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Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging
Word of the Day: BUGATTI (35D: Alternative to a Lamborghini) —
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. (French pronunciation: [bygati]) is a French high-performance luxury automobiles manufacturer and a luxury brand for hypersports cars. The company was founded in 1998 as a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and is based in Molsheim, Alsace. In 1909, namesake Ettore Bugatti founded his automotive brand Bugatti here and, with interruptions due to World War II, built sports, racing, and luxury cars until 1963. Since January 1, 2018, the company has been led by Stephan Winkelmann as President. In late 2021 the company will become part of Bugatti Rimac owned by Mate Rimacand Porsche AG.
• • •
A lot of labor goes into producing this blog every day (Every. Day.) and the hours are, let's say, less than ideal (I'm either solving and writing at night, after 10pm, or in the morning, before 6am). Most days, I really do love the writing, but it is work, and once a year (right now!) I acknowledge that fact. As I've said before, I have no interest in "monetizing" the blog beyond a simple, direct contribution request once a year. No ads, no gimmicks. Just here for you, every day, rain or shine, whether you like it or, perhaps, on occasion, not :) It's just me and my laptop and some free blogging software and, you know, a lot of rage, but hopefully there's illumination and levity along the way. I do genuinely love this gig, and whether you're an everyday reader or a Sunday-only reader or a flat-out hatereader, I appreciate you more than you'll ever know.
How much should you give? Whatever you think the blog is worth to you on a yearly basis. Whatever that amount is is fantastic. Some people refuse to pay for what they can get for free. Others just don't have money to spare. All are welcome to read the blog—the site will always be open and free. But if you are able to express your appreciation monetarily, here are two options. First, a Paypal button (which you can also find in the blog sidebar):
Rex Parker c/o Michael Sharp
54 Matthews St
Binghamton, NY 13905
I'll throw my Venmo handle in here too, just in case that's your preferred way of moving money around; it's @MichaelDavidSharp (the last four digits of my phone are 4878, in case Venmo asks you, which I guess it does sometimes, when it's not trying to push crypto on you, what the hell?!)
We went back and forth on whether she should add more black squares to make the grid look more plausibly fillable (that's a Lot of white space), but in the end we decided not to crowd the jumping (or hanging?) Olive with more black squares, and instead just to leave the card as is, with the idea that the cats are exploring a grid that is ... under construction. Anyway, this card is personally meaningful to me, and also, I believe, objectively lovely. I can't wait to share it with snail-mailers (and oh, what the hell, if you are a PayPal / Venmo donor and you want one too, just say so in the message). Please note: I don't keep a "mailing list" and don't share my contributor info with anyone. And if you give by snail mail and (for some reason) don't want a thank-you card, just indicate "NO CARD." Again, as ever, I'm so grateful for your readership and support. Now on to today's puzzle...
• • •
Speaking of resolving generational conflict, I like that this puzzle has "DIG THIS!" and "YA HEAR!" kind of dapping there, touching corners like "Hey what's up? How you doin'?" Although maybe "YA HEAR!" isn't as current as it sounds to my ears. I may be thinking of "YA HEARD?" (roughly equivalent of "ya feel me?" or, less slangily, "Do you understand what I am saying to you?"). Whatever generation these colloquialisms come from, they liven up the puzzle, along with their colloquial counterparts "WELL, DAMN..." and "CAN WE NOT!?" I do not understand what is "grave" about the pronouncement "NOW MORE THAN EVER" (7D: Lead-in to a grave pronouncement). Was sure that the clue was punning on "grave" somehow, and that the answer was going to be something you'd say at a funeral or graveside, but the grave doesn't seem like the right setting for this pronouncement, so I guess "grave" just means "serious." But "grave" is so much stronger than "serious," and anyway, I don't imagine this phrase having a particularly dire tone. If anything, these days, it's an overused expression that people primarily use ironically, in faux-seriousness. I just think "grave" is all kinds of wrong here. No other strong complaints, though I winced hard when the TEST PILOTS (26D: Firsts in flight) went crashing into STERE ISRED. What a mess. ISRED in particular is real bottom-of-the-barrel stuff, so at least it's appropriately situated at the bottom of the grid with only the lowly ITSY for company.
- 26A: Vintage eight-track purchases, maybe (TRAIN SETS) — hard "boo!" on this one, but mostly I'm mad that my eyes somehow didn't pick up the "maybe." My reaction to getting this was "... eight!?!?! How big a model train room do you own???" Maybe there are simply eight track *pieces* ... which would then form one track ... I do not know.
- 36D: Furnish with feathers, as an arrow (FLETCH) — gotta believe this was a Chevy Chase-related clue that the editor overrode.
- 12D: Not-so-common extension (DOT NET) — this vague clue and Princess ATTA (?!) made the NE a *bit* of an adventure. I don't think of EDU COM etc. as "extensions," since they are necessary for the URL to ... work? I think they're technically known as TLDs, or "Top Level Domains." But I would not trust me to be letter perfect with the tech terminology.
- 48A: Challenge for a free soloist (CRAG) — a mountain-climbing term ("free soloist") that I only recently heard of, first from a movie called "Free Solo" ... and then from trailers for another movie, "The Alpinist."
- 27A: Stress specialist? (POET) — transparent to me, but I do spend a lot of my life dealing with iambs and trochees, so no surprise
- 39A: Pieces together? (SUITE) — a group of musical "pieces" can form a SUITE. Maybe this applies to furniture SUITE as well. Nice fake-out here, with a clue that suggests a verb ending in "S" ... but no.
- 7A: Scratch-off success (INSTANT WIN) — this is a lottery ticket clue
I give this puzzle something greater than NO STARS! Enjoy your Saturday.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
ReplyDeleteI was *SO* effing clever. Right off the bat I confidently put in "cast" at 1A, because Dear Evan Hansen has a cast and also features a cast in its advertising and plot. It took way longer than it should have to give up on that one.
When I didn't get the happy tune I questioned ATTA even though I didn't see how it could have been anything else, and verifying that led to my only Google cheat.
What did quell the victory music was the almost defensible DIVERsE at 34D. I couldn't make sense of CRAs, but then again I thought a free soloist was a volunteer opera singer.
Oh. Yes. Holy moly! Wow and a half! Not to mention that this is a debut!
ReplyDeleteThe BONES are so solid. Look at how clean this 68-worder is, no grime, not even any dust. And what a cluing clinic! Smile after “Aha!” after “Perfecto!” Happy pings one after another. I starred nine clues when I rarely star more than two or three. “Kids might make a stand…”? “Pieces together”? “Eight track purchases”? Brilliance and humor. Crossword heaven, at least in my universe.
