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Name spelled with six dashes and six dots / FRI 4-22-22 / Greek counterpart of Discordia / Historically Germanic observances / Works with 17 units / One born in the wrong generation maybe / Where Wonder Woman first worked abbr / Rivals of 1980s Showtime Lakers to fans
Friday, April 22, 2022
Constructor: Daniel Sheremeta
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
Word of the Day: FAROES (3D: North Atlantic island group) —
The Faroe Islands (/ˈfɛəroʊ/ FAIR-oh), or simply the Faroes or Faeroes(Faroese: Føroyar [ˈfœɹjaɹ]; Danish: Færøerne [ˈfeɐ̯ˌøˀɐnə]), are a North Atlantic archipelago and island country located 320 kilometres (200 mi) north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway between Norway(580 kilometres (360 mi) away) and Iceland (430 kilometres (270 mi) away). Like Greenland, it is a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark. The islands have a total area of about 1,400 square kilometres (540 sq mi) with a population of 53,792 as of March 2022. [...] While part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Faroe Islands have been self-governing since 1948, controlling most areas apart from military defence, policing, justice, currency, and foreign affairs. Because the Faroe Islands are not part of the same customs area as Denmark, the Faroe Islands has an independent trade policy, and can establish trade agreements with other states. The Faroes have an extensive bilateral free trade agreement with Iceland, known as the Hoyvík Agreement. In the Nordic Council, they are represented as part of the Danish delegation. In certain sports, the Faroe Islands field their own national teams. They did not become a part of the European Economic Community in 1973, instead keeping the autonomy over their own fishing waters. (wikipedia)
• • •
- 23A: Rivals of the 1980s "Showtime" Lakers, to fans (CELTS) — I lived in California in the '80s and stood out (badly) for being the only boy I knew who hated the Lakers and loved the Celtics (my 1986 yearbook is absolutely loaded with inscriptions from other boys talking shit to me about Laker superiority while also conceding that the Celtics did indeed win the championship that year, whereas the Lakers couldn't even get past the Rockets). So I was a "fan" of the Celtics ... and literally never referred to them as CELTS. I don't doubt that people (journalists?) called (call) them that. It's just that I grew up to become a medievalist (of sorts) and now say CELTS with a hard "C" ... so the shortened name for the basketball team now feels very inapt. And yet I can say soft-C "Celtics" no problem ...
- 25A: Regulation followers, for short (OTS) — speaking of basketball ... at the end of "Regulation," if the score is tied, you head into overtime (OT). Absolutely baffling to me while I was solving, even with the "O" and "S."
- 34A: Works with 17 units (HAIKUS) — the "units" are syllabic.
- 38A: Manhattan campus around Washington Sq. Park (NYU) — as a notorious partial-clue reader, I (predictably) wrote in KSU here.
- 42A: Name spelled with six dashes and six dots (MORSE) — cute that MORSE Code is used to spell MORSE, but in general I can't think of anything more ARCANE and annoying than MORSE Code-based cluing. Dit, dah, D'OH!
- 7D: Young male chicken (COCKEREL) — OK this is kind of a fun word. Even with COCK in place, it took me a few beats to remember it existed. Crosswords are reasonably big on chicken nomenclature. Lots of HENS clued ambiguously as [Layers] and, I don't know, POULTs and what not.
- 49D: Invoice info: Abbr. (HRS.) — no clue. Needed every cross. This answer is about as exciting as a filing cabinet or a manila folder. "More abbrevs. from the electrifying world of H.R.!" they definitely did not cry!
P.S. I have been solving a lot more cryptic crosswords, since they sometimes appear in the New Yorker, and the American Values Club Crossword publishes one weekly now. If you're at all cryptic-curious, I live-solve puzzles with my friends Rachel Fabi and Neville Fogarty every Friday at 7pm on Rachel's Twitch channel. You can find one of our broadcasts from a couple of weeks ago if you just scroll down a tad. Anyway, it's a lot of fun. For me, anyway.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
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94 comments:
Thx Daniel, for a fine Fri. offering! :)
Easy-med-tough!
Did something I can't ever recall doing on a xword: had a bonafide dnf (meaning I actually left two cells blank).
The perfect storm: NIGI_I / YEEZ_S / CERB__S. Whatever the two missing letters are, I vow to combine those three words together in some kind of mnemonic, to remember forever hereafter.
If forced to guess, I'd probably go with 'r' & 'e'.
Maybe the answer will come in my dreams. [nope, no help there]
Nevertheless, a fun romp, and worthy challenge! :)
@Eniale (1:36 PM yd) ty :)
___
yd's: pg 15:49 (-3) (SB word that was, and apparently no longer is) / W: 3* / WH: 3 / SC: 13/16 / Duo: 34/37
Phrazle 18: 2/6
🟪⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟪🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟨🟪🟪
🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Got an email from the NYT -- today's paper will be delivered tomorrow. Isn't that just peachy. Won't be seeing y'all today. Need to stay away from the blog so the puzzle won't be spoiled for me. Grrrr. Have fun, everyone.
