but the puzzle was too easy for me and I didn't need to pour a second cup.
I enjoyed the puzzle aspect and the gimmick. It added a little extra something that I found enjoyable - although I do wish the downs were actual words. Speaking of actual words, what is up with “pesty” and “amirite”, am I right?? LOL.
By the way - I’ve always solved on the NYT app, which I think is a great interface, but there’s nothing wrong with them pushing people to use their app instead of some third party app, where people apparently got the puzzles for free. Just pony up the $3/month and sleep better at night, people!
Thanks I never new that
Mine doesn't but I figured it out without much effort.
Pesty??????
For all the posters who think that you can solve the NYT puzzles in Across Lite without paying, you are wrong.
RE: Chrissy Teigen (and, for that matter, Sirhan Sirhan, Trump, the NRA, and all the rest) -- Apparently, it's now a rule that only "nice" people/things/organizations/references will be allowed to be included as answers in a crossword puzzle. Funny -- I thought that the purpose of a good crossword puzzle was to challenge the breadth, depth, and scope of our knowledge and our skills with wordplay; hence people, places, and things from as wide an array of historical and contemporary contexts should be included in both clues and answers. Never realized there was any kind of "Proof of Good Moral Standing Required" for inclusion.
Remember -- Che Guevara was included in a puzzle a few weeks ago, and as far as I know, nobody complained. But I'm betting there are plenty of anti-Castro folks out there (no doubt including many Cuban-American readers of the NYT) for whom his name is a much of a "trigger" as Trump's or Charlie Rose's would be for a lot of the regular commenters here. Ultimately, this kind of pick-and-choose "sensitivity signaling" is capricious, arbitrary, and unfair.
@Trimble and @bocamp thanks for the kind comments about my mom.
She was having short term memory issues for about 3 years, but seemed not to be progressing, so I convinced myself it wasn't Alzheimers. Not all dementia is Alzheimers. Then I didn't see her in 2 years, because I didn't visit in 2020 before vaccines. I went this June and was shocked how much she has deteriorated. I think it is Alzheimers, but what I didn't know, is that there are 7 stages. What I knew about it is always the last stage, which is portrayed on TV, or which people describe and other people I know have dealt with, such as paranoia, not recognizing people, not knowing where you are. She isnt at that point yet, so my denial kicked in. Now I'm kind of going through an Acceptance and Anger stage!
We had a family funeral which was delayed 6 months due to Covid this June 2021. She didn't know who her grandson was, who she has been in his life for 25 years. She also seemed to have lost many memories from her past, not just short term stuff, but huge things from her past, stories she used to tell, she forgot. She still seems here though in many ways and is functioning in many ways, so it's not 100%. She is in a middle stage, like 3 or 4 ( I think.)
So sad - she was the Boggle Queen and Scrabble Queen. So many families go through this, it's truly heartbreaking.
I do recall when she was in her 60s, she was doing the crosswords and taking all these supplements like Ginko Biloba to stop brain decline. So who knows, but I got a hearing aid (there a big link between dementia and untreated hearing loss), I'm doing the daily NYT crossword, forcing my brain to solve without help, and now I'm doing these $%#@ jigsaws!
The original deleted post here said something very nasty about Will Shortz, Sam E. and Jeff Chen. The 3 comments were way beyond any insults Rex has ever said here. Of those 3, Rex is the hardest on Will, but even Rex saw this was over the line send has never said anything quite that nasty.
Bravo. Too, jigsaws are family-friendly for all ages.
Bang Goes Old Betsy
Lyric from the Davy Crockett Television show song
Gil George and George Burns
Chorus
Bang goes old Betsy
My only gun is Betsy
I can travel far and wide
With Betsy by my side
The only time I draw my gun
Believe me it is not in fun
I shot it fer for defending me
I shot fer life and liberty
Chorus
One day I went away from town
I aim to grin a wild cat down
The beast and I began to stare
It was a growling grizzly bear
Chorus
I was gett'n whittling sticks
I got myself into a fix
The snow was frozen on the ground
A pack of hungry wolves came around
Chorus
When I was ride'n through the woods
To trade off skins for bought'n goods
Forty arrows in a tree
I knew the Sioux were out for me
Chorus
The only time I draw my gun
Believe me it is not in fun
I shot it fer for defending me
I shot fer life and liberty
“Without the notepad there was no other way to know that the entire bottom ‘jigsaw puzzle’ isn’t actually part of the puzzle…”
Well, if you solve in the morning (or live in NYC) there is indeed a way: you can simply go to the store & buy a New York Times.
