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Religious group affected by the Edict of Nantes / SAT 8-27-22 / Nickname that elides vin / Network onetime HGTV spinoff / Superhero with lightning bolt on his costume / 1890 admission to the Union abbr / Future rap group in which Tyler the Creator got his start / Gum brand with red white blue wrapper
Saturday, August 27, 2022
Constructor: Andrew Linzer
Relative difficulty: Medium
Word of the Day: Rhadamanthine (29D: STERN) —
: rigorously strict or just [...] In Greek mythology, there were three judges of the underworld: Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadamanthus. Minos, a son of Zeus and Europa, had been the king of Crete before becoming supreme judge in the underworld after his death. Aeacus, another son of Zeus, was king of Aegina before joining the underworld triumvirate. Rhadamanthus, brother of Minos and king of the Cyclades Islands, was especially known for being inflexible when administering his judgment - hence, the meaning of "rhadamanthine" as "rigorously strict or just." (Merriam-Webster.com)
• • •
I could not get from [Taxes] to TRIES with just the -ES in place, nor could I get to IMAGED (such an odd word) from [Scanned, perhaps] with just the "I." So I had to go fishing for short stuff in the adjacent NE corner just so I could get my footing once again, and let me tell you, things went very, very badly at first. My opening pass at alllll the short Downs in the NE was an 0fer ("O"-fer? ... how do you spell that? Anyway, rhymes with "gopher," means "zero for [however many attempts you made]"). Nothing, Nada. No HEM ALAS TEXT SATÉ ASHE FEEL or IDA. I spell "SATAY" like that, so even though that's the answer I wanted, I never thought to spell it "SATÉ," and I definitely considered "FEEL" at 10D: Vibe but I thought MOOD fit better (technically it does, but again, as with DIP, it's simply wrong *for this puzzle*). Incredibly rare for me to scan an entire bank of short answers and come up with absolutely nothing. Weirdly, the longer Downs up there came much more quickly. I took an educated guess with TAM (22A: Flat topper) and ELMS (25A: Trees that canopy Central Park's Literary Walk), which got me STEAMY and RATTLES. Then I changed MOOD to FEEL, and after that, the tail ends of those long Acrosses started coming into view. Finally, it was time to embark on the big, creamy middle:
Once I correctly guessed EKES for 25D: Squeezes, I had KEY at the end of 27A: Super-useful item?, and MASTER KEY seemed the only possibility (such keys are undoubtedly "super-useful," but they are also "useful to the super ... intendent ... of a building" ... which is what the clue is going for with its "?" today). With MASTER KEY in place, the middle didn't stand much of a chance. Also, I lucked into HUGUENOTS, an answer which, like JAMES I, is a prominent part of the early-modern European political landscape, and thus my early English literature courses (the HUGUENOTS are French protestants who faced a lot of hostility and persecution from the Catholic crown) (35A: Religious group affected by the Edict of Nantes).
The middle of the puzzle ended up falling very fast, and then the bottom half of the grid played like a Bizarro top half, with JOANNE WADDLED easily opening up the front ends of the long Acrosses down there, and the secluded SE corner being much easier to break into than the NW corner was to break out of. SHAZAM, a gimme, BAZOOKA, a gimme, ALADDIN and KIA, both gimmes, the end. Ultimately, all smiles, no cringe on this one. I especially like the stacks up top and down below, each of which suggests a coherent scene. THAT'S A FIRST! RELEASE DATE! IMAX THEATER! sounds like hype for a big movie's opening weekend, whereas ONLINE POKER ONE MORE TIME MED STUDENTS sounds like a pitch for a movie in which gambling addiction leads to desperate, criminal behavior at a big-city teaching hospital. Whatever the answers in this puzzle suggest to you, I hope you ultimately saw what I saw: a very well put-together piece of work.
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122 comments:
@Rex certainly knows a good puzzle when one appears. What a gem! I'm gonna check out Xwordinfo and see if it's Jeff's POW.
Wow I’m first! (Unless someone is submitting about now)
It’s because I’m visiting my ancestral homeland(harhar) Liverpool UK
“…a very well put-together piece of work.“
Perfectly put. Very tough for me, three times finding my access to the “creamy centre” thoroughly blocked.
(I believe I’ve worked spellcheck into a tizzy,; it’s recommending British spellings and then redlining them as incorrect, hilarious. I’m expecting smoke, alarm bells, flashing lights, steel doors slamming shut…if I don’t make my return flight tomorrow you’ll know why)
Thoroughly enjoyed the toughness
I guess I’m of an age that will never allow “Disney Franchise” and “Broadway Musical” to overlap in my head…
Oh, I’m bowing down as I look this completed grid over. OMG. This is crossword art. Five stacks, all gorgeous, even those five nines stair-stepping up the middle. And the little words that cross the stack, where there’s usually a dud answer or two – no! Not a single dud! I mean, look at this grid! Do you know how rare this is? How hard it is to create?
And the answers themselves! THAT’S A FIRST / HUGUENOTS / JAZZ DANCE / BAZOOKA / SHAZAM / RATTLES / FUTZ! / WADDLED. And the clues! [Super-useful item?] and [Future residents], for wordplay cleverness, for example, plus overall tough-but-fairness.
All kinds of thrills in the solving. Getting a couple of the stacks by throwing in one long answer followed by a splatfill. Getting others by entering a few crosses, then in an electrifying flash, seeing a long answer. Having a return-to area, where each time I came back to it, a little more filled in.
Not to mention bonuses – the second rarely-seen-in-crosswords five-letter palindrome of the week (SPOTS), GAB and BAG touching corners, and that [Pride : lions :: husk : ___] clue referencing Andrew’s debut puzzle in January, a brilliant Thursday rebus, where the theme answers featured animal groups. Here’s an example theme answer: Three rebus LIONs followed by MONTH, clued [JUNE}, (that is, Pride Month).