It is a very good thing KSU never occurred to me, as:
a) I don't know Washington Square Park, so that added no useful information for me,
b) NIGIRI is a complete unknown and kIRIGI would be just as good,
c) While I thought YEEZUS was correct, if I had had KSU already in place I surely would have convinced myself that sEEZUS was a follow-up album.
I usually do these the night before - when they’re released on app, 9pm Central Time. And usually have to cheat off Chen’s answer sheet for Friday and Saturday (one to several words).
Too tired last night and woke up way too early today but had a clean solve of a Friday by 6:20 AM. Yay me!
Going to try to go back to sleep now, victory in hand. Maybe smugness is the cure for insomnia…
Mods. If you think my early post was a spoiler, so are all of bocamp's, Okananager's, and others' Spelling Bee comments.
@Nancy. your not mising much
A most impressive debut, nothing amateur about this one.
A sea of white in the grid, cleanly filled, with answers from varied fields, and expert clues. Some gorgeous answers too, such as LIFE HACK, BARE NECESSITIES, OLD SOUL, and ARCANE. And a tutorial on vague cluing, from one-worders like [Shade], [Turn], and [Air], to those longer, like [Part of a pool], and [Features of some glasses]. Clever clues too, like those for IRONS and MORSE.
Which all made for a brain-involving tour, enriched by beauty, humor, and scope.
Daniel, you have landed on the scene, and suddenly the scene is a richer place. Do come around soon again, please! You have a most lovely voice and obvious talent. Thank you so much for this!
I guess Rex is right that the grid spanners don’t really sparkle all that much, but I liked the puzzle anyway. But then give me a smooth and easy Friday and it’s hard to complain. My biggest slowdown is the mental one of “the heathens call it SODA not pop.”
How long until we get a “Used Kia” clue for OLD SOUL?
@kitshef - Right!?! Although that Manhattan—>ksU mistake is the classic “curveball because it’s not a curveball and I solve to many crosswords” mistake. Would any non-excessive crossword solver read “Manhattan school” and leap to Kansas? I avoided it by slapping down NIGIRI because I am a raw fish that appear in crosswords expert. NIGIRI has been in the puzzle four times since 2018, enough for it to stick. So the N was there keeping me out of Kansas.
@Wordler - It was a close decision. You had two pieces of information that separately are not spoilers but together could be. Candidly, if it were later in the day I would probably have not deleted it.
I was off to a flying start with BASICNECESSITIES off the B of LIBIDO, and feeling wicked smart, until it wouldn't fit, inducing a "now what?" moment. But some crosses revealed BARE, ha ha, and the top went in fairly smoothly.
CELTS is common in the Boston sports pages, which I read a lot of. And of course BOGGS was a gimme.
Major pothole in the SE, with NIGIRI and YEEZUS cheek by jowl. Fortunately I had NYU with the Kansas campus never occurring to me, so that helped.
I've been TUBING and once knew MORSE code (didn't help, needed all the crosses), and I'm still wondering why IODINE is the thing found in a lab, as it could be any of, I don't know, a zillion other things, but on the whole an enjoyable Friday.
Congrats on the debut, DS. I hope you don't stop after this one, and thanks for all the fun.
I was surprised to see that I had a Saturday time on this one when I'd finished. Most of it felt easy. What slowed me down was not knowing how to spell NECESSITIES and then there was the SE corner. I remembered 51 A as being CEREBUS and wondered why it didn't fit. The campus and the album were initially mysteries but I managed to straighten that corner out.
My initial guess for 1A was ROCKBAND. BAES would fit at 5D but luckily I didn't get the 6D clue or it would have set me off wrong. LIBIDO supported by IRONS was the real start.
That clue for YODOG was the worst part of the puzzle. The "Wassup" part was bad enough but adding "my dude" is cringe worthy.
My spelling is so bad I actually thought 33A should be spelled DIaLATES. Nope, the word is DILATE always has been and that extra A was a figment of my own poor hearing and pronunciation.
@bocamp, the sudden disappearance of telnet from the SB list is further proof of how completely random Sam Ezersky is. He needs to be sent to his room and stay there for a while.
yd -0
Whew. That was close. When I saw the clue for 1A [Cheap trick], and I had the LI in place, I immediately thought of my ex-girlfriend LIlyanne. She not only fit the spaces, she fit the clue.
Thank you for doing your job.
I liked PHOTOSYNTHESIZE as a spanner - add ONE ON ONE, NEST EGGS and CERBERUS and we get some prime real estate. That center diagonal does glom things up - makes the solve a little disjoint. Love the KEATS line.
Lord let me die in the IODINE State
Definitely the star of this week so far.
Love OLD SOUL. Also love that Rex has his HS yearbook. Puzzle feels breezy, in a good way. Of course, the window's open and the air is fresh so that may be influencing me.
(False alarm from the NYT today. My paper was delivered after all. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Everything I want in a Friday puzzle! Lots of white space, lots of long answers, good cluing, and almost no pop culture at all, other than YEEZUS. I could have used that "Z" to confirm the lovely and very, very well-clued PHOTOSYNTHESIZE, but by then I was pretty sure of it anyway.
