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THU 12-8-22 / NEW YORK TIMES GUILD WALKOUT (puzzle answers now included)
Thursday, December 8, 2022
THEME: [It may be represented by an X] (6)
Dear readers,
Please consider supporting the strike by not engaging with the NYT on any platform today.
If @NYTimesGuild members don't have a deal soon, we’re asking readers to not engage in any @nytimes platforms tomorrow and stand with us on the digital picket line! Read local news. Listen to public radio. Pull out a cookbook. Break your Wordle streak. pic.twitter.com/gzQCL58ir7
— NYTimesGuild (@NYTimesGuild) December 7, 2022
You can read a full story about the strike here:
A 24-hour strike at The New York Times, a historic demonstration in which more than 1,100 employees are expected to participate, will take effect Thursday at midnight. Here's my full story: https://t.co/FtT30FaNXw
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) December 8, 2022
Thanks for your patience and understanding. See you tomorrow.
Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld
Here's the Thursday puzzle grid:
Constructor: Grant Thackray
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME: PIRATE (47D: One with an eye patch, "hook hand" and peg leg, as represented in this puzzle's grid) — there's an "I" covered by a black square (the "eye patch"), the letters FLUSH in the shape of a hook (the "hook hand"—FLUSH being a potential poker "hand"), and then a LEG (in SHAKE A LEG) that you have to convert to PEG in order to make sense of the cross (APOP) ...
No time for a proper write-up. See comments for reader reactions.
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME: PIRATE (47D: One with an eye patch, "hook hand" and peg leg, as represented in this puzzle's grid) — there's an "I" covered by a black square (the "eye patch"), the letters FLUSH in the shape of a hook (the "hook hand"—FLUSH being a potential poker "hand"), and then a LEG (in SHAKE A LEG) that you have to convert to PEG in order to make sense of the cross (APOP) ...
• • •
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104 comments:
I miss @rex's comments today. The puzzle today was delightful. The only blemish was MAR, apparently an abbreviation(MARiner)but the clue gave no such indication. I had tAR but that didn't make sense.
I would shun the NYT today if I thought it would make the slightest difference.
Because the NYT long ago ceased to be an objective purveyor of news I really do not care about the issues of the employees who choose to work there.
I, somewhat hypocritically I suppose, opt to do the puzzles which I will continue to do today.
Mar wasn't a mistake ... part of the theme ;-)
@offthegrid MARINER continues below the I that was a patch. Not an abbreviation.
MAR is only part of the answer to 9D. Note the “-“ in 26D. The gimmick here is suggested by “eye patch” in 47D. Each “-“ represents an i under the pirate’s eye patch.
I caught on quickly, but why? Why a pirate? Why the patch? Pretty lame, and pretty easy too. Meh.
DOH!
Thanks for the correction.
I didn’t know about the strike until I came here, so too late to not engage with the NYT today. And therefore a rare chance to comment before reading Rex! To try to write a Rexian rant and make a joke before he does. (Sadly, I am not anywhere near Rex’s level for witty critique.)
Of the three body embellishments in the grid, the eye patch at the crossing of LONG JOHN SILVER and MARINERS definitely worked the best for me. The lower right appeared as SHAKE A PEG, which reads oddly. And I have no idea what’s going on with the hook hand. I puzzled for a while, trying to figure out what a FLUSH has to do with a hook (or a hand). Finally, I just said, “Screw it, Rex will enlighten me.” But no such luck. Hopefully a smarter commenter than me will explain.
Kind of fun to try to figure out what other answers could be part of the theme. Is this an URBANE pirate? I like imagining that. Is he in a DYSTOPIAN pirate story? Is his pirate ship a YACHT being circled by SHRIKES? Is IGOR along for the ride?
I am withholding judgment on whether I liked the puzzle or not until I find out if FLUSH is just a random word in the shape of a hook or if it has a cool meaning that I still can’t get.
Oh, and I just noticed Rex’s invention of a theme for his non-commentary (“It may be represented by an X” - six letters). Very clever.
Good for you, Rex. Most useful column I've read from you. Sadly, I read the gray lady already today, but no more. Let us know when it is settled, please.