This had drama for me as well, places where I was stuck and concerned that the stuck-ness was permanent. But then would come another ping of revelation at cracking a clue, and the fill-in would be all I needed to see more. Afterward, the icing was seeing three palindromes, including one right on top of another.
CAN WE NOT see the potential for a future star puzzlemaker here? I sure can, and I’m elated after a fun and très satisfying experience. DD, thank you for this, and please, don’t be a stranger!
I was so sure this would be deemed “easy” because I’m done before 7am. How you rate them is a mystery. Mostly the hardest ones for me are called “easy” or “best time ever” by others. Never or rarely is something easy for me deemed challenging until today.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so you’ve never heard of Drake or Champagne Papi. Even getting the answer either by a correct, complete solve or coming here, so you do a google search. One of the first things to pop up is the Urban Dictionary definition. I hope we never see this in a puzzle again.
ReplyDeleteOk boomer
ReplyDeletePretty much what Rex and @Lewis have already said. Fun solve with just enough bite to keep it interesting. I’m mildly impressed with the NYTX allowing WELL, DAMN!, although it was a writeover as I assumed it would be DArn or DAng. I also tried to be exclamatory with “Heavens,” trying Egads first, so discovering it was the old-timey ETHER was a pleasant surprise. I did wonder if that answer would give people fits because it seems like you need to know some history of science or read some really old science fiction or maybe be into steampunk to associate “into the ETHER” with “the heavens.” Finally, I have a writeover mess at BEGETS and BUGATTI. It took me forever to get BEGETS, at least in part because I tried to make MaseraTI work. Yeah Yeah, it’s too long. Did that stop me?
ReplyDeleteOK BOOMER these days is something I see only rarely used against actual Baby BOOMERs. It is already more often directed at younger people when they are experiencing a “get off of my lawn” moment. The most ironic usage is when an actual Baby BOOMER deploys it against their kids. Not that I would ever do that. I agree with Rex that using it can be ageist, but that’s not how I see it used.
@TJS late - 🤣😂🤣 - I’m out here pretty far on the left, and then I run into a philosophy that I just shake my head at.
@jae & @bocamp - after 661 I had a run where the Croce’s felt very NYTX Saturday doable. 667 has the NE corner complete and nothing else and I’m already on my third or fourth pass at trying to solve it. 661 all over again for me.
Thx David; excellent Sat. puz! ;)
ReplyDeleteMed.
Just the right amt of of pushback for a Sat.
The SE took a bit longer to sort out, and I almost CRIED OUT with relief, except I had to go back and tend to the bRAIN SETS, as I had bEST PILOTS to start with. lol.
Attended the Hula Bowl in 1964. I think it was played in Honolulu Stadium (pre-ALOHA Stadium).
Sis and I loved to do the LEMONADE stand thing! 🍋
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Oh, the buzzin' of the bees in the cigarette trees
The soda water fountain
Where the LEMONADE springs and the bluebird sings
In that Big Rock Candy Mountain
Good challenge, just the way a Sat. NYT should be.
@Eniale (6:14 PM yd) 😊
@okanaganer (7:00 PM yd) / @pabloinnh (7:23 PM yd) / @TTrimble (10:37 PM yd) 👍 for 0's yd
___
yd 0*
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Nice to have a puzzle that was difficult but not a complete slog. Like Rex, I also got the vibe while solving that it was trying too hard to be hip and relevant (and generally missing the mark) with groaners like YA HEAR, PAPI, DIG THIS, OK BOOMER, CAN WE NOT to which Rex devoted his morning rant. Drew a blank on what a “free soloist” is until I read Rex’s explanation. I also hadn’t heard of a STERE before but guessed correctly since MERE sounded plausibly French.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that NINER and BOGGS side-by-side may cause difficulties for the non sports fans out there (but hey - I had to deal with the princess from the Pixar film/cartoon/movie/tv show or whatever that thing was). Definitely kudos to the constructor for putting together a puzzle consisting pretty much entirely of real words (in English, no less!). Unfortunately, that really should not have to be such a cause for celebration . . .
NO STARS. CAN WE NOT. Both apt reviews for this one. Half the clues seemed off, or unnecessarily complex, or insulting, or dumb. In short, hated it.
ReplyDeleteAlternative clues:
Reform: LEAVE SIN
Console seabirds: PAT TERNS
Teaches classes for aliens: TRAINS ETS
Delivers news only about the conservative party: COVERS TORY
@Anon7:01 - Curious so I went to look. I think I know which of the definitions you saw and, while I’m sure some people use it that way because we’ll turn anything into sex, that is not the usual meaning of “Champagne PAPI.” Think of it more as the guy who keeps the party going because he is the one who can afford to buy the champagne. The top definition at Urban Dictionary also includes a dig at Drake, who seems to be the Nickelback of Hip Hop (that is, all I ever hear is how awful Drake is and yet he sells a whole lot of music and earns lots of money so somebody clearly likes him).
ReplyDelete@anon was just setting up his OK Boomer joke at 7:07
DeleteAs to the review today - "OK X-er" (or so I gather Rex's generation from prior posts). In all actuality, I agree with most of what he said. I was a bit disappointed to see DIG THIS, at least not clued in a manner to reflect the oldness of the clue. I have not heard that phrase in decades.
ReplyDeleteThe NE corner really got me - probably a quarter of my solving time on fewer than 30 squares. I had STAIRS off of the plural for 10 across, but screed that up with donS instead of ADDS. I also had OK BOOMER in that corner. I have heard of "buffaloed" but had no recollection what it meant. Was thinking rOpES before BONES. No idea about BIERS, Was thinking about the misdirection on eight-tracks, but my toe-holds took too long to become footholds (see the nice Free Solo/CRAG reference here?). Finally TRAIN SETS gave me BONES, a guess on BLINI - then DOT NET came into view and the rest fell into place.
As for the NOW MORE THAN EVER, I think of that as a rallying cry to the masses when there is a particularly worrisome challenge ahead (what could be a grave pronouncement), as in "It is time to step up to the plate if we are going to get through this". Yes, it can be overused, but I thought that the clue was fair.
I guess I'm the first, and may be the only one to say it, but I hated every minute of this garbage. "Well damn" crossing "Can we not". "Ya hear". "is red" "Atta" and "blini" crossing "dotnet". "Champaign Papi"?
ReplyDeleteThe cluing is just sloppy trying to be tricky. "Eight track"? "Grave"?
Enough. A Saturday travesty.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI didn’t like the puzzle (Princess ATTA, TikTok, tekkadon, ARI, Drake) but R AND D, research and development is ok.
DeleteDifferent strokes.
Interesting pairs - BEEGEES and BEGETS, BIERS and TIER, YAY and YA HEAR, PERIOD and DOT
ReplyDeleteSome of the cluing was strained - trying too much but overall a good effort and for me a challenging time. Agree with Rex on the “grave” clue - I like the spanner phrase but clumsy. OK BOOMER is cute but no longer temporal.