Re: MOSES. Didn't just about everyone in the Old Testament who was old or at least oldish have a large staff? I'm embarrassed to say that I wasn't entirely sure it was MOSES.
When I read the clue: "Someone born in the wrong generation, maybe", I immediately thought of LUDDITE. (The "D" would have worked with DIET SODA, btw, though I never wrote it in.) Whereas an OLD SOUL can fit into any generation, I'm thinking. OLD SOULs are immensely wise and very "laid back", it's said.
Having no idea what a LIFE HACK is, I may have had more of a challenge entering this puzzle than you did. But I had a wonderful time with it and think it's worthy of an OLD SOUL.
I thought photosynthesize was great, and nicely clued! Enjoyed the puzzle and thought the tricky ones were fairly crossed.
@Nancy 6:42 AM - Ugh I know the feeling...but I've descended to the level of doing it online in such cases rather than print it out, which was my prior solution.
My problem with IM A MORON (as it would be with "idiot" in place of "moron") is that, in my experience, these two self-deprecating formulaic expressions usually include the phrase "such a" (I'm such a moron," "I'm such an idiot").
Interesting octordle today.
Re: CERBERUS / YEEZUS / NIGIRI
I've set a reminder for a month from today to see if I can recall those three, w/o the need of mnemonic device. lol
@puzzlehoarder 👍 for - 0 yd
Bonus point for the forsaken 'telnet'. 😉
___
td 0 (pg: 6:19) / W: 3*
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
@pabloinnh. "I" is the chemical symbol for IODINE.
I really love a themeless with all that wide open space. The only thing better is when those top and bottom three lines ARE long stacks but this works too. My toughest go was in the SE where I had to HACK away at the combo of CERBERUS, NIGIRI and YEEZUS - all completely unknown. But in fairness to myself, there are a total of six Proper Names in that corner (counting the clue for ESSAYIST). That seemed a little much even for a Friday but other than that, quite the dazzling debut.
Ah the OLD SODA/cola kealoa pays us a visit.
If you folks who live in the NYU neighborhood could hear me speak you’d think I have a real TWANG. And that’s okay, just don’t automatically think IM A MORON because I live in the sticks.
Hey All !
Kept trying to shove in BASIC NECESSITIES, kept coming up one letter too long. Dang, what is it? Ah, BARE! IM A MORON.
Another MORON moment, in SE, I really really wanted CEREBERUS with that U (hi @M&A) but couldn't wrap the ole brain around YEEZUS, thinking it had to be YEEZES. Dang Kanye. After a nice run of complete puzs, my one-letter DNF rears its ugly head.
YO DOG was YO BRO, YO MAN. Oy. Had GENE/TUBING/GOBAD in, but nothing else was working in the NE, so erased it all, only to have them come back and be correct. Weird, that. How does my MORON brain see answers better if there's no letters in? You'd figure it'd be easier to see with actual correct answers in.
Had isIS for ERIS doing a fantastic job of messing me up. In NW, deciding twixt LIFE being attached to either HACK or NECESSITIES. Works with either one.
This puz started tough
Thought a sec "IM A MORON"
And screwed up YEEZUS
(My HAIKU to the puz) 😁
Gonna MOSEY with my COCKEREL whilst singing a TWANGy SONG. OH, STOP IT FOR ONCE!
yd -4, should'ves 2 - Duo 36/37
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Ray Charles, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Jackie Wilson, or Sam Cooke, e.g.: OLD SOUL
. . . but what the hell is a LIFE HACK??!!
I was so proud of myself for putting in BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS without any crosses...then slowly realized that was completely wrong.
what's with Modern "art" being ARE?
@Whatsername (9:39) -- Why, shucks, gal, I would never hold your TWANG against you. Your avatar, Annie Oakley, also had a TWANG -- at least she did according to Betty Hutton. (Not so much according to Ethel Merman, whose New Yorkishness always crept into her performances because no matter who she was playing, Ethel always "did" Ethel better than she did anyone else.)
What's more, I'm pretty sure that REBA has a TWANG too. So today's a big day for TWANGs @whatsername.
@anon 9:34-Somehow I read the clue and skipped right over the I, which of course makes the answer obvious, so thanks for pointing that out. Sometimes IMAMORON.
@jazzmanchgo-LIFE HACK is the latest term for things that make our lives easier. The used to be called "shortcu", or "pro tips".
Fast (mostly) and fun. Luck of the draw gave me almost all of the PPP, and pickings from the trove of "we've seen this before" were a big help; but I got BOGGed down when I tried lUgING instead of TUBING - clearly something was wrong, but it took me a good bit to figure out what to do with "Shade" and "Turn." Fun to write in: COCKEREL, FOR ONCE, CERBERUS, PIOUS x SOUL, and MOSES x MORSE, with their contrasting means of communication, stone tablets v. dots and dashes through the ether.
Help from previous puzzles: IMARET, YO DOG. Help from having a sushi-loving daughter: NIGIRI. No idea: YEEZUS.
