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Unfounded rumor / WED 4-6-22 / Longtime news anchor Jim / Pedagogic org. / Pioneer in color TV
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Constructor: Damon Gulczynski
Relative difficulty: Hard!! (15:09)
THEME: COMMA — Punctuation mark missing in "Let's eat people!" (at least one would hope!) ... as well as from the starred clues
The last thing to note is that I didn't finish this puzzle and, like, it wasn't even close. I have never heard of Jim LEHRER or RCA-- that letter could have been anything. Similarly, I had SeHL and NEeP. And then a patch in the SW caused me to "check puzzle" about four times. CANARD and NEA are both totally brand new terms for me, as were the names REID and MCGEE, combined with the weird-ish AGRO and RE-AIR and the unexpected letter pattern in B-TEAM. Phew. It was hopeless for me.
Bullets:
THEME: COMMA — Punctuation mark missing in "Let's eat people!" (at least one would hope!) ... as well as from the starred clues
Theme answers:
Word of the Day: ADELE (64A: She released "30" in '21) —
Hey beautiful solvers, welcome to another episode of Malaika Mwednesday. If you'd like to get into The Malaika Headspace, I was listening to Bridgerton's beautiful instrumental covers while I solved this puzzle. I am particularly fond of "You Oughtta Know."
- Leave(,) briefly-- VACAY
- Final(,) say-- COURSE EXAM
- All(,) for one-- LAUNDRY DETERGENT
- Flies(,) frequently-- ANNOYANCES
Word of the Day: ADELE (64A: She released "30" in '21) —
Richard Russell, the founder of record label XL Recordings, complimented Adele that she had the potential to change the way women were seen in the music industry by focusing on music rather than sexuality. The New Yorker called her "the most popular living soul singer in the world" at 27-years-old. Writing for Vulture, Jillian Mapes opined that Adele is "among the first plus-size female cultural icons to reach the highest echelons of commercial success without having to make herself the butt of fat jokes along the way".
• • •
I have lots to say about this puzzle and I do not know how best to order my thoughts! Let's start with easy stuff-- I loved this theme. The finds were delightful. I genuinely don't know which was my favorite one... probably the spanner? I could envision that (with the comma) being a clue in a Saturday puzzle.
I did have a few thoughts about the execution of the theme. I think a huge job for editors is to identify whether the crux of a theme rocks or not (in this case, it rocks) and then work with the constructor to make it into as excellent of a solving experience as possible. One thing I didn't like was that, when you select 1A in the Times app, it highlights the revealer. Out of curiosity, I jumped down there-- I didn't think it would be a revealer, I thought maybe this would be some sort of opposites puzzle. But it was, and it had (in my opinion) a stupidly easy clue. Within seconds, the theme was over for me. I didn't get to uncover it like a wordplay-filled treasure hunt. Is that my fault for skipping to the end, or the app's fault for highlighting entries, or the editor's fault for making the revealer clue so easy? I don't know!! What do y'all think?
I wonder if this puzzle could have been executed like this one, where there are entries scattered throughout with no symmetry. This would have been tough, because no other clues could have used commas, but I do feel like it would be possible! (And would have resulted in a Thursday puzzle, probably.) That would help with the fact that some of the long answers were a bit boring-- LAUNDRY DETERGENT could become "detergent" and COURSE EXAM could become "exam."
The last thing to note is that I didn't finish this puzzle and, like, it wasn't even close. I have never heard of Jim LEHRER or RCA-- that letter could have been anything. Similarly, I had SeHL and NEeP. And then a patch in the SW caused me to "check puzzle" about four times. CANARD and NEA are both totally brand new terms for me, as were the names REID and MCGEE, combined with the weird-ish AGRO and RE-AIR and the unexpected letter pattern in B-TEAM. Phew. It was hopeless for me.
These types of things really stick out to me because I am someone who submits puzzles to the Times and gets rejections. For example, I recently submitted a puzzle and was told that it was very close, but ANIKA (name) crossing EKG (abbreviation) was unfair. I read and that and thought, "Good point! I agree!" But then I look at this puzzle and see LEHRER (name) crossing RCA (abbreviation). I don't know why the editors thought this was fair. It confuses me! Sometimes my conclusion is that I should stop submitting puzzles at all so that I no longer get caught up in these tiny comparisons and can just go back to Doing A Fun Little Game. And sometimes my conclusion is just that I should make better puzzles. *shrug*
Bullets:
- It's VACAY not "vaycay" right?
- Have any of you tried aromatherapy? It seems pretty relaxing.
- ARIA has appeared 1,207 times in a NYT puzzle, but never clued in reference to "Pretty Little Liars"
- TWEEDLEDUM was such a nice bonus entry
- I always associate the shiny fabric LAME with Rocky's shorts in "Rocky Horror Picture Show"
Save And Share :
132 comments:
TWEEDLED__ has to be one of the longer KeaLoas around. In the same vein, I’d like to point out that 57A could easily be LED vs. LCD, and that 42D (DIRTYRAT) would be even more interesting if slightly altered to “Robert Maplethorpe product “ …….. DIRTYarT.
Does a TREX eat TRIX? Siwwy Wabbit!!!
Malaika Mwensday: I love your positive energy. I thought the puzzle was easy, but I’m in the NYT target demographic, I think. Soon enough I’ll be despondent over not being able to finish Monday puzzles, I suppose.
Very fun Wednesday puzz. Thank you, Damon Gulczynski!
Malaika's write up this evening reminds me that sometimes being 60-something has its advantages. All puzzle references were well within my wheelhouse, and I don't particularly count myself as a crossword maven.
Puzzle solved as an Easy/Medium, for a Wednesday. Decent, interesting, comfortable fill. Straightforward theme.