ReplyDeleteTHINK AGAIN and WELL DAMN stand out here. Some unknown trivia starting at 1d. Like YA HEAR - but not feeling the connection to Capeesh. Don’t care about the Americanized spelling but capisci is used more as a question - do you understand?
I have fond memories of listening to the BEE GEES greatest hits record - the one with the yellowish sleeve. So many great songs but their arrangements were always too dramatic for me so I’m drawn to the covers. Gram Parsons has a cool version of this but Slobberbone’s is the jam
Enjoyable Saturday solve.
once again i'm endlessly confused about which clues do and do not get question marks ... because 26A is crying out for one!
ReplyDeletegiven the answer, the "eight" in eight-track is completely arbitrary, chosen solely for the sake of misdirection, that's exactly when you NEED a question mark, IMO. c'mon!
"STERE, metric unit of volume equal to one cubic metre, or 1,000 litres. The stere (from Greek stereos, 'solid') was originally defined by law and used in France in 1793, primarily as a measure for firewood. It is thus the metric counterpart of the cord, one standard cord (128 cubic feet of stacked wood) being equal to 3.625 steres. A stere is made up of 10 decisteres, and 100 steres make up a hectostere. Very large volumes may be expressed in kilosteres, equal to 1,000 steres." (Britannica)
ReplyDeleteA Lionel TRAIN SET was my all-time fave Xmas present. Came with tablets that could be dropped into engine to create smoke.
@Z (7:25 AM)
Croce's 667 destroyed me, specifically the Cali area of the West Coast. Found the NW very tough, as well. There's always at least one puz that keeps me honest. Wishing you a better outcome! 🤞
___
td pg -8 (1/2 hr. left on the clock and already drawing blanks) 🤞
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Ben Platt played Evan Hansen on Broadway and won a Tony and a Grammy for it. I didn't see it but the music is wonderful, his voice is incredible, and he was great in the Netflix series Pitch Perfect. But with that and by Drake's Nickname, I knew we were going young here and this one might not be for me. I was right.
ReplyDeleteHaving puzzles in the WSJ and LA Times means David Distenfeld didn't just fall off the turnip truck. He's obviously great and I'm looking forward to the next near-complete humiliation to see if I can do a little bit better. I'm naturally going to fall in love with any guy who writes of himself, " He is perhaps best known for that one time at Candy Kitchen when he won a free pound of fudge."
The clue for Train Set is a bad stretch. Train Sets are still sold, and it's a Figure Eight track configuration. Second Rex on the OK Boomer thing and adding Capeesh. It's mocking and outdated. Capisce?
"Hear this, young men and women everywhere, and proclaim it far and wide. The earth is yours and the fullness thereof. Be kind, but be fierce. You are needed NOW MORE THAN EVER before. Take up the mantle of change. For this is your time.”
ReplyDelete— Winston Churchill
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,
ReplyDeleteTo cease upon the midnight with no pain.
Ode to a Nightingale
Never got into the flow of this one. Kept slinging in words that were wrong, e.g., bark for BRAY. Nice seeing the BEEGEES. Now I'm humming [edited song title to protect you from my earworm in case you're not a fan].
ReplyDeleteI use OK Doomer (D, not B) online when ppl are impatient for everything to happen yesterday, but perhaps it's time to find a new cautionary phrase. Rex may be right.
This was a fun Saturday. Just enough resistance to deserve it's day of the week status.
ReplyDeleteThe clues in the NE and the NW didn't click immediately for me but the middle north gave me my start. We just had the BEEGEES in a recent puzzle so I got it just off the G of THINKAGAIN. All the 7s in the stair stack were low hanging fruit.
FRYINGPAN opened up the SW nicely and even though I didn't exactly know the word for arrow feathering I had it close enough to finish off that section.
Having been frozen out of the upper corners I didn't even look at the SE next. I was gun shy of another brick wall. The irony of this was that those corners didn't turn out to be that hard and when I got to the SE it turned out to be the one early week easy section of the puzzle.
As nice as this puzzle was it doesn't compare to the KAC offering in the 12/20/21 issue of The New Yorker. It took me twice as long to get a clean grid on that one and if you have access I highly recommend it.
yd -0
In went the NW corner and off went I to look for something I might know for another toehold, and hello FLETCH. That corner filled in quickly, and reminded me of watching most of "Free Solo" through my fingers. I was sure they wouldn't make a movie about a young man falling to his death but still....
ReplyDeletePAPI is Big PAPI. That's it, that's the list. This is firewood country and the "units of firewood" are 1. a cord and 2. a face cord.
There was a man (died recently) here in my little town in NH that had the world's second largest collection of BUGATTIS, believe it or not. He had to construct a building about the size of a smallish airplane hangar to house them all.
Some hip modern stuff that was new to me, but I got everything filled in with no peeking, so I felt like an OKBOOMER.
Very nice work DD, a Delightful Debut. Looking for more like this from you and thanks for all the fun.
BEE GEES were Australian AFAIK, but I don't doubt that the Brian Wilson quote was accurate, so a kind of indirect misdirection going on here? Especially with four letters in common with "Beatles."
ReplyDeleteI'd say the OKBOOMER ruined this for me, but then I'd be accused of having a bad ATTA TOOT.
ReplyDeleteClearly we can't claim or expect to have any of the "old rules" anymore, what with a SET of SET(s) - TRAIN and LIST - today and many other examples lately. It's anarchy, I tell ya and no grid is safe.
Still, I enjoyed this bit of a challenge, though perhaps a tad easier than your average Saturdee.
Favorite phrase? CAN WE NOT, which should be said as a plaintive plea of despair and fatigue. You know, for comic effect and all that.
Learned a new word for furnishing an arrow with feathers at 36D - FLETCH. And I'm gonna try to make it happen.
Good day. Or is that Good dee?
🧠🧠.75
🎉🎉🎉.5
To summarize Rex’s week: Some puzzles have too much old stuff. The others have too much new stuff.
ReplyDeleteUgly. Filled with vague phrases cluing equally vague phrases -- every one of which could be anything at all. Won't bother to type out all those could-be-anything-at-all clues, but they led -- or more accurately didn't lead -- to the answers WELL DAMN; NOW MORE THAN EVER (huh???); THINK AGAIN; CAN WE NOT; YA HEAR; and DIG THIS. Have I left any out?
ReplyDeleteAlso -- what's a SET LIST? What's a DOTNET? What's an INSTANT WIN? When I scratch off something I'm told to scratch, all I get is some sickly sweet perfume-y smell. I then have to tear the scratched, perfume-y page off of the magazine and (never putting it in my own wastepaper basket) walk it down the hall to our trash collection area.