I hope you backfill today when it's over, as the theme is confusing.
Taking stands and positions does make a difference. Whether one understands how much impact their own decisions can have on a larger system is only a failure on our ability to think on large scales. Without people speaking out when there is some kind of injustice, no one would be able to know. And it takes many people, taking the same stance together, to have any chance and hope to make a larger impact, especially against giant corporations. The sum of their efforts are much greater than any one individual could hope to have. That we have been conditioned as a society not to vote or not to support an "other" group because the perceived impact that any one person is too small or in significant, and that it is only the individual that matters, is to ignore the fact that we and everything else in this universe is a system comprised of smaller pieces. So if you choose to support strikers or not is your choice, and you are free to make it. But know that your decision, whatever it may be, does have an effect, even if you don't think it does.
Whatever people believe about the NYT's objectivity is beside the point. The company employs lots of people who have nothing to do with editorial policy of the paper and are just trying to make a living.
Took me a minute, but FLUSH as in poker hand.
Well done, Rex - knew you would support the strike!
A FLUSH is a hand in poker.
What silly nonsense. Rex doesn’t work for the nyt and the puzzle was published despite the strike, so what exactly does this accomplish?
Did the puzzle last night. Undecided on my course of action today, but will probably avoid Wordle and wait until tomorrow to do the crossword puzzle.
Not a fan of the theme. The “eye” patch was clever, and the poker hand in a hook shape worked, but there’s nothing in the clue on 34D to indicate SHAKEAPEG rather than “leg,” and the revealer clue includes both “peg” and “leg,” which seems to violate some kind of norm.
It was obvious something was up with 20A, and this being a Thursday my first thought was rebus. I was getting the other crosses, so I thought “silver” was squeezed into the last square. Then I remembered silver’s symbol is Ag, and with the S I had from the gimme at 8A, that could make 8D “Sayagain.” So I thought we were on an element hunt. Fortunately I didn’t hold on to that mistake too long.
Aaah, got it, thanks!
I wish I’d known about this before doing the XWord today but honestly you didn’t miss anything. Terrible.
AVCX is a great alternative for anyone jonesing for a puzzle today. The Nov 30th is so good I’m not even done yet.
Yes! I gave up a 346 day Wordle streak!
Also MAR was not an abbreviation, there was a missing i and then it continues with NERS after the gap, so MARINERS essentially, just like LONGJOHNSILVER was missing the I on the crossing answer in the same spot.
Thank you Rex. I too skipped the puzzle today—the first time I’ve missed one in over a year. Do you have any recommendations for those of us looking to do a different online crossword this morning?
5 letters: sign of a recent abrasion
Thank you!! ❤️
Cute quirky puzzle.
Anonymous at 7:07…
Your comment is reminiscent of the classic response of many of the defendants at the Nuremburg trials:
“I was just following orders”.
Anyone who works for the NYT has the ability and responsibility to find another position unless they agree with the content they are supporting. And if they do…my original comment stands.
The puzzle was absolute garbage today. Looking forward to the scathing write up. Didn’t know about the strike until I came here. Thought you were on strike at first and this puzzle may make you wish you were. Will Shortz has been on strike for a while now.
The NYT's reporting on the possibility of a nationwide rail strike has been absolutely horrendous, anti-labor schlock. I'm sure their coverage of their own strike will be much fairer.
Godwin’s Law makes an early appearance.
"Just leave and find another job" is the worst kind of Marie Antoinette privilege speak when it comes to workers rights.
I'm breaking an 845 day Xword streak today in solidarity with the workers.
This is typical of a Thursday...a theme that is too creative for its own good. A couple of missing "I"s, a peg that's really a pigleg, and five circled letters that don't seem to relate to the rest of the puzzle.
Regarding the strike, most of the contributors here assume the strikers are in the right. Why do they make that assumption?
LOL. Rex, Criticizing the puzzle isn't crossing a picket line. Dont you ever get tired of virtue signaling?
3 letters: rodent associated with cities
Just curious, does @Rex or anyone else here know what the cause of the strike is? What divides the two sides? What the issues are?
