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Popular bumper sticker of the 2000s / THU 12-30-21 / Sunfish with colorful gill covers / Virulent negativity in modern parlance / Goddess often depicted with wings / Classic poem set in bleak December / Evansville baseball team or Erie hockey team
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Constructor: John Ewbank
Relative difficulty: Easy
Theme answers:
There's "current" and then there's "desperate to seem current," and I think this puzzle falls more into the latter category. I winced rather than rejoiced at its two "hey look at me being current!" answers—at HATERADE for being not "modern parlance" at all (that's a '90s term—see also "ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS") (12D: Virulent negativity, in modern parlance), and at STAY WOKE for invoking "woke" discourse in a flip and uncontextualized kind of way ("catchphrase?") (37D: Social justice catchphrase). "Woke" is a word that came out of Black political activism and then got appropriated by white people (surprise) in all kinds of ironic and / or openly hostile ways to the point where now all I hear when I hear the word is a kind of mockery, a cheapening and debasing of everything "social justice" is supposed to stand for; I especially feel this way when the word is being wielded by white people. Context matters (here's a good overview of the history of "woke" from merriam-webster.com). In short: clue it as "Black" or don't use it, thank you. Other bad vibes: the NRA (again, your FDR clue doesn't fool me) and especially DR. OZ, an answer that, when I finally got it, elicited a "oh F*** you!" so loud I feared I might wake my wife. That asshole is not only a dangerous purveyor of snake oil and medical disinformation of all kinds, he's now running for Congress. As a Republican (duh). I do like the timbre of the word BOOZEHOUND, but again, the puzzle's long-standing habit of mocking alcoholics makes me sad. Not making me sad today: ADULT TEETH and PEEPHOLE and "THE RAVEN" and, oddly, COEXIST (don't get me wrong, I find bumper-sticker (and lawn-sign) sloganeering ... well, let's just say, it's not my aesthetic, but this was the one answer where I got a genuine "Aha!" today, the phrase "Popular bumper sticker" meaning nothing to me ... until it did).
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
- ADULT TEETH (18A: They stay and bite)
- "THIRTY ROCK" (27A: Emmy-winning comedy series of 2007, 2008 and 2009)
- KISSES BUTT (46A: Gians favor using abject flattery, informally)
- BOOZEHOUND (58A: Souse)
: a common sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) of the southern and eastern U.S. that resembles the bluegill but has the back part of the operculum bright orange red and that feeds especially on snails— called also shellcracker (merriam-webster.com)
• • •
I should probably mention the theme. It's a Thursday, so the theme is supposed to be The Thing. Not Stan Lee's The Thing or John Carpenter's The Thing (though that would be cool), but, you know, like, the centerpiece, the raison d'etre, etc. But this theme wasn't anywhere near Thursday-worthy. Felt Tuesday, maybe Wednesday, but there's absolutely nothing tricky or difficult about it. First two themers were just ... answers. Straightforward. I wondered how they were related, but I didn't wonder much. Then I hit XXX, which I got in no time ... and that was that. The next two themers, like the first two, had straightforward clues. Game over. I would've enjoyed this more as a Tuesday or a Wednesday theme. Not the puzzle's fault that it got slotted on a Thursday. It's just that when you come to a Thursday, you expect a curveball—the wildest thing the puzzle has to offer for the week. But no curves here. 80mph fastball right over the plate.
You used up your one "OH" on "OH, YEAH," no you may not have another to make "OH, WOW." Petition denied. KISSES ASS is the phrase, KISSES BUTT feels euphemistic / 10-year-oldish, though I can't dispute the realness of the phrase. "THIRTY ROCK" doesn't quite work for me since the number in the title is always written out numerically ("30 Rock"). Never heard of RED EAR, but that's the only answer that caused any difficulty today. GAY ICON is nice, but I've seen it a few times now (first appearance in the NYTXW was back in 2008!), so it doesn't have the wow factor it once did. To be clear, it's still a good term; put it in your crosswords all you want! But it's a wordlist word now (i.e. it's in every constructor's wordlist—the giant database that fuels most constructing software), so don't overestimate its originality. And give the NYTXW some credit for actually normalizing GAY ICONs and lots of other LGBTQ-related terms in recent years.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
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142 comments:
Was anyone else put off by 46A? There used to be some sort of decorum about words you'd rather not see at the breakfast table.
I had to check the calendar thingie on the computer screen to make sure it wasn't Tuesday.
Ah, solvers heaven, for me. I had a blank area in the middle – with the rest of the puzzle filled in – because I didn’t remember COX, was not aware of the bumper sticker, and didn’t know if it was III or XII on that sundial.
Thus, not only did I have to fill in the rest of the grid, which was solving heaven because there was so much clue-cracking involved, but then came more solving heaven because I had to figure out the theme by cracking the riddle of what the first words of the theme answers had in common.
Finally, getting COX begat that moment where I saw the XXX connection, and that moment begat one of those wow-ahas that the best puzzles provide. Happy happy brain after this one.
Some of those GRADE A clues that engaged and happified my brain – and these are far from all – were [They stay and bite], [Propelled from a bench], and [Stamps, maybe].
A very promising debut, John, and thank you for a euphoric start to my day!
It was fine with me to have another Wednesday puzzle. This one was quirky and enjoyable.
According to the Census Bureau, the population center of Massachusetts is now . . . Natick!
to @jbird from yesterday: Thanks for the memory! My mom used to say it this way:
A B C D goldfish?
L M N O goldfish!
O S A R!
C M P?
Dirty Dirty Dirty. Just how much porn can we slip past Shortz? The slyest has to be EAT ALTOS, which might not have registered if not for the BUTT and COX and PEEPHOLE already appearing. XXX indeed.
The puzzle never really won me back after opening up with the ROTI or naan question. Please don’t put such a blatant kealoa at 1A.
Potential additional themers:
TURKEY TROT
STRIKES GOLD
DROZ???? Oh!! Just now realizing that’s two words. Well, that makes more sense.
Solved the left and right, then the bottom and part of the top, so even though the revealer is dead center, I did not hit it until more than 90% of the way through the puzzle.