I didn't have a prayer of finishing this without cheating and I wanted my morning back. So I cheated on ALOHA and looked up INSTANT WIN on Rex -- successfully averting my eyes from all other answers in his finished grid. I then managed to finish and now I have my morning back. Whew!
PS -- I did solve the bottom of the puzzle without help, even though I've never heard of a BUGATTI. Which sounds like the first cousin of a Volkswagon Beetle.
Hey All !
ReplyDeleteTypical tough SatPuz for me. Had to use Check Puzzle feature to keep things moving. Never went to Google, so that's a success.
I'm into Model TRAINS, but c'mon, that clue was a serious stretch. Who can remember TRAIN SETS come with eight sections of track? That's an "OK before-BOOMER-generation" thing.
Had ALOHA in, as what else could it be? But really wanted SRI for SAN (wha?), and having R AND D there was also messing with the ole brain. The NE was a 'WELL DAMN' section, couldn't get anything. 10A was donS and about two other things I can't even remember now. You could say I was AT A LOSS. DO TIME was 'go free' for a bit, as I figured once you Complete a sentence, you 'go free'. Yes? That's my COVER STORY and I'm sticking to it.
Low Blocker count, 28. That's nice. Nice blotch of White in the Center, no real dreck in the grid (well, maybe ISRED). A little clue dreck, see PAPI. Some fun clues thrown in also.
OK, RANTS over. ALOHA!
yd -1 (BOO ME!) should'ves 1 (missed a 6er that I always look out for!)
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
I believe "Train Sets" was a 1960's band out of Eastern Europe that released several albums available on vinyl, cassette and 8-track tapes; Brian Wilson once famously called the them "Bulgaria's first family of harmony."
ReplyDeleteThe comments are cheering me up and out of the gloom of my dismal failure.
ReplyDelete@Joaquin, @FLAC,TBeautiful. Thanks.
@amyyanni, I pledge to do my best to spread OK Doomer ✋
@pabloinnh, Papi and Firewood dammit! Right.
@Frantic, And you ⭐⭐ 😀 ⭐⭐!
Am I a hedonist or what? My funniest wrong answer was R AND R (Rest and Recreation) before R AND D (Research and Development). Look, you value the departments in your company that you value and I'll value the departments in my company that I value.)
ReplyDeleteLewis wasn't exaggerating today. Absolutely wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGreat sparkle (17 red plus signs in the margins). Great crunch (I came close to going to bed before finishing a couple of times.) Only six threes.
It was ultra crunchy even though I knew all but three of the entries. Some Saturdays have about 20 unknowns.
Sounds like someone said OKBOOMER to Rex. Don't they know what a cool guy he is?
I liked this puzzle much less than you, Rex. But then, OK, I’m a boomer.
ReplyDeleteRe: what is "grave" about the pronouncement "NOW MORE THAN EVER" (7D: Lead-in to a grave pronouncement).
It may be a reference to the death wish in Keats’ “To a Nightingale”:
“Now more than ever seems it rich to die, To cease upon the midnight with no pain.”
But I agree, it’s still badly clued.
@Anonymous (9:30 am)
ReplyDeleteA bit more complicated, actually. The brothers Gibb were born in the UK (Isle of Man). When they were quitr young, the family moved to Australia where the boys were reared into adulthood. As adults, they returned to live in the the UK in 1967 when their careers took off. Throughout, they remained citizens of the UK.
Can we add "OK, Karen" to the same schitt-list to which we've consigned "OK, Boomer"? That "Karen" explitive has become so cliche and meaningless that it's being thrown around these days by people on BOTH sides of debates! I won't get into the argument over whether it's somehow a personal attack on women named Karen (if so, then Joe Blow, Johnny-Come-Lately, Lazy Susan, Nervous Nellie, and Gloomy Gus would like to buy you a drink), but it's certainly outlived whatever rhetorical utility (if ever) it once had.
ReplyDeleteSolve isn’t a noun.
ReplyDeleteFor those not self-isolating in this pandemic, please read the line at 40A and remind yourself that he who LEAVESIN, BEGETS. Keep yourself safe people and be responsible.
ReplyDeleteTough, but enjoyable. All I could get at the top was donS (10A), BLINI, ANISE, RAVE and DIG THIS. Then I got to CPA/CRIED OUT and threw in LEMONADE and COVER STORY--the first entries that were actually adjacent to each other. I quickly filled in the whole bottom except for that French firewood, and I got that from crosses soon enough-- I didn't know 7D, but saw it had to end with either EVER or NEVER.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm older than the boomers I don't find OK BOOMER to be ageist; it is generationist, though, and Rex is right about what's wrong with that.
@pjd, we're supposed to take the "maybe" in the clue as equivalent to a ?.
@Nancy, I'm glad you don't gamble. Neither do I, but I spend enough time waiting in line at my local wineshop to notice all the people buying scratch tickets at the other register. They work just like the perfume ads, but they don't spell, and if you uncover the right things (whatever they may be) you've had an INSTANT WIN. And a SET LIST is the numbers that the performers are going to play.
@Southside, go back and read Rex again. His comments on the entries you mention are a RAVE, not a rant.
@Roo, SAN is Japanese -- from the country that gave us TEKKADON, of which the main ingredient is rice. It comes after the name; people would call me "John-SAN."
@Trey, to my ear the clue -- "Hey man, listen up..." is of the same vintage as DIG THIS.
Finally, a confession -- I had SUITs instead of SUITE; not as good an answer but defensible. What's harder to understand is that I looked at the down, where I had AYsS, and somehow thought I was reading AYES.
@JD *MWAH*
ReplyDelete@FLAC Where's your duck?
OOOOOH...I loved, loved, loved the bajeesus out of this little NOST ARS. But what was your favorite? you ask....Well, it wasn't an EEEZY PEEZY (Hi @Frantic) puzzazle because I had to take a little walk in the park and stop and smell a few roses, buy some LEMONADE from my friend FLETCH, and take a ride in the most uncomfortable BUGATTI that man ever made. But after I did all of this, I even managed to finish with one WELL DARN. My one DARN was a FRYING PAN throwing up some ANISE in my muddy BOGGS. Can you imagine that?
ReplyDeleteBut, I'm going to ask you again....what made you smile? WELL DARN....just about everything. I'll start with PAPI. That's my nickname for my husband. I also call him TOOT because he does that all the time. You should also hear him BRAY along with the BEEGEES in his SUITE of thrones.
My ITSY IS RED and runneth over.... I think @TJS at 8:01 should try some. He might DIG THIS.....
Rubbish cluing. I groaned too many times. Not clever. Not fun. Just a slog.