The main wow, though, is the gorgeous, vibrant, spotless grid o’ stacks. Yeesh, Andrew, two puzzles in your NYT portfolio, and, in my mind, you’re a star already. Thank you for an eye-opening blast of a solve!
I had “nettles” first instead of “rattles” off the “tles” ending, and “HMO” off the “m” instead of “EMT”, and the same trouble with the NW corner that Rex did (I left it for the end). A classic Saturday puzzle, loved it.
Nice write up, Rex. Plenty of nice clues and answers. Played like five small puzzles; I got four of ‘em.
Hand up for neTTLES before RATTLES as well as alt-rock before EMO. Hand up for thinking when EMO and KIA are your eseiest answers you've done a damn good job with the fill. And hand up for agreeing with @Lewis about the five great stacks. That DESK JOB I'M AWARE YOGA MAT triple sounds like somebody losing the argument with their FitBit. And HUGUENOTS going from a WATER RIDE to a JAZZ DANCE sounds like a great weekend. No protestations allowed.
If I have one gripe it is the stalactite/stalagmite combo STEEL and SPOTS. I don't like how they dangle, unconnected, dropping/rising from the rest of the surrounding grid. But that's a "what, no second cherry?" sort of complaint.
Well, this is quite the way to start the weekend: Rex says a puzzle is "hard but doable," while I say it's the third super-easy puzzle in a row from the NYTXW. This doesn't happen very often, so as I head out to the farmers' market, I'm feeling pretty good. Seven full minutes under my Saturday average and no consulting Dr. Google.
RiverRIDE for WATERRIDE was my only stumble, and I wasn't wild about the clue for EKE because yes, yes, it's correct, but the connotation is missing. You'd never say, at cocktail hour, "Hey, honey--eke me a lime, would you?"
Aside from my mistake and that one quibble, I thought the cluing was clever and humorous and a smooth sail all the way through.
Saturday. Just words. Seemed fine as far as themelessness goes. Top section took a bit of time. Had to Goog Aladdin and Joanne, but the rest came along eventually. OH, and I used Uncle G for ASHE...county clues are SO lame I don't even count those as research.
KWAME and JAMES I stacked seemed rude, but crosses helped. HUGUENOTS I knew; how to spell it was a huge knot. Nice to see me and Tyler hangin' like a couple of swells again. Didn't we have a DESK JOB controversy a few weeks back? ACURA and KIA in the same puzzle makes me miss Edsel. Always hated BAZOOKA gum, but it always looks legit in a crossword. So many ways to clue SKIN and they go with kitchen waste. Gah.
Uniclues:
1 Snarky wife's comment on husband's inexperienced home repair attempt.
2 A very sad moment in time set to music.
3 Picture them in their underwear.
4 Sportsbook app.
5 Grocery sack covering gramma's do in the lazy river.
6 Summit of wiggly ones.
7 Petting zoo promotional sign.
8 Hunky genie.
1 "DIY? THAT'S A FIRST."
2 EMO RELEASE DATE
3 ORAL-MASTER KEY
4 BET FACTORIES
5 WATER RIDE BAG
6 JAZZ DANCE GALA
7 FEEL RITE HARES
8 STEAMY ALADDIN
At first look the 5 stack of 9’s appeared daunting - but the fill is so smooth and clean this fell quickly. Unlike Rex - the SE 3 x 7 corner was possibly my favorite part of the grid - BAZOOKA, ALADDIN, GAME DAY crossed with SHAZAM is fantastic. A little segmented from the rest of the grid yes - but highly entertaining on its own.
If you visit NYC in October I would suggest walking the Mall - it’s the straightest pathway in the Park and the ELMS are beautiful.
Get together - ONE MORE TIME
Enjoyable Saturday solve.
Liked it, of course, but seemed more like a Friday puzzle to me.
Medium-challenging for me. Sergey, Larry, Wiki and I solved as a team. Never heard of the DIY network, gem before EMO for the rock variety, ebb before SAG and no clue about JAMES I and the HUGUENOTS, which would be a great name for an EMO rock group.
In the south I had eire before PERU and Seed before SKIN. No clue about Odd Future, but with KIA and ANY in place the three downs in the SE were gimmies.
My first ever Saturday! Struggled with the NW but once YOGAMAT came everything fell into place. Super fun puzzle. But maybe that's just cause I actually finished it.
Now this is a Saturday that knows how to Saturday. Wow and whew!
Started out with KWAME, of all things, and did those isolated NW and SE corners first. The middle was not going anywhere and then in went HUGUENOTS, showing the value of a liberal arts education, which opened things up. Last to fall was the whole NE, hand up for NETTLES and wanted AURA FOR a vibe. THEATER fixed almost all of that.
FUSS before FUTZ and SHAZAM will always be a saying for me and not a character, but otherwise pretty smooth.
Great clue for MEDSTUDENTS. We had a MEDSTUDENT staying with us at our B&B once who told us he was thinking about being a pediatrician at breakfast one morning when our then two-year old decided to display an example of projectile vomiting. I think he had second thoughts.
Congratulations on a Saturdazo, AL. Absolutely Lucious, and thanks for all the fun.
This week felt easier than normal. From Tuesday to Thursday my times kept going down, and then about half my normal time for Friday and today.
That's not to say that today's was trivial. Before TRIES I tried TirES, and "ready" before STEEL. Had to get SATE from crosses (partly because my mind was strangely fixed on sesame noodles which is more like peanut butter noodles, at least where we get it). I was a little HAZY before getting FEEL.
I'm embarrassed that BAZOOKA took me as long as it did. (You couldn't pay me to chew gum now, but I used to chew the awful stuff as a kid.) I had to get SHAZAM first, because I kept wanting to have the superhero's name to end in -man.
