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Distribute cash at the end of a shift in restaurant lingo / TUE 12-7-21 / Some Xmas card attire / Pasta popular on the Sopranos / Sinister fish in the Little Mermaid / Close follower of the horse race / One remedy for a hangover supposedly
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Constructor: Margaret Seikel
Relative difficulty: Easy
Theme answers:
- PICKLE JUICE (18A: One remedy for a hangover, supposedly)
- PIZZA JOINT (23A: Place to pick up a pepperoni pie, perhaps)
- POLITICAL JUNKIE (37A: Close follower of the "horse race")
- PRIVATE JET (48A: Aircraft that's 1% full?) [i.e. full of the very wealthy, i.e. "the 1%"]
Ilana Glazer (born April 12, 1987) is an American comedian, director, producer, writer, and actress. She co-created and co-starred, with Abbi Jacobson, in the Comedy Central series Broad City, which is based on the web series of the same name. She was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for the series. Glazer also starred in the 2017 film Rough Night and released her debut stand-up comedy special, The Planet Is Burning, in January 2020. (wikipedia)
• • •
The joyous feeling was helped along considerably by the first long Down:
And, later, the second long Down:
I don't use NECK PILLOWs when I fly—they're awkward and don't work for me, so I just resign myself to not sleeping—but it's a vivid object with a very specific purpose and I enjoyed recalling it, even if it did remind me of all the dopes who wear theirs around the terminal (sorry if you're one of those dopes, you gotta carry them somewhere, I guess!). As for "MAKE IT WORK," it's such a beautiful low-key signature phrase, and it made me miss that show, which I haven't thought about for a long time, and which is probably the last "reality" show I ever watched (besides "The Great British Bake-Off," which is religion, not "reality TV," how dare you!). When you've got a cute, simple theme *and* you nail the two long Downs, you are cooking. TIP OUT—also wonderfully original (as clued) (63A: Distribute cash at the end of a shift in restaurant lingo).
The only "difficulty" I had was with the latter ends of the themers. I solved straight down the west coast of the puzzle without even trying to throw themers across, and then the first time I looked at them, I could see POLITICAL but had no idea what came next, PIZZA, same, and I wanted PICKLE to end with BRINE. It would help if I could remember JEN *&#$^% Psaki's dang first name (19D: Biden White House press secretary Psaki). Her last name is on lock, but despite seeing her first name in puzzles a bunch, I keep botching it. Today I had her as a DEB (!?). I ended up getting the JUICE part of PICKLE JUICE from crosses in the far NE, and then once I got the JOINT of PIZZA JOINT, I was like "oh, PJs! cool!" and so the other themers fell much more easily. But again, it was never not easy. Just had to work crosses a little on the back ends of the themers. That's all. Light work even for a Tuesday. Beyond that, I went with STOIC before STONY (a kealoa* I hadn't yet come across since coining the term) (41A: Poker-faced), but made no other errors that I can recall. Breezy! Beautiful! Tuesday! Your turn, Wednesday!
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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85 comments:
Easy, breezy Tuesday as @Rex said. My only hang-up was thinking the actress at 29A was ILoNA. That delayed getting 26D, because I was looking for a place in JAMAICA (like Kingston or Ocho Rios). But that fixed itself quickly.
I take your point on the theme. If it makes you feel any better, i dont think Pajama have to be identical (Twinsies) to be matching. My 2 cents. Had to fiddle with “tip out” for a while. Wanted it to be tip cut.
I liked this as much as OFL and also had the same (minor) nit. I had PIZZA___ and was unsure of the last part. I wondered if there was a "P" thing going on. The clue was Place to Pick up a Pepperoni Pie Perhaps. But it all worked out in a really fun way. Favorite was Aircraft that's 1% full.
Wonderfully unTuezzie Tuesdee. Liked it @jae's bunch!
The "MATCHING" part gave me paws à la Rex, but that was a big, fat shrug and a bigger "who cares?"
🧠.5
🎉🎉🎉
I like the rhyming TRIO of SKIP, LIP, and TIP, and the pair of DIG IT and NICE. I like the reveal, which made me think that if my wife and I had matching PJs, we’d feel like smurfs. And I love the sound of “Snapple cap”; I want to plug it into the title song of “Camelot”.
A sweet solve embedded with sweet little treasures. Lovely all around. Thank you, Margaret!
I think it’s ok if just part of the revealer is a hint to the theme - so in this case PJS is the hint, and MATCHING is the part that pertains to the xmas card.