Hi again Malaika! Yes it's MWednesday.
Weird that you found it hard; I found it very easy. Just: read a clue, then type in the answer. Probably because it skews a bit old. For a near senior like me, LEHRER crossing RCA is a gimme. (Our first color TV was an RCA!! Circa 1968; it took up half the living room, and when the picture went fuzzy you could fix it by stamping hard on the floor. I am not making this up.)
Odd theme, it applies to the clues. I like that the revealer was at the end. Of course in Across Lite when 1a was selected, there was no highlighting of the revealer. Across Lite still rules!
IRAQ/IRAN is a keaLoa, I guess.
[Spelling Bee: Tues 8:30 to pg, then QB later. For some reason it took me ages to come up with my last word.]
April fools! Bil Murray sequel!
I'm guessing that you're fairly young. The answers that tripped you up were all well-known to me, because I'm not fairly young. And neither is Will Shortz. The puzzle does tend to skew older, maybe too often. As for EKG crossing ANIKA, I suspect the problem may be that ECG is now the accepted abbrev. Good luck with your puzzles! I hope to see one in the Times soon. :)
Not nearly as hard as Malaika found it, but that seems to be age related.
MacNeil/LEHRER.
RCA was before Sony Trinitron was before Samsung.
Mort SAHL (who evidently died last year) has a kinda 50s vibe, to me, at least.
The NEA is a huge teachers' union.
CANARD is a venerable old word.
I'm sad Malaika doesn't know Bobby MCGEE (also very old, but music seems to live on; my millennial kids know lots of music from the 60s and 70s).
Spring vs. NEAP tides.
Did not know "political commentator Joy" but the last name was easily inferrable from _EID.
Definitely age related; when we watched Bridgerton we had no idea what the music was originally. The subtitles would say "Instrumental version of [something] playing" and we'd be none the wiser. But it must add to the enjoyment if you know the originals.
Note: posting this about 3:30 your time and at present there are no comments. Seems unlikely; they must be in the queue.
Coincidence?
I liked this puzzle enough to forgive the NW corner, where I concluded. I resisted VACAY as long as I could, such an ugly, ugly word. I got the theme fairly early but I never thought "COMMA", even after filling 74A. I just happened to have the puzz in a scroll position which blocked "as well as from the starred clues" so I didn't know it was supposed to be the revealer. I'm glad because that's not a revealer. It's a built in spoiler. Why does WS think we're stupid?!
LEHRER crossing RCA is fair given that RCA appears a lot and was clued easily. Then again, RKO is also crosswordese making Anika inferable. You got robbed. Fun puzzle.
Found it to be easier than Malaika did, probably because I'm older and knew Jim LEHRER, RCA and Mort SAHL cold, and I've done enough puzzles to know things like EKG (and it's cousin, EEG) and NEAP tides.
My only overwrite was a minor one: paC before rnC at 49A.
I tend to agree with Malaika about highlighting the revealer. It's perfectly fine for the revealer to highlight the theme answers, but the reverse isn't. The revealer shouldn't reveal itself before you get to it in a natural sequence. I also think the asterisks on the themers were unnecessary.
Malaika, please keep submitting puzzles and don't give up! The cross you mentioned that they objected to is no worse than many similar things I've seen. I'm actually kind of shocked that they objected to that.
As to today's ARIA clue, I didn't see a film reference in it, but then I don't know that film. "Brava!" is just the feminine version of "Bravo!" (And an aria is a song within an opera, which often gets applause.) So either way, we both got the answer. I found today's puzzle very easy, but I'm probably 30 or 40 years older than you, so it just goes to show what a wide span of knowledge and experience there is in the puzzle world. Many things you would have no problem with would be impossible for me!
@ Malaika
1. I did the same thing. When the last clue lit up I clicked on it, sort of absentmindedly. I guess I half-thought it could be the revealer, but more than likely they were paired clues or something. I didn't realize looking at it would totally ruin what would have been a fun challenge. I was mad at myself for reading the clue, and then tried, unsuccessfully, to pretend I hadn't! The whole solve was super fast after that.
2. I think your EKG/ANIKA cross seemed totally fair, especially if you made the cluing easy enough. Also seems like it could potentially be rewritten? I find it harsh that that was the basis for rejection. I hope you won't be too discouraged.
3. I was really into those Bridgerton song covers while watching. I like how subtle and sneaky they were. It took a minute each time before I realized what I was listening to.
🤠
@okanaganer
I, too, prefer solving with Across Lite... how does one get the .puz file??
For the second day in a row, we’re treated to a constructor whose puzzles are often made with a twinkle in the eye.
I saw the twinkle in this theme as more than funniness resulting from a missing comma. I saw a wink directed at crossword clues. That is, with the comma stuck in, the theme clues look like typical crossword clues:
[Leave, briefly]
[Final, say]
[All, for one]
[Flies, frequently]
And, with your indulgence, I’d like to add one more to the genre – [Antonym for short] for the answer OPP.
‘Twas a fun journey, Damon. I love your cleverness, which sometimes hides your excellent constructing chops. Thank you for this puzzle!
@okananager. Except Iraq is nearly landlocked, with a short coastline on the Persian Gulf, not Gulf of Oman.
Wordle 291 4/6
⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛
🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛🟨🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
A good one today.
Thx Damon, for a breezy Wednes. puz! ;)
Hi Malaika, always good to see you! :)
Easy+
Would have been perfect for a Tues.; could have swapped with yd's.
Ridin' the wave for this one. PASSED with flying colors, and landed at OHARE.
TWEEDLEDee before …
Liked the missing COMMAS theme; felt it early, but grokked it post-solve. :)
Time well spent.