Or is it just "I'm for Labor over Management?
Thanks for standing with the workers, Rex!
Had a new PR for Thursday, thought the puzzle was so-so, not very Thursday, and was totally surprised to learn about the strike here. Thx, @Rex. I already read about Britney Griner's release, so too late for total boycott, but off to the New Yorker for the rest of the day.
As name suggests, this puzzle was a disaster! How is a curved FLUSH a substitute for a Hook Hand? The "I" patch was fine, a covered by a black square I, but then also SHAKE A PEG?????? No such thing. It's LEG, you know it, I know it, the editors know it. Stop forcing non words on us.
AAHS and AHA. UH-UH. Got the ASS in. A daily sighting anymore.
Just not a good puzzle. Now I wished I did skip it today.
I I Silver 😊
LOL. Today is national crossword solvers Day. I just love that the self-appointed grand pooh bah of Crosswords is sitting today out. Chef's kiss to the fates who aligned the stars so exquisitely.
Trying to think of a way to gauge NYT traffic, so I did Wordle just now. Wordlebot compared my answers to about 50,000 Wordles. Typically, I think that would be more like 200,000 or more Wordles at this point, although it's possible that number may be affected by staff not being there to maintain something or other in addition to decreased traffic. But there may be some effect from the strike.
The NYT website is one of my great procrastination destinations, so not going to it today from now on may be a good thing for me!
Good puzzle. Now off to read the NYT and do Wordle.
Thanks for supporting the strike!
It takes a stand on a labor dispute and declines to drive traffic to the page of a company in the midst of that dispute.
This was horrible.
About the "strike" at the NYT:
1) The paper arrived on my doorstep this morning. It's chockful of news which couldn't have written, edited, printed or distributed itself.
2) The NYT-owned Wordplay Blog is up and running and unapologetic about being up and running.
3) The NYT-affiliated xword.info blog is up and running and unapologetic about being up and running.
So why is Rex the only strike-observer?
Anyway, the puzzle: I completed it, but I didn't understand 1) why one "I" was missing from two answers and 2) whether it was SHAKE A LEG (the correct answer to the clue), SHAKE A PEG (the answer that fit the grid) or SHAKE A PEGLEG, maybe?
Jeff Chen says it's SHAKE A PEGLEG. He also says that we should think of the missing "I" -- hidden under a black square -- as a black eyepatch such as a PIRATE wears.
Oh. I see.
There's also something about grid art too in Jeff's writeup, but as you know, grid art never interests me in the least. I did look at the grid design to see if I see a PIRATE there...and I don't. Not even the faintest hint of a PIRATE.
I was originally looking for an AG (silver) rebus, so that section flummoxed me for a while. And sometimes a trick puzzle with just one trick can be harder to suss out than a puzzle with many tricks.
Do you ever get tired of whining about other people's ethics?
Praying for a non-zero sum game resolution. 🙏
___
Peace 🕊 🇺🇦 ~ Compassion ~ Tolerance ~ Kindness to all 🙏
Solidarity! Well played, Rex. See you tomorrow.
I don't know enough about the issues to take sides in the current dispute. I do know that newspaper publishing has undergone seismic changes in recent years. Many papers have folded and many journalists and production workers have lost their jobs.
The NY Times is actually a success story in this hostile environment. It's employees might consider themselves lucky. Actually a one-day strike only shows weak nostalgia for the good old days. Ditto for Rex's knee-jerk response.
I printed the puzzle last night so I guess I didn’t technically cross any picket lines. Not that I feel strongly either way but I do think it’s unfair to the constructor to just ignore his work when it’s not his dog in the fight.
I was able to finish without any help even though there were proper names I didn’t know. So in that respect, I’d call this a “good“ puzzle and an enjoyable solve. While I appreciate the effort to do something a little different, I will also say that the disjointed theme was a bit of a frustration for me. Really liked the PIRATE vibe and boy do I love a platter of LONG JOHN SILVERS fish and chicken planks. It’s a rare splurge for me but totally worth it. And SHAKE A PEG LEG was wonderful but the FLUSH visual didn’t exactly float my boat. I had to go to Jeff Chen to figure that one out.