I like all the “I”s in that OUIZITIDIGIT stack.
With all the reviews and testing done on these puzzles, how on earth did that clue for DEC make it through?
Apparently, I don’t get the right kind of Christmas Cards – matching PJs does not ring a bell at all.
I thought this was a fine puzzle, but was really surprised Rex liked it. This is exactly the type of theme he regularly pans as “last century”, and the fact that the themer doesn’t land would have been the final nail in the coffin.
Not as tightly themed as yesterday with some questionable fill - but overall a smooth puzzle. Not sure what Rex is seeing - the entire NW corner is replete with ugly short stuff - it continues with GNC, OUI, POC etc throughout.
No idea who Tim Gunn is - so that was a lost long for me. Liked JAMAICA right in the center.
Enjoyable Tuesday solve.
PIZZA Parlor wouldn't fit, and I saw that JOINT would, but it seemed iffy so I left it blank. Then I came to PICKLE, and really wanted JUICE, but I checked a cross or two just to rule out brine. It brought a smile to my face, as it brought back memories of my 1979 trip to the USSR. In Moscow, we met a couple guys in a cafe, struck up a conversation, and were invited back to the apartment of one of them for drinks and appetizers. (It turned out they had family in a Boston suburb and wanted us to take some presents to them, which we were glad to do.) Anyway, at some point during the evening our host explained that if we woke up with a hangover we must "drink the solution of a wegetable," which turned out to be PICKLE JUICE. I can attest to its effectiveness.
Just the other day a Facebook acquaintance posted a picture of herself, her husband, and their three children dressed in MATCHING PJS for their annual Christmas-tree trimming. I thought it was odd, but if it's in the puzzle I guess it's a thing.
I also liked the stepwise units, TON and OUNCES; too bad 51A couldn't have been ACREs to continue the parade.
Alternate clue for 63A: "Expression on the face of a singer who hates to sing leading tones."
OK, enough from me.
Duh. On a Christmas card you would have a family wearing matching PJs while hanging stockings, for example
My family has MATCHINGPJS and matching NECKPILLOW(S). We're quite the spectacle at the boarding gate!
Worked out PIZZA JOINT and got PICKLE from the short threes and wrote in JUICE without looking at the clue. Had the same quizzical tilted head at the MATCHING part but decided that the MATCH was all the PJS and that’s good enough. Wasn’t overly fond of all the threes but REX is correct that, for threes, they aren’t particularly esey.
Hand up for STOic before STONY and for never drinking DECAF so writing in mocha for my late-night coffee order.
I’ve never had PICKLE JUICE to cure a hangover (you know what really helps? Sleep), but it makes sense. We do these crazy 6-7 game weekend tournaments and PICKLE JUICE is as effective as Gatorade at helping players rehydrate. Of course, coming into the weekend well hydrated and drinking enough water to stay hydrated is even better. But I’ve been in the position of needing some hydration assistance and have swigged PICKLE JUICE. In that particular situation it tastes good and not particularly salty. In as much as hangovers are related to being dehydrated, I imagine PICKLE JUICE would help, especially with the headache.
Very clean, very enjoyable and just the right level of difficulty for a Tuesday. The theme was discernable and all of the theme entries were solid.
The only real cop-out entry was JEFE - by cop-out I mean Shortz tries to have it both ways. I don't think he can credibly give interviews espousing a philosophy to the effect that "foreign words and phrases are welcome as long as they are reasonably well-known" and then slip in JEFE which sure seems like a stretch on that one to me. At least it was crossed with two pretty standard Tuesday-ish gimmies (I SEE and DECAF) and the themers helped there as well. So maybe it doesn't even rise to the level of a misdemeanor offense, however I would definitely cite him for a traffic infraction on that one.
I am with @kitshef - where is Rex and who posted in his place today? The real Rex would have torn this puzzle apart for not matching. Seriously though, I cannot begin to understand his logic on when a theme is tight enough and when it is a disaster over a minor flaw.
Enjoyable puzzle. Best clue was for PRIVATE JET. TIP OUT is new to me. Took awhile to see DIGIT as the answer even with the DI filled in.
I agree with the post above that the small fill is typical, not "nothing particularly crosswordese". DEC was beyond a stretch for reasonable fill. Maybe he was pleased by REX at 64 across.
OYL and EEL as answers opposed on the grid was nice. For 18 across, isn't everything a supposed remedy for a hangover? My favorite is more alcohol.
