Pretend shot, in basketball lingo / MON 3-7-22 / Traditional English pub order of fish in a set stock / Capital of North Macedonia / Elliott three-time Pro Bowler to fans / When doubled popular 1990s sitcom featuring Tia and Tamera Mowry
Constructor: Sam Acker
Relative difficulty: Kinda Challenging, in parts, ***for a Monday***
THEME: REVENGE IS A DISH / BEST SERVED COLD (3D: With 11-Down, proverb about delayed retribution, with a hint to the answers to this puzzle's starred clues) — answers to starred clues are all dishes that are served cold:
Theme answers:
ICE CREAM (20A: *Dessert for which "I scream")
JELLIED EEL (30A: *Traditional English pub order of fish in a set stock)
PASTA SALAD (43A: *Picnic bowlful)
GAZPACHO (54A: *Tomato-based summer soup)
Word of the Day: SKOPJE (4A: Capital of North Macedonia) —
This theme doesn't work. Not that I don't admire the fact that entire adage is in the grid, and that it it divides neatly into two 14-letter segments, *and* each segment intersects two of the theme answers. Architecturally, it is interesting. But conceptually it's just muddled. REVENGE has nothing to do with food, so unless the food is poisoned, what the hell? Also, most importantly: seriously, how else are you going to serve ICE CREAM?! You can see how it might seem, let's say, unexpected to serve eel cold, or pasta cold, or soup cold, but ICE CREAM? It's an inherently cold foodstuff. It just doesn't belong in the grid with these other answers. Less importantly, there is no way that this is a Monday-level puzzle. I guess the undersized grid might mean that you get a solving time that makes you think it's in line with the typical Monday, but any puzzle with SKOPJE is not a typical Monday. It has appeared in the NYTXW a handful of times before, it's true, but just four times, and three of those times was on Saturday (and the other time was Sunday) ("North Macedonia" itself has only been that country's name since 2019!). And JELLIED EEL, as clued, was absolutely brutal for me (I mean, "brutal" by Monday standards, so ... low-key brutal). I needed nearly every cross to even begin to make out a plausible answer. It's an entirely unfamiliar food to me, and though I've heard of it, nothing about that clue was any help at all. ZEKE Elliott was also news to me, but I'll give you him on a Monday—I've completely turned away from the NFL in the past decade, so I can't judge relative fame on that front any more. But SKOPJE and JELLIED EEL, while fine answers, are at least mildly if not very out of place on a Monday. And yet, as I say, the misplaced day-of-the-week issue is far less important than the conceptually awkward theme issue(s).
UPFAKE also felt new (good!) and not-really-Monday (less good!) (63A: Pretend shot, in basketball lingo). Weirdly, for all the interesting and original tough fill that I've mentioned, the rest of it skews somewhat toward the stale end of the spectrum. The ILIA INST, the SRI RBI, the O'ER ORGY, the ETTA IPO. And IRED, hoo boy, not much worse than the non-word IRED (31D: Steaming mad). The unloveable dreck of a bygone age. But overall the puzzle wasn't too unpleasant to solve. Aside from the aforementioned tough stuff, my only mistake was spelling RIOTOR like that (!?), and briefly, very briefly, wondering if GAZPACHO was maybe spelled with an "S" instead of a "Z." The upshot of this mistake / musing combo is that there was a split second where I considered that the three-time Pro Bowler might be named SOKE Elliott. Is anyone named SOKE? Someone should be. It's original, if nothing else. See you tomorrow.
Glad I didn't have to know the capital of North Macedonia. Crosses are our friends.
I thought this was a fun and clever theme, but I could have done without the highlighted squares - too distracting. I don't need help with that, thank you. I'm quite proficient at say, did you ever hear the one about JELLIED EEL on RYE?
Fill had some good stuff but seemed like there was more than enough of the usual suspects. As a maiden voyage, though, this shows great promise.
Congrats on your NYTXW debut, Mr. Acker - looking forward to more from you!
This would have been medium but the 14x15 grid pushes it to medium-tough. SKOPJE didn’t help and SISTER and ZEKE as clued were WOEs. The theme density doesn’t do the fill any favors. Liked it about as much as @Rex did. A not bad debut.
I traveled across Yugoslavia in 1987, and I went through SKOPJE. But I didn't get off the train because my new friends from Zagreb had warned me: "Don't get off the train in Skopje! Those people, they're not human." Probably an exaggeration, but civil war did follow. Crazy days.
I solved this by only looking at the down clues, and was successful without cheating. I actually got 3 and 11 down on the first try; from the clue "delayed retribution" that saying was the first thing to come to mind and it fit.
[Spelling Bee: Sun. 26 min to get to genius with one pangram, but another 1:30 to get the second pangram, so I guess 27:30 to get "pg". Rather slow! But got to QB right after supper so yay me.]
If there was nothing else to eat I’d still have to turn down JELLIED EEL, that would be right up there with pickled WALRUS. on the other hand, give me a bowl of GEZPACHO and I’m a happy camper, love it. Summer’s coming, I’ll be whipping up a bunch of that.
Monday easy except for the bottom middle. UPFAKE was a new one and I had GOt out at 66A, that area needed a lot of tidying up.
The cold-revenge adage has always felt like a truism, but I'm not precisely sure why. I guess it's some basic notion that someone who wrongs you is allowed to rock back all smug and happy for some time - and bang, you kick the chair out from under them, just when they thought they'd gone scott-free. Not sure - I've never been big on retribution.
As it's also said, the best revenge is a life well-lived. (Wish I had the energy for that!)
Anyway, breezy little Monday, I didn't mind the dreck. But I was HIGHLY disappointed that GAZPACHO wasn't clued using Marjorie Taylor Greene. Some gaffes are too priceless to be allowed a quiet, dignified burial.
Well I liked it. I mentioned last week that I would love if they jumbled up the difficulty levels instead of always having "easy Monday", "rebus Thursday", etc. So this felt like what I had in mind. I'll take an upfake in Skopje any Monday.
And I love the quote and the themers. I'll allow that ice cream seems a bit obvious. There's always vitello tonnato –veal with tuna sauce– which looks like vomit-on-a-plate, but doesn't taste half-bad. That's served cold too.
The revealer didn’t bother me the way it did Rex, but I never really overthink it; that’s above my paygrade.
I do agree that ICE CREAM is an outlier, not so much that it Has to be served cold – there’s no arguing that it’s “BEST” SERVED COLD, so that works – but rather because I question its dish-ness. A DISH feels like there are several things thrown in and prepared. So, say, a bowl of caviar isn’t a DISH. I think Sam saves himself here ‘cause you can argue that it’s a DISH of ice scream, if you’re one to lie to yourself and take the time to actually scoop some into a dish knowing full well that you’re going to end up dispatching the entire container anyway.
Whatever the case, COLE SLAW would have worked better for me there, but given that the themers each have to cross the reveal, that would be impossible. Congrats, by the way, on your debut, Sam!
I liked imagining other stuff normally eaten cold – vichyssoise, sashimi, shrimp cocktail, tomato aspic. When I was in Japan, I was obsessed with Hiyashi Chuka Soba – I mean, that was some of the most delicious stuff I ate there, delightfully refreshing on a hot day.
LOG OFF, log out, log on, log in. . . who’s to know? I guess if you log on you have to LOG OFF. But if you log in, you have to log out.
“Ripe” time of one’s life: 5th period for X. Young, who’s just come from PE. Holy Moly.
I had a dnf ‘cause I spelled it “Gaspacho.” Oops.
The highlight for me, and the time-suck, was staring out the window considering ordering and then actually ingesting JELLIED EEL. I’m wildly jealous of names of British foods and place names, so many of which sound more like startling dermatological issues: Cullen Skink, Berwick Cockles, Spotted Dick, Nether Wallop, Scratchy Bottom, Droop, Bubbles and Squeaks.. . (Ok – this last one feels more of a gastrointestinal annoyance, suffered after eating the entire bag of sugar-free gummy bears minutes before being part of an intime interview panel in a deathly quiet tiny little conference room. Just. Don’t.)
I did not appreciate the vowel natick at ESOS/SKOPJE or the emoticon clue for EYES. How about a WORD clue in a crossWORD puzzle! Emoticon clues are stupid. Otherwise I loved thisone. Disagree with @Rex about the theme. I think it was solid and fun. The 3D/11D proverb is a "hint" and it's perfect. @Rex is wrong about ICECREAM not belonging. You can't argue that ICE CREAM isn't BEST SERVED COLD. You could thaw it, warm it up for a winter soup but that's far from BEST.
And here I thought GAM was a chance meeting of whale ships at sea. That's how Melville uses it in Moby Dick, at any rate. A whole chapter on the little party that resulted. But I guess the whales were there first.
I just read Jeff Chen. Seems both he and Rex are obsessed with the thought that REVENGE has nothing to do with food. This puzzle is metaphoric, not literal. The proverb uses a food concept. The puzzle flips it and derives foods from the proverb.
The grid may be smaller, at 14 x 15, than the normal puzzle, but it’s wide in scope. It covers the five senses, as the theme addresses taste and smell, plus there’s EYES, HEAR, and for touch, I think ORGY will suffice. The puzzle also embraces the breadth of life, going from the PRIMAL ooze, to a baby’s GA GA, to OLD AGE, to I’M DEAD.
There’s also some end-of-word schwa-de-vivre, with AGENDA / LEIA / AGRA / DRAMA / ETTA, and I’ll throw in part-answer PASTA. I also liked the cross of SWIRL and ICE CREAM.