ReplyDeleteMixed feelings about this. Liked the general flavor with the BEE GEES and eight-tracks but also cringed at times like at FLETCH, STERE, RANDD - unknowns but not in the sense of oh cool, a new word so much as they were … WTH? … which was also my reaction to the the clue for 7D. I do sense a PATTERN of brilliance between the lines though and hope to see more from this new constructor.
ReplyDeleteI read in Thomas Wolfe’s novel The Right Stuff that when NASA started looking for TEST PILOTS to become Mercury astronauts, one of the primary requirements was they had to fit inside the ITSY bitsy capsule used in the first manned space program.
YA HEAR is a common expression around HERE, as in “y’all come back NOW.”
Just for the record, I’m a proud BOOMER and I don’t give a DAMN how the TikTok SET refers to me. They’re MEREly doing what young BORED people do and don’t bother me nearly as much as certain SENS and other politicians on the senior discount LIST.
What's with the dual-sentence clue for 2d? "Let's stop." isn't really necessary when "Is this really necessary?" does the job nicely.
ReplyDelete20a –"Didn't expect that to happen! Did you? No, of course you didn't. Never in a million years did anyone here think that would happen. Goll-eee!"
38a – "Capeesh? And in case you don't get my drift, I'm trying to sound like a mafioso, which implies that bad things will happen to you if you don't do what I say. Surely you've watched 'The Sopranos'. I own the complete series on Blu-Ray. Also, the Godfather trilogy, every Martin Scorsese movie—basically, if someone gets whacked in a movie, I guarantee you I own it. And I have a complete set of 'Goodfellas' action figures. So watch out. Understand?"
34a - Dig this.
@puzzlehoarder (9:04 AM) 👍 for 0 yd
ReplyDeleteThx for the KAC rec; got it via Apple's News app. :)
@RooMonster (9:50 AM) 👍
___
td pg -4*
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
@jberg - you make a valid point. Rex did trash OK BOOMER (deservedly so) quite a bit, but on balance he was pretty positive about the others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who feel that the misdirect on TRAIN SETS was a real over-reach. Probably more of a swing and a miss than any type of misdemeanor offense. Today we have ACTS, ALTA, ATTA, AYES, ADDS and ALOE - I wonder if Alan ALDA feels as though he did something wrong, was sent to his room and had to miss the party (or maybe Shortz is saving him for Monday).
@pjd 8:38 - in my mind, the "maybe" replaces the question mark on the TRAIN SET clue. Also, I think that the "eight-track" is a reference to the 8 pieces of track necessary to make a circular track, something that I have seen sold as a starter set
ReplyDeleteThe KAC puzzle mentioned by @puzzlehoarder
ReplyDelete@Anon10:23 - Sure. We've never ever ever seen a verb converted into a noun. Not ever once.
@jazzmanchgo - I concur
@R. Stigwood - And didn't they record some of their biggest albums in the US? And then there is this. At least they aren't Canadian like Drake and Nickelback.
I flew through the entire western half of the puzzle like it was a Monday but the eastern half slowed me way down. Never heard of the term 'Ok, Boomer' before but I loathe TikTok and Facebook so I guess that gives me a few blind spots (which I'm not at all upset about 😂😂).
ReplyDeleteLike Rex, I fail to see what's so grave about the phrase Now More Than Ever. There's simply nothing about it that's ominous, sad, scary or somber. Did anyone else wonder how the answer for 16-Across (spree) led to the word TOOT? I sure didn't and still don't.
Overall, easier than most Saturdays.
Typical wonderfully horrifying Saturday grind for me. Not a single section came easily. Feeling a tad dumb after all the effort for a dnf on MERE. I can't explain why I habitually confuse MERE with MEER (as in ____cat), but I do. And I somehow inexplicably blanked on the French noun for one's dear maman (as opposed to PAPI).
ReplyDeleteSigh.
Crappy day for diagonals. We had AIR and SEA and SOD.
Bottom half easy-medium, top half tougher. I had the Beatles before the BEEGEES and I bit on the “eight-track” clue. Just about right for a Saturday with plenty of sparkle, liked it a bunch!
ReplyDeleteHow is “Spree” possibly TOOT? I mean, come on Will, you’re a complete embarrassment. PLEASE GOD RETIRE AND RID US OF YOUR TRASH OUTPUT.
ReplyDeleteHeadline in my CNN homepage (OK, a detestable liberal) this morning: the labour shortage is due to retiring OK BOOMERs, not lazy Millennials. Who knew?? I guess the econ types never saw that coming???
ReplyDeleteRex going politically correct re: clues and constructors
ReplyDeleteI most often hear "now more than ever" as empty bloviation. Our NPR station constantly says that our donations are needed "now more than ever." I often think that if we took that claim seriously, we would have to conclude that the station is doing worse and worse, in a death spiral, and maybe the management shouldn't be trusted with our donations.
ReplyDeletePATTERNS lends long-overdue dignity to crop circles.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of ATTA TOOT (cf. @Frantic 9:31, nice palindrome fusion), put this on your BLINI and smoke it:
Elsewhere on this floor there's a cast iron FRYING PAN in the oven at 225 degrees, slowly rendering food grade beef suet. My brother and nephew are coming by later with fresh liver a neighbor farmer gave them. We'll grind everything up with pork shoulder, onions, brandy, nutmeg, salt, pepper, a little maple syrup from the trees down the hill, etc. Then roll up the sausage in Saran Wrap (and fill some casings to make links), poach it to form, let it rest, then poach again until cooked. YAY.
@Conrad - I thought the exact same thing with 1A and let me tell you, CAST would have been a damn clever answer - much better than the generic ACTS!
ReplyDeleteThere is omething that I wonder about when the topic of OK Boomer comes up: Weren't boomers the hippies? Aren't boomers the same generation that didn't trust anyone over 30? Didn't boomers protest The Establishment?
ReplyDeleteAnd now they are stuffy old people who don't like change? What happened?
@Z I figure you could answer this. Personally I had higher hopes for Boomers.
My favorite posts this morning.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (7:07)
bocamp (7:28)
SouthsideJohnny (7:31)
Joaquin (8:54)
R. Stigwood (10:13)
Birchbark (12:08)
This was challenging for me. I had Cassettes for so long & wouldn't give it up to train sets.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, David. This was a real Saturday,
@GILL I. I might be willing to try some if I could figure out what the hell your talking about. And I'm afraid to ask.
ReplyDelete@Z, re. the verb-to-noun deal, you're right, but that doesn't mean it's not wrong. It annoys me every time.
I know I've said this before, but I am working my way through the Friday and Saturdays in the archive, currently year 2009. To present a puzzle like todays' in comparison to ANY of the ones I have done so far, just points up how far the NYTX has fallen. TGF the archive.