@okanaganer 👍 for recent QBs :)
–––
yd pg: 5:05 (0) / W: 3*
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
One more thing to Damon’s credit: Props to him for coming up with these clues/answers. IMO, it’s hard to come up with examples of taking-out-the-comma funniness aside from the not-too-many examples given repeatedly online, and here Damon did it four times. Bravo on your cleverness, sir!
Easier side of medium for me. Not that long since Jim Lehrer has been on TV. But Mort Sahl, Yikes. His career was over when I was a kid and I too am in the 60 something club. There are still branded RCA TVs and RCA records has some very current recording artists so not as ancient. The Theme was meh-ish for me. The solves were pretty obvious with our without the commas.
What a difference a COMMA makes!
Wow!
Easy, fast, and fun. 🤸🏽♀️
Good one!
🤗🦖🦖🦖🦖🦖🤗
Malaika, good to see you again. Your perspective is a welcome one, and entertaining as well. Loved this puzzle! The theme is superb.
You're right of course; it does skew old, although Adele, Joy Reid, and Oprah are all quite current. MacNeil/Lehrer were the PBS newscasters. RCA had a dog mascot that went with the phrase 'his master's voice.' https://images.app.goo.gl/1vwVgiDxnrazBxQp8
Mort Sahl was a comic in the 50s, but there's a recurring character on "Mrs. Maisel" who is based on him, if that counts as more current.
See, I am so enamored of this puzzle, I am advocating for it!
@manitou — it’s not difficult to turn these into.puz files for AcrossLite but it takes 5 or 6 steps. If you send me your email (see mine on my profile) I’ll explain it. Basically you need to install PuzzleScraper as a desktop Chrome extension.
Clearly, as many have said, there’s a generational difference here. Not only did I find the puzzle itself extremely easy, it took me a bit to get the revealer, as I didn’t even realize the commas were missing! I just think it’s interesting when a massive corporate and cultural presence like RCA, which dominated radio broadcasting and manufacturing for decades, and which had a huge impact in many other areas, becomes unknown. I guess the young ‘uns don’t know Nipper, either.
As others have said: being a bit older may have its perks sometimes. Jim LEHRER was indeed a gimme for the over-40 crowd, that man was the PBS News Hour host for like a billion years. And RCA is not a brand I'd think was obscure or challenging... very common in the US for a loooooooooong time (still today?) and very common in crosswords.
Had fun with this - theme was loose but I really liked the All for one clue. SAHL and RCA I guess trend older. LEHRER just passed and wasn’t too far removed from being active. I had a side eye with the RNC x NEA cross. Figured ARLO would be more vague than the classic Bobby MCGEE. First I’ve seen incestuous behavior with the NYTs recent purchase. Liked the Spring - NEAP play.
Enjoyable Wednesday solve.
I frequently don't pay a ton of attention to the theme, but I groked this one, which helped with the others and I enjoyed the revealer for a change.
The low point for me was definitely the VACAY/VOLES situation - those "change or add a letter to get a different meaning" clues can frequently fall flat, and this one landed with an absolute thud. They would have done well to shelve that one, and if they feel absolutely compelled to inflict that on their audience, do it to the hard-core solvers on a Saturday.
Only a couple of other rough spots for me today, which is nice as we move into mid-week
- I had no clue that LAME was a fabric (is LACE shiny ?) and was bailed out by that PEI dude who stops by about once a month or so. I also spaced on NEAP but the tail end of IRAN saved me.
I also drew a blank at EAT AT which in retrospect is pretty easy, but that turned that whole NW section into a slog with that bizarre VOLES/MOLES uber-gimmick.
Congratulations to the constructor - this one was really stellar (save 1A/1D) !
FH
Easy for me. Surprised to see 'Hard' when I clicked through to Rex; but it wasn't Rex. It's meaningless to dispute word familiarity, but CANARD and NEAP are both real-world words that aren't that obscure and, besides, they are frequent crossword-puzzle words, especially NEAP. As for SAHL & LEHRER and even the abominable REID....and (Bobby) MCGEE, well they all seem pretty common as well, to me at least.
And I got WORDLE in 3, so there.
I'm in the age group that found this way easy and reading Malaika's unknowns made me feel even older. And another birthday coming right up. Yikes.
Maybe it was filling in the answers without really thinking about them, but I missed the theme until I wrote in COMMA, when it became blindingly obvious. Doh! And even when I have seen a t-shirt with the saying
Let's eat, Grandpa!
Let's eat Grandma!
Commas save lives.
Liked the moles and VOLES combo and the clue for ASK.
In fact, I like the whole thing and thought it was lots of fun, for which thanks, DG. Damned Good puzzle.
Easy for this senior.
No spoilers?
When I opened the blog today and saw the puzzle was rated "Hard!!", I assumed I had somehow opened the wrong day.
Am I that old (yes, I am) or is Malaika that young (I dunno). But it was 100% wheelhouse for me - and - fun to solve. Because I solve on paper (as Gof intended) the revealer was not revealed until the end.
RCA: "The most trusted name in electronics"
Jim Lehrer: The most trusted name in presidential debate moderators (moderated 12)
Ah well, fame is fleeting.
Let's hope trust is longer lasting.
Well, well, well. Enjoyable and very easy theme. It left me with a feeling of synchronicity.
MOose/gOose came to mind at 1D. Easy puzzle. Reminds me of this joke:
The use of a colon can make a big difference in a sentence. For example:
Larry ate his friend’s sandwich.
Larry ate his friend’s colon.
Curious in what way “VACAY” could be considered ‘ in brief’ for ‘leave’. Same number of letters and more syllables.
COURSE EXAM … ugh.