Sam did fairly well with the challenge of a very high-count 66 theme squares, and having the two vertical spanners each cross two theme answers. In the solve, I loved the moment I realized the connection between the theme proverb, and its horizontal answers.
Once again, the NYT dished up a debut that didn’t feel as though it was made by a fledgling constructor. Very nice to meet you at the grid, Sam, and this first taste has made me want to see you play it again. Thank you!
Not at all surprising that they would cross a pretty obscure foreign capital with an even more obscure foreign word, even on a Monday. This is the NYT, and they do have a reputation to uphold - so definitely going to pour some sand into the gear box as we can’t allow a smooth, clean grid (too much work on the part of an editor - much better to just throw something at the wall and see if it sticks).
This is a really, really good theme that deserved to be on a different day, or at least toughened up to a normal Monday level. I mean, “A dozen minus one”? Come on.
My father was whatever the opposite of a picky eater is. I knew him to eat duck lips, frog skin, and even haggis, and all of those he said he would eat again. But he drew the line at JELLIED EEL. “Once is more than enough for a lifetime”, said he.
I definitely thought SKOPJE was rough, if you didn't just "know" it, especially considering, in my opinion, a MUG is a very reasonable container for moonshine, and SKOPME as the potential capital of N Macedonia is just as reasonable collection of random letters as SKOPJE.
Also, if you are plotting revenge on someone, long-delayed or otherwise, you will be better off finding forgiveness. Revenge is a dish best not served at all (just like jellied eel).
I found this to be a solid Monday theme and I could have written in the quote with no crosses whatsoever, as I think many of us could have. And after that it was mostly fill in the blanks, with the exception of SKOPJE, which I don't mind learning. Had OPART for SWIRL because of the R, and briefly debated between POD and GAM, but that was about it. So many moo-cow easy clues (hi M&A) that I thought of shooting fish in a barrel and had a brief vision of moo-cows in a barrel. Har.
And for everyone who finds the Spanish pronunciation using the TH sound odd, in most of Spain you would say GATHPACHO and know how to spell it instantly Takes a little getting used to but makes perfect sense, orthographically.
Congrats on the debut, SA, a Signal Achievement and hope to see many more from you. Thanks for the fun.
Neat little Monday with an attractive grid. All the short stuff was tedious - but a direct result of the intersecting themers. I did like GAM and JUG. That entire top center block was solid with PRIMAL, SWIRL and OLD AGE.
Ate JELLIED EEL in a Shoreditch pub in the mid 80s after grad school - I was trying to impress a girl at the time. The wiggly stuff was odd but I recall the eel tasting like pickled herring.
Yeah, the "revenge" part didn’t make much sense. The puzzle would have made more sense if the first half of the adage was part of the clue, with only the second half in the grid.
I don’t have a problem with ICE CREAM being a theme answer, since it’s definitely better cold, i.e., frozen. Up here in my part of PA there’s a dessert called funnel cake (at least I think it’s regional; I always associate it with the Amish). Anyway, funnel cake is served warm and you can get it with a scoop of ice cream on top. If you don’t dig in immediately, you can see how ICE CREAM makes sense as an answer. I’m just not fond of ICE CREAM with the texture of GAZPACHO. *Sigh* I long for life before lactose intolerance! Now I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime in that Hell known as vegan ice cream substitutes. It’s just not the same, although it does replenish my ATP, which is why any of us eat, right?
I didn’t have a problem with SKOPJE, being a geography trivia buff. It has been a capital city for quite some time, way back when North Macedonia was simply Macedonia. I’m pretty sure Alexander the Great’s second cousin on his wife’s mother’s side was born in SKOPJE. I could be mistaken.
I have no idea how to spell GAZPACHO (I had GesPACHO). It’s understandable, I think. I don’t like it. Besides, I have a difficult time with spelling most foreign words; I only took Spanish in high school and college.
Somehow this ended up just behind my fastest Monday time, so probably second or third fastest Monday. It did help that I've been to, or more like through, SKOPJE before on my way to Kosovo (as a journalist). Finally, some geographical knowledge in my wheelhouse as opposed to the NYC-area trivia that bogs me down.
3D and 11D fell very early in the puzzle -- I've never had such a long themer fall that early and at once. All in all, fun puzzle but went by so fast I didn't have time to appreciate the theme.
I knew SKOPJE — my son spent a few days there about two months ago while biking from France to Greece (don’t ask). The architecture is amazing — check out some photos on Google. But I agree it’s not a Monday word (although it should be pretty gettable from crosses even if you don’t know it).
In response to Rex’s comments about ice cream being cold, I first thought of fried ice cream, but I guess that’s cold too.
Aspic meets sushi. What’s the problem? It’s all in the herbs and spices.
Speaking of, @Canadians - Tried a local Middle Eastern Restaurant the other night. They had “Vegan Lebanese Poutine” on the menu. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t Poutine.
Assuming "esos" is the "even more obscure foreign word" you are referring to, @southside, you may want to add it to your list. It'll save you a kvetch.
Enjoyed a slightly tougher Monday. Beyond that, @kitshef bears quoting: "Revenge is a dish best not served at all (just like jellied eel)." Your dad is right.
A teensy bit odd and slightly challenging but generally enjoyable puzzle. What seemed like a typical debut ton of PPP was at least mostly Monday appropriate. I pretty much got the “cold” feeling of the theme without any hint but have to say that’s one of the coolest revealers I’ve ever seen.
I was however baffled by the choice to include JELLIED EEL which definitely did not pass the breakfast test. I’m still gagging. With the same number of letters, surely there could’ve been something more appealing? KEY LIME PIE anyone? Or WATERMELON? I mean if there was ever A DISH BEST SERVED COLD . . .
I got the whole proverb right off the bat from just the "R" of MER. Then, having not noticed ICE CREAM as part of the theme, I got to PASTA SALAD. My heart always sinks when I'm served PASTA SALAD at a picnic. After that, I got to JELLIED EEL, which I've never had, but which sounds rubbery. And finally GASPACHO, which I stopped eating long ago because it gives me heartburn.
What awful thing did I do to you, I'm wondering, that you're taking such cold, calculated REVENGE on me?
Lol. Just kidding. I loved this sassy, colorful Monday and I've always liked that particular quote. I will say, however, that in addiion to ICE CREAM, the dishes I would really like to be served to me cold are Steak Tartare, Vichyssoise and Lobster Roll. Maybe next time?
Had op art before SWIRL, and forgot the last part of the proverb, so had BEST SERVED WITH … looking for it to finish somewhere else. Also had LOG Out before LOG OFF. Had a hard time with the 'I' for IRED (took some time to parse it; wanted something like saw red, but what can you do with a simple 'I'). lol
I thought JELLIED EEL was the outlier because here I was imagining a lovely summer picnic with GAZPACHO, PASTA SALAD and ICE CREAM and then, the last themer I got …wha? You’ve just cooled down the ORGY of delicious summer fare.
That said, I will try almost anything. We are in Puerto Rico now (such a wonderful place!), and had a whole grouper last night. We were proud of ourselves for digging out every edible tidbit, but the waitress was not impressed. She said we had to eat the EYES to consider it finished. That was a challenge, so I ate one. The other remained uneaten, so challenge failed, I guess.
Speaking of la MER, I had POD before GAM, as I imagine many did. I’ve never heard of GAM as anything but a woman’s leg in a Sam Spade story.
A couple of places I have been in the puzzle - SKOPJE and AGRA - and one that is very high on the list if it becomes safe to travel there again- MALI. I would love to see Timbuktu, an ancient crossroads with amazing architecture.
Let’s hope the RIOTER now on trial for the insurrection does not GO FREE. His son testified against him - I can’t imagine the bravery that took. My father is more liberal than I am and also a little too old to be a rioter anyway, so I don’t think I’ll ever have to testify against him, but could I if I had to? Wow. I don’t think so.
@TJS, my thoughts exactly - hard to call ESOS obscure when someone mentions it as a classic kealoa for the end of the word at least twice a week on this blog. Technically, SKOPJE is an English word for a foreign capital, no? Still, a bit tough for Monday, though I'm with Joe D on this.
Did Lewis make up schwa-de-vivre just for today?
For my wedding reception (25 years ago this July), we had baked alaska, which came as ice cream in a cake and arrived on fire - while I guess the ice cream was still cold, this could be a counterpoint to the theme.
@Brian A - best revenge is a life well-lived!!!! Nice to read this on a Monday. I'm trying to figure out how to apply this to the jerk who drives around my neighborhood with a PA aimed OUT his window blasting Dominican rap after midnight the second the thermometer raises above 56 degrees. Makes it hard to live well:(
So much of the puzzle was baby simple but then a few entries were quite hard for me. For whatever reason, the editors did not insist up making a few spots more friendly for new solvers. This prevents me from giving a thumbs up to the puzzle.
A debut construction from someone who claims to enjoy food. So, like so many debut puzzles, the constructor tried to cram in entries reflecting their own favorite interests. Not that I mind vanity entries, but perhaps the concept needs a little more subtlety.
I have patronized a restaurant that offered fried ice cream for dessert. I think it was a Thai or Indian restaurant. Maybe two restaurants, one of each. Anyway, I never ordered it, so I really can't describe the temperature. Sounds both hot and cold and might be relevant to the write-up.
It was quite warm in the NYC area the past few days. I hope it stays that way.
As a Brit… the dish always referred to as “jellied eels” in the plural. And you don’t get them at pubs. You need to go to a pie and mash shop where jellied eels are a side dish to your hot meat pie and mashed potatoes and a thin type of gravy known as liquor. Anyone walking into their local pub and asking for “jellied eel” would be looked at as rather odd on both counts.