One thing I find amazing about Rex is that he never seems to get truly stuck on the NW -- he always starts there and rarely does he HEM there. Me: I just start wherever I see a quick toehold first.
Yesterday was spent moving our daughter into her freshman dorm, so haven't had a chance to read the entirety of the GENUSES kerfuffle. I'll just say that I find "genera" more fun. I have a friend who makes a point of avoiding all learned endings, so for him it would be GENUSES, and likewise "basises" instead of "bases" -- amazingly, basises appears in dictionaries. Then again, I think people generally say "penises" instead of "penes", which would also be fun in its way. To each his own!
Solve on an IPad which helped me get PERU. That helped open the bottom portion of the puzzle for me. Not sure I would’ve gotten it had I solved on paper. Under my code, that which is in plain sight is fair game.
Rex – enjoyed your write-up, especially the JOANNE WADDLED part.
SKIN – “bit of kitchen waste” – sure, if it’s the skin off a cucumber or potato. But you better the heck leave the skin on that chicken. I recently went to a potluck here at the community where I live with Mom. I knew there’d be some KFC because at a previous one, at least three people had taken some as their contribution. I thought about that thigh I was gonna eat all day and was on high alert for those red and white buckets as people showed up. ALAS, there was only one this time, so I was extra-impatient in line where, again, people were being too indecisive . . . I spent a week during those few minutes waiting, and when I finally reached the bucket, there was only one thigh left, but some &%$# had taken off all the SKIN. That’s a stunt you pull among people you know well, and even then, it’s despicable. Back at my table, I kept scanning the room trying to figure out who’d be so stealthy and brazen. You can’t imagine a judgier group than a buncha seniors; that SKIN thief had a lot of guts (viscusses, @smalltown doc).
Living surrounded by people in their late 80s, early 90s has made me hyperaware of my own appearance and gait. It won’t be long before I join the ranks of the wattled WADDLErs.
IMS felt descriptive this morning: IMAGED, I’M AWARE, IMAX THEATER.
Ok, so “rhadamanthine” came outta nowhere. Jeez. I briefly considered adding it into the rotation but decided it’d just be assholery. I did investigate, just in case, to see whether it’d be capitalized, and apparently it's usually not but sometimes is. Rhadamanthus can go stand over next to Hercules and Epicurus.
STEAMY and HAZY. The weather people in NC can go on vacation for late summer and just leave a pre-recorded forecast of hot and humid, chance of afternoon thunderstorms.
SPOTS – it takes just one humiliating time to roll that bench press bar down your stomach before you’ll ask ANY stranger for SPOT.
@smalltown doc, @zed – I posted at the end of yesterday’s thread to avoid the spoiler here today.
“Prepare oneself”/STEEL. . . Monday is our first day with students. I’ll be facing a group of 9th-graders who haven’t yet understood they’re to be nice to me. That’s the problem with an alternative school fed from the 33(!) high schools that make up Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. I can’t coast on any kind of classroom cred. I’ve been warned that one of my new girls last spring in 8th grade broke a window and tried to stab her female teacher with a big piece of the glass. But get this – they’ve been using my classroom this summer for orientation, and this very girl happened to be in my room this past week with her mom. Our first encounter couldn’t have gone better. Serendipity. I saw that she was looking at the strips of poster paper I had all over the walls (DO GEESE SEE GOD? NURSE, I SPY GYPSIES, RUN! GO HANG A SALAMI, I’M A LASAGNA HOG. . .), and I asked her if she could see what they all had in common. Small smile, challenge accepted. She studied them some more, and then I said, Want a hint? Nod. When I wrote “race car” on the board, she immediately said, Oh. They read the same backwards. I snapped my head around and gaped because even with that hint, most kids still just don’t get the joke. My reaction of impressed surprise was genuine, and she was very pleased with herself. I swore her to secrecy for Monday so that others could have a chance to figure it out. She agreed, and now we’re like private palindrome partners. Fingers crossed. . .
This was a half hour of highly enjoyable solving . That's pretty much my average for a Saturday however medium just doesn't seem to do the quality of this puzzle service.
After filling the NW I thought 4D would be TIRES. That's one of your more dyslexic kea/loas and it contributed greatly to my initially leaving the NE blank.
ELMS and then EKES were all I needed for MASTERKEY and it was fitting how that one entry opened the rest of the puzzle.
I finished by backfilling the NE and while I've had harder puzzles I can't say I've ever seen one more perfect looking than this one.
yd -0.
Woohoo - Rex's 'medium' is still my 'hard' but what a great wake up call this AM. I see everyone thought this was great, so just another hand up for that. Forgot what a miserable time the Huguenots had, and bolstered my vocabulary, so enjoyed today's related spinoffs. But c'mon, the best part was having FU__ for "mess (with)" and wondering if we could finally take that step in an answer. So disappointed.
Couple hiccups early - ebb before SAG, wEddingDATE - but a joy finishing this one.
Textbook Saturday, just terrific. The NE was a real struggle for me, but oh-so worth it. The stacks are amazing. Great clue for TEXT. Best NYT Saturday puzzle in quite some time.
Really nice puzzle. Some gimmes and some WTFs?!? The “big, creamy middle” and the NW took me the longest. I figured Rhadamanthine was some weird plant thing I’d never heard of, but with the crosses, it had to be STERN, though I had little confidence in that answer. And having lAG (that’s a lower case L, not a capital I) for SAG for awhile left me with DEL_JO_ which made no sense (DELtJOB, maybe?). But it all came together and I bonded with Mr Happy Pencil.
