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Exercises on an ergometer / TUE 2-15-22 / Ensnare using deceptive strategies / Chips brand whose "Cool Ranch" flavor is called "Cool American" in Europe / Explain things to me Rebecca Solnit essay collection / Catastrophe at a tennis match / Season for pumpkin-spiced everything
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Constructor: Claire Rimkus
Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging (on the slow side for a normal Tuesday, just because of the nature of the theme)
Theme answers:
- COURT DISASTER (20A: Catastrophe at a tennis match?)
- FIELD QUESTIONS (30A: Uncertainties at a football game?)
- RING ALARM BELLS (36A: Security alerts at a boxing match?)
- POOL RESOURCES (51A: Supplies at a swim meet?)
Opuntia, commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as tuna (fruit), sabra, nopal (paddle, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves. The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica). (wikipedia)
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Outside the theme, the parts I struggled most with were fill-in-the-blanks. This is usual for me. I had "IT'S cute!" before "TOO cute!" and then (to add insult to injury) couldn't come up with "IT'S" when I needed it, at the next fill-in-the-blank colloquialism (59A: "Oh, ___ on!"). Actually, there's one more fill-in colloquialism like that (16A: "___ you good?"). Then there's the best colloquialism of the day, "I'M TOAST" (37D: "Things don't look good for me!"). No fill-in-the-blank there, but it keeps up the lively, talky vibe of the puzzle overall. Getting started in the NW was rough because I screwed up "TOO" and I had ULTRA instead of UNDUE (I blame a recent Wordle) and I couldn't make any sense of the clue for PILOT (4D: Spirit guide?)—I've never flown Spirit in my life, so the fact that it is an airline, wow, really really not on my radar. I mean, once the puzzle was over, and I went back to the clue, and I thought about it, I remembered "oh yeah, that's an airline ... or so I've heard." It's actually a fairly prominent "ULTRA- (!) low-cost carrier." But it has never flown where I needed to go.
TOMS seems maybe slightly hard, but I own several pairs of TOMS, so not hard for me (33D: Casual shoe brand). The clue on MARK definitely threw me off (48A: Signify). But overall, as I say, the fill didn't pose a problem. The theme was the thing with teeth, though it was only ferocious *for a Tuesday*—still easyish overall.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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84 comments:
Pretty much what Rex said, especially the whatever my brain had to do to make those transactions happen, it didn't do it easily. part. I didn’t get a single themer without at least a letter in place despite realizing what was happening early. Otherwise a solid Tuesday that didn’t tuezz. 👍🏽👍🏽
The combination of vowels (3 E's, 3 A's, 2 U's) in the SE 6 stack produced a perfect "double crossing" of Hidden Diagonal "Words" (HDW):
Nice water (EAU)
or its reverse alternative
Home of Dubai, abbr. (UAE).
Fun puzzle.
Clever endeavor, this never-ever-done-before theme. The great kind of theme that you catch onto early on, and try to guess the remaining theme answers.
I liked that all four theme answers are NYT debuts, to give freshness to the grid. At 74 words, there’s also a bit more white space than in the typical Tuesday puzzle, which averages 76. There’s a significant A-train, with nine answers ending in that vowel, as well as a lovely triple double-O cross of LOOTS, STOOGE, and CARTOON. There’s also a link to the mini’s ACA, with OAHU, Obama’s birthplace.
Part of the art of making an early week puzzle is using very familiar words without a slog of what one puzzle editor described in a rejection letter to me: “… a crosswordy buildup of mainstays”, and I believe Claire succeeded handily on that front.
All in all, a creative and solid Tuesday. I nod with respect and pat my heart with gratitude, Claire. Kudos!
Much like RICOTTA - the theme as Rex says is twice cooked. The nuance is subtle but keen. Interesting themers - no revealer and decent fill makes this a fine early week puzzle. TOMS and the MEN essay were new to me but other than that pretty straightforward. Filled this in next to my four footed friend so that was nice.
Enjoyable Tuesday solve.
@ Lewis, I like the idea of using Track.