@smalltowndoc (7:59) I’m not sure about the origin or the regionality of funnel cakes but they’re quite popular in the Midwest. Come October, they’re served up at just about every fall festival and church bazaar you run across. Never with ICE CREAM though, strictly a finger food to be carried around on a paper plate and shared. Just dig in and prepare to have powdered sugar all over your clothes when you’re finished - but totally worth it.
Hey All ! Why would one want to eat EEL? JELLIED or otherwise. Yeesh. That's up there with YAK filled foods. Or Gefilte Fish. EGAd!
Failed to notice the 14 long grid. Hate when that happens. Liked the criss-crossing Themers, each Down crosses two Across ones. Which I believe is where scrumptious (😁) JELLIED EEL came from, as had that E locked in and need a COLD DISH that would fit.
LOG OFF first here because it gets me two F's. I get mad if I have to change it to OUT. 😁
Pretty cool (ha!) puz. Just noticed lots of I starting words. INDIGO, ICECREAM, IDEAL, IRED, IAN, IMDEAD, ILIA, IPO. @Lewis might be rubbing off. Har.
yd -10 (including a P), should'ves 5 (amazing how one day you get 0, next day you get your butt kicked.)
A different anon says: Keep the post at 9:10. It's a position, a point of view. (Although unless I missed a comment, a strange non sequitur). But strange isn't offensive. I'm curious Gazpacho, why is it beneath notice and why does it have no place on this blog?
It is jellied eels, not eel. Just like it is fish and chips, not fish and chip. Very frustrating no one checked this with a Brit or indeed the Wikipedia entry for it if nothing else! Completely incorrect as is.
I try not to knock Rex because he provides this forum, but I thought his comment this morning was extraordinarily nonsensical.
I love the revenge quote. It deserved better examples. GAZPACHO was the only good one.
I watch a lot of NFL and I've never heard Ezekiel Elliot called ZEKE.
We have a handful of tapas restaurants here but I don't think that they serve GAZPACHO. I've only had it once in Acapulco and enjoyed it.
************Wordle Stuff*********** Eagle today. I've gotten better at it, but I give most of the credit to my new first word. I've used it the last fifteen times. Nothing worse than a bogey and only three of them. Five birdies and two eagles. ************************************
Some critics felt that Lady GAGA should have been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. I like her very much usually but not in House of Gucci. They didn't give her much dialogue to work with.
Hats off to the constructor for the terrific reveal and the witty tie-in with dishes best served cold. After ICE CREAM, I enjoyed anticipating what else might be on the menu and thought the melange of JELLIED EEL, PASTA SALAD, and GAZPACHO was a delight in its array of letters and its varied countries of origin - if not actually to eat. I also liked the idea of getting to select the form of REVENGE to be visited upon you - I'll have the ICE CREAM, please. Well, a fun Monday for me, obviously.
Do-overs: moiRe before SWIRL; I'M Done; LOG Out. No idea: ZEKE.
@Lewis 6:48 - Thank you for pointing out the mini-themes.
@Kirsti 9:27 - Thank you for the EEL lore. On a freezing, gloomy, drizzly January day in Greenwich many years ago, my family and I left a tour of the Cutty Sark chilled to the bone. In the distance beckoned a storefront with glowing, steamed-up windows and "Eel and Pie Shop" over the door. No eels for us, but rather cherry pie with hot custard, served in substantial bowls, and one of the best things I've ever eaten.
I'm always amazed that there are people who not only time how long it takes them to complete these puzzles but actually keep logs of these times, e.g. - "this was my third fastest Monday..." To quote Jerry Seinfeld, "not that there's anything wrong with that" .. I'm a retired guy with some extra time on my hands, but still I can't think of starting a conversation with, "let me show you my log of the times it's taken me to complete the NYT crossword puzzle for the past 8 years." I guess it would be a pretty good way to get rid of house guests who have hung around a little too long.
Looks like the NFL comment was memory-holed. Maybe this one will stick around. pmdm, there was a restaurant chain named Chi-Chi's that served fried ice cream. It featured, as you might expect, Mexican, or more exactly, Tex-Mex chow. Where's the NFL come in you ask? Well the chain was co-founded by Packers legend Max McGee who score the very first touchdown in the very first Super Bowl. Best part, he was hungover like a dog. Didn't expect to play much, if at all. But Green Bay's star receiver, Boyd Dowler got hurt, and Max got the call. He didn't even have his helmet with him, having left it in the locker-room. Anyway, He went on to have a great day--7 catches I believe for well over 100 yards and two TDs. Could've easily been named MVP. Maybe should've. Sadly, he died falling off his roof.
I needed the R in MER and the V in LIV to have the quote but I didn’t mind being slower on the UPtAKE because I like the adage so much. It’s such a good theme and fit so beautifully in the grid that I was surprised that I hadn’t seen it before. The cold foods were more than enough for a Monday puzzle. To throw REVENGE in there would have needed a Sunday grid in my opinion. I found this to be more than enough fun for a Monday morning. SKOPJE, UPFAKE, any pro bowler, and the mere mention of JELLIEDEEL were more than enough to make this a memorable Monday, and ELEVEN seemed tongue in cheek to me. I had a swell time!
Except for a few no-brainers like “A dozen minus one,” this was much harder than the usual Monday, even though I got the revealer proverb almost immediately. Have to agree with Rex that I don’t see how revenge figures into all of this other than wanting to serve a big hunk of JELLIED EEL to someone you’re mad at. Or maybe throw it at them.
Had no clue about SKOPJE and having “op art” as my hypnotic pattern at 4D didn’t help. Fortunately, the other crosses eventually came to my rescue, though it was only a lucky guess that landed the “e” in ESOS.
Three books for the fire pit:
DeJoy’s autobiography, I, P.O. Lenin’s autobiography - I, RED Trump’s autobiography - I, DEAL
@BugSteve46 - The app or web page tracks your fastest, average, and current week’s time. No effort needed. You can also go into the archive and see all your historical times.
Horribly busy Monday today, so I will say that I think the reveal could have been tweaked to make the theme work better, maybe something like: “ the subject of the proverb beginning at 3D may help to identify starred clues similarly delivered.” Some kind of better editing would have made the theme more cohesive but I enjoyed the puzzle and oh so happy our constructor made 2A gettable through the very friendly (Hi, @Frantic!) crosses.
@Anon 10:54. If I'm right, bigsteve46 was talking about the obsession, not the method of keeping stats. I've often wondered the same thing. I got a kick out the Wordle folks who thought their stats were lost in the ether.
I solved this one with my 94 year old parents, both of Russian Jewish origin. As soon as we got the revealer we were all rooting so hard for BORSCHT. Other than that letdown (and the relatively impenetrable sports trivia and geography) it was a fun time.
Day-um. Pretty brave puz constructioneerin project, here. Grid-spanner Down themers crossin four other Across themers. I reckon the theme works pretty good. The Down themers serve up (as advertised) a **hint** to the four Across themers: i.e., "a dish best served cold". The "revenge" part is just extra stuff, there because that's another word that the proverb happens to include. [Altho, JELLIED EEL don't sound like somethin M&A'd be likely to serve to friends, I'd grant.]
fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {26 things learned in kindergarten} = ABCS. [and yo, @pabloinnh -- yep. Lotsa meaty moo-cow choices here, today, valiantly tryin to offset SKOPJE.]
staff weeject picks: MLB & NHL. Linked up by their common team-name-droppin clue styles. Nice corner weeject stacks, btw.
sparklets: IRED [Mostly cuz I knew what it'd do to @RP's blood pressure -- M&A definitely needs to do a runt sometime, based on the most epic of @RP's all-time non-faves, fill-wise (dibs)]. GAZPACHO. SKOPJE [bring it, Shortzmeister]. @MUSED.
Thanx for the MonPuz vengeance, Mr. Acker dude. And congratz on yer debut.
Many years ago I played Mastermind which is a code-breaker game somewhat like Wordle. I managed to complete it successfully but it required more mental energy than three Saturday Stumpers and I never tried it again.
This may be a reason why I have yet to try Wordle, plus the fact that if I become addicted to another word game (I do about four a day) I will have no time at all to check out this blog, which is a highlight.
To all you Wordlers, buena suerte and glad you're having so much fun.
This was a lot better puzzle than Rex gave credit for . A cold dish was the hint in the revealer, and cold dishes is what we got in the themers. I see his point, but he’s saying we should have a really difficult puzzle on Monday. I think not.
Of the dishes that are often served hot, but can be eaten cold, I’d vote leftover pizza. Good while hot and fresh, better straight out of the fridge for breakfast.
After the sex reassignment procedure, the woman nearly forgot her PAST AS A LAD.
I agree with smalltowndoc @7:59 that the REVENGE IS A DISH part would have worked better as the clue and BEST SERVED COLD by itself as the reveal. Although I guess that JELLIED EEL(s) would work in some situations for REVENGE.
In my PAST AS A LAD, long before OLD AGE came creeping up, I was very fond of ICE CREAM. Yeah, it should be SERVED COLD otherwise it's just CREAM.
When I saw the clue for 56 Down I was not AMUSED, even IRED a bit, that the NYTXW would expect me to know some Professional Bowler. Really? Oh, it's an N.F.L. Pro Bowler. D'oh!
I splatzed in REVENGE IS sweet but figured out my error at 11D. I was thinking of a quote from a book from my childhood, probably a Trixie Belden book: "REVENGE IS sweet, saccharine sweet" (too bad, saccharine sweet is fifteen letters long.)