So really, two out of four themers work. Good idea, though.
Never saw the clue for LEHRER, and when I noticed that was in the puzzle, I assumed Tom Lehrer had made it into the puzzle, which made me smile.
Malaika's 'breakfast in bed' image also made me smile.
15x16 grid.
For a much younger skew, the New Yorker crosswords are now daily. Cultural references are often out of my reach (I once wondered who "Cardib" was, from crosses ....) and literary references are collegiate.
HAAAA!
When I had no idea why "Leave briefly" at 1A had an asterisk, I went to look at the revealer immediately -- and that made the puzzle quite easy. If I hadn't peeked, I could have made the puzzle a lot harder for myself.
But it's a breezy, enjoyable theme -- though I wish the surrounding fill could have been a bit more challenging.
I was going to say the theme is stolen from the grammar book "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" -- but there you're confusing things by adding unnecessary commas rather than, as happens here, by omitting necessary commas.
Anyway, any puzzle theme based on correct grammar is AOK in my book. Entertaining, if quite easy.
Woman, without her man is nothing.
Woman without her man is nothing.
Of course, only the first is accurate
At 72, I found this to be the easiest Wednesday in quite a while!
Like Malaika, I did the revealer (spoiler) first and the rest of the puzzle went easily. The crosses often weren't fair unless you're in your 60s, or you do lots of puzzles. CANARD and NEAP weren't in my wheelhouse.
Things I'd like to see less of: VOLES (and change the letter clues), ARLO, ERIE, ELSA, cloth-related words like LAME especially when the word has way better uses, EPEES, OGRE, and honestly every song from 1955 to 1975 should take a break.
LENIN is a tone-deaf entry under the best of circumstances, but right now it's super frustrating to see another Russian butcher hanging around with a Disney princess. Words matter. People matter. Ideas matter. We're solving a puzzle, but I don't think it's just a matter of sequencing letters.
I watched 30 minutes of one episode of Bridgerton and considered drowning myself in the river. I think I'm in the minority with this assessment.
@ kitchef (9:17am)
In English speaking countries in Europe, what the US calls paid vacation time (that you are or may be entitled to) is called LEAVE time. This differs, of course, from the common US usage that distinguishes between entitled paid vacation and purposeful leave (for sickness, family death, personal issues), that may be paid or unpaid. Also, the US military uses the term "leave" to denote paid vacation from duty. So, I think the clue is fair, but perhaps could have nuanced the equivalence in some way.
@kitshef -- You could call a vacation a "leave" as in "on leave." VACAY is saying "vacation" briefly. (I hate this usage, btw, but that seems to be just the way it is.)
Kitshef
Oops, just reread your comments and got your real point. Sorry.
Um, I think the "in brief" is referring to VACAY for vacation (i.e., a briefer form of vacation).
Hey All !
@kitshef beat me to it. 16 wide grid. I noticed it, so apparently the synapses are still firing.
Was trying to add COMMAs to the answers, not the clues. Fruitless endeavor. Silly brain.
Only one I came up with was ANN O' YANCES. Har.
Nice WedsPuz. Not verbose today. It happens. Nice break for y'all. 😁
yd -4, should'ves 3 (easies again)
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
really enjoyed this puzzle and was easy peasy. well below my wednesday average. not knowing rca, sahl, agro? the host of the pbs news hour? do you even crossword?
@Harry @Georgia - Agreed that being over 60 helped with this one. I think xwords are a great way to gain access to cross-generational cultural references, like CARDI B for us old folks, and Bobby MCGEE for those of Malaika's generation.
COMMA Chameleon
@kitshef - in brief compared to “vacation.”
"I have never heard of Jim LEHRER or RCA-- that letter could have been anything. Similarly, I had SeHL and NEeP. And then a patch in the SW caused me to "check puzzle" about four times. CANARD and NEA are both totally brand new terms for me, as were the names REID and MCGEE, combined with the weird-ish AGRO and RE-AIR and the unexpected letter pattern in B-TEAM."
Proof that aliens exist.
@amyyannni 8:12 AM - Is there a recurring character on "Mrs. Maisel" based on Mort Sahl? I think you may be referring to the Lenny Bruce, no? Funny, though, in that connection, I did think of "Mrs. Maisel" as I was filling in this entry, and then thought, oh, no, that's not Mort Sahl, that's Lenny Bruce!
@Malaika:
your showing your age!! well... lack of same. none of those impossible entries were even a speed bump for a geezer with even a bit of memory still intact.
@kitshef9:17 AM - I too thought initially that [Leave (,) briefly was off the mark for VACAY. But just realized as I was reading your comment that it's leave as in "time off from work," not leave as in "depart." In which case, the clue does work. Agreed?
BTW - Yet another reason I solve the way Gof intended, the friggin’ highlighting of related clues. Get your walker and Depends™️ out of here, I can solve this without the unasked for help. Hell, I’m slightly annoyed that they insisted on asterisks for the theme clues in the print addition. “YooHoo you dolt, something funny going on here and we don’t think you can figure it out without us planting a giant waving flag here for you!”
It’s a puzzle, let the solver be puzzled. Yeah Yeah, Wednesday, newer solvers, removing COMMAs is sort of sublime,… but point to them in the revealer, not with asterisks.
I enjoyed this introspective write-up, Malaika. Glad you liked my theme; sorry you were flummoxed by the proper nouns.
As to your example of a rejection stemming in part from a crossing the editing team found undesirable: yep, that'll happen. As somebody who's been rejected over 100 times (literally), I've experienced this myself on many an occasion. I try to tell myself that editors have to make so many decisions it's impossible to maintain perfect consistency, but it rarely assuages the frustration.