Thx John; excellent Thurs. puz! :)
Med+. A tad off the wavelength on this one.
Not a good idea to enter naan in place ROTI; slowed me down in the NW. I should know better to hold off on where multiple possibilities exist.
Only guess was the HATERADE / HVAC cross. Got it right, but only post-solve analysis revealed my parsing issue, i.e., HATE RADE instead of HATER ADE as in Gatorade. Got to look up HVAC again; just can't seem to remember that. (time for a mnemonic)
Understood all the XXX themers except BOOZE.
"Ever seen one of those cartoons of Appalachian folk holding big jugs marked “XXX”? Those three X’s became an iconic symbol of moonshine — if a jug had that special marking, you knew what was in it. But what is the meaning behind it? Simply put, the X marking indicated how many times that particular batch of moonshine was distilled. Three X’s meant that the moonshine had been run through the still three times, making it the closest you could get to pure alcohol. XXX = the really good stuff." (Old Tennessee Distilling Co.)
Enjoyed the adventure.
___
yd 0*
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Looking for more trickery but I had fun with this. ADULT TEETH was neat - I’ve never seen THIRTY ROCK but the crosses were clear enough. Gave the side eye to BOOZEHOUND - doesn’t seem like a comfortable term today. Revealer was apt and made the rest straightforward. We’ve seen a bunch of GAY ICONS lately how many are there - seems like the superlative ICON is being watered down…
A new RYE sighting today. The Erie OTTERS were a gimme - as the great McDavid is one of their alum. Growing up I played early juniors and followed the Ontario League when the OTTERS were the Hamilton Red Wings and then the Fincups.
Early week like but an enjoyable solve nonetheless.
What is The DROZ Show about?
What is a PEE PHOLE?
/S
Hit the middle early, got the revealer, thought some form or kisses might appear (correct!), but did not anticipate the cartoon bottle label that appeared as part of BOOZEHOUND, so that at least was a surprise.
Nice to find out that HATERADE is from the 90's, as it's a term I've never heard or used, and I was still involved with high school students back then. Maybe they were just too nice to use it around me.
And of course, any puzzle with OTTERS is a good puzzle.
Congrats on the debut JE. Just (barley) Entertaining enough for a Thursday. Not your fault there, and thanks for the fun.
I parsed together enough to get TATAMI, APU and REDEAR in the north and quickly suspected that we were in for one of “those” days - which was further confirmed when I stumbled upon HATERADE (yuk, yuk, yuk - a triple-yukker !).
The ship seemed to right itself a bit once we got south of the equator, although I had KISSES “up to” instead of BUTT which I thought would be much more breakfast-friendly.
I very much enjoyed reading OFL’s mini-treatise on “WOKE” and his perception of its ramifications - Poor Old Rex doesn’t realize that he is pretty much the epitome of WOKE (in the true farcical sense of its meaning) and he doesn’t realize it - which is pretty much the definition of self-parody.
When a crossword blog becomes divisive and nasty towards anyone with an R next to their name mentioned in a crossword… that’s how you know our country is screwed. Thanks for your contribution to our downfall, Michael!
This review is all anyone needs to know about what it means to be Rex.
And the puzzle sucked. Tuesday is still holding the its lead. Can this really be the best that the NYTX has to offer ?
Scene that took place yesterday at the New York times Puzzle Department:
"OMG!!! Tomorrow's Thursday puzzle has just fallen into the juicer and is being turned right now, as we speak, into an ACAI smoothie! I have only 27 seconds before deadline to replace it with, I don't know, something.
"Do you have any Thursdays close at hand?"
"Afraid not. My pile only includes the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the following four days."
"The Friday doesn't have a theme. The Saturday is too hard. The Sunday is too big. Use the Monday. Get it out ASAP!"
(Which explains today's apparent miXXX-up.)
It is interesting that the last time GAYICONS was in the puzzle (12/3/21) it occupied the same position in the grid, over a stack of three 4s in the SE corner. The only real difference is the plural on that date made the word one letter longer.
COX and OARED today were a nice pair.
Theme seemed tight to me. Each use of XXX had a different connotation and all seemed to be reasonable phrases used in real life.
In addition to the link to the XXX, three of the theme answers contain 3 Ts, Ss or Os (although only two are in a row for each answer)
FWIW, I was as put off as many of you were by KISSES BUTT -- which I find to be in appallingly bad taste. I resisted writing it in as long as I could, wanting the answer to instead be KISSES up To, but no such luck. The "B" of the slam-dunk APB nailed the coffin shut and that, alas, was that.
Rex should take the advice of the bumper sticker in the puzzle.
Did it bother anyone else that BYTE was clued as one "BIT of information?"
No? Oh well.
Rex, don't get so hung up on things like the origin of "woke" and how much of a putz Dr. Oz is. I'm completely on your side of the political spectrum, but c'mon, man, it's only a puzzle.
I’m with Teresa on the breakfast test, which this puzzle fails. On the other hand, any Thursday with no rebus is a good Thursday.
Um, feel free to rip Rex for political correctness. Many bloggers from both sides of the political spectrum do so on a regular basis and he dutifully publishes them. BUT! All or nearly all of the leaders of the people with the R next to their name are responsible for 90+% of the sad state of this Country.
Those folks are the ones that have insisted that so many blatant lies put forth by TFG are true, the most egregious one being the Election fraud nonsense. In addition, they are virtually solely responsible for the continuous and desperately dangerous climate change denial. They have also 'inspired' millions of people to not get vaccinated against what has become the worst pandemic in modern history.
It is the nearly unanimous Republican adherence to the clearly wrong side of the critical issues that threaten our democracy and the survival of the World that is THE problem. OFL may go over the top in his reaction to these issues but, the divisiveness and most of the nastiness? No, that's on all the people with the R next to their name.
Could have used a tougher Thursday as it is totally bucketing outside and am cozily pinned down under the covers by a cat on my lap. Thanks, @bocamp for the XXX and moonshine explanation.
Isn't a byte 8 "bits"?
Hard to imagine the ears on a fish, so 26D REDEAR seemed an implausible name for one.
Even harder to imagine is that this would be the highlight of my experience.