Those couples who send out Christmas cards showing them in matching PJs also go to Hawaii in matching aloha shirts.
I thought that it was a very pleasant puzzle. Enjoyed it.
Too many threes (23), but enough sparkle to compensate. Plus a sweet and well-executed theme.
Do Snapple drinks still have curious facts printed in their caps?
MMA?
Forgive this non-sportsfan, but what is that?
Guess I'll google it.
Pickle juice is a miracle worker for night cramps - just a swallow and cramp is gone less than a minute.
POC?
A puzzle that invokes smiles, what a terrific Tuesday. We didn't do matching pjs, but every year, Mom let me open one gift on Christmas Eve. She got to pick it, and it was always new jammies...so I would look good for the Christmas Morning photos.
Hmmm...now that I'm in a cooler clime, may need to consider adding a flannel nightgown to my list this year.
I caught the theme after PICKLEJUICE and PIZZAJOINT and wondered how the PJS would be clued, and how they were clued was fine. Knew OFL was going to have something to say about how they were not exactly MATCHING, so was not disappointed there.
STOIC/STONY, yep, have never seen Project Runway, and am unfamiliar with Ms. Glazer, but everything else went right in.
Also, if I ever have one of these "hangover" things, I guess I'll try some PICKLEJUICE.
Very nice Tuesdecito, MS. Many Smiles along the way, and thanks for all the fun.
@Trey - Curious what you mean by “crosswordese.” DEC, and most of the other three letter abbreviations for months, seem like fair game for short fill to me, and not over-taxed. I count 16 3-letter answers, which is high for my taste, but only ODE and EEL feel like crosswordese to me, that is seen in puzzles disproportionately often compared to how often we see them elsewhere. That’s my definition, a word seen in puzzles disproportionately often compared to how often we see them in the wild. If we’re going to have short fill then this is the type of short fill I’d like to see.
Now, if you want to argue that 16 3-letter answers is at least 6 too many, I’m right with you. But easy themed puzzles tend to have a plethora of short fill and there doesn’t seem to be much of a way around that.
@mambridge - Person Of Color (but when used in the comments here, a Plural Of Convenience)
@Anon 8:19 - Mixed Martial Arts - a fighting sport.
A huge part of my joy in doing the crossword is trying to predict Rex's rants. Rex, you disappointed me in letting PRIVATEJET, complete with a 1% clue, slip past you with no opprobrium.
Oooooh....This gets my cool frijoles award for a fun Tuesday. From TADA to KAT, I clapped with glee.
Didn't I just talk about PICKLES JUICE floating in my jam the other day?
What did you love the most? you ask. MAKE IT WORK and the cluing. I usually. don't like a ton of three's but today, I loved them all...Fun.
Hangover alert story:
When I lived in Spain and in order to make some money, I worked in a few films as either an interpreter, an extra and in some cases as a stunt girl. Anyway, I was with the "stunt" crew while filming a Harryhousen film called "The Valley of Gwangi." (You can see some trailers if you Google it). Anyway...Gwangi was this T REX that everyone wanted to kill. There was this scene in the plaza (it was filmed in Almeria where it never rains) and everyone is running out and getting stepped on and vegetables are flying everywhere and people are screaming and the TRex is wanting to gobble people up and everyone runs into the church. Anyway.....It began to rain. No shoot. Nothing to do but wait....Soooo. My crew decided to go to a bar and wait it out. The head JEFE of the stunt operation (his name was Juan Majan) introduced me to anise. He told me it was delicious and I should try some. I was only use to vino, so when I took my first sip I shouted with sugar glee. I didn't have one, I had about seven. They were so easy to just throw down the throat. I was fine until I wasn't. I fell off the bar stool. I passed out and the next thing I knew, I was in someones movie trailer (probably James Franciscus or maybe Gustavo Rojo...Gustavo kept flirting with me and he was cute but not my type)....Anyway, I woke up and thought I was dead. Thank goodness it was still raining so I wasn't called on to ride on top of my horse. No PICKLE JUICE was to be found. I was given a ton of water and slept until the sun came out. Thank the good lord it took a day and a half.
I WILL NEVER, EVER, DRINK ANISE AGAIN. Just the smell of it makes me sick.
So that's my story of the worse hangover and the last one I ever had.
As far as MATCHING PJ's. Never done that one. Should I give it a try?
Thx Margaret; a crunchy offering, indeed! :)
Med+.
More like a Wednes. for me.
Hit and miss the whole way.