@puzzlehoarder 8:30 - Your DIaLATES reminded me of my flashes of LIGHTeNING and snowy WINTeRY weather. A Midwestern need for extra vowels? :)
Someone in the editing team needs to look up what an OLD SOUL is. It's not someone born in the wrong time period, it's someone with an preternatural depth of understanding.
LIFE HACKs is a ridiculous construct. There are, of course, good ideas, but good ideas don't need marketing gimmicks. Over 60 years ago I learned from my Grandmother to keep a dish towel under all the seat cushions in my house, so one was always handy should anyone spill something. It's a good idea. It doesn't need the label of LIFEHACK.
Actually, no one should ever call themselves (or anyone, for that matter) an IDIOT. Idiots have an IQ between 0 and 25, so are incapable of speech or speech comprehension. Calling someone an idiot would be a waste of time or inaccurate, and if you can call yourself an idiot, you are wrong. MORON is at least realistic , as morons have IQs between 51 and 70.
However, a the phrase is IMSUCHAF&&&INGMORON
One of my faves: LIFE HACK (always on the lookout for these)
"A life hack (or life hacking) is any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life. The term was primarily used by computer experts who suffer from information overload or those with a playful curiosity in the ways they can accelerate their workflow in ways other than programming." (Wikipedia)
@RUe Monster (9:44 AM) 👍 for DUo sUccess! :)
Same thots as you re: the 'U'.
Signed,
U sually 'more on than off'. 😉
___
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
PS - Aren't all NECESSITIES bare? If they are above and beyond the minimum required, are the really necessities or are they fluff? Discuss.
Well, gosh, the things you Americans know. Like that there can possibly be a connection between “Manhattan” and Kansas State University. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Further to the what-you-know and what-you-don’t-know categories, I had exactly the same reaction to the clues “Eastern lodging” and “Sushi variety”: “I absolutely *should* know this from many puzzles of yore.” It seems IMARET has stuck more firmly than NIGIRI, but maybe I’ve got the raw fish down now. And BOGGS! I don’t follow baseball (much to the disappointment of my sainted mother, who cheered for the Yankees and the Blue Jays right to the end), but I looked at the “Wade” clue and thought, “Hmm, I might know this.” I moved on to a different area of the puzzle in order to let Wade simmer for a bit, then came back to it and wrote in BOGGS with only the central G in place. How did I know??
I thought the whole shebang got off to a…well…bang with LIBIDO at 1D. Grinned at the artistic clues that weren’t: [Modern “art”] and [Drawing method]. That first one was particularly good. Gave a slight side-eye to KNEELED, although I’m sure it’s perfectly correct. I always say “KNElt”. Splatzed in YObro with no crosses (hi, @Roo) – I liked the rhyme! Love both “recherché” and ARCANE – and let’s add esoteric and recondite and make a quartet. A lot of people bemoan “?” clues, but I have to say that “Decreases?” was a great help in getting IRONS early on. My take on OLD SOUL is more like @Nancy’s than the puzzle’s: a person comfortable in their skin, with wisdom, experience, compassion – well grounded and in touch with what’s important. I really wanted “Biblical figure with a large staff” to be “Jesus” – 12 disciples, dontcha know.
Do I want you?
Oh my, do I?
Honey, ‘DEED I do.”
[SB: I also noticed the sad disappearance of TELNET, but a couple of weeks ago, a word that had originally been OK and then was disallowed, was reinstated! That’s the first time I’ve encountered such a phenomenon. The word was TAIN.]
@Rex: Don’t necessarily agree with you today but enjoyed the high school yearbook blurb and art.
@Moderators (8:11) Thank you for being vigilant on screening the Wordler comments. Even vague hints can sometimes be - if not a spoiler - a dampener of the fun. Just such a thing happened earlier this week when someone implied that the answer was a word in the puzzle that day, and it wasn’t at all difficult to figure out which one.
That said . . . .
Wordle 307 2/6
🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
No hint, just luck.
@jazzmango
LIFE HACKs are found in clickbait lists all over the internet and show you how to use common household items for resolving all the nasty little challenges in life - like using dental floss to cut cinnamon roll dough, or dryer sheets to loosen gunk baked onto your frying pans. It's kind of an extension of the WD-40 / Duct Tape cult,
Mr. Sheremeta
Well done. Bare necessities and photosynthesize are fantastic. Simply superb grid spanners.
I know it's not today's answer nor even Kipling but The Bear Necessities never fails to me smile.
It's also the name of foundation that helps pediatric cancer patients even more worthwhile than Baloo.
I know one person who certainly assumes Kansas when Manhattan school is invoked. I can see her in my mind's eye as if it were yesterday, though in fact it was the Fall of 1984 when I first saw her in That Manhattan, Kansas T shirt. I wasn't the only one who took note. Charles Barkley, yeah that one, took a shine as well. You really couldn't miss them on campus. Maybe because you should've seen Barkley getting into or out of his 944. It was some trick. Anyway Hurrah for Anna, Charles and the Red and The Blue.
Definitely a medium/challenging one for me. Northwest just wouldn’t fall into place, mainly because LIFEHACK is something I never say. But apparently now it’s passé, so good. Also, if KEATS/YEATS isn’t in the official KEA/LOA list, it should be (COCKEREL is obviously correct compared to COCYEREL, but I guess IMAMORON).