You got that right, Gio @ 12:52 pm
ReplyDeleteNot to mention sex, drugs & rock 'n roll.
@Pete yesterday 10:00 I understand you're enraged, frustrated and disgusted but please do not associate him with gibbons or any other innocent creatures of the earth.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDear fellow Rexites--I read this blog nearly every day. I've even dropped in a comment here and there. I feel I've gotten to know, recognize and look forward to your comments. They almost always are insightful, funny or helpful.
However, (there's always a "however," right?) I see more and more comments each day like these: 7:00 PM yd / 7:23 PM yd) / 10:37 PM yd 👍 for 0's yd. td pg -8 (1/2 hr. left on the clock and already drawing blanks) 🤞 yd -1 (BOO ME!) should've 1 (missed a 6er that I always look out for!).
I hope you understand there are readers (similar to me) who don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about?
At a guess, I'd say it's all something to do with Spelling Bee, which I cannot access and wouldn't play, even if I did.I
I'm not trying to offend or be a grouch (okay, okay, maybe I am--sorry), but is there some other venue for posting those cryptic comments?
Again, I really enjoy reading, learning and laughing at your comments, insights, stories and jokes. Reading this blog is always a highlight of my day. So please take my comments in the friendly spirit in which I offer them.I
Otherwise, loved the puzzle, even though it was a DNF for me.e
Peace, love and joy to you all. And Go Chiefs, LOL.
@Joe D (10:52) “if someone gets whacked in a movie, I guarantee you I own it.” You sound like my film soulmate. Watched Casino yesterday and have Donnie Brasco on tap today. Fugettaboutit!!
ReplyDeleteTough. Finished it. For me, it had a little bit of a feel of OK, BOOMER, see what you can do with all of these references you're going to have to guess at. Favorite neighbors: BONES and BIERS.
ReplyDeleteHelp from previous puzzles: STERE. Do-overs: FLEche, ITtY, DIVERsE, cassetteS. No idea: PAPI, ARI, ATTA. Never thought I'd be so happy to see: BOGGS.
Hello STERE my old friend, you've come to help my solve again. Where you been? This is classic crosswordese, having made xword appearances 290 times over the years, 44 of those during the Shortz era, per xwordinfo.com.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a time and place where practically every home had a fireplace and a wood-burning stove or two. My paternal grandmother still cooked all meals on one. As soon as I was old enough, chopping firewood was one of my chores. In all those years I never heard STERE used for a measure of wood. "Rick" or "cord", yes; STERE no.
Tried FERRARI first for Lamborghini alternative before BUGATTI filled in. Until a few years back I thought the BUGATTI was also an Italian made car. Nope, it's French made.
Hard not to like a puzzle that has the title of my first xword publication, THINK AGAIN (8D). It was in the 9/26/08 Chronicle of Higher Education. Had I known who the editor Patrick Berry was, I probably would have been too intimidated to even submit the puzzle. He was very helpful---I THINK he knew I was a noob---and I got a reply from him in like a week or so after submitting!! And it was published only a couple of months after the final version was accepted!! Those are unheard of times these days when it may take three or four months to even get a reply and a year or more before an accepted puzzle gets published. I was saddened to hear that the CHE stopped publishing crossword puzzles in 2020.
Fairly smooth solvequest, nanosecond-bludgeoned by only a few no-knows: OKBOOMER. ARI. PAPI. FLETCH. SETLIST [the last one which became kinda deducible].
ReplyDeletestaff weeject pick (of a mere 6 choices): ARI. With a tough actress middle-name "who ar i?" clue.
fave stuff: INSTANTWIN. WELLDAMN. TRAINSETS [killer clue]. DIGTHIS. THINKAGAIN. BUGATTI. And many more.
fave Ow de Speration moment: ISRED.
Thanx for the themeless fun, Mr. Distenfeld dude. And congratz on yer fine debut.
Masked & AnonymoUUs
illustrated, Xmas-ish:
**gruntz**
@Gio (12:32) asks, "Weren't boomers the hippies? Aren't boomers the same generation that didn't trust anyone over 30?" I say "No."
ReplyDeleteThe true hippies, including the man who uttered the "Don't trust anyone over 30" phrase, were War Babies, born in the 1939 to 1945 era. The Boomers are just War Baby Wannabes.
Like Anoa Bob, I never heard of STERE before, but happy to learn something new.
ReplyDeleteThis was a classic Saturday - - - hard, but not impossible.
I had FERRARI for the longest time, so the SE was a bit of a bear.
Not knowing Princess ATTA also held me up in the NE.
I agree with Anonymous 9:33, it's either skewing too old and dated, or the puzzle is trying too hard to be hip and current. Constructors just can't win.
As I finished (yes, actually finished!) the puzzle my thoughts were 1) Rex will be kind about this puzzle, and 2) that @Z would like the puzzle due to the heavy wordplay. I think I was right!
ReplyDeleteWhat I have found is that when I have wheelhouse/outhouse problems they tend to derive from “alternative phrase” clues more than PPP OR wordplay. For some reason the alternative phrases were in my wheelhouse today although I did have DARN instead of DAMN until I checked the down.
I have also come to realize that I have absolutely NO idea what @kitshef thinks is a good puzzle. And, just when I think I have @Nancy pegged for a good review she comes just short of her “threw at the wall” statement.
Almost every puzzle has a few stinker clues but all in all I thought this was totally fair. I resisted putting in Bugatti at first because (d’oh) I didn’t know they were still made. Also I was lucky that somehow I knew that a fletcher is someone who makes arrows and that the feather part is the fletching. I feel quite sure that my payback will be next Saturday when I stare blankly at the puzzle, struggle, and cheat to finish.
@Frantic…ATTA TOOT is a HOOT!
@Gio - I can but opine and my foremost opinion on this subject is all generational crap is crap. You can make some actuarial observations based on birth rates, but it has always been true that most claims about generations is closer to astrology than science. For example, the best predictor of one's politics is one's parent's politics. When you were born has almost zero bearing on it. Any given "generation" pretty much reflects the broader society. For every hippie there was the 1960's equivalent of the Proud Boys. @Euclid 11:43 gets right to the nub, blaming a generation is lazy analysis when actual reasons for events are usually devoid of any sort of moral attribute of a generation. So, unless the discussion is about broad trends, it is best to ignore anything said about any generation ever.
ReplyDeleteA total and embarrassing DNF, with multiple lookups. I was proud to put in FLETCH as soon as I saw the clue. And am ashamed not to have guessed BEEGEES, though I think Britain's first family of harmony is the Copper Family, and if you like traditional music, the Copper Family of Rottingdean, Sussex were, and may still be, the best that ever were.