STOic before STONY. Didn't know JEFE, so JUNKIE was hidden for a while; wanted pUNdIt, but SELL wasn't having it.
Enjoyed the challenge; fun journey. :)
@jae
Got Croce's 666; pretty tough; pleasantly surprised I had no errors. Nailed that lily I had trouble with previously. Lots of new stuff for me. Fair crosses I'd say were the key to success. See you next Mon. :)
___
yd 0
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Hey All !
Hide the Constructor name, and rant like you usually do. Imagine if this was a Bruce Haight puz. REX wouldn't have been NICE. 😁
Anyway, I like most puzs, this one no exception. I say that because there are @Anons out there who think us posters only agree with Rex on goodness or badness of puzs. Whatever REX says, we say. Au contraire, mon frere. (Channeling @Rue. Har)
MATCHING PJS is a bit of a stretch, but hey, it is a TuesPuz, so slack is given.
WILL and REX together in this puz. Joined by MAKE IT WORK. Meta? 😂
Got a real POC for @Anoa Bob!
Easier than YesterPuz for me, with no writeovers. No ICKs, no MESS.
yd -3 should'ves 3 (easy 4 plus the added en and ed)
Three F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
PICKLE JUICE???!!!! Really??? Never heard of it's being a hangover cure, it sounds horrible, and anyway I'm sticking with my old reliable, the Bloody Mary. Otherwise known as "the hair of the dog".
FWIW, no one has ever sent me a Christmas card with people in MATCHING PJS. At least I don't think they have. I'd remember, wouldn't I?
This is not a good time in our history to be a POLITICAL JUNKIE, but I fear that I am. I often envy my friend Carol who's not. The end result? I worry about everything happening in the world right now and she worries about none of it.
I stopped ordering DECAF espresso at dinner in restaurants years ago. I got tired of waiters lying to me. Back then, though, I would sometimes ask them for their phone number when they assured me oh-so-solemnly that the espresso was indeed DECAF. "If I'm up tonight, then you're up too," I would say kiddingly. Some got the JEST, some didn't.
Lewis -- are you going to list PRIVATE JET as one of your favorite clues of the week? It's certainly one of mine.
While I thought this puzzle started off pretty boringly in the slam-dunk NW corner, it got noticeably more interesting as it went on and ended up being quite a nice Tuesday.
Someone probably said this already, but, Why would you order decaf late at night? If you didn't WANT to be kept awake at that point, you would just go to bed, wouldn't you?
matching pjs on Christmas cards: picture of families with
each person wearing pj with identical pattern !
He wasn't your type, @GILL (9:09)??? I just Googled GUSTAVO ROJO and even if he hadn't been my type, I certainly could have made an exception. Maybe you were just too drunk on ANISE?
I've never been drunk or sick from ANISE, but I can't stand the smell (or taste) of it either. Of all alcoholic beverages to overindulge in, it's hard to think of any that could possibly be worse.
I think the only reason I got 'Matching PJs' so quickly was because my parents would buy my sisters and I matching PJs for the night before christmas each year growing up. It wasn't about the top and bottom of the set matching each other, but rather the fact that my sister's and I matched each other.
With that in mind, I think it was a play off that idea AND the literal P & Js matching each other in each clue. :D
Mixed martial Arts
well you're always going to like a puzzle that you do in a good time, and I did. I also was happy to see female constructors on consecutive days - that doesn't happen enough
Another Rex rave that seems spot on down to the “kea/loa” STOic (probably due to the intellectual glasses worn in the constructor pix?). Anyway that took a while to sort out since I’d no TIP OUT experience and assumed that entry had to be what was keeping Mr. Happy Pencil in his case. Finally had to hit “check grid” to add a daily dose of Tuesday humiliNY! Wonder if others will question the “card” instead of “eve” attire adjective? And will the page fill with Christmas purist piety? Guess I’ll have to read all the comments to resolve those conundrums.[I still approach this blog with kea/loa dilemma as to reading ALL or just entering an honest personal reaction uncolored by better minds and kinder spirits in the East coast environs.]
A slightly Xmas-y theme already. Tis the (DEC) season.
fave of the PJs: PIZZAJOINT. Takes some puz-bravery, to splatz all them scrabbly consonants into one spot.
I get it that MATCHINGPJS is just offered up as a "hint" to the themers, not a literal interpretation. Sooo … unlike @RP, M&A can mentally sorta MAKEITWORK. [Didn't know squat about them Runway Projects, but managed to get M.I.W. from its fairly fair crossers.]
