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Relative difficulty: Easy? (I timed myself and the clock says 2:49 and I think that's on the fast side but since I don't time myself regularly any more, I have no idea)
Theme answers:
- WIND SECTION (17A: Where flutes are played, in an orchestra)
- BAR EXAMINATION (25A: Qualifying hurdle for practicing law)
- REFERENCE CHECK (43A: Prehiring formality, often)
Aidan Gallagher (born September 18, 2003) is an American actor and musician. [...] Gallagher first appeared in a minor role in a 2013 episode of Modern Family. He was in the short film You & Me and was in the CBS television pilot Jacked Up, which was not picked up and never aired. He then landed a major role in Nickelodeon's Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn as Nicky Harper, for which he was nominated Favorite Male TV Star in the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2016 and 2017. He was in the show for four seasons until it ended in 2018. // In February 2019, Gallagher began starring in the Netflix superhero series The Umbrella Academy, an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name, as Number Five / The Boy, a 58-year-old time traveller who's stuck inside the body of his 13-year-old self due to an accidental time jump. His portrayal won him critical praise; as The New York Times'reviewer put it, he "carries the show as far as he can". Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Gallagher is very good in the tricky part of a fifty-something-year-old man trapped in the body of a schoolboy". (wikipedia)
• • •
The toughest part for me, though was probably the dead center, what with the two names I didn't know (or, rather, one I didn't know, the other I forgot—sorry, ILENE) (29D: ___ Chaiken, co-creator of "The L Word"). With DDE crammed in there as well (36A: 1950s presidential inits.), that is probably the weakest part of the grid—but in the puzzle's semi-defense, it's also the part of the grid that was probably hardest to fill cleanly, given the way the grid is built. Trying to put three 5s alongside each other with their first and last letters all fixed in place by themers—weirdly hard. Like, try to refill it without really tearing down the grid. It's not easy. I didn't spend too much time at it, but early efforts were not getting anywhere better than AIDAN MEDIC ILENE. So that part of the grid is forgiven its proper noun roughness. As for the theme—there it is! It's a theme. One of the oldest theme types, and one that rarely YIELDs good results ... but today, you really can't argue with the solidity of this themer set. And the revealer is right on the nose. So sure, why not? Solid Monday execution.
Notes:
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
- 20A: Vanish into thin air (DISSIPATE) — anyone fall into a DISAPPEAR hole here? I would have, but the "I" from RESIDE kept me on my feet.
- 10D: Camera brand that merged with Minolta in 2003 (KONICA) — remember cameras?! I do, but damned if I could remember which part of KONICA was "K"s and which "C"s. KONIKA, CONIKA, CONICA, CSONKA ... so many permutations.
- 4D: "I'd wager that..." ("ODDS ARE...") — shout-out to middle-length fill that is actually fresh and colloquial and interesting. You don't want to let the longer answers have all the glory. See also RUN-DMC. Fun stuff.
- 12D: AMC's "Better Call ___" (SAUL) — shout-out also to the greatest show (no longer) on television. Really rooting for everyone involved with that show to take home Emmys later this month, particularly RHEA Seehorn, who will (I hope) be with us in crosswords for a long time to come. What an actor.
[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Facebook]
Thanks for solving my puzzle and for the constructive feedback!!! ❤️
ReplyDeleteMedium? I fat fingered this one to the extreme, plus I still need crosses to spell HYGIENIC. I’m with @Rex, solid Monday, liked it.
ReplyDelete@bocamp - Croce’s Freestyle #740 was again on the easy side for a Croce or around 10X Saturday’s NYT. Good luck!
Not a single reference to bygone computing today, just six unspoken crosses in one crossword. One of those, "hm, well how 'bout that" themes.
ReplyDeleteProsodification:
-She's runnin' RUM in the RAINS with a little SMACK in her HUBCAP. She'd ELUDE a DOUBLE CROSS with no REMORSE -- on a horse of course.
-Aw shucks, here's the CRUX, @Pete better bring his KONICA (instead of his harmonica) when he BATHEs in mud. It'll be UNHYGIENIC, but cleaner than the Anonym-oti sittin' on a potty crying boo hoo (to who?).
-The MEDIC tried a diuretic. DITZ pitched a fit leading to his OBIT. He'd played an OBOE in the WIND SECTION with ZERO fans a blowin'.
-I've eaten PALEO on the radio, and RICE with mice; I've popped in at IHOP, and got rolls with POKE BOWLs, but nothing's as fun or foxy as BUNS with EPOXY.
-In our LEWD LAIR, no one will care if you're there to vex REX and disavow you're here for PURE WOWS.
-I found it ideal to be idled in the idyll tatting LACE for your face.
Uniclues:
1 Headline in a RWNJ publication run by 3rd graders.
2 Outrun the diet police.
3 Blue, at least on the hard parts.
4 Build an industrial park.
5 Total lifetime of tatting I will produce.
6 Pancake lovers hold wedding in their favorite sanctuary.
7 Bogus cassowary.
8 100% true exposé on unwanted Greek aliens.