I just...it just...I can't. Specifics are too numerous to cite.
Just under the wire to qualify for WoPOTY*. Here comes the WoPOTY, hippity hoppity nope-ity.
*Worst Puzzle Of The Year
🧠🧠🧠 (wavelength issues, because huh?)
-🎉🎉
THIRTY ROCK threw me off so badly! I had THIRTY _O_K and still didn’t see it haha.
Very Tuesday-Wednesday. Not a fan of the Roti/Naan 1A choice. “Dr” Oz is a doctor like doctor Phil, Dr. J, Dr. Dre and Doctor Doolittle. Stop it.
@gregg - you may want to take a gander at @Z’s post yesterday (5:06 PM) - he pretty much addressed your exact question regarding expertise v.v. “common usage” and misdirection.
Gee, thanks for the free woke lecture, prof. Not.
At my corporate job that phrase was used often enough during the morning coffee breaks (when talking about colleagues) to make it sound totally normal.
@Phillyrad 9:19- Don’t know much about Dr. Oz but your comment surprised me so I checked. He is a cardiothoracic surgeon with a degree from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Jeez NYT crossword, your liberal lean is showing.
Well...let's see.....I got to the XXX reveal and wondered if I should use the APSES to whisper to someone that I. Had. No. Clue what that meant. Then I TIP TOEd around looking for the "WHY?" reason. AHA:
ADULT XXX. I guess that refers to porn?
THIRTY XXX. Ah, yes. don't touch that dial.
KISSES XXX. I always sign off with XOXO.
BOOZE XXX. Images of John Silvers swigging some hooch out of grog bottle while singing yo ho ho.
But did you like this? you ask. Why yes...in a Wed. sorta way. I liked that GRAMMY and OSCAR came to visit me at the bar. Maybe @JD and her law firm buddies will come visit.
I, too, had trouble with RED EAR (Hi @Frantico). But why? you ask....you know lots of fish!! Yes I do, but not that one. I stopped at that point and my imagination took to its extremes. I kept seeing The Incredible Hulk with red ears flapping in the wind - but only this time, it was flapping on a little fish.
I've never had a bumper sticker on my car. But why? you ask. I'm afraid if I said something like "DR OZ operated on my heart at Oprah's hospital in Africa and I survived", someone would hit me with their car. By the way...Oprah is NOT endorsing him in his political endeavors. Phew.
Anyway...I rather enjoyed this...yes I did. Anything with some EARED OTTERS is good. I also think BUTT should be replaced by the cute word FONDILLO.
A couple of Hidden Diagonal Words worth noting today, the first of which could be clued, "How many times letter 24 was used in today's puzzle." The answer is SIX (three times in XXX, and once each in XII, COEXIST and COX). And SIX as a diagonal shares the initial X of XXX.
Also a nice 5 letter diagonal is POISEd in perfect, upside-down balance through the middle of our GAY ICON (56A).
Can anyone tell me what yd 0* and other abbreviations used by those who that one mean?
I stayed away from this blog for the past 6 months because it became much less about a crossword puzzle and more of a political soapbox for Rex. The very first day I decide to come back and see if anything has changed.... Nope. Rex is no longer writing to educate us on crossword puzzles, rather on his personal values and opinions. I can find that on a thousand other websites. Crosswords are meant to be a fun escape from the real world's problems for a little while. Let's keep it that way.
@amyyanni (8:41 AM)
yw :)
Cozy here, too, with 6" of fresh snow. ❄️ 🔥 🪵
___
td pg -2 (timed out)
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
I am going to skip reading the blog and go straight to the comments. this is a crossword puzzle - no one should care if a Republican is clued, or NRA, etc. C’mon Rex. I was more nauseated that JLO was included - that woman can not sing and has no business making albums
About Andrew Heinegg's post: Yes, you're right, completely, about the Rethugs. But Rex gets waaaay too invested in trying to make the NYTXW conform to his political views. It gets tired real fast.
Thursday crosswords have always been my favorite. I looked forward to them. I miss them. Where have they been lately? BEATS ME but this wasn’t one.
Hey All !
BUTT! Har. BUTT! See, it's fun to say, and totally harmless. It could've been much worse. KISSES ASS would've been too much, but BUTT? BUTT! Everyone yell it!
Totally forgot I was solving a ThursPuz. Not thinking of what day it was, just kept going with the flow. Came here and said, "Huh, OH YEAH, today is Thursday! Imagine that."
Had XII as III for a while, till saw it might be XII/XES (which, yes, had XES in at first). Finally got the XXX, and didn't really elicit any kind of emotion. Just sort of a "Huh, OK, XXX can be used to represent each Themer start." (Technical, I know. 😁)
Fun (and at first quite puzzling) clue for ADULT TEETH. Couple writeovers, foam-HEAD, Cad-CUR. RYE makes it in, anxiously awaiting the opening of @Z's Placebo and Tentacle Bar and Grill (is that it? Been a while since I've seen the name, with my wonderful memory...). PEEP HOLE sounds way more skivvy than BUTT. Just sayin'.
RED EAR or RE-DEAR? RE-DEAR could mean Marry again? Har. Could've cross-referenced OH WOW and BEATS ME as one phrase. Knew NRA would raise the Rex Ire(claiming a © on that!). BOOZEHOUND/sot also. Good stuff.
BUTT!
yd -8, should'ves All of them. Dang. Back to missing easy words. 🙄
No F's (back to that, also. UNCOOL. 😁)
RooMonster
DarrinV
@Kevin. You, sir, are correct!
@Anonymous (9:47 AM)
NYT Spelling Bee shorthand: 0 = all words found; 0* = all words found, but not within self-imposed time limit; -1, -2, etc. = words not yet found, td = today; yd = yesterday; dbyd = day before yesterday; p = pangrammatic (having found all pangrams); g = genius; pg = pangrammatic genius.
___
td 0*
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
@Z. I can't believe you are whining about 1A. Here's a tip. Look at 1D to get the initial letter. In this case RABBIT was pretty obvious, so ROTI. Or if 1D isn't obvious try 2,3,4. You're bound to know one of them. Then you'll know which bread it is. This method works with many kealoas. Yur welcome.