Everything I know about IGOR I learned from Mel Brooks. Pure comedy genius.
Que disappointment.....I don't read the Times...as a matter of fact when I lived in NYC I would only buy the Sunday so that I could spend a peaceful day in the park and puzzle away. I hardly do Sundays anymore because they are boring.
I come here for a fun read on @Rex and the interesting commentators. I always try and guess what a @Rex take on a puzzle will be and I get it half right. I'm betting my half right today is correct.
Eye rather enjoyed today. It took me a while to see the whimsy but it was fun for moi when I did. A playful PIRATE doing his thing with his eye/hook/peg and his patch/hand/leg. All that was needed was a bottle of rum and maybe a yo ho ho. No?
So I learned a few things. The US doesn't have an official language? What happened to Ingles? That the beautiful SHRIKE is a brutal murderer and that Biggie's name also includes SMALLS.
I rather liked seeing TEENIEST holding hands with TWEEN. Perhaps AAHS and AHA was a YAWNER but then Grant gave me a THROATY DYSTOPIAN SCHWA and I smiled.
Can't wait to see what everyone else thinks.
Hello, WaPo and oh no, SF Chron, see ya tomorrow, NYT.
Thanks, Rex.
@Nancy ? PIRATE? How about 47d that was the reveal wasn’t it? Sorry to be a turncoat scab today, but since solving always preceded a Rex read…..sigh. Isn’t VENMO a service set up to avoid the EVIL of PayPal for those totally woke? Out of deference to Our Fearless Leader’s sensibilities, I always send my support for his invaluable efforts by check and avoid both digital options. Oh, and the grid was really well done fun so that assuages my guilt as a survivor of pickets charge.
Glad that the crossword constructor's hard work, for probably less than the reporters receive, won't be totally ignored, and will get discussed here tomorrow. Or somesuch.
No strike against runtpuzs, tho … right?
**gruntz**
M&A
Solidarity Forever! Thank you for supporting the union, Rex!
I did the puzzle before coming here, but fortunately I have an error somewhere (probably SHAKEAPEG - I tried assorted rebus versions of entry but not the plain P). So I’ll skip the solve and break my very modest 38 day streak. Huge kudos to those of you breaking much longer ones in solidarity with the workers!
P/L in Rebus: pirate—>peg leg as well as ACR: A POP
Thank you, Rex, and well done indeed! I hoped you would support the strike and am gratified that you did.
Looking forward to a crossword, spelling bee, and wordle tomorrow. But today I will do without them and read the Washington Post.
Did Wordle (and a couple letters of SB) before coming here. But will stop now.
Thanks Rex for the PSA and thanks for showing support for labor. (Some say an antiquated view but IMO it shouldn’t be … especially in the current environment of vast wealth/poverty disparity.)
The strike is about their contract, which is between them and their employer. I don't think automatically taking the side of the employees is appropriate.
I am pretty much as liberal as they come. But from extensive bad personal experience with unions in my younger years, I tend to be suspicious of them. In particular, a power struggle between a newspaper conglomerate and a large national labor union ended up killing off our local newspaper in the 1970s. To create more jobs for the union (which was all employees, not just reporters or typesetters) they were insisting that all graphics published in the paper had to be created by their members, and they refused to give up. In other words, the advertisers could not use their own artwork, it would have to be re-drawn by a union member to be used. The paper had been publishing for almost 100 years.
Oh yeah the puzzle: nothing too memorable. SHAKE A PEG!
I guess those deliver the paper are not on strike because it did arrive today. Or is it that I will not get the paper tomorrow?
ust to go on the record: I'm former shop steward and local vice president, so I support workers strikes IF AND ONLY IF I consider the strike warranted. Sad to say, I should know more about the issues. I do no that many publications have folded there past few years. So right now I am very confused. I just hope the final result will be fair to all involved, and I say that without prejudice.