9 My house.
10 He who told une mauvaise blague?
11 Feeling facing a scatterbrain as they read their retirement statement.
12 What happens in my lewd lair.
1 LABOR SMACK USA
2 ELUDE PALEO NAB
3 WIND SECTION HUE
4 DISSIPATE IDYLL
5 LACE YIELD: ZERO
6 IHOP RAINS RICE
7 EMU DOUBLE CROSS
8 ETS: CRETE PESTS
9 LEWD LAIR HERE
10 ODDS ARE PERE
11 DITZ REMORSE
12 UNHYGIENIC WOWS
Wow, @Gary J; just Wow! Several LOLs.
DeletePlayed challenging here (for a Monday). Knowing how to spell UNHYGIENIC would have helped. Also, had BARE blocking me from seeing BAR EXAMINATION for many precious nanoseconds. I think a BARE BAR EXAMINATION would be more fun for everyone involved.
ReplyDeleteI like the theme a lot. Yes, it is a classic theme type, but it is a well executed example of the type so 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽.
I just want to say thanks for doing your write ups and they are a pleasure to read. I used to check out your blog after every crossword I did all through college to help me make connections to answers I didn’t know or understand. I’ve been away from doing crosswords for the past five years or so but just picked it up this week again and was thrilled to see the blogs still active, so thanks.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding debut with more of an "aha" at the revealer than is typical for a Monday. Congrats Adam!
ReplyDeleteLiked it a lot. Terrific Monday. What I liked best is that the four main entries (11-14-14-11) did not seem forced at all. And the revealer was clean, clever and cute.
ReplyDeleteDDE is not junk fill. In fact, in today’s environment. DDE would be a wonderful breath of fresh air. A war hero, a university President and a President who gave us eight calming years of growth and a national highway system to boot.
Loved this puzzle, and the two crosses in the middle of the grid!
ReplyDeletePlayed on the fast side of average for me. ASWAN? Is that a crossword clue/answer I'm supposed to be familiar with? It feels like it is, as it wasn't even mentioned in the review. Seemed quite out there for a Monday. Got it because of the crosses, but I lost a few seconds in that corner. Also, DISapPear for DISSAPATE took a little unknotting.
ReplyDeleteThis one brought forth a lot of memories for me. I won a best supporting actress in High School for portraying HELEN Keller. My husband and I celebrated our fifty one early September observance of marriage today.. After a two year struggle with thyroid cancer we both quit our jobs for a three month adventure in Europe and ended it with a two week stay in CRETE. Memories galore.
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle Adam, you got into my head without realizing it.
Your story warms my heart, I’m so happy my puzzle reminded you of such happy memories! ❤️
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete@chefwen, congrats to you and your husband!
@Adam, congrats on your debut!
No overwrites (other than the ever-present typos); nice Monday with a nod to the holiday.
@chefwen – congratulations on all fronts. I’m happy for both of you.
ReplyDeleteRex – Yay! you’ve eschewed the timer for a more enjoyable solve. Welcome to the leisurely side.
@Mex Girl – WHOA HOW DID I MISS THOSE TWO CROSSES? YOU HAVE THE CATCH OF THE DAY HERE! BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO! And Adam – very nice touch there, buddy. Congrats on your debut; I’m looking forward to more out of you!
Like Rex, I fumbled around with the K/C issue on KONICA. One of my students is a Blood, and once when we were waiting for the buses to be called, he gave me a lesson in how Bloods never use the letter C in texts (because Crips begins with a C), and in speaking a lot of times, they replace the sound with a B. So no cap (“no lie”) becomes no bap. Bompton, CA, What’s bracking?. . .That’s bool. . . Brazy, right?
I caught this same guy last week charging his ECIG – right there in his pocket – at my Chromebook cart. (Bromebook bart?) Just standing there. When I called him out and reported him, he was really mad at me. I told him I was just as mad, hurt even, that he would put me in that position. Weird how I felt beyond hurt and betrayed.
“Peaceful, pastoral scene” – On Wednesday, my new principal popped in for a head count, and she couldn’t have come at a better time. Every single one of my 16 students (a crap ton for an alternative school) was quietly working on a writing assessment. You could have heard a pin drop. I’m hoping she has understood now that I’m the At-Risk-Student Whisperer. Yeah. Right. It honestly was just a very fortuitous moment. Building relationships with 9th-graders takes time and finesse, but I’m working mightily.
I had one girl body up on me, very upset. I guess I was standing too close and had called her out on something, I can’t remember. But she stuck her chest out, tilted her head back, came at me, Back up, Ms. Smith. Get out of my space. . . I backed up slowly and was quiet, slow, calm, Hey. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you. I’m backing up. Most of these kids have had a lot of trauma, and their reactions are understandable. I’m learning. [This girl and I are good now. A couple of days later, we were talking about corny jokes, and I said:
Me: Knock knock
Her: Who’s there?
Me: I eat mop.
Her: I eat mop who.
I stared until she heard it, and we both laughed. Then I couldn’t let it go and did it again with I eat cowp. Good sport that she is, she said, I eat cowp who, then I eat squirrelp, and we both cackled.]