I not only whisper in APSES, I TIPTOE through them.
@Nancy (8:03) -- Nice vignette, and could likely be based on a true story.
I too am in the Just-say-no-to-46A camp, occasional swearer though I am. To be clear, I would have accepted KISSES GRITS with one more letter and a slightly different clue.
I was thinking about old bumper stickers yesterday. The "No Fear" window decals on pickup trucks (and related Ford vs. Chevy impish decals), the above-referenced "Just Say No" from the late '80s, "I Found It!" (and the "I Lost It" retort) in the late '70s. On the cars they come and go, talking of Michelangelo.
My one foray in the '90s was a Grateful-Dead image in the rear window of an old Saab 900T that started when the spirit moved it: a white and blue wagon wheel intertwined with red roses, one of the spokes broken. Another way to say "No Fear" with a sort of smile behind it.
Although I agree with Rex on almost everything politically, I often roll my eyes at his rants. Republicans, the Roosevelt NRA, references to people who drink a lot -- all real things and fine to put in a puzzle. But I agree on Dr. Oz, not because he's a Republican but because he has spewed enough misinformation on health to have his own personal death toll while masquerading as an expert whom people should trust. If he is in the puzzle, he should not be clued positively or even neutrally.
My other Rex complaint (while I thank him much for providing us this platform and appreciate his usually clever writing) is the constant "this puzzle skews too old" vs. "this puzzle is trying to sound up-to-date and failed." Sheesh, cut the constructors some slack.
Agree that this wasn't really a Thursday puzzle, and it was only half a minute off my best Thursday, but it's a nice theme, and all the answers work (even KISSES BUTT).
I thought my favorite commenter (since LMS's departure) Lewis missed the two best clues today -- "remains to be seen" (ASH) and "aid for driving" (TEE). Love it when such common short fill gets a clever clue!
Finally, whenever I'm doing one of those ice-breakers and am asked what animal I would be, I usually answer OTTER. They always seem to be having so much fun! For those who don't know, OTTERS are also their own sorta GAY ICON -- they are hairy but younger, smaller versions of bears.
Right with you, Teresa. I was dismayed to see the public houses = INNS within so short a time frame. Hope that stops. As for Anonymous at 7:59:
'Anonymous said...
When a crossword blog becomes divisive and nasty towards anyone with an R next to their name mentioned in a crossword… that’s how you know our country is screwed. Thanks for your contribution to our downfall, Michael!'
7:59 AM
I have several problems. First, the sensitivity about free speech. Rex can say what he likes. Be a grown up and feel free to disagree. You can even do so in your comment, but you offer no reasoned response. Second, if you truly are comfortable with Dr. Oz as an elected official, I think we have more reasons for concern about this country.
@Andrew Heinegg (8:40) - I find myself nodding in agreement with your political position. However, I do the puzzles and come here to escape that reality, not to embrace or discuss it. @Rex is not just "over the top" when he is offended by NRA in the context of The New Deal, he is counter-productive in all things crossword and all things liberal.
"No matter what side of an argument you're on, you always find some people on your side that you wish were on the other side.” — Jascha Heifetz
If the Rs take back the House and Senate, EVERYONE loses, especially the poor and ignorant Rs who don’t understand that it’s the Ds who help them the most.
That’s right, Kevin. Just keep your head in the sand.
@Kevin 9:51 - most of the posts and discussions are not politically directed. Too many are IMO, but you picked a very bad day to come back. Try another and you may be less disappointed. Or maybe not.
@ Kevin 9:51
For me, this blog has become the train wreck that I hate and yet can't tear myself away from. Rex is very knowledgeable about crossword construction, and it would be ideal if he could focus on that. He also tends to forget that the constructors (and editors) are working to create something that we all enjoy. He used to take a lot of unnecessary shots at Will Shortz that I actually wondered if there was personal animosity between the two.
I mostly come now just to see (and guess) what rex is going to rant about this time . . . . is it the NRA; the "staleness" of the puz; the attempt at "freshness", etc.
I liked today's theme, but never saw XXX as adult teeth. I thought they represented teeth that had been knocked out?
There were three things I thought could be improved upon: 1. An excessive number of 3-letter words; 2. incorporating both OHYEAH and OHWOW was unfortunate; and 3. is KISSESBUTT really a thing? I know KISSESASS would never make it into the NYT, but I'd never heard of this phrase in that context.
Easy. Cute theme with a bit of sparkle, liked it more than @Rex did but it should have been a Wednesday.
REAEAR was a WOE.
COEXIST - I have not seen a bumper sticker of that ilk so the theme, the central part of the puzzle and I led an uneasy coexistence until I decided Jeff Goldblum was pushing IMACs and the winged goddess was EOS.
STAY WOKE next to DROZ (which, to me, evokes "drowse"). Wouldn't recognize the guy if I head-butted him - I never watch daytime TV.
Writeover Cad cured by CUR.
Congratulations, John Ewbank, on the NYT debut.
But I'm hoping for a Thursdayish Thursday next week.
I was beset by a plague of threes. Twenty-seven of the damned things.
Growing up on the playgrounds of San Francisco, we would use the insult "Kiss Ass" so often that we would shorten it to "KA."
I didn't understand "Words declared before and after 'what'" for IAM. It seems to refer to the song "I Am What I Am" from the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles.
My grandson stayed the night with us. He asked about the crossword I had just done. He doesn't do crosswords. I told him that one of the things I liked about doing them was that I learn new words, like HATERADE. He knew exactly what it means. He's a high-school junior so it must still be used.
I think that putting "bit" in the clue for BYTE was intentional.
Not a bad puzzle but I want more on Thursday.
yep. Too easy for a ThursPuz theme. With a 3-letter revealer that turns up early-ish in the solvequest.
fave themer: KISSESBUTT. Could also be part of a GOP Trump-worship puztheme. [DROZ is already startin to pucker up.]
staff weeject pick: XXX. Theme respect for the runt-words.
Primo weeject stacks in the middle north & south, btw.