I did the puzzle, which arrived with the rest of the paper on time this morning. OFL is doing the right thing by taking a day off in support of the strike. His refusal to publish a column was for me a very effective way to remind me that the strike exists. I am not going to try to decide who is right and who is wrong in this labor dispute, but awareness is in this case good to promote.
The puzzle was I think very clever. I could have done without the FLUSH hook, and still do not understand what FLUSH means in this context. But the I patch was super clever, and answered the question I had been asking, why there, and nowhere else, was a black square a single letter?
Well shiver me timbers, would not "...will take effect Thursday at midnight" (per Oliver Darcy's tweet) mean tonight, i.e., Thursday night, at midnight? If the strike is already afoot, should not that read "this morning at a nanosecond following midnight Wednesday" or something like that? Or does the question of precisely when one day ends and the other begins open Pandora's Box and let loose the hounds of Zeno's paradox?
Looks like an opportunity to have a rebus puzzle, where rebus is used in a way consistent with how it is used by everyone else except xworders, was missed. If that black square between LONG JOHN S___LVER and MAR___NER could be made to open and close like a gun port cover on a pirate ship, and underneath a drawing of an eye was revealed, that would be like the Rebus Principle used by linguists to show how abstract alphabets evolved from literal hieroglyphics and pictograms. The key that led to the first alphabets was using a drawing of some thing, not for its literal meaning but for its sound. Here the drawing of the thing "eye" would be used for its homophone "I" to solve the puzzle. Hence a rebus---Latin for "with or by way of things---puzzle. More on this here.
Seemed odd that my digital version if the NYT arrived as usual; I expected all of the paper’s business activities would be curtailed for the duration. I guess not.
As a staunch supporter of workers’ rights, I will curtail my NYTXW activities until the strike is resolved. Thanks @Rex for your solidarity. As I watch my niece and nephew struggle to survive economically here in the “land of opportunity” I sympathize with everyone who continues to work hard yet fall farther and farther behind on the ladder to economic stability.
Nephew, Jason has dual UK/US citizenship and they are seriously considering a move to Scotland for a good job and an economy that will enable them to purchase a home and start a family. Universal healthcare alone is such a bonus, once niece Emily jumps through the government’s hoops. But expatriation is a bug step, not one they are apt to make lightly. But that’s just how dire our economic mess has become.
Hopefully, this strike will make a difference for hard working folks. I shall stand with the workers and eschew the puzzle. Lots of other places to get my fix!
“The blog will return to a regular schedule on Friday, Dec. 9, at which time I will also solve today's (Thursday's) puzzle and add basic information about it to this post.”
So is Rex is truly honoring the strike? Apparently everyone will see the solution to today’s puzzle here and likely his thoughts about the puzzle, just belayed until tomorrow. Does that really count?
Anon @7:30 raises interesting questions. Is the blogger working in some way for the NYT? Is my working or commenting on todays puzzle somehow opposing the strikers? Maybe there’s some sort of rational reason for the blog blackout today but I can’t imagine what it is. Apparently nothing has stood in the way of all of you who have critiqued the puzzle.
@LenFuego 12:10 PM, Yes, it counts. (People can skim past posts today that relate to the puzzle and come back tomorrow for Rex's comments . . . and comments from others who choose to postpone doing the Thursday December 8th 2022 puzzle.)
Bob Mills is the only person who "assumes" anything. For years, we have been observing the employment situation since the last contract expired and we support reporters, because they are right.
Flush is stupid
@Anoa Bob: I agree that Thursday at midnight indicates tonight at 12:00 a.m. For many years, I kept payroll records at a government facility which operated 24 hours a day. Midnight was indicated as 2400 on a shift ending at midnight and as 0000 for a shift beginning then.
Since it is a one day strike it makes sense to protest only on that day. Everyone is back at work tomorrow new contract or not.
I was a little shocked that Deb Amlen wrote as usual today. But maybe her column was in the can yesterday.
Euro-style one-day strikes don't seem to be too effective to me. For those who skipped solving the puzzle today (electronically, in some form), you won't really be depriving the NYT from much income. You've already given them money for your subscription, unless you cancelled it out of solidarity. As far as web traffic and on-line ad revenue are concerned, they will recoup that if you solve today's puzzle tomorrow. You'll still spend as much time solving it tomorrow as you would have today, and they will still drive just as many ads at you during that time period as they would have done today.