OBIT – Mom, 87, is obsessing that everything is in order, even though she’s doing very well. We went to the funeral home Saturday to discuss things that were already written down, taken care of, etc. She’s very concerned about her gold teeth and wants to make sure they’re removed before cremation and that we sisters get this gold so that we can melt it down and whatever. They can’t do that, but they said they do sift through, ya know, and take out stuff like that, so if they find them, they’ll let us have them. Then Mom related a story I had never heard. When they spread my uncle John’s ashes, Mom reached, got a handful, and discovered a tooth. This is one of the most chilling things I’ve ever heard. If you think about it, happening upon a tooth where it’s not supposed to be. . . that sh%$ will flat Wake. You. Up.
What tough time for all of you. I love your humor inflected grace.
DeleteIs there a card game where only the ACEOFCLUBS can be high or low but not the other aces?
ReplyDelete26D "Certain card that can be either high or low in a deck"
I think it means “certain card” as in one of the four. Any suit would work with the clue.
Delete@Adam Simpson—my pleasure. Congrats on the debut.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 12:43–I appreciate the kind words. Glad you’re back at it.
@chefwen—are you saying today is your 51st wedding anniversary?! Because that is Something! 💥
RP
My five favorite clues from last week
ReplyDelete(in order of appearance):
1. Cheese that's "not badda" (5)
2. What comes after love (7)
3. Device that turns plastic into paper? (3)
4. Jumbo jet? (6)
5. Subject of a 2003 search and rescue mission (4)
GOUDA
FIFTEEN
ATM
GEYSER
NEMO
I was going to post this last week but I solved late so no one would have seen it. If you use the Dutch pronunciation, the Gouda joke doesn’t work. I once heard a presentation from a woman who said that she was from the Dutch city of “Howda.” When she finished I said the most interesting thing I learned is that Gouda is pronounced “Howda” (not quite an English H, but closer to it than a G). She confirmed it - and then of course, I assured her that I
Deletelearned many more interesting things from her presentation. Any Dutch speakers care to confirm?
Last week was the 55th anniversary of my wedding. Also the 47th anniversary of my divorce.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Adam! Lovely puzzle. More than happy to take Aidan, Ilene, and Aswan to support a solid theme that is beautifully executed. Rex's critiques here of easily avoidable junk fill are some of his fairest. These are NOT those. Thanks again! You've earned your day of rest.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the puzzle, Adam!
ReplyDelete@chefwen: Also congratulations!
(I rarely post on weekdays, but today is a holiday, yay!)
Thanks for reminding my how much fun the King of Rock video was...
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t remember that the Hawaiian dish was called poKe and of course it’s crossed with that artist dude that drops by from time-to-time (I didn’t remember him either) . . . oh, I’m such a trivia buff. So I had a Monday DNF on a POKE BOWL lol.
ReplyDeleteCute theme - the two crosses in the center are top notch - solid revealer. Overall fill is mostly clean - A LIE, ALII up top and doubling up on LSAT, SSNS provided the only side eyes here. I guess the two unknown names in the center but I thankfully filled across so didn’t really have to deal with them. Cool to see the symmetrical RUN and HUBCAP.
ReplyDeleteMy wife loves POKE BOWLS - I’ll pass.
@chefwen - I’m assuming after 51 there’s no REMORSE? Congratulations and hopefully many more.
Riding the SCREE
Enjoyable Monday solve.
The puzz covers a lifespan from LABOR to OBIT.
ReplyDeleteBATHE helps clean up LEWD and UNHYGIENIC with an assist from PURE.
SMACK those PESTS.
Failure to ELUDE results in a NAB.
I ATE a RIB with RICE and sips of RUM, but not at IHOP.
KEEP using that ECIG and you'll need a MEDIC.
If you code again you REMORSE. (sorry)
Hey Adam! Remember me? I had you in my Spanish 2 class many years ago, but the thing I remember most is the time I was coaching third base when you were on the JV team. You were on third and there was a man on first, two outs. The count got to 3-2 and you took off for home on the pitch. The batter made an out, but I had to ask you what you thought you were doing, and you said, 3-2. 2 outs, you run on the pitch, right, and I said, what if it's a walk, and you said, oh. Remember that?
ReplyDeleteI realize that there is more than one Adam Simpson in the world so forgive me if you are another one, which seems highly likely. Anyway, it's a fun memory, at least for me.
Anyway, I thought this was a great Monday with a spot on revealer that I didn't see coming. And it was in the right place.
Congrats on the debut, AS. Come visit us here any time, most of us seem to appreciate that. Absolutely Solid theme and execution, and thanks for all the fun.
Couldn’t make it through the first season of Breaking Bad much less Better Call Saul. To each his own I guess.
ReplyDeleteLots to like about this puzzle:
ReplyDelete— Great execution of a familiar style of theme; made it feel very fresh.
— The DOUBLECROSSes in the middle of the grid. Quite the chef’s kiss right there.
— LABOR starting us off on Labor Day.
— “Delicious” fill: POKEBOWLS, RICE, BUNS, RIBs, washed down with RUM. Not exactly PALEO nor found at IHOP.
The U.S. Open has me in a tennis state of mind. There’s a term for used when a player advances because their opponent withdraws before the match, as happened this year at Wimbledon when Nadal pulled out of the semifinal against Djokovic. Fun fact: this term works with today’s theme. I’ll leave others to provide the answer.