NE puzcornerette made up for the easy-ish theme, to a degree. Had ADSD instead of ADHD, for some wrong-M&A-breath reason. HATERADE & THA were total no-knows, at our house. Lost many precious nanoseconds.
Lotsa "ends with dude" fillins, to the point of bein a bonus puztheme…
* OH YEAH, dude!
* BEATS ME, dude!
* HATERADE, dude!
* COEXIST, dude!
* STAY WOKE, dude!
* UNCOOL, dude!
* OH WOW, dude!
* THA?! … NOPE, dude!
And yep, NAAN before ROTI. TATAMI changed my mind pretty quick, tho.
Thanx for the decent TuesPuz, Mr. Ewbank dude. And congratz on yer debut.
Masked & Anonymo5Us
ThursPuz-hard fix:
**gruntz**
Is it Thursday? Too easy. No rebus, not really anything. Liked COEXIST because it took awhile to see, and ADULTTEETH because it felt clever. But just 30 sec off fastest Thursday time (I only know this because the NYT app keeps track for me. Been solving on phone since early pandemic when suddenly the pdfs weren't there).
Now what to do the rest of the day while waiting for my covid test appt? After our far away kids got it and recovered, DH tested + on Tuesday and last night I felt kind awful. Not going anywhere/doing anything for NYE so just happy to stay home anyway!
@Frantic says no fish with REDEARS. Yesterday, @jbird said no fish with e d b d feet. HANDFISH tomorrow?
I call foul on OARED. It's "rowed". Unless you saw one of those non-fish and said O A REDear.
Perhaps the XXX puzzle ran today because it’s the thirtieth of December.
Difficulty wise this XXX puzzle was softcore all the way. I think they actually put Vaseline on the lens.
Like a number of people I hesitated to write in BUTT. The NYT tends to avoid that kind of crudity. The puzzle reminds me of a gag song about the BUTT sisters. If I recall correctly they were Betty, Bertha and Bathsheba BUTT. The real coincidence is that the singer somehow includes the line "power to the PEEPHOLE."
When people in NOLA do XXX do they have to drop their DROZ?
yd -0 dbyd -0 Mon. pg -3 Sun. pg -2
@wanderlust -- Yes, I too loved that clue for ASH, which was on my list, which was just a representative sample. I did love [Aid to driving] but there have been many used before just like it, such as [Driving aid]. But [Remains to be seen] is a terrific original. And, by the way, thank you for your kind words.
EXXXcellent puzzle. Too bad it was run on the wrong day.
OH, YEAH. I figured this would be a Rexfest when I saw STAY WOKE, NRA, and BOOZE HOUND all in the same puzzle and was not disappointed by the amount of virulent negativity oozing out of his critique.
Highlight of the puzzle for me was HATERADE which I have never heard before. Kept wanting HATE RAGE but that URL ending just wasn’t making any sense with a G in the middle. Also liked learning about those presidential GRAMMY winners. Might be nice if they formed a trio and did some harmonizing together while they’re all still alive.
This is a “bleak December” indeed with the pandemic rearing it’s ugly HEAD again. One can only imagine what kind of poem Poe would write if he were alive today.
I doubt that arsonists would like to be called PYROS any more than strangers like to be called RANDOS. Can someone please REPEAL such words?
Dook of the Day: DROZ, the past tense of driz.
@JM
PYRO isn't really the same as RANDO.
Respect for the arsonists!
Liked a lot here with RABBITs & OTTERS rollicking through the grid. Would have given it an OSCAR or a GRAMMY except that my enthusiasm wavered at STAY WOKE (I could *hear* the rant coming for that one!) and again at HATERADE (all crosses, never heard of it, doesn’t even spell check). And DROZ is still leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, he does have a medical degree and apparently did practice medicine at one point. But accusations of pseudo science have followed him for many years now. Not to mention that he moved from his long time home in NJ to PA just about a year ago so he can run for senator in that state. Who in their right mind would elect a wacko TV “doctor” to the senate? IDK… I was one way back when who thought “who in their right mind would elect a wacko TV game show host as president?” Scary.
@Gill, Ohwow & Butts LLP, defending gastroenterologists in cases involving exceptionally invasive colonoscopies.
Watch for them at the bar tonight!
More depressing than Dr. Oz are his supporters/sheep who drink his snake-oil as if it was life-giving water.
@Teresa (6:32) I didn’t care for 46A either. Not only is it off-putting, it’s not even the right expression. I agree with @Nancy; it’s KISS UP TO.
@EdFromHackensack (10:06) Glad to know I’m not the only person who feels that way about J Lo. I still retch at the memory of that revolting Super Bowl halftime sleaze show in 2020.
@Kevin (9:52) I couldn’t agree more and some days the snark also seeps into the commentary - today being a good example. I feel the same way about Facebook as a place I want to avoid it. We’re continually bombarded with news of political bickering and if I want to read more about it, there are already plenty of other places to find it.
If you think I care about the breakfast test, you can KISS my APSE.
From my occasional flirtation with Italian, I would have thought that 47D Gentleman from Genoa should be SIGNORe. However, a quick check shows that SIGNOR is also used. At least I’ve got my something new learnt pretty early today. Now I can focus on reruns of DR OZ.
I like OKS and COX and THIRTYROCKs sitting together. If you pronounce OKS like “ox”, they have the same rhythm as “Moons and Junes and Ferris Wheels”. I’d best just TIPTOE out of here now…….
Thanks for a solid and enjoyable debut, John Ewbank.
What is the xxx connection to boozehound? Also agree re: nyt’s unfortunate habit of sneering at alcoholics.
I'm upset. What's next--the
F-word and other vulgarisms?
I'm disgusted. Relieved to see your post.
@Nancy 8:03 - Brava!
MiXXXed feelings about this one: a clever assortment of theme answers (especially the moonshine jug) and a few great clues ("They stay and bite"), but also a disappointing lack of trickery and an off-putting (to me) KISSES BUTT. I liked TATAMI over STAY WOKE, which sounds all too likely - I need a regular mattress with some sort of cushy topper.
Help from previous puzzles: APU. No idea: REDEAR, HATERADE, COEXIST as clued, EOS as clued, THA.