@A (1:47) - Thanks for tip on "Large Print" in the Times app. All these years and I never notice it before. I take back pretty much all I said in my previous post (except for enjoying the WSJ Saturday puzz) and apologize to Will and the Gang for what I was thinkin'.
@MetroGnome(2:47) - Well said. It's a crossword puzzle for God's sake - and Trump and his ilk are a part of the world just as were Che and Fidel. Damn near every political name annoys someone, we all just gotta deal with it.
And I don't know why some folks think that AcrossLite offers free Times puzzles. It does not - it links to the Times where you have to have a subscription to play.
With this post, I realize how much I missed you
over the weeks you were going through your
“life change”! I agree with Christopher, this was your “best post ever”‼️ I can relate…
Please keep posting, and good luck with your
new job. You are wonderful😊
This post was a delight. Thank you, @Loren Muse Smith. I, too, got Arlene's clue. I remember her from What's My Line...black and white tv.
So thought this was a Tetris theme.....
@Gio
I don't know if you keep up with the latest, but research into Alzheimer's continues apace and there may be hope on the horizon. With the aging Boomer population, the problem threatens to be a huge strain on the health care system unless something is done, and so efforts have been ramping up recently. Relatively recent news on this front. This is encouraging.
If you haven't already, you might consider getting on the Us Against Alzheimer's email list.
Good general advice is to maintain a healthy diet combined with general fitness. Weight training is an excellent idea. So is plenty of socializing. So is moderation with alcohol -- a glass of red wine per night won't hurt, but don't go overboard. I do think doing puzzles, reading, and the like could have some benefit, but that that's really a small piece of the puzzle. My own watchword henceforth is, mens sana in corpore sano.
Hi. I really enjoyed this puzzle and also love jigsaw puzzles so I was happy except for the fact that I still don't understand the answer to 76Down - ihere? Hire? I don't get how adding an "i" makes "here" it's opposite??? Can anyone help?
Don't get 76D - here. Can you explain?
@trimble thanks I'll look into those links and that group email
. My mom was the most healthy person I know. Perfect diet -no really- never ate any "bad" food or overate (she hates fried food, bacon, ice cream, salt, fast food, junk, snacking) She ran competitively into her late 70s until her knees gave out. Did that yoga on a tape from PBS daily for 20 years. She was winning the Masters events, beating the youngsters. Not marathons, but 5Ks and some 10K. She holds several State age group 5k and 10k records. I think 60 to 65 she has the State 5k record. She won gold medal
Senior Olympics in track. She followed the healthy diet and fitness recommendations to a Tee, weighs 110 pounds. Took a fistfuls of vitamins and supplements for 40 years. And drinks one glass of red wine a day. Was proud of not being on any medications in her 70s. I know it's still good advice! Plus all my parents did was socialize (Sun City =party) I've turned into a hermit.
Her mom had it too, this is why I'm worried. I hope it doesnt happen to me. The hearing aid is fantastic! Highly recommend! Apparently part of the brain that doesn't hear normal sounds starts to atrophy. I love it!
@butler.ang
I think you misread. That's a T, not an I.
Here and there
This was one of my fastest Sundays ever, and I wasn’t trying to go quickly (never do, on a Sunday.) It all made enough sense to me to fall into place, and although there are possible nitpicks about the gibberish downs, where the “puzzle pieces” go, I found it fun and different.
I use the NYTXW app, and it has always seemed absolutely fine (plus includes the Minis and Spelling Bee, so really fun all around.) And there are no ads in the app. People sure do get their knickers in a knot over change, even when the change really is not all that earth shattering. As David Eagleman would likely counsel, it’s good to change things up from time to time! Look at this change as a gift to your brain.
"Here" becomes its opposite, "there," when you put a T in front.
I am insanely jealous of anyone who knows LMS in real life.