Thx, Adam; your puz is ACEs!:)
ReplyDeleteEasy-med.
Smooth solve with the exception of DISappear for DISSIPATE & Rye for RUM.
Always good to see HELEN 🎓 and MARIE 🔬.
Nice start to the puzzling week; enjoyed this one. :)
Thx, @jae; on it! :)
Happy LABOR Day!
___
Peace 🕊 🇺🇦 ~ Hate must YIELD to Love, and is thereby DISSIPATEd! 🙏
@Adam, fine debut puzzle. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNYT: STOP HIGHLIGHTING! Check today's LAT; they managed to publish the exact same type of construction without it.
Background Check has the same number of letters. Little hic there.
ReplyDeleteAt some point in life I forgot that exam was short for Examination and started thinking exam meant test. Bar Examination went it but sounded odd compared to Bar Exam.
That's not a duck it's Aswan. Sorry that just popped out.
@Z from yesterday, right. I meant that Stepsisters aren't always going up steps but Hillary did climb. If that makes sense.
@JCC from yesterday, thanks. It pops up on my desktop but not by laptop. Good to know.
First thing I noticed was the two plus signs in the grid, which immediately reminded me of David Steinberg’s spectacular offering of 6/8/2017, one of the handful of unforgettable puzzles sitting in my brain’s wallet. This puzzle of David’s is, IMO, brilliant-bordering-on-genius, and worth doing or redoing.
ReplyDeleteBut anyway, while solving, I completely forgot about those crosses, until reminded about them in Adam’s notes. I’m so glad for the reminder, because those plus signs did their job of adding – they brought a wow factor to the puzzle. I’m not surprised to see the grid art, as I learned in XwordInfo that Adam is a video game designer, that is, a visual thinker.
I love the theme echo in CRUX (Latin for “cross”). I also tried to find other answers that CROSS could precede, and all I could find was RIB (a cross-rib is a thing in a cow, as well as in some church ceilings), and wannabe BUNS, which, screaming “Hot CROSS buns!” fell just short.
I especially liked the trifecta of conflicting answers: ELUDE / NAB, IDYLL / ADO, and UNHYGIENIC / BATHE.
This was an impressive debut, Adam – congratulations! And thank you for your sparkling puzzle!
This was a very nice example of the "words that can go in front of each half of the theme answers" (whew!) type puzzles. I had to look up what a CROSS BAR was, post solve, but it is a thing so, cool.
ReplyDeleteI have found that I no longer can tolerate TV shows or movies that involve characters that constantly make poor choices. I had to stop watching "Breaking Bad" early in season 4, "Shameless" after 6 seasons, and "Better Call Saul" after 3 episodes. I can see the merit in all of those shows but maybe I just know one or two too many people who live those lives and I don't find it entertaining. Instead, "Virgin River" (hi @LMS) or "Umbrella Academy" are what I turn to for something to watch while knitting.
I enjoyed the clue for LEWD as it got me putting down Lu__ first. I considered MWAAH for 6A. I keep seeing 25A as BARe EXAMINATION, maybe too LEWD?
Adam Simpson, thanks for the Monday puzzle and congrats on the NYT debut!
@chefwen, congratulations!
@Peter P - I tend to think the ASWAN High Dam is worth knowing about for its own sake. But, yeah, probably the most important Dam in Crossworld.
ReplyDelete@Wunderin’ - I think the clue was meant to signal that we needed one of the four possible answers to the clue, not that the ACE OF CLUBS was otherwise special.
@Lolcat Lisa - Is it just me or did they really use “afrodisiac” as a lyric? Because that’s what I always hear and I always chuckle.
@This ‘n’ That - You should apologize. That was awful. (yes, I laughed while I was groaning)
Perhaps the reference to a high/low poker game where ace, 3, 4,5,6 (no pairs, no flush, no straight) is the lowest hand. Clubs is the lowest ranked suit in poker and the ace of Clubs would be the lowest card for the low. Some might use it the club ace to break a tie for the lowest
DeleteThere might be other card games out there were it applies?
In a poker high/low game the pot is split between the highest and lowest hands and the players declare which way way they are going before the final bet.
Just to save him harassment from my personal troll for being such a moron as to have his own opinions, @Pete 7:49 is not me, @Pete with his own personal troll. I do, however, share his experience with Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul.
ReplyDeleteVery solid Monday – and by BTW I wrote that last night before I read Rex who used the same adjective - so it must be true. This was not anything particularly dazzling and yes, it’s been done before but I really liked it. Just a straightforward effort with decent fill and the bonus of some nice grid art. Can’t ask for too much more than that. Actually quite an impressive debut. Hope to see more from you, Adam S!
ReplyDelete@chefwen-Forgot to offer my congratulations. Nice to see some other folks still celebrating after that fifty-year mark. Well done you.
ReplyDeleteAmy: congrats, @chefwen. Also a cancer survivor (19 years).
ReplyDeleteUsually find Mondays a little dull. This one is sparkly. Enjoyed the xes and as, as well as BAR EXAMINATION and LSAT (retired public defender). Lots of fun.