My favorite comments this morning.
bocamp (7:37)
Bill Weeden (8:35)
Joaquin (10:37)
COEXIST with DR OZ.
@Whatsername. Why on earth would you watch J-Lo's half time show when you have such a strong negative opinion of her?
What's wrong with poppycock?
I’ve been lukewarm to the themes this week, and today’s did nothing to hot up my interest. It was fine, but I haven’t really liked a theme since Monday. According to my stepson, who was a keen bowler as a kid, XXX can also refer to a “turkey,” the term for three consecutive strikes. Hey, @kitshef (7:17) must have some bowling expertise, too!
Here’s a potentially UNCOOL question: what does “J to THA L-O” mean? (I know what J.LO means.) OH WOW, I was struck by AHAB and THE RAVEN meeting across the grid, reminding us that the Dark Romantics, Melville and Poe, were authors who knew something about obsession. I’ve never heard the expression ADULT TEETH; permanent TEETH, yes. Hah, at first I had either IpAd or Ipod for IMAC, which resulted in Carter, Clinton and Obama winning GRAMpYS! So much better than the actual answer.
I was a bit flummoxed by PEEPHOLE until I realized the clue meant the doors to individual rooms. At first I had visions of a scowling face sizing up potential customers at the door a speakeasy. HATERADE was completely new to me, and I don’t know the expression STAY WOKE or remember any COEXIST bumper stickers. Since filling in REDEAR (a guess based on the clue-supplied info) I keep mis-seeing it as a fish who reads.
SB: I’m having a good run.
Dbdby (Mon) 0
Dby (Tue) -1 (Missed the same one as @bocamp, really annoying because it was right in my art historical wheelhouse)
Yd (Wed) 0
OFL, shut up already about your politics, especially the NRA. You are becoming a parody of yourself at this point.
I do miss the traditional Thursday hijinx. I share the suspicion that there just weren't any Thursday puzzles in the slush pile this week. But there were things that Brought Joy. First, the quote from THE RAVEN. I rather think my grandchildren will never recognize the poem, no nevermore. I got it at once, as most in the last six generations would in a trice. Second, when I finally guessed XXX, and then figured out ADULT TEETH, surely one of the best-clued answers of 2021. Of course I was racking my brain until then, trying to figure out what sort of critter stayed and bit.
KISSES BUTT passes my breakfast test. It is a very commonly used euphemism for KISSES ass (or arse, if you are a Brit). I would not use the last two words in front of a small child learning to talk. I would use BUTT, as the most prudish of parents have for eons. Or some of them -- certainly my generation of child-rearers did, though come to think of it, my mother's generation sometimes referred to "rear ends" instead of BUTTs. The latter term was used only to refer to the unsmoked part of a cigarette.
OFL loves to go on (and on) about the technical aspects of making puzzles. Sometimes, as today, he engages in criticism that is, to my eyes, jejune. But often, he is writing knowledgeably, and his audience is people who have learned their craft well enough to get published, but not as well as the star constructors have.
I should add, I was delighted to see COX, which is short for coxswain. In school and college, I knew quite a few who became experts at calling out strokes to be OARED, and were the BUTT of every joke if they didn't learn how to effectively steer their shell. Being a good COX was Nirvana for short boys (and girls), who were far to small to do well in any other sport, and yet in crew they could be heroes.
anon 12:18--
Youve got it backwards. I didntattempt to advance my argument with the word poppycock; I used it to dismiss Mr. Heinegg's.
RP is clearly not down with the whole idea of COEXISTing. He’s more of a hater. This is his right under our Constitution.
The righteous indignation over KISSESBUTT is quite comical. Not to mention prissy.
@Wundrin: I didn’t watch. But I did watch the Super Bowl and there it was on the TV screen. I remained in the room until I could see the performance appeared to be modeled after her role as a stripper in the movie Hustlers … which I also chose not to watch based on the R rated content. I just felt it was inappropriate in the middle of a program that is intended for viewers of all ages and backgrounds. And since you asked, I really never had much of an opinion at all about her before that. It was primarily the lasting impression of that Super Bowl performance which triggered such a “strong negative opinion” from that point on.
Some day I'd like to see a cool, reasoned argument, without name-calling or invective, that successfully refutes @Andrew Heinegg's 8:40 post. I'm not a card-carrying anything, but the more I observe, the more his post seems like simple fact.
@SON VOLT Thanks for pointing out the overuse of GAY ICON. I speak as a gay person who is tired of being told which pop stars I idolize. We are not all alike, thank you.
I’m also disappointed to see Rex opining that GAY ICON is “nice,” and praising NYTXword for “normalizing” it. It feels more like stereotyping to me.
Yes! Really bugged me….
Neutrality,
Let's examine Mr.Heinegg's claims.
1. All or nearly all of the leaders of the people with the R next to their name are responsible for 90+% of the sad state of this Country.
Not only is this claim impossibly vague--just what is the sad state of teh country?-- there's no corrobroation of the 90% statistic. It's made up out of whole cloth.
2.Those folks are the ones that have insisted that so many blatant lies put forth by TFG are true, the most egregious one being the Election fraud nonsense.
Whoa are "those folks". I dont know asingle republican who believe theres was any signifivant and absolutely no corrdinated election fraud .
3.
In addition, they are virtually solely responsible for the continuous and desperately dangerous climate change denial.
Climate scinece is far from settled. In fact, the idea that man-made greenhouses gasses are the chief problem of awrming planet is losing poularity. Deep-ocean water temperatures seem to be the new focus and those temps are not the result of man.
It's also hard to countenace the idea that coastal areas are in imminent danger of flooding. The Obamas bought amssive amount of land on Marth's Vineyards. They don not believe that water levels will rise in any threatening way in any time frame reasoably called imminent,
They have also 'inspired' millions of people to not get vaccinated against what has become the worst pandemic in modern history.
4. It is the nearly unanimous Republican adherence to the clearly wrong side of the critical issues that threaten our democracy and the survival of the World that is THE problem.
Again, this is so broad as to be meaningles.