Buy the paper
@Gio
She did everything right, then. You just never know. The genetics scare me, too, to say the least. I'm hoping for a few more decent decades and then we'll see; with any luck, the science will have progressed to where there is real hope.
One other small thing people like you and me can do is enter walk-a-thons.
This is hard, hard, hard, and again you have my sincere sympathies.
The right way for the NYT to announce the change would have been to do it six months in advance (not ten days), explain why the change, and ask for input on what upgrades people would like to see on their app that would make it more enjoyable for solvers.
It might have wound up with the exact same result, but without the "what we say goes, and you can like it or lump it" feel.
OK, I'm not going to read through all of this. I thought it was a fairly lousy puzzle, but I got it. I've subscribed to the print version of the Times for 20 years now, I solve the puzzle in print and if for some reason the paper doesn't come I print the puzzle out from the replica edition or the digest. There used to be something like the Digest that came to your computer where I could solve it electronically if I wanted, but they discontinued that some years ago. Was there some way I could have been solving electronically when I was away from home? I never found it. Is it now going to be no longer there, and subscribers (who pay well over one hundred dollars a month) will have to pay for a puzzle subscription if they don't want to or can't solve on paper? I assumed these other apps you guys talked about were things you were only able to use if you were paying for the puzzle subscription.
Funny I used Across Lite a number of years ago until an “update” ruined it for me (I don’t remember what happened, but there was some feature it wouldn’t allow me to use anymore so I dumped it). The NYT app is now the only way I like to do puzzles. Once you get to know a new technology you forget about the old one. I trust this will happen for others too. It is an app, not a spouse or other beloved family member.
When I don’t have my nose buried in a crossword puzzle or a book it’s hovering over a jigsaw puzzle. I’m hopelessly addicted.
Needless to say I loved this one!
I liked this puzzle "alot" (I mean "a ton") and don't like the quibbling at all.
This is my first post ever. Not sure why but I felt I needed to put my two cents in today.
If you have a subscription you can
A) Google NYT crossword and follow the link to the puzzle on your computer. You will have to register so you can login;
B) download the app to any smart phone and login.
It seems very clear that I have to pay either $1.25/week
or $40/year. There does not seem to be any connection to my NYT subscription.
Fun puzzle. Fun jigsaw. Color me happy.
Solving on paper is one of the reasons I still get the weekend New York Times in hard copy, even though I read almost everything else in it online. So my reaction to all the drama around online crossword platforms is, why don't you just solve it on paper?
@Anonymous (5:15 PM)
Welcome aboard!
Your 'two cents' is worth 'a ton'; don't be shy. 😊
___
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
That is what a subscription service is though. Something that exists for your pleasure.
I saw the note early on and quickly solved the jigsaw section and then just filled in the remaining shaded areas. Then, I thought, why bother to finished it. But I came back a couple of times and did finish. It’s been a slow weekend.
I wonder if Jeff Lin will know enough to apologize to Jeff Chen and Sam Ezersky for his gratuitous ad hominem attacks.
And if he doesn't, I trust he will never again be invited to guest blog here - if for no other reasons than out of respect for the people he slandered, for the integrity of the blog, and for sheer human decency.
Is there some COVID-induced crankiness in the air? Was our guest host sitting in the bar car on his Amtrak trip to D.C?
I enjoyed the re-imagining of common phrases in a jigsaw puzzle context. The overall idea, however, put some constraints on the grid that in turn put some constraints on my solve buzz. Especially so were the smaller, closed off areas that were necessary to get the small puzzle "pieces" to work. The lower left and right areas were almost mini puzzles unto themselves. Once I got the theme phrases I didn't bother to put the pieces in the quarantined cell. Good thing because PICTURE PERFECT MOMENT doesn't quite work.
My favorite entry was 77D ODETTA. I had a couple of her LPs back in the 60s but over the years I let them slip away. Thanks Nancy @10:10 AM for posting the link. That shows ODETTA at her most powerful but she could also sing a tender lullaby as soft and sweet as you please. I read an interview with her some years back and was surprised to learn that she spent most of her childhood growing up in Los Angeles. She started operatic training in high school but she said she realized early on a large, black woman probably didn't have much of a future at the Met, so---lucky for us---she got into the folk scene and went on to blues, jazz and gospel music. And, of course, civil rights activities. I'm reminded of ODETTA whenever I listen to Tracy Chapman.