A perfect Saturday puzzle. As Rex said, hard but doable. I did it all with no googling, rare for me on a Saturday, and got several things I didn’t know from crosses or educated guesses (KWAME, HARES). JOANNE Woodward, a gimme for persons of a certain age. Put in a few wrong things (handBAG before TOTEBAG, dip before SAG - still think those are both better) but fixed them. It was all very satisfying!
If you google SATE sauce, the first few results clearly warn against confusing it with peanut-based satay!
An ANSWER KEY can be very useful. Thought this one was far easier than normal for me. No real holdups.
I loved this puzzle. Fastest Saturday ever. 16 m.
One gripe: a sauna might be swEAtY or even drEAMY but it’s dry, not STEAMY. A steam room is wet and STEAMY.
Rex's praiseful write-up rather surprised me. I was sure there would be a complaint about starting off with a TV channel at 1A. Shows what I know!
While I had no problem coming up with IMAGED off the I, the NE filled in similarly to Rex's. At one point, with RE______ATE in place at 16A, I tried REcord rATE, thinking of RPMs, but it didn’t fit.
Since I solved this about 10 minutes faster than my Saturday average of 26 minutes, I'm lumping this in with yesterday's breezy solve and calling this an easy weekend for puzzling.
Very nice puzzle! Only objection: saunas aren’t steamy. Hot? Yes. But dry.
I’m guessing some of our Vietnamese friends may be scratching their heads wondering who these strange people are in CrossWorld who put peanuts in their SATE sauce.
I know our good friend Arthur is not really considered Saturday-level difficult, but he would have been a much better choice than the name of a county somewhere in the United States for ASHE. At least the HUGUENOTS have some historical significance and may be recognized by a subset of the population. These county name clues are not much of a step up from something like “boy from Peoria who’s mom’s name is Nancy”.
My best Saturday time yet. Nice puzzle. Keep up the good blogging, Rex.
A huge and unfathomable Natick at 46A/48D: "Helps out with a lift" - SPOTS? Huh? "Something that gives takes" - OPED? Double-huh? Well, now that I look at it yet again maybe the "takes" refers to "opinions." But I'm still stuck with "Helps out with a lift." I suppose I'm annoyed because this one broke the longest streak (five) I've ever had since the "streak" business started.
I grew up at a time when Captain Marvel (before he was called Shazam) was more popular than Superman. I was a big fan. Didn't like Superman much.
After I do a crossword, I go back over all the clue/entries and put a red plus sign by ones that stand out. I.e., I learned something, cute clue, unusual word. Today there were eight of them. Usually Friday and Saturdays have at least ten.
Some saunas have steam. That's good enough for a crossword clue. C.f. Joaquin's Dictum.
I felt very chagrined after finally filling in MEL since my father was named Melvin and always went by Mel. That took me way too long! But definitely got a smile.
All Star Saturday. Just great! If you like peanut sauce, try Domada. My dental hygienist is from The Gambia and Domada is a national dish. It's easy and yummy.
Wouldn't it be fun to be Private Palindrome Pals with LMS and her new student?
My first completed Saturday puzzle without any ‘cheating” or assistance! And in only 28 minutes!
Enjoyable for that reason alone … but the clueing was clever and enjoyable as well.
Spotting someone who is weightlifting means standing by in case they get stuck bench pressing so they don’t injure themselves if the person loses their strength.
Hey All !
Nice stackaroonie. Tough to have five stacked Across with the Downs resembling any kind of real thing, but all the center-stack Downs were solid! Impressive.
Got stuck a bit in every section, but somehow finished in 25 minutes, 8 Seconds. That's fast for me for a SatPuz. NW corner actually my toughest spot.
Clue on SHAZAM, there's many Superheros with lightening bolts on their costume. For some reason, SHAZAM went right in with no crosses. I figured I could always erase it if I had to.
Had eau for KIA first. See it? Eau makes up a Rio. Or did I conflate French and Spanish? Har.
Nice clean grid, when no one complains about the fill, you know it's a clean job. Great job Andrew.
Two F's
RooMonster
DarrinV
Someone called SPOTS a palindrome, but a palindrome is a word that reads the sme backwards and forwards, i.e, madam. A combination of letters that reads as one word forwards and anotkher word bacwards is called a semordnilap.
Thx, Andrew; just right for a nice Saturday challenge! :)
Med.
Had to go all the way down to BODY to get a foothold.
SPOTS & BAZOOKA were gimmes, and a big help in those areas.
STEAMY & RATTLES were the KEYs the the NE.
Toughest area was the central, not knowing 'rhadamanthine' nor the sp for HUGUENOTS. It all worked out in the STERN.
Fun adventure! :)
On to the Acrostic.
___
Peace 🙏 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🕊
LMS: Howard!
👍👍
@JT -- Good catch, my goof, SPOTS is a semordnilap, not a palindrome. Thank you! Earlier in the week we did have a genuine five-letter palindrome, TENET.
Before FUTZ, I thought if Putz, but figured that was too improper.
Whaddya know? There's no "B" on the top row of the keyboard.
This is something that, if you're a touch typist as I am (my mother insisted that I take a summer typing class back in the day) you won't know unless you look. I looked. One cheat on this puzzle that was oh-so-easy for a Saturday...until it wasn't.
I had abeTS instead of SPOTS for "helps out with a lift" and boy did it FUTZ up the SW for me. (I love the word FUTZ, btw.) But never mind the B not being in the top row: You try to find a 4-letter country beginning with a B and with an R as its third letter. Looking at the keyboard gave me PERU so, yes, it was a real cheat.
Until then, I had been galloping through this very smooth puzzle feeling no resistance at all. I liked it for its clean grown-up fill, but it was also (mostly) one of the easiest Saturdays I've ever done.
28 minutes 10 seconds: didn’t really seem like a Saturday puzzle to me. More like a medium to difficult Wednesday. It’s always fun to feel smart about solving a Saturday puzzle, but this puzzle did not give me that feeling.