Given how much I liked your Monty Hall puzzle in Fireball, I hope you keep constructing.
It took me way too long to realize I'd misread the revealer, trying to find how a comma made sense of the entries. perhaps I should wear my glasses when reading.
After reading the constructor's comments on his blog (there's a link to it on XWordInfo.com) I was very disappointed that Sharp did not composer today's write-up.
I would guess if you never watched PBS, especially the news department programs, you might not know Jim Lehrer's name. But to not know RCA? Especially if you have been doing crossword puzzles for a while? That surprised me. I fear what my comment may say about me.
This is one of those puzzles that I correctly completed without really understanding the theme. At least until coming here. Even staying clueless (so to speak), I enjoyed the solve. Which means I eagerly await this constructor's next submission that's accepted.
I am in my 20s and also could not finish this puzzle due to the cultural references! REID, MCGEE, SAHL, and LEHRER were all news to me. Loved the theme though.
Interesting theme, something a little different. Never noticed before that CANTALOUPE and watermelon have the same number of letters. I love both served in any old shape and can hardly wait until they are in season.
Nice to see Jim LEHRER, a midwestern native and respected journalist known for his deft skill moderating Presidential debates but never one involving TWEEDLEDUM.
I do believe the commonly used “prefix for farming” is AGR-I rather than O. And I couldn’t help but wonder what dinosaur label best fit DINO. Dogosaurus? Petosaurus?
First, let me say I REALLY enjoyed this puzzle because I’m old enough to know the out-dated references that hung up Malaika. However, WHILE I was working the puzzle I actually was aware of the fact that it referred to people/things that younger folks wouldn’t know.
To show how old I am, when I saw celeb who is Gayle’s friend I FIRST thought BRIAN (Piccolo). Yes, I know now I was thinking of GALE Sayers and also realized BRIAN didn’t really reach the “celeb” category unfortunately until after he died. No matter…I quickly had my big D’OH moment and plopped in OPRAH.
For some reason I always think Bobby MAGEE instead of MCGEE. In fact, why not…makes sense.
Nobody should be surprised that RCA would totally stump Malaika as the producer of the first color tv. It has been defunct as an electronics corporation since 1986! Good grief, as a Boomer, I don’t really remember that many companies that SOLD televisions when I was a kid, maybe Magnavox and GE. I’ll check that out but truly, unless there is a reference to a recording label in today’s world most folks don’t think RCA.
Our first tv: Motorola ('52); first color tv: RCA (early '60s).
Had MacNeil in another puz earlier this week, so LEHRER was a shoo in.
@Gary Jugert (9:43 AM)
You lasted much longer than I. lol
Nothing has come close to Downton Abbey, for me.
–––
td pg: 7:04 (0 in 30 give or take) / W: 5* (had to chuckle)
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
@Beezer:
For some reason I always think Bobby MAGEE instead of MCGEE. In fact, why not…makes sense.
I waited for the cross, just because the ear worm version is Joplin's and she definitely puts an A where the C really is.
@Beezer (10:27) - You can still buy a new RCA branded television.
I enjoyed this puzzle theme, grid, and all. My one quibble is with the clue [Get-go] for ONSET, as "get-go" is more appropriately a synonym for "outset" than "onset." A better clue would have been something like "Initial appearance, as of symptoms" (or hostilities).
As someone for whom the COMMA has been a tool of the trade, I found this crossword to be a treat. Totally in my wheelhouse and fun to solve. Brings to mind the viral Tails magazine cover which featured the headline: “RACHEL RAY FINDS INSPIRATION IN COOKING HER FAMILY AND HER DOG.”
Joy REID is a current reference. She has a 7PM nightly show on MSNBC.
I get that a 20 something would not know LEHRER, RCA and SAHL.
We didn't get our color TV until 1972. I was so happy. I think It was a Zenith. I remember my father setting it up. Big moment!
And to the Wordle spoiler- not cool.
Did anyone see the constructor's notes? He predicted what Rex would say about his puzzle. I enjoy Malaika but would have been funny to see if Damon predicted right! I agree Rex would have had a cow over RNC.
FWIW, among civilian ranks in the federal government, any type of absence from duty is referred to as leave. If I took a vacation day and someone ASKed “where’s Whatsername?” the answer would be “on leave.” The only people who need to know what type of leave are the boss of the time keeper.
Another wow this was easy. Partly because I'm old. So even if you don't remember LEHRER (and I did so I had to change urge to ITCH), but RCA is in puzzles so often I don't even think about it. TV three letters? In it goes! I didn't notice the app was highlighting the revealer until the last clue and it just ended up confusing me because COMMA didn't fit where ANNOYANCES belonged. Pay attention to clue numbers!
I know Bridgerton has covered songs I know, but I have such a terrible ear that I have yet to recognize anything!I could use those subtitles!
East-medium. NW was the toughest part as VACAY was a nanosecond suck.
This was fun with some nice long downs, liked it.
Ah yes.....the COMMA conundrum...
Tables are for eating customers only.
Nothing to dislike..all joy and smiles. TRICKERY allowed. Would DEE or DUM agree?
Best Wed. in a long time.
@Beezer (10:27) I had MAGEE at first too and wondered why. Then I realized I was confusing it with Mr. Magoo. 🤣
Wordle 291 2/6
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AHEM. But Dordle was a huge ANNOYANCE.
Time well below my Wednesday average. I get that Lehrer might be harder for someone younger. But RCA is common in puzzles. And the NEA is very current having been in the news over mask mandates. And Joy Reid is currently an MSNBC news show host who is also a African American female. That doesn't seem like a clue requiring you be 60yo. And canard and neap are common words in the language not crosswords. I find it odd that someone who can create a puzzle, which is well past my pay grade, does not have a better basic vocabulary.