AM I RITE, however you parse it, is a neologism just to be a neologism. Is there any other defensible reason for its existence? If it's spoken, it's still three syllables so nothing gained there, am I right? And if it's written, it's seven letters while the old, tried-and-true "am I right" is only eight. I don't think that one letter savings or any cutesiness or novelty justifies AMIRITE's existence and I hope it will be another neologism that comes and goes, emphasis on the "goes".
Me too.
My Irish grandmother was Nana.
Wow. I read the blog every day, often read the comments, almost never post...but today’s blog post was really crazy! I liked the puzzle. I use the NYTXW app and I’ve never had any problems, so I’m not sure why people are so upset about the other app...but chill out, everyone, it’s just a crossword puzzle!
Sorry Jeff, usually a fan, but I hated this puzzle for many reasons, most notably these two: First, more than a couple horrible words/unwords that I had to pass through my mind to my fingers: TUSHY, AMIRITE, YOLO, PARTIESDOWN. Second, I spent 70% of the solve time filling in the last 10% of the puzzle, stuck in the neighborhood of FREEDOMOFASSEMBLY, GETITTOGETHER, TEARSINTO. And yeah, just short of the 80-20 rule... guess I should have dogged it a little more for a small moment of statistical joy.
The only thing that saved the night was that I had a chance near the end, to place an image of that beautiful earth angel, rock and roller, bonnie RAITT into that same brain that was earlier so abused.
Odd fact, I worked with someone with the last name PESTY
Clarification - Whatever method you may have used, you’ve needed some sort of subscription to download the NYTX for quite a few years.
@Anon12:33 - Up to now the only app that faithfully replicates the print version for every puzzle is PuzzAzz. The NYTX app is better than it used to be, but still botches puzzles on occasion (I didn’t look to see how it did with today’s, but I’m inferring from some comments that it numbered squares that are unnumbered in the print version). I’ve never understood why the NYT didn’t hire PuzzAzz to do their app since it’s been doing it right for years.
@Mohair Sam - I don’t know exactly when it appeared, but the large print option is fairly new. I only noticed it in the past week. They probably announced it over on Wordplay, but I missed it.
@Thinking person and others - I did see Mason from the NYT become aware of the visual issue with their interface and promise to address it. I don’t know how soon something like that can happen.
Was glad to see I was right when I finally had a chance to come back. I know many of you don’t think this is true, but Rex really is pretty good about discussing the puzzle, not the constructor. I know it doesn’t feel that way at times, but that is on the reader most of the time. I can count on one hand the number of times in the decade I’ve been reading Rex where there even a hint of him going after the constructor, not the puzzle. Even at his harshest about Shortz, he is pretty good about discussing what Shortz does, not who he is. I was pretty certain that when Rex realized/was informed about what was posted he would do something along the lines of what he did.
PuzzAzz downloaded the Monday Puzzle for me So if you are on iPad or iPhone it seems you may still have an option. I still prefer to print it out. (I moved and even though my delivery person is the same one I had before and she was able to deliver the NYT and the local paper at our old place, the new address is “unroutable” for the NYT. She still brings me my local paper).
no paper delivered today, and the ones at the supermarket newstand had the A&L section which include the magazine gone missing. well, sort of. some knucklehead slides them in the Friday/Saturday issue. the distributor, apparently, can't be bothered to hold them and build them on Sunday, so ships them with whatever issue is going out the door. supermarket critters, apparently, can't read the day/date on the A&L section, so slide them into the paper Fri/Sat. when that happens, I take them out and give them to the Service Desk for Sunday. most of the time, the supermarket knuckleheads never seem to find them on Sunday. from now on, I'll just keep the sucker.
end rant.
So, no puzzle. I was lamenting such, but it appears I missed nothing. serendipity?
You need all your fingers and toes to count the number of times Rex has bashed Bruce Haight alone.
And he still hasn’t apologized to Sam or Jeff.