Lotsa clean & good fillins, as @RP already praised the puz for. Extra credit tho to JAMAICA, which tickled 3 PJ-themers.
staff weeject pick: POC. Debut wordlet. Pajamas Of Christmas, of course (apologies, @AnoaBob). Had some extra nanosecond moments, at the POC/FACTS crossin -- didn't latch onto PO?'s intent at first, and sure didn't know nuthin about Snapple lids.
honrable weeject salute to: PJS.
Thanx for the fun, Ms. Seikel darlin. Luved all them primo weeject stacks, btw. Also NICE to have a matchin NECKPILLOW to go with the PJs.
[Looks like the M&A will have to fire up some Xmas runtz, pretty soon … ]
Masked & Anonymo4Us
**gruntz**
Easy-medium. Just about right for a Tuesday. Fun theme answers, some fine long downs, and a smooth grid, liked it a bunch. (Hi @Frantic).
My kea/loa for this one was LOG in/on.
...and on the episode of “Succession” we watchlast night Roman refers to PRIVATE JETS as “PJS”.
One of those puzzles where I race through, setting a record pace, when suddenly faced with tipout, facts, and POC all unknowns and crossing each other.
@nancy -- It certainly is a strong candidate.
When I saw JUICE, JOINT, JUNKIE, I was a bit worried where this puzzle was going
I rate this one as "darling." Such a cute theme idea and lively array of PJ phrases. I noticed the PJs in the PICKLE JUICE and PIZZA JOINT, making the remaining two quick to get, but I couldn't imagine the "why" of it - I needed lots of crosses for the reveal, which made it a happy surprise.
For years we received a Christmas card from a local realtor, whose aggressive marketing efforts knew no bounds, which always featured a photo of him, his wife, and their five children all in matching PJs. As their kids grew up, we noticed increasing "we are dying of embarrassment" looks on their faces.
Help from previous puzzles: MMA. No idea: ILANA. New to me: TIP OUT, MAKE IT WORK.
@GILL 909am If you've never tried matching PJs, I wouldn't recommend it. Judging from your (hilarious) hangover story, you're just not ready. Go have yourself a few more experiences and report back. Then we'll decide. 😘
+1 for what is POC? I googled it and still don't know.
Well constructed puzzle with some great long downs (NECK PILLOW) and some fantastic clues (PRIVATE JET), but the theme is just another ICU (Initial Consonant Uniformity), one of my least favorite theme types. I don’t care whether or not the themers or the pajamas are MATCHING, I just want something more than two words that start with the same letters as the last two words.
From a crossword perspective, I thought a POC was a Plural of Convenience, as in OWS. “Did you hear any OWS coming from the nursery this morning?” said no one ever.
The highlight of the puzzle for me was MAKE IT WORK. Sage advice from Tim Gunn for almost any MESS you encounter in life.
This was fun but super easy, Monday level IMHO. Cute theme which I appreciated since I’m a hopeless POLITICAL JUNKIE and often do the crossword in my PJS.
OUNCES nade me think of a certain proud grandmother among us. POC as clued was new to me and since I don’t drink Snapple, caused me a minor little snafu in that section. Thankfully though, not too big a MESS.
My SO is a private pilot who flew business jets and various corporate aircraft for many years. He’s retired now but I had the privilege of accompanying him on a number of trips over the years. I’m nobody special but let me tell you, the experience of stepping out of a private plane and into a car that is waiting for you on the ramp can sure make you feel like you are. There’s nothing like it.
No suprise no one's yet mentioned a fairly famous episode in the NFL involving pickle juice.
The Phialdelphia opened the 2000 season against the Cowboys on brutally hot day in Dallas ( Irving, Tx for you pedants). Temps were 105 at kickoff. Hotter on that blasted turf. The Cowboys looked like ret rags after about a quarter of play. The Eagles? Fresh asa daisy thanks to, yep, pickle juice. Their running back, deuce Staley, ran for more than 200 yards in a rout.
Like I said, not sure this blog is home to NFL afficiandos, but in some circles the pickle juice game is a big dill.
@Nancy...He was a lothario. I dated one for a year. Fell madly in love with him and he promptly dumped me for a blonde bimbo Swede (with apologies to blondes, Swedes and bimbos).
I say look all you want, do some drooling, just don't touch the goods.