5. OFL may go over the top in his reaction to these issues but, the divisiveness and most of the nastiness? No, that's on all the people with the R next to their name
That's simply not true. The twitterverse and the NYT Times and the NEw republic are full of sneers, mocking jibes and all sorts of insults aimed at politcal foes.
Serious people can have differences of opnion. For example: Ought marriage be understood as the exclusive provenace of one man and one woman? That's a question people disagree on. It cleaves, mostly, along democrat/republican lines. Many who say marriage, properly undrstood, can only be bewtten a man and wopman think democrats opposition to that is having a profoundly corrupting and corrosive effect on the country. But it's rare to hear any republican claim that a democrat who holds those ideas to himself be monstrous. That's not the case with Rex and Mr. Heinegg who each make claims about the intrinsic worth of people who disagree with their politcal position.
I thought it was a fine theme, but as others have said, not what I hope for on Thurs. I liked the clue for ADULT TEETH.
Every time I see THE RAVEN it reminds me of the football team. Not because I follow the NFL--I don't--but because the name was chosen by fans to honor the poem, which makes me think highly of Baltimore.
[Spelling Bee: yd pg -1, missed this word which I have never seen before.]
0HYEAH IBET OHWOW NOPE.
CUR HOUND. Is CESER still here?
TEE. Driving aid or necessity? Is the golf glossary still here?
DECADES are an eon compared to WKS?
Name for a Trump fundraiser: HATERAid.
RABBIT RAVEN OTTERS.
Poe THERAVEN AHAB reminded me:
"Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a DAMP, DRIZZLY NOVEMBER in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodologically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball... I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me."
And then if this was perhaps on a December day, bleak but with the sun peeking through.
The Windhover
BY GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS
To Christ our Lord
I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird, – the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!
Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.
Call me @Barbara S. for a day.
1. I had a complete Natick at 1A/3D. Very last square to complete, and literally just kept sticking consonants in there until the puzzle solved. I'm sure others were fine with it, but I didn't know either word.
2. Apu. Just retire it. Hank Azaria has, NYTXW can do the same.
All you Liberals can't seriously have any faith in Biden, can you? Serious question. He never knows what he's saying, and is just mindless on the stuff he does say. It pains me to hear him talk.
I started in the NW and it went so smoothly I was sure something tricky would happen later - nothing did, except my own blindness. Like @Nancy and others, I was sure KISSESUPTO had to be right, especially as ASS wouldn't fit, never even dreamed of BUTT. Never noticed that then I would miss a second APU in place of APB. So there's my easy-Thursday dnf.
yd pg -4; td so far pg -5
@TomT
I enjoyed the lonng LOOOK while taking a slow draaag on my nonfiltered KOOOL menthol.
@3:11
they'll have to take my bottle of bleach from my cold dead hands before I'll vote for the Orange Sh!tgibbon (not my coinage, but I cleave) or one of his clones (starting with his developmentally challenged kids).
best employment numbers in 50 years, and you Red necks still complain?? wow!!
**Sucked in on dumb political discussion ALERT***
@anon
Unless you advertised your pain in the Trump and W years I feel your pain is bogus. Biden is not the best off the cuff speaker. He does do pretty well reading speeches and his intent in his off the cuff comments is good and honest. ThAt which preceded him was mean and vengeful and his definition of truth is whatever helps me is the truth. Lies were his bread and conspiracy theories were his butter. Prejudice was his stock in trade. Now are you the anon who claims to be a democrat? And if you are you only one so you have a meaningful vote in the primaries? If not, why?
@jim spies
Retire it? APU? I've just mastered remembering it!
Cooool.
@albatross shell (2:46 PM) AKA @Barbara S. II
Superb quoting. Call me Charmed. Those opening passages of MD get me every time. From November-in-the-soul to the enigmatic "hypos" (probably "hypochondria," whose contemporary meaning was close to what we'd call depression) to the desire to knock people's hats off -- it's a superb evocation of existential malaise. And nobody does exultation like Hopkins, from the spiraling falcon on a thermal to the bright flash of fire as the embers split apart. Gorgeous.
Let's start with, there is nothing EASY about REDEAR as an answer for a sunfish. And others too. But now, with that out of the way, I'm way OK with this puzzle in spite of KISSESBUTT which is pretty crude, and the HATERADE, which is just, kinda BS-ish, and WOKE needs to GO AWAY!... and the SANER thing ???... Huh? ...Hey, I changed my mind. I am not OK with this puzzle. But here's what's weird. Even though I say that AND it took me longer than usual for THU, I came away feeling OK. Go figure. And REX, what is about you with being current. Current is nice but that's not what crosswords need to adhere to. That's not the issue. The issue is that they provide some kind of inner satisfaction - and seriously you and I know, it's different for each of us.
where's my REBUS?? I want my REBUS!! and my Maypo!!
Remember our Helga v Christina discussion? This made me laugh when the graphic showed up on my timeline because it reinforces once again that Christina still has cultural resonance (I haven’t read the attached article - so don’t blame me for whatever it says).
I came here today hoping for an explanation of how an OBIT is “Life after death” but no one seems to have a problem with that one. What am I missing?
An obit(uary) tells one's life after one's death.
@Kenny:
it's your OBITuary. after your dead as a doornail. alas, not heaven. or West Virginia, thank God.
@Kenny Mitts, An obituary (Obit). Life (story published) after (a person's) death. I've written about six of them and I got it immediately.
For what it’s worth, I’m a republican. I’m not anti gay marriage (have at it, if that’s your thing) or most other things that liberals care about. I also don’t make blanket statements smearing all Democrats. I pretty much just want the government out of my life. And it would be nice if we didn’t leave our children with 30 trillion of debt to deal with.
I think people that lump together all republicans are no different, and no better, than the people that lump together all blacks, or all gays, etc. Rex might think he’s some caring, empathetic person, but he’s no different than a rabidly racist person.
Sorry for the interruption. You may now go back to watching your CNN or your Fox News, or whatever ever programs you watch that do nothing but stir up hate (just for ratings).
@Z, Forgot to comment on Christina's World. Yeah.
I liked this puzzle. B+. No complaints. Played easier than most Thursday NYT crosswords. That’s gonna happen. Some will play easier and some will play harder. As for the comments, D-. Albatross, Andrew, Anonymous, etc., please air your political opinions elsewhere, Thanks.