Wow. This puzzle was a toughie for me but I managed to slay the dragon repeatedly working in a clockwise fashion. Verdict…I loved the challenge!
For sports, I was lucky I knew that Magic was a Laker and Bird was a CELT(S) and that Wade is BOGGS. With respect to Kanye, I plopped in YEEZ?? which allowed me suss out PHOTOSYNTHESIS (clever).
My biggest problem was that after the B in LIBIDO I confidently inserted BASICHUMANNEEDS…which fit and I hung onto it way to long and had me trying to think of -ASOES islands. Pretty sure I sorted that out once I got KNEELED and LIFEHACK came into view.
@Nancy, sometime you should Google LIFE HACKS. Relatively new term but sometimes I’m amazed at the ingenious “shortcuts” or easy ways of doing things that one might feel is a drag…usually with housework, cooking, or minor repairs.
Wait a sec. Someone's comment was deleted because it was a spoiler? Someone's comment on a blog that reveals the entire solution? Now there's a puzzle.
Jeezus, this "telnet" thing must be a big deal. At least it confirmed that I want nothing to do with "SB".
I had a great time with this puzzle. My first impression was not optimistic but popped in a word here or there and so many vague possibilities started being confirmed that I started getting that mind-meld thing going with the constructor. Love when that happens in a relatively difficult puzzle, so I'm a happy camper for the first time in days.
I thought a moderator responding to a complaint was a nice touch.
@Pete, you really have to stop feeding us straight lines. There getting hard to resist.
I think it was Charleton who insisted that Moses have the biggest staff. Didn't he say they would have to "pry his dead hands of his staff" or something ?
Found it difficult. And some of the clues needlessly obscure without the result/answer being clever/rewarding. Agree with 🦖.
(However am thinking as my skills and times improve, so may my response and critiques.)
But for now…
😜🦖🦖🦖😜
Our basest beggars are in the poorest thing superfluous
Do people who are trying to quit using French articles go to LE ANON (9A)?
I like the side by side triple imperatives: ASK ME, PIO US and CAM US.
Was any one else thinking about Michael Moore when they saw MEIN ROGER stacked at 43A and 46A?
I loved IRONS for Decreases?
A very smooth, flowing puzzle and a great debut. Thanks, Daniel Sheremeta.
Well, today's puzzle had some fun ones like DECREASES --> IRONS. But a tutor, I'm feeling all grrrrrr: singular ACT is not "high school alternativeS" to the SATs. Either both are plural or both are singular. My two centS.
@Anon10:07 - Why art thou confused?
@11:00 - It wasn’t a crossword spoiler.
@jazzmanchgo et alia - Remember Hints from Heloise? Life Hacks. My personal favorite Life Hack was learning that those pleated paper ketchup cups available in many fine dining establishments are actually pleated for a reason. You pull the pleats apart and the cup because a shallow paper dish. Heloise never taught me that!
@Barbara S - Just to be clear, I know that KSU is in Manhattan, Kansas because I do crosswords, not because I’m an American.
@Beezer (10:59) -- But I don't do any housework or minor repairs. My "cooking" is confined to scrambled eggs with swiss cheese:), a quite tasty tuna fish salad, and a really good (if I don't say so myself) chicken salad made with already-cooked, store-bought chicken. The latter is my "company dish". (My "company dish" used to be Steak Tartare, but that was before the days of Mad Cow's Disease, salmonella suddenly found in raw eggs, plus my own newly high level of cholesterol.)
Always remember: LAZY can be found before LIFE HACK in every dictionary.
Thanks @Barbara S for a delightful post that parallels my reaction to today’s debut grid that I found just right for a Friday. Great editing/constructor clueing as @Lewis and others have noted. And @Zed’s zinger, “ How long until we get a “Used Kia” clue for OLD SOUL?” necessitated a clean the coffee off the iPad moment. Even OFL found enough fun in the puzzle to plumb the basement for moldy high school memorabilia…not bad by any standard!
Ouch! I don’t eat sushi or listen to Kanye West so that little SE corner was a killer. I refuse to say that IMAMORON, but it made me realize that I am truly an OLDSOUL. Luckily I know a ROGER very well so that made the struggle in that spot even worse. Otherwise this wasn’t a tough Friday. LIFEHACK was easy because Instagram gives me dozens every day, and I had the two long answers quickly. I didn’t even need a cross to see BARENECESSITIES, and very few for PHOTOSYNTHESIZE, which was an answer I liked and haven’t seen in a puzzle before.
@Nancy and @Barbara S. Interesting perspective on OLDSOUL. Believe me, I don’t know the real answer but I think of OLDSOUL being associated with some children, for instance one of MY children. My daughter very early on just seemed like she related to adults more than to many her age. Her “attitude” or “outlook” wasn’t taught and it wasn’t encouraged (it wasn’t discouraged either). I always thought she seemed like an “old soul.” Eventually as people her age matured into adulthood, she no longer seems like an old soul to me. (But she IS pretty wise…lol)
Barbara S.,
If you're of mind, google Wade Boggs. You'll discover a lot of zany things about him. A lot.
my favorite Boggs stats are both realted to his legendary thirt.