Most of you couldn't have been there even if you'd wanted to. I could have been there, but chose not to go because I hate the cold (it was freezing that day), hate crowds and hate the unpleasant travel necessary to get from my apartment to the theater district. But it turns out that I didn't entirely miss it because this video of the event arrived in my email just now, courtesy of Telecharge.
There are much, much more polished renditions of "Sunday" from "Sunday in the Park", but I found this spontaneous outpouring of affection for Stephen Sondheim performed al fresco by a huge contingent from the theater community to be surprisingly moving. Maybe it's the pure joy and exuberance of the performance -- the recognition that Sondheim had had a magical life, a very long and healthy life, and a quick and enviable death. So that joy, not mourning, was called for. Perhaps you'll find it as moving as I did.
Snapple cao, Snapple cap,
I know it sounds a bit bizarre;
But a Snapple cap, Snapple cap,
Sits high atop a jar.
Whatsername,
Nope. Ive been on a private jet. Met by a limo at the base of the stairs. But, so were the other three passengers on the jet. I was only on baord to tote some bags. I didn't feel especially special.
@Unknown:
Pickle juice is a miracle worker for night cramps - just a swallow and cramp is gone less than a minute.
if that really works, it will make my life much better. so, what kind? dill, bread and butter, sweet, sour, and so on. we geezers need to know.
My favorite comments this morning.
Rex
kitshef (7:18)
Anonymous (11:45)
Nancy (12:10)
Funny thing about the word 'bimbo'. Was originally a fat, stupid, guy.
@Nancy - I started typing in HAIROFTHEDO but ran out of space.
Many cyclists use pickle juice as a sports recovery drink.
A good kealoa from a couple of days ago was the ever popular evadelude.
I loved this puzzle. Easier than yesterday, for sure. And the MATCHING PJS were amusing, as is the concept (which I've seen) of old married couples wearing them.
I've been married for decades, but still recall the relatively brief era when I was active but unattached. And one particular young woman who used to say she drank coffee to put her to sleep at night. I don't think she was lying, for when I was a young teen, I used to love drinking coffee after a restaurant meal, knowing that it would make me sleep easily and more pleasantly. The same coffee that, taken in the morning, would help me wake up, and be more alert during morning classes.
Not true for me today, though a single espresso seems to aid the digestion without keeping me awake at night. I suspect espressos, in those small cups, probably have a lot less caffeine than regular coffee, and certainly less caffeine than multiple cups of American coffee.
@Anonymous (12:20) I know that feeling too. We didn’t always get the royal treatment. Depending on the passengers and the airport, we were just about as often shuffled aside as lowly “crew” and left to fend for ourselves.
Whatsername,
Well, I may have overstated things a little. Cause I sure fely like a big deal when we drove up to that plane, and someone opened the limo and i walked up acoupld of steps and was in that jet. I thought i was something.
Kind of a funny story about that flight:
I was at night. I was with three other guys one of whom was a celebrity. Pretty big in some circles. Anyway twnty or thirty minutes into the flight there was a big bang, really loud, and not too longa after we lost a lot of altitude.Or it seemed like that in the dark. My immediate boss was on the flight and there was just enough light to see that he was scred Sh**less too. I immediately went full cliche imagining the worst and the news stories which would : XXX killed in plane crash along with two other passengers and the crew. Anyway a couple of minutes pass, and the celebrity in question turns and asks us: Anybody else hear that noise? I knew thane that I'd be safe. No way god was taking that guy that night.
I've heard of the PICKLE JUICE cure for leg cramps from running but not as a hangover cure. Something to try someday (preferably for the cramps, not the overindulgence.)
I didn't know the tagline for Project Runway, nor did I recognize Mixed Martial Arts as connected to U.F.C. which meant I left _AKE in place at 31D until the full phrase made the lead-off letter obvious it wasn't going to be a T or F.
I had to read the clue for PRIVATE JET a second time before I got the 1% reference, very nice.
Thanks, Margaret, loved your theme answer choices.
And a shout-out to Rex for his PIZZA JOINT, PIZZA JOINT, PIZZA JOINT reminding me of a recent puzzle.
POC looks like a new racial slur, as if we didn't have more than enough already.
Hey Washington Football Team, looks like it's okay to use your former name again. It's right there in the NYT crossword at 59 Down, People Of Color. Go Redskins!
I'm old enough to remember segregation in the deep south. The courthouse in the town near where I grew up, for example, had separate drinking fountains, one labeled "White" and one labeled "Colored", so that clue for 69D POC was a bit of a shocker. Really, in this day and age? Wow! (Looks like OFL tip toed around that one---nary a word!)