Surprised that there is no mention (that I saw) of the grid art in the write-up. Lewis mentioned it, so I know I am not crazy. I liked the puzzle before I noticed the crosses and liked it more after I saw the crosses. Kind of stupid, but there it is.
ReplyDeleteI was composing a comment yesterday when I got involved with a very long telephone conversation. The long conversation must have annoyed the blog software as my final comment seems to have been rejected. Not that I included anything amazing in the comment. But be careful of long delays when posting comments, I guess.
In some card games, clubs is the lowest ranking suit, so the two of clubs can be truly the lowest card in a deck. In the game of blackjack, it can also have a high value. And if it can convert to a trump, it is truly a high card. But the clue did not read lowest and highest, so I guess the ambiguity fits. On a Monday, I would expect a more precise clue to help new solvers.
I agree with Z's comment posted on Saturday. (This part of yesterday's comment got lost.) But I still wonder if late week PPP is more esoteric than earlier week PPP. Matters little to me, because I am baad at both.
@pabloinnh - I can see the stunned look on the runner’s face as he said, “oh” …. Priceless.
ReplyDeleteRe: "12D: AMC's "Better Call ___" (SAUL) — shout-out also to the greatest show (no longer) on television..."
ReplyDeleteSlow, methodical and deliberate out of the gate, within a few seasons the show was running neck and neck with Breaking Bad. But the final six episodes, that went places even Breaking Bad never went, gave Better Call Saul a clear win, with the final episode sealing it.
And Rhea Seehorn? She communicates more in a slight, subtle and almost imperceptible change in facial expression that most actors do with an abundance of words. Jeepers, she's good.
@Teedmn, I also quit watching or reading anything about people making poor choices. That includes the news, with a firm block on all three branches of the federal government.
ReplyDeleteHey All !
ReplyDeleteJust now got that DOUBLE fits the theme, thinking you just added CROSS to the front of both parts of the Themers. Duh! Both parts=DOUBLE. Silly brain.
Started the second Themer with BAREX, scratched the head, and wondered what it would be. Maybe @John X's cousin?
Good puz. Clean fill, some scary sections to try to get said clean fill, but Adam managed to work it out. See the ECIG/IDYLL/DITZ/ZERO area. Dang. Throw in UNHYGIENIC and ORECK. Good stuff.
Shout-out to LABOR Day at 1A. Was this your master plan, Adam? Sneaky.
Liked SCREE and KLEE. Desperation that doesn't seem like desperation. Any hair left, Adam? Har
One F
RooMonster
DarrinV
I have a bit of a problem with the clue on 37A.'Bit of equipment' in Basketball, fine. But has the editor ever hoisted a tennis NET? They're heavy. Or maybe they just seemed so when I was 12, I dunno. When we wanted to play tennis at our local park (which was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, long ago) on a weekday we had to go to the fire station around the corner to get the net, I think it took two of us to carry it. In Autumn we had to bring a broom to sweep the acorns off the court before playing. Then the city got some sort of a grant to upgrade the park, there were cracks in the tennis court and no maintenance budget so they decided Fall River kids weren't sophisticated enough for tennis anyhow so they turned it into some sort of a skateboard tricks course. Which nobody uses and it's got cracks AND is covered with graffiti.
ReplyDeleteSo even after I had DOUBLE CROSS, I hadn't a clue as to what it had to do with the themers. (I'm glad I don't write the column -- I would have looked like a blithering idiot.) What I really needed was a triangular sign that said: "The word CROSS can precede both words in the theme answers to make a familiar phrase." That's what I really needed.
ReplyDeleteBut the actual solving of this smooth, grown up puzzle presented no problems-- though I did have ALIa before ALII and was wondering what DaSS could possibly lead to. There might have been a small hiccup in the AIDAN/ILENE/"Toy Story" REX section, but I knew DDE and everything else was fairly CROSSed. I could have skipped the two products, ORECK and KONICA (No, the NYTXW will NOT force me into watching TV commercials!!) but most of the grid was quite PPP-free. I thought this was a very pleasant Monday.
Yes, this is what an early-week puzzle should do. It avoids the three cardinal sins of early weekism.
ReplyDelete1) all the theme answers are familiar (although I hear woodwind section more than just wind section, the latter is something I definitely hear). Having an obscure or tortured themer is a killer, especially early week.
2) Not everything is a gimme. Sometimes it feels like the constructor (or editor) thinks everything has to be easy on a Monday or Tuesday. But it's OK to have some more challenging answers - that's what crosses are for.
3) No Naticks.
Never heard of POKE BOWLS outside of crossworld. Looked them up. Sound awful.
The two crosses with MEDIC right in the middle - nice touch
ReplyDeleteI saw the two pluses in the grid art before starting the puzzle. Even took a break scrolling through KLEE art images to looking for eyes made of plus signs that would remind me of the grid. No luck, but a couple of one-eyed paintings were vaguely reminiscent of the grid so.ehow. Very vaguely. But so is KLEE.
ReplyDeleteAlso had too test out the other double:
DOUBLE BAR
DOUBLE EXAMINATION
DOUBLE WIND (long I?)