I had no trouble coming up with JELLIED EEL once I had JELLI in place. No, I haven't tried it. I've never had eel except as sushi - I was going to order eel in a restaurant once and was talked out of it by my Swedish friend who described it as oily and fishy. Not my ideal fish experience.
@Rex "UPFAKE also felt new (good!) and not-really-Monday (less good!) (63A: Pretend shot, in basketball lingo)." I've played basketball my entire life and have used the term UPFAKE as often as I've eaten JELLIEDEEL. It's a PUMPFAKE, or I will have my REVENGE.
I think I speak for the Goyim when I note that BORSCHT, in our view, is not a cold soup. And the wiki agrees: "In the summertime, cold borscht is a popular alternative to the aforementioned variants, which are normally served hot." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht#Variations
And I wonder, did Jeff Goldblum wear a borscht belt in 'Silverado'?
@McD - UP FAKE did not trip me, but I would agree that “pump FAKE” is the much more common usage. Uncle Google directed me to Merriam-Webster where it said they could trace UP FAKE to 1982. I also noticed that when I searched for UP FAKE I got lots of hits talking about “pump fakes” but that the reverse wasn’t the case. Then I tried ngrams expecting reinforcement for “pump fake” being preferred and got this. I’m thinking the “UP FAKE” dominance has to be non-basketball usages, but I don’t know how to use the ngram function to limit the results that way.
@Joe D 11:14 - Wow. That’s one of the saddest thing I’ve read today. I’ve lucked out so far and don’t have a Wordle DNF, but I do have multiple Quordle DNFs, which really should not happen since there so many opportunities to eliminate letters. In fact, I had a DNF today because I locked in on one of the words and wasted two guesses fruitlessly. Daily Quordle #42 8️⃣7️⃣ 4️⃣🟥 quordle.com 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩 ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
@Z – I think the uptick in cheating is probably just due to more people playing. I had two Wordle DNF's early on. I don't remember what they were, but I do remember that on one I was stuck with only two possibilities at Guess 6 and I picked the wrong one. Right now I'm having a little streak of 3's.
I haven't crapped out on Quordle yet, though I just squeaked in today. I got one answer on Guess 2, but then it went 5,8,9. I seem to do better on Quordle than on Dordle for some reason.
For Agatha Christie fans, Skopje would have been a stop on the Orient Express, though I'm not sure the name ever made it into the book (two more obscure places in what was then Yugoslavia, between which the train gets stuck in a snow drift, do make it in).
Upfake? No. Pumpfake? Yes. And I've played a lot of hoops. I agree with the ESOS/SKOPJE cross being a tad unfair for a Monday, and while it was inferable, SKOPJE was a weird one for a Monday.
For a first-time constructor, I'm going to give him major props. Was it a perfect puz? No. But what in this world is perfect?
A few days ago someone questioned, or brought up the issue, did this blog have relevance or was it significant in any way? I think today's post/critique explains why the answer is a loud No.
And in more important news, back in birdie land. It's all about the smart second guess. And a lucky seed word. Wordle 261 3/6*
Interesting mental experience with SKOPJE. I knew very well that it was the capital of Macedonia; and I knew very well that North Macedonia used to be Macedonia (in between, it was FYROM, the "Former Yugoslave Republic of Macedonia"--blame Greece). But I had to put in the interim step of asking 'what was the capital of Macedonia' before it came to mind. Anyway, I thought it gave the puzzle a touch of class, almost compensating for IRED (def: irate when you have only 4 letters). Given all the complaints, I'm surprised (and happy) that no one is complaining about Timbuctu.
I am of the school that holds the theme should take the revealer and use its words in a different meaning, so this one was great. The only problem was that, working the crosses, I threw in MER, MALI, APE, EPIC, LIV, and thus got to 3D with REV already in place, which game me the whole thing, with only a brief pause to consider whether it should be "A DISH that is BEST...," since BEST SERVED COLD looked like it couldn't be 15 letters. Fortunately, I counted. So anyway, what with that and the theme answers having stars on the clues, ICE CREAM gave the game away, I didn't get to have the fun of wondering what linked all those answers.
I've been to a lot of pubs and never seen JELLIED EEL[s], so thanks @Kirsti for explaining that. I'd love to try some, though; why all the hate, it sounds delicious!
BTW, sorry to be posting so late. We're on vacation, and went for a very long walk along the beach. I've learned some people read my comments in synic-land, so I'm posting anyway.
Since I knew the quote, the puzzle was quickly solved. And of course I knew GAZPACHO. What I don't know if if I had it in one of those waterfront restaurants in Sausalito, such as The Tides, or if I had it on my first solo trip to Spain, Spring of 1969. Flew from London to Gibraltar, visited the main cities in Andalucia, then Madrid, and then by train via Barcelona to the South of France, then to Verona, and after a couple of nights to Wolfsburg, Germany, where I bought a brand new VW bug from the factory.
Or I could have tasted it that summer, when my best friend met me and we drove in that Bug from Paris to the northern coast of Spain, then to Lisbon, then to Madrid, and on to Geneva, where my friend had relatives. But I am guessing I first had it in the South of Spain, in the springtime. Probably washed down with red wine from Malaga and sherry right out of the wood. In any case, I have loved GAZPACHO and actually made it at home. In any case I know how to spell it, and on that same trip a man in Madrid took me under his wing, and talked with me in Castilian Spanish, using the th sound for all his soft C's and Z's. He insisted I try Judias con Jamon, i.e., ham and Green Beans, which are called Jewish Beans there. Yeah, Jews don't eat ham, which proves the name is a bit of a joke.
Looking forward to tomorrow, which I expect will be even easier.
@Joe D and @Z -- Cheating at wordle makes about as much sense as cheating at solitaire. But it's quite possible that no one was really cheating.
Were these people looking up the word before or after they'd exhausted their (limited to) six guesses? If after, maybe they just didn't want to go to their graves never knowing the wordle for that day. The site doesn't tell you -- not even after you've already failed the game. I didn't know that it was possible to look up the word, but one time, after I'd had six guesses with still no bloody idea of what the answer was, I would have looked up the answer had I known it was possible. I would never look it up if I were still in the game, even if I was en route to a double bogey.
@Nancy - Here is the link to the article in Wordfinderx, the site that did the supposed study. It's not exact clear what people searched for, it seems like the easiest way to cheat would be to google "Today's Wordle" to get the answer. Also the site shows different tools you can use such as anagram solvers, and I gather it figured out that people were using these with more frequency.
@Z I did a less thorough Google search and came up with similar results. The nGram search is new to me. I had the same thought though when I saw the graph. Has to be non hoops terminology.
@albatross shell Not all fake jumps involve arm pumps is true, but those are called HEAD FAKES.
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A surprising 1-letter DNF! The culprit? Square 4. I mean, with the nonsensical _KOPJE already ending 4-across, who but a native would know that letter? TWIRL made at least as much sense to me as SWIRL, and I recall a hockey player named Tkachuck, so the TK combo has precedent--plus he's from Eastern Europe.
I also made things tougher than they had to be by misremembering the quote as REVENGE IS sweet when SERVED COLD. No score on a DNF, but I agree that there are a few things here that definitely do NOT belong in a Monday grid.
Terrific NYTXW puzzle debut for Sam Acker. Best Monday in a while. DNF because I had GAsPACHO-sEKE. Went too fast and did not double check with the cross. Of course ZEKE makes more sense than sEKE now that I look at it. A few entries grated: OER, IRED, IPO, ASHY, INST e.g. but overall it was quite an enjoyable and solid offering.
Note to Spacecraft: The Tkachuk dynasty lives on in the NHL. Keith’s sons Matthew and Brady are active players on the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators.
I was astounded at how many people found this puzzle even slightly difficult. I found this to be one of the easiest Monday NYT Xword puzzles ever. And I've been doing Xword puzzles for over 60 years. I actually said to myself out loud:People are going to complain about how easy it was. Only 2 slowdown points in the puzzle. The j in Skopje, that was given away by the 8 down clue. And checking the across clues to see if 45 down was going to be log off or out.
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listen); Albanian: Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. [...] North Macedonia (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. North Macedonia is a landlocked country bordering with Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south, and Albania to the west. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's 1.83 million population. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Romani, Serbs, Bosniaks, Aromanians and a few other minorities. (wikipedia)
Here’s the deal: If you ever try to serve me JELLIED EEL, I will call the GAZPACHO and have you thrown to a GAM of whales who will eat you cold.
ReplyDeleteGlad I didn't have to know the capital of North Macedonia. Crosses are our friends.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a fun and clever theme, but I could have done without the highlighted squares - too distracting. I don't need help with that, thank you. I'm quite proficient at say, did you ever hear the one about JELLIED EEL on RYE?
Fill had some good stuff but seemed like there was more than enough of the usual suspects.
As a maiden voyage, though, this shows great promise.
Congrats on your NYTXW debut, Mr. Acker - looking forward to more from you!
🧠.5
🎉🎉.5
Z’s Placebo and Tentacle now has JELLIED EEL on the menu. And a new theme song.
ReplyDeleteThis would have been medium but the 14x15 grid pushes it to medium-tough. SKOPJE didn’t help and SISTER and ZEKE as clued were WOEs. The theme density doesn’t do the fill any favors. Liked it about as much as @Rex did. A not bad debut.
ReplyDeleteI traveled across Yugoslavia in 1987, and I went through SKOPJE. But I didn't get off the train because my new friends from Zagreb had warned me: "Don't get off the train in Skopje! Those people, they're not human." Probably an exaggeration, but civil war did follow. Crazy days.