He once drank 64 beers on the flight back home to Boston from L.A. Nobody who was aboard that plane disputes it. *
Even better, he once drank 107 beers in a single day. That one is harder to corroborate, but I myself have no doubt about its veracity
*At least one teammate claims he never left on that flight his seat to use the facilities.
OH, STOP IT, Rex. This was a terrific debut. Coming up with a 15-letter word to span the grid was worth the price of admission. Also loved a lot of the clues, especially those for ARE and MORSE.
Really wanted COCKETTE for 7D and then remembered The Cockettes, an in-your-face 70s hippie drag theatre group in San Francisco that was the subject of a documentary in the early 2000s. I’m sure they would have had a different take on the Biblical figure with the large staff.
@Anon11:49 - Gullible much? 64 beers. Six hour flight. That’s 11 beers an hour or a beer every 5 to 6 minutes. I just looked and Alcohol Poisoning for an average sized person can begin after five drinks in two hours. BOGGs would have been dead before the plane crossed the Rockies. Here’s the thing, pro athletes give lots of interviews. Interviewers encourage them to be entertaining. Bunyanesque tales often result. Feel free to be entertained, but let me suggest that you never set aside a significant amount of skepticism.
@Newboy - Sorry about the iPad.
@TJS -- "Pry dead fingers," I think. Funny!!!!!
Thought the puzz was just fine. Smooth and steady. Brain fog made this a longer solve than usual, but a pleasant one. Particularly enjoyed the blending of eras. Perhaps YEEZUS should start a chain of IMARETs.
@Nancy (10:07) Hutton and Merman. Wow! Two ladies whose versions of TWANG I would loved to have heard.
@Pete (10:19) That entry made me recall comedian George Carlin’s ranking system: “Anyone driving slower than you is an idiot and anyone driving faster than you is a maniac.” All the others are MORONs.
I see now how my Wordle post could have been a hint. It was unintentional and I hope I did no harm. Simplified version: 3
@Zed. I thought of Heloise, too. Google tells me that Heloise died in 1977 and her daughter took over the column. It still appears in many papers including WAPO.
@Joaquin 831am
Good one. I'm always willing to trade a bit of propriety for a good laugh.
Hands up for initial thoughts of cerebus and basic necessities. But I did spot the lower-case t in trick.
I noted all the single and double Plurals Of Convenience but I thoght the quality of the fill covered it up pretty much.
KEATS and yEATS serta sealyness.
Clue: ___ I do.
Answer: SO DO I.
Totally unnecessary.
Liked the grid the fill and the clues. Not great but pretty good. Sparkle quotient a bit low.
Add AS DO I to the SO AM I and SO DO I options at 45 Across.
I've heard the expression I'M A MORON but not I'M A RET.
I'm a big fan of HAIKUS, even the less than PIOUS ones like
Joyous, playful, bright
Trailer park girl rolls in puddle
Of old motor oil.
Or
In WalMart toy aisle,
Wailing boy wants wrestling doll.
Mama whups his ass.
More of these at redneck HAIKUS
Being born and bred in Taxachusetts, yes, CELTS is one knickname. The more common is The Green.
Bottom half easy-medium, top half tougher. It’s nice to have to work a bit on a Friday. desIre before LIBIDO and letME before ASKME. Solid with some sparkle, liked it. A fine debut!
FAROE Island salmon is really, really good!
@anon 11am
Is that satire or faux outrage? We vome hrre to discuss one puzzle not to see solutions to a different puzzle.
And, if your of an age to have the opportunity to hear a C's (another common knickname) broadcast with Cousy doing the 'color' and Most doing the play-by, and didn't do so? You've got no reason to live.
"Havelicek stole the ball!!!!!!!!"
@Nancy:
Always remember: LAZY can be found before LIFE HACK in every dictionary.
For the short time I was a chem major, it was an article of faith that the best, smartest chemists (student then on the job) were the laziest. Always looking for the shortcut.
I was so smart, so hip, I NAILED IT - 6D was definitely referring to NFTs...not. As it was, I had to wait to think about ARE post-solve before I saw the "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo" meaning. Har.
skiING was probably a popular slope activity today (I haven't read the comments yet). At least it was on my grid.
The SE took most of my time today. I don't get many invoices that are billed by the hour crossing my desk so H__ took all the crosses to get. 43A's "Air" clue was vague and I'm not a Kanye fan so YEEZUS filled in painfully. Tough corner!
Daniel Sheremeta, thank you for the nice sticky Friday puzzle. Congratulations on the debut!
I totally believe the Boggs story. I know people who could do that.
Did it! Just about right for a Friday, I thought. Of course CERBERUS went right in. We had a book about myths when I was a child, and I liked to read it But I was not in any way an OLD SOUL, then or later (now I'm just old).