Rex you’re a king. UNION YES!!
Why is everyone automatically backing Rex and the strikers? Okanaganer at 1:13 was the first to admit he had no opinion because he didn’t know the issues. I respect his honesty. Everyone else expressed an opinion but offered no justification. There’s probably a case to be made for both sides. I say let mgmt & the union work it out between them, and not be distracted by uninformed, popular opinion. We already have too much of that at the national level. The NYT has survived this long because of the collaborative efforts of ALL employees. While they grapple with this internal disagreement, let’s be respectful and not inflame the issue.
Lastly, I still don’t get the FLUSH hook.
Thanks for the solidarity! We are abstaining from all sorts of NYT content today.
What does a flush in poker have to do with this pirate theme?
All I can say was I had no idea that there was a strike until I came for rex's blog.
If not running a blog is his way of taking a stand, that's fine.
No need for any of you to criticize him or point out why it might not be particularly effective.
He's at least living out his beliefs in a very public setting.
Whether someone is virtue signalling is kind of beside the point - it's not like he's affecting your life in any meaningful way.
Everyone says "It's a strike and all strikers are on the side of the angels, so we don't need to explain WHY we're unhappy." Paraphrasing.
I have not read a single post or article, including the CNN article Rex links to, that specifies why they are unhappy.
I used to be a journalist (until i was laid off and had so much trouble finding work that i changed fields). Journalism was decimated by the internet, and news outlets like the NYT are really struggling. It's not like health insurance companies where the CEOs are raking it in while denying valid claims. I'm a union supporting liberal Democrat, but a thinking versus knee-jerk variety.
So what has the NYT done that is so wrong? I'd like to hear it.
Thanks for doing the right thing! NYT workers deserve our support and their demands are fair. I was out on the picketline today. To everyone who says that this is symbolic— that's not the point. The NYT registers some of the effects of public support for strikers precisely through actions like this. Fair wages now!
Do you really not know what it means not to cross a picket line? It sounds like you literally don't know why people refuse to cross picket lines.
Glad to find that the strike was honored here. No puzzle or Wordle for me.
If there's a strike today, will there be a newspaper tomorrow? No one's ar work today, no?
Regarding FLUSH: The pirate portrayed in the puzzle is wearing an eye [I] patch, has a PEG leg, and has a hook for a hand -- all stereotypical traits of pirates. Pirates are also known for playing poker, hence our Xword pirate is holding cards which give him a FLUSH [five cards of the same suit]. Throw in LONGJOHNS[I]LVER, MAR[I]NERS, LINES, and Coleridge's RIME of the Ancient Mariner (rime = frost that forms when sailing in cold fog) . . . and you arrive at PIRATE (47D).
I thought it a good theme, with Easy-Medium difficulty. Definitions are fair, if only in retrospect!
Toughest words: SCHWA for the a's in Alexa, RIME for winter coat (of ice), and SHRIKES for butcher birds (which hang their prey from a tree branch and peck away like a butcher).
Don't cross pickets.
the FLUSH/HAND thing was cringe. otherwise good puzzle. Loved the “Eye patch"
47D gives it up- “eye patch, hook hand,and peg leg”
So the “patched” “I’s” are behind the black box intersecting 9D and 20A and the “hook hand” is the hook shaped poker hand “flush”. Nothing more nothing less !
Cute overall!
Hey Rex, we support the strike but want to know wtf SCHWA is, plz advise
The Times is very uneven. Other sources can help assess the quality of their stories. They employ many good journalists.
Was not aware of the strike until after I did the puzzle and came here. But I hadn’t yet done the Wordle, so I will break my streak there.
THANKS. No NYT’s X-worn, Wordle, or Spelling Bee for me yesterday so I am just seeing this. I’m retired and never needed a Union. But I know how necessary they are and how much support they need. Always liked to see the RAT when I lived in the City.