DOUBLE SECTION
DOUBLE REFERENCE
DOUBLE CHECK
A couple of hits and near misses. But no full DOUBLE DOUBLE. Had to check just in case it was a perfect game.
I also noticed the some of the theme related answers and other connectiontions between answers, ther
Best Monday in a while. Had no idea what the theme was while solving and enjoyed the aha that the revealer finally produced. Also enjoyed the DOUBLE CROSS grid art in the middle. Congrats to Adam on the debut.
ReplyDelete*CROSS BUNS
*CROSS LACE
*CROSS HERE
*CROSS YIELD
*CROSS SAUL, CROSS MARIE, CROSS HELEN et alii
*Sweet pastries usually served hot
*Technique to tighten up a shoe
*Street sign at a pedestrian walkway
*Output of a crucifix factory
*Students in an anger management class
I wondered if anyone would have noticed the [hot] CROSS BUNS, and it came as no surprise that @Lewis was all over it. And if you think about it, if you don't eat them all right away, the leftovers end up simply as CROSS BUNS.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Monday puzzle, elevated by the theme answers and the revealer and the grid design (and the CRUX of the matter) working so seamlessly together.
(continued) connections between answers but only about half of what has been mentioned here.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff Adam.
Good eyes folks.
I accidentally hit published but was almost done. No proofreading so hope it wasn't too bad.
The ace of clubs is the lowest value ace in card games - except clubs - in which it is the highest.
ReplyDeleteI agree! That is, with all of the positive comments about the puzzle: the theme being a model of its kind, the entire puzzle being engaging top to bottom. But still, there was more that is missed, namely...
ReplyDelete@MexGirl 1:14 and @Loren 5:56 - It took both of you to get me to first see and then understand the significance of the grid's two +s illustrating the theme's DOUBLE CROSS. Thank you! What a masterful touch!
@Lewis 8:12 - Thank you for pointing out the bonus CRUX.
@chefwen 2:46 - Congratulations and best wishes!
@chefwen: Congratulations and many best wishes to you and your hubby! 🥂🎊🍾
ReplyDelete@DD (6:18) Congratulations to you as well - on both occasions.
@Pete (7:49) Agree with you on the TV scene. I watched one episode of Breaking Bad and was absolutely repulsed. And Saul, while not odious like BB, just held ZERO appeal for me.
@Unknown (10:19) I noticed the crosses but not the MEDIC in the middle. I don’t believe anyone else has mentioned it either. Good eye! And nice touch, Adam.
Worth the read just for Csonka. Go Zonk!
ReplyDeleteWhat a debut!!
ReplyDeleteTo have 6 words that aren’t stretches in fitting the CROSS theme is impressive, but the two visual crosses complete the triumph - congratulations, Adam!
ORECK and KONICA were UNHYGIENIC besties. Neither would ever BATHE and liked to EMIT a LEWD WIND now and then. ODDS ARE, they didn't care.
ReplyDeleteThey would visit the local SPCA and ask the owner, CRETE, if they could use his shower. CRETE would SMACK his E CIG to the ground and let them in. Although the situation wasn't IDYLL they always managed to get the EPOXY off of their BARE BUNS. ORECK was the DITZ...Upon close EXAMINATION you could see he had a PURE heart, and though he would rather be at IHOP eating a POKE BOWL with RICE, he would never DOUBLE CROSS his bestie.
They would get dressed.... there was ZERO EPOXY on their BUNS...They would DOUBLE CHECK their ADO and would exclaim their WOWS. No REMORSE for being UNHYGIENIC.
ORECK would then stop and pet the EMU...and lookie HERE!.... there's A SWAN in her LAIR!... She would POKE her BARE head out and EMIT an ODD SCREE. She was in LABOR and expecting her first little baby REX. No MEDIC was needed, A SWAN knows she is ABEL to do this on her own and didn't want any PESTS giving her a REFERENCE or a RUN down. After the HUE would DISSIPATE, CRETE would get out a bottle of RUM. They would then LACE hands and do the "rude' and "crude" RAINS dance. It was fun. And that's NO LIE......
@GILL I. 10:52 AM
DeleteSpeaking of EMITting a LEWD WIND, "baby REX" was known for heavy-handed opinions on peas and carrots, cloth diapers, and the American formula shortage. If people would listen, things would've gotten better, but more often than not, anonymous babies (Anonymotobies) showed up to cry even more loudly.
Surprised that @Roo didn’t mention the shout out to REX at 40D.
ReplyDeleteOverdress would be a workable themer.
Congrats on a really fun and impressive debut, Adam Simpson.
There is no such thing as "no naticks." Your "natick" is my "gimmee," and vice-versa. All we can fairly ask is for reasonable crosses and proper names that aren't too obscure or overly "popculture-y."
ReplyDelete@chefwen (2:46 AM)
ReplyDelete👍 for 51! 🙏 for many more healthy years! :)
____
Peace 🕊 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🙏
@chefwen
ReplyDeleteMAZEL TOV!