I do think an OLD SOUL is often a young man in his 20s who effortlessly carries in his head, and in his MIEN, the understanding and wisdom of a man of 75 or 80. The late Jerry Garcia qualified for sure. So, I think, did Allen Ginsberg, even in his youth. As I say that, I do think my eldest grandson seemed like an OLD SOUL when he was four or five, but he grew out of it (Of my four grandkids, he is the only one who seemed that way, probably in imitation of his dad -- he sure didn't get it from me.
I hate it when the Times does not come on time. Being a total creature of habit, my morning goes: 1. Coffee. 2. Laundry, if needed. 3. Testing my cholesterol, BP, etc.) 4. Going out to get the paper. 5. Reading the local paper, over coffee with a bite to eat. 6. Doing the Times crossword. 6. Using the bathroom. 7. Taking my morning pills. 8. Looking at this blog. 9. Lunch.
No papers? My whole day is out of kilter.
The Boggs story is hard to believe. Personally, if I have more than 2, I start trying to take my pants off over my head. I was playing hearts once with a group that included my brother-in-law Lenny who drank beer steadily the whole night which necessitated his stopping play to go to the bathroom every ten minutes or so, it seemed. I finally suggested he just pour all the beer down the toilet and cut out the middleman.
@Beezer - I'm with you on OLDSOUL being used principally for children. That kid that pulls out a book or sits and patiently waits for the other non old souls in their class to calm down and stop giggling about stupid stuff.
I always assumed MORON, idiot and imbecile were just insults against average people and was surprised to found out they were once specific medical terms, as an anon pointed out. "...Specifically, those who have an IQ between 0 and 25 are idiots; IQs between 26 and 50 are considered imbeciles; and those who have an IQ between 51 and 70 are considered morons." Borderline and Dull would be the next higher categories.
A bad day for NYC residents: reminded that Nets are down 0-2 to CELTS, throw in a Red Sox great, then tell us that the first Manhattan you think about is in Kansas???
Good solid offering today. Always challenged, never stuck.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS was a great entry, as clued; I can't imagine why Rex didn't like it. BARE NECESSITIES seems more pedestrian, though it did evoke fond memories of the eponymous English country dance band, led by Peter Barnes. And I love NIGIRI -- I'm surprised it's so unknown, I thought the sushi fad had penetrated more deeply.
My ex-father-in-law finished his career at Kansas State, so I've been to Manhattan KS a few times; but given that it's the New York Times, it seems legitimate to expect solvers to know where a major New York institution is.
@Barbara S., if you don't follow baseball, you may know BOGGS because of the publicity he got when a woman he'd had a 5-year affair with sued him for $11 million+. He was interviewed about it by Barbra Walters, for example.
@Zed, I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers Hints from Heloise! I loved her column. With the help of reader suggestions she had developed about 100 different ways to use nylon net.
@Nancy, I get 10-15 emails like that every year. Only once, during a blizzard, did the promise of non- or late delivery prove true.
Am I the only one to confidently write in 'meant' for 'intended?' That gave me something ending in knelt for 'prepared to propose' but I couldn't figure out what would go in front of it. I think I finally worked it all out -- though with so many writeovers it's difficult to be sure, I can't read what's in some of the squares.
Yesterday, I worked a half hour for a client. Then I sent her an invoice. The one-line item read: Repair Home page link script | 0.50 | $100.00 | $50. The column headers were: DESC | HRS | @ | TOT.
Anonymous 10:07 am Thou art vs You are
BASIC NECESSITIES didn't quite fit. CEREBRUS fit but eventually had to be replaced by CERBERUS, since that's evidently how it is spelled.
As an abbrev hater: why oh why clue ACT that way, Daniel / Will? That C was my last letter, and I still don't know or care what the heck it stands for.
Everyone: as others have mentioned, you should try today's Daily Octordle. And be sure to solve it correctly; it's hilarious. Brilliant.
@Wordler 7:35am, I can't speak to Wordle, but for Spelling Bee, all of us go to a lot of trouble ensuring that we do not post spoilers. Eg when I mention words from the game, I conceal them behind a link so that they are not visible unless hovered over or clicked. In fact,:
[Spelling Bee: yd 9:35 to pg, then QB later when this word finally popped into my head.]
Boston Blackie @12:59am Ahhh, the background music of my childhood. Thanks for the memory.
@albatross shell (from last night, which I just saw)
MWAH! (too much?)
@Zed (11:29)
I feel delicately chastised, but don't worry -- we're still friends. SIKE! 😉
@Newboy (11:42)
I've noticed we're often in sync.
@Beezer (11:47)
I, too, have heard OLD SOUL used for children wise beyond their years, and I think it can be justified in relation to people of all ages. I'd like to meet your daughter!
@Anonymous (11:49) and @jberg (1:59 PM)
I looked up BOGGS and found the stories you both mentioned. Also -- COCKEREL tie-in! -- that BOGGS had the reputation for being one of the most superstitious players in baseball and invariably ate chicken before every game.