Do you know what color was being referred for the "Asian American" part of the clue for POC? Ever hear of the racist term "Yellow Peril"?
I thought it was a tad ironic that POC appeared right next to a plural of convenience, in this case a two for one POC at the ends of 60D JEST and 66A FACT.
The POC must have been deliberate because there's a lot of other possibilities for the fill in that section of the puzzle to MAKE IT WORK.
Again, encyclopedia are good places to start. Having said that, Wikipedia does a decent job of explaining why POC is considered acceptable usage while “colored” isn’t.
Top half filled itself in almost automatically but then it went South for me (heh). When I got to the Snapple I naticked and had to run the alphabet. OK so I finished.
____________
pg -2
The most enjoyable puzzle in a while, even if it took me longer than many Tuesdays. MAKEITWORK made me think of my late wife, who loved the show and Tim Gunn. Other favorites: TIPOUT, JEFE, ZITI, and STUNTMEN.
Thank you, Margaret!
Ah ZITI. That tubular pasta which serves as a metaphor for YOU and your body. Both stuffed with Bolognese.
@Z 8:44. I wholeheartedly agree with your explanation of what makes something “Crosswordese “. A simpler way to put it might be: if a person with typical exposure to world events, literature, politics, science and entertainment would hear or see the answer occasionally ITW, then it’s not Crosswordese.
By this definition none of DEC., ODE and EEL are crosswordese.
I’ve tried and failed many times to explain why today’s type of link between a revealer answer and the theme answers works perfectly. For those who don’t get it (@Rex), just trust me and Will Shortz and a wonderful editing team and a barrel full of great constructors. This revealer is spot on.
So was the puzzle. Thanks for a very good Tuesday, Margaret Seidel.
Oh, and @GILL I 9:09. I can see that the result of a fast Anise crash and burn might make you think you can’t ever let it into the same room as your lips again. Well I say, you’ve got to get back on that horse and ride him. That’s what I did after about three decades of viewing tequila as lower than liquid bleach on my preferred quaffs list. This, of course followed a disastrous evening with my former amigo, Don Julio, which resulted in wrecked cars, fisticuffs, a night in jail and charges of inciting a riot. Combine this with the worst hangover in the history of the known universe, and you can bet your sweet bippee that I couldn’t abide the mere though of tequila for a long time. But I eventually did remount that steed, and I quite enjoy a sip of the stuff now and then.
@Nancy Thanks for sharing the link for the tribute singalong. Another look at Sondheim I found interesting today was this article.
I never use NECK PILLOWS either, even on moderately long flights (e.g., 11 hours to Buenos Aires), but I did use one the year before last for my 29 hour flight to Australia and I loved it. (The brand was Cabeau if anyone’s interested.). And it could be attached to my carry-on or squished inside it, so I didn’t have to wear it around my neck in the airport.
Nice puzzle!
@egs 3:16. You're a much stronger person than I (although I love me a good Fortaleza Blanco from time to time....only one little sip, mind you.). I can't ever think about anise or getting on a horse without remembering falling off that damn stool....
By the way all of you PICKLE JUICE people. Just changing the subject a tad....If you ever get really bad heartburn and want an almost immediate relief, drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. It works EVERY SINGLE TIME. Maybe PICKLE JUICE has that same kind of result?
@anon 12:31. Dill for me.
@Unknown:
Danke.
12:31
I'm standing over here with those who can't stand the smell of licorice. For me it started in Aix-en-Provence many decades ago with Pastis and water every afternoon (for 2 months). So managed to do that but ever since, ugh. Once years later driving a carload of teens to something I was offered a twizzler and had to really grip that steering wheel!
Kealoa LOG...wait for it...IN. Check crosses.
Another very easy early week puzzle, no problem with that. Happy to say we don't get those PJ type cards. Makes me wonder why people do that. They probably like licorice-anise-Pastis-twizzlers, too.
@(M)M&A
Pajamas Of Christmas!!!
Dang you have an awesome mind. I'm jealous and in awe.
@Gill
Peach schnapps was mine. (But enough years have gone by that I'd do one shot of it. One shot.) ��
RooMonster Schnapps! Guy
Am I the only one who was guessing, about 2/3 of the way through, that the theme was drug-related (and wincing)? Themers ending in JUICE, JOINT and JUNKIE? No, just me?