ReplyDeleteMany nits to pick. NOW MORE THAN EVER is not in itself a grave pronouncement, more a political one, and also is unlikely to be said at most funerals. Most people who DO TIME do not complete their sentences -- they are released on parole, are given credit for good behavior, and occasionally granted pardons.
And of course a TRAIN SET does not always have a figure eight layout, and certainly has many more than eight pieces of track, but it would be a complicated layout indeed that actually had eight tracks, even at a TERMINAL. Though TERMINALs do often have a dozen or more tracks for departures. However, I remember fondly the comic I had as a child where Huey, Louie, and Dewey designed a figure eight layout with everything timed so precisely that there was never a crash.
There were some high points: The clues for FRYING PAN and PERIOD. But mostly, green paint.
@M&A
ReplyDeleteAlways love your runt puzzles.
Just a suggestion; it would really be helpful if you could provide the *pic* link under the ** gruntz** link for easy access.
Thanks.
@foxaroni - You're right about the comments being about the spelling bee. I also do not do the spelling bee, but these comments bother me not at all. The code actually developed because others complained about fuller comments. Clearly the SBers enjoy their sharing and aren't harming anyone, so I encourage you to do as I do, just skip them. It really is very easy to not read those elements of their comments and still let them enjoy what they enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI fled the NW after Sri was clearly not going to work for 9D, but it had managed to keep me from getting 15A. I saw the NE STAIRS, threw down BIERS crossing OKBOOMER (wondered if 11D could possibly be "go hoME" after getting out of jail) and proceeded to the SE where things went swimmingly.
ReplyDeleteSW, FLETCH crossing HERE, no problem. But having Edens for "heavens" caused a mess of black ink.
Giving up and going back north, I decided 6D would be ALTA, the ski resort crosswordese. Then 15A was, "ALOHA, dummy, you could have filled in the NW long ago if you'd just thought a little harder." Head-slap. (Oh yeah, also had TV SERIES in place, crossing ANISE.)
And that was all I needed to finish. I did seriously shake my head about 7D and its clue. If it is really about the Keats nightingale, well, that is just obscure to the max. If not, it makes no sense to me at all.
David Distenfeld, congrats on the NYT debut and thanks for the Saturday struggle. Your xwordinfo comments reveal you as quite the funny guy, har!
@Gio:
ReplyDeleteWhat happened?
well most of us, oh 99.44% of us, weren't of any of those groups. most of us just tried to get along with our lives while staying out of Viet Nam. just like every other previous generation, except that Viet Nam wasn't as important as WWII or WWI before it. in the end, those fringe folks gave us Nixon and the Southern Strategy, and in due time, the Trumpster. you should be happy and thank them.
today's kids got to die in the middle east for nada. wait... same thing as Boomers in Viet Nam. those not-admitted-to-being-wars wars brought to you by the deluded Extreme Right. Viet Nam was the beginning of the Domino cascade (much of the stuff you buy is made there today) and 9/11 was done by Iraq, when in fact it was the Saudis, close friends of the Extreme Right. now Putin is demanding that The West not allow former SSRs belong to EU or NATO. one might wonder whether the Millennials will have the backbone to call his bluff; what with them manning a military of 'volunteer' soldiers (with ever decreasing smarts requirements to get in...) who've been co-opted by the Extreme Right*. the Trumpster is all for that, of course, since giving Putin free reign around Europe increases the odds that he'll finally, at long last, get his Trump Moscow building.
*
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/01/14/the-military-knows-it-has-a-problem-with-domestic-extremists-white-supremacists/
The city of Seattle had a contest to name a bike-lane street sweeper, and the winner was not Sweepy-McSweepface. Rather it was Okay Broomer, which we found hilarious! I hope this helps with the bad taste that the similar answer in the puzzle engendered in us.
ReplyDeleteThis one tried way too hard to be hard, at the expense of very strained clueing, without the aha!” rewards.
ReplyDeleteA good example is “Info for a group of performers” for SET LIST. Both “info” and “group of performers” are used just to crank up the difficulty over a far more natural clue like “concert reference guide for a band”. Okay, so that’s too literal, but we can add a little cleverness and fun with “gig guide for Gaga”. But “info for a group of performers”? That clue is about as clever and fun as eating chalk, all for just the sake of ratcheting up the difficulty. Boo.
There is also just too much inexactness in the clues, again obviously just as a way to throw you off the trail to.purposely increase difficulty. Rex mentioned one with the inclusion of “grave”. A similar one is “Complete the sentence, say.” DO TIME has nothing to do with completion, so why the use of “completing”? Obviously, the addition of “, say” is there as a it of an apology for the inexactitude, but it’s not enough.
Hen you combine tortured clueing with obscure words and phrases (BIERS, STERE, ATTA, ALTA, PAPI) and questionable alterna—quotes (e.g., YAHEAR), this one became a slog.
That said, you can see the promise in Mr. Distenfeld’s future.
@foxaroni 12:54 pm; there is a NYT Spelling Bee Forum and tips page but they seem to be barking up a different tree from me. (TBH, they're kinda crazy. But in a good way.)
ReplyDeleteGiven the time cycle of a crossword from acceptance to revision to inclusion on a sometimes long list for later publication, it seems possible that this was submitted within a day after OKBOOMER was coined. When viewed from this perspective, Rex’s long paragraph dripping with vituperation, disgust and hatred could strike one a bit over-the-top. Personally, I think he’s just posing anyway.
ReplyDeleteIf you think that DOT NET is a “Not-so-common extension”, you should look at its neighbor, DOT IME.
I had to leave the R AND D Department to E THE R (EnterTHERestroom).
I thought this was a wonderfully gunk-free debut by David Distenfeld. Keep ‘em coning, YAHEAR?
WELL DAMN! Thought this was going to be a cinch as the NW was an INSTANT WIN but turned out to be MEREly average for a Saturday. Had the Beatles filling in for the BEEGEES for way too long and ETHER wanted to be “edens” for even longer. Tried to change the spelling of a “chord” of wood for a minute. Absolutely loved the cluing on LEMONADE, PERIOD, SUITE, DO TIME, FRYINGPAN (had ???pot at first so was on the right wavelength). Not so crazy about TRAIN SETS though, too many tracks for any sets I can remember. I put in my RETIREment papers this week, so that was icing on my cake… or the TUNA on my BLINI
ReplyDeleteALOHA!
I rarely abandon a puzzle. Today was that rarity for me. I went to LAT puzz and was glad I did. The "Crossword Corner" is a nice civilized blog, as well.
ReplyDelete@JC66, 1:26pm - Interestin *pic* suggestion. There were actually six pics in today's runtpuz, tho.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe I could somehow put out one extra "collective" picture file that has all the pics in it. Will explore that notion, for future illustrated runtz. Would probably make things a bit easier, for the Across-Lite solvers, I'd grant.