I think it should be mandatory that everyone in the US watch The News Hour at least 4 days per week.
@Whatsername:
@Beezer (10:27) I had MAGEE at first too and wondered why. Then I realized I was confusing it with Mr. Magoo. 🤣
Now, that's funny. You just pushed a vision of Janis, in full scream at Mr. Magoo, who hasn't any idea what just happened.
* Two for one. [answer is 11 letters long]
Nice, different puztheme mcguffin. The asterisk on the 1-Across clue unfortunately immediately screamed out "Go check out the revealer, if U know what's good for U!" Which a shameless M&A instantly did.
COURSEEXAM. har
staff weeject pick: PEE. Cuz it is clearly wee-related.
Answer to extra M&A themer clue above: PRIMENUMBER. (yo, @mathgent)
fave sparklers: TOBEFAIR. TRICKERY. TWEEDLEDUM. THATSODD. And darn near TIRTYRAT & TANTALOUPE.
Interestin blog sub writeup, @Malaika darlin. Fear not: if U work enough of these rodeos, RCA, NEAP, EKG, and NEA will eventually become real good friends. (Ditto for ARLO, but U didn't question that, so maybe he's already on yer gimme list.)
Thanx for the fun, Mr. Gulczynski dude. Good job & thanx also for the early asterisk alert.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
**gruntz**
Easy Wednesday for me, probably because I'm old, if not as old as the recently passed Lehrer. Nice to occasionally not be done in by modern entertainment culture, about which I know approximately nothing.
Count me in the old and easy camp. Though really, RCA isn't exactly defunct, at least as a brand. And now enjoying all the lists you can find of difference making commas. Fun theme, fun puzzle, all good.
Well, since we’ve gone down that path, how about a song of great social and political import?
@M&A
Two for one.
"even integer" works, too.
@Joaquin…thanks! I see that Curtis International owns the right to that cutting edge brand name, Radio Corporation of America…initialized! Apparently the brand competes against other VERY inexpensive brands that I have never heard of. (I think if you looked at what I did, you’d agree). For whatever reason, that reminds me of when Pepsico (I think) bought Kentucky Fried Chicken then unceremoniously got rid of the Kentucky reference and it was “formally” dubbed KFC. Seems like my friends and I called it that anyway way before the official change. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of younger folk do not know the original name of the franchise.
@Beezer - Huh? Apparently RCA is to electronics what Pabst is to beer. Not that I noticed. My sense is that LG and Samsung are the big TV brands now and the last one I bought was based purely on the Consumer Reports reviews.
Wordle 291 3/6
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Congrats @whatsername.
p.s.
@Anonymous (12:06pm) - Nice alt solution. M&A couldn't resist feedin off of the puz's {*All for one}, as thought @mathgent might like {*Two for one} as a number theory-esque alternative.
Just occurred to the (kinda slow) M&A, that one could also do this kinda puztheme TRICKERY with Blanks, instead of Commas. Example:
* Night inverse [answer is 3 letters long]
Answer: EEN. [@Anonymous 12:06pm's mileage may vary]
Dibs, for a future runtpuz theme.
M&Also
Brilliant of OFL to come up with a younger guest commentator who, like many solvers, often gets things wrong, and sometimes has to look stuff up. Today, my nom de blog speaks for itself. I got a little stuck in the NE (OHARE did not exactly leap to mind), so I wandered around, and the opposite corner had such Easy downs, I came up with COMMA, and went back to the mystifying "All for one", and LAUNDRY DETERGENT was obvious. A TIDAL man am I, but I used to use ALL, as a young man who went to a laundromat every couple of weeks to wash his tighty whiteys.
When I filled in SAHL, I remembered him as a funnyman who got caught up in those JFK conspiracy theories. But of course I got RCA at once -- not only did I remember their ads for color TV, I remembered their brilliant choice of the peacock as their symbol, with each tailfeather a different color. I am also in, perhaps, the last generation where Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass were required reading, and quotes from those books were staples in my daily reading, and later study of court opinions. Appellate judges just assumed that everyone had Carroll's books pretty much down by heart so TWEEDLED-- went right in.
I not only knew Jim LEHRER, I bought his memoir, which is very entertaining. I also have Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, a paean to the COMMA, and a very literate celebration of the semicolon. But then, I have both of Fowler's books too. No wonder I spent the last part of my legal career writing appellate briefs, I enjoyed it, though actually trying cases was more fun, in my younger days.
@Beezer
There's a lot more important stuff the young-uns don't know than what the K in KFC stands for. 😂
Run with me here no woman is safe.
Surprised you thought RCA was a Natick ... it's been a staple of the NYTXWP for as long as I've been doing it ... I think I've seen it at least a hundred times!
First TV I remember in my family was a Muntz. Madman Muntz an original bizzaro salesman and inventor. Minimizing parts in ecectroniics became known as muntzing. First to call televisions tvs. First with cheap TVs. About $1200 today, $100 then. He was married to Phyllis Diller.
My earlier April Fools day comment was because I expected more negative comments about the write-up. Somebody young enough and done few enough NYTcwds not to know RCA Bobby MCGEE NEA NEAP CANARD SAHL and pro-aromatherapy and calling us beautiful people and substituting for OFL? Must be an April Fools joke.
OTOH, TOBEFAIR, after getting over the first reaction it was nice getting a new fresh and young perspective. Healthy for us STATIC DINOS and crusty ANNOYANCES. So thanks to Rex and Malaika.