@egsforbreakfast - What about Oreo? To me it fits my definition of ese but not yours. That is, I see it in the real world every time I go down the cookie aisle (indeed, it seems that fully half the shelf space at my local grocery chain is filled with Oreos) and yet to me it is still crosswordese because it appears in puzzles more often than I go down the cookie aisle. To put numbers to it, this is the third time this year for DEC while Oreo has appeared 12 times. this ratio is roughly consistent as xwordinfo shows 131:446 ratio in the Shortz era.
@Z 8:44 (if this becomes a repeat, I apologize, but the ether seems to have eaten another post)
I agree with your definition of crosswordese (answers that occur more often in crosswords that in real life). I would add to that any word that is really a sound (OWS, ICK, RAH, AAH, AHH, etc). I would include OYL as well, as I have not seen that name outside of a crossword in decades. I am not entirely sure about this next group, but it seems that partial commercial names also fit here (KAT as opposed to KITKAT, SNO, GLO etc)
To me, the perfect 3-letter answers are words and names, not abbreviations or acronyms. I know that these are usually necessary to construct a puzzle with interesting longer fill, but a ratio of 75% or greater good fill seems right to me. A rough count today shows about 50-60% good short fill, as AVE was clued as an abbreviation but could have been better (IMO) clued as ____ Maria
"...and yet to me OREO is still crosswordese because it appears in puzzles more often than I go down the cookie aisle."
What a hilarious definition of crosswordese, @Z. And not only is it funny, but it's spot-on. I agree completely.
Why can't we have any of the dozen or so variants of Ancestral OREO??? Lots of letters; perfect for Sunday.
The mma and poc
We’re quite unknown to me
Please stop initials
Of letters three
@Z
The more I think about it, the more I think that your view is closer to what the Community thinks about this. I’m talking about answers that you are simply unlikely to know other than through XWs. You’re talking about answers that are over-used and have therefore become unwelcome, no matter how clever the cluing is. Please don’t tell my wife that I’ve admitted to being wrong. It would shatter her worldview.
ICK!
The theme doesn’t get off the runway. Way too much three-letter flotsam: MMA, OWS, GPA, KAT, AVE, DEC etc. etc. (Too many OWS to list.) Plus a Disney princess and trivia - ARIEL, EEL. What a MESS! I really wonder if Will Shortz INSPECTS the puzzles anymore. The FACTS indicate he doesn’t. NEXT!
PS - Wrong constructor listed in my paper again. It’s not Barbara Lin. It’s Margaret Seikel.
FRET FACTS
Those NICE STUNTMEN WILL MAKEIT tickle
with PILLOWs and PRIVATE lovin',
EVENIF they SEE me IN this PICKLE,
do they CARE there's one IN the OVEN?
--- JEN LOPEZ
@anon 11:45: Ah yes, the PICKLEJUICE game. One of this green-blooded fan's favorite memories. Duce (no first E) is now coaching.
Why wouldn't OFF like this one? It's got his name in it! It also has, just to be complete, JEN LOPEZ, DOD. But a couple of problems.
I know nothing about surfing, but fergodsakes, do you REALLY leash your board to your ANKLE?? I mean, surfing is already courting at least serious injury, but if you're gonna tether yourself to something that could easily smash your head in, we're talkin' death wish.
Reading the totally alliterative clue to 23 across and finding out that it wasn't PIZZAparlor was a jolt. Why would you clue it that way if you weren't gonna follow through?
My natick was not at the C of POC/FACTS--it was the square above. I'm staring at P_C and TIP_UT, and not having waited (except for three weeks at a Poconos inn that burned to the ground only a few days after I quit because of the insane chef*), I didn't know whether it was TIPOUT or possibly TIPcUT. But I finally decided that a 59-down could be a Person Of Color--good guess--and went with that.
Overall a serviceable Tuesday puzzle, with no real groaners and some nifty longer fill. Any difficulties I had were more mine than the puzzle's. Birdie.
*I didn't do it.
The matching part of the theme seems pretty simple to me. The themers match each other. They are all P-J. What I like about Rex's commentary is that he almost always overthinks things.
I like this theme and revealer. And MATCHING PJ’s MAKE IT WORK better than I thought it would.
Hesitated over a cluster in the middle South, which feature the O and the C in POC and TIP OUT. (GNC and el JEFE are stray outliers.)
TADA! (intended irony)
My mom took me to a PIZZAJOINT when I was a kid. Thought that was the height of cool. (cool as matching PJs) Of course, she also had me drink the occasional prune juice at breakfast. As appetizing as PICKLEJUICE, IMO.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
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