Thanx,
M&A Santa Wish-Granter-Helper Desk
Major dnf for me - I never remember STERE; for me firewood comes in a cord and that's that. ISRED is horrible. Agree with all youse others about grave pronouncements.
ReplyDeleteSomeone asking about TOOT and spree might remember the NYT has never stopped joking about opportunities for public drunkenness (I don't find that funny, or the private kind either). But they're synonyms, very old-fashioned.
pg-4
@puzzlehoarder (9:04 AM)
ReplyDeleteYou're right; KAC's puz was awesome! Only took me slightly over 3x this one, lol; I was mildly surprised and elated that I got it right. Now to look up all the stuff that was new to me.
@foxaroni (12:54 PM)
Sorry, I've tried a few other SB blogs and they just don't work for me. There's a wonderful camaraderie here among SBers. I just didn't see that elsewhere; also I find the other sites are too free with spoilers and hints. I'll try to be more mindful of my SB comments. I'm sure I can trim them down somewhat. :)
___
0*
Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
@Gio 12:32 - people like me (the end of the BOOMER generation) were barely alive when hippies were a thing. As bad as it is to generalize about large groups of people, it is even worse when dealing with generations that span so many years and have such different lived experiences as a result.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do get your sentiment, and you are 100% correct when talking about the stereotype of a BOOMER
Best chuckle of the day - @egs 2:17 with DOT IME. Precious, and I cannot believe it took until mid-afternoon for someone to recognize that
ReplyDeleteI kind of took it with a grain of salt... well, may be a shaker full. then found this
ReplyDelete"In a Dec. 17 letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Christoper Miller, Mission: Readiness — a nonpartisan organization of nearly 800 retired admirals and generals — warned that 71 percent of young Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 are ineligible for military service “because they are too poorly educated, too overweight, or have a history of crime or substance abuse.” "
yikes!!
Never got any traction today (atypical even for a Saturday) let alone finish. Can't buy the positive reviews I saw. They remind of the time I went to the symphony and a barefoot guest performer ran across the stage randomly banging on eclectic objects with drumsticks for several minutes. And when they finished, panting heavily from the effort, the audience erupted from their seats in appreciation. I can only think they were applauding the effort, because they couldn't have enjoyed the 'music,' which was nothing more than toddlers do with pots and pans every day.
ReplyDeleteWhy would Francis Drake be called Champaign Papi?? I actually thought that way. There is some artist called Drake?? Oh that's just ducky....All in all, nice puzzle.
ReplyDelete@Beezer - well, taste is a highly individual thing, so that's not a surprise. But I will mention two things that almost always knock a puzzle down a couple of notches for me.
ReplyDelete1) cars (today, BUGATTI)
2) Supposedly colloquial phrases, clued as supposedly equivalent colloquialy phrases that really aren't the same at all. Today, we have three, but it feels like more because two of them appear quite early AND cross each other (WELL DAMN and THINK AGAIN). And while the grid-spanner doesn't qualify, as Rex notes the clue doesn't really land.
Also, use a pop culture clue if you don't need it (ATTA), don't use overly long/complex clues (see MERE).
I think I've been fairly consistent in objecting to all of those. A few scattered around a puzzle can be overlooked, especially if there are other delights to be found. Today, there was just too much.
And FWIW, my sister who more often than not disagrees with me on puzzles, threw this one against Nancy's wall.
Honestly hated everything about this puzzle. Sure, it's late, but wow, just wow. What is STERE?! How is TOOT a spree? Can you actually give a review with NO STARS? (If so, that's what I'd give this BOGGS). Seriously, I was ATALOSS almost the entire time. Srsly, people don't BRAY, donkeys do. CANWENOT with the RANDyD? NOWMORETHANEVER? Before publishing this BORED CRAG, THINKAGAIN, YAHEAR, he CRIEDOUT.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been easy, because I got 100%. Amazing, because the puzzle was filled with kids' talk, and I'm 80.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but weren't the beegees from Australia?
ReplyDeleteThank you for "My Old Man." Ian Dury is a poet and New Boots and Panties is an all time great album. Give it a listen
ReplyDeleteFigure 8 track...
ReplyDeleteYeah, I too was scratching my head over the word "grave" in the 7-down clue, but the entry became obvious after several crosses. Oh WELL...DAMN! There's another ampersandwich!! My RANTS on this will never cease: a pox on all of them and a stroke penalty.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, it seems there are too many ATTAs in the world to continue ranting about that. Still, no constructor will get an ATTA boy--or girl--for including it.
Sports got me started with NINER and BOGGS. It went center, SW, SE, NW (!), and NE to finish, hoping against hope that the princess wouldn't be...but of course she was.
Overall I didn't like this, so I'd say David, if you want to make another puzzle: THINKAGAIN. Bogey.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAnother badly edited debut puzzle. Or was it even edited at all? ISRED, STERE, ATTA etc... Bravo to David Distenfeld on his debut, but NOSTARS go to the editor. OK. Enough of the RANTS (and RAVEs). Time for some BIERS…
ReplyDeleteDAMN WELL HEAR IT
ReplyDeleteDIGTHIS NOWMORETHANEVER,
DO NOT THINK that YA CAN:
AT NO TIME, NO never,
say, "OK,BOOMER" AGAIN.
--- PAPI ARI SAN BUGATTI, POET
Irritating trivia collection. Thought "train sets" was "tape decks".
ReplyDeleteInkfest with ferArrI before BUGATTI. Almost a bigger inkfest when for my 'grave' pronouncement lead-in I almost filled in hOWiknEwHimwell; enough fitting letters, but I held back not sure of the Shakespeare quote as correct. Good thing.
ReplyDeleteNOSTARS for ISRED, but otherwise a SUITE debut if that's true. Agree with @foggy re: time for BIERS.
I have to join with my syndie BOOMERs and Rex’s review of this one. I feel as if i’ve been bailed out of this Saturday mess.
ReplyDeleteI want to sincerely appreciate Dr. Odidi for bringing back my ex lover back to me my ex left me for over five months now, but when i contacted Dr. Odidi via. his email odidispelltemple @ gmail. com he cast a returned my lover spell on him in just 48 hours my lover came back to me and apologize to me ever since I met Dr. Odidi we are living peacefully and happily and our love is getting stronger everyday all with the help of Dr. Odidi
ReplyDeleteI want to sincerely appreciate Dr. Odidi for bringing back my ex lover back to me my ex left me for over five months now, but when i contacted Dr. Odidi via. his email odidispelltemple @ gmail. com he cast a returned my lover spell on him in just 48 hours my lover came back to me and apologize to me ever since I met Dr. Odidi we are living peacefully and happily and our love is getting stronger everyday all with the help of Dr. Odidi
ReplyDelete