All I can come up with is something like:
Final results at a NASCAR event? (TRACK STOCK LEADERS)
Unfortunately, my verbed phrase doesn't have the clear ring of familiarity that Claire's excellent themers all possess.
Not sure how Ring Alarm Bells is consistent with the other theme answers ....
Good Tuesday, the Ides of February. Auspicious day, sterling puzzle. Thanks, Claire.
Excellent Tuesday puzzle. I paid attention to the theme for a change and enjoyed figuring those out as I solved. Also, enjoyed the visit from Ms. NORA Ephron, who was a lovely, talented and creative lady. Also, pretty much groan-free. We could definitely use more puzzles like this one.
@Georgia - Let me try a different approach than Rex used. Each clue centers around "at a." Each answer is a common phrase where the first word is a verb, but is now clued where the first word replaces what comes after "at a" and is changed to a noun. The rest of the phrase replaces what comes before "at a." So "RING ALARM BELLS" is "ALARM BELLS at a (boxing) RING."
Thx Claire, for this lively puz. It was very sporting of you! :)
Easy++
I did STEP UP for this one; knocked it out of the park, except I was out on appeal for entering AMIGo. Thot upon entering the 'o', that it just might oughta be an 'A', and of course with SKA, that turned out to be the case. Will be more careful next time.
Only unknown was RIT.
"Founded in 1829, Rochester Institute of Technology is a diverse and collaborative community of engaged, socially conscious, and intellectually curious minds. Through creativity and innovation, and an intentional blending of technology, the arts and design, we provide exceptional individuals with a wide range of academic opportunities, including a leading research program and an internationally recognized education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Beyond our main campus in Rochester, New York, RIT has international campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. And with over 19,000 students and more than 135,000 graduates from 49 states and over 100 nations, RIT is driving progress in industries and communities around the world." (rit.edu)
Another excellent adventure.
@jae
Winning streak of two, finishing off Croce's 682 successfully. Fairly easy top 1/2; bottom, not so! I'd say, overall: med+. See you next Mon. :)
___
yd pg: 22:45
Wordle 240 4/6*
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Peace ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Wordle 241 4/6
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Tough par four today. Will be interesting to see how many can birdie this one.
After reading @Rex and @Z comments…I now gather that the puzzle today is challenging because you probably need some DOWN crosses to get the theme answer? Man, I almost ALWAYS need crosses to get long answers and I consider it to be an anomaly if Im able to plunk in the “long answer.” I will now credit my low time to my nimble typing fingers and my quickness at toggling DOWN/ACROSS.
Hmm. @Z I may be obtuse today but I’m not seeing how your advice to @Georgia helps me understand RINGALARMBELLS. I get the “nounification “ of ring AND I get that bells ring to end a round. Do we (meaning everyone else) call the clang of the bell an ALARM?
With that said, for whatever reason I quickly filled in (with some crosses) and didn’t think of it until @Georgia’s comment.
Anyway, I thought this was a very good Tuesday!
RIT is in Western NY, not Upstate NY. Big difference.
@Lewis mentioned "a bit more white space". I think this puzzle could have used a lot more white space. I mean A LOT MORE white space.
"Ring alarm bells" ??? Gimme a break.
“I liked this.”
I liked the theme too. Found it easier than OFL - COULDA been a PR if I’da timed it. Some of the medium fill was nice - IODINE, ORIENT, RICOTTA, HELENA, LEISURE, AUTUMN. Lots of U’s for @M & A. Also a lot of terrible three’s for @mathgent. IOU, OMG, EEK, NSA. Reruns LEI, SIC and OAHU. I’m a bit surprised @Rex didn’t complain about one of the themers not being like the others, i.e., singular.
I was particularly happy to see a theme not based on PPP - there’s actually a good bit in the fill, though it didn’t really feel heavy. I have flown Spirit and would happily do so again. I wouldn’t use it to clue PILOT, nor would I use a football team to clue IRISH.
Liked the LET (serve) non-tennis COURT clue. Looked around for other examples - maybe POOL RASH?
EEK, gotta run or I’ll be late for a kiddie concert!
Hey All !