A schwa is the kinda "uh"-ish sound certain vowels make, like the first "a" in "again". Represented in pronunciation guides by an upside-down E (ə). "Alexa" has one at the beginning and the end of the word, hence the clue.
Check out the NYTimesGuild on Twitter and other news outlets reporting on the strike. Earlier in the year, as one example, the NYT spent $150 million on stock buybacks for its shareholders while refusing meaningful cost of living raises to staff. Even if the newspaper business is suffering, plenty of folks are still making money from it while labor disproportionally bears the majority of the burden.
I never need encouragement not to engage with the NYT - with the sole exception of the crosswords.
Thursday a day late: EYE patch cute. Liked PEG/leg too. However, still don’t really get the FLUSH thing: I see the shape of a hook but the whole pirates-play-poker thing (only leaned from this & NYT blog site) is pretty weak IMO. When I think of pirates playing poker is never part of my scenario!
Flush-hook hand har.
Talk like a pirate day was back in September ...
But a really different take on a puztheme, and M&A Luvs different.
fave stuff included: YAWNER. SHRIKES on a Strike Day. DYSTOPIAN. TEENIEST. MIDJULY. CSIMIAMI. NOWORRIES. THEUS [Goddess of hooked hands]. TVSIGNAL.
staff weeject pick: PEG, of leg fame. Highlighted in gray, in M&A's printed-off puz. Sooo … saved m&e the trouble.
Thanx and arrrh, Mr. Thackray dude. Good job. Real shame that U kinda got "struck out" here at the blog.
Masked & Anonymo4Us
This seemed like another kid’s placemat puzzle to me. Way too easy for a Thursday… theme made me groan.
Thank you, Rex, for both respecting the strike and explaining the revealer.
I hope this isn't too late for anyone to see. I'm doing the puzzle a few days late. Can anyone please, please explain "sic en"? I know "sic em" but not "sic en." I searched through all the comments and never saw it mentioned once. It's driving me crazy! Help!
The answer is SICON, as in “I’ll sic the dog on you.” The crossword is EMOTER.
Oh, sheesh, I feel like such an idiot! Thank you, TedP! My brain just completely skipped past "emoter," which I had as "emeter." So I couldn't figure out how "no news" could be "no mews." Didn't help that I tried to figure out how it might be part of the theme like "peg/leg"--i.e., that it was on purpose. I know it's dumb but it's the kind of thing that would have driven me crazy to not ever know--and the kind of thing I count on this blog to help bail me out.
The hidden I and the FLUSH hand gimmicks were just too convoluted. Lots of bad fill. A YAWNER when it wasn’t irritating. Not fun.
Guess there'll be NONEWS today.
This puzzle, as well as the circumstances in which we didn't get a writeup from OFF, could be described as DYSTOPIAN--the shining lighthouse beam on the grid.
Okay, the eye patch is spot on and very clever. But the hook hand? While not commenting, OFF still managed to throw in the poker hand angle. How that relates to the theme is murky at best, though most fireplace "pokers" do have a hook near the end. The other, more literal meaning of FLUSH is just as much of a stretch. I grant that if you pull off the tank lid, you can see that there's a hook attached to the handle, but really. Nah, FLUSH just doesn't work.
Then there's the PEG leg. Whichever word goes in the shaded area has appeared in the clue! That's an OWIE!
We also have a THE-fest. THEUS, THEBAT. THAT is at least one too many. Other fill rough spots tilt this one toward bogey.
One helluva second guess leads to another Wordle birdie: BBYYB GGGBG GGGGG.
YAK YAK YAK
Time to LEAVE, SHAKEALEG,
JOHN, you've SAID what you MAY,
I've heard EARFULS from MEG
THAT you CAMEIN THE SAMEDAY.
--- IGOR WEIR
Wanna imagine an inkfest? Being a Thursday, Started with LONGJOHN(Ag) which made the cross Say(Ag)ain (not SCUSEME). So there.
Wordle par.
The very only TEENIEST hesitation I had was with one letter in AMBLIN, but I guessed it correctly. Yippee. Otherwise...a walk in the park for me today. Surprised me!
Diana, Lady-in-Waiting for Crosswords
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