Yes to all of the accolades for this gem of a Saturday. Solving it wasn't just satisfying (conquering a tough grid) but was also such a pleasure, like digging into a treasure chest of answers, from the buzz of JAZZ DANCE, BAZOOKA, and SHAZAM to the shaky parallel of RATTLES and WADDLED to the HUGUENOTS in between..
For me, it went from "easy" to "impossible" to "medium": easy in the NW, where KWAME and JAMES I made short work of that segment; impossible in the NE where the A and D clues yielded absolutely nothing; medium after the combination of STEAMY x TAM and ELMS provided the key to backing in to that triple stack. From there, lots of fun figuring out the answers and lots of pleasure in writing them in.
Do-over: tan before RAD. Help from being married to someone who was one 55 years ago: MED STUDENTS went right in. Help from reading the Times real estate section every Sunday: a "you can't fool me" moment at the "Super-" clue.
@Unknown 8:07 - Congratulations!
You "spot" someone doing heavy lifts so they don't drop the weights onto themselves.
True!
I found myself harking back to the old TRISTATEAREAS when I saw that 16A RELEASEDATE contains RELEASED EASE SEDATE.
Lotta 5 letter car companies that end in “A”. ACURA, Tesla, Mazda, Honda. Probably more.
Glad that 55A is ODD, as yesterday it would have been an EVEN.
Coincidentally, I was just saying to my son last night that he was being too rhadamanthine with his daughter. OKEYDOKEY he replied.
I’m inclined to say that MED is an abbreviation for MEDical or perhaps even for MEDical school in the phrase MEDSTUDENTS (58A). No abbreviation indicator in the clue.
STEAMY TERMS sitting side-by-side looks like the result of negotiations with a hooker.
I’ll agree with previous commenters that this was a gem of a Saturday. Thanks, Andrew Linzer.
After reading Rex’s comments, I’m thinking I must’ve had some kind of Slumdog millionaire morning with this puzzle.
Wordle 434 4/6*
🟧⬜⬜⬜🟦
🟧⬜⬜🟧⬜
🟧⬜🟧🟧⬜
🟧🟧🟧🟧🟧
Uncommonish word today, so missed what should have been an easy 4
Constructor notes on XWordinfo mention that a custom software app was used in the puzzle. I wonder if that’s really fair?
Exactamundo. This clue steamed me up, too.
Wow, almost everyone enjoyed tis one. Of course, we still get Southside's daily nits.
Well that’s not Neil Diamond.
Mediumish. This took me a tad longer than it should have because I didn’t read a gimme clue in the center stack until well into the solve. Gotta love HUGUENOTS which I am pretty sure why this was POW at Xwordinfo. Just about perfect for a Saturday, liked it a bunch!
Ah, Saturday. Fiendish clues with oh so simple answers like FACTORIES which should DANCE off the page but instead hide deviously and make you work every cross to reveal them. As Rex said, a proper Saturday and as Lewis said, this truly is crossword art. Even the blank grid was a thing of beauty.
I managed to muddle my way through it and feel spent, exhausted from the effort - yet so very pleased THAT I did. Thank you, Mr. Linzer. I stand humbled in the presence of a MASTER.
@Unknown 10:47. Well if @rex isn't gonna nit, someone has to. Har!
@NY, I'll see your 4 and raise you 6.
Wordle 434 6/6
⬜🟨⬜🟩⬜
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩
🟨🟨⬜🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Top drawer!
@Southside: Is it Delores ?
Ah, the puzzle. Had the mind meld working from the get today, with yoga mat and "I'm aware". I clicked on almost all the phrase answers immediately, which kinda made this too easy for a Saturday, but this was still a well-made and junk-free effort. I'm even in agreement with OFL on almost everything.
As usual,@LMS, loved your conribution. Off to a good start with your troubled student. And I can't even find chicken with the skin on at the local stores any more ! How can I grill it if it's "skinless and boneless" ? Shazam !
As a tenth generation descendant of theHUGUENOTS who settled in New Paltz, NY in the 1680’s, had to love this puzzle! Thanks.
Yes, it’s SATAY. That one hung me up… among others.
As always I need at least that one letter to get a toe hold on a puzz, which came … eventually.
Yes, hard but doable.
For me, it lacked sparkle….except for JAZZDANCE, SHAZAM, and YOGAMAT…
Learned RHADAMANTHINE! But will I ever use it in a sentence? Ya never know!
Well, maybe 🧩 ‘twas better than I thought.🌧🌈☀️
🥱🦖🦖🦖🦖🤗
Started out wonderin if I could solve this thing, but eventually DIY made sense and KWAME filled in from all its crossers, and the solvequestin got better after that, at our house. I'd still rate this puppy as medium-feisty, for a SatPuz. Maybe I'm just rusty, after the lay-off.
Puz had no theme revealer like yesterday, and not all the Downs were odd, but a lot of them Down clues were sure kinda odd.
staff weeject stack pick: DIYEMOSAG. On account of their tough-ish clues and for sittin on top of the KWAME JAMESI pile.
Jaws of Themelessness. Made it officially themeless, if there was any remainin doubt.
fave entry: THATSAFIRST, which is aptly a debut entry.
Thanx for the fun challenge, Mr. Linzer dude. Shazammy job.
Masked & Anonymo3Us
**gruntz**
I always thought Saunas were dry heat, not like a schvitz, which is deliberately "wet" heat.
@NYDenizen 10:39 – I saw that too. Kind of funny when the constructors blab how they came up with every little thing and what technology they used and all the minutiae and permutations along the way. I'd keep my mouth shut: "The completed grid appeared to me suddenly in a dream!"