@frankbirthdaycake:
quality products are not free
much of what really, really works in computers is. it's called linux, and the gadgets attached to the kernel (the only actual 'linux', in fact) are also free. smart people working together do good things. converse: Trumpsters.
@Gio
Sorry about your mom. That disease sucks. I meant to post this earlier, but apparently I was in a dead spot or something. My sympathies.
Roo
Hope they fix this asap. Like so much else in life, people may not realize how big a problem something is until they encounter it themselves somehow. My father's macular degeneration knocked out his reading during the pandemic & it's been tough.
I immediately thought Arlene Francis was the actress in Strange Planet - not! (Anne Francis, that was.) Then just this afternoon I glimpsed her in a documentary about Jesse Owens -- the Baader Meinhof Effect at work!
In case anyone is wondering, right now the unexpurgated version of this entry is still in Google's cache here: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:WKsJzYjGQKYJ:https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2021/08/response-to-little-red-hen-sun-8-8-21.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
The redacted bit reads:
"Which is all to say that it is not shocking that Will Shortz apologist and bootlicker, Jeff Chen, would be involved in creating a puzzle that kowtows to his new cash grab. I mean come on, I do the Spelling Bee daily, and it's pretty clear that Sam Ezersky doesn't do anything. What are you paying him for? To repeat pangrams over and over while haphazardly deciding what are actual words? Ok. Tirade over. "
You've probably figured this out already but your I should be a T. HERE/THERE. 🙂
Aren’t Sundays normally the time to experiment?
Another paper solver here… in green pen, every weekend!
My Jewish grandma was nana as am i
Just to add to the LMS lovefest here, I can’t tell you how glad I am that you are back with your delightful posts. I am sure you have had a tremendous impact on your students’ lives, but you have even changed some of us here. I used to harrumph at misuses of who and whom and such. Reading you has convinced me I should let that go, and I have. Much happier not feeling supercilious over this. Just a little plain old cilious maybe.
If you print the newspaper version, you get outlines. If you print the puzzle with “standard layout”, you do not. Apparently the NYT print code has some deficiencies too!
Gosh darn right. Your post was the perfect leavening to the AntiPope’s screed. But keep the blinds open and let the light on or else the darkness can become a frontal lobe default etched in tween the eyebrows Party on dudess.
Just to fuss a bit about the "palindrome" not being such!!!! The middle letters should themselves be read either direction, and no letter should be added to fill squares.!!!
I have seen the idea of fitting pieces together like this three times before, all in cryptic crosswords. Except in those puzzles, the pieces fill the ENTIRE GRID, with the rows clued separately as "acrosses". The oldest, I believe, uses pieces of five blocks, and I can't remember where I saw it. It might have been in the Tough Cryptics collections. The two newer ones use pieces of six blocks each and are aptly titled "Hextris" and "Hextris II"; the are in Cryptic All-Stars, Volume 2, and Cryptic All-Stars, Volume 4, respectively. They are among my favorite puzzles, and I enjoy doing them afresh every year or so.
I'm channeling Stephen Tobolowski as Ned "The head" Ryerson in "Groundhog Day." "AMIRITE or AMIRITE or AMIRITE? ...Or AMIRITE?"
Today's puzzle is right up my alley, as I am aa jigsaw enthusiast. But my first impression was that I had woken up in the middle of a Tetris game and it was, like, forty years ago. The theme phrases don't really mesh too well: presumably we didn't dump the PIECES on the floor. PICK out the edges, which fits and is much more to the point, was my first thought. Only to find EDGE in the next one--but that too is off the mark. Once you get the edge, there's no reason to "GOOVER" it. We just have a series of familiar sayings which the constructor has tried to bend to make them fit the jigsaw solving experience. With little success, I'm afraid.
I of course have none of the technical issues which beset so many; I get mine in print; none of this "Across Lite" stuff. As a printed puzzle, it was diverting enough and easy (read "non-slog") enough to earn a par. DOD is both Sally Field and her character NORMARAE.
TUSHY MASTERS
IDO say DON'TPLAYWITHMATCHES, BEAU,
though NORMARAE may be HOT in BED,
GETITTOGETHER WITH an EPIC PRO:
PICKUP SERENE OLDBETSY instead.
--- JOSEPH S. NELSON
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