Flew through yesterday without a stall and today came up just weird. Kept stalling out, first all the names I didn’t know, and then remembering the word POKE, and I love a good POKE BOWL! But my Monday morning brain could only think poi. Ugh. And the ALII/ALIa thing irks me every time. And finally, I was trying to make both DOUBLE and CROSS fit part of each themer for a while. All I can say for myself is I’m out of coffee and thought I’d just quickly solve the easy Monday before putting suitable for the public clothing and then go get some coffee/breakfast. Mistake.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Monday and I agree with all the kudos above.
ReplyDelete@kitshef I agree with your woodwind observation but since most of those instruments have not been made of wood for quite awhile I wonder how long the wood “prefix” will stick around since only high end bassoons, oboes, and clarinets are still made of wood? Also, apparently French horns are categorized as both woodwind and brass because the sound has a “woodwind” quality to it. Actual musicians feel free to weigh in if I’ve mischaracterized my “extensive” Google research.
Congrats @Chefwen!
Thanks Adam, fun Monday puzzle!
@chefwen -- Woo hoo! and... Wow! Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratz to @chefwen & spouse.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see an @RP sightin, today right here in the comment gallery.
Great to see an @Evil Doug sightin, at the end of yesterday's comments.
Next up, we have the puz…
Gotta bring the M&A fave moo-cow eazy-E MonPuz clue up to the head of this list, where this time it truly belongs:
{___ Day (early September observance)} = LABOR.
Cool. Start of a new NYTPuz holiday trend?
Nice, smoooth 74-worder of a MonPuz. Had the primo DOUBLECROSS grid art, too boot. thUmbsUp.
staff weeject pick: DDE. Needed to preserve no-knows AIDAN & ILENE. That was about it for the no-knows in this puz, tho. Also primo weeject stacks in the NE & SW, of course.
Speakin of DOUBLECROSSers, this puz had two X's. And a Z. But no JVQ, alas. Seems like a mighty long dry spell, since the last pangram. We need us a fix, @Shortzmeister.
Thanx for the fun, Mr. Simpson dude (rhymes with … let's say ELUDE). And congratz on the great debut. Will look forward to seein how U cram HALLOWEEN into yer next puz's 1-Across. har
Masked & Anonym007Us
**gruntz**
Wonderful debut and hope to see more like this from Adam Simpson. The clue for the revealer however could have been more accurate, and got my pedanties in a twist - DOUBLECROSS is actually the hint for the *whole* themer, with one CROSS split between each half. As the clue is worded, a double cross would precede each half. Might be more elegant and a touch harder if the clue did not attempt to be so precise and required the solver to determine that DOUBLECROSS needs to be split into two crosses per line. A nit - and more than made up for by the visual DOUBLECROSS staring back at me.
ReplyDelete@BigSteve - No such thing as no Naticks, but hopefully we get fair crosses of proper nouns? What do you think a Natick is, other than an unfair cross of proper nouns?
ReplyDeleteFirst, congratulations to @chefwen and spouse! And thanks to Adam Simpson for a fine puzzle, and for taking part in our conversation.
ReplyDeleteSecond -- this one makes me feel old; or rather, the comments do. I'm trying to get my mind about Rex's finding Eisenhower obscure as a 1950s president -- the only other one was Truman. I guess one might not know that his middle name was David, but at least you'd have the D_E. And ASWAN! It was a huge controversy in the aforementioned 1950s. Nasser, the Arab nationalist president of Egypt (having overthrown the king thereof) wanted the dam to supply energy, control floods, and demonstrate that Egypt was a modern state. Many rich-country leaders claimed that it was a waste of money. It got built anyway. But as a result of the controversy, it was memorable--although, if you follow the criteria used in "1066 and All That," perhaps it isn't anymore.
The ALII/a kealoa was annoying, but at least it resolved the ELUDE/EvaDE kealoa.
Until today I thought that POKE BOWLS, rice bowls, and bibimbap were all the same thing in different languages. One learns so much from crosswords!
@chefwen...ENHORABUENA, Chiquite. I remember you posting pictures of you and Roger on your trip. The food cooking in Italy!.....xoxo.
ReplyDeleteAnother enhorabuena to Adam and his debut. Your puzzle allowed me to amuse myself. Clearly a LABOR of love.
@anonymous 10:32. I can't think of any card games where the an ace of clubs would specifically be low. In most games, it doesn't matter the suit of the card, except whether it's a trump or not a trump. Sometimes the ace of clubs (when clubs are trump), would be the highest ace. Other times, it would just be a "normal" ace with no nominal value beyond not being a trump.
ReplyDeleteConventionally in some games, like in bridge, there is the order of spades being highest, followed by hearts, diamonds, and clubs. This is for bidding purposes.
But that's not the only order. In many German games like (crossword-favorite) skat and doppelkopf and Sheepshead (played in Wisconsin), the order is diamonds, hearts, spades, clubs from low-to-high. With clubs being the highest suit. In other games (Central European), I see the order spades, clubs, diamonds, hearts from low to high.
So there's many ways of doing things. That said, I can't think of a game where there is always a specific value of an ace outside of a trump ace vs plain ace. (Like in spades, the spade ace would be the "highest" ace, but that's the same as a trump suit, and the remaining aces aren't ranked in any way.)
@chefwen - congrats
ReplyDelete@JD - me too for background CHECK at first.