I was saved from having the theme given to me by my crusty old eyes. I have to squint a bit to read those 3 line clues, so I did not since 1A did not claim a connective answer. And since I picked WATERMELON too early I moved on. Since _ETERGENT seemed unlikely to be a DETER GENT I got LAUNDRY DETERGENT and thought THATS ODD aha! And the others fell in quickly except for VACAY because VACAY is yucKAY and COURSE was easAY but WeaKAY.
REAIR TV friends (We need to know celeb friends now?) and RCA made a TV theme. OHARE DELTA REAIR an airport theme. CLAIM DEED a nice pairing.
ANNOYANCES just to annoy @anoa?
Shouldn't oodles be HEAPS, not A HEAP?
The joke I knew was Lets eat Mom. People is non-discrimantory but wouldn't children taste best?
In Mrs Maisel, Lenny Bruce (as played by Luke Kirby) is the most fascinating character on the whole show ... the chemistry between him and Midge is electric!!!
Adele is an amazing singer ... a real icon ... and the only blurb you've got on her is that she is ... or used to be ... fat?!?! You don't know what you're missing! Maybe just close your eyes and listen.
I could see not knowing LEHRER or SAHL or MCGEE or even RCA, though both RCA and SAHL appear in the puzzle pretty regularly still. But AGRO as a farming prefix is "weird-ish"? Similarly, RE-AIR?
A perfectly okay puzzle. I don't really care for the clue "___ Wee Reese", as if PEE is a first name and WEE is a middle name. "PeeWee" is a single appellation and is often spelled as one word. The clue just looks doofussy.
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I did not realize Jim Lehrer passed away. RIP. LorrieJJ - totally agree with your sentiment regarding Adele. She has unbelievable talent regardless of her weight/weight loss.
When you're on "leave," you're usually on vacation. Which, briefly, is vacay.
@manitou, the plugin I use to get .puz files is Crossword Scraper, available for Chrome or Firefox.
I’m pretty sure there are still RCA plugs involved in connecting my TV to everything else, but that wouldn’t help with the clue. Neat puzzle, and longest kealoa yet!
I cry UNCLE on RCA! I guess the crosses were fair and that someone born in the eighties or after would realize it is a company but I do not think it is well-known to younger folks that they marketed the first color tv. @Zed, if your Pabst reference means cheap (and with a disgusting taste that made me think ALL beer was horrible when I was in college) then maybe so. The link I found earlier said this:
But with so many budget TVs to choose from (RCA competes with the likes of Sceptre, TCL and Hisense) it can be tough to know where to start your search. You may also be a little wary of budget brands. After all, can $200 flatscreen really offer value for money? What features do RCA TVs have? And are there better options elsewhere?
Scepter, TCL, Hisense? The description of the RCA’s implied they were barely literate let alone smart. But then again Curtis International was smart given they are hawking what appears to be “not so good” tvs they can bank on the fact that people have heard of RCA.
Re best TV brands: They keep changing according to the technology and the era. I think that back in the heyday of RCA, Zenith may have been the highest-rated brand, though I'm not entirely sure. I do know that by the middle to the end of the picture-tube era, there was no other brand to consider other than a Sony if you wanted the best and were willing to pay for it. Sonys lasted forever -- so I never felt they were that much of a splurge. I had one Sony that lasted at least 25 years and my 2nd -- switched to my BR from my LR after the old Sony in the BR finally broke down -- is still going strong at age 27.
It's been replaced in the LR by a flat-screen smart TV, a Samsung. Absolutely everyone I spoke to, from the appliance stores to my handyman to my friends to reviews on Google all said that Sony was no longer the best brand when it came to the newest digital technology and that Samsung was the best.
I've had the new TV about 2-3 years now. It's fabulous -- but it has some big shoes to fill, longevity-wise.
Any puzzle that starts out with VACAY at 1 Across has already put a frowny face on my solve buzz. What, we're too lazy and shun putting in that extra syllable? Or, most likely, it's to save key strokes on social media platforms. Either way, it's butt ugly and another example of the degeneration of language brought on by tweetle, tic tox, snatch chat and others of that ilk. Yuck.
Yep @albatross, I always notice when one of the themers, here ANNOYANCE, doesn't fill its designated slot and needs a quick and easy fix by simply tacking on a gratuitous S. One of the big challenges on top of coming up with theme candidates that all cohere around the theme concept is to also find ones with matching letter counts for their prospective slots in the grid. I think that double layered degree of difficulty in constructing themed puzzles is what elevates the xword craft to a higher level. A higher degree of difficulty gets a higher overall score/rating for a puzzle while reducing the degree of difficulty has the opposite effect. Having three themers and a reveal in the singular and one themer in the plural as a convenient letter count boosting ploy akin to TRICKERY is a fly in the ointment of an otherwise solid puzzle, if you ask me.
@Smith
I don't know how close we are in age (I'm 60) but the reason why I recognized the Bridgerton cover songs was exactly because of my advanced age! The songs I knew were from the '80s/'90s — Madonna, Alanis Morissette, Nirvana. I thought I heard a Journey song too, but it might have been something else. (The only other song I recognized was "Wrecking Ball".)
@albatross:
The joke I knew was Lets eat Mom. People is non-discrimantory but wouldn't children taste best?
W.C. Fields thought so.
@Whatsername 10:25 DINO was a snorkasaurus (which is not a real type of dinosaur).
Thank you to the many responders to my earlier post. Alas, the nature of my objection to that clue/answer was not stated clearly, but I appreciate that so many are willing to help.
The frequent fly-over blue plate special: Quad Cities.
I have heard of Quad Cities and Iowan was a likely Choice from the get-go, but Davenport, Bettendorf Moline East Moline. Rock Island. Four cities with a marina? Rock Island Line RR and song maybe. Then Moline is the Missouri Line? Jeez, I must be missing Rex. Anyhow a major urban area compared to where I live. Just glad I didn't have to name one.