@CDilly: Just read your “gran“ post from yesterday. What a blessing that she is still there whispering in your ear. I inherited a full-time teenage stepdaughter who had serious issues but not nearly as severe as yours. However we had our struggles over the years and I’m sure many nights she went to sleep cursing the day she ever met her evil stepmother. I may have even grown a huge hairy wart on my nose back then, can’t recall. Anyway, years later when she was an adult with children of her own she gave me a lovely Mother’s Day card with a heartfelt note thanking me for everything I had done for her. In particular, she said “You are the only one who ever made me be responsible for my own actions.“ I have never forgotten those words and still have that card to this day.
@Martin, I had the same thought, but I guess if you throw water on the rocks it’s STEAMY for a moment.
5 seconds off my personal best for a Saturday! I saw the grid and all that white space and was terrified. Kept waiting for a major stumble that never came. Closest I got was Rhadamanthine. Figured it was some sort of element. And forgot how to spell HUGUENOTS, but crosses filled it all nicely. Thought that all clue/answer pairs were very straight forward or lightly cutesy, but nothing unknowable. JAZZDANCE feels a bit Green Paint, and MEDSTUDENT has the abbreviation (MED) in it without a corresponding abbreviation in the Clue. Did not realize that Sate sauce and Satay sauce aren't the same thing. Learn something new from xwords almost daily.
Off to Lollapuzzoola! Good luck to all who are participating!
KWAME, JAMES I, and HUGUENOTS got me started, but the rest was slow. In my day, SHAZAM was what Captain Marvel shouted to transform himself; and while I saw WATER RIDE, I didn’t think it was a real term— is Splash Mountain in the same category as the Tunnel of Love?
I finally had to look up ASHE County—easy for our large NC contingent, I suppose.
I’m just back from a 24-day road trip (Boston to Cleveland to Boulder to Bend to Medora to Sturgeon Bay to Boston), and this was a nice welcome home.
—@jberg
If you read the entries more thoroughly, you come to find out that one sate sauce is Vietnamese, while the peanut one is often--but not necessarily (!)--served with Indonesian sate/satay (alternate spellings for what, TIL, is pronounced with the final "e" or "ay" like the "e" in egg!).
Just here to point out that the WATERRIDE in question is not called "Splash Mountain" anymore. Disney finally dropped the ride's association with song of the south.
Good catch (you and others). Even with water poured over the coals.
HUGUENOTS is a gimme when you grew up in a town with a Huguenot Street.
Villager
Minor quibble: The hero's name is Captain Marvel -- Shazam is the word he utters to transform and the name of the wizard who gave him his powers.
Saunas are dry heat. Steam rooms are steamy. Doesn’t affect the fill but let’s just be clear here.
Yes, Rex...I did see a very well put-together piece of work. This piece of art needed my full attention. I had trouble appreciating all the intricate tile work. In my mind, I kept wanting to rearrange a tile here and a tile there. The tiles that I couldn't seem to quite fit, involved some imagination on my part. I finally succeeded in making this something that I could frame.
My tile rearrangements though, where: Tires instead of TRIES. Ready instead of STEEL and thinking AUDIS instead of ACURA. I took my time and retrofitted these pieces so that they became eye candy.
I had to consult a docent to help me with KWAME. She also lent me her dictionary to look up a word I can't pronounce: Rhadamanthine....She winked at me because she knew that others would ask the same question.
I paused at SATE. Isn't this the Vietnamese sauce that contains all kinds of spices? Maybe Satay but it doesn't fit. Is this a variant spelling? Should I fret? No...eventual crosses gave me my answers.
I continued down memory lane. Paused here and there... enjoyed the overall view... sat down for a rest... got up and smiled.
A very enjoyable day at the museum of ART....
LMS, be careful out there! You are too precious to lose.
On xwordinfo.com, the constructor flatly states "47-Down is the only country that can be written on one row of a keyboard". This after I, like I'm sure many others, had immediately plunked in EIRE. (PS: I own the comic that Jeff uses to illustrate SHAZAM; bought it for 20 cents in about 1975.)
Those HUGUENOTS caused me some grief; oh boy that spelling. HEUGENOTS looked so right! Also FLOODS before ERODES (I had the right "bank" idea).
[Spelling Bee: yd 0; an awful lot of "---ed" words.]
Elegance! Cleverness! Humor! Great words! This is a primo Saturday. Cannot recall when I have enjoyed a Saturday puzzle more. And Rhadamanthine - an all time favorite word. Just so much fun - and for once (first time in what seems like ages) I was tuned in and receiving the clever and artistic on Andrew Linzer’s wavelength! But before I go on about today, a bit on yesterday.
Raised in a family that revered education, loved language and would not settle for careless speech, I enjoyed the back and forth on GENUSES bs the absolutely correct genera. Kudos to both @small town doc and @Loren MS. I often rankle and gripe about the inclusion of things technically “incorrect” once a word - no matter how incorrect - is “officially adopted” into the American vernacular. That said, @LMS’s comment pondering whether it’s better to use the correct and be considered uneducated by the masses who have (apparently) “adopted” an incorrect usage. That exchange is a perfect example of why I enjoy the neighborhood here.
So today. I astonished myself by penciling in DIY, EMO, SAG, JAMES I and BET (although with a certain level of trepidation that alt, dip or nap might just be the correct answer. I had not yet perused the entire landscape to see the brilliant and clever panoply of clues. Next fell ALAS, FEEL (absolute tentative guess), SATE’, STEEL, ELMS and our old frmmm
Felt more like a Wed than a Saturday to me. Never really found myself 'stuck' as there was always a cross to keep things moving. One misstep was with JAMESv I figured it would be JAMESI with *first* Stuart king of England, but when I considered JAMESv, and 24D clued as Scanned, I immediately put in viewED. However, got the backdoor with ------KEY, and figured out it had to be MASTERKEY, and knew vM didn't work for 24D, so changed viewED, to IMAGED pretty quickly. Not a lot trivia to contend with although I had no idea about Rhadamanthine, but figured it had to be a medication for Restless Leg Syndrome or similar with a billion side effects.