ReplyDeleteI solved this by only looking at the down clues, and was successful without cheating. I actually got 3 and 11 down on the first try; from the clue "delayed retribution" that saying was the first thing to come to mind and it fit.
[Spelling Bee: Sun. 26 min to get to genius with one pangram, but another 1:30 to get the second pangram, so I guess 27:30 to get "pg". Rather slow! But got to QB right after supper so yay me.]
If there was nothing else to eat I’d still have to turn down JELLIED EEL, that would be right up there with pickled WALRUS. on the other hand, give me a bowl of GEZPACHO and I’m a happy camper, love it. Summer’s coming, I’ll be whipping up a bunch of that.
ReplyDeleteMonday easy except for the bottom middle. UPFAKE was a new one and I had GOt out at 66A, that area needed a lot of tidying up.
Fun Monday.
The cold-revenge adage has always felt like a truism, but I'm not precisely sure why. I guess it's some basic notion that someone who wrongs you is allowed to rock back all smug and happy for some time - and bang, you kick the chair out from under them, just when they thought they'd gone scott-free. Not sure - I've never been big on retribution.
ReplyDeleteAs it's also said, the best revenge is a life well-lived. (Wish I had the energy for that!)
Anyway, breezy little Monday, I didn't mind the dreck. But I was HIGHLY disappointed that GAZPACHO wasn't clued using Marjorie Taylor Greene. Some gaffes are too priceless to be allowed a quiet, dignified burial.
Well I liked it. I mentioned last week that I would love if they jumbled up the difficulty levels instead of always having "easy Monday", "rebus Thursday", etc. So this felt like what I had in mind. I'll take an upfake in Skopje any Monday.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the quote and the themers. I'll allow that ice cream seems a bit obvious. There's always vitello tonnato –veal with tuna sauce– which looks like vomit-on-a-plate, but doesn't taste half-bad. That's served cold too.
This is interesting.
The revealer didn’t bother me the way it did Rex, but I never really overthink it; that’s above my paygrade.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that ICE CREAM is an outlier, not so much that it Has to be served cold – there’s no arguing that it’s “BEST” SERVED COLD, so that works – but rather because I question its dish-ness. A DISH feels like there are several things thrown in and prepared. So, say, a bowl of caviar isn’t a DISH. I think Sam saves himself here ‘cause you can argue that it’s a DISH of ice scream, if you’re one to lie to yourself and take the time to actually scoop some into a dish knowing full well that you’re going to end up dispatching the entire container anyway.
Whatever the case, COLE SLAW would have worked better for me there, but given that the themers each have to cross the reveal, that would be impossible. Congrats, by the way, on your debut, Sam!
I liked imagining other stuff normally eaten cold – vichyssoise, sashimi, shrimp cocktail, tomato aspic. When I was in Japan, I was obsessed with Hiyashi Chuka Soba – I mean, that was some of the most delicious stuff I ate there, delightfully refreshing on a hot day.
LOG OFF, log out, log on, log in. . . who’s to know? I guess if you log on you have to LOG OFF. But if you log in, you have to log out.
“Ripe” time of one’s life: 5th period for X. Young, who’s just come from PE. Holy Moly.
I had a dnf ‘cause I spelled it “Gaspacho.” Oops.
The highlight for me, and the time-suck, was staring out the window considering ordering and then actually ingesting JELLIED EEL. I’m wildly jealous of names of British foods and place names, so many of which sound more like startling dermatological issues: Cullen Skink, Berwick Cockles, Spotted Dick, Nether Wallop, Scratchy Bottom, Droop, Bubbles and Squeaks.. . (Ok – this last one feels more of a gastrointestinal annoyance, suffered after eating the entire bag of sugar-free gummy bears minutes before being part of an intime interview panel in a deathly quiet tiny little conference room. Just. Don’t.)
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DeleteI was raised on Bubble and Squeak in England ... which may explain certain annoyances in this 'ripe' time of life.
Delete
ReplyDeleteThree WOEs, @Rex SKOPJE, ZEKE and UPFAKE; two kealoas, ESOS and @LMS LOGOFF. All fairly crossed, making it an Easy-Medium Monday.
I did not appreciate the vowel natick at ESOS/SKOPJE or the emoticon clue for EYES. How about a WORD clue in a crossWORD puzzle! Emoticon clues are stupid. Otherwise I loved thisone. Disagree with @Rex about the theme. I think it was solid and fun. The 3D/11D proverb is a "hint" and it's perfect. @Rex is wrong about ICECREAM not belonging. You can't argue that ICE CREAM isn't BEST SERVED COLD. You could thaw it, warm it up for a winter soup but that's far from BEST.
ReplyDeleteAnd here I thought GAM was a chance meeting of whale ships at sea. That's how Melville uses it in Moby Dick, at any rate. A whole chapter on the little party that resulted. But I guess the whales were there first.
ReplyDeleteI just read Jeff Chen. Seems both he and Rex are obsessed with the thought that REVENGE has nothing to do with food. This puzzle is metaphoric, not literal. The proverb uses a food concept. The puzzle flips it and derives foods from the proverb.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this very helpful guide on how to comment.
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The grid may be smaller, at 14 x 15, than the normal puzzle, but it’s wide in scope. It covers the five senses, as the theme addresses taste and smell, plus there’s EYES, HEAR, and for touch, I think ORGY will suffice. The puzzle also embraces the breadth of life, going from the PRIMAL ooze, to a baby’s GA GA, to OLD AGE, to I’M DEAD.
ReplyDeleteThere’s also some end-of-word schwa-de-vivre, with AGENDA / LEIA / AGRA / DRAMA / ETTA, and I’ll throw in part-answer PASTA. I also liked the cross of SWIRL and ICE CREAM.
Sam did fairly well with the challenge of a very high-count 66 theme squares, and having the two vertical spanners each cross two theme answers. In the solve, I loved the moment I realized the connection between the theme proverb, and its horizontal answers.
Once again, the NYT dished up a debut that didn’t feel as though it was made by a fledgling constructor. Very nice to meet you at the grid, Sam, and this first taste has made me want to see you play it again. Thank you!
Not at all surprising that they would cross a pretty obscure foreign capital with an even more obscure foreign word, even on a Monday. This is the NYT, and they do have a reputation to uphold - so definitely going to pour some sand into the gear box as we can’t allow a smooth, clean grid (too much work on the part of an editor - much better to just throw something at the wall and see if it sticks).
ReplyDeleteThis is a really, really good theme that deserved to be on a different day, or at least toughened up to a normal Monday level. I mean, “A dozen minus one”? Come on.
ReplyDeleteMy father was whatever the opposite of a picky eater is. I knew him to eat duck lips, frog skin, and even haggis, and all of those he said he would eat again. But he drew the line at JELLIED EEL. “Once is more than enough for a lifetime”, said he.
I definitely thought SKOPJE was rough, if you didn't just "know" it, especially considering, in my opinion, a MUG is a very reasonable container for moonshine, and SKOPME as the potential capital of N Macedonia is just as reasonable collection of random letters as SKOPJE.
ReplyDeleteMy five favorite clues from last week
ReplyDelete(in order of appearance):
1. Line to the house (5)
2. Going from 0 to 100, say (5)
3. Not just smart (4)
4. Needed help (9)(6)
5. Needle exchange? (8)(6)
ASIDE
AGING
ACHE
ESSENTIAL WORKER
FRIENDLY BANTER
Also, if you are plotting revenge on someone, long-delayed or otherwise, you will be better off finding forgiveness. Revenge is a dish best not served at all (just like jellied eel).
ReplyDeleteA poke in the eye with a sharp stick of a puzzle, masquerading on Monday?
ReplyDelete#ImpeachWillShortz
More abbr., please? UPFAKE, SKOPJE, all the 3&4 letter nonsense to
Oh nevermind. ugh
PICTURE OF 25A
ReplyDeleteI found this to be a solid Monday theme and I could have written in the quote with no crosses whatsoever, as I think many of us could have. And after that it was mostly fill in the blanks, with the exception of SKOPJE, which I don't mind learning. Had OPART for SWIRL because of the R, and briefly debated between POD and GAM, but that was about it. So many moo-cow easy clues (hi M&A) that I thought of shooting fish in a barrel and had a brief vision of moo-cows in a barrel. Har.
ReplyDeleteAnd for everyone who finds the Spanish pronunciation using the TH sound odd, in most of Spain you would say GATHPACHO and know how to spell it instantly Takes a little getting used to but makes perfect sense, orthographically.
Congrats on the debut, SA, a Signal Achievement and hope to see many more from you. Thanks for the fun.
Neat little Monday with an attractive grid. All the short stuff was tedious - but a direct result of the intersecting themers. I did like GAM and JUG. That entire top center block was solid with PRIMAL, SWIRL and OLD AGE.
ReplyDeleteAte JELLIED EEL in a Shoreditch pub in the mid 80s after grad school - I was trying to impress a girl at the time. The wiggly stuff was odd but I recall the eel tasting like pickled herring.
Enjoyable Monday solve.
Yeah, the "revenge" part didn’t make much sense. The puzzle would have made more sense if the first half of the adage was part of the clue, with only the second half in the grid.
ReplyDeleteI don’t have a problem with ICE CREAM being a theme answer, since it’s definitely better cold, i.e., frozen. Up here in my part of PA there’s a dessert called funnel cake (at least I think it’s regional; I always associate it with the Amish). Anyway, funnel cake is served warm and you can get it with a scoop of ice cream on top. If you don’t dig in immediately, you can see how ICE CREAM makes sense as an answer. I’m just not fond of ICE CREAM with the texture of GAZPACHO. *Sigh* I long for life before lactose intolerance! Now I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime in that Hell known as vegan ice cream substitutes. It’s just not the same, although it does replenish my ATP, which is why any of us eat, right?