Silly me. I was looking for a word not a proper name.
Daily Dordle #0072 X&X/7
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@albatross:
One might wonder: are they 4/3 of the Research Triangle? Is it a Quad of educational brilliance, or just a bunch of plowboys? Enquiring minds need too no.
So happy that there are ADELE fans here. I just love her voice.
By the way...she's lost about 80 pounds. Not because she was pushed to do it but because she wanted to. She's beautiful inside and out.
Try and listen to her new "Easy On Me" without shedding a little tear. Play it loud and listen to her soul.
I'm hoping to convince my friend, @Nancy, to enjoy her ballads about break-ups and regrets. Hah...haven't we all had them?
Never heard of RCA? WOW!!!
@Nancy – my dad was a TV repairman and back in the day he thought Zeniths were the best.
Personally, I never cared for Sony anythings – walkmans, stereos, TVs... To me they never looked or sounded as good as Panasonic, which was my preferred brand. I did like Samsung also, and since I need a new smartphone soon I will probably go with one of theirs .
@kitshef: snorkasaurus you say? Thank you! Loved that cartoon back in the day but I guess I had forgotten.
@Beezer - Pabst and RCA are more “brands” than anything else. There is no Pabst Brewing Company making the beer, it is contracted out to other brewers to make it. Stroh's is similar, although the Stroh’s you buy in Detroit is made in Detroit. Many other beers are similar. Several imports aren’t actually imported.
I just checked and RCA has appeared 294 times in the NYTX including 196 while Shortz has been editor. That’s roughly 10 times a year or roughly once every five weeks.
When does the Wordle moratorium end? Saying anything at all today feels like a spoiler.
I do think a conspiracy seems stupid and silly, but a coincidence seems even more unlikely. Such is life.
@Zed:
There is no Pabst Brewing Company making the beer, it is contracted out to other brewers to make it.
It's actually worse. One might expect that 'national' brands of anything, including beer, would be made at mammoth scale in huge factories. But what about those nifty Craft Beers that are continually in adverts on the telly? Turns out Sam Adams was contract brewed for a long time. They then bought up a moribund brewery or two. Turns out that Blue Moon (and countless others) is just an alternative brand by... MillerCoors. American Oligarchs.
Here's some more Coors crap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Molson_Coors_brands
Here's a list of 'craft beers' that Bud bought over the years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anheuser-Busch_brands#Previously_Craft_Beer_Ownership
@Zed
Just because you don't enjoy WORDL is no reason to spoil it for those who do.
Wordle 291 4/6*
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@JC66 - I do it every day. Today has been an exercise in tongue biting.
Wordle 291 5/6*
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@albatross shell 7:57 - 😂🤣😂🤣😂 - I pick C: Sh*t Happens and then we die.
@zed
What was the reason for your second word not shifting the known to be in the wrong place letter? Shirley putting in a eagle or even learning if there is a double of that letter in the word would be more useful. Using the "hard" rules you may not want to get locked in but it seems a little odd to decide so early in the game.
Wordle 291 4/6
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As an old timer, easy peasy. But my idea of a good NyTimes puzzle is when Loren Muse Smith writes her pithy and humorous comments. @LorenMuseSmith where are you?
@albatross Shell - As I recall, I entered my second guess and immediately said, “that was stupid.”
@Ian - Muse is working and only occasionally comments if Rex posts early enough for her to do her thing before getting to the salt mines of public education.
The great Kris Kristofferson.
https://youtu.be/ahpIirW0svY
34 year old here, agree with the hard!! rating for a Wednesday!
@Zed
Been there done that. Once I entered the same word twice. Usually caused by so much overthinking you forget what you're doing.
In a coincidence (?), “comma” was both the theme of the NYT crossword today AND the wordle answer.
The gimmick wasn’t thrilling but I guess it did the job. One of my ANNOYANCES: Is COURSEEXAM really a thing? Final exam yes. Or just exam - oral or written perhaps. That top middle section was tough to crack with Jim LEHRER being a WOE. The editor should have given the red light to the crossing of 49A and 50D (RNC-NEA), two Naticky abbreviations. Aside from that it was okay - or at least it was good enough for me and Bobby McGee.
TRICKERY TRIX
AHEM, he 'PASSED' the EXAM, THAT'SODD and then some,
TOBEFAIR he can't REID ma'am, so go ASK TWEEDLEDUM.
--- ADELE MCGEE-LEHRER
I'd bet OFL's ANNOYANCES would be that the TRICKERY is in the clues, not the grid. All a part of the puz I say.
Gotta give ADELE a yeah baby. Great pipes.
Par today:
BBBYY
BBYYG
BGGBG
GGGGG
Filled in all the answers without a clue as to the gimmick. Just don't care about the "explanation". How about straightforward crossword puzzles, and skip the gimmicks.
Re ADELE: Never heard her songs; all I know is she canceled her Las Vegas show because the production didn't "suit" her, leaving scores of ticketholders hanging. Sounds like a diva to me. I don't think I'll go when--or if--she ever does decide to favor us with a concert.
Didn't need an app highlight; my brain does that all by itself. I see an asterisk with the first clue across, I gotta look. Result: same. The bug was out of the jar from Minute One, and I actually found this Monday-easy. Had I forced myself to solve strictly from the top down, I have no idea how much longer it would've taken. I'm thinking a factor of about five or six times, at least. THAT much of a purist I ain't.
So today it was more of a spoiler than a revealer, but we can't blame the constructor for that. Par.
Bogeyed the wordle, I won't bore you. They give you a well-done all the way to 6, so thanks for that.
Loved the puzzle which had some fresher fill. Fast and fun.
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