@Anonymous 12:32 You are thinking of the original Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel, which was revived by D.C. (Fawcett having dropped the title as a result of a copyright-infringement lawsuit by D.C.), and the Wikipedia entry about that Captain Marvel says that he is also now known as Shazam.
TIL that the many different Captain Marvels who belong to the Marvel Universe began with an alien named Captain Mar-Vell.
I agree. Fastest Saturday ever for me.
When I was a comic-reading kid in the 1940's Captain Marvel was the superhero with the lightning bolt and SHAZAM was what newsboy Billy Batson said to transform himself into Captain Marvel. Something has obviously changed between then and now, but since I haven't read comic books since the early 50's I have no idea what happened.
Did anyone fail to fill in MEDSTUDENTS because their wasn't an "abbr" hint in the clue? Actually, I think having "abbr" would have been wrong because the answer in its entirety is not an abbreviation. And it's Saturday. Hand holding not required.
Captain Marvel, also known as SHAZAM, is a superhero appearing in American comic books originally published by Fawcett Comics.
@okan…He must’ve meant the only country that can be written in English with just using one row. “Eire” is not an English word.
Éire is Irish for "Ireland".
@old timer - You posted your comment on the wrong day so I deleted it from the Friday Comments.
This one is pure crossword artistry and the very best Saturday in a long time.
Andrew Linzer placed the Saturday bar back where it belongs. And the proverbial icing on my Saturday morning (coffee) cake was that for the first time in ages, I was tuned into the constructor’s wavelength and had a front row seat in the wheelhouse!
But first a word about yesterday’s exchange between @smalltowndic and @LMS regarding GENUSES vs. the absolutely correct genera and the choice to be correct or have most everyone else think you uneducated. Exchanges such as this are but one small example of all the different content that brings me to this neighborhood every day. Every day I think what fun it would be to get together for coffee.
Back to the puzzle. When I penciled in DIY, EMO, SAG, JAMES I and BET, I was excited. More so when the crosses verified my answers! After moving eastward, I entered ALAS, STEEL, FEEL, STEAMY and ELMS and wondered who had replaced or updated the software my typically foggy and sluggish Saturday “wavelength receiver” with the snazziest new model! It’s been ages since I had a true “wavelength experience” and I savored it. Even the typical fill seemed more special because of the careful clue construction. Nothing but joy today. Thanks Andrew!!
Am I the only one who objects to "steamy" as an answer to "like a sauna." Saunas produce dry heat NEVER steam.
SAUNA
Again, I fail to understand why people post things that are flat out wrong without even a cursory glance at a dictionary or asking Uncle Google first. See also @kenji 12:10 explaining that there are two SATE sauces.
@LMS - I just like that -opodes adds three syllables.
@TTrimble - I would never use basises because it sounds like a word from Parseltongue and I’m not a Parselmouth. And with plurals (as everything else language) my determination on correctness is a two prong test: 1. Will my audience understand me. 2. Does it sound good, or at least not hideous. Basises fails both tests for most people I speak with or write to.
You're right. EIRE is a top row kealoa with PERU
I'm surprised no one complained that JAZZ DANCE is WOE or PPP. I was not aware of the existence of Gus Giordano and Chicago Jazz Dance as a...I'm still not sure what to call it...concept? cultural institution?...and I've seen the musical *Chicago* four times, one of which was the original (1975) production with Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, and Jerry Orbach. I got STEAMY right away, but spent my entire puzzle time thinking, "But saunas aren't steamy. Steam rooms are steamy. Saunas are hot and dry." Similarly, I knew deep in my bones that the entry for 43A was SHAZAM, but I kept thinking "But his superhero name is Captain Marvel. Shazam was the signature exclamation that transformed him from Billy Batson to Captain Marvel." I feel as ornery as Rex when I make these comments. I think I'm just having a bad mental health day. I did enjoy the puzzle overall, but I kept feeling like I had to reach fill through slant readings of inaccurate clues.
I agree with all of the positive comments — I loved the puzzle — but how is it okay to have the word “first” in the clue for James I?
In regards to the sauna issue, my gym in San Francisco had a large gay clientele and the sauna was often quite STEAMY.
@LMS: we are in 100% agreement. Thanks for teaching me the correct pronunciation of "forte". I will never pronounce it that way, though. Also, I think you’re really cool. Wish I had a teacher like you in… whatever grade it is you teach.
I absolutely loved the clue for MED STUDENT. Ironic it was my last answer. I stared at the clue for so long, making neither heads or tales of it. I laughed out loud when I figured it out. So obvious in hindsight.
People get IMAGED when they undergo a CT, ultrasound or other type of *imaging* study. I’m thinking it’s radiology jargon. Crazy radiologists have a lexicon all their own. Imagine calling a regular old X-ray a "radiograph". Jeez. Oh, did I mention I’m a radiologist?
saunas can, trust me, be STEAMY. while they're not STEAMrooms, every one I've been in has a hot element, usually filled with lava rock, and a bucket and scoop next to. you can dump enough water on the lava rocks to get what civilians call STEAM. it isn't, since real STEAM is invisible. some places don't allow that by not providing the water and such; just find another one.
@NY Denizen (10:39) and @Joe D (11:46) -- At first I thought you were both being too harsh to the constructor. Even though I -- an almost total computer illiterate --may be at a completely unfair disadvantage when it comes to using computer-generated or computer-enhanced theme ideas, I've always thought: Hey, if you possess the technical chops to create a computer program that can find complex and elusive theme solutions for you, then you have a genuine, legitimate TALENT that deserves to be rewarded. If I have to do things the slow, uncertain, old-fashioned way -- which by the way features a lot of sleepless nights tossing and turning an ideating-- well that's my own fault for not being a programming whiz like you.