I didn’t have a problem with SKOPJE, being a geography trivia buff. It has been a capital city for quite some time, way back when North Macedonia was simply Macedonia. I’m pretty sure Alexander the Great’s second cousin on his wife’s mother’s side was born in SKOPJE. I could be mistaken.
I have no idea how to spell GAZPACHO (I had GesPACHO). It’s understandable, I think. I don’t like it. Besides, I have a difficult time with spelling most foreign words; I only took Spanish in high school and college.
Somehow this ended up just behind my fastest Monday time, so probably second or third fastest Monday. It did help that I've been to, or more like through, SKOPJE before on my way to Kosovo (as a journalist). Finally, some geographical knowledge in my wheelhouse as opposed to the NYC-area trivia that bogs me down.
ReplyDelete3D and 11D fell very early in the puzzle -- I've never had such a long themer fall that early and at once. All in all, fun puzzle but went by so fast I didn't have time to appreciate the theme.
I knew SKOPJE — my son spent a few days there about two months ago while biking from France to Greece (don’t ask). The architecture is amazing — check out some photos on Google. But I agree it’s not a Monday word (although it should be pretty gettable from crosses even if you don’t know it).
ReplyDeleteIn response to Rex’s comments about ice cream being cold, I first thought of fried ice cream, but I guess that’s cold too.
Aspic meets sushi. What’s the problem? It’s all in the herbs and spices.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of, @Canadians - Tried a local Middle Eastern Restaurant the other night. They had “Vegan Lebanese Poutine” on the menu. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t Poutine.
"A dozen minus one" says it all about this one.
ReplyDeleteOnly Rex would find a way to squeak about this theme. Found it quite satisfactory.
ReplyDeleteAssuming "esos" is the "even more obscure foreign word" you are referring to, @southside, you may want to add it to your list. It'll save you a kvetch.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed a slightly tougher Monday. Beyond that, @kitshef bears quoting: "Revenge is a dish best not served at all (just like jellied eel)." Your dad is right.
ReplyDeleteA teensy bit odd and slightly challenging but generally enjoyable puzzle. What seemed like a typical debut ton of PPP was at least mostly Monday appropriate. I pretty much got the “cold” feeling of the theme without any hint but have to say that’s one of the coolest revealers I’ve ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI was however baffled by the choice to include JELLIED EEL which definitely did not pass the breakfast test. I’m still gagging. With the same number of letters, surely there could’ve been something more appealing? KEY LIME PIE anyone? Or WATERMELON? I mean if there was ever A DISH BEST SERVED COLD . . .
I got the whole proverb right off the bat from just the "R" of MER. Then, having not noticed ICE CREAM as part of the theme, I got to PASTA SALAD. My heart always sinks when I'm served PASTA SALAD at a picnic. After that, I got to JELLIED EEL, which I've never had, but which sounds rubbery. And finally GASPACHO, which I stopped eating long ago because it gives me heartburn.
ReplyDeleteWhat awful thing did I do to you, I'm wondering, that you're taking such cold, calculated REVENGE on me?
Lol. Just kidding. I loved this sassy, colorful Monday and I've always liked that particular quote. I will say, however, that in addiion to ICE CREAM, the dishes I would really like to be served to me cold are Steak Tartare, Vichyssoise and Lobster Roll. Maybe next time?
Thx Sam, cool puz! :)
ReplyDeleteMed+
Found this somewhat challenging for a Mon.
Had op art before SWIRL, and forgot the last part of the proverb, so had BEST SERVED WITH … looking for it to finish somewhere else. Also had LOG Out before LOG OFF. Had a hard time with the 'I' for IRED (took some time to parse it; wanted something like saw red, but what can you do with a simple 'I'). lol
Unknowns: SKOPJE, SISTER, JELLIED EEL, GAZPACHO, UPFAKE, ZEKE.
Always love an early-week struggle and wasn't disappointed with this one.
Enjoyable trip.
@okanaganer 👍 for 0 yd
___
yd pg, but way past my time limit / W: 3*
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
I thought JELLIED EEL was the outlier because here I was imagining a lovely summer picnic with GAZPACHO, PASTA SALAD and ICE CREAM and then, the last themer I got …wha? You’ve just cooled down the ORGY of delicious summer fare.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I will try almost anything. We are in Puerto Rico now (such a wonderful place!), and had a whole grouper last night. We were proud of ourselves for digging out every edible tidbit, but the waitress was not impressed. She said we had to eat the EYES to consider it finished. That was a challenge, so I ate one. The other remained uneaten, so challenge failed, I guess.
Speaking of la MER, I had POD before GAM, as I imagine many did. I’ve never heard of GAM as anything but a woman’s leg in a Sam Spade story.
A couple of places I have been in the puzzle - SKOPJE and AGRA - and one that is very high on the list if it becomes safe to travel there again- MALI. I would love to see Timbuktu, an ancient crossroads with amazing architecture.
Let’s hope the RIOTER now on trial for the insurrection does not GO FREE. His son testified against him - I can’t imagine the bravery that took. My father is more liberal than I am and also a little too old to be a rioter anyway, so I don’t think I’ll ever have to testify against him, but could I if I had to? Wow. I don’t think so.
Loren Muse Smith, the British dish is Bubble and Squeak .
ReplyDeleteDid you take your user name from Harlem Corben’s detective?,,,
@TJS, my thoughts exactly - hard to call ESOS obscure when someone mentions it as a classic kealoa for the end of the word at least twice a week on this blog. Technically, SKOPJE is an English word for a foreign capital, no? Still, a bit tough for Monday, though I'm with Joe D on this.
ReplyDeleteDid Lewis make up schwa-de-vivre just for today?
For my wedding reception (25 years ago this July), we had baked alaska, which came as ice cream in a cake and arrived on fire - while I guess the ice cream was still cold, this could be a counterpoint to the theme.
@Brian A - best revenge is a life well-lived!!!! Nice to read this on a Monday. I'm trying to figure out how to apply this to the jerk who drives around my neighborhood with a PA aimed OUT his window blasting Dominican rap after midnight the second the thermometer raises above 56 degrees. Makes it hard to live well:(
So much of the puzzle was baby simple but then a few entries were quite hard for me. For whatever reason, the editors did not insist up making a few spots more friendly for new solvers. This prevents me from giving a thumbs up to the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteA debut construction from someone who claims to enjoy food. So, like so many debut puzzles, the constructor tried to cram in entries reflecting their own favorite interests. Not that I mind vanity entries, but perhaps the concept needs a little more subtlety.
I have patronized a restaurant that offered fried ice cream for dessert. I think it was a Thai or Indian restaurant. Maybe two restaurants, one of each. Anyway, I never ordered it, so I really can't describe the temperature. Sounds both hot and cold and might be relevant to the write-up.
It was quite warm in the NYC area the past few days. I hope it stays that way.
Nice, avg time. No JELLIEDEEL for me, I'll have the GAZPACHO. Never heard of UPFAKE but it was kinda inferrable. I guess. Since I got it.
ReplyDeleteGot the themer at REV__, for some reason it's very familiar, so that definitely made for a speedy solve. IMDone before IMDEAD. That is all.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs a Brit… the dish always referred to as “jellied eels” in the plural. And you don’t get them at pubs. You need to go to a pie and mash shop where jellied eels are a side dish to your hot meat pie and mashed potatoes and a thin type of gravy known as liquor. Anyone walking into their local pub and asking for “jellied eel” would be looked at as rather odd on both counts.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete@smalltowndoc (7:59) I’m not sure about the origin or the regionality of funnel cakes but they’re quite popular in the Midwest. Come October, they’re served up at just about every fall festival and church bazaar you run across. Never with ICE CREAM though, strictly a finger food to be carried around on a paper plate and shared. Just dig in and prepare to have powdered sugar all over your clothes when you’re finished - but totally worth it.
Hey All !
ReplyDeleteWhy would one want to eat EEL? JELLIED or otherwise. Yeesh. That's up there with YAK filled foods. Or Gefilte Fish. EGAd!
Failed to notice the 14 long grid. Hate when that happens. Liked the criss-crossing Themers, each Down crosses two Across ones. Which I believe is where scrumptious (😁) JELLIED EEL came from, as had that E locked in and need a COLD DISH that would fit.
LOG OFF first here because it gets me two F's. I get mad if I have to change it to OUT. 😁
Pretty cool (ha!) puz. Just noticed lots of I starting words. INDIGO, ICECREAM, IDEAL, IRED, IAN, IMDEAD, ILIA, IPO. @Lewis might be rubbing off. Har.
yd -10 (including a P), should'ves 5 (amazing how one day you get 0, next day you get your butt kicked.)
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
A different anon says:
ReplyDeleteKeep the post at 9:10. It's a position, a point of view. (Although unless I missed a comment, a strange non sequitur). But strange isn't offensive. I'm curious Gazpacho, why is it beneath notice and why does it have no place on this blog?
It is jellied eels, not eel. Just like it is fish and chips, not fish and chip. Very frustrating no one checked this with a Brit or indeed the Wikipedia entry for it if nothing else! Completely incorrect as is.
ReplyDeleteI try not to knock Rex because he provides this forum, but I thought his comment this morning was extraordinarily nonsensical.