General observation re: LIFE HACKS: shortcuts and cutting corners are not necessarily synonymous. 🤔
@Whatsername (10:28 AM ) 👍 for your Weagle! :)
@Wordler (12:38 PM ) 👍 :)
@Anonymous (1:03 PM)
👍 for your 'shortcuts' para. :)
@Liveprof (1:46 PM )
Best 'chuckle of the day' post! 😂
@okanaganer (2:59 PM) 👍 for QB yd! :)
Didn't know that one can 'hover' to see the result, saving the time of clicking on the link, then returning to the blog. Good example of a mini-LIFE HACK! Thx for that. :)
Agree w/ @kitshef / @okanaganer re: today's Octordle; a doozy, indeed! :)
Duo 34/37
Phrazle 19: 2/6
⬜🟨⬜🟪 ⬜🟪 ⬜⬜⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩
___
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
Can we talk about "EMEND"? I mean, really. That's crap, even if I am a moron.
Anyone else feel like the clue on NESTEGGS is super sloppy? A nest egg isn't saved for a rainy day, it's a term for one's retirement. No?
Loved this! In hindsight, the grid well well within my wheelhouse, but I had to quit out of the puzzle twice, re-frame my perspective and come back each time to squirrel a little more progress. Delightful cluing. Definitely rates a Med/Hard from me.
That Boggs Story just begs for some critical thinking so here you go:
Here’s where the basic info is coming from. An average person metabolizes one drink in one hour. Let’s presume BOGGS was able to metabolize twice that fast. Here’s what his BAC would look like
Hour 1 - 10 drinks, metabolized 2 so a BAC of 0.02*8=0.16 (twice the legal limit to drive but he’s flying so okay)
Hour 2 - 10 drinks metabolized 2 so (8+10-2)*0.02=0.32 (Most deaths come from chugging beer or hard liquor because most people will pass out before reaching 0.32 if the drinking is spread out over two hours)
Hour 3 - (16+10-2)*0.02=0.48 = Dead
Or maybe he could metabolize beer trice as fast as an average guy:
Hour 1 - 0.14
Hour 2 - 0.30
Hour 3 - 0.44 - Oops, still dead.
And that’s not even considering that this story has him drinking just shy of a gallon of beer every hour for six hours. Would he even have time to drink that many beers between trips to the lav? And the added weight - Let’s call that 7 pounds of beer, so he ingested 42 pounds of beer over 6 hours. Sure Sure.
So, yeah, there is all kinds of “corroboration” for BOGGS drinking anywhere from 50-70 beers on a cross country flight on the interwebs. If you believe these tales might I interest you in a Lake Michigan Whale Watching Excursion.
@Chris Wendall…I dunno. Maybe stems from a different generation but “rainy day” seemed okay to me. As I think about it, I certainly hope retirement isn’t a “rainy day” but surprise repairs, or a glut of them does seem to be a “rainy day” whilst working (and saving for retirement). So a little side savings account not going into 401k/IRA would be a “nest egg.” Wow. In the present day with credit card dependence and LOW interest rates on simple savings, I can see why that doesn’t resonate for peeps under a certain age. Makes me sad.
Nest egg seems mostly to be money put aside for a specific purpose. To buy a house, to retire early, to have in case of illness or other emergency might all qualify. More interesting is the origin of the term which was poultry farmers putting eggs in the nests of hens to encourage them to produce more eggs. Does it work? Is it still done? I dunno. So historically its more like having interest or dividend producing investments maybe. Not necessarily the meaning today, but much like it perhaps. Money producing more money.
Zed guy obviously not a drinker. Good for him.
@Chris Wendell - I did question that clue, but for a slightly different reason. I think of a nest egg as being for a specific thing - retirement, college fund, Christmas fund, engagement ring, etc. Money put aside without a specific goal I'd call an emergency fund. The big difference is for your NEST EGG, you control when you will spend it, so you can invest in things that are not particularly liquid. The emergency fund has to be liquid since you don't know when you'll need it.
Puzzle was fine. Rex’s write up was really good, well above average. You go! He seems to be enjoying having electricity and heat again.
Biggest annoyance in this puzzle for me - "EMEND.". Pure crosswordese, never spelled that way in the real world.
'HRS" refers to hours worked, on an invoice from an unsalaried service person. Don't understand why Rex didn't see it.
Curious how LIFEHACK "no longer feels very fresh" while I never heard of it. Either IMAMORON or just an OLDSOUL.
Did this one rather handily for a Saturday, so easy-medium feels about right. I enjoyed it, and learned a thing or two along the way. REBA's a nice DOD. Birdie.
Birdie also in W:
BBGYB
GYGYB
GGGGG
Immediately getting back those two lost strokes from Wednesday.
TWANG PARE
I'MAMORON, I ACT haughty,
ONEONONE, LIBIDOs I please,
I love REBA's reFINED BODY,
and what ARE BARENECESSITIES.
--- ROGER COCKEREL
NAILEDIT with doubts around NIGIRI/CERBERUS. Knew YEEZUS because I dislike. 'DEED I do. Will never forget REBA and her red dress, yeah baby.
Another unlikely solve in 3:
BBGYB
BYGBY
GGGGG
2 deuces and 10 threes in 23 attempts
Got tripped up in the SE corner. You can guess why. (@Rondo NAILEDIT above.)
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
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