But then I read this in today's Constructor's Notes:
"Thanks to my friend Michael Menz who made a C++ tool that helped fill the center section of this grid!"
I have no idea what a C++ tool is -- but if you don't create it yourself, then, yes, I do think that's cheating.
Or maybe I'm just resentful that no one has ever thought to make a C++ tool for me, whatever it is. Will someone? Please?
Oh and btw, if you needed a C++ tool to make today's puzzle, wait till you see tomorrow's puzzle. You'd need Jeopardy's "Watson" to make that one. It's so intricate; no way it was done manually.
This sauna lover started using them whilst in Japan in the 80s. Every one I went to over a period of about two years there was very hot and very dry. The low humidity makes for faster, more efficient evaporation of perspiration which allows the user to remain inside at higher temperatures for longer periods of time than would be the case if it was STEAMY. My love of saunas continued when I returned to the States and every one I have gone to over the intervening years has been hot and dry.
A sauna will often have a tray with some stones in it sitting over the heater. Sometimes the humidity can get too low and make breathing uncomfortable. When that happens the user can sprinkle some water on the heated stones to add back a little humidity. The water on the hot stones will produce a smidgen of steam but by no means will it make the sauna room STEAMY. Not even close. It's still very dry in there. That's the essence of a sauna, hot and dry. Never STEAMY. That would be the STEAM room.
Maybe a clue about some movie love scene or weather in the tropics would have worked better.
@Nancy:
C++ is the lingua franc of systems programming, with the possible exception of mainframes which still tend to being run on either assembler or COBOL. C++ is not a user friendly language, and wouldn't generally be used for a string processing problem; there're much easier languages for that.
OTOH, since 99.44% of today's movies are 99.44% computer generated... welcome to a brave new world. years ago some wag said, "software is eating the economy."
@Nancy – C++ is apparently a programming language.
I wasn't try to harsh the constructor. I don't consider it cheating, but I don't see why you'd want to advertise your trade secrets. I guess it may be of interest to other puzzle makers, but it seems like information overload to me. Magicians don't explain how they do their tricks.
Me too
Thanks @whats. Sounds like you didna wonderful job warts and all!
I meant to comment on HUGUENOTS only because until my daughter encountered them in a history text during grade school (5th grade I think) I could not for the life of me spell the word correctly on the first try. Which U needed the E - an eternal mystery. But she came to me one evening with her textbook to ask me “Who were the “hug we nots?” “The who?,” I ask? “Mom, I know you know, the French religion persecuted by the Catholics!” “Oh, the HUGUENOTS,” I corrected. But they are forever the “Hug-we-nots.”
@MiBS This reminded me of your comment.
Canonically, Saunas are not steamy. That’s why they made steam rooms. While this was one of my speedier Saturdays, that and the alternate spelling of satay just did not sit well with me. Otherwise, solid Sat!
I just commented about this and then read your comment. Thank you for making me feel sane!
The spelling of 'satay' in the grid threw me a bit as well.
I don't know if it's just me, but when I see clues that are easy on a Sat. grid I always think: Man, I'm old. (See: Bazooka)
Highly segmented grids (like this one) ought to be the cleanest. Getting rid of a bit of ugly fill in one corner doesn't necessarily have knock-on effects throughout the grid, the way it would in a highly connected puzzle.
Very boring and tedious.... Hardly a crossword.... Cept for rex's sycophants.
SAUNAS ARE THE OPPOSITE OF STEAMY!
Catching up on old xwords while I was on vacation. Just finished this one and, as usual, hurried over to Rex to get his take and to scroll down for yours. Always a delight and also confirmation that you are an amazing teacher and those 9th graders are in for a great year. Good luck!
Nice and neat. A bit too easy for a Saturday but that’s the editor’s decision.
POKER ANY ONE?
Now THAT'SAFIRST DATE,
JOANNE's BODY's sublime,
ONE RELEASE will not SATE,
it FEELs RITE ONEMORETIME.
--- JAMES ASHE
Finally: teeth. Finding no easy way in, I decided to run through QWERTYUIOP to see if I could pull out a four-letter country. Came up with PERU. were there others? I had no earthly idea, but I wrote it in anyway. Then I saw ONEMORETIME, which always reminds me of a STTOS episode, The Naked Time, in which a crewman of Irish descent takes over auxiliary control and begins singing "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" over and over. After some "orders," he announces "And now, I'll render 'Kathleen' ONE. MORE. TIME!"
I did fine working northward, even finishing a nice center, jaws and all. But then came the, uh, north. That simple clue, "They come with conditions," had me absolutely buffaloed. Everything comes with conditions. It took me forever to come up with, simply, TERMS. That brought out a loud groan. On the west coast I had an aha! moment with DESKJOB, and that corner came along, but the NE was a bear. In particular, you clue SATE as a peanut sauce?? Wow, I'll say it's Saturday. That was mean and nasty. I made a series of flat-out guesses and just plotzed 'em in there. And it all came out, except for that SATE.
I'd call it medium-challenging. It's mostly a fine, hard puzzle, suitable for the day, with but one major flaw: EKES. Gotta deduct for that one: birdie.
Wordle par.
@Astro - you pour water on the hot rocks and that's not STEAMY? Ever been in a sauna?
This puz was very well done. Had to change pUTZ to FUTZ and that's about it. Went through many pennies worth of BAZOOKA as a kid.
BTW, Wordle bogey due to 4 shots at GGGBB
THATSAFIRST was last to fall into place.
Of course, I was kept from puzzle perfection by the use of NAMES by the constructor. Otherwise it was quite nice and fair for a Saturday type puz. Kudos.
Lady Di
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