@jberg, I looked back on the @rex comment and I don’t think HE referred to DDE as obscure (I think he said he didn’t know AIDAN and forgot ILENE). I was born during the Eisenhower administration and for I do know that for some reason during my young years I had a hard time wrapping MY brain around someone called Ike actually being a Dwight (David). I will admit I would have to Google Woodrow Wilson and Herbert Hoover to know their middle (or maybe first?) name. I’m sure quite a few younger folks would struggle to know Nixon had Milhouse as a middle name. Anyway, just observations. Hah! Oddly, I think I know that Adlai Stephensen’s monogram is AES…or am I thinking of the power company?
ReplyDelete@jberg post script. I just looked up the whole Ike thing for Eisenhower and found there was a big Ike (Edgar) and little Ike with “ike” being a “take” on the last name. I learn something new every day due to puzzle and/or comments!
ReplyDeleteWhat a woodwind is made of is not what makes it a woodwind.
ReplyDeleteThe sine qua non of woodwindom is how it produces sound. and woodwinds do it by splitting the air blown into them on a sharp edge, such as a reed or a fipple. There are no wooden saxophones and they're part of the woodwinds, so are English horns.
I got up at 3:30 AM and towed a skiff through a marsh to get you that valubale info.
@Anon 2:53
ReplyDelete😂😂😂
Almost makes up for yesterday.
Thank you all for your congratulatory wishes. It’s been a fun ride and it continues.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons why this puzzle has been so well received by the commentariat may be because of the admirably clean fill. There's very little in the way of letter count inflation (LCI). There are very few entries that get grid filling boosts by having prefixes or suffixes gratuitously tacked on and there is only a smattering of plurals of convenience (POC). What we get are mostly base words without added non-nutritional (so to speak) filler, and this makes for a hearty, satisfying crossword meal if you ask me.
ReplyDelete@Anon 2:53
ReplyDeleteBTW, @Pete was relating an incident that occurred 50 years ago so when you start a post with "I call BS on your story" the tone of your post might turn off the commentariat.
@Gary Jug at the wee hours of 12:33
ReplyDeleteMay I add my amusement smile to your prosodifications?...Your syllables feet and stresses, BOWL me over.
@egs
ReplyDeleteJeez, I'm slacking off my shout-outs! 😁
@chefwen
51? Meh, 50 is the big one. (Har! I hope you know I'm only joking!) Congrats!
@Gill
Another classic! Keep 'em coming!
RooMonster Reply Guy
@Anon 2:53
ReplyDeleteSee @JC66's 3:08 post.
JC 66,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I should've responded earlier. I'm pleased you liked today's post. But frankly, I bristle at the suggestion that I had anything to make up for. My behavior was fine. What's more all the facts I posted remain true. Not everyone can make that same claim.
Regards,
A truth-telling, long-time expert on NJ salt ( and brackish) waters
I do like seeing the MEDIC standing between the two crosses, ready to help.
ReplyDeleteDISSIPATE was a nice choice too.
@Anon 4:48 - Exactly what degree of a narcissistic personality disorder do you have that you can assert you know what happened to someone else 50+ years ago, probably hundreds of miles away from you at the time? You called me a liar about a truth of my life you know nothing about. There was not one single thing in what I posted that was not the truth - it would have served one and all better had I said that we got up at zero-dark 30 rather than specify the time, but I admitted that 3am might have been 4AM, but that's an irrelevant part of a 50+ year old experience.
ReplyDeleteYou, sir, are a sick man.
I just want to clarify that the lowest hand in poker is Ace, 2, 3, 4, 6 and not the 65 low mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteOops. That was what I meant. Didn't proof read.
DeleteHey Pete, chill, you know about the silent killer I suppose
ReplyDeleteEND EXAMINATION
ReplyDeleteODDSARE the you CHECK the NOTE
for the REMORSE it EMITs,
OAR REFERENCE what they wrote
in the SECTION OF OBITs.
--- AIDAN ORICK
Still must proofread. First 'the' should be 'that'
ReplyDeleteCertainly a Monday. Not difficult. Has a theme. Good for a newbie.
ReplyDeleteDiana, LIW
There are so many varieties of lowball that everybody's right...or wrong. In deuce to seven lowball ACE is high, thus worthless. No straights or flushes allowed. Perfect low is 23457 unsuited. In Hi-lo versions, again it depends on the game. 7-card stud or Omaha hi-lo requires 8-or-better else there is no low. Straights and flushes, however, ARE allowed. Some stud and draw games specify A2346 unsuited as perfect low; this is a part of local rules. Other games allow A2345--if suited called the "steel wheel," and can win both high and low. It all depends where you're playing.
ReplyDeleteThis was a typical Monday with two=part phrases in which each part can take a common key word to make a new well=known phrase. I like those, because sometimes I don't get that key word until I hit the revealer, then have to look back over all the themers and say, yeah, that makes perfect sense. This was one of those.
I also liked the relative openness of the grid. Anybody who can incorporate EPOXY into two theme lines gets my vote. Birdie.
Salvaged a Wordle par after two turns of nothing but a stray yellow.
Oh--and guys? Wake him up again!