ReplyDeleteI love the revenge quote. It deserved better examples. GAZPACHO was the only good one.
I watch a lot of NFL and I've never heard Ezekiel Elliot called ZEKE.
We have a handful of tapas restaurants here but I don't think that they serve GAZPACHO. I've only had it once in Acapulco and enjoyed it.
************Wordle Stuff***********
Eagle today. I've gotten better at it, but I give most of the credit to my new first word. I've used it the last fifteen times. Nothing worse than a bogey and only three of them. Five birdies and two eagles.
************************************
Some critics felt that Lady GAGA should have been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. I like her very much usually but not in House of Gucci. They didn't give her much dialogue to work with.
Hats off to the constructor for the terrific reveal and the witty tie-in with dishes best served cold. After ICE CREAM, I enjoyed anticipating what else might be on the menu and thought the melange of JELLIED EEL, PASTA SALAD, and GAZPACHO was a delight in its array of letters and its varied countries of origin - if not actually to eat. I also liked the idea of getting to select the form of REVENGE to be visited upon you - I'll have the ICE CREAM, please. Well, a fun Monday for me, obviously.
ReplyDeleteDo-overs: moiRe before SWIRL; I'M Done; LOG Out. No idea: ZEKE.
@Lewis 6:48 - Thank you for pointing out the mini-themes.
@Kirsti 9:27 - Thank you for the EEL lore. On a freezing, gloomy, drizzly January day in Greenwich many years ago, my family and I left a tour of the Cutty Sark chilled to the bone. In the distance beckoned a storefront with glowing, steamed-up windows and "Eel and Pie Shop" over the door. No eels for us, but rather cherry pie with hot custard, served in substantial bowls, and one of the best things I've ever eaten.
I'm always amazed that there are people who not only time how long it takes them to complete these puzzles but actually keep logs of these times, e.g. - "this was my third fastest Monday..." To quote Jerry Seinfeld, "not that there's anything wrong with that" .. I'm a retired guy with some extra time on my hands, but still I can't think of starting a conversation with, "let me show you my log of the times it's taken me to complete the NYT crossword puzzle for the past 8 years." I guess it would be a pretty good way to get rid of house guests who have hung around a little too long.
ReplyDeleteIf you play on the app, it tracks these things. No log-keeping involved.
DeleteLooks like the NFL comment was memory-holed.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this one will stick around. pmdm, there was a restaurant chain named Chi-Chi's that served fried ice cream. It featured, as you might expect, Mexican, or more exactly, Tex-Mex chow. Where's the NFL come in you ask? Well the chain was co-founded by Packers legend Max McGee who score the very first touchdown in the very first Super Bowl. Best part, he was hungover like a dog. Didn't expect to play much, if at all. But Green Bay's star receiver, Boyd Dowler got hurt, and Max got the call. He didn't even have his helmet with him, having left it in the locker-room. Anyway, He went on to have a great day--7 catches I believe for well over 100 yards and two TDs. Could've easily been named MVP. Maybe should've.
Sadly, he died falling off his roof.
I needed the R in MER and the V in LIV to have the quote but I didn’t mind being slower on the UPtAKE because I like the adage so much. It’s such a good theme and fit so beautifully in the grid that I was surprised that I hadn’t seen it before. The cold foods were more than enough for a Monday puzzle. To throw REVENGE in there would have needed a Sunday grid in my opinion. I found this to be more than enough fun for a Monday morning.
ReplyDeleteSKOPJE, UPFAKE, any pro bowler, and the mere mention of JELLIEDEEL were more than enough to make this a memorable Monday, and ELEVEN seemed tongue in cheek to me. I had a swell time!
Except for a few no-brainers like “A dozen minus one,” this was much harder than the usual Monday, even though I got the revealer proverb almost immediately. Have to agree with Rex that I don’t see how revenge figures into all of this other than wanting to serve a big hunk of JELLIED EEL to someone you’re mad at. Or maybe throw it at them.
ReplyDeleteHad no clue about SKOPJE and having “op art” as my hypnotic pattern at 4D didn’t help. Fortunately, the other crosses eventually came to my rescue, though it was only a lucky guess that landed the “e” in ESOS.
Three books for the fire pit:
DeJoy’s autobiography, I, P.O.
Lenin’s autobiography - I, RED
Trump’s autobiography - I, DEAL
SKOPME if you've heard this, but I natick my moonshine in a MUG.
ReplyDelete@BugSteve46 - The app or web page tracks your fastest, average, and current week’s time. No effort needed. You can also go into the archive and see all your historical times.
ReplyDeleteTo Bigsteve46: your comment was spot on. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHorribly busy Monday today, so I will say that I think the reveal could have been tweaked to make the theme work better, maybe something like: “ the subject of the proverb beginning at 3D may help to identify starred clues similarly delivered.” Some kind of better editing would have made the theme more cohesive but I enjoyed the puzzle and oh so happy our constructor made 2A gettable through the very friendly (Hi, @Frantic!) crosses.
ReplyDeleteWell, anonymous 10:54 A.M., as the comedian Dick Martin (of Rowen & Martin) used to say, "I didn't know that!" Many thanks!
ReplyDeleteA few words about 🟩.
ReplyDeleteThe study also found New Hampshire had more Wordle cheaters than any other state
@pabloinnh? What have you to say for yourself?
@Anon 10:54. If I'm right, bigsteve46 was talking about the obsession, not the method of keeping stats. I've often wondered the same thing. I got a kick out the Wordle folks who thought their stats were lost in the ether.
ReplyDeleteI solved this one with my 94 year old parents, both of Russian Jewish origin. As soon as we got the revealer we were all rooting so hard for BORSCHT. Other than that letdown (and the relatively impenetrable sports trivia and geography) it was a fun time.
ReplyDeleteDay-um. Pretty brave puz constructioneerin project, here. Grid-spanner Down themers crossin four other Across themers. I reckon the theme works pretty good. The Down themers serve up (as advertised) a **hint** to the four Across themers: i.e., "a dish best served cold". The "revenge" part is just extra stuff, there because that's another word that the proverb happens to include. [Altho, JELLIED EEL don't sound like somethin M&A'd be likely to serve to friends, I'd grant.]
ReplyDeletefave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue: {26 things learned in kindergarten} = ABCS. [and yo, @pabloinnh -- yep. Lotsa meaty moo-cow choices here, today, valiantly tryin to offset SKOPJE.]
staff weeject picks: MLB & NHL. Linked up by their common team-name-droppin clue styles. Nice corner weeject stacks, btw.
sparklets: IRED [Mostly cuz I knew what it'd do to @RP's blood pressure -- M&A definitely needs to do a runt sometime, based on the most epic of @RP's all-time non-faves, fill-wise (dibs)]. GAZPACHO. SKOPJE [bring it, Shortzmeister]. @MUSED.
Thanx for the MonPuz vengeance, Mr. Acker dude. And congratz on yer debut.
Masked & Anonymo3Us
**gruntz**
@JoeD-
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I played Mastermind which is a code-breaker game somewhat like Wordle. I managed to complete it successfully but it required more mental energy than three Saturday Stumpers and I never tried it again.
This may be a reason why I have yet to try Wordle, plus the fact that if I become addicted to another word game (I do about four a day) I will have no time at all to check out this blog, which is a highlight.
To all you Wordlers, buena suerte and glad you're having so much fun.
This was a lot better puzzle than Rex gave credit for . A cold dish was the hint in the revealer, and cold dishes is what we got in the themers. I see his point, but he’s saying we should have a really difficult puzzle on Monday. I think not.
ReplyDeleteOf the dishes that are often served hot, but can be eaten cold, I’d vote leftover pizza. Good while hot and fresh, better straight out of the fridge for breakfast.
After the sex reassignment procedure, the woman nearly forgot her PAST AS A LAD.
Wonderful debut, Sam Ackerman.
One of those rare days where I'm shocked to see Rex go with the "challenging" tag and even others characterize the puzzle as "tough."
ReplyDeleteI finished just 9 seconds off my Monday best, and more than one minute below my Monday average.
Guess I'll just take that as a compliment. :)
@pablo – just cheat like the other New Hampshireites, then it won't take up hardly any of your time.
ReplyDelete@bocamp - Croce’s Freestyle #687 was easier than last week’s. Either I’m getting more in tune with Croce or he’s lightening up. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteNo Star Trek II movie comments yet? That phrase is irrevocably linked in my mind to it: "Khan!!!!!"
ReplyDelete@jae
ReplyDeleteThx, I'll get right on it! :)
___
td pg 16:47 / W: *3
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
I agree with smalltowndoc @7:59 that the REVENGE IS A DISH part would have worked better as the clue and BEST SERVED COLD by itself as the reveal. Although I guess that JELLIED EEL(s) would work in some situations for REVENGE.
ReplyDeleteIn my PAST AS A LAD, long before OLD AGE came creeping up, I was very fond of ICE CREAM. Yeah, it should be SERVED COLD otherwise it's just CREAM.
When I saw the clue for 56 Down I was not AMUSED, even IRED a bit, that the NYTXW would expect me to know some Professional Bowler. Really? Oh, it's an N.F.L. Pro Bowler. D'oh!
I'd like to thank some old friends, AGRA, ETTA and ILIA for stopping by to help with my solvequest (©M&A).
GAZPACHO is actually more a liquid salad than a soup, and it needn't include tomatoes. I'll LOGOFF now.
ReplyDeleteMFCTM.