I solved this morning, then had to run across town on an errand, and just got back here. It's already been pointed out that OARED as a verb is not something anyone over six ever says, but I looked it up in the dictionary once, and it's formally acceptable. If it's the kind of boat with a COX, one doesn't sit on a bench but on a little backless chair that moves back and forth on a track, so that one can get the full force of one's legs into each stroke. But I guess the seat in an ordinary rowboat (oarboat?) is kind of benchy.
I see the moderators have been busy today. Considering the stuff they let through, some comments must have been pretty extreme.
My wife is Dr. Oz’s Democratic Physician opponent, Dr. Val Arkoosh. Wouldn’t it be nice some day to see ARKOOSH in the puzzle rather than Dr. Oz? We should give attention to people who are committed to saving lives not shilling quackery.
Cannot believe that Rex did not refer to the original Thing (from another world). James Arness in the title role.
Redear (adj.) [ree-DEAR]
1. Treasured once again – especially, after a period of being total anathema.
"And of course you remember my boyfriend Oscar."
"Oh wow. I thought you were uncool with him now."
"Oh yeah, well, I was, after the incident with the cox and the rabbit, but now he's redear. Would you like a drink? I have booze and haterade. And try the tatami dip."
@The Cleaver
Second highest gas prices in 50 years! (First was your pal Obama) Highest inflation in 50 years!
@Jeff Harbison 639pm
I listen to the radio at times. Oz's ads are trying to solidify the trumpian religious and con-man -atracted vote. Probably successfully so to the angst of our retiring senator. There are also a pile of pro-trump rando state senators and house reps. The dems have the AG, Fetterman and your wife. Three fairly respectable choices. Have yet to read much about your wife. I will. If the carpetbagger wins the R's your wife may be a good opponent to the more famous doc. Nice meeting you here.
The Thing is orange but Arness played the carrot. A vegetable, anyway. The Thing looks more mineral than animal. Arness looks more animal than vegetable.
Two cents more on Obama's house on Martha's Vineyard. Evidently its elevation has been discussed extensively on line. It's slightly more than 11 feet above mean high water, as demonstrated by a topographic map.
If nothing gets done about global warming, that house is safe until after the death of Obama's children. If something is done, it should not be threatened.
Villager
@6:53
you can thank the Texans, who not only can't keep their electric grid running, but also manage to blow up refineries. smart people, eh?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/23/us/exxon-refinery-baytown-texas/index.html
for those pillorying Sleepy Joe, as he must be the cause of inflation, well not so much...
"Not since Americans came home from World War II has inflation percolated through the U.S. economy like it is now, and it could continue to do so for months to come."
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/24/not-since-americans-came-home-from-world-war-ii-has-inflation-run-through-the-economy-like-it-is-now.html
same basic cause: civilians couldn't spend money on consumer goods for a while, producers cut back output, things went back to normal (sort of), and folks went out to spend all that money they hadn't spent for a couple of years, and there wasn't much output to be had. no one with a functioning forebrain should be surprised.
Easy for a Thursday for me (which is uncharacteristic).
As someone down the middle politically, I am equally appalled by the far left and far right, and wish we could keep the battle out of the NYTCW. We shouldn't ban words or names because they don't agree with a particular political philosophy, nor should we force terms in to promote an agenda.
Well along as Obama’s kids will get to enjoy the house, everything’s cool.
Anon 8:32 – He *told* you what her name is. You can Google them both for more information. She's even got one-a them newfangled website thingies.
@dc635pm
You give me far too much credit. I hope you appreciated my warning. I may try but make no guarantees.
Studying up on the golf glossary and rules I find a drive is a first shot from the tee box and a tee is optional. Also an albatross is 3 under on a hole. I thought that was a double eagle.
ARKOOSH is a hard name to embed, Jeff -- much harder than DROZ :) But maybe one of the constructors can get VAL into the grid.
As others have pointed out, you ROW a rowboat with OARS, and you paddle a canoe or other boat with a paddle. A brief trends.google.com search shows that OAR is used dramatically less.
This is one of those frustrating editing problems that we see semi-regularly, like when AHH (a relaxing sigh) and AAH (a scream of terror or excitement) is used in place of the other, that Will Shortz should really have figured out a decade ago.
Kind of amusing to see feathers being ruffled by a very mild term. Seems a Talibanish to me.
LOL good point!
XXX is the traditional symbol for liquor - you'll see it on bottles in old cartoons.
Not bad, in spite of the profusion of three-letter flotsam. Could have been GRADEA with a bit of editing.
I'd like to add an item to the kealoa list: "Scoundrel" (C _ _). CAD or CUR? Gotta wait. That caused one inkblot; the other was hand up for KISSESupto. While I'm generally not in tune with OFF's comments, his characterization of BUTT as a "ten-year-old's" term is hilarious--and right on the money. In two years he'll be saying "ass."
DROZ was a DOOK. No DOD in the grid, but a couple in the clues; give it to Lady Gaga. Anybody who can pull off an act with a nonagenarian (Bennett) gets my vote.
Theme was a little different, which I guess is why they put it in a Thursday slot. different is good...sometimes. This time? Sure, why not? Birdie.
OPT TICS
For DECADES WII have been ADULT,
BUTT being over THIRTYROCKs.
YES, GRAMMY'S KISSES still result
INN SITES of SANER SIGNOR COX.
--- DR. OSCAR DEL ALTOS
So right on time in Hagar the Horrible today he has two barrels marked XXX for BOOZE. OHWOW OHYEAH OWETO - Exes and Ohs, like the Elle King song.
Is Theraflu similar to THERAVEN?
DART to the corners.
Another appearance by SISSY Spacek, OHYEAH baby.
YES - not a rebus; NOPE - 20+ threes.
And where is Beavis? A HEAD of this puzzle?
I always fear Thursdays, for the rebi, so I'll take this one!
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
I get the XXX’s, but from ADULT TEETH to KISSES BUTT and BOOZE HOUND, I thought this puzzle was UNCOOL.
Didn’t finish or especially like it.
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