PUZZLED LOOKS from me before catching the theme. (Eh, doesn't quite work.)
But true, took a sec to grok the theme. But figured it out, ending in decent time. Nice open corners, @M&A's threes stacks in NE/SW. 18 threes, a touch high, but not terrible. Nice to see Anne MEARA.
Good amount of OO's today, LOO, POO, and three TOOs. Negative on the ROOs. 🤪
Got a chuckle out of Cool American DORITOS. Gotta try to get a bag of 'em.
yd -12 (big list!), should'ves 5
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Alright, I've read my fair share of comics recently and how the hell does
"%&$@,"= OATH? Symbols like these always signify profanities. What am I missing?
Anonymous (8:53) re Rochester Institute of Technology is correct.
Unless one lives in Buffalo, which considers a city that far east (about 80 miles) to still be in Upstate New York.
In February the ides fall on the 13th. It's only the 15th in March, May, July, and October. For all other months it's the 13th.
Another one of those days when my solve was timed externally, so I could know how I did against the rest of you. This one took me the time it took three Russian women to skate short programs, which I refused to watch. TV, however, was tuned to some PBS cooking show where a guy was making deep fried breaded okra stuffed with crabmeat and wrapped in bacon, which I found distracting if not particularly mouth-watering. SO maybe I could have done it in less than 12 minutes if I cared.
Oh, the puzzle. I found the partials annoying. What's the Oh doing in Oh IT'S on! ARE you good? I woulda preferred got you good.
Not a Tuesday pushover, for sure. An engaging theme that, at least for me, required an interesting and challenging sort of brain twisting - COURT DISASTER made clear the lay of the land, but wresting the remaining verb-to-noun phrases into place was a job. RING ALARM BELLS took the most crosses and was my favorite. Inspired. STEP UP seems like a good introductory word: I thought this really was a "cut above," very enjoyable Tuesday.
Do-over: Rpi for RIT. Help from previous puzzles: RIMES.
In the SW, I noticed RICOTTA next to TOAST and wondered if it has joined last week's avocado toast as a thing. Yes, recipes abound ("Spread ricotta on toast," then gussy up with toppings. Actually, one recipe begins: "Place bread on flat surface" - best not to assume anything!).
The cross for "Reggae relative" (SKA) might have un/intentional cuteness since EEK-a-mouse is a reggae star.
Anon @9:34 - according to my dictionary app, an oath is “any profane expression; curse; swearword”
@anonymous, one of the definitions of "oath" is "swearword."
Thanks for letting three great ladies have their moments as puzzle AMIGA Clair. Sorta surprised that Rex didn’t note that gender balance; he COULDA ya know. So smooth and easy that I was lulled into automatically entering mADD without reading the clue & then giving rude STARES as I searched for mr. happy pencil!
Liveprof:(9:42 am) The noted 19th century compiler of Latin-English dictionaries, Charlton Thomas Lewis, informs us that debts and interest in ancient Rome were often payable on the ides of each month.
Perhaps that had something to do with the setting of the original due date for income tax payments in the US at March 15. Though to be consistent, when the due-date was moved back to April, the new date chosen should have been the 13th.
Rex is funny today. His stock in trade is trashing a puzzle and yet today he gets cute and says "not a lot of sparkle." Actually, none.
***** Wordle Alert *****
My new first word came through for me this morning. My first birdie for a while. bocamp (8:15): Nice comeback!
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Cool theme, nicely executed. It is a bit off because ALARMBELLS is a two-word phrase and the other nouns in the themers are single words.
Working the crosses from my first entry, COT, I approached the first two themers from the rear, which I could see to be DISASTER and QUESTIONS, but I couldn't figure out what came before those. But somehow I came to the third one via RING, and suddenly it was all clear; I only hesitated over whether to POOL assets or RESOURCES.
I live in Massachusetts, but I've been told that people in Manhattan consider anything out of the city to be upstate, including Long Island. In the book Plunkett of Tammany Hall, George Washington Plunkett refers to Brooklyn as upstate, but that was over a century ago. Fortunately I had the T before the R, or I would have been misled to Rpi.
@Georgia and @Beezer, not all bells are ALARM BELLS but some of them are. There were more of them before the scientists developed loud electronic sounds. But the phrase is a metaphor.
"Dear Abby, Lately my husband has told me he has to go back to the office two or three times a week. He doesn't get back home until very late. Should I be worried?"
"Well, that would certainly RING ALARM BELLS for me!"
Normally, a boat is beached on purpose, as an alternative to anchoring or mooring it; a boat that has run AGROUND is stuck in shallow water. But I suppose there is an overlap of the two sets.
EEK-A-MOUSE!
@H. Greeley, @Anonymous 8:53--I used to have this kind of reaction when we lived up in Plattsburgh, almost in Canada, as to what constitutes "Upstate NY". As far as I can tell, "Upstate", to the NYT (and probably many of its readers), means "anything north of Yonkers".
I did know RIT, which is a fine hockey school, but a three-letter Upstate N.Y. campus beginning with R is traditionally RPI. But not today.
Wanted HOW cute, but a limited number of possibilities for words beginning with CW put an end to that in a hurry. The AMGO/A was a glitch, and MEAN for MARK for a nano second, but that was it for slowdowns. We have one tv connected to a ROKU device, and its mysteries are still unfolding, as we don't view that one very often.
Thought this was a very nice Tuesday with a solid theme. Well done you, CR. Some Clever Reasoning went into this one, and thanks for the fun.
@Carola from yesterday -- Yes! Thanks for the correction!
I didn't like the "colloquialisms" at all. There seemed to be too many. I almost gave up, but reading the first sentence of your review, without looking at the answers, inspired me to go on and it wasn't such a bad puzzle after all.
Because of puzzles -- and only because of puzzles -- TETRIS and ROKU were "known" to me. And boy did I need TETRIS, having no idea what RIT, the school, stands for. I was thinking RIp, probably because I was really thinking of RPI. And then, after that, came even more problems with initialisms. I thought the anti-drunk driving group was MADD, not SADD.
I straightened it all out, but did find this harder than most Tuesdays. Which is a good thing. Liked this puzzle.
@jberg
I grew up in lower Westchester and have lived in NYC for over 50 years and to me Upstate NY is any place north of Yorktown (not including Long Island). BTW, the whole RIT controversy could have been avoided by changing CARTOON to PONTOON, but then we'd have 30% fewer comments.
For @Southside
Wordle 241 3/6:
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I liked this, it was fresh and different. Don’t recall ever seeing this particular theme before. All the theme answers were quite clear cut and familiar. I did COURT DISASTER at 51 across with LINEAR on the down which made for POOR RESOURCES and seemed odd but not entirely out of the QUESTION.
I have not read Rebecca Solnit’s essay collection but the concept of MEN explaining things or mansplaining reminded me of a conversation with a male friend a few years ago. When I tried to relight the pilot on my furnace that AUTUMN, it would ignite but then it kept going back out. Since this is not my first furnace or my first rodeo, I was pretty sure it needed a new thermocouple and I’d need to call my furnace guy. I happened to say as much to my friend, who immediately insisted I was just doing it wrong and HE would be able to get it lit with no problem, thereby heroically saving me the cost of a repair. Having known this man for about 30 years and knowing his EGO would brook was no argument, I let him go through the process of tinkering and adjusting, resulting in the same failure to ignite which I encountered. Finally admitting defeat, he put down his tools, stood up, dusted himself off, looked me in the eye and said “It needs a new thermalcouple.” “Oh, then I probably need to call the furnace guy,” said I. [S*I*G*H]
The rest of the story is that this dear friend is now suffering the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. And even though he sometimes doesn’t know my name, I still have that precious memory. So the moral of the story is … ladies, if your man wants to splain, try to listen patiently and graciously I’df you can. You may someday be glad you did.
Medium. Same problems in NW as @Rex. Smooth, clever, and fun. Xwordinfo gave it POW.
Wordle 241 2/6
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I have no opinion on where Upstate New York begins and ends, but the discussion reminds me of my surprise at hearing Holland, MI described as "up north" by Metro Detroiters. Basically anything outside of metro Detroit except Down River is "up north" to many Detroiters. To be fair, Holland is at 42°47' N while Detroit is at 42°19' N, so Holland is technically "north" of Detroit, but most map gazers would probably say it lies west of Detroit. Now can we discuss if anything west of the Mississippi is actually in the "midwest?"
@whatsername -- What a wonderful post!
Liked the theme, except for 36A which seemed like it was trying TOO hard and does anybody really still wear RINGAL ARM BELLS any more?
Also liked I’M TOAST and the clue for PILOT. Wish a few more clues offered that kind of wordplay. Grid seemed fair and efficient except for RIT crossing TETRIS. EEK! It’s a DNF.
I didn’t realize that ODIN liked to dress up as his mother and scold himself when he wasn’t spying on motel guests taking showers. In fact, I didn’t even know that the Norse gods had motels. I’ll have to watch the movie.
The column at 7D (ONADARE AGROUND) brings to mind the only funny and/or memorable redneck joke from whatever year it was that they were popular. You know you’re a redneck if you’ve ever had a relative whose last words were “Hey fellas, watch this!”
Additional themer(answer below):
Spare change at a rugby match?
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PITCHPENNIES
I liked this puzzle a lot. For those many commenters who continuously tell Rex that he should find a new line of work since he hates all crosswords, please re-read his very positive review. I can, and do, carp at him about specific criticisms that he levels, but he’s like a pig in (OATH) when he reviews a really well constructed puzzle like today’s.
Thanks for a sweet Tuesday, Claire Rimkus.
@jberg, thank you for taking the time to respond. Ok. I can’t speak for Georgia but I GUESS looking back at rest of the puzzle I will say that the RINGALARMBELLS answer is a bit of an outlier. I am very familiar with the term “ring alarm bells.” To me, I guess the fact that a bell is used to end a round makes it SEEM (to me) that they are referring to the boxing ring bell (and yes, that is singular…lol). For example, IF the circus were considered a sport (or there was a different theme subject) I would not have been confused if the clue had been “security alerts while the lion tamer is performing” because a bell or bells isn’t associated with a circus ring. At any rate, I DO get it now and I have revealed the very muddy (or muddled) mind of Beezer!
Rex! Stay away from Spirit airlines. You lucky duck to not have experienced that pain. Their tagline should be, "Spirit, you'll only fly us once."
I agree with your assessment of Ms Nora Ephron, whom I was fortunate to have met in person several times
@OFL:
The clue on MARK definitely threw me off
Never had a non-fixed pet, I guess?
Can never remember whether it's 2 C or 2 T in RICCOTA.
Had to resist entering RPI automagically. Good thing, too.
@8:53
Oh ye of little faith. So far as NYC is concerned, all of NY above where the Harlem River connects the East River to Hudson River is 'Upstate'
Ditto, 🦖🧩🦖
But fast and easy.
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🤗
@Rex
Thanks for the pic of COURT and Spark! I was in hs when it came out and, of course, have the entire album memorized. No more vinyl in my life, tho... we had a flood caused by a faulty water conditioner that took care of all that years ago. Not sure I ever bought the CD. Today will ask my husband to play it on Spotify.
Good comments today! To second what Lewis said: a really terrific post by @Whatsername at 10:45 -- which manages to be both amusing and sad and to say something quite profound.
I also love the droll humor of @Joseph Michael at 11:20 as he deliberately conflates "Thor" and "Psycho" -- which are both movies I've managed to avoid, btw. His irreverent comment appeals to my horror movie-/action movie-hating heart.
And I love, love, love @Unknown's tagline for Spirit Airlines (11:40)-- which I've never flown and now will make absolutely sure not to, ever. And finally, @Unknown -- you met Nora Ephron several times???!!! You are so lucky! I would have killed to have met her: she was so funny, so brilliant, so charismatic. Who are you, @Unknown, and how did it come about? Maybe it's time to make yourself "Known" here?
MFCTM.
bocamp (8:15)
Liveprof (9:42)
@Z, chuckled at your “suggestion” to revisit the issue of “what constitutes the Midwest.” I think I will just have to AGREETODISAGREE with you on that. I know all your Great Plains, Gateway Arch to the West, and historical mumbo-jumbo! The fact is, that NOBODY cares unless they live there (like me, and you at one time) so let’s just call the space a little east of Pittsburgh until you bump into Colorado FLYOVERCOUNTRY like everyone else does!
Was easy. enjoyed it. Had Mean before MARK. I’m a Bronx guy - anything not in the five boroughs, Long Island or Westchester is considered Upstate. We all think this
As a native Long Islander, I too have a very provincial notion of what constitutes Upstate NY (basically the Catskills and north!)
My fastest Tuesday ever, by a bit, even though I had never heard of TONS, and SPIRIT airlines escaped me for a bit, but there were crosses galore to make this a super easy effort.
I know rex has long asked for more female constructors, and railed against a plethora of sports-related clues, but today's puz just points out how silly that dichotomy is. I liked the theme, regardless of the gender of the constructor.
In more important news:
Wordle 241 4/6
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I live in the NYC suburbs so pretty much anything north of Westchester County is upstate to us. I put RPI since my son applied there many moons ago. Nice school, though he ended up going to Carnegie Mellon. I used to say it was practically the mid-west and people would try to tell me that all of Pennsylvania is "mid-Atlantic". I beg to differ!
I liked the themers a lot though I was bothered by the similarity of "That rings a bell" with ringing alarm bells.
Nice puzzle. I found it slightly easier than average.
@jberg (10:21 am)
Thankfully, you home commonwealth has a clear demarkation for what constitutes western Massachusetts, i.e., everything Westa Woosta.
@Lewis and @Nancy: Thank you both. It’s funny how a crossword puzzle can trigger thoughts and memories long forgotten.
@Beezer (12:54) Actually I do live there and I don’t much care either. Before I started reading this blog I was absolutely certain with every fiber of my being that The Midwest consisted of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Keep in mind I’ve held this belief since before they built the arch for those people who couldn’t otherwise figure out where the Mississippi River was. And which, for what it’s worth, you couldn’t pay me to go to the top of. I visit St. Louis to drink beer and watch the Cardinals play. Anyway, the area covered by those four states is in the middle and west of the Mississippi. I don’t know what else you would call it. The argument is moot as far as I’m concerned. I know what I know. 😂
Nice little theme. Jeff made this xwordinfo.com's Puzzle of the Week.
[Spelling Bee: yd 25+ minutes to get to pg(!), stalled at -2, missed these words which sound like Sam made them up.]
@beezer - I was joking but I see @whatsername has joined the fray. 🤣😂🤣
As for “flyover country” - I’m one of those who find nothing particularly “elite” by those living on the coasts, just a bunch of people parochial in their own way.
**wordle talk**
Toughie for me despite managing to get it in four. I had three letters in the wrong spots on my second guess and took many precious nanoseconds to come up with my third guess. Once again, my final, correct, guess came much quicker than my penultimate guess. I even knew my penultimate guess was wrong because it had a letter in the same wrong spot as in my second guess.
Wordle 241 4/6
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@tea73:
lived in Bryn Mawr for a bit. someone said that PA was easy to understand: Pittsburgh at one end, Philly at the other, and Alabama in the middle. that was 20 years ago, and sure looks truer now than ever.
I see @Missy was bragging too:
Wordle 241 2/6
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I liked today's crossword. Fun to grapple with the "whatever my brain had to do to make those transactions happen, it didn't do it easily" part.
And thanks, Rex, for speaking of Wordle some weeks ago and getting me started on my third favorite daily word game (after the crossword and Spelling Bee, of course.)
Anthony Perkins - Norman Bates
Anthony Hopkins - Thor
Thanks, @prof.
Always up for a fresh bit of knowledge
@Alfred Hitchcock - Thank you. I was wondering what that comment was about but then moved on without thinking too hard about it. I also felt a little dirty about Anthony Hopkins getting reduced to a Marvel Universe clue. I'm sure the pay was good, but I feel like we could eschew Marvel Clues for ODIN.
Hitch, @Z -- I assumed it was a joke. As you can see from my 12:18 comment. @Joseph Michael -- was I wrong?
Aye, @Nancy, it was a joke. Glad you got it. I hope the Anthony's are in on it as well.
Lol @ Whatsername, you nailed my thoughts exactly! Apparently @Z saw this….I’d do a “nana nana nan” except I’m bigger than that…🤣🤣🤣
And, @Z…I don’t believe I mentioned the word “elite.” Honestly, I think the US map can be pretty challenging in “flyover country.” We ALL tend to get the coastals. The further in you go inland, the more challenging (save weirdo shapes like Texas/Oklahoma…and MICHIGAN). Them thar rectangles in the middle give me fits but I know their state capitals!
Thank you! But ... "court disaster",field questions, and pool resources" stand alone as phrases. and thus confused me.
But OMG Rex, 3 of themes are plurals and 1 isn't. Glad you ignored it. Keep up the good work.
Lane violation at a sprint event?
Horse drugging at the Derby?
TRACKCRIME
I'm somewhat certain flyover country was everything between coastal elites, meaning NYC DC corridor on one side and LA on the other. Used by TV-movie folks and other power brokers. First used by folks who actually lived that way and later by folks mocking their arrogance. I believe there was a New Yorker cover illustrating this with approriate exceptions and additions.
@albie
Is this the cover?
As a parent of a graduate of RIT, I was pleasantly surprised to see RIT rather than RPI. Had to double check my crosses to make sure the fills were correct. Thanks for a little Tiger Pride
Yes sir.
I guess it is more of a New Yorker view of the world looking west at America than a coastal elite map. I wonder if I confused it with a similar map shown with the coasts, left and right and flyover in te center. Same artist? Maybe not a cover?
Isn’t Rochester in Central NY? As a Buffalonian, I always thought so.
As someone from the Hudson Valley, we all resent that.
More research. Apparently "fly over state" was originally used a guy from Michigan and a guy from Montana compaining that air travel has created a sitation where people travel coast to coast witout ever seeing the beauty of the states in between the coasts.
@albatross shell:
The 'original', so far as I know, is a vertical (short side wide) map, with Boston Metro taking up the right 2/3 and the lowly rest of the USofA getting the rest.
Played hard for me ... partially self-inflicted as I put in IM A GONER instead of IM TOAST, leaving out the 'G', and did not notice that for a while. Also "sOO" before "TOO" cute.
RING ALARM BELLS definitely felt like green paint. I was looking for ring "any" bells or "some" bells.
Very solid offering from a new constructor. This is Claire’s fourth NYT crossword since 2020. I would have liked to see a snappy reveal. That would have been the cherry on the cake. But the cake was still delicious without a cherry on top.
Soccer field of dreams? Pitch an idea.
Good one, @Foggy. Even without the ASSIST of SNAPPY in your last post.
Since I don't use timing as a method of rating puzzle-worthiness, I found this just fine for a Tuesday.
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
RASH MEN (AMIGA DISASTER)
I'MTOAST if NORA tells
what COULDA been done ONADARE,
IT'S SADD TOO RINGALARMBELLS
because ACUTE girl LET me STARE.
--- MARK MEARA
Finished this in a doctor's waiting room.
If I were a picky bowler maybe I'd be lanechanging
LeAnn RIMES, yeah baby.
Fun themers.
I like this puzzle for a couple of reasons.
ITS theme and themers are nouns and verbs that make sense either way. A collection of A’s At the ends of severAl downs And Acrosses AttrAct some Attention. Then, the puzzle overAll is fAirly eAsy, not RASH.
Had to pause at TETRIS and then QUESTION SADD in replacing mADD.
GottA like this one.
Apparently my post didn't take. I COULDA made a mistake. Nice theme; I'd title it "Sports venues as verbs." Easy except for writing in Mean for signify instead of MARK. Almost derailed me. I second the nomination for Ms. RIMES as DOD, and move the nominations be closed. (Egad, I'm watching too much confirmation hearings!) A Right Honorable mention for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson for DOD! Birdie.
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