ReplyDeleteLewis (7:19)
Wanderlust (8:56)
Kirsti (9:27)
bigsteve46 (10:26)
egsforbreakfast (11:45)
I splatzed in REVENGE IS sweet but figured out my error at 11D. I was thinking of a quote from a book from my childhood, probably a Trixie Belden book: "REVENGE IS sweet, saccharine sweet" (too bad, saccharine sweet is fifteen letters long.)
ReplyDeleteI had no trouble coming up with JELLIED EEL once I had JELLI in place. No, I haven't tried it. I've never had eel except as sushi - I was going to order eel in a restaurant once and was talked out of it by my Swedish friend who described it as oily and fishy. Not my ideal fish experience.
Sam Aker, congrats on your debut!
@Rex "UPFAKE also felt new (good!) and not-really-Monday (less good!) (63A: Pretend shot, in basketball lingo)."
ReplyDeleteI've played basketball my entire life and have used the term UPFAKE as often as I've eaten JELLIEDEEL. It's a PUMPFAKE, or I will have my REVENGE.
I think I speak for the Goyim when I note that BORSCHT, in our view, is not a cold soup. And the wiki agrees:
ReplyDelete"In the summertime, cold borscht is a popular alternative to the aforementioned variants, which are normally served hot."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht#Variations
And I wonder, did Jeff Goldblum wear a borscht belt in 'Silverado'?
@McD - UP FAKE did not trip me, but I would agree that “pump FAKE” is the much more common usage. Uncle Google directed me to Merriam-Webster where it said they could trace UP FAKE to 1982. I also noticed that when I searched for UP FAKE I got lots of hits talking about “pump fakes” but that the reverse wasn’t the case. Then I tried ngrams expecting reinforcement for “pump fake” being preferred and got this. I’m thinking the “UP FAKE” dominance has to be non-basketball usages, but I don’t know how to use the ngram function to limit the results that way.
ReplyDelete@Joe D 11:14 - Wow. That’s one of the saddest thing I’ve read today. I’ve lucked out so far and don’t have a Wordle DNF, but I do have multiple Quordle DNFs, which really should not happen since there so many opportunities to eliminate letters. In fact, I had a DNF today because I locked in on one of the words and wasted two guesses fruitlessly.
Daily Quordle #42
8️⃣7️⃣
4️⃣🟥
quordle.com
🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩
⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩
⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
I really had no trouble with this puz, though a couple of write-overs. 44D was going to be entente before I realized it was TREATY.
ReplyDeleteAgree with @geezer about revenge - of course it's metaphorical.
pg -4 as usual.
@Z – I think the uptick in cheating is probably just due to more people playing. I had two Wordle DNF's early on. I don't remember what they were, but I do remember that on one I was stuck with only two possibilities at Guess 6 and I picked the wrong one. Right now I'm having a little streak of 3's.
ReplyDeleteI haven't crapped out on Quordle yet, though I just squeaked in today. I got one answer on Guess 2, but then it went 5,8,9. I seem to do better on Quordle than on Dordle for some reason.
For Agatha Christie fans, Skopje would have been a stop on the Orient Express, though I'm not sure the name ever made it into the book (two more obscure places in what was then Yugoslavia, between which the train gets stuck in a snow drift, do make it in).
ReplyDeleteVillager
Upfake? No. Pumpfake? Yes. And I've played a lot of hoops.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the ESOS/SKOPJE cross being a tad unfair for a Monday, and while it was inferable, SKOPJE was a weird one for a Monday.
For a first-time constructor, I'm going to give him major props. Was it a perfect puz? No. But what in this world is perfect?
A few days ago someone questioned, or brought up the issue, did this blog have relevance or was it significant in any way? I think today's post/critique explains why the answer is a loud No.
And in more important news, back in birdie land. It's all about the smart second guess. And a lucky seed word.
Wordle 261 3/6*
🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Interesting mental experience with SKOPJE. I knew very well that it was the capital of Macedonia; and I knew very well that North Macedonia used to be Macedonia (in between, it was FYROM, the "Former Yugoslave Republic of Macedonia"--blame Greece). But I had to put in the interim step of asking 'what was the capital of Macedonia' before it came to mind. Anyway, I thought it gave the puzzle a touch of class, almost compensating for IRED (def: irate when you have only 4 letters). Given all the complaints, I'm surprised (and happy) that no one is complaining about Timbuctu.
ReplyDeleteI am of the school that holds the theme should take the revealer and use its words in a different meaning, so this one was great. The only problem was that, working the crosses, I threw in MER, MALI, APE, EPIC, LIV, and thus got to 3D with REV already in place, which game me the whole thing, with only a brief pause to consider whether it should be "A DISH that is BEST...," since BEST SERVED COLD looked like it couldn't be 15 letters. Fortunately, I counted. So anyway, what with that and the theme answers having stars on the clues, ICE CREAM gave the game away, I didn't get to have the fun of wondering what linked all those answers.
I've been to a lot of pubs and never seen JELLIED EEL[s], so thanks @Kirsti for explaining that. I'd love to try some, though; why all the hate, it sounds delicious!
BTW, sorry to be posting so late. We're on vacation, and went for a very long walk along the beach. I've learned some people read my comments in synic-land, so I'm posting anyway.
Since I knew the quote, the puzzle was quickly solved. And of course I knew GAZPACHO. What I don't know if if I had it in one of those waterfront restaurants in Sausalito, such as The Tides, or if I had it on my first solo trip to Spain, Spring of 1969. Flew from London to Gibraltar, visited the main cities in Andalucia, then Madrid, and then by train via Barcelona to the South of France, then to Verona, and after a couple of nights to Wolfsburg, Germany, where I bought a brand new VW bug from the factory.
ReplyDeleteOr I could have tasted it that summer, when my best friend met me and we drove in that Bug from Paris to the northern coast of Spain, then to Lisbon, then to Madrid, and on to Geneva, where my friend had relatives. But I am guessing I first had it in the South of Spain, in the springtime. Probably washed down with red wine from Malaga and sherry right out of the wood. In any case, I have loved GAZPACHO and actually made it at home. In any case I know how to spell it, and on that same trip a man in Madrid took me under his wing, and talked with me in Castilian Spanish, using the th sound for all his soft C's and Z's. He insisted I try Judias con Jamon, i.e., ham and Green Beans, which are called Jewish Beans there. Yeah, Jews don't eat ham, which proves the name is a bit of a joke.
Looking forward to tomorrow, which I expect will be even easier.
@Joe D and @Z -- Cheating at wordle makes about as much sense as cheating at solitaire. But it's quite possible that no one was really cheating.
ReplyDeleteWere these people looking up the word before or after they'd exhausted their (limited to) six guesses? If after, maybe they just didn't want to go to their graves never knowing the wordle for that day. The site doesn't tell you -- not even after you've already failed the game. I didn't know that it was possible to look up the word, but one time, after I'd had six guesses with still no bloody idea of what the answer was, I would have looked up the answer had I known it was possible. I would never look it up if I were still in the game, even if I was en route to a double bogey.
@Nancy - Here is the link to the article in Wordfinderx, the site that did the supposed study. It's not exact clear what people searched for, it seems like the easiest way to cheat would be to google "Today's Wordle" to get the answer. Also the site shows different tools you can use such as anagram solvers, and I gather it figured out that people were using these with more frequency.
ReplyDelete...not exactly clear...
DeleteSmash keyboard into computer screen? (The center column)
ReplyDeletePRIMAL LOGOFF.
That's for @Nancy or whoever.
I enjoyed GA GA GASP too.
The ASHY LENT ORGY is an annual 40 day event in NOLA.
Not all fake jumps involve arm pumps so I thought it filled a useful space in basketball terminology even though I have never heard it used.
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@Z I did a less thorough Google search and came up with similar results. The nGram search is new to me. I had the same thought though when I saw the graph. Has to be non hoops terminology.
ReplyDelete@albatross shell Not all fake jumps involve arm pumps is true, but those are called HEAD FAKES.
Go Zags!
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IRED AGENDA
ReplyDeleteIt's an IDEAL PRIMAL wish,
I'M AMUSED it's so OLD:
MENS' REVENGEISADISH,
SISTER, and BESTSERVEDCOLD.
--- ZEKE SKOPJE
A surprising 1-letter DNF! The culprit? Square 4. I mean, with the nonsensical _KOPJE already ending 4-across, who but a native would know that letter? TWIRL made at least as much sense to me as SWIRL, and I recall a hockey player named Tkachuck, so the TK combo has precedent--plus he's from Eastern Europe.
ReplyDeleteI also made things tougher than they had to be by misremembering the quote as REVENGE IS sweet when SERVED COLD. No score on a DNF, but I agree that there are a few things here that definitely do NOT belong in a Monday grid.
Terrific NYTXW puzzle debut for Sam Acker. Best Monday in a while. DNF because I had GAsPACHO-sEKE. Went too fast and did not double check with the cross. Of course ZEKE makes more sense than sEKE now that I look at it. A few entries grated: OER, IRED, IPO, ASHY, INST e.g. but overall it was quite an enjoyable and solid offering.
ReplyDeleteNote to Spacecraft: The Tkachuk dynasty lives on in the NHL. Keith’s sons Matthew and Brady are active players on the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/find_player.php?full_name=tkachuk&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0
I was astounded at how many people found this puzzle even slightly difficult. I found this to be one of the easiest Monday NYT Xword puzzles ever. And I've been doing Xword puzzles for over 60 years. I actually said to myself out loud:People are going to complain about how easy it was. Only 2 slowdown points in the puzzle. The j in Skopje, that was given away by the 8 down clue.
ReplyDeleteAnd checking the across clues to see if 45 